Thursday

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Thursday, 21 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Genesis 17 : 3-9

Abram fell face down and God said to him, “This is My covenant with you : you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer will you be called Abram, but Abraham, because I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you more and more famous; I will multiply your descendants; nations shall spring from you, kings shall be among your descendants.”

“And I will establish a covenant, an everlasting covenant between Myself and you and your descendants after you; from now on I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you, for generations to come. I will give to you and your descendants after you the land you are living in, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession and I will be the God of your race.”

God said to Abraham, “For your part, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.”

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Thursday, 14 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we must all be truly faithful and committed to God, in following and obeying His Law and commandments, and not just merely paying lip service to the Lord. We must always be truly genuine in what we believe in, in all of our every words, actions and deeds, or otherwise we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers who do not truly have faith in them. We have heard from the Scriptures and from past examples of our history how many people, our predecessors have disobeyed the Lord, refused to obey and follow His Law and commandments, and consequently fell into the path of sin, wickedness and evil. If our lives are not strongly anchored and rooted in Christ, then it will be very easy for us to fall deeper and deeper into the darkness of sin.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus in which the story of the disgraceful moment when the Israelites, the people of God rebelled against God was told to us. At that moment, which was just very recently after the Israelites themselves had been led out of the land of Egypt by God Himself, from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, they had quickly turned away from the path of the Lord, abandoning Him for a false god and idol, making a fool of themselves and a mockery of their faith in God. They made for themselves an idol from molten gold, crafted ironically in the image of the gods of the Egyptians, a calf like that of a popular Egyptian deity, calling that idol the God Who had saved them from the land of Egypt, when it was the Lord Who had done so, and had been with them throughout the journey.

At that time, as we all should already well know, the Lord was giving to His people His Law and commandments, which He passed down to them through Moses, His servant and leader of the Israelites. Moses went up the mountain of God, Mount Sinai, after God had established His Covenant anew with His people, renewing the Covenant that He had made with their ancestors. God gave His Law and commandments, the rules and all matters that can help the people to remain firmly attached to the path of righteousness, only for those same people to quickly lose faith in Him, and thinking that Moses was already dead. Despite having witnessed God’s power and all the things He had done for them, in so many occasions, but they still failed to trust Him and did not truly have faith in Him. They hardened their hearts and minds against God, and rebelled against Him.

This is a reminder for all of us that each and every one of us must not merely be superficial in our faith in God. Unless we develop the genuine relationship and connection with God, deepening our trust and faith in Him, then there will be no way and path forward for all of us in our journey towards God and our salvation in Him. Moses had faith not only in God but also in all the people whom he cared and loved for, despite their stubbornness and wickedness, and interceded for them, pleading on their behalf before God, when God wanted to wipe them all out and destroy them for their wickedness, disobedience and unfaithfulness. But God also revealed that despite the anger He had towards the sins and wickedness which those people had committed against Him, He still loved them all nonetheless, and wanted them to return to Him with repentant and contrite hearts.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the same kind of stubbornness and wicked attitudes that the people of God had exhibited as they all refused to believe in the Lord Jesus, in everything that God had done for them through His Son, Who is Our Lord and Saviour. The Lord had brought to them His truth, His Law and commandments personified in Him, the very essence of the Law and the Word of God manifested to us in the flesh, and He has performed many wonders and miracles, fulfilling the many prophecies and predictions that the prophets and messengers of God in the past had all spoken about. Yet, it was those very people who were supposed to be most knowledgeable and understanding of the Law and commandments of God, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were the most stubborn in opposing God’s Saviour.

Why was that so? That was because they were prideful and arrogant, thinking that they were better than anyone else, that their way of observing the Law, their intellect and understanding of those laws and rules of the Lord could not be wrong, mistaken or superseded by the truth of God. That was why they hardened their hearts and minds against God, persecuting Him and rejecting His Saviour, doubting Him and making it difficult for Him to carry out His works and ministry among the people of God, saying that He had been acting and going against the Law when it was actually their stubbornness which made them to be unable to see the truth and accept that. It is why the Lord told them off very clearly that it would be Moses himself and the Law that would judge them, for their lack of understanding and appreciation of God’s Law and His true intentions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to live our lives well throughout this time and season of Lent, let us all continue to spend good and quality time to deepen our relationship with God. We have been given the time and opportunity to fix our mistakes and faults, and to reflect upon the wickedness and sins we have committed in our lives thus far. God has always been kind, merciful and compassionate, and He has always ever patiently reached out to us, showing His willingness to be reconciled with us, to forgive us all our sins and mistakes, and to lead us all patiently and lovingly to His Presence once again. Now, the question is, are we all willing to embrace His mercy, compassion and love? Are we willing to commit ourselves to the path of forgiveness and grace, and enduring the sufferings and challenges that we may have to encounter in this journey?

May the Lord our loving God and Master continue to love and guide us all in our journey in life, and may He empower each and every one of us in our path, so that we may continue to remain faithful to the calling, mission and vocations which He has entrusted to us. May God be with us all and may He bless us all with His guidance and strength, and bless our every good efforts, deeds and works, in all circumstances and things, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 5 : 31-47

At that time, Jesus said to the Jews, “If I bore witness to Myself, My testimony would be worthless. But Another One is bearing witness to Me, and I know that His testimony is true when He bears witness to Me. John also bore witness to the truth when you sent messengers to him, but I do not seek such human testimony; I recall this for you, so that you may be saved.”

“John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were willing to enjoy his light. But I have greater evidence than that of John – the works which the Father entrusted to Me to carry out. The very works I do bear witness : The Father has sent Me. Thus He Who bears witness to Me is the Father Who sent Me. You have never heard His voice and have never seen His likeness; therefore, as long as you do not believe His messenger, His word is not in you.”

“You search in the Scriptures, thinking that in them you will find life; yet Scripture bears witness to Me. But you refuse to come to Me, that you may live. I am not seeking human praise; but I have known that love of God is not within you, for I have come in My Father’s Name and you do not accept Me. If another comes in his own name, you will accept him. As long as you seek praise from one another, instead of seeking the glory which comes from the only God, how can you believe?”

“Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father. Moses himself, in whom you placed your hope, accuses you. If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”

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Thursday, 14 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 105 : 19-20, 21-22, 23

They made a calf at Horeb and worshipped the molten image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of a bull that eats grass.

They forgot their Saviour God, Who had done great things in Egypt, wonderful works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Sea of Reeds.

So He spoke of destroying them, but Moses, His chosen one, stood in the breach before Him to shield them from destruction.

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Thursday, 14 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Exodus 32 : 7-14

Then YHVH said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a molten calf; they have bowed down before it and sacrificed to it and said : ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt.'”

And YHVH said to Moses, “I see that these people are a stiff-necked people. Now just leave Me that My anger may blaze against them. I will destroy them, but of you I will make a great nation.” But Moses calmed the anger of YHVH, his God, and said, “Why, o YHVH, should Your anger burst against Your people whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with a mighty hand?”

“Let not the Egyptians say : ‘YHVH brought them out with evil intent, for He wanted to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth.’ Turn away from the heat of Your anger and do not bring disaster on Your people. Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the promise You Yourself swore : I will multiply Your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land I spoke about I will give to them as an everlasting inheritance.”

YHVH then changed His mind and would not yet harm His people.

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Thursday, 7 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures all of us are reminded that we must always be vigilant and careful lest our human pride, ego and all the temptations of worldly glory and fame, all the jealousy and the other negativities of this world may lead us astray in our path, in disobeying God and His Law and commandments, and in closing our hearts and minds against His love and kindness, His truth and Good News. We are a people who can easily be swayed by the temptations all around us, all the allures of worldly goods, which have caused so many of our predecessors and many among us to fall into the path of evil and wickedness, disobedience and corruption, and thus, falling ever deeper into the clutches of sin.

Unless we are vigilant and careful with our lives and how we live them, we may end up easily falling into this path to our damnation and destruction. This is why we should heed the message carried out in today’s Scripture readings, which the Lord has given us through the Church so that we may be reminded of our sinfulness, wickedness, evils and all the things which have separated us from the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our Creator and Master. If we allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by those sins and wickedness, then we will have no one but ourselves to blame when we keep on falling and falling into the depth of sin and darkness, from where we may find it difficult to get out of, and which may lead us all into eternal damnation if we are not careful.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and indirectly to the people of God living in the then kingdom of Judah, where Jeremiah had been sent to minister to the people, that they had committed grievous sins and wicked deeds in the sight of God and men alike, and despite all the reminders, help and guidance that the Lord had given them, they had not done what the Lord has taught and shown them to do, and instead, they continued to disobey Him and refused to follow Him. They even also persecuted and made it difficult for God’s prophets and messengers to work in their midst, as they continued to persist in their rebellious attitudes and actions.

Jeremiah himself faced a lot of hardships, trials and persecutions during his time in ministering to the people of Judah, as they persecuted him and preferred to believe in the false prophets and messengers instead of in him and the message of the Lord that he has brought into their midst. He was labelled as a fear-monger and as traitor to the nation, having spoken of the disasters and the troubles that would befall both Jerusalem and Judah, all because of the sins and wickedness of the people of God there. He had to endure ridicule and rejection, and at one point, he was even almost killed, only managing to escape such fate because he still had those who sympathised with him and helped him to escape the predicament he was in.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel of St. Luke in which some of the people accused the Lord of having colluded with the forces of evil amidst His performance of miracles and wonders, and in this particular moment, he was accused of colluding with Beelzebul, one of the known prince of demons. Those who accused the Lord in such way were likely the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who frequently disagreed with the Lord Jesus in how He carried out His ministry, and in what He delivered and taught to the people of God. Back then, those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were truly very influential and powerful, and they refused to believe or to accept the fact that their way of observing the Law could have been mistaken or flawed.

They had always observed the Law of God very strictly and paid very particular attention on the many details and rules in the Law and commandments of God. They had a very rigid interpretation of those laws and commandments, and took great pride in their knowledge and expertise in the matter, as the spiritual leaders and elders among the people of God. However, in their preoccupation and overemphasis on their way of observing the Law of God, they had forgotten the true purpose, meaning and significance of the Law, resulting in them causing many others to fall away from the Law, either because they were misled down the wrong path or because they were dissuaded by the extremely strict rules and laws that they had to obey. This also led them to oppose the Lord, and to be a great obstacle in His path, resorting even to false accusation in doing so.

The Lord pointed out the exact folly in their false accusation, that if the devil and his forces were so divided in how they operated, then they would not have gained any success at all. If the prince of demons had been called and used to cast out another demon, that would have meant that the demons are always engaged in a civil war against each other, and they would never have prevailed against anyone. Instead, the truth is that, the devil and all of his forces are always united in their purpose and desire to bring about our downfall and destruction, and it is by sowing these seeds of doubt and pride in the hearts of those who are weak in faith, that they had successfully attacked us, just as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law attacked and made the Lord’s works and ministry difficult.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the two great saints and martyrs of the Church, two holy and dedicated women whose faith and commitment to God put many people to shame, because of their undying loyalty and obedience to Him, which can and should indeed be a source of inspiration for all of us in how we ought to live up our own lives as good, faithful and dedicated Christians in all things. St. Perpetua and St. Felicity were martyred during one of the episodes of persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire, and while they had rather different backgrounds, but they both suffered for their faith in God and died in remaining faithful to God’s Law and commandment, which then became great example and inspiration to many others.

St. Perpetua, also known as Vibia Perpetua, according to the Church tradition was a Roman noblewoman who was also a Christian convert. She was coerced by her father who desired to see her recant her newfound belief and faith in God, and she was eventually imprisoned shortly after she was baptised as a Christian. St. Felicity on the other hand was a slave who was also a Christian, who was also arrested under the same charge, as being a Christian at that time could mean great suffering and death penalty, as Christians were suspected and distrusted as those who refused to obey the Emperor or worship the pagan gods and idols that were central to the practices and customs of the Roman state at that time. Both of them were persecuted greatly and suffered a lot, and yet, they remained firm in their faith and commitment to God, to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, in remaining faithful to God and in doing what is right and just according to God’s Law and commandments. We should not allow the temptations and the wickedness of the world to dissuade and mislead us away from the right path of the Lord, and we must do our best, particularly given this appropriate time and season of Lent, to repent from our sinful past actions, our mistakes and faults, and embrace once again God’s love and kindness, His grace and compassion. May the Lord be with us throughout this journey of faith and repentance this Lenten season, and may He help and guide us always. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 11 : 14-23

At that time, one day Jesus was driving out a demon, which was mute. When the demon had been driven out, the mute person could speak, and the people were amazed. Yet some of them said, “He drives out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the chief of the demons.” Others wanted to put Him to the test, by asking Him for a heavenly sign.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every nation divided by civil war is on the road to ruin, and will fall. If Satan also is divided, his empire is coming to an end. How can you say that I drive out demons by calling upon Beelzebul? If I drive them out by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive out demons? They will be your judges, then.”

“But if I drive out demons by the finger of God; would not this mean that the kingdom of God, has come upon you? As long as a man, strong and well armed, guards his house, his goods are safe. But when a stronger man attacks and overcomes him, the challenger takes away all the weapons he relied on, and disposes of his spoils.”

“Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me, scatters.”

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Thursday, 7 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 94 : 1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful sound to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him giving thanks, with music and songs of praise.

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.

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Thursday, 7 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 7 : 23-28

YHVH says, “One thing I did command them : Listen to My voice and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in the way I command you and all will be well with you. But they did not listen and paid no attention; they followed the bad habits of their stubborn heart and turned away from Me.”

“From the time I brought their forebearers out of Egypt until this day I have continually sent them My servants, the prophets, but this stiff-necked people did not listen. They paid no attention and were worse than their forebearers. You may say all these things to them but they will not listen; you will call them but they will not answer.”

“This is a nation that did not obey YHVH and refused to be disciplined; truth has perished and is no longer heard from their lips.”

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Thursday, 29 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, we are all reminded that we should always trust in the Lord and resist the many temptations of worldly desires and attachments, all of which can lead us down the path of ruin and destruction, because they can prevent us from doing what the Lord has told and taught us to do, and as they can lead us to sin, from which we may receive judgment and damnation for all the wickedness and evils that we have committed. It is important that we heed whatever we are reminded of through this day’s Scripture passages so that we can discern well our next course of action in life, and plan how we should continue living our lives, as good and faithful Christians.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, where the Lord spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah through His prophet, regarding how they all should not put their trust in mankind, and how they should instead believe in the Lord and place their faith in Him. The context for this was that, at the time, the kingdom of Judah, to whom the Lord had sent Jeremiah to, had been beset by many troubles and difficulties, and was in fact in the last years of its existence, just before it was wiped out and destroyed by the Babylonians, who would conquer and destroy Jerusalem, ransack and tear down the Temple of God that King Solomon had built for the Lord, and carry many of the people of Judah into exile in distant lands.

At that time, the prophet Jeremiah had been sent by God to the people of Judah to call them to repent from their sins and wickedness, warning them all that everything would happen just as the Lord has always reminded them, their fated destruction and sufferings, because of their disobedience and refusal to believe in God, their failures to obey the Law and the commandments of God. But many of the people refused to listen to Jeremiah and persisted in their rebellious and sinful ways, choosing to believe in the many false prophets and leaders who claimed that the Lord would bless them and protect them against their enemies despite their many sins and disobedience against Him. Those people advocated the king and the people to seek help and support from the worldly powers like the Egyptians in their struggle against the Babylonians.

If we read through more of the accounts of what happened at that time, we will realise how Judah was caught in the midst of the struggles between the worldly powers, and amidst all the geopolitical manoeuvres, the people of Judah eventually faced the consequences of their lack of faith in the Lord, since they chose to side with the worldly powers instead. When the king of Judah chose to rebel against the Babylonians, under the assurance of support from the Egyptians, backed by many of the nobles and the powerful members of the kingdom, that eventually led to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah, when the Egyptians either failed to intervene or successfully protect their ally in Judah against the forces of the Babylonians. Hence, we see for ourselves the example of the futility of depending on worldly means against trusting in God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the well-known story and parable which the Lord Jesus told the disciples and all the people, of the tale between Lazarus and the rich man, in which Lazarus, a poor man and beggar, who sat by the doorway of the house of a rich man, suffered greatly from his predicaments, and the rich man did nothing to help the poor Lazarus, and although he was in the position to help Lazarus, but he did not lift a finger or even offer anything from his table to help. Lazarus as we heard was truly poor and without anything, and he was hoping to get just even the scraps of food from the rich man’s table, and instead, wild dogs came to lick his sores, and he eventually died in suffering and loneliness.

We heard how the rich man also died, and unlike Lazarus, he already had plentiful things in life, all the riches and pleasures he could have enjoyed, as well as the friends and people that were with him in the time of good and plenty. However, his failures to help the poor man who was in need of his help, that of Lazarus led him to face the consequences of his actions and also his lack of compassion and love for his fellow brethren in need. Thus, we heard in that same passage of the story of Lazarus being lifted up to Heaven, to enjoy the joy of Heaven with Abraham, while the rich man was cast down to Hell, to suffer for eternity in despair and destruction, for all the failures of his action to care for his fellow man. These are reminders for us that we should not take lightly the dangers of sin and evil, which are ever present around us.

Why is that so? That is because the same thing can happen to us all as well if we ignore the plight and the needs of all those around us who may not be so fortunate as we are. The Lord has given us all various means and opportunities to help those around us who are in need, and for us to share our blessings and good things with them, that they may be strengthened and cared for by our love and compassion. But we often allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by various worldly temptations and attachments, and by the many allures and false paths all around us that we end up failing in these things and responsibilities that the Lord has entrusted to us, in ignoring the opportunities that we can do and make good use of, in helping those who we are perfectly in position to help.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore realise that each and every one of us have been given the blessings, the means, opportunities, the power and the ability to change the lives of others, to help them enjoy a better life in this world. All of us should do what the Lord has asked, called and entrusted to us to do, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we may indeed glorify Him, and bring about good things and happiness to all our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should not allow the temptations of this world to distract and mislead us down the wrong path, like that of the rich man who was likely tempted by the riches of the world and all of its pleasures, that he ignored the plight of Lazarus before him. Let us all as Christians be always filled with great love and compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of life, especially as we continue to progress through this penitential time and season of Lent, so that we may continue to grow ever stronger in faith, and be ever more devoted to Him, our ever loving and compassionate God, now and always. Amen.