Tempus post Epiphania

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the last day before the beginning of the season and time of Lent, which will begin tomorrow with the imposition of the blessed ashes on Ash Wednesday, the very first day of the Lenten season. On this day, as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, let us all remind ourselves of the calling which all of us have received from the Lord for us to follow Him and the path that He has shown to us so that we may continue to walk down the path of righteousness and virtue in life. We have been reminded of God’s great and most generous love and mercy, and we should make great use of the opportunities that God has granted to us to reach out to Him and to be fully reconciled and reunited with Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the exhortation from the prophet Sirach we have been listening to for the past few weeks, we heard of the words of the prophet reminding all the faithful people of God and hence all of us to be generous in offering ourselves to the Lord because He is truly full of love and mercy, and if we do what is right and just, worthy in the eyes of the Lord, committing ourselves to His cause and be good in all of our actions, words and deeds, then all of us will truly be blessed and rewarded by the Lord in the end. It is a reminder for all of us to live our lives worthily in the best way we can, to be good inspiration and role models tor our fellow brothers and sisters around us by our living and vibrant faith.

Then in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord affirming His disciples, who, led by St. Peter, had declared their commitment and loyalty to Him, stating how they had left behind everything to follow the Lord, their family, their loved ones and their worldly possessions. The Lord reassured them all and said that no one who had devoted themselves and made sacrifices to follow Him would be found wanting, echoing what the prophet Sirach had mentioned in our first reading passage today. Essentially it is a reminder for us all that the Lord loves the righteous and virtuous, and those whom He deems to be worthy shall be truly blessed and cared for by Him, and they shall not be lost from Him.

On the other hand, if we are wicked and evil in our ways, disobeying God’s Law and commandments, then we likely have to face the consequences of our actions and disobedience, our wickedness and evils. While God loves us all most dearly, He also despises the sins and wickedness which we have committed in our lives, and no wickedness, evil or sin can exist in His Holy Presence. If we continue to commit wickedness and evils, sins and all sorts of disobedience against God, then in the end, it is by those disobedience and wickedness which we will be judged by, and if we are not careful, we may end up in eternity of suffering and regret in the damnation of Hell. This is something that the Lord does not want to happen to us, and He has provided us with all the means to avoid it, but it is up to us to make the conscious effort to come back towards the Lord with repentance and virtuous life.

That is why as Christians all of us ought to strive to live our lives each day with careful actions and virtuous way of life, rejecting the temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, the sins of the world around us, and all the coercions and pressures to embrace this path of wickedness and pleasures. We must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by those pressures and temptations, and instead we should continue to be resolute in our dedication and commitment to the path of the Lord and His righteousness. We must do our best to live our lives worthily and distancing ourselves from the evil ways. This is of course something much easier said than done, but we must make the conscious effort to adhere ourselves to the path of God, or else, we may easily be pulled into the path of sin and darkness, and we should look for inspiration from among our holy predecessors.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Casimir, also known as St. Casimir of Poland, who was a royal prince of the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was a bright and pious person even since his early youth and he was brought up well in the various areas of education and knowledge, and he grew up to be a fine young man, who was full of vigour and also care for the less fortunate and the needy, and was also inclined to the religious life and calling. While in the secular world he encountered failures such as the failed efforts by his supporters and family to install him as the King of Hungary due to the claims that his family on the Hungarian throne, but in the spiritual matters, St. Casimir was well known for his devotion to God, his pious and worthy lifestyle, and his care for the needs of the people.

St. Casimir was known for his great humility and other virtues in life, refusing the commonly debauched ways of the people and nobility of his time, especially with regards to women and merrymaking. He spent his time frequently in prayer and charitable works, and he continued to lead a life that was worthy of God, refusing the match proposed to him by his family, while also sensing and knowing that he did not have long to live in the world. Shortly afterwards, St. Casimir fell seriously ill and eventually passed away due to the illness at a relatively young age of twenty-five. While his earthly life and existence was short, nonetheless, through his exemplary faith and actions, St. Casimir has shown many people who were his contemporaries and many others throughout time, even to this present day, how we all ought to be as disciples and followers of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have reflected from the words of the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and examples of St. Casimir of Poland that we have just discussed, all of us are reminded to be good role models and inspirations for our fellow men and women, living our lives with righteousness and grace, to be truly faithful in all things and circumstances. We should be the shining beacons of God’s light, hope and Good News in our darkened world, corrupted and filled with sin and evil. Through our commitment to God, our righteousness and virtue, we should bring God’s light into our world, inspiring many others around us to follow the Lord as well. It is by our good life and examples that we can do this, to fulfil what the Lord has entrusted to us. 

Let us all therefore do our part as Christians, to be the faithful and devoted missionaries and evangelising disciples, doing our best to proclaim the Lord to all. And as we all enter into this time and season of Lent tomorrow, let us all continue to strive to resist the temptations of sin, and continue to keep our lives truly holy and worthy of the Lord, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Mark 10 : 28-31

At that time, Peter spoke up and said, “We have given up everything to follow You.” Jesus answered, “Truly, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive his reward.”

“I say to you : even in the midst of persecution, he will receive a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands in the present time, and in the world to come eternal life. Do pay attention : many who are now first will be last, and the last, first.”

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Psalm 49 : 5-6, 7-8, 14 and 23

Gather before Me My faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. The heavens will proclaim His sentence, for God Himself is the Judge.

Hear, o My people, for I am speaking. I will accuse You, o Israel, I am God,  your God! Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

Yet offer to God a sacrifice of thanks, and fulfil your vows to the Most High. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Sirach 35 : 1-15

Keeping the Law is worthy many offerings. Being faithful to the commandments is like a peace offering. Returning kindness is an offering of fine flour; giving alms is a sacrifice of praise. Renouncing sin pleases the Lord, and shunning injustice is a sacrifice of atonement.

Do not appear before the Lord with empty hands. The commandment requires that you bring an offering. When the offering of the righteous is burnt on the altar, the fat drips down and a fragrant aroma rises to the Most High. The sacrifice of the just man pleases God and will not be forgotten. Honour the Lord with a generous heart and do not be stingy with the first fruits of your harvest.

Offer your gifts with a smiling face and when you pay your tithes do it gladly. Give to the Most High as He has given to you; give generously to the Lord according to what you have; the Lord will repay, He will reward you sevenfold. If you attempt to bribe Him with gifts He will not accept them; do not rely on offerings from dishonest gain.

The Lord is Judge and shows no partiality. He will not disadvantage the poor, He Who hears the prayer of the oppressed. He does not disdain the plea of the orphan, nor the complaint of the widow. When tears flow down her cheeks, is she not crying out against the one who caused her to weep?

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Monday, 3 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we come ever closer to the beginning of the season of Lent this Wednesday, all of us are invited to reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures which we have received today, which reminded us about the great love and kindness which God our loving Father and Creator has for each and every one of us. All of us are truly fortunate to have God Who has always loved us and patiently cared for us, ever always providing us with the help and the means for us to reach out to Him, to return to Him, ever ready to welcome us back with outstretched hands, as He awaits us all to repent from our sinful ways and embrace Him once again with genuine and sincere love. All that remain is for us to make that move to return to our loving Father, opening our hearts and minds to accept Him and His love and forgiveness, and commit ourselves anew to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the prophet mentioned to the people of God of how the Lord, the Almighty God and Master of all knows everything in the hearts and minds of all of His people, and nothing can truly be hidden from Him, no matter what. The prophet Sirach also reassured the faithful that their Lord and Master has always loved them and would reward all those who have been faithful to Him with great grace and blessings, and He has always been willing to welcome back everyone who commit themselves to the path of repentance and reconciliation, ever generous and rich with His mercy, calling upon all of His people to come back to Him.

At the same time, the prophet Sirach also gave a gentle warning from the Lord to the people that if they misbehaved and continued on their path of disobedience and rebellion against Him, then all of their misdeeds and wickedness would also be held against them, just as much as their righteous deeds and actions would bring them rich rewards and graces on the Day of Judgement. Essentially all of us are called through these words of the prophet Sirach that we should no longer be stubborn in closing our hearts and minds against God’s call, His love and generous mercy towards us. We should be thankful that God has always loved us all these while, and willing to forgive us our many sins and trespasses if we truly can commit ourselves to the path of repentance, turning ourselves from the darkness of sin and evil into the path of God’s light and truth.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we first heard of the words of the Lord to a rich man who came up to Him and asked Him of what he needed to do in order to attain eternal life, just as the Lord had proclaimed and promised to them all. It was there that the Lord told the man that he ought to obey the Law and commandments of God, and after the rich man had replied that he had obeyed all those laws and commandments, the Lord tested his resolve and commitment by asking him to leave behind his great wealth and possessions so that he might follow Him wholeheartedly and becoming His disciple. And as we heard, the rich man left the Lord with great sorrow.

This exchange showed to all of us that the love and desire for worldly things, possessions, wealth and other forms of attachments and ambitions can become truly serious obstacles which can prevent us from coming closer to the Lord and His salvation. It however does not mean that the Lord despises the rich and the privileged in the world, as some may have misunderstood the true intention of this Gospel passage. What the Lord warned His disciples and all of us against through this interaction with the rich man was in fact the unhealthy attachments and obsessions that we tend to have for those worldly desires, wealth, riches and other things of worldly nature that we have around us. And for those among us who have been blessed more with them, the risk and chance is indeed higher for us to be overwhelmed and misguided by those temptations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to these words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded today as we are about to enter soon into the penitential season and time of Lent, that each and every one of us should reevaluate our way of life and actions, how we live our lives each day, and what our focus and attention in life is, so that we do not end up losing sight on the true destination of our lives, that is the Lord and His salvation, the eternal life and true happiness that He has reassured us with. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed easily by the allures of worldly desires and ambitions, or to be misguided and misled by the many temptations of glory and power, and all the things that may lead us astray in our journey of faith.

Instead, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of the holy and blessed Lenten season, let us all learn to detach ourselves from all these worldly temptations and pleasures, resisting the various pressures and temptations that may lead us astray in our path, and we should make the conscious effort to walk the path of righteousness and virtue in God, in every parts of our lives, in our every actions, words and deeds and in everything we do especially during this upcoming season of repentance and purification, so that we may truly prepare ourselves well to welcome the Lord and reorientate our lives to focus upon Him once again. We are all fortunate that God has given us constantly His generous mercy and the many opportunities that He has provided us so that we may come and seek Him once again and be reconciled with Him. We should not squander these opportunities that we have received.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our most merciful and compassionate Master continue to show us all His love and most generous mercy, and may He continue to strengthen and empower us all in our journey in life so that despite all the pressures, temptations and all the other obstacles that we may be facing in our paths, we may continue to devote ourselves thoroughly to the Lord, committing our time and effort at all times to be the worthy bearers of our Christian faith and truth, by living to the best of our abilities in glorifying God by our lives, even to the smallest and seemingly least significant of our actions. May God be with us always, and may He continue to bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, and bless our preparations for the upcoming season of Lent. Amen.

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Monday, 3 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 17-27

At that time, just as Jesus was setting out on His journey again, a man ran up, knelt before Him and asked, “Good Master, what must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus answered, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments : Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat, honour your father and mother.” The man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments since my childhood.”

Then Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him and He said, “For you, one thing is lacking. Go, sell what you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” On hearing these words, his face fell and he went away sorrowful, for he was a man of great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God” The disciples were shocked at these words, but Jesus insisted, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

They were more astonished than ever and wondered, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked steadily at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God.”

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Monday, 3 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 31 : 1-2, 5, 6, 7

Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven, whose iniquity is wiped away. Blessed are those in whom the Lord sees no guilt and in whose spirit is found no deceit.

Then I made known to You my sin and uncovered before You my fault, saying to myself, “To the Lord I will now confess my wrong.” And You, You forgave my sin, You removed my guilt.

So let the faithful ones pray to You in time of distress; the overflowing waters will not reach them.

You are my refuge; You protect me from distress and surround me with songs of deliverance.

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Monday, 3 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 17 : 20-28

Their misdeeds cannot be hidden from Him, all their sins are before the Lord. He holds a man’s almsgiving dear as a priceless signet ring; He cherishes a good deed like apple of His eye. One day He will rise and reward them; He will place their prize on their heads.

He allows those who repent to return; He comforts those whose hopes are fading. Be converted to the Lord and give up your sins, plead with Him to lessen your offence. Return to the Almighty, turn aside from wrongdoing and totally detest evil.

For who in the grave will praise the Almighty, if the living do not give Him glory? The dead man is as if he did not exist and cannot give praise; he who has life and health can praise the Lord.

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Sunday, 2 March 2025 : Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday as we all celebrate the Eighth and the last Sunday before the beginning of the Season and time of Lent, we are all called to keep in mind how all of us carry ourselves in our lives, in our every actions, words and deeds. This is because all of us are ultimately accountable for our actions, and our faith in God truly ought to be made genuine, real and evident through our daily living, in how we carry ourselves and interact with one another, and in how we present ourselves in our society and world today, and not just merely paying lip service to the Lord. Each and every one of us must be active in living our faith in our daily lives, and be the good and worthy disciples and servants of God, in proclaiming God’s truth and love through our own lives and actions.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard of the words of the prophet Sirach that brought forth the wisdom of knowing a person by his or her deeds, using the comparison to that of a kiln and its pottery product, or a furnace and its products, a tree and its fruits, among others. It is a reminder for all of us that our faith that we have in us are all ultimately proven through our actions, lives and deeds, in how we all live our lives each day and at every moments of our lives. We cannot truly call ourselves as being faithful to the Lord, committed to Him and His path unless we truly embody our faith in everything that we say and do, in each and every moments of our lives. After all, how can we call ourselves as Christians if we do not live our lives as Christians should, in the manner that the Lord has taught us to do?

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Corinth, we are all reminded of the dangers of sin which is death, and how St. Paul reassured the faithful that sin and death no longer have their hold and power over us because of what our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had done for our sake, in offering Himself as the Paschal Lamb of sacrifice for the atonement of all of our innumerable sins and faults. We must first understand that disobedience leads to the existence of sin, as we and our predecessors since the days of Adam had disobeyed the Lord and His commandments, following instead the rebellion of Satan and the fallen angels, and hence, through sin, we have been sundered from the Lord and Master of Life, God Himself, and therefore, falls into the sufferings of death.

However, God does not desire for any one of us to be destroyed because of sin and death, and that is why, He sent unto us His Son to be our Redeemer, and to open for us the sure path towards Himself and His loving Presence. Through Christ, all of us have received the assurance of eternal happiness and life with God, because by His most selfless and loving sacrifice on the Cross, He has offered on our behalf the only worthy sacrifice and offering to blot out all of the corruptions of sin and evil that have afflicted us, and by His perfect obedience, He as the Son of Man and the New Adam, has shown us all the antithesis of the disobedience of man that had led us all into sin and death in the first place. Therefore, through the great love and mercy of God, all of us have received this assurance of salvation.

Our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard again something similar to what we have heard in our first reading from the prophet Sirach, in which the Lord told His disciples and therefore all of us of the need for all of us mankind to reflect upon our lives and actions, on whether we have truly lived our lives worthily of the Lord, by doing what He has commanded us to do, or whether we have allowed ourselves to be swayed easily by the many temptations of worldly glory and pleasures, ambitions and other attachments we may have to all these worldly things which can distract us from the true path towards God and His salvation. We must ourselves first be aware of our own shortcomings and sins, or else, we may not be able to take the right steps towards the Lord.

This was presented by the Lord using the analogy and comparison to the ‘blind leading the blind’ and also the example of how a person who wants to remove the splinter in the other person’s eyes, and yet failed to realise the presence of the ‘plank’ in his own eyes. This is in fact also a subtle criticism that the Lord presented against the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the religious elites and the elders of the people of the time, many of whom were very proud of their superior knowledge of the Law and their piety to God, and yet, they failed to recognise that they themselves were sinners and unworthy before God, and their way of observing the Law had in fact been flawed as well, and that pride, arrogance and haughtiness had become stumbling blocks in their path towards God without them perhaps realising it.

That is why the Lord reminds all of His disciples and followers, all of us gathered here today that we should always be vigilant against all sorts of the temptations to sin, and continue to grow in our faith and virtues in the Lord, resisting all the temptations of sin and evil, and disconnecting ourselves from all the worldly pursuits of glory and all the other things that may lead us astray away from the Lord. We must always try our best to keep our lives holy and worthy by doing what is right according to the Law of God, and to do His will in each and every moments of our lives, being good inspiration and examples to our brothers and sisters around us, leading by examples as good and faithful servants and disciples of the Lord. We should always be humble in all things and at every circumstances, knowing that we are truly sinners, and it is by God’s grace that we have been made whole again through His mercy and forgiveness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all reflect upon these words of the Sacred Scriptures, let us all continue to commit ourselves to the Lord each day, doing our best to walk in the path of the Lord, being devoted servants of God and being good examples to others, while giving our support to our fellow brethren who may be struggling in their faith and lives. And the best day that we can do this is by trying our best to live lives that are truly committed and obedient to the will of God in our own capacity, and strive to support our brethren in their own efforts and actions, that together as the members of God’s Church, we may persevere together throughout whatever challenges and trials we may have to face along our journey together as one united people of God.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God and Father, continue to guide us all through this journey of faith and life, especially as we begin to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season and time of Lent, to be more aware of our sinfulness and the need for conversion and renewal in our lives, to renew our faith in the Lord and to attune ourselves once more with Him, so that we may draw ever closer to His loving Presence and be ever more courageous in committing ourselves to the path of virtue and righteousness, distancing ourselves from all that is sinful and evil. May the Lord bless our every good efforts and endeavours, and be with us always. Amen.

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Sunday, 2 March 2025 : Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 39-45

At that time, Jesus offered this example, “Can a blind person lead another blind person? Surely both will fall into a ditch. A disciple is not above the master; but when fully trained, he will be like the master. So why do you pay attention to the speck in your brother’s eye, while you have a log in your eye, and are not conscious of it?”

“How can you say to your neighbour, ‘Friend, let me take this speck out of your eye,’ when you cannot remove the log in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your neighbour’s eye.”

“No healthy tree bears bad fruit, no poor tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it bears : you do not gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles. Similarly, the good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart.”