Tuesday

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Tuesday, 28 March 2017 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 45 : 2-3, 5-6, 8-9ab

God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the seas.

There is a river whose streams bring joy to the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, the city cannot quake, for God’s help is upon it at the break of day.

For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our refuge. Come, see the works of the Lord – the marvellous things He has done in the world.

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Tuesday, 28 March 2017 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Ezekiel 47 : 1-9, 12

The man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the Temple and flowing eastwards. The Temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the Temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing the east and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.

The man had a measuring cord in his hand. As he went towards the east he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water which was up to my ankles. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me cross the water which came to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and we crossed the water which was up to my waist. When he had again measured a thousand cubits, I could not cross the torrent for it had swollen to a depth which was impossible to cross without swimming.

The man then said to me, “Son of man, did you see?” He led me on further and then brought me back to the bank of the river. There I saw a number of trees on both sides of the river. He said to me, “This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome.”

“Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful and the sea water will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound. Near the river on both banks there will be all kinds of fruit trees with foliage that will not wither and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop because the water comes from the Temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.”

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Tuesday, 21 March 2017 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, all of us heard about the great mercy of God, which He had shown to all of us mankind throughout time, from time to time, again and again, even though we have constantly sinned against Him. Forgiveness is the theme of today’s readings, and it is just perfect given that now we are in the midst of the season of Lent, the season and time for repentance and seeking for forgiveness.

It is a time for us to turn away from our sins and from our wickedness, as Azariah in the first reading today, taken from the Book of Daniel had mentioned before God, that the people of Israel had sinned grievously before the Lord, having failed to fulfil and obey His commandments, becoming wayward and fell into the temptations of the world, resulting in their own destruction and banishment from the lands which God had given to them and their ancestors.

Azariah made his prayer along with his two compatriots during the time when the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar persecuted the faithful, especially the three of them, who were servants to the king, but refused the king’s commands to worship him and the golden statue of himself as their god. They were thrown into a huge fire chamber, expected to perish in the flames, alone in the foreign land, having no rights for themselves, for they have sinned against God and God supposedly had abandoned them.

But Azariah prayed for God to forgive them for their sins, and he prayed on behalf of the people of Israel, who sought to repent from their sinful ways and turn once more to the ways of the Lord. And God did listen to their prayers, for even though He was angry at the sins of the people of Israel and Judah, for all their wickedness and rebelliousness, He still loved all of them just as much as He has loved and were pleased with the faith of Abraham, their forefather.

And we see just the very real representation of that mercy which God extended to His people. Not only that He rescued Azariah and his two compatriots from danger, not allowing the flame to harm them, but He also extended His mercy to all of His people, bringing them back from their exile and returning them to their own lands under Cyrus the Persian Emperor, but eventually, He fulfilled the promise that He Himself had made to all mankind at the beginning of time.

Mankind had fallen into sin by disobedience, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and listened instead to the sweet lies of Satan. They should have deserved complete annihilation, but God gave them a second chance, a new lease of life. Even though they suffered in the world and death had reigned over them, but God promised them all a Saviour Who would deliver all of them from their sufferings and back into His grace.

Thus, Jesus came into the world in order to save it, as it was mentioned in the famous passage from the Gospel of St. John, that God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son, into this world so that He may save it and all of us mankind, and redeem us from our sins, liberating us from death and annihilation, into the eternal glory and life He has prepared for all of us.

In the Gospel today, He told His disciples to forgive the sins and mistakes that others had made unto us, echoing what He Himself said in His prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, with the words, “Forgive us our sins just as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” This is a reminder for us that, as the parable Jesus told His disciples showed, that we have to forgive each other first, then God will forgive us our sins as well.

Why is this so? In the parable, we heard how the lord forgave the debts of the man who owed him a lot of money, but then that same man refused to forgive the debts of those who owed him money, which is a lot less than what he himself owed to his lord. First of all, what he had done is hypocritical, he did not do what his master had done. Then, he did not show appreciation of just how great is the grace which had been shown him, as the lord angrily pointed out to him.

How does this relate to us? Remember, brothers and sisters in Christ, whenever we are angry at our friends who have hurt us, we must remember that we ourselves in one way or another may have hurt others, be it the same person or different. If we cannot overcome this anger and choose to persecute or make others suffer because of our anger, then we have to remember that whatever sins we have, God is willing to forgive all of them, provided that we are willing to repent.

Our sins are so much greater than whatever wicked things we have done to each other. And yet, God is willing to forgive us when we desire to be forgiven. Shall we not do the same for our brethren who wants us to forgive them? And shall we also seek forgiveness for all the wrongs that we have done? Much sorrows and pain has been caused by the desire for people to revenge each other, and if we can only overcome our anger and desire for vengeance, then this world will indeed become so much better.

Let us all follow in the example of Azariah, who humbly sought for forgiveness from God. Let us all use this perfect opportunity during this season of Lent, first of all to repent from our sins and to change our ways, and also to forgive each other all that we have inflicted upon the other, be it pain, sorrow, anguish, and any forms of discomfort that we have either consciously or unconsciously caused to one another.

Let us grow stronger in our love both for one another and also for God, and let us be sincere in our desire and effort to be forgiven. Let us all sin no more, but from now on put our complete trust in God and in His merciful heart. He will forgive us all surely, and He will bless us and bring us to His eternal glory. May God be with us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 21 March 2017 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Matthew 18 : 21-35

At that time, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offences of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants.”

“Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment. The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.'”

“The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled his debt. When the servant left the king’s presence, he met one of his companions, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost choked him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!'”

“His companion threw himself at his feet and begged him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt. Now his fellow servants saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord.”

“Then the lord summoned his servant and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Were you not bound to have pity on your companion, as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.”

Jesus added, “So will My heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.”

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Tuesday, 21 March 2017 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, but in Your love remember me.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

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Tuesday, 21 March 2017 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Daniel 3 : 25, 34-43

Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud : Do not abandon us forever, do not reject Your covenant for Your Name’s sake. Do not withdraw Your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, Your friend, of Isaac, Your servant, of Israel, Your holy one, to whom You promised to multiply their race as the stars of heaven and the sand on the shore of the sea.

Lord, see, we have become the least among the nations in all the world, and we are humiliated because of our sins. At this time, we no longer have a king, or prophet, or leader. We cannot offer You holocausts, sacrifices, offerings, or incense. We have no place to present to You the first-fruits of our crops, and so obtain Your favour.

But at least when we present ourselves with a contrite soul and humbled spirit may we then be acceptable to You, more than by offerings of rams and calves as holocausts, and of thousands of fat lambs. May this sacrifice of ours today obtain for us Your favour for we know that those who trust in You shall never be disappointed.

And now, we serve You with our whole heart, we fear You and we seek Your face. Do not leave us in our humiliation, but treat us according to Your kindness and Your great mercy. Free us in keeping with Your wonders, and give us the glory of Your Name, Lord.

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Tuesday, 14 March 2017 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us are reminded that in all that we do in this life, in all that we say, we must be humble and be righteous, and our faith in God must be genuine. All of us Christians are expected to have these virtues with them, so as to be truly devoted to God. Our actions, our hearts, and our entire being must be attuned to the Lord.

We are reminded that we should not be like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who preached in one way, but practiced what they preached differently from how they have preached. In other words, they have contradicted themselves and what they said by their actions which did not reflect the words that they have spoken. They were hypocrites who did not truly believe in God, and God warned His people, all of us against following their examples.

They have not been faithful and they misused the authority which God had entrusted to them, by misleading the people and by condemning those who had come to them seeking forgiveness that came from God. They glorified themselves and sought self-satisfaction, fame and human praise, and God rebuked them for all of their waywardness.

For all of their supposed piety, their long prayers and public shows of their faith, parading before the people their piety, they were not actually serving the purpose of the Lord, but instead cared only about themselves. God had no place in their hearts, for their ego had prevented them from doing what was truly righteous and just in the sight of God. This is what all of us need to take note of, lest we also fall to the same predicament.

Now the question should come to our minds, what is the meaning of being righteous? Is being righteous equivalent to doing what the Pharisees had done, such as saying long prayers, acting good and pious before others, doing external acts of penance and abstinence? Well, doing all these things are good and they are certainly not wrong. But to be excessively focused on them and ignoring the true meaning of our faith is not something that we should do.

What does this mean? It means that whatever we do, all the things we say and do, we must do because we love the Lord our God, and let all of our actions bring glory not to ourselves but to the Lord, for we have to realise that, despite all the achievements and the greatness we mankind may accumulate in this world, all the wealth and possessions we have, we are truly nothing without the Lord our God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this time and season of Lent, it is appropriate for us to spend some time to reflect on our actions, and how we spend our time during this season of penance and forgiveness. We know that we need to fast on certain days, namely on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and also abstain from red meat during the season and also on Fridays throughout the year, but are we doing them just because we were told to do so? Or is it because we are just going through the motions without understanding them?

It is time for us to reflect, and ask ourselves the important question, is God at the centre of our lives? Is He the reason why we live our lives in the way that we have lived them? Has He been the reason for our actions and deeds, which bring about true righteousness and justification? Or have we rather been driven by personal reasons and desires, or by ignorance and lack of understanding of our faith?

Let us all renew our commitment to the Lord this Lent, that by the time and opportunities which He had given to all of us, we may be able to draw closer to Him, and make our observances, of fasting, of abstinence, of penance, of almsgiving and all the other good and pious deeds we have carried out this season of Lent, may become more meaningful and fruitful for the sake of our justification and salvation.

May the Lord help us to live our lives more meaningfully, by making us more and more like Him in our ways, and through His dwelling in our hearts, may He transform us completely, in body, heart, mind and soul, in our whole being, to become truly His disciples, His beloved children, and those whom He had saved from the darkness of our past sins and wickedness. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 March 2017 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Matthew 23 : 1-12

At that time, then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees have sat down on the chair of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them.”

“They do everything in order to be seen by people : they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first places at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and they like being greeted in the marketplace, and being called ‘Master’ by the people.”

“But you, do not let yourselves be called Master, because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father because you have only one Father, He Who is in heaven. Nor should you be called Leader, because Christ is the only Leader for you.”

“Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.”

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Tuesday, 14 March 2017 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 49 : 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me. I need no bull from your stalls, nor he-goat from your pens.

What right have you to mouth My laws, or to talk about My covenant? You hate My commands and cast My words behind you.

Because I was silent while you did these things, you thought I was like you. But now I rebuke you and make this charge against you. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Tuesday, 14 March 2017 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Isaiah 1 : 10, 16-20

Hear the warning of YHVH, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah. Wash and make yourselves clean. Remove from My sight the evil of your deeds. Put an end to your wickedness and learn to do good.

Seek justice and keep in line the abusers; give the fatherless their rights and defend the widow. “Come,” says the Lord, “let us reason together. Though your sins be like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they be as crimson red, they will be white as wool.”

“If you will obey Me, you will eat the goods of the earth; but if you resist and rebel, the sword will eat you instead.” Truly the Lord has spoken.