Thursday

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Thursday, 27 October 2016 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are reminded today that the journey of our life is not an easy one if we decide to follow the Lord and devote ourselves to His ways. There are certainly going to be challenges and difficulties on the way forward, as there are those who are opposed to the ways of the Lord and His faithful ones, prowling about seeking our downfall and destruction.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, there is always and there will always be that constant struggle between us and those who follow the ways of the world, those who walk with the devil and his allies, all those who gave in to the temptations of their greed and desires, and fell to the pressure of their human pride, arrogance and hubris, resulting in them opening themselves up to all sorts of things that brought upon them corruption and sin.

That was why it was so easy for the people of Israel to fall into sin, as soon as they left the land of Egypt, as they fell into the temptations of Satan, trying to pull them away from the Lord’s salvation. They were tempted in the body and were found wanting, as they grumbled and complained against God Who have brought them to freedom by alleging that He had brought them out of the rich food and feast they had enjoyed in Egypt even though they were enslaved there.

They were not satisfied despite all that God had given them, despite Him having led them to the land promised to them and to their ancestors. They rebelled against Him, followed the ways of the pagans around them, casting their God aside for mere pagan idols and Baal, the false gods of their neighbours. And in doing so they have brought themselves to their downfall.

They allowed Satan to dwell in their hearts and corrupt them with his lies and false promises, and thus, they have opened the floodgates that brought them nearer and nearer to eternal damnation and hell. And yet, because of the tempting nature of earthly and worldly pleasures, all the human greed and predisposition to be tempted by these, they tend to refuse to let these go, even at the price of the salvation of their souls. And many more still were not aware of this fact.

Therefore, today, while it is indeed increasingly becoming more and more difficult for us to remain as faithful and devoted Christians, it is imperative for us all to spend time thinking about this matter and reflect on what we can do as the people of God in trying our best to follow Him, to be true to His ways, resisting the temptations of this world and the lures of the devil, and at the same time, showing our care and concern for our brethren who are in need of our help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, let us all think of what we can do to help each other, both in persevering through the difficulties and challenges together, so that none of us may give up and let go of the promise of the salvation of God in exchange for the temporary goodness, respite and pleasure in this world, and also even to bring all those who hate us, all who have persecuted us, to see the light of God, be converted and be forgiven of their sins and faults.

This is the aim that all of us Christians should have, that we become real and genuine brethren to each other, showing care, love, concern and compassion to one another, and desiring to save all those who are now still living in the darkness and in ignorance of the ways of the Lord, so that all of us may together walk towards the salvation in the Lord, and together receive the sure promise of eternal life and glory with Him. May God bless our endeavours and help us. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 October 2016 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 13 : 31-35

At that time, some Pharisees came to Jesus and gave Him this warning, “Leave this place and go on Your way, for Herod wants to kill You.”

Jesus said to them, “Go and give that fox My answer : ‘I drive out demons, and I heal today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish My course!’ Nevertheless, I must go on My way today, and tomorrow, and for a little longer; for it would not be fitting for a Prophet to be killed outside Jerusalem.”

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you slay the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I tried to bring together your children, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, but you refused! From now on, you will be left with your Temple, and you will no longer see Me, until the time when you will say, ‘Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord.'”

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Thursday, 27 October 2016 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 143 : 1, 2, 9-10

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.

My loving God, my Fortress; my Protector and Deliverer, my Shield where I take refuge, Who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule.

I will sing a new song to You, o God, I will make music on the ten-stringed harp, for You Who give victory to kings and deliver David, Your servant.

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Thursday, 27 October 2016 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Ephesians 6 : 10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord with His energy and strength. Put on the whole armour of God to be able to resist the cunning of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the rulers and authorities and their dark powers that govern this world. We are struggling against the spirits and supernatural forces of evil.

Therefore put on the whole armour of God, that in the evil day, you may resist and stand your ground, making use of all your weapons. Take truth as your belt, justice as your breastplate, and zeal as your shoes to propagate the Gospel of peace. Always hold in your hand the shield of faith to repel the flaming arrows of the devil. Finally, use the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God.

Pray at all times as the Spirit inspires you. Keep watch, together with sustained prayer and supplication for all the holy ones. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, I may be given words to proclaim bravely the mystery of the Gospel. Even when in chains I am an ambassador of God; may He give me the strength to speak as I should.

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Thursday, 20 October 2016 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day through what we heard in the Scripture readings and the Gospel passage reminded us that being a disciple of our Lord is no easy feat, and certainly it requires from us dedication and commitment, that through our actions, our deeds and our ways, by whatever we do and say, we will always bring glory to God and proclaim His truth to the nations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all ask ourselves these questions: ‘How many of us are truly living out our faith in our Lord Jesus? How many of us truly practice what we believe in our faith? Have we instead been lukewarm and ignorant of the tenets and teachings of our Church about the faith we have in God? Have we forgotten what it means to be a Christian? And indeed, what does being a Christian mean to us, and what it entails for us?’

These are the questions that we ought to internalise within ourselves, which we should spend some time thinking about, as we go through our own actions and deeds, what we have said and done in the past, and see if we have become conformists to the ways of the world, and thus ignored the way of the Lord, or whether we have stood fast to our faith and committed ourselves fully to the Lord our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we have had it easy all these while as Christians, well there is nothing wrong about it. But perhaps we should have a look again at how we live out our faith life. The ways of the devil, his allies and ultimately this world which is dominated by him and his fallen fellows, are inevitably opposite of that of the Lord’s, as these have rose up in rebellion against God, and now they sought to bring us to our downfall as well.

It does not mean that we have to come into conflict and trouble with the world, its ways and its forces, but it also means that we should not be conforming and letting everything goes the way it has been for this world, meaning that as Christians, we have to be strong anchor of the faith, and be beacons of light that shine brightly amidst this darkened world.

And sometimes, and in some occasions, even often, this may lead us into conflict within our society, with those whom we know and those whom we consider our very good friends and family as well. If we want evidence of what had happened in the past, we do not need to go further than see what happened to the Roman martyrs and saints, many of whom went through suffering, torture and eventually martyrdom because they rejected the old ways of pagan worships of their ancestors and followed the Lord, and their families, relatives and friends opposed them.

Even the closest of friends and family members turned to be their enemies as they rejected those who have followed the Lord and His ways. And this has been repeated many times throughout history, from time to time, again and again, even until this very day. We can relate this to the many occasions in many places around the world where many Christians still have to practice their faith in secret, in order to prevent themselves from being killed, tortured and made to suffer because of their faith.

Therefore, today, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we come together to give our solidarity to our brethren who are still suffering the daily effects and impacts of this clash between the ways of this world and the ways of our Lord, let us all give hope to each other, by doing our very best in order to live out our lives with dedication and faith to the Lord, that we show all the people that we belong to the Lord, He alone Who should be followed. And through this, hopefully we may enkindle the fire of faith and hope amongst those who are suffering.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all devote ourselves to God anew from now on, so that we will be able to draw closer to Him, and stay with Him throughout this life which we live in this world, that we may not lose our way, and be able to reach out to the Lord and His salvation, and therefore receive the fullness of grace and eternal glory with our God.

Let us all not be distracted by the temptations of worldly pleasures, glory and fame, all of which last only but a short while. It is a temporary distraction, yet one that is truly very dangerous as these can distract us and pull us away from finding our way to God. Let us help one another to persevere and to stay focused on our true goal, finding the Lord and reaching out to Him through righteousness and justice in life. May God help us in these endeavours, and bless us always. Amen.

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Thursday, 20 October 2016 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 12 : 49-53

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what anguish I feel until it is over!”

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be divided : three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

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Thursday, 20 October 2016 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 32 : 1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

Rejoice in the Lord, you who are just, praise is fitting for the upright. Give thanks to Him on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises.

For upright is the Lord’s word and worthy of trust is His work. The Lord loves justice and righteousness; the earth is full of His kindness.

But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord – the people He has chosen for His inheritance.

But the Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving kindness to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.

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Thursday, 20 October 2016 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Ephesians 3 : 14-21

And now I kneel in the presence of the Father from Whom every family in heaven and on earth has received its name. May He strengthen in you the inner self through His Spirit, according to the riches of His glory; may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith; may you be rooted and founded in love.

All of this so that you may understand with all the holy ones the width, the length, the height and the depth – in a word, that you may know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled and reach the fullness of God.

Glory to God Who shows His power in us and can do much more than we could ask or imagine; glory to Him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever. Amen.

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Thursday, 13 October 2016 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard yet again about the contention that existed between Jesus, His followers and His teachings with the ways and the authority of the elites in the Jewish society at that time, namely the Pharisees and the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the Law. As is evident from the four Gospels, we can see for ourselves just how many times these were trying very hard to undermine the works of the Lord at every possible occasions and opportunities.

Through Christ God had wanted to bring His salvation to all of His beloved people, and that is why He revealed to us His love through Christ His Son, Who willingly bore upon Himself the burden of the cross so that by taking upon Himself our sins and our consequences of those sins, He might be able to deliver us from the fate of our destruction and damnation, liberate us and bring us to the eternal life He had designed and intended for us all.

But this requires us mankind to have a profound and great change in our life attitudes and actions, and as the first reading today according to St. Paul in his letter to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, he showed us that God through His infinite and amazing love, He had given us so much hope, so many opportunities and second chances in life, and all these are therefore contingent to our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Saviour, and that means, we have to change ourselves for the better.

Those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law refused to change themselves and their lives, as doing so would mean to give up all of the privileges and goodness they enjoyed in life, all the power, fame, influences and all the things that they have enjoyed thus far in their society, in the world. They feared that this Jesus Who came and challenged their teaching authority would destroy all that they have come to enjoy.

But in their fear and in their greed for worldly things, ambitions, fame and glory, they have forgotten the One Whom they ought to be serving, that is the Lord their God. After all, they have been chosen as those who were entrusted with the power and the authority, the responsibility and duty to lead and guide the people of God in their daily lives and on their way to the Lord their God.

All these are reminders that as Christians we all should not give in to our worldly desires, to the weaknesses of our flesh, and to the temptations of this world. We should be humble, following the examples of Jesus our Lord, Who had been humble, dedicated and committed to the cause which the Father had given to Him. We saw in Christ the obedience of the New Adam as compared to the old Adam, who perished in his disobedience and thus brought death to us all as well.

Yet the New Adam, Christ, brought new life into the world, into each and every one of us who believe in Him. Where there was only despair, He had brought light and hope to dispel and conquer the darkness, showing us the way to salvation and true glory found only in Him. Thus, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us should also imitate Christ in all of His ways, that we may be found righteous and just in the eyes of our God.

May the Lord our God bless us and keep us in His grace, that we may find justification, true glory and eternal life in our Lord, that in all the things we do, we will always obey the Lord and be the bearers of His will, helping each other to live faithfully to the Lord. Amen.

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Thursday, 13 October 2016 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 11 : 47-54

At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees and 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 this 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.