Tuesday

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Tuesday, 29 May 2018 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Peter 1 : 10-16

This was the salvation for which the prophets so eagerly looked when, in days past, they foretold the favour of God, with regard to you. But they could only investigate when the Spirit of Christ present within them, pointed out the time and the circumstances, of this – the sufferings of Christ, and the glories which would follow.

It was revealed to them, that they were working, not for themselves, but for you. Thus, in these days, after the Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven, the Gospel’s preachers have taught you these mysteries, which even the Angels long to see.

So, then, let your spirit be ready. Be alert, with confident trust, in the grace you will receive, when Jesus Christ appears. Like obedient children, do not return to your former life, given over to ignorance and passions. Imitate the One Who called you. As He is holy, so you, too, be holy, in all your conduct, since Scripture says : Be holy for I am holy.

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Tuesday, 22 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the Lord wants to remind us through the Sacred Scriptures, that the way for us to take if we want to be faithful and committed disciples of His, is for us to embrace humility, to be steeped in faith and love, and to be devoted wholeheartedly to God. We should not be tempted by the many temptations of power and worldly glory.

There are indeed numerous ways by which the devil is trying very hard, in order to bring about our downfall. One way is through the temptation of worldly riches, glory and power. In the first reading today, from the Epistle of St. James, we heard how we crave and desire for things, that even lead to us hurting one another, or even leading to murder and killing.

That is the extent in which we are ready to go, in order to satisfy what we want, to fulfil our desires and to please ourselves, our physical bodies in particular. We bicker without end and strive to gain more things and more pleasures for ourselves, as we cannot be satisfied easily, and our desires will only end up growing more and more, and our ego also end up getting more and more bloated.

And the more we are influenced by our desires, pride and ego, the more likely we will end up hurting and causing harm to others around us. The Lord Jesus rebuked His disciples for precisely this reason, as they were bickering and fighting among themselves for favour and influence in the Lord’s inner circle. They were fighting over who should be the greatest among His disciples, and hence, the greatest in the kingdom of God to come.

But they did not realise that all sorts of worldly power, grandeur, fame, greatness, influence and indulgences are nothing and meaningless in God’s sight. God does not seek or value all these fleeting things, which are merely temporary and which are perishable. None of those things will last forever, and we will not have them with us forever. Instead, the Lord called upon us all to follow His way, that is, to be like little children in our faith.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? The Lord Jesus alluded to the children and why we need to be like them in our faith, as those children, at that age, are still innocent, and they will believe with a pure heart, without the taint of ambition, ego, desire, pride and greed. Unlike many of us, we have been tempted with the temptations of power, of fame, of glory, of wealth and all sorts of things that distract us from our faith in God.

Thus, we are all called to resist the temptations of the world, and to believe in God wholeheartedly as a child would have. We should listen to the Lord and purge from ourselves, all sorts of pride and ambition, and all sorts of greed and desire, indulgement in which is unbecoming for us all as Christians. Instead, we are called to a holier life, based on active faith and devotion to God.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Rita of Cascia, a faithful and devout woman, and a dedicated religious, who have given her entire life to the service of the Lord in prayer. St. Rita of Cascia was a prayerful and dedicated woman and mother, who loved her family greatly, and having encountered tragedy in the family, as her husband was assassinated by a rival family, she remained resolute in her faith and commitment to her family.

Her sons wanted to have a revenge at those who have murdered their father. However, St. Rita of Cascia strongly dissuaded them from doing so, with words of love, care and compassion. And when they were at risk of committing sin because of their impulsiveness and desire for vengeance, she prayed to God, asking Him to take them away from this world, rather than to have them commit sin and then fall into hell. Her prayers were heard in the end.

After her family’s passing, she dedicated herself further to the Lord by joining a convent, as a religious woman dedicated to a life of prayer and service to God. St. Rita of Cascia showed such an exemplary life and faith, that she was eventually raised to the Altar as a saint after her passing, and she continued to inspire many generations of the faithful up to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, perhaps we should reflect on the examples that the faithful St. Rita of Cascia had shown us. Let us all then seek to live a good and devout Christian life, that we endeavour to gain for ourselves, not for the glories and the goodness of this world, that is wealth, fame, pleasures of the body, and all sorts of temptations we often encounter in life, but instead, know how to seek God, and place Him at the very centre of our lives. May the Lord be with us in this journey of faith. Amen.

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Tuesday, 22 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Mark 9 : 30-37

At that time, after leaving the place where He cast out evil spirit from a deaf and dumb boy, Jesus and His disciples made their way through Galilee, but He did not want people to know where He was because He was teaching His disciples. And He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, but three days after He has been killed, He will rise.”

The disciples, however, did not understand these words and they were afraid to ask Him what He meant. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they did not answer, because they had been arguing about who was the greatest.

Then He sat down, called the Twelve and said to them, “If someone wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child, placed him in their midst, and putting His arms around him, He said to them, “Whoever welcomes a child such as this in My Name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes not Me but the One Who sent Me.”

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Tuesday, 22 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 54 : 7-8, 9-10a, 10b-11a, 23

I said, “If I had wings, like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest; I would seek a home in the desert.”

“I would hurry to find a cave, for shelter from the tempest.” O YHVH, shatter their plans.

In the city, I see strife and violence; day and night, they prowl about its walls.

Place your burden on YHVH, and He will sustain you; for He never allows the upright to fall.

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Tuesday, 22 May 2018 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

James 4 : 1-10

What causes these fights and quarrels among you? Is it not your cravings, that make war within your own selves? When you long for something you cannot have, you kill for it, and when you do not get what you desire, you squabble and fight. The fact is, you do not have what you want, because you do not pray for it.

You pray for something, and you do not get it, because you pray with the wrong motive, of indulging your pleasures. You adulterers! Do you not know, that making friends with the world makes you enemies of God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

Can you not see the point of the saying in the Scripture : “The longing of the Spirit, He sent to dwell in us, is a jealous longing?” But God has something better to give, and Scripture also says, “God opposes the proud but He gives His favour to the humble.” Give in, then, to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw close to God and He will come close to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubters. Recognise your distress, be miserable and weep. Turn your laughter into tears and your joy into sadness. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will raise you up.

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Tuesday, 15 May 2018 : 7th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard about the story of two people who were saying their farewells to those who were with them, at the end of their respective ministries. The first one, from the Acts of the Apostles, related to us about the moment when St. Peter said his farewell to the elders and the faithful in the city of Ephesus in present day Turkey.

In that occasion, St. Paul through the wisdom and foresight given to him by the Holy Spirit, had known that the time was coming for him to meet his end, as he was about to face persecution from the Jewish authorities, and would have his last Apostolic journey, to the centre of the Empire, the city of Rome, where he would perform his last mission and would encounter martyrdom there.

However, despite knowing what would happen to him, and how he would suffer and be persecuted, St. Paul did not fear or become worrisome. Instead, he entrusted himself in the Lord, and spoke encouragingly to the elders of the faithful in Ephesus, by which he reminded them of the need to be faithful to the Lord, and to put their hope and trust in God Who will not abandon His faithful ones in their time of need.

St. Paul imitated the example of the Lord Jesus Himself, Who in the Gospel passage we heard today, prayed to God His Father, asking Him to be with His disciples, that is with all those whom He had called and gathered from the world. He prayed over them, that they would receive the fullness of truth which would bring them to eternal life. He entrusted all of them to God, and therefore, they belong to God, through Jesus.

Jesus showed all of His disciples, that the Lord will always be with them, and He will never abandon them, no matter how challenging the troubles and opposition that would be facing them. And the ultimate proof of that assurance, is Christ Himself, Whom the Father sent into this world, because of His love for each and every one of us. He is always ever faithful, and His words reliable.

Why is that so? Let us remember that in order to save us, God did not spare anything less than giving His own self, His own Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. And He loved us so much, and is so faithful to the Covenant that He had established with us, that He was obedient unto death, the most painful and sorrowful death on the cross. That is just how much God loved each and every one of us.

How can we, as Christians, then not be in love with God? How can we not trust in Him? But the reality says otherwise, brothers and sisters in Christ. Many of us are so worried about this life and all the things we covet and desire, for wealth, for prestige, for honour, for worldly glory and human praise, for pleasures of the flesh and body, and for many other things of worldly nature, that we do not trust in God, Who truly knows what we really need.

Instead, we ended up putting our trust in many things that distract us from our true focus, that is God. We idolise many things that become distraction for us, as some of us idolise money, and put it as more important than everything else in our life, including even God. Some of us will do everything in order to gain fame and prestige, regardless of the futility of such pursuits.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us as Christians are called to remember the memory of St. Paul, his faith and dedication to the good works which he performed for the Lord and for His Church. And we recall the great trust and faith which he had in the Lord, without which he could not have done all the things he had done, all the missionary works he had undertaken and more.

And we remember the great trust and love which Our Lord Jesus Himself had shown us, in His close relationship with His Father. All of us are called to imitate these good examples, and indeed, we should begin from ourselves, at this very moment, if we have not done so. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all devote ourselves anew to the Lord, and let us all seek to be ever more committed and faithful to God, each and every days of our life. May God be with us all, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 15 May 2018 : 7th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 1-11a

At that time, after Jesus said all that He had said to His disciples, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come! Give glory to Your Son, that the Son may give glory to You. You have given Him power over all humanity, so that He may give eternal life to all those You entrusted to Him. For this is eternal life : to know You, the only true God, and the One You sent, Jesus Christ.”

“I have glorified You on earth and finished the work that You gave Me to do. Now, Father, give Me, in Your presence, the same glory I had with You before the world began. I have made Your Name known to those You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they kept Your word. And now they know that whatever You entrusted to Me, is indeed from You.”

“I have given them the teaching I received from You, and they received it, and know in truth that I came from You; and they believe that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to You, and whom You have given to Me. Indeed all I have is Yours and all You have is Mine; and now they are My glory.”

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to You.”

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Tuesday, 15 May 2018 : 7th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 10-11, 20-21

Then You gave a rain of blessings to comfort Your weary children. Your people found a dwelling and in Your mercy, o God, You provided for the needy.

Blessed be the Lord, God our Saviour, Who daily bears our burdens! Ours is a God Who saves; our Lord lets us escape from death.

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Tuesday, 15 May 2018 : 7th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 17-27

From Miletus Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, how I served the Lord in humility through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me.”

“You know that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes, and I urged Jews and non-Jews alike to turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.”

“But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me. Indeed I put no value on my life, if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, to announce the Good News of God’s grace.”

“I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of God will ever see me again. Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you. For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you God’s will.”

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Tuesday, 8 May 2018 : 6th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we listened to the words of the Scripture, telling us about God’s love and providence to all those who believe in Him and walk in His ways, beginning with the story of St. Paul and St. Silas his companion, who were beset with trouble in prison during their missionary journey, and how God helped them overcome the trouble they were in.

And then, we listened to the Lord Jesus Himself speaking to His disciples about Him leaving His disciples as He would soon no longer walk physically among them. He was speaking about His suffering, and then His death on the cross, and after He had risen from the dead, in a short whole He would ascend into heaven to be at the right side of His Father. But He would not leave them alone.

He promised them that He would give them a Helper, in the Holy Spirit He would give all of them from the Father through Him. And He did fulfil that promise, at the occasion of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came as tongues of fire descending on the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, dwelling in them and giving them strength and courage, that from then on, all of them were ready to do everything for God’s sake.

The first reading today showed us all clearly enough what the Apostles had to face during their missionary works, where they had to encounter opposition and persecution, just as they were also openly accepted by some others who welcomed them and were willing to listen to the truth. St. Paul and his companion, St. Silas were persecuted by their opponents, who instigated the effort that ended up with them in prison.

This showed clearly the kind of difficulties and challenges that they had to encounter in life. They had to endure prison and suffering in the hands of their enemies, and it must have been difficult and inconvenient to them. However, they knew God was with them, and persevered through with prayer and devotion. And God showed His might before them, through the earthquake recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, freeing the two servants of God from their chains.

And not only that, they did not only have their physical chains broken, but they even managed to free others from the chains of sin and darkness. The jailer and his family believed in the Lord because of what they have witnessed, and converted to the Christian faith under the guidance of St. Paul and St. Silas. They repented from their actions and their sinful lives, and turned wholeheartedly towards God.

In that way, God showed His love and providence to all those who have been faithful to Him. He liberated them from their oppressors and guided them down the path towards salvation. He has always loved us and cared for us, and nothing will ever change that fact. It is us mankind who have always disobeyed and rejected God’s generous love and mercy. We often think that we know better, but the reality is that God knows what is best for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we are all called to heed the examples of the Apostles, who have followed God’s way and obeyed Him, in the mission which had been entrusted to them. The Lord Jesus made it clear in the same Gospel passage today, that the sin of the world against Him, is disbelief, or the lack of faith in Him. We are all called therefore to be the witnesses of Christ, in spreading His truth to all the world.

Are we willing and able to do as God had commanded us to do? This will surely not be an easy task, just as we saw how the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord had suffered for the sake of their faith. Yet, they believed in the Lord, and kept their faith in Him. They knew and they believed that God was always with them, and would be with them through their most difficult moments.

It was this faith they had, which became their strength and the source of their inspiration. Are we able to have the same faith as theirs? Let us all reflect on this today, and do our best, to emulate our holy predecessors in everything they had done, for the salvation of our fellow men, all who are still living in the darkness and ignorance of God. May God be with us all, now and always. Amen.