Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 145 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6ab
Alleluia! Praise the Lord, my soul! I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to God while I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in a great one who cannot save. Not sooner his spirit has left, that he goes back to the earth; on that very day, any plan comes to nothing.
Blessed are they whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all they contain.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Jeremiah 18 : 1-6
This is the word of YHVH that came to Jeremiah : “Go down to the potter’s house and there you will hear what I have to say.” So I went to the potter’s house and found him working at the wheel. But the pot he was working on was spoilt in his hands, so he reworked it all over again into another pot that suits his desire.
Meanwhile YHVH sent me His word, “People of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does? As clay in the potter’s hand so are you in My hands.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the readings from the Holy Scriptures regarding the lack of faith and the lack of attentiveness amongst the people of God who refused to believe in Him even though He has in many occasions shown His majesty, glory and truth. God had done so many good things for them, and yet they betrayed Him for the pagan idols and for the pleasures of this world.
Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? Why is it such that the people of God were so stubborn in their refusal to believe, even though they have seen, heard and witnessed all that God had done and performed in this world? And we may also ask why is it that God held Himself back, and not revealed His truth frankly and plainly for all the world to see? Surely if He was to show His great power among the people, then they would believe in Him and follow Him?
But then where will this lead us? We mankind are creatures who are easily tempted and lured by the wonders and goodness of this world. If Jesus was to declare Himself openly and truthfully for all to see, certainly He would have a much easier time, without the need to hide from all of His enemies, and yet, that would lead to the faithful believing in God because of their awe, and not because of the true desire to love and serve the Lord.
What Jesus wanted to teach us all and His disciples is that true faith requires a deeper understanding of God, His actions and His love for us, all of which should transcend the awe and preoccupation with appearances only. We should not be limiting ourselves to look at the exteriors, but instead deepen our own understanding and commitment to the Lord by deepening our relationship with Him.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we are all called to be ever more devoted to God in all the things which we say and do. We are all called to commit ourselves by our dedication to the truth of the Lord, and not being afraid to stand up for our faith whenever it is called for. For many would be swayed by the persecutions and the challenges of the world, and many more would also be swayed by the temptations to turn away from the path of God and into the path towards damnation.
In this matter therefore, let us all look at the example of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, the holy saint of God whose devotion has allowed him to become an example for us all in the matter of faith. St. Lawrence of Brindisi was a Capuchin friar who was renowned for his devotion to God, and in his evangelisations, through which he was an integral part of the Counter-Reformation effort against the heresy of Protestantism, which saw many people repenting their heresy and returning to the Holy Mother Church through his efforts.
He went about to do many other works and commitments, leading the army of the faithful against the forces of the heathen and pagan Turks, successfully reclaiming territories of Christendom from the forces of evil. He devoted himself to the very end of his earthly life, and he was then even still remembered through his many writings and works through which he continued to inspire many other people through the generations on how to remain truly faithful to the Lord.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all follow in his footsteps, and also in the footsteps of the many other holy saints, holy men and women of God. Let us glorify God and declare our commitment to Him through our actions which bring joy to the world and to all those whom we have touched and healed with the truth and the word of God. May God help us all, now and forever. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Matthew 13 : 10-17
At that time, the disciples of Jesus came to Him and said, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has, will be given more and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables, because they look and do not see; they hear, but they do not listen or understand.”
“In them the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled : However much you hear, you do not understand; however much you see, you do not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back, and I would heal them.”
“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For I tell you that many prophets and upright people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them, and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Psalm 35 : 6-7ab, 8-9, 10-11
Your love, o God, reaches the heavens; Your faithfulness, to the clouds. Your justice is like the mighty mountains; Your judgment like the unfathomable deep.
How precious, o God, is Your constant love! Mortals take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. In Your house they find rich food and they drink from Your spring of delight.
For with You is the fountain of life, in Your light we see light. Bestow on Your faithful Your love and give salvation to the upright of heart.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Jeremiah 2 : 1-3, 7-8, 12-13
A word of YHVH came to me, “Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem. This is YHVH’s word : I remember your kindness as a youth, the love of your bridal days, when you followed Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to YHVH, the first-fruits of His harvest. All who ate of it had to pay and misfortune fell on them – it is YHVH Who speaks.”
“I brought you to a fertile land to eat of the choicest fruit. As soon as you came you defiled My land and dishonoured My heritage! The priests did not ask, ‘Where is YHVH?’ The masters of My teaching did not know Me; the pastors of My people betrayed Me; the prophets followed worthless idols and spoke in the name of Baal.”
“Be aghast at that, o heavens! Shudder, be utterly appalled – it is YHVH Who speaks – for My people have done two evils : they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, to dig for themselves leaking cisterns that hold no water!”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard a message of hope from the Gospel and the other passages from the Holy Scriptures. If for the past few days we have been warned and shown how those who lacked faith in the Lord will eventually fall and face destruction, but those who put their trust in the Lord shall not be disappointed.
God will eventually bring His peace, the everlasting peace and rest for all of His faithful ones, just as the prophet Isaiah had mentioned. The sufferings and pains of the people of God had reached the attention of our Lord Who loves us all, and certainly, He will not abandon us to our own fate. But it does not mean that we will immediately enjoy the fruits of peace and can enjoy all the things promised to us immediately.
For to be followers of the Lord means that we are likely to encounter resistance and opposition from all those who do not wish to see us receive the salvation from God, and those who wished to keep us chained to the enthralment and slavery to our sinfulness. And these are those who will be the most vocal in their opposition to us, causing us troubles and challenges ahead of us.
Yet this does not mean that we should give up our struggle or be fearful of what is to come. God Himself told us that His yoke is light and bearable, in the Gospel where He reassured His people that He will help them on their way to Him. He did not mention that there will be no yoke, and indeed, challenges and suffering will still be part of us and our lives when we choose to follow Him but what differentiates that with the alternative is that, He promised us all the promise of eternal life and eternal liberation from suffering and harm.
It is that promise which is our hope, the strength and guiding light which has been provided to us in order to help guide us on our journey to the Lord. We have to learn to put our trust in God, for it is in Him alone that we can truly find true support and strength. To trust in God is like building our houses on solid foundation while to trust in our own strength is like building upon shaky and untrustworthy foundations that is likely to fail and topple.
Today, let us all look at the example of St. Camillus de Lellis, a holy priest and saint of God, whose feast we commemorate today. He was an Italian priest who was thoroughly committed to the care of the sick and the less privileged among those who were in his society and community at the time. He helped establish the religious order dedicated to the care of the sick, and he devoted himself and his time to their care all the time.
He placed his faith completely in God, and while he lived a difficult and challenging life, resisting temptations and the challenges he faced in such a difficult life. But he was not always faithful to the Lord since the beginning. While he was young, St. Camillus de Lellis was just like the many other people of his time, as he pursued many worldly things, and joined the military in the pursuit of worldly glory and achievements.
But all these things eventually did not satisfy him, and he found emptiness in whatever he had been doing. And as a result, he had a profound change of heart and found his refuge in God. And from there, we came to what we have just discussed about him, his devotions and works to those who were sick and dying, those who were less privileged and living in great disadvantage.
Let us all, brothers and sisters in Christ, learn from the examples of St. Camillus de Lellis. Let us learn how to give of ourselves to the Lord in the same manner as that holy saint and the many other holy servants of God had done. May God help us in this endeavour, and may He bless us on our journey, and keep us faithful in His path for now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Matthew 11 : 28-30
At that time, Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens, and I will refresh you. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest. For My yoke is good, and My burden is light.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Psalm 101 : 13-14ab and 15, 16-18, 19-21
But You, o Lord, You sit forever; Your Name endures through all generations. Arise, have mercy on Zion; for Your servants cherish her stones, and are moved to pity by her dust.
O Lord, the nations will revere Your Name, and the kings of the earth Your glory, when the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in all His splendour. For He will answer the prayer of the needy and will not despise their plea.
Let this be written for future ages, “The Lord will be praised by a people He will form.” From His holy height in heaven, the Lord has looked on the earth to hear the groaning of the prisoners, and free those condemned to death.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Isaiah 26 : 7-9, 12, 16-19
Let the righteous walk in righteousness. You make smooth the path of the just, and we only seek the way of Your laws, o YHVH. Your Name and Your memory are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for You in the night; for You my spirit keeps vigil. When Your judgments come to earth, the world’s inhabitants learn to be upright.
YHVH, please give us peace; for all that we accomplish is Your work. For they sought You in distress, they cried out to You in the time of their punishment. As a woman in travail moans and writhes in pain, so are we now in Your presence. We conceived, we had labour pains, but we gave birth to the wind. We have not brought salvation to the land; the inhabitants of a new world have not been born.
Your dead will live! Their corpses will rise! Awake and sing, you who lie in the dust! Let Your dew fall, o Lord, like a dew of light, and the earth will throw out her dead.
