Thursday

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to follow the Lord and to entrust ourselves to Him, to do what He has taught and commanded us all to do in our lives. We must always be focused and centred on God, and not be swayed easily by the comforts and the temptations present all around us in this world. Otherwise, we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians, as to be true and devout Christians, and to be worthy of God’s inheritance and grace, all of us must be truly committed to Him in all things, and not merely just a formality or for appearances only. In our every words, actions and deeds, we should be filled with true and genuine love for God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Haggai in which the prophet delivered God’s words to His people, reminding the leaders and elders of the people, the heir of David’s House, Zerubbabel, descendant of the kings of Judah, and also Joshua, the son of the High Priest, essentially that they should place their emphasis in honouring the Lord their God above all else, and do not forget of the obligation they have in rebuilding the House of God in Jerusalem. Back then, after several decades in exile, the people of God, Israelites and their descendants, had been allowed to return to their homeland by the Persians, their overlords, and they had by then resettled comfortably in the lands of their ancestors.

Hence, it was truly inappropriate that while they had all rebuilt their houses and cities, their livelihood and their activities, back to how it was before the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, that the House of God remained in ruins and shambles. The House of God is the pivotal site upon which the whole community of the people of God should revolve around, and they should prioritise rebuilding that place where the whole assembly of the faithful could once again worship the Lord, their God and Master. Otherwise, without that physical focal point and place for the Divine worship of God, it might be easy for the people to be swayed and tempted once again by the wickedness and evils of the world which had misguided and doomed their predecessors before.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard a short passage from the Gospel of St. Luke in which we heard about the remarks made by King Herod Antipas who found out about the activities of the Lord Jesus, and was perplexed and affected by it because he was reminded of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, the Lord’s Herald that happened because of his own folly and failure to resist the temptations of sin. If we have known more about the events that happened then, we should be aware that it was Herod’s fall into temptations and sin of the flesh that led to him inadvertently causing the death of the saint, by being trapped into the machinations of his wife, Herodias, who was not validly and legally married to him, being his own brother’s wife.

This is why, just as we have been reminded by these Scripture readings, we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly comforts, desires and attachments, all of which may cause us to forget our focus on the Lord, and end up causing us to be easily distracted by all those temptations and distractions which had caused so many of our predecessors to fall into their downfall through sin and disobedience against God. We must learn from their examples and strive so that we will not end up walking down the wrong path in life, and that we will always be faithful and committed to God, regardless of the circumstances. This is why we should always remind ourselves of the obligations we have in living our lives as faithfully as possible as Christians, God’s holy people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Wenceslas, a great man of God who was the Duke of Bohemia in the early Middle Ages. He was a great and upright man, who was dedicated to his role as the ruler over his country and people. At that time, the land of Bohemia, in what is now Czech Republic, was still only recently converted to the Christian faith, with significant numbers of the people still held on to their old pagan faith and beliefs. St. Wenceslaus and his many efforts were instrumental in improving not just the livelihood and well-being of the people under his rule, but also in the establishment of the strong foundation of the Church and the Faith among the people, and he also tirelessly did his best to advance the cause of the Lord and His Church. Unfortunately, he fell into the court politics and oppositions against him and his rule eventually led to him being assassinated by the collusion of his own brother, becoming a martyr of the Faith.

Then, today also marks the Feast of the Holy Martyrs of Japan, St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in martyrdom. St. Lawrence Ruiz himself, also known better as St. Lorenzo Ruiz, was not a Japanese, but rather hailing from the Philippines, where he was falsely accused of a crime, which led him to seek refuge overseas, and which led him to end up in Japan after boarding a ship bearing some Catholic priests from Macau clandestinely trying to enter the country. At that time, Japan under the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate had closed its doors to any foreigners, except for very few merchants, and especially banned the Christian faith and its missionaries. Christians and the foreign missionaries, as well as local clergy were persecuted harshly and many died for their faith as martyrs.

St. Lawrence Ruiz was among those Christians who were persecuted and arrested because of their faith, and they all chose to remain steadfast and true to their faith in God, rather than to safeguard their lives and betray their Lord and Master. They refused to give in to the pressures from the authorities, despite the threat of certain death and most agonising forms of sufferings that they all had to endure in defending their faith to the very end. Thus that was how St. Lawrence Ruiz and his fellow companions in martyrdom perished, but their bravery, faith and commitment to God became source of inspiration and strength for so many others who had witnessed and heard of their most exemplary faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, hence, all of us should also do our very best to live our lives worthily of the Lord, by doing whatever it is that He has commanded and taught us to do in our own respective lives. Let us all remind one another, and be inspired by the holy lives, virtues and the courage that our predecessors had shown, like those shown by St. Wenceslaus and by St. Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in martyrdom. May God also continue to help and guide us throughout the journey of faith and life, so that hopefully all of us can grow ever more committed in serving God, at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 9 : 7-9

At that time, king Herod heard of all that Jesus and His disciples had done, and did not know what to think, for people said, “This is John, raised from the dead.”

Others believed that Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets, had come back to life. As for Herod, he said, “I had John beheaded. Who is this Man, about Whom I hear such wonders?” And he was anxious to see Him.

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 149 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

Alleluia! Sing to YHVH a new song, sing His praise in the assembly of His saints. Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the people of Zion glory in their King!

Let them dance in praise of His Name; and make music for music for Him with harp and timbrel. For YHVH delights in His people; He crowns the lowly with victory.

The saints will exult in triumph; even at night, on their couches, let the praise of God be on their lips. This is the glory of all His saints. Alleluia!

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Thursday, 28 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Wenceslaus, Martyr, and St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Haggai 1 : 1-8

In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, a word of YHVH was directed to the prophet Haggai, for the benefit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.

So says YHVH of hosts : This people claim that the time to rebuild the House of YHVH has not yet come. Well now, hear what I have to say through the prophet Haggai : Is this the time for you to live in your well-built houses while this House is a heap of ruins? Think about your ways : you have sown much but harvested little; you eat and drink, but are not satisfied; you clothe yourselves, but still feel cold; and the labourer puts the money he earned in a tattered purse.

Now think about what you must do : go to the mountain and look for wood to rebuild the House. This will make me happy; and I will feel deeply honoured, says YHVH.

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Thursday, 21 September 2023 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the great Feast of one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord, and who happens to be also one of the Four Evangelists, that is St. Matthew the Apostle, also once known as Levi, the tax collector. As Levi, St. Matthew was a tax collector likely collecting the taxes on behalf of the Roman overlords of the region, and perhaps also the local rulers like the Herodians. Regardless of the details, the tax collectors living and working at the time of the Lord Jesus were really reviled and hated by almost everyone, and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in particular despised them and portrayed them as evil and wicked, unworthy of God’s grace, unclean and sinful in their lives and actions.

Why was that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because of the nature of their work, collecting the taxes on behalf of the state and rulers of the time, and by default, no one liked to be taxed or have part of their income and property to be subjected to tax. Then, historically, we must also understand that the Jewish people by the time of the Lord Jesus and His ministry were rather fiercely protective of their nation identity and freedom, as they were not that long ago put under rather intense persecution by the Greek rulers which eventually led to the well-known Maccabean revolts and uprisings, in which the Jewish people managed to free themselves from the tyranny of the Greek kings and overlords, establishing their own independent state, known as the Hasmonean Kingdom.

But this relative freedom and independence did not last long, as the Romans came into the region and became the new overlords of the realm, subjugating the Jewish people under their control, with some conflicts and divisions, some uneasy arrangements that were generally resented by the Jews. Not only that, as the Romans also arranged that another foreigner, from among the Idumeans, living as neighbours to the Jews, to be the ruler of the land, in the person of Herod the Great and his descendants. That was why the tax collectors were often reviled and hated, because they represented those overlords and rulers whom the people disliked, with the added fact that they had to shoulder the additional burden of paying taxes.

Yet, the Lord Jesus went to reach out to those same tax collectors, speaking with them and spending time among them, and even going so far as to have dinner at one of their houses. Such actions were frowned upon by the leaders of the Jewish people, like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, and hence, the Lord was questioned and criticised for having done so. But the Lord made it clear that He came to this world, in order to seek those who have been lost to Him, all those who have fallen into the darkness and into the clutches of sin. He came to gather them all back, His lost sheep, heal them and reconcile them once again to His heavenly Father, our Lord and Creator. He did not forget about them, and wanted everyone to know that they were truly equally beloved by God.

And by calling Levi to be His disciple, and eventually as one of the Twelve Apostles, the Lord showed that everyone has the potential and capacity for greatness in God’s grace and love. The tax collectors had been reviled, hated and looked down upon by many of the people, and yet, they showed greater faith and desire to love God than that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who stubbornly refused to believe in God despite having witnessed, heard and seen so many of the Lord’s works and wonderful teachings. Those tax collectors came to the Lord, seeking His mercy and forgiveness, wanting to listen to His words and desiring the grace of God, while the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, although they knew the Law and the Prophets well, refused to listen to the Lord or to believe in His truth.

St. Matthew, whose name change indicated his commitment to a new life and service to God, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to the cause of the Lord, eventually did many great and wonderful works for the sake of the Lord and His people. Not only that he wrote one of the Four Gospels, mainly aimed at the Jewish community at the time, in showing Who the Lord Jesus truly was, but he also ministered to the faithful and proclaimed the Lord and His Good News, to the Jewish people in Judea, and also further afield, in places such as Ethiopia, where according to Apostolic traditions, St. Matthew was martyred for his faith, having convinced the virgin daughter of the king of Ethiopia to be a Christian and to consecrate herself to the Lord. St. Matthew was martyred when the new King of Ethiopia, who lusted after the consecrated virgin and nun daughter of the previous king, was rejected and the latter was also rebuked by St. Matthew for his immoral attitude and behaviour.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples set by St. Matthew the Apostle and many others of our holy predecessors should remind us all that we are all called to a life that is truly dedicated to God, in our every words, actions and deeds. Just as St. Paul had written in his Epistle to the Ephesians, our first reading passage today, that each and every one of us have been given distinct gifts by the Lord, the gifts, blessings and opportunities which may allow us to do His will in various ways and means, in whatever it is that we are called to do in our lives. And St. Matthew has shown us that even those who have been hated and reviled by the community, dismissed and ostracised as sinners and those deemed unworthy, can indeed do wonderful and great deeds, and can be fruitful in their lives and works, and be great saints and role models like St. Matthew himself, among many others.

Today, as we rejoice in memory of the faith, commitment and works of St. Matthew the Apostle, Holy Apostle of the Lord and Evangelist, let us all do our very best so that in our lives, we may always be ever faithful and be ever more committed in each and every one of our actions and works, so that in all that we say and do, we will always strive to do God’s will, and that we will always ever be filled with God’s grace in all things. Let us also not be judgmental or be biased upon others just because we think that we are better than them or that we deem others to be less worthy than us. May the Lord always be with us all, and may He empower us with the strength and grace to do His will at all times. May He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 21 September 2023 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 9 : 9-13

At that time, as Jesus moved on from the place where He cured a paralytic man, He saw a man named Matthew, at his seat in the custom house; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And Matthew got up and followed Him.

Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is it, that your Master eats with sinners and tax collectors?”

When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go, and find out what this means : What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Thursday, 21 September 2023 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

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Thursday, 21 September 2023 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Ephesians 4 : 1-7, 11-13

Therefore, I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you, to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you, the unity of spirit, through bonds of peace. Let there be one body, and one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God, the Father of all, Who is above all, and works through all, and is in all.

But to each of us, divine grace is given, according to the measure of Christ’s gift. As for His gifts, to some, He gave to be Apostles; to others, prophets, or even evangelists; or pastors and teachers. So, He prepared those who belong to Him, for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united, in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus, we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity, and sharing the fullness of Christ.

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Thursday, 14 September 2023 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, marking the very significant moments when the Holy Cross of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is triumphant and glorious, over the enemies of the Lord and over all those who oppose Him, in three distinct events which are all commemorated together today on this great Feast. These events are first of all, the finding of the True Cross by St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, and then the Dedication of the churches that had been built and dedicated by the same Emperor Constantine the Great at Mount Calvary and the Holy Sepulchre, marking the site of the Lord’s Crucifixion, and lastly, the triumphant entry of the True Cross into Jerusalem, the Holy City, after it had been taken away by the Persians, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Heraclius, who managed to regain and restore the True Cross.

Regarding the first event, it was told according to history and traditions that St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, travelled to the Holy Land in search of the True Cross of the Lord, and managed to find this very important relic and historical artefact, when she discovered three crosses hidden and buried at the site of the Crucifixion outside Jerusalem, which had been hidden and forgotten for several centuries. St. Helena identified the right Cross by touching the crosses to a person suffering from sickness, and one of the three crosses made the person to be immediately healed, which identified that cross as the Cross on which Our Lord was crucified. The other two crosses belonged to the two thieves who were crucified besides the Lord.

That discovery of the True Cross also came about at a very important time in the history of the Church, as it happened just shortly after the victory and triumph of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great over all of his enemies and rivals, many of whom persecuted Christians, following that of the earlier Emperors and rulers of the Roman state. Emperor Constantine the Great was the first Roman ruler who extended official toleration of Christians, ending centuries of terrible and harsh persecutions and oppressions against them, with the famous Edict of Milan and then, after having defeated all of his rivals, extending the freedom for all Christians to believe in God to the whole Empire. Emperor Constantine the Great also supported many Church institutions and donated generously to build many churches and places of worship for Christians, among which as mentioned are the churches established on the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary.

Therefore, symbolically, the discovery of the True Cross also signified the triumph that the Lord and His conquering Cross over that of those who opposed Him and oppressed His faithful ones. And we also cannot forget the famous story of how Emperor Constantine himself came to entrust himself and the Empire to Christ, that when it was the time of his pivotal battle and struggle against his great rival, Maxentius, at the Battle of Milvian Bridge shortly before the Edict of Milan, the Lord showed Emperor Constantine the great sign in the sky, which was either a Cross or the Chi-Ro symbol of Christ, and with the words in the Emperor’s vision, that ‘with this Sign, you shall win and conquer’, which came true with his great victory at the battle and in the ultimate triumph of Christianity against the pagan faith of Rome.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now that we have discussed the historical events which led to this celebration of the Triumph and Exaltation of the Holy Cross, let us all now delve even deeper into the importance and significance of the Cross of Christ to all of us. The Cross of Christ is the symbol of our Hope and the Light that has pierced through the darkness surrounding us, giving us the strength and inspiration to break free from the tyranny and domination by the devil and from the depredations of sin. It is through the Cross that each and every one of us have been shown the path to glory and true joy in God, the assurance of eternal life and liberation from the chains that have shackled us due to our disobedience and sin against God. The Cross is the reminder of everything that God has done out of love for each and every one of us.

Symbolically, the Cross also marks the reversal of the disobedience of our ancestors, who have, in their moment of pride, eaten from the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, listening to the falsehoods and lies of the devil rather than to trust in God and His providence. Thus, by another tree, the wood of the Cross, that God showed us the perfect obedience of His Son, as the Son of Man, Who offered Himself, stripped from all honour and glory, as we heard what St. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Philippians. By the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, brought us all from the darkness of sin, dispelling and reversing the effects of the downfall of man in the Gardens of Eden, and showing us all the path of righteousness and virtue, the path of grace towards the eternal life and full reconciliation with God, our Master and Creator.

And as we heard in our Gospel reading passage today, that very famous words of the Lord, ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but may have eternal life.’, through which we are reminded that God has always loved us and treated us all with great care and compassion despite our rebelliousness and stubbornness in disobeying Him and His Law, His commandments and ways. He sent unto us His Son, that by His coming into this world, the Divine Word of God incarnate in the flesh, God might show all of us His perfect love manifested and tangible to us, approachable and no longer impossible for us to attain. Through His Passion and then Crucifixion of the Holy and Triumphant Cross, the Lord then reaffirmed His ultimate and enduring love, fulfilling His own words, that ‘there is no greater love than this, for someone to lay down his life for a friend’ and ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep’.

As mentioned earlier, the Cross is also the symbol of Christ’s perfect obedience to His Father’s will, showing all of us what it truly means for us to be Christians, to be followers of the path of God and to believe in His truth and Good News. Every time we look upon the Cross upon which Our Lord and Saviour is hung, we should remember this great and most amazing love that we have received from Him, that He has poured out freely from His Cross, through the breaking of His Body and the outpouring of His Blood, by which His Triumphant Cross unlocked for us the gates of Heaven, and led us out of the depth of darkness and sin, from the threat of eternal damnation into the fullness of grace and eternal life in God. The Lord has shown us His perfect love in the Cross, and all of us should well remember this Love, as we go through this great celebration today. Hopefully, all of us will also be full of the same love, for both our Lord Himself and also for our fellow brothers and sisters, all around us, as is our calling and mission as Christians.

May all of us, God’s beloved people, continue to put our faith and trust in Him, as we look upon His Cross, the Cross that has conquered and triumphed, the symbol of humiliation and defeat that had been transformed by Christ’s death and ultimately His glorious Resurrection, into the most triumphant Cross by which sin and death had been crushed, and by which the devil and all of his wicked forces had been defeated and overcome. Let us always rejoice in the Holy Cross, and be the most courageous and faithful bearers of our own crosses, as we carry them with our Lord, ever being faithful and dedicated to the path which He has shown us. Let the Cross of Christ, the ever Triumphant and Victorious Cross illuminate our path, and help us to remain firm and faithful in our commitment to God, to be ever worthy of Him, at all times, and let us follow the Lord wholeheartedly always in our every moments in life. May God bless us all and may He guide us through this journey and faith in life, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 September 2023 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 3 : 13-17

At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “No one has ever gone up to heaven except the One Who came from heaven, the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

“Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world; instead, through Him the world is to be saved.”