Thursday

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Thursday, 16 January 2025 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through the Scripture readings that we have heard, we are all reminded that we must always be vigilant against sin and all of its wicked snares, so that we do not fall into temptation and be separated ever further from God because of our sins. Instead, we should seek to be healed by Him, the only One Who can forgive us all from our many and innumerable sins, provided that we truly show the sincere desire and effort to seek Him and also desire to be forgiven and healed by Him. If we continue to be stubborn in our rebelliousness and refusal to walk in the path that God has shown us, preferring to do things our own way and living in sin, then we shall be judged by that conscious choice which we have made.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the discourse from the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews in which he further elaborated about the importance of embracing the salvation of God to the audience this Epistle was intended to, that is the Jewish community at that time in the early days of the Church, both those who have believed in God and those who have not yet believed in Him. This is because at that time, quite a few among the Jewish community still refused to believe in the Lord, hardening their hearts and minds against Him, despite having seen, heard and witnessed firsthand everything that He had done in their midst, all of His miracles and wonders, and all of His Wisdom and words He had spoken to them.

That was why the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews exhorted the Jewish community not to follow in the examples of their predecessors, that of the Israelites during the days of their Exodus from Egypt and the journey to the Promised Land of Canaan, when they frequently disobeyed the Lord, refusing to follow the words and instructions that Moses, God’s servant and their leader had given to them, worshipping pagan idols like the golden calf they had built and made to be their god, and also the gods and idols of the people they encountered in their way like the Midians and the other Canaanites. All of these blatant disobedience and refusals to obey the Lord led them to face the wrath of God, and many of them perished for their disobedience and sins.

This is therefore also an important reminder for all of us just as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews intended to make this known to the Jewish people of his time, that while God is truly full of compassion, love and mercy, ever ready and willing to welcome us back to His Presence, ceaselessly trying to lead us all back to Himself and showing His compassion and grace known to all of us in so many occasions, but we must not take His love, compassion and mercy for granted, as if we continue to be stubborn in refusing His kindness and His generous mercy, then in the end, we shall be judged by those sins which we have committed, as well as by our stubborn attitudes and our refusals against God’s generous love and mercy.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the occasion from the Gospel of St. Mark the Evangelist in which the moment when the Lord Jesus healed a leper was told to us. The man suffering from leprosy begged the Lord sincerely to heal him and the Lord granted his wish, healing him from his leprosy and made him wholly well again. Back then leprosy was a very great problem for anyone afflicted by it, as this leprosy usually refers to a diverse kind of skin infections and diseases that are highly contagious, and hence, according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, those who suffered from leprosy had to live outside of the community, which is understandable considering the context of the time of the Exodus when this Law was given to the Israelites.

At the time of the Exodus, the Israelites lived in close proximity to each other as they travelled through the desert, and hence, if anyone contracted a contagious skin disease, it would be disastrous for the rest of the people who could also suffer from the same malady as well. But over time, the rationale and purpose of this law and rule became forgotten, and ended up being interpreted in a way that prejudiced and being unfair against those suffering from those diseases, many of whom did not become sick because of their own fault. The Lord healed the leper and then told him to follow the prescribed rules, to show himself to a priest and not to speak of what he had experienced, the miraculous healing and all.

But as we heard, the man disobeyed the Lord, perhaps partly due to his enthusiasm to let everyone know what had happened to him. Unfortunately, that disobedience came at a price because it likely made known to everyone of the interaction which the Lord Jesus had made with the leper, which was a very taboo thing to do at the time. That was why the Lord could no longer go openly to any towns and places, and had to remain in the wilderness Himself. This of course did not stop many people from continuing to bring their sick ones to the Lord, wanting Him to heal their sick ones or their own problems and sickness. The Lord showed His love towards everyone and healed all of them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to these words from the Scriptures, we are once again reminded that obedience is truly something that is very important, and we should not persist in our disobedience especially against God, against His will and commandments. Instead, we should commit ourselves to follow His path and to do His will, and humble ourselves before Him, realising that we are all sinners who are in need of His healing and mercy. For the main reason why many people, including those Israelites during the time of the Exodus and afterwards, and the Jewish leaders during the time of Jesus, were stubborn and refused to listen to the Lord was because of their pride and ego, as well as their attachment to the worldly desires and ambitions, to all the temptations present all around us.

Let us all therefore strive to live our lives ever more faithfully and worthily of God from now on, doing our best so that by our every moments in life, in everything that we say and do, in all the actions we take in life and in whatever we do, our interactions towards one another and in our whole lives, we will continue to grow in faith and humility, and continue to focus our lives and existence on the Lord, to continue to do His will and to obey Him wholeheartedly in all things, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 16 January 2025 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 40-45

At that time, a leper came to Jesus and begged Him, “If You want to, You can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I do want to; be clean.”

The leprosy left the man at once and he was made clean. As Jesus sent the man away, He sternly warned him, “Do not tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest, and for the cleansing bring the offering ordered by Moses; in this way you will give to them your testimony.”

However, as soon as the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though He stayed in the rural areas, people came to Him from everywhere.

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Thursday, 16 January 2025 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 94 : 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

Come and worship; let us bow down, kneel before the Lord, our Maker. He is our God, and we His people; the flock He leads and pastures. Would that today you heard His voice!

Do not be stubborn, as at Meribah, in the desert, on that day at Massah, when your ancestors challenged Me, and they put Me to the test.

For forty years they wearied Me and I said, “They are a people of inconsistent heart; they have not known My ways.” So I declared an oath in My anger, “Never shall they enter My rest.”

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Thursday, 16 January 2025 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 3 : 7-14

Listen to what the Holy Spirit says : If only you would hear God’s voice today! Do not be stubborn, as they were in the place called Rebellion, when your ancestors challenged Me in the desert, although they had seen My deeds for forty years. That is why I was angry with those people and said : Their hearts are always going astray and they do not understand My ways. I was angry and made a solemn vow : They will never enter My rest.

So, brothers, be careful lest some of you come to have an evil and unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Encourage one another, day by day, as long as it is called today. Let no one become hardened in the deceitful way of sin. We are associated with Christ provided we hold steadfastly to our initial hope until the end.

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Thursday, 9 January 2025 : Thursday after the Epiphany (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded again during the remaining time of this joyful season of Christmas that we truly are celebrating the love of God manifested in this world through the coming of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all mankind and the whole world, by Whose arrival, presence and ministry, in all that He has done in our midst, in His teachings and outreach, all of us have seen and witnessed, experienced and learnt about what God truly wants from each and every one of us. And we are also reminded on how God is truly faithful and ever committed to the Covenant which He had made with us and all the promises He had given us.

In our first reading today, from the continuation of the Epistle of St. John the Apostle, we heard the exhortation from St. John to all the faithful reminding all of them to love one another, to show love to everyone without exception, and to show care and concern for each other, following the example and the teachings which the Lord Himself has shown to us by His words and actions amongst us. The Lord’s commandments and all of His Law, all of them are truly about love, on how we ought to love God with all of our strength and might, and then how we should love in the same manner as well to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, all those who need our love, care and attention.

It is also important that we all should embrace God’s love wholeheartedly and be appreciative and thankful that God has shown us all so much love, even when we have often disobeyed Him and disregarded His Law and commandments. Our loving God and Father has often been patient in loving us and caring for us, and because He has taught us all how to love and to show His love in our actions, words and deeds, therefore, it is important that we are truly filled with love in everything that we do, or else, we cannot truly call ourselves as God’s children or people. St. John himself said it plainly that if we do not show love to our brothers and sisters, then we are not truly loving God, and we are in fact ‘liars’ in our proclamation of love for God.

St. John made it clear that all those who love the Father, also loves the Son, and vice versa, and in order to be able to truly love God as we should, then we must be truly loving in all things, and we cannot be full of hatred or lacking in love towards anyone. If we ourselves are not showing love towards our fellow brothers and sisters, then how can we truly be genuinely loving towards God as well? And God Who loves everyone certainly will not find our lack of love and even hatred against our fellow brethren as something that is favourable. As Christians it is imperative that we follow the examples of Christ our Lord Himself, loving everyone around us generously and sincerely, to the best of our abilities. Indeed, this is something easier said than done, but we should at least make the effort to do so.

In our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus, early in His ministry returned to His hometown of Nazareth, and when He went to the local synagogue, at the appointed time, He proclaimed what the prophets like Isaiah and the ones before him had prophesied about the coming of the Messiah or the Saviour from God. And as Jesus proclaimed those words of the Scriptures, He proclaimed the fulfilment of everything that had been prophesied, how everything had indeed come true as it was meant to be, and everything that He had done, His teachings and great Wisdom, all the miracles and signs He had performed, all were the evidence that He was the Messiah that had been promised.

Yet, many of those people in Nazareth failed to recognise this and they refused to believe in Him, and instead they preferred to be swayed by their own prejudices and biases against the Lord just because they thought that they knew better about Him, that they knew about His family and His background, being merely the supposed Son of the town carpenter, from a lowly background and origin, unlike what many of the people of that time expected, that the Saviour would come as a great, mighty and conquering King, as the One to restore the Kingdom of Israel and lead the people of God to triumph and victory against their enemies. But the Lord Jesus revealed to them that God’s plan is far greater than their limited desires for worldly glory and liberation, for the Lord desired for no less than the salvation of the whole entire world, and the healing of those who have been hurt and afflicted by sin.

That is why, as Christians, all of us are challenged to be the ones to show the love of God as revealed to us through His Son to those whom we encounter in our lives in each and every interactions we have with them. We should show this through even the smallest parts of our lives, we can be the ones to show the love of God to everyone around us, in how we love our neighbours, all those whom we encounter in life, in our willingness to forgive those who have hurt us and to pray for them and their conversion of heart, among other things. This is why as we still continue to celebrate this joyful Christmas season, we are constantly being reminded to be always putting Christ, the manifestation of God’s love, at the centre of our lives.

Let us all therefore truly become worthy children and followers of the Lord, to be truly worthy to call God our ‘Father’ because we are truly like Him in all things, especially in how we love generously from our hearts and continue to do so just as how the Lord Himself has loved us all so generously. Let us all no longer be idle in our lives, in not realising that our every actions can be very important in showing the love of God to all the people, and let us all be proactive from now on in being evangelising and missionary in all of our actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions with our fellow brethren, even in the smallest things, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 9 January 2025 : Thursday after the Epiphany (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 4 : 14-22a

At that time, Jesus acted with the power of the Spirit; and on His return to Galilee, the news about Him spread throughout all that territory. He began teaching in the synagogue of the Jews and everyone praised Him.

When Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God.

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Thursday, 9 January 2025 : Thursday after the Epiphany (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 71 : 1-2, 14 and 15bc, 17

God, endow the King with Your justice, the Royal Son with Your righteousness. May He rule Your people justly and defend the rights of the lowly.

He rescues them from oppression and strife, for their life is precious to Him. May people always pray for Him, and blessings be invoked for Him all day.

May His Name endure forever; may His Name be as lasting as the sun. All the races will boast about Him; and He will be praised by all nations.

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Thursday, 9 January 2025 : Thursday after the Epiphany (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 4 : 19 – 1 John 5 : 4

So let us love one another, since God loved us first. If you say, “I love God,” while you hate your brother or sister, you are a liar. How can you love God, Whom you do not see, if you do not love your brother, whom you see? We received from Him, this commandment : let those who love God also love their brothers.

All those, who believe that Jesus is the Anointed, are born of God; whoever loves the Father, loves the Son. How may we know, that we love the children of God? If we love God and fulfil His commands, for God’s love requires us to keep His commands. In fact, His commandments are not a burden because all those born of God overcome the world. And the victory, which overcomes the world, is our faith.

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Thursday, 2 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures we are all reminded to stay true to the Lord and His truth, His Good News and all that He has revealed and taught to us through His Church. As we are still currently in the Christmas time and season, we are still constantly being reminded of the coming of God’s salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, through Whom we have received the assurance of God’s salvation and grace, His love and kindness which He has always provided for us, ever remembering the love that He has for each one of us, desiring us all to be reconciled and reunited fully and perfectly with Him in His heavenly Kingdom, no longer separated from Him because of our sins and wickedness.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of St. John the Apostle in one of his Epistles in which he continued to speak about the lies and falsehoods of the antichrists, all the false prophets and messengers who did not speak truly about the Lord and His salvation, misleading the faithful people of God down the wrong path in life. And St. John also reiterated once again the truth and the Good News of God’s salvation which He has presented unto us and revealed to everyone through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all the whole world. Amidst all the falsehoods and the heresies that happened even very early on in the Church history, which prompted St. John to speak up about it, the truth and the Good News of God’s salvation in Christ His Son remained firm and strongly entrenched in His Church and among the faithful.

However, it was indeed easy for many among the faithful and others to fall prey into those lies and falsehoods, and unless they all make the conscious effort to remain vigilant against those falsehoods and lies, and remain truly committed to the truth enshrined in the Church of God, it is really easy for all of us to fall astray and to be misled into the path towards our downfall, which was indeed the intention of the evil one and all of his wicked forces, that had led to this proliferation of lies and falsehoods, of salvation and joy that do not have their origin in Christ, Our Lord. That is why as Christians all of us ought to take a firm stand in defending our faith and in remaining true to our calling at all times, to proclaim the truth of God and to keep our focus in Christmas on Christ.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle, we heard of the words of the testimony of faith by St. John the Baptist when he was confronted and asked by the Jewish authorities, the elders of the people and the members of the Pharisees about his intentions, his true identity and his works. Back then, St. John the Baptist was truly very popular, as thousands came flocking to him seeking to listen to his words and to be baptised by him, heeding his call for repentance and to seek reconciliation with the Lord, their loving and compassionate God. He could very well have declared himself as the Messiah or Saviour from God, or as the great Prophet who was promised to come, but he did not do so, unlike some others during his time who claimed to be the Messiah.

Instead, first of all St. John the Baptist put it very clearly that he was not the Messiah and that he was merely the one who had been sent into this world and among the people of God in order to prepare the path for the One Who would save the world, that is the true Messiah. He did not give in to the temptations of power, glory, ambition, ego and greed to seek popularity, influence and power for himself, but as a faithful, humble and loyal servant of God, he did what he had been told to do, and courageously embraced the mission and tasks that he had been entrusted with. He spoke to the people and before all those leaders and Pharisees that he was a mere servant tasked to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming, and he did his works dutifully, criticising those leaders who have misled the people into the wrong path and calling on all sinners to return to God with repentance.

This is an important reminder for all of us that we should always live up to our Christian faith in each and every moments of our lives with true sincerity and desire to glorify God, distancing ourselves from the wickedness and temptations of the world so that we will not fall prey to those temptations and desires that may lead us all into our downfall and destruction. We have to remember our calling as Christians, our mission to proclaim the Lord and His salvation to more and more people throughout the world, to glorify Him by our lives and not to gain glory and fame for ourselves, for our selfish desires or ambitions. This is why, as we still continue to celebrate the joy of Christmas, it is important that we should always be focused on the Lord in all things.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great saints of God, namely St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. St. Basil the Great, also known as St. Basil of Caesarea, was the Bishop of Caesarea in what is now part of Turkey. Meanwhile, St. Gregory Nazianzen was the Archbishop of Constantinople who was the close friend and contemporary of St. Basil. Both of them were remembered for the great faith and courage that they showed in their leadership in the Church, as shepherds of the flock of the Lord and also as theologians who were committed to proclaim the truth of God to the people who at that time faced a lot of falsehoods and heresies, just like it had been in the earlier years and times during the time of the Apostles.

St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen were both known for their great piety and staunch defence of the Christian faith throughout all their respective lives and ministries, standing up faithfully against the falsehoods spread by the popular Arian heretics and also by others who claimed to represent God’s truth. They worked tirelessly among the people of God to restore the unity among the faithful and to proclaim the truth about the Lord, opposing all the influences of the heretical teachers and all those who have subverted the Good News of God for their own selfish desires and ambitions. They are truly good role models and inspirations for each and every one of us, showing us all the path towards God and His true salvation and grace, away from all the falsehoods of the antichrists, false prophets and heretical teachings.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, striving to do our best to glorify Him and to proclaim His truth and Good News as we should always do in our lives. Let us all continue to walk faithfully in the path that He has shown us, and remain firmly committed to Him as our Lord and Saviour, putting Him ever at the heart and centre of our whole lives. May the Lord continue to bless us all and guide us in our journey of faith and life so that we may be the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 2 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 19-28

This was the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” John recognised the truth, and did not deny it. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”

And they asked him, “Then who are you? Elijah?” He answered, “I am not.” They said, “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Tell us who you are, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?”

And John said, quoting the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord!”

Those who had been sent were Pharisees; and they put a further question to John, “Then why are you baptising, if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John answered, “I baptise you with water, but among you stands One Whom you do not know; although He comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.”

This happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.