Supreme Pontiff

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Monday, 16 November 2015 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Gertrude, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Virgins)

Luke 18 : 35-43

At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging. As he heard the crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening, and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by.

Then he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people in front of him scolded him, “Be quiet!” they said, bur he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped, and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the man said, “Lord, that I may see!” Jesus said, “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you.”

At once the blind man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving praise to God. And all the people who were there also praised God.

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Monday, 16 November 2015 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Gertrude, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Virgins)

Psalm 118 : 53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158

I feel indignant at the wicked who have forsaken Your Law.

The wicked have me trapped in their snares, but I have not forgotten Your Laws.

Rescue me from human oppression, and help me keep Your precepts.

My persecutors close in with evil intent; they are far from Your Law.

Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes.

I look upon the faithless with loathing, because they do not obey Your ruling.

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Monday, 16 November 2015 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Gertrude, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Virgins)

1 Maccabees 1 : 10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-64

From the descendants of Alexander’s generals there came a godless offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of king Antiochus, who had been held as hostage in Rome. He became king in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the Greek era (175 B.C.).

It was then that some rebels emerged from Israel, who succeeded in winning over many people. They said, “Let us renew contact with the peoples around us for we had endured many misfortunes since we separated from them.”

This proposal was well-received and some eagerly went to the king. The king authorised them to adopt the customs of the pagan nations. With his permission, they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem in the pagan style. And as they wanted to be like the pagans in everything, they made artificial foreskins for themselves and abandoned the Holy Covenant, sinning as they pleased.

Antiochus issued a decree to his whole kingdom. All the peoples of his empire had to renounce their particular customs and become one people. All the pagan nations obeyed and respected the king’s decree, and even in Israel many accepted the imposed cult. They offered sacrifices to idols and no longer respected the Sabbath.

On the fifteenth day of the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, Antiochus erected the “abominable idol of the invaders” on the altar of the Temple. Pagan altars were built throughout the whole land of Judea; incense was offered at the doors of their houses and in the squares. There wicked men tore up the Books of the Law they found and burned them. They killed anyone they caught in possession of the Book of the Covenant and who fulfilled the precepts of the Law, as the royal decree had ordered.

But in spite of all this, many Israelites still remained firm and determined not to eat unclean food. They preferred to die rather than to make themselves unclean with those foods (prohibited by the Law) that violated the Holy Covenant. And Israel suffered a very great trial.

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Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Thirty-Third (33rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this sacred day we celebrate together the Holy Mass in remembrance of the fact which the the Lord Who had offered and given Himself for our sake, that through Him and through His loving works, we may be given safety and assurance of the eternal life, which God has promised to all of those who remain faithful to Him.

And His desire is for us to bring us out of the darkness and back into the light. And through His works, He will liberate us from all the wickedness and vile things that held us back from our path to salvation. God will deliver us from the punishment and the suffering that awaits us all if we continue to progress on this path towards damnation. This path is the path of selfishness, of individualism and indifference and apathy towards God and His people.

Many of us in our human nature, we have the tendency to satisfy our own needs and desires first before the needs of others, and it is often that we even trample on the rights of others and bring suffering to others in order to make ourselves feel happy and satisfied. As a result, through these behaviours, we committed sin before the Lord, and thus we sink deeper into the darkness that seeks to claim our souls.

At first, indeed, there seemed to be no hope out of the darkness, for through sin, our ancestors had been cast out of the good and wonderful life they had led in the Gardens of Eden, and for their sins they had to suffer the consequences of their disobedience, succumbing to the sentence and the power of death. And death would have won the final victory had it not been for our Lord Himself, Who endeavoured and did His best to help us all.

Because of sin, we have been defiled and corrupted in our bodies, hearts, minds and souls. And because of the filth and corruption, we have been sundered from the Lord our God, Who is all good and perfect, as no evil and wickedness can withstand His presence. But this does not mean that we have been condemned forever or assured of hell, as sin is just like debt, and debt can indeed be paid for.

In the past, the priests offered sacrifices for the sake of the people by sacrificing unblemished lamb and other animals, shedding their blood and pouring them on the altar. The sweet offering of these goods pleased the Lord, who took them as the payment for our debts, that is our sins. The sweet smell of the offerings and the blood which is then sprayed on the people of God are the symbol of purification from the sins that had assailed them.

But these sacrifices and the blood of the lamb and the other animals are only temporary solutions to our problem of sin, as these do not offer us lasting protection and absolution from all of our sins. No amount of mortal blood, sacrifices and offerings can remove from us the multitudes and the huge amounts of our wickedness, sins, and unworthiness.

We may not realise it, but in our own lives, we have committed so many sins in our life, from the beginning to its end, and even now for us still living in this world, our sins are still adding up and growing in amount. Even all the small sins we have committed will be considered, as we have to realise that no matter how small the sin is, it will still impact us and prevent us from reaching out to the Lord our God, for sin has no place in His presence.

And many of us are unaware of this fact, thinking that we are all alright and have no issues in living our lives, in ignorance of the sins which we committed. And even more of us are likely to be unaware of the very important role that our Lord had taken up and in which capacity He had endeavoured to bring us all into the salvation and eternal life which He had promised all of His faithful ones.

He has taken up the role to be our Saviour, and to be the One High Priest, the True High Priest, as Priest of all priests, to offer the perfect sacrifice through which He would sanctify all of His beloved people, purifying all of us mankind from the taints of our original sins, the accumulated sins of our rebellion and our iniquities since the very beginning of time and creation.

And He did not offer the blood of animals, or their flesh to be immolated and offered to God, but rather, He came down to us in the flesh of Man, that by mingling Himself with our substance, we become sharers in His divine mission, through which, He offered His own Most Precious Body and the Most Precious Blood to be the perfect sacrifice and offering, through which the salvation of this world came from.

He did not offer this offering many times, as the priests of old had done. Instead, through the one and only sacrifice which He performed on that fateful day at the hills of Calvary, bearing His cross on His back, He was lifted up high as the very perfect sacrifice that becomes the sacrifice which obliterates and absolves all of us from the taints of our sins. And this purification He offered to all of us, and to all of us who receive Him as our Lord and Saviour, He will bless us with the eternal life and blessings that He had promised all of us.

But this comes with a reminder, that all of us, even after we have been baptised into the Faith in God, and received as the members of His Church, we are still susceptible to the corrupting power of sin, and temptations are always abound around us. Satan and all of his allies, his fellow fallen angels, the demons and the tempters are always trying day and night to assault us, corrupt us and turn us away from the path towards salvation and instead into damnation.

It is important therefore that we are prepared for what is to come, that we must know that the Lord Jesus, our Lord, Saviour and God will come again just as He has said and promised to all of us, that when He comes again at the end of time, He shall judge all of creation, and all those who are righteous He will gather up and keep to Himself, while those who have not walked in His path will be rejected and cast out to eternal darkness.

What is important is that we must take note that the time of His coming will not be known to us. Only God alone knows at what exact and precise time He will come again to judge all things. This means that we cannot be lax and ignorant of this fact, living our lives as we please and as we want it, committing sins day and night, big and small, while thinking that we are assured of salvation.

Rather, all of us must always be vigilant and be ever ready to welcome the Lord when He comes again, and when He comes again, we want ourselves to be found worthy and in His grace, and thus merit the eternal life and joy He has promised to all those who remain true to Him to the end. Let us all strive for goodness in all things and commit ourselves to do good in all of our actions, trusting in God and in all of His promises, and make ourselves ever worthy of Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Thirty-Third (33rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 13 : 24-32

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Later on in those days, after that disastrous time, the sun will grow dark, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall out of the sky, and the whole universe will be shaken.”

“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And He will send the Angels to gather His chosen people from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.”

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree : as soon as its branches become tender and it begins to sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the time is near, even at the door. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all this has happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

“But, regarding that day and that hour, no one knows when it will come, not even the Angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.”

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Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Thirty-Third (33rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 10 : 11-14, 18

So, whereas every priest stands daily by the altar offering repeatedly the same sacrifices that can never take away sins, Christ has offered for all times a single sacrifice for sins and has taken His seat at the right hand of God, waiting until God puts His enemies as a footstool under His feet. By a single sacrifice He has brought those who are sanctified to what is perfect forever.

So, if sins are forgiven, there is no longer need of any sacrifice for sin.

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Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Thirty-Third (33rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 15 : 5 and 8, 9-10, 11

O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot. I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices; my body too will rest assured. For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will You suffer Your Holy One to see decay in the land of the dead.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence the fullness of joy, at Your right hand happiness forever.

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Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Thirty-Third (33rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 12 : 1-3

At that time, Michael will rise, the Great Commander who defends your people. It shall be a time of anguish as never before since the nations first existed until this very day.

Then all those whose names are written in the Book will be saved. Many of those who sleep in the Region of the Dust will awake, some to everlasting life but others to eternal horror and shame.

Those who acquired knowledge will shine like the brilliance of the firmament; those who taught people to be just will shine like the stars for all eternity.

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Saturday, 14 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the Sacred Scriptures gave us a clear reminder of what we need to do in this life, that is to seek the Lord, with all of our strength, with all of our heart, and with all of our attention and effort. The story of the woman who constantly sought an evil judge without ceasing and eventually gained his attention and help is a model for us all to follow.

The evil judge represents someone with power and authority who has the ability to give what the woman wanted, that is justice and righteousness, but he was unwilling to do so, because he felt that he was above the law and not subject to any other authority or demands, and thus, he felt not obliged to listen to the woman or to any of her pleas.

And yet, the woman, who in fact represents all of us, the faithful people of God, kept without cease, asking and asking, begging and begging all day long, and seeking the judge all the time without end, pursuing him to give her justice against her enemies. Regardless of whatever situation, the woman did not stop persevering, and she kept on trying again and again.

Eventually the evil and wicked judge relented, not so much because he wanted to help her, but rather because her constant nagging and chasing after his justice has become a great nuisance to him, and he wanted to get rid of that nuisance by simply granting the woman her wish. He hoped that by granting her wish, she would stop coming at him and therefore stop disturbing him.

And this is to bring contrast between what the evil judge had done and what our Lord, God our Father will do to us, if we ask Him for a favour or for something. If the evil judge was willing to help the woman after incessant begging and pleas, then so much more will our Lord help us, when we ask for Him and for His favour and help. God will definitely help us if we ask Him.

The problem lies in the fact that many of us were unable to ask Him because of one reason or another. Many of us were not aware that God is able to help us and assist us, and many of us do not even know that God exists around us and that His sight is always upon us at all times. We often think that God is a fearsome and scary God Who is not approachable and Who will punish all those who break His laws.

Remember what Jesus said to His disciples? He said that if we need something, we should just ask, and it will be given to us, as long as it is within the will and the grace of God. And if we knock the door, the door and the way shall be opened to us, and we shall be able to find what we need. It is very important that all of us seek the Lord and beseech Him for help, not just for material goods, but more importantly, for the sake of our salvation.

Many of us remember the Lord only in bad and difficult times, asking or rather demanding Him to help us, as if He is like a wonder and miracle worker. But whenever we have good times, we often do not remember Him as we are often too busy with ourselves, and we are unable to shake ourselves free from those temptations of joy and pleasures of this world.

And whenever we do not get what we wanted when we ask it of the Lord, then we often become angry and disgusted. And many of us are angry at the Lord or no longer putting our trust in Him. But this is not the right attitude, since in the first place, we have no right to demand Him for anything. The story of the evil judge and the woman reminds us that what we can do is to ask the Lord and pray to Him, hoping that He will listen to us and fulfil our wishes.

And if the evil judge gave in to the woman’s wishes because of her incessant nuisance and insistence, God Who loves us all will surely listen to us if we ask. This is why our prayers must be genuine and constant, and not just a litany of requests and demands as what many of us often do. Rather, our prayers must be genuine and true, a real conversation with our God.

Let us all therefore from now on enhance our prayer and spiritual life, filling up our lives with genuine spirituality and focus on the Lord. Let us all renew our commitment to the Lord and devote ourselves ever more to God’s ways, and in all of our actions let us all bring glory to God and declare His love to all mankind. May God be with us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Luke 18 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus told His disciples and the people a parable, to show them that they should pray continually, and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge, who neither feared God nor people. In the same town, there was a widow, who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend my rights against my opponent!'”

“For a time he refused, but finally he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people, this widow bothers me so much, I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.”

And Jesus said, “Listen to what the evil judge says. Will God not do justice for His chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night, even if He delays in answering them? I tell you, He will speedily do them justice. But, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”