Tempus Post Pentecosten

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Thursday, 23 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are again reminded just as yesterday through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures that we should always be vigilant against the temptations of the world. We must always be careful as the evil one and all of his forces are always ever ready to strike at us with all their might, as they are looking for the opportunity to snatch us away from God and His salvation, trying to pull us into our destruction and downfall through the various worldly temptations and desires, just as they had done many times to us and our predecessors in the past. We must keep in mind that each and every one of our actions, words, deeds, interactions and all that we say and do, all will be held accountable by the Lord our God, at the time of our reckoning.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. James, in which St. James the Apostle continued to speak against the wickedness of those who have allowed themselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly ambitions and glory, those who have allowed the allure of wealth and worldly possessions to lead them to bring about actions that hurt others around them. Many people throughout time and history had acted in manner that bring about suffering and hardships to others, through exploitation and manipulation of those who were weaker, so that those who acted in this selfish and wicked manner could enrich and empower themselves at the cost of those people whom they had stepped on amidst their pursuit for power, riches and worldly glory.

It was against all those people and all those temptations that St. James the Apostle had been speaking out about, an important reminder for all the faithful not to be corrupted by wealth, power and glory that they end up committing things that are against God’s ways and teachings. Too often throughout time and history mankind had been swayed by all those worldly temptations and end up benefitting from the sufferings of others, or even purposefully causing harm to others just so that one could gain profit and benefit to oneself from such heinous and selfish action. St. James also reminded the faithful that all those worldly things and ambitions ultimately would come to nothing as none of those things would last forever or remain amidst the passing of time and none would also bring their worldly wealth and glory beyond the world.

That is why he urged the faithful people of God not to follow that same path to ruin and damnation. He reminded the people that if they allowed themselves to be swayed in such a manner, they would be in serious danger as the temptations of wealth, worldly glory and ambitions are indeed slippery slope that many had found hard to escape from, and if we are not careful, we may find ourselves in a most precarious situation, falling ever deeper into the traps of sin and evil that lead us into our destruction. This is not what the Lord wanted to happen to us, and this is what we all should always be wary of, as we continue to live our lives in our world today. We should also remind one another not to live in such a wicked manner.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord telling His disciples very bluntly about the dangers of sin and the many temptations to sin, and what they ought to do in order to achieve that. As His disciples, the Lord expected those who followed Him and believed in Him to walk faithfully in the path of righteousness and virtue, to be truly committed to this path and to distance themselves from all sorts of temptations and sins that could prevent them from living their lives righteously, or worse still, could pull them ever deeper into the path of sin and destruction. The Lord told them to cast aside whichever things and obstacles, metaphorically referring to tearing their limbs, eyes and other body parts that could lead them into sin.

Of course we must understand that the Lord did not mean to cripple us or to cause us harm. Rather, His intention by using such a graphic message and delivery to His disciples was to highlight firmly how dangerous sin can be, and how harmful sin can be to our soul, leading us to eternity of suffering and damnation in Hell. Such a fate is far worse than any injuries or hardships, sufferings and pains that one could experience from losing parts of their bodies, or from other forms of sufferings. The Lord warned the disciples that Hell is truly real, and we must not delude ourselves thinking that everyone will get to enjoy the fullness of God’s love and compassion, His blessings and graces. If we are separated from Him because of our sins and wickedness, then there is nothing else for us other than an eternity of suffering, regret and despair.

The Lord has given us all many opportunities and means for us to do what He has taught us to do in our lives, to resist the temptations of worldly pleasures and evils, and to embrace once again the path of His grace and love. With our bodies, all the means and blessings that He has given us, He wants us to use them for good and worthy purposes. All these things are not themselves evil, be it money, material possessions and other things in life which we have, as they can be used either good or evil uses and purposes. There are a lot of good things that we can do with whatever blessings which we have received, as well as evil things, and the choice is ours on what we want to do with them. Unfortunately, it was our excessive and unhealthy attachments to those worldly goods and things which had led to us falling into the traps of the evil one, losing our sight on the light and truth of God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of the reminders from both the Lord Himself and from St. James the Apostle, let us all continue to live our lives from now on with ever greater love and commitment to the Lord. Let our lives by the inspiration and strength to everyone all around us, to be the beacons of the light of God and His Good News to all the people of all the nations. May the Lord continue to bless us all in our endeavours and efforts, and may He empower each and every one of us to always be faithful to His path, to shun evil and wickedness in our lives and to be worthy Christians at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 23 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 9 : 41-50

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ and bear His Name, truly, I say to you, he will not go without reward. If anyone should cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone around his neck.”

“If your hand makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand, than with two hands to go to hell, to the fire that never goes out. And if your foot makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot, than with both feet to be thrown into hell.”

“And if your eye makes you fall into sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, keeping both eyes, to be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them never die, and the fire never goes out. The fire itself will preserve them.”

“Salt is a good thing; but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”

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Thursday, 23 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 48 : 14-15ab, 15cde-16, 17-18, 19-20

This is the fate of people trusting themselves, the future of those who rely on their strength. Like sheep led to the grave, they have death, as their shepherd and ruler.

Quickly, their form will be consumed in the world of the dead, which is their home. But God will rescue my soul from the grave by receiving me unto Himself.

Fear not, when someone grows rich, when his power becomes oppressively great; for nothing will he take when he dies; his wealth and pomp he will leave behind.

Though he praised himself in his lifetime, “All will say that I have enjoyed life,” he will join the generation of his forebears, who will never again see the light.

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Thursday, 23 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

James 5 : 1-6

So, now, for what concerns the rich, cry and weep, for the misfortunes that are coming upon you. Your riches are rotting, and your clothes, eaten up by the moths. Your silver and gold have rusted, and their rust grows into a witness against you. It will consume your flesh, like fire, for having piled up riches, in these, the last days.

You deceived the workers who harvested your fields, but, now, their wages cry out to the heavens. The reapers’ complaints have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You lived in luxury and pleasure in this world, thus, fattening yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have easily condemned, and killed the innocent since they offered no resistance.

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Wednesday, 22 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we are all reminded that as Christians, God’s people and followers, we must always strive to put our faith and trust in the Lord above all the other things, and we must not let ourselves to be swayed or distracted by the many temptations of worldly glory, ambitions and desires, all of which can lead us astray and bring us away from the path of God’s righteousness and grace. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations, we may end up falling into the path towards eternal damnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words from the Apostle St. James in his exhortation to the faithful people of God, in which he told them all that they must not be so busy worrying and preparing for their plans in the world, with all their preoccupations and all the busy things they carried out to prepare for the next day, for the next week, the next month, and even for the next few years. All these things can prevent us from truly following the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly, as they may end up dragging us down the path of the pursuit of worldly ambitions, fame and glory.

When we focus so much on our lives in this world and our desires for all sorts of worldly goods and matters, it is easy for us to get distracted and to abandon our faith in God, as we may end up putting our trust more in those worldly things and attachments that we have, such as money, wealth, possessions, worldly pleasures, glory, fame among many other things. Throughout history, it has been proven that many in the Church and among the faithful fell into the path of evil and wickedness because they gave in to those temptations, even those high in position within the Church, corrupted by the worldly desires and temptations.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark in which an occasion when the Lord and His group encountered a person who was driving out demons by using His Name, and the disciples complained about the person to the Lord, Who told them that they should not go against the person, or make complaints, as in the end, if the person was doing good works of the Lord, in accordance to the manner that God had done and taught us all, then all those works are equally valid and worthy, and God may have indeed called the person to do His will too, without us knowing about it.

What is significant from this event is that the Lord made it clear that salvation is truly meant for everyone, even if not necessarily those belonging to the group, as there might be cases and occasions when there are people whom not by their fault or deliberate action, not fully belonging to the group of the Lord’s followers. Back then, the disciples of the Lord must have been jealous and unwilling to let the others to have the same gifts, abilities and opportunities to do what they themselves had been entrusted to do. Essentially, the attitude and actions of the disciples were based on worldly desires and jealousy, and that was wrong.

This is therefore a reminder to each and every one of us that we should not allow all sorts of worldly temptations, our ego and pride, our desires for pleasure and for worldly things to sway our decisions and distract us in our path towards God. We must always be resolute in our efforts to resist those temptations and pressures, which are usually always ever present around us, so that we may continue to walk faithfully in God’s path and be the worthy and ever faithful bearers of God’s truth and Good News at all times. Through our lives and examples, we should always strive to proclaim the Lord to everyone whom we encounter in our journey throughout life.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia, who was a great and holy woman, dedicated in her efforts to live a worthy and good life that is in accordance to the path of the Lord. St. Rita of Cascia was married at a young age to a nobleman despite her desire to join a convent and become a religious sister. Her husband was also known to be immoral and ill-tempered, but despite all that, St. Rita of Cascia lived her life with virtue and zeal for the Lord, and became an exemplary wife and mother to her children, amidst the then challenging landscape of the political and inter-familial rivalries rampant at that time.

One such dispute led to the husband of St. Rita of Cascia to be stabbed to death, and his grieving family desired that the sons of St. Rita of Cascia ought to follow in their father’s footsteps and continue the feud, avenging their father’s murder by the rival family. St. Rita of Cascia tried to dissuade her sons from committing such actions, which would only perpetua and worsen the conflict ever further. When she could not do so, she earnestly prayed to the Lord to take her own sons away from her, as that would have been better than to have them falling into eternal damnation because of the sins that they would commit otherwise.

God listened to her prayers, and eventually in short succession, her sons were taken from her through disease and other means, and this widow and mother eventually entered a monastery, continuing to live her life with great piety and dedication to God, caring for the well-being of the people around her, and showing truly great faith and commitment to God as well as genuine love for her fellow brothers and sisters. Not only that, but through her continued and ceaseless efforts, eventually she also managed to help resolve the feud between the rival families that had led to the murder of her own husband earlier on.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the examples and commitment showed by St. Rita of Cascia, we can see how we can also commit ourselves so that we can continue to live worthily in the path that the Lord has shown us, by distancing ourselves from worldly ambitions and pursuits, and placing our focus in life on the Lord and on doing His will rather than pursuing glory and greatness, which as we have seen from the life of St. Rita of Cascia, to be rather pointless, meaningless and futile, and which often lead us only down the path of destruction and damnation instead of the path of righteousness and virtue.

May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our journey, and may He continue to bless us all, empowering us to live faithfully as His good and devout servants, proclaiming His Good News and salvation to everyone. May the Lord bless our every good efforts and endeavours, and may He guide us always in our paths through life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 22 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Mark 9 : 38-40

At that time, John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon Your Name, and we tried to forbid him, because he does not belong to our group.”

Jesus answered, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My Name can soon after speak evil of Me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”

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Wednesday, 22 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 48 : 2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

Hear this, all you peoples! Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, high and low together, rich and poor alike!

Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers ring me round – those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

For no ransom avails for one’s life; there is no price one can give to God for it. For redeeming one’s life demands too high a price, and all is lost forever. Who can remain forever alive and never see the grave?

For we see that the wise die, and pass away like the fool and the stupid, leaving to others their fortune and wealth.

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Wednesday, 22 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

James 4 : 13-17

Listen now, you who speak like this, “Today or tomorrow we will go off to this city and spend a year there; we will do business and make money.”

You have no idea what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? No more than a mist, which appears for a moment and then disappears. Instead of this, you should say, “God willing, we will live and do this or that.”

But no! You boast of your plans : this brazen pride is wicked. Anyone who knows what is good, and does not do it, sins.

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Tuesday, 21 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we embark on the journey of faith, continuing on from our celebrations and festivities throughout the Easter season earlier on, and entering into this time of the Ordinary Season, we must remind ourselves that each and every one of us as Christians have been called to be good role models and inspirations for one another, in how we live our lives and in what we say and do, in how we interact with one another in our respective communities and places, so that by our lives, our actions, words and deeds we may indeed show that we truly belong to the Lord, at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. James in which the Apostle in his exhortation to the faithful people of God reminded them all that as Christians they should always remember that they must always live their lives centred on God, and they should not allow themselves to be swayed by the desires, temptations, squabbles and conflicts of the world, which many of the faithful at that time fell prey to, causing the Apostles like St. James, St. Paul and others to grieve over how fellow Christian brothers and sisters were quarrelling with one another over worldly ambitions and matters, which they should not have done in the first place.

St. James reminded the faithful that they should be people of the Spirit, and not to follow the path of the flesh and the world, as their wrong motives, ambitions and desires are stumbling blocks that could prevent them from attaining true righteousness in God, and not only that, but their squabbles and quarrels were also unbecoming of them being Christians, who were supposed to be filled with God’s love, as Christ had taught all of them to love one another generously and tenderly, and not to be at each others’ throats over worldly matters, attachments and desires as they had done at that time.

St. James also reminded all of the faithful to distance themselves therefore from all sorts of vile things, impurities and corruptions from the world, from any sorts of wicked attachments and ambitions, the many temptations that could cause them to fall deeper and deeper into the path of sin and causing scandal for the Church and for their faith, besmirching the good and Holy Name of God in their pursuit for worldly glory and achievements. That is why St. James reminded all of the faithful, including all of us, to resist the temptations of worldly glory and ambition, to restrain our ego, pride and desires, and to be humble at all times, seeking to purify ourselves from all the corruptions of sin and evil.

In the Gospel passage today, this same theme and message are again repeated through what the Lord Jesus told to His disciples. He first of all told them the prediction and premonition of what He Himself would have to endure, betrayal, persecution, arrest and eventually suffering and death, which all happened during the time of His Passion and Crucifixion at Calvary. Back then, many of the disciples who followed the Lord Jesus thought that the Lord Who was considered widely as the Messiah or the Saviour. As per the common knowledge and considerations of the time, the Messiah was expected to restore the Kingdom of Israel, and as Son of David, to reign as King over Israel, and hence, overthrowing the yoke of the conquerors and rulers like the Romans and others who had put Israel under bondage.

Hence, some if not many of those disciples had ulterior motives in following the Lord, desiring power and glory, riches and ambitions, just as others who followed other worldly figures, kings and rulers throughout history. Many of these people sought power, fame, riches and influence, worldly goods and other satisfaction through association with the ones whom they were following. But the Lord told His disciples that to become His followers, it is not like becoming followers of all the other worldly rulers and figures. As He Himself showed by example, through the little children who were there, He told them all that to follow Him, they ought to be humble like the children, and not to allow themselves to be corrupted by worldly temptations and ambitions.

Like the ones to whom St. James addressed his Epistle to, the disciples of the Lord at that time also bickered and quarrelled with each other over who among them were the most important and influential ones, of who among them were more esteemed and honoured by the Lord, or who were closer to Him. But the Lord told them all that all those things were not what they should be seeking for in becoming His disciples. Instead, they should be like children in their faith and way of life, because those children, when they believe in something, they truly, sincerely and genuinely believe in them, not being sullied or corrupted by earthly desires and the ambitions of this world.

This is why, all of us today are also reminded by these readings from the Scriptures, that we should also reflect on our disposition in life in how we have lived our lives as Christians. If we have not put God at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existence, and allow the temptations and desires of this world, and the temptations of our ego and ambitions to lived our lives worthily in the manner that is expected of us, then how can we then help others to believe in God? Worse still, if our actions, behaviours and deeds contradict our beliefs and faith, it may even bring about scandal to our faith and to the Holy Name of God, and causing people to distance themselves from the Church and the Christian faith instead. All of us need to live our lives with genuine faith and commitment to God, and we must strive to do our best, to live each and every moments of our lives worthily so that we may be good examples and inspirations for one another.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Christopher Magallanes, great priest and servant of God who dedicated himself to the mission entrusted to him, in proclaiming the Good News of the Lord and standing up for the Christian faith, teachings and truth, while facing trials and persecutions, which eventually led to his martyrdom. St. Christopher Magallanes lived and ministered as priest during a rather challenging time to be Christians in Mexico, about a hundred or so years ago, when the government, then dominated by those who were hostile to the Church and the faith, committed acts and enforced laws that sought to cripple and destroy the Catholic Church, and persecuted the faithful openly, especially the members of the clergy and priests like St. Christopher Magallanes.

Seminaries and other Church institutions were closed, and some priests like St. Christopher Magallanes continued carrying out priestly formation in clandestine seminaries to ensure the continued survival of the Church. All these harsh treatments against the Church led to open rebellions and conflicts between the supporters and the opponents of the Church, known as the Cristero War. Many members of the faithful were persecuted greatly and quite a few lost their lives, persecuted and tortured, and some even summarily executed without trial by those who were hostile to the Church. This was the fate faced by St. Christopher Magallanes, who risked his life in continuing to minister to the faithful despite the many threats and dangers facing his life as a Catholic priest working during the time of conflict and open persecution against the clergy and the other members of the faithful. When he was about to be executed, he forgave his persecutors and executors, even giving absolutions to them for what they were about to commit against him.

Through the examples of those holy martyrs and saints we have been shown how we all should live our lives as Christians, by putting emphasis and focus not on ourselves and our own selfish desires, but rather on the Lord and His will. Each and every one of us as Christians ought to do our best in our lives to be good role models and inspirations, in how we live, so that our lives truly showcase our faith in the Lord, to be full of love just as the Lord our God is ever full of love for us. We are all called to love our fellow brothers and sisters, to do what we can so that we can continue to touch the lives of others around us, reaching out especially to those who are suffering and facing difficulties and challenges in life.

May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our faith, and may He help us to walk ever more faithfully in His path, living our lives with genuine love and care for our fellow brothers and sisters, seeking not worldly glory, power, fame, riches and ambitions, but instead striving to do as best as we can to lead others to the path of the Lord, to proclaim His truth and Good News to more and more people we encounter in our respective lives. May the Lord bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, and encourage us through the good examples of his saints, like the courageous St. Christopher Magallanes and his companions in martyrdom. Amen.

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Tuesday, 21 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Mark 9 : 30-37

At that time, after leaving the place where He cast out evil spirit from a deaf and dumb boy, Jesus and His disciples made their way through Galilee, but He did not want people to know where He was because He was teaching His disciples. And He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, but three days after He has been killed, He will rise.”

The disciples, however, did not understand these words and they were afraid to ask Him what He meant. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they did not answer, because they had been arguing about who was the greatest.

Then He sat down, called the Twelve and said to them, “If someone wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child, placed him in their midst, and putting His arms around him, He said to them, “Whoever welcomes a child such as this in My Name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes not Me but the One Who sent Me.”