Thursday

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Thursday, 26 October 2017 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 6 : 19-23

You see, that I speak in a very human way, taking into account that you are not fully mature. There was a time, when you let your members be slaves of impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; convert them, now, into servants of righteousness, to the point of becoming holy.

When you were slaves of sin, you did not feel under obligation to righteousness, but what were the fruits of those actions, of which you are now ashamed? Such things bring death. Now, however, you have been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit, and growing in holiness, and the result will be life everlasting.

So, on one side is sin : its reward, death; on the other side, is God : He gives us, by grace, life everlasting, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Thursday, 19 October 2017 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day through the Sacred Scriptures all of us are reminded of the love which God has shown us mankind, by wanting to forgive us from our sins and trespasses. All have sinned and fell from the grace of God, and should have merited them all destruction and damnation, according to St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome.

Yet, the Lord still loves each and every one of us, for if He has not loved us, He would not have created us in the first place. He created us so that all of us, each and every one of us may experience His love and compassion, and share in that love. God Who is all perfect and filled with perfect love has no need for us or for our love, and yet because He wants to share that love with us, that is why He created us.

And because He has created us out of love, despite of our downfall and sinfulness, He still wants us to be freed from our bondage to sin, because He hates and despises our sins, but not us as human beings personally. As long as we are still capable of being forgiven, God will forgive us many times. But this also require from each one of us the commitment to repent from our sins and leave behind our sinful past way of life.

Yet, this is definitely easier said than done, as there are many who are adamant and stubborn in their refusal to leave behind their way of sin. The Lord Jesus used the example of the people of Israel who in the past refused to repent and to listen to the message and the words of the prophets sent to them by God. They hardened their hearts and became angry at the prophets, seizing them, torturing them and ended up killing many of them.

In the same manner, as Jesus compared it with, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were adamant in their refusal to believe in Jesus. They continued to walk in their path of sin, of pride and haughtiness, of human greed and desire. There were lots of temptations, of power, of worldly glory and the pleasures of the flesh that prevented many from being able to commit themselves to the cause of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is an important lesson for each and every one of us, reminding us that we must not be complacent in how we live our lives in faith. And we must be aware of just how much suffering that sin can cause us, because sin makes us to be separated from the fullness of God’s love and grace. And it is easy for us to lose our way and to be tempted as the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and their ancestors had been tempted.

To be a true Christian, many of us must truly live in accordance with our faith, and believe in God wholeheartedly, often through our very actions and deeds in life. We often make compromises with the world and its ways, so that we can live comfortably without worry, but by doing so, we allow ourselves to be swayed away from God’s righteousness and into the path of our downfall through sin.

Today, let us all reflect on the lives of the holy saints and martyrs whose feast we celebrate this very day, first of all the Holy Canadian Martyrs and then St. Paul of the Cross, a holy priest of God. The Holy Canadian Martyrs were brave and courageous missionaries, all of them were Jesuits, belonging to the Society of Jesus, who went to the uncharted and new lands of what is now known as Canada in the New World.

The Jesuit missionaries travelled through very difficult terrains and went from villages to villages, enduring difficulties through various weather conditions in the wilderness to proclaim the Good News of Christ to the people who were still pagans and unbelievers at that time. Some of the people were willing to listen to them, and gradually many of them gave themselves to be baptised and were converted.

Yet, there were many others who refused to believe in God, and they made life very difficult for the courageous Jesuit missionaries. Eventually, they arrested and tortured the missionaries, and made martyrs out of them, much in the same way as what we have heard happening to the prophets sent to the people of Israel in the old times. The sins of mankind and their stubbornness made them to refuse to listen to the truth.

But does this stop the Church and God’s servants from trying to bring those who were stubborn towards the truth and salvation in God? No, in fact, it only spurs them all the more, trying to save the souls of as many as possible, many of whom were misguided by their lack of understanding about our faith and about the Lord our God. That was what St. Paul of the Cross was doing in his life, working for the greater good of the people of God.

St. Paul of the Cross was remembered for his work in founding the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ, or also known as the Passionists. Through his works and dedications, he called many people to be thoroughly converted to the Lord, to turn away from their mistaken and misguided way of life, and be penitent throughout their days of life. He was also committed to a life of charity and work among the people of God, and their works had inspired many more people to join in his efforts and be converted to God’s cause.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, all of us should follow the footsteps of our holy predecessors, and not those who refused to listen to God and repent from their sins. There will indeed be difficulties and challenges, as those who went before us would have known and understood. But we must persevere, and we must realise that it is not just us who need to have a change of heart and conversion, but even more so, those around us also need the same conversion.

It is through our works and participation that we will be able to help our brethren on their way towards the Lord, following the examples of the Holy Canadian Martyrs and St. Paul of the Cross. Let us all renew our commitment to God, and to serve Him through our actions all the days of our lives. May God be with us always and may He empower us to be true Christians always. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 October 2017 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Luke 11 : 47-54

At that time, Jesus said to the teachers of the Law, “A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed. So you approve and agree with what your ancestors did. Is it not so? They got rid of the prophets, and you build monuments to them!”

“For that reason the wisdom of God also said : I will send prophets and Apostles and these people will kill and persecute some of them. But the present generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will have to answer for them all.”

“A curse is on you, teachers of the Law, for you have taken the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering.”

As Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to harass Him, asking Him endless questions, setting traps to catch Him in something He might say.

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Thursday, 19 October 2017 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Psalm 129 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-7a

Out of the depths I cry to You, o YHVH, o YHVH, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.

If You should mark our evil, o YHVH, who could stand? But with You, is forgiveness, and for that You are revered.

I waited for YHVH, my soul waits; and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects YHVH more than watchmen, the dawn. O Israel, hope in YHVH.

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Thursday, 19 October 2017 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Romans 3 : 21-30a

But, now it has been revealed, altogether apart from the Law, as it was already foretold in the Law and the prophets : God makes us righteous by means of faith in Jesus Christ, and this is applied to all who believe, without distinction of persons.

Because all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God; and all are graciously forgiven and made righteous, through the redemption effected in Christ Jesus. For God has given Him to be the Victim, Whose Blood obtains us forgiveness, through faith.

So God shows us, how He makes us righteous. Past sins are forgiven, which God overlooked till now. For, now, He wants to reveal His way of righteousness : how He is just, and how He makes us righteous, through faith in Jesus. Then, what becomes of our pride? It is excluded. How? Not through the Law and its observances, but through another Law, which is faith. For we hold, that people are in God’s grace, by faith, and not because of all the things ordered by the Law.

Otherwise, God would be the God of the Jews; but is He not God of pagan nations as well? Of course He is, for there is only one God.

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Thursday, 12 October 2017 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scriptures speaking to us about our relationship with God, and how we ought to proceed forward in that relationship. In the Gospel reading we heard the Lord Jesus telling the people about how our relationships and friendships work. A friend will care for us, if we look for them for help. And what we have in the Lord our God, is more than just a friend.

A friend will help out of his or her friendship and good relationship with us, or at the very least, in order for them to get rid of the annoyance of having us asking them for help. But God is so much more than that, and He is always ready to love us. Then, we go on to the next part of the Gospel passage, in which the Lord Jesus told the people about a father who will love his child, and definitely will not bring harm to the child because he loved the child so much.

And the child just needs to ask the father for anything that he or she needs, and he will happily give it to them. He will not give the child anything that is harmful. It is therefore in this manner that the love of God is described, for God is truly like our father. He is indeed, according to the Lord Jesus, our Father Who is in heaven. He created every single one of us, and being His creations, we are also His beloved children.

If God had not loved us and cared for us, He would not have created us in the first place. The very reason why we live, and why we take in breath every single minute, every single second, is because of God’s love and grace. But many of us often do not realise this, and we forgot about God as we live our lives. Instead, we often remember Him only when we need Him, when we have something we want. And when we do not get what we want, we ended up being angry at God.

But God has always loved us in His own way, and He has blessed us with many things in life. It is often that we desire things that we do not really need, but God knows exactly what it is that we need. Yet, do we thank Him for all that He has given us? Or have we been often like children who became angry at their parents for not giving us what we wanted, and throw tantrums?

Let us reflect on these questions, and think about what we mankind can do, and should be doing in our respective lives. We should draw closer to the Lord, and trust in Him, and obey His commandments and laws. In the first reading today, God reminded us of His love for us, that if we are faithful to Him, our names will be recorded in the Book of Life, and all of us will be considered worthy of the glory which He has prepared for all of His faithful ones.

It will certainly not be easy to do God’s will, particularly as we live in this world filled with temptations and many challenges, for those who keep God’s words and live in His ways. Yet, we must persevere through, as if we fall away from God’s path, the only path forward for us will be towards our downfall. We need just to ask, and God will help us along the way, for we are not alone in this struggle, as God is always with us.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord, that by our every actions, our every words and deeds, we will always glorify God, and walk righteously in His ways. May the Lord bless us always, and may He continue to protect us and guide us on the way towards His salvation. Amen.

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Thursday, 12 October 2017 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 11 : 5-13

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to his house in the middle of the night and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine who is travelling has just arrived, and I have nothing to offer him.’ Maybe your friend will answer from inside, ‘Do not bother me now; the door is locked, and my children and I are in bed, so I cannot get up and give you anything.'”

“But I tell you, even though he will not get up and attend to you because you are a friend, yet he will get up because you are a bother to him, and he will give you all you need. And so I say to you, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For the one who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.”

“If your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake instead? And if your child asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

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Thursday, 12 October 2017 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the man who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the Law of YHVH and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For YHVH knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Thursday, 12 October 2017 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Malachi 3 : 13-20a

You say very harsh things about Me, says YHVH, and yet, you say : “What harsh things did we say against You?” You say : “It is useless to serve God. There is no benefit in observing His commandments or in leading an austere life for His sake. Happy are the shameless! Those who do evil succeed in everything; though they provoke God, they remain unharmed.”

Those were the very words of those who fear YHVH. YHVH listened and heard what they said. He ordered at once, that the names of those who respect Him and reverence His Name be written in a record. And He declared, “They will be Mine on the day I have already set. Then I shall care for them, as a father cares for his obedient son. And you will see the different fates of the good and the bad, those who obey God and those who disobey Him.”

The day already comes, flaming as a furnace. On that day, all the proud and evildoers will be burnt, like straw in the fire. They will be left without branches or roots. On the other hand, the sun of justice will shine upon you who respect My Name and bring health in is rays.

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Thursday, 5 October 2017 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us heard firstly from the Book of the prophet Nehemiah, in which we heard of the moment when the Law of God was read to assembly of the faithful of Israel by Ezra the priest and prophet. The people wept because they heard the Law, which showed them just how sinful and wayward they had become. They wept because they were aware that they were sinners before God, and the consequences for sins were very severe.

But Ezra calmed the people down and reminded of the love and mercy of God to them. That day was a day dedicated for joyous celebration in the Lord, for God had gathered back His scattered people and allowed them to return to the land of their ancestors. A new hope had dawned on Israel at that time, a hope once hidden beneath the suffering and humiliation of having to endure exile from their homeland, the destruction of their Holy City and Temple.

God was once again with His people and dwelled among them. This is the hope which Ezra placed on the people, even as the Law became a constant reminder of what would happen to those who had become wayward in their lives. And this is what the Gospel today also reminded each and everyone of us Christians. In the Gospel today, the Lord Jesus sent forth His disciples on their way to preach the truth and the faith which He had brought into this world.

He reminded them that such a task would not be an easy one. There will be challenges and persecutions awaiting them. There would be many of those who sought to undermine the good works they have done. There are those who have refused to listen to the truth, and they also refused to listen to the Word of God preached to them. Those who showed no repentance and desire to be forgiven therefore received also a rejection from God.

While those who wanted to listen to the word of God and turn back from their sins, received from God the forgiveness and mercy He had promised to them. And God’s peace and harmony was theirs. Just as the Israelites were forgiven by their sincere repentance, the sorrow they showed for their sins, the regrets they exhibited as we saw in the first reading today, therefore God will forgive all those who sincerely seek His forgiveness.

Therefore, how do all these then have their relevance for us? First of all, as Christians, all of us have received the truth of God, understood His ways and teachings, and accepted the Lord Jesus as our God and Saviour. But at the same time, we are also still sinners, who constantly get tempted in life, and fall again from time to time into sin. If we do not listen to the word of God and refused to turn away from our sins, then God will still reject us.

Then secondly, all of us as Christians also receive the same mission as what the disciples of the Lord had been given by the Lord. They were sent to preach the Good News to the people of God, reaching out to all those who have not yet been touched by God’s truth. And in this world today, there are still many people out there who have lapsed in their faith, and are in need of guidance from us.

Therefore, all of us Christians must be truly faithful in our lives, committed wholeheartedly to God’s ways, in our every actions, words and deeds. We must show our brethren the way forward to God through our examples. We cannot reach into the hearts of others, if we ourselves have not done what the Lord asked of us, or worse still, doing what is contrary to what our faith is about.

Let us all devote our effort from now on henceforth, trying our best to live righteously in the presence of God, becoming witnesses of the Lord through our deeds. May the Lord bless us all and our endeavours, and may He empower us to do in our lives even more faithful devotion and actions done with courage and commitment to God. Amen.