Thursday

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Thursday, 8 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of our obligation and calling as Christians to always obey and follow the Law and commandments of the Lord, which He has provided for us to help and guide us in our way of life and actions that we may always be righteous and be committed to His path, at all times. Each and every one of us should always aspire to do what God has called us to do and to understand fully what His intentions for us in our lives in this world are. Each and every one of us are called to be holy and to be filled with love, first and foremost for God, and then to love our fellow brothers and sisters with the same love, as much as we love ourselves. These are our Christian calling and duty, for us all to follow all our whole lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Tobit of the continuation of the story of how God sent His help to both Tobit and Sara, in the journey which Tobit’s son, Tobias undertook with the Archangel Raphael in disguise as a young man named Azarias. Tobias and Azarias went all the way to the city of Ecbatana in Media where Ragouel, the father of Sara and friend of Tobit, lived at. Through them, God made His plans to help both Tobit and Sara into motion, and Sara, who suffered from the attacks by the demon prince Asmodeus, who struck at all of her seven husbands, all killed by Asmodeus which made her own maidservants to gossip and accuse her falsely of misdeeds which distressed her very greatly. The coming of Tobias and the Archangel Raphael in disguise brought God’s help and assistance to Sara.

Tobias sought for Ragouel to give him the permission for Sara to be his wife, which Ragouel was rather reluctant to do because of everything that had happened in the recent past with all seven of Sara’s husbands who were all killed by the demon Asmodeus. Yet, Tobias reassured Ragouel and promised to take good care of Sara, and when Tobias and Sara were married together, they then began their married life by praying to God together, by entrusting themselves to the Lord and to His providence, and through that, the Lord moved to help them, and by His Archangel Raphael, the demon Asmodeus was defeated and bound, not to disturb or harm Sara or Tobias in any way, ever again. That is what God has done to all those who are faithful to Him, and not only that, by giving to us His only Begotten Son to be our Saviour, by dying for us on the Cross, God has shown us His ever enduring and most wonderful love.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of a teacher of the Law questioning the Lord Jesus on what was the most important commandments among all the Law and commandments of God, and the Lord answered him firmly that the whole Law and the commandments of God can indeed be summarised into two main points, and two most important fundamental action, of first of all loving God with all of our heart and with all of our might, and then at the same time, loving our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord, our fellow mankind, all those whom we encounter throughout our lives and in whatever various means and opportunities, in the same way that we have loved the Lord and as we have loved ourselves. The whole Law and commandments of God as He has originally passed down and revealed to us, are indeed about these two most fundamental points.

And linking to what we have heard and discussed earlier on in the story of Tobias and Sara, we are reminded that God is truly filled with love for each and every one of us, and God is in His nature and essence is Love. He has shown us His most generous love and kindness, as He showed us His compassionate nature and mercy at all times, despite the rebelliousness and the disobedience we have often showed Him, all these time. He listened to our prayers and He knows our needs and challenges. The Lord does not want any one of us to be lost to the darkness, evil and sin, and hence, He showed His providence and love at the appropriate time, aiding all those who are facing hardships and challenges in life, and He Himself has shown us the most perfect manifestation of His love in sending us His most beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to be with us, and to touch us with His sacrifice and love, by enduring the most terrible and painful sufferings and death for our sake on His Cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are reminded that as we continue to journey through our lives with love and dedication to God, we should continue to commit ourselves thoroughly and wholeheartedly at all times, loving God with all of our might and capacity, at all times and in every opportunities, entrusting ourselves to Him and being faithful to Him, remembering His love and commitment towards us. Then, at the same time, as the Lord Himself mentioned, we should also be filled with love and kindness towards our fellow brothers and sisters, love in its various forms, like the love that Tobias and Sara had for each other as loving husband and wife, and also the love we have for our parents and children, and our other family members, for our friends and all those whom we love, and also for others all around us, the compassion and love within our hearts, especially for those who are suffering and facing hardships in life.

Now, as Christians, all of us should embody this love within our lives and actions, and we should always be filled with love at all times, so that through us and our loving actions and works, more and more people may come to know of God and His love, His truth and Good News. No one will believe in us speaking of God’s Good News and truth, unless they see these things being reflected well in our own lives and actions. Worse still, if our way of life and our own actions are contrary to what the Lord has shown and taught us, and if we do not have a strong and vibrant love for the Lord and for our fellow brethren around us, then how can we call ourselves as Christians? And not only that, but all of our lack of faith and hypocrisy may even drive people further away from the Church and from the salvation in God. That is why it is important that we ourselves believe the Lord wholeheartedly and reflect our faith in our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all turn our hearts towards the Lord, our attention and efforts towards Him. Let us do whatever we can to glorify His Name and to serve His cause at all times. May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator, continue to guide us through our lives and help us to live them thoroughly with faith and devotion to Him, now and always, so that we may truly be shining and great beacons of our Christian faith and God’s truth. Amen.

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Thursday, 8 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 12 : 28b-34

At that time, a teacher of the Law came up and asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is : Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes a second commandment : You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”

The teacher of the Law said to Him, “Well spoken, Master; You are right when You say that He is One, and there is no other besides Him. To love Him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”

Jesus approved of this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

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Thursday, 8 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5

Blessed are you who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. You will eat fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.

Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots will stand around your table.

Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.

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Thursday, 8 June 2023 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Tobit 6 : 10-11 and Tobit 7 : 1, 9-17 and Tobit 8 : 4-9a

When Tobias and Raphael had entered Media and were already approaching Ecbatana, Raphael said to Tobias, “Friend, we shall spend the night at the house of Ragouel. He is a relative of yours. He has no son, just an only daughter called Sara.

When they arrived in Ecbatana Tobias said to Raphael, “Friend Azarias, take me straightaway to our friend Ragouel.” So Raphael led Tobias to Ragouel’s house and they found Ragouel sitting by the door of the courtyard. They killed a sheep and served them numerous dishes.

After they had bathed and washed, as they were relaxing before the meal, Tobias said to Raphael, “Friend Azarias, tell Ragouel to give me Sara my kinswoman. Talk about what you were saying during our journey, that the matter may come about and be accomplished.”

Ragouel overheard the conversation and he said to Tobias, “Eat, drink and be merry tonight. You are the man who has most right to take Sara my daughter because you are my kinsman. Indeed it is impossible for me to give her to any other man but you, because you are my closest relative. But, my son, I must tell you the whole story. I gave her to seven husbands from among our kinsmen. They each died on the wedding night. But, for the moment, my son, eat and drink and the Lord will arrange things for you.”

Tobias said, “I shall eat nothing if you do not stop now and bring this matter to a conclusion.” Ragouel said to Tobias, “Take her from now on; I give her to you according to the Law of Moses and you have to understand that God Himself gives her to you. Receive your kinswoman, from now on you are her brother and she is your sister. She is yours from today and forever. Now God will bless you this night and may He give you both His mercy and peace.”

He called his daughter Sara and taking her by the hand, he gave her to Tobias as his wife. He said, “According to Moses’ Law, take her now and bring her to your father’s house.” And he blessed them. Ragouel then called Edna his wife; taking a sheet of parchment, he wrote down a matrimonial contract and they both affixed their seals.

Then they all began to eat. Ragouel called his wife and said to her, “My sister, prepare the other room and take Sara there.” Edna did as Ragouel told her and she took Sara to this room and Sara began to cry. Edna dried her daughter’s tears and said, “Have courage, my child, the God of heaven and earth will change your sorrow into joy. Have confidence, my daughter!”

When Sara’s parents had left the room and closed the door, Tobias got up from the bed and said to Sara, “Get up, my sister, and let us ask the Lord to have mercy on us and save us.” She got up and they began to pray, asking that they be given life. Tobias began like this, “May You be blessed, o Lord God of our fathers, and may Your holy and glorious Name be blessed forever. May the heavens and all creatures bless You. You created Adam and You gave him Eve, his wife, as a helper and companion, so that from these two the human race might be born.”

“You said : ‘It is not good that man should be alone, let Us give him a companion who is like himself.’ Now, Lord, I take my sister to myself in sincerity and love, not merely seeking pleasure. Have mercy on us and grant us a long life together.” Together they said, “Amen,” and returned to bed for the night.

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Thursday, 1 June 2023 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are called to remember the Lord and everything that He has done for our sake, that despite all which we have done to spite and anger Him, because of our disobedience, stubbornness and sins, but God still loves us all and still patiently called on all of us to follow Him, and to turn away from all those evils and wickedness, so that we may be renewed and reconciled with Him, and no longer separated from Him due to our sins and evils. That is why today all of us are reminded again to put our trust in the Lord and believe in Him as in Him alone we shall have true satisfaction and joy, and He will provide for us what we need in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the prophet Sirach mentioned of the great works of the Lord which were truly wonderful, and everything happened in this universe precisely because the Lord has willed it all to be. Nothing happened without the Lord’s approval and without being aligned to His will. He knows all that we need and He will always be by our side, providing for us and guiding us through the path that we are walking through in this life. He leads us down the right path, and whenever we err and disobey Him, choosing to walk our own path and end up in misfortune and sufferings, He chastises and disciplines us, but He does so not out of Him despising us, rather from a sincere desire to help us and to lead us back to Himself. He never despised us but rather He despised the sins which we have committed.

And all of us have to realise that it is through God and with God alone that we can fully and completely overcome the many allures and temptations of sin, and all the things that have kept us enslaved to the power of sin, evil and death, just as what we have heard in our Gospel passage today have reminded us yet again about this fact. There we heard of the Lord Jesus healing the sight of a blind man named Bartimaeus, who begged Him to heal his sight, calling upon Him, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have mercy upon me!’ again and again. Through that act, the blind man Bartimaeus has shown that his faith and trust in the Lord was truly great, and endured even amidst all the ridicule he was facing and the efforts by those who tried to silence him and stop him from seeking help from the Lord. He kept on trying regardless, and kept on seeking the Lord.

It was this great faith which moved the Lord to act on Bartimaeus, healing him from his blindness and ailment, allowing him to finally see again, and to be whole again. By the grace and love of God, and by His will, Bartimaeus was able to see, and this was something that was considered impossible, and even in our modern day, with all the technological advances in medicine and other things, there are many things that are impossible for us to do, without God’s will and guidance. By faith, Bartimaeus and many others have been touched and healed by the Lord Himself, and also through His Apostles and successors, throughout the history of the Church. This reminds us all that as long as we entrust ourselves in the Lord and in His Providence, we shall never be disappointed, and we shall always be blessed and strengthened by His love and grace.

Now, all of us should be inspired by the examples of faith shown by Bartimaeus, and heed the reminders told unto us by the prophet Sirach, so that we may continue to uphold the faith we ought to have in the Lord Jesus Christ, in His love and power to heal us and to save us. Each and every one of us as Christians are all called to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and to be filled with faith and devotion to Him. We should love Him wholeheartedly and continue to walk in His path, following what He has guided us into, and be encouraged and reassured that He will always be by our side, guiding and empowering us throughout the way. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and unless we ourselves have consistently and repeatedly rejected Him and His love, all these are always available to us right up to the end of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Justin, a great saint and man of God and a holy martyr of the Church and the Christian faith. St. Justin is a great example for all of us in how he completely dedicated his life to the service of God and in his persistence in enduring all the challenges and persecutions he faced, even right up to the moment of his martyrdom, always full of faith and commitment to God. St. Justin was a Greek man who converted to the Christian faith when he encountered an old man, who was likely a Syrian Christian by the seashore, and engaged with him in a dialogue about God, convincing him that the faith in God, His prophets and messengers are far better and superior than engaging in the wisdom and debates of the philosophers, as St. Justin was searching for the meaning of life and truth back then.

Afterwards, St. Justin dedicated himself wholly to the pursuit of the Good News, convinced fully of the message of the truth which Christ Our Lord has brought unto us, and which the Lord has revealed to us with His coming, and through the Holy Spirit that has been sent unto us all. St. Justin proclaimed the Lord henceforth, all of His truth and Good News, and began teaching as a Christian philosopher, gathering quite a number of people who were convinced by what he has been preaching about the Lord, with great wisdom and zeal. St. Justin and some of his students, according to Church traditions, were persecuted and martyred by the Roman authorities during one of the episodes of the persecution of Christians. He remained firm and resolute in his faith right up to the very end, inspiring countless generations of Christians afterwards.

May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us to live ever more graciously and with greater commitment in His Presence, according to His will, and be inspired by the great examples of our holy predecessors, His great servants, like St. Justin and many others. May He bless our works and efforts, and all of our endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 1 June 2023 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 46-52

At that time, Jesus and His disciples came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he began to call out, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!”

Many people scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying, “Take heart! Get up, He is calling you!” He immediately threw aside his cloak, jumped up and went to Jesus.

Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Master, let me see again!” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And, immediately, he could see, and he followed Jesus along the road.

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Thursday, 1 June 2023 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 32 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Give thanks to Him on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.

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

The heavens were created by His word, the breath of His mouth formed their starry host. He gathered the waters of the sea into a heap, and stored the deep in cellars.

Let the whole earth fear YHVH; let the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke and so it was, He commanded, and everything stood firm.

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Thursday, 1 June 2023 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Sirach 42 : 15-26

Now I shall remind you of the works of the Lord and relate what I have seen. The Lord’s works depend on His word, and creation obeys His will. The sun shines on everything and the work of the Lord is filled with His glory. Not even to His holy ones has the Lord given full knowledge of all His marvellous works. The Lord, Master of the Universe, has ordained that all should stand firm in His glory.

He penetrates both the depth of the abyss and the human heart and knows their secrets. For the Most High has full knowledge and ordains the signs of the heavens. He knows the past and foretells the future and reveals the traces of the world’s mysteries. No thought escapes Him, no word is hidden from Him.

He has ordered the marvellous works of His wisdom, from ever and forever. Nothing can be added, nothing can be taken away and He has no need of counsel. All His works are beautiful, even to the smallest spark of light. All this lives and endures forever : all is useful and obedient to His will. All things are in pairs, one opposite the other, and nothing He makes is in any way deficient. One thing emphasises the excellence of the other; who could ever weary of admiring His glory?

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Thursday, 25 May 2023 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded to stay united with God and to remain firm in our faith in Him at all times, resisting the temptations of worldly ambitions, attachments and other things that may end up misleading us down the wrong path in life. We should not let our desires and the corrupt temptations and attachments to this world lead us astray from the path that the Lord has shown us. As Christians we should continue to keep ourselves attuned to the Lord and firmly continue to uphold the Law and the commandments of God that He has shown us through His Church, amidst and despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to face and endure through as we live our lives faithfully as the followers of Christ.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, of the time when St. Paul the Apostle was standing before the whole Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, which was composed of the most powerful and influential members of the Jewish community back then, including the Pharisees and the Sadducees among them, as the two most powerful factions among the Jews. Each of these groups were bitterly divided and antagonistic against each other, and was then united only in their common hatred and opposition against the followers of the Lord, especially that of St. Paul, who had performed so many works for the Lord and brought many into the Christian faith. Like what we heard in our first reading today, immediately when St. Paul mentioned that he belonged to the group of the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Pharisees began to fight against each other in a massive conflict.

This shows that there was no unity among all those who persecuted St. Paul and the other early Christians, and God also gave St. Paul the wisdom to act in such a manner so as to prevent the Sanhedrin from uniting against him and in doing so, allowing St. Paul to commence his journey towards being put on trial by the Emperor in Rome, hence fulfilling what the Lord had called on him to do, to minister to the faithful and to spread the Good News to the very heart and centre of the Empire. Through his tireless efforts and commitment, and as well as all the time and hard work that he had put into place, St. Paul had shown us all what it means for us to be Christians, in trusting in the Lord and in doing what God has called and entrusted upon us to do. And God is always with us, by our side, just as the Lord Himself reassured His disciples as He prayed over them, as He promised them all that they would all see the true glory and joy through Him. Each and every one of us should be inspired to live our lives most faithfully as good Christians.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of three great saints whose lives and devotions to God in their own way may indeed be great source of inspiration and hope for each and every one of us, in how we can emulate their examples in our own lives. They are St. Bede the Venerable, a renowned priest and monk, and also a Church historian whose works and theological writings made him to be remembered greatly and honoured as one of the Doctors of the Church, and then Pope St. Gregory VII, who reformed the Church and led the Church through a turbulent and difficult moment where divisions and struggles between the religious and secular authorities were at its peak. Finally we have St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, a dedicated virgin and holy woman, whose life as a religious and experience as a mystic inspired many during her lifetime and afterwards.

St. Bede the Venerable lived and was active during the early years of Medieval Britain, in which he was renowned for being a great scholar and monk, with extensive library and collection of writings and works that still inspired so many people many centuries after his time. St. Bede the Venerable was ordained as a priest, and went on several travels and trips across the British isles, visiting many places and communities, which helped him to know and understand better about the local communities, especially the Christian Church there, and placed the foundation for the many works that he was writing, in topics as diverse as history and astronomy, among many others, and of course many of them dealing with the teachings of the Church and the Christian truth, which still inspired many who read his works afterwards. Many others made the works of St. Bede as their inspiration, and the rich diversity of his works continued to inspire the Church.

Meanwhile, Pope St. Gregory VII was the leader of the Universal Church during the height of what is known as the Investiture Controversy, which arose because of the dispute between the Pope and the Church with the secular authorities under the Holy Roman Emperor. In the past few hundred years before the time of Pope St. Gregory, both positions have become the greatest religious and secular authorities respectively, and the dispute arose because the Emperor claimed the right to appoint bishops and to control them within his own dominion, being appointed and supreme over all the secular rulers. On the other hand, the Pope St. Gregory VII represented the culmination of the Church efforts to resist secular influence and control of the Church and the members of the clergy, and stood firmly against any efforts of the Emperor and his nobles and supporters in trying to control the Church. He also carried out many other important reforms in purifying the Church from many corruptions and wickedness of that time.

Then, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was a woman who had been attracted and called to a spiritual life from a very young age, and who eventually joined the Carmelite monastery, becoming one of the Carmelite religious sisters. She has begun receiving mystical visions from a young age, and this continued on through her time and experience as a Carmelite religious. Her great piety and dedication to God, her exemplary actions and care for others, as well as her great holiness and the visions she experienced inspired many others to follow her examples in faith and dedication to God. Through her dedication, many have come to seek the Lord and endeavour to follow the good examples that this faithful and dedicated woman had done in her own life. Thus, all of us should also be inspired by the examples of those whose lives and commitments to God we have just discussed.

Let us all therefore seek to glorify the Lord and proclaim His truth, love and Good News through our own works and actions. Let us all be good and faithful disciples and followers of our Lord and God, spending much of our time and effort to do the will of God and to proclaim Him in the midst of all the things that we have dedicated unto Him. Let us all be good role models and sources of inspiration for each other, in how we lead our lives and carry out our every actions, even in the smallest and seemingly least significant of actions and interactions with others around us. May the Lord continue to guide us in all things and help us to remain ever firmly faithful in Him, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 May 2023 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus prayed to God His Father, “I pray not only for these, but also for those who through their word will believe in Me. May they all be one, as You Father are in Me and I am in You. May they be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

“I have given them the glory You have given Me, that they may be one as We are One : I in them and You in Me. Thus they shall reach perfection in unity; and the world shall know that You have sent Me, and that I have loved them, just as You loved Me.”

“Father, since You have given them to Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, and see the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You have sent Me.”

“As I revealed Your Name to them, so will I continue to reveal it, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and also may be in them.”