Tuesday

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Tuesday, 21 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Kings 19 : 9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36

Again Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah with these words, “Say to Hezekiah, king of Judah that his God in Whom he trusts may be deceiving him in saying that Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands they have destroyed! And will you be spared?”

Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, and when he had read it he went to the house of YHVH where he unrolled the letter and prayed saying, “O YHVH, God of hosts and God of Israel, enthroned above the Cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made the heavens and the earth.”

“Give ear, YHVH, and hear! Open Your eyes and see! Listen to all the words of Sennacherib who has sent men to insult the living God! It is true, YHVH, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries of the earth. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not true gods but gods made of wood and stone by human hands. Now, o YHVH, our God, save us from his hand and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that You alone, YHVH, are God.”

Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent word to Hezekiah : “You have called upon YHVH and He has heard your prayer regarding Sennacherib, king of Assyria. This is what YHVH has spoken against him : The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and scorns you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.”

“For a remnant will come from Jerusalem and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of YHVH of hosts will accomplish this. That is why YHVH has said this concerning the king of Assyria : He shall not enter this city nor shoot his arrows. He shall not raise a shield to oppose it nor build a siege ramp against it. He shall leave by the way he came and he shall not enter the city, word of YHVH. I will protect this city and so save it for My own sake and for the sake of David, My servant.”

It happened that the Angel of YHVH went out that night and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed, returned home and lived in Nineveh.

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Tuesday, 14 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, continuing from the discourse of yesterday’s Scripture reflections and passages, we move on to the theme of mercy and forgiveness from God, which He gives to all those who have shown genuine and true desire to be forgiven, and whose heart were filled with regrets for the wicked acts and things which they had committed in life.

In the first reading today, we had the example from the Book of Kings telling us about the same king Ahab, who also caused the death of Naboth of Jezreel in order to seize his vineyard to be his own. God spoke to him through the prophet Elijah, warning him of the impending punishment that he had earned for having committed such heinous and wicked a crime, and therefore the anger of God was upon him, and destruction awaited him.

But king Ahab, as sinful as he was, he was still capable of showing regret and humility, humbling himself before God and lowering himself, unworthy before God, knowing full well the sins which he had done. And God saw his regret and desire to recant his sinful ways, and gave him a reprieve, although he was still not forgiven for all the multitudes of evil deeds which he had done.

In the Psalm, we heard the famous psalm of David, which was likely composed when king David had sinned before the Lord, either when he committed adultery with the wife of another man, Bathsheba wife of Uriah and plotted for the latter’s death, or when he proudly asked to count his vast dominions and peoples, conducting a census of his whole kingdom despite the advice otherwise given by his advisors.

David showed great remorse and he was filled with great shame. However, unlike Ahab, it was likely that his remorse was far more genuine, and in his heart, ultimately, unlike Ahab, David was still truly faithful and still loved the Lord his God fully and with great devotion. And that is why, although calamities did befall him and troubles found their way to him, but God forgave him and made his reign secure.

And lastly in the Gospel today, Jesus made it all fully well known, of what God is expecting from us, with regards to love, and with regards to our relationship with one another. He expects us to love tenderly, and to love with our heart, and without prejudice or bias. And when we love, we should love all, even those people who have not loved us first.

It is our human nature that we mankind tend to do what only benefits us, and not those things that do not benefit us. We tend to seek things that we can reciprocate with, and hence, we tend to love only those who also love us. But God calls us all, as Christians, as those who believe in Him, His beloved children, to love far more than what our human nature leads us to believe.

We are all called to love with our hearts, to love all, even those who have not loved us, and even those who have hated us and persecuted us, so that the love which we have is truly genuine, rather than just a mere reciprocation or one that is borne out of obligation to repay whatever we have received. Let our love be pure and true, and let us all pray today, that God will help us and guide us that we may love Him and His people ever more. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 43-48

At that time, Jesus spoke to the people and to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said : Love your neighbour and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you : love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of Your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and He gives rain to both the just and the unjust.”

“If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? As for you, be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father in righteous and perfect.”

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Tuesday, 14 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 5-6a, 11 and 16

Have mercy on me, o God, in Your love. In Your great compassion blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil.

For I acknowledge my wrongdoings and have my sins ever in mind. Against You alone have I sinned; what is evil in Your sight I have done.

Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my offences. Deliver me, o God, from the guilt of blood, and of Your justice I shall sing aloud.

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Tuesday, 14 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 21 : 17-29

Then YHVH spoke to Elijah of Tishbe, “Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is taking possession of the vineyard of Naboth. Say to him : ‘Have you killed and have taken possession at the same time?’ Then give him this word of Mine : ‘Dogs shall lick your blood in the very place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth.'”

Ahab then said to Elijah, “Who, better than my enemy, could find me here and now!” Elijah answered, “I have come to you because you have done what YHVH abhors. This is YHVH’s word : I will bring disgrace on you. I will sweep you away and cut off every male of your family, from the lowliest to the greatest.”

“Your family will disappear like the families of Jeroboam and Baasa, because you have offended me and have dragged Israel into sin. There is another word of YHVH to Jezebel : ‘The dogs shall devour Jezebel within the territory of Jezreel.’ If anyone of Ahab’s line dies in the city, he shall be devoured by dogs; if in the green country, the birds of the air shall feed on him.”

There was no one like Ahab, urged by his wife Jezebel, in doing what YHVH abhorred. He did horrible things and ran after unclean idols just as the Amorites had done, from whom YHVH had taken the land to give it to Israel. On hearing these words, Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He fasted as he lay in sackcloth and moved around despondently.

Then YHVH said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself? Because of this I will not bring about the disaster during his reign; during his son’s reign disgrace will fall on his family.”

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Tuesday, 7 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the famous sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ on the parable of the salt and the light. Through that parable, Jesus challenged His disciples, the people at that time, and ultimately all of us, to be true and faithful disciples of God, filled with zeal and courage to do what has been expected of them.

He called on all of them to be salt of the earth and to be the light of the world. He challenged them by saying that if salt loses its saltiness, it would become useless and similarly that if light is hidden from sight, it is also useless as well. Thus, in the same manner, if Christians are to lose their Christian values, the flavour if their faith, and what distinguished them from those unbelievers, then how can we share in what God has promised His faithful ones?

This is the challenge and the reminder which God has given to us all His faithful ones, that we ought to consider them and take action on what we have been reminded with. We as Christians cannot be passive and cannot be ignorant of what we are expected to do for the sake of our faith. If we are to call ourselves Christians and yet in our actions and deeds we do not show it, or worse, if we do things that are contrary to our faith, then would we not cause scandal to our faith, to the Church and ultimately to the Lord our God.

It is therefore a challenge which Jesus had presented to us, to be a true Christian, and which means that we must love one another, care for each other without considering our own selfishness. We must go forth and show tender care and love to our brethren, and be genuine in that love. Love is what made us all Christians, for we believe in God Who is love, and Who loves us all with His heart.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God loves everyone, and in particular those who have shown their faith in Him. In the first reading today, continuing from what we have heard yesterday, we heard about how the prophet of God, Elijah, who was on the run from king Ahab, went to the city of Zarephath and met a widow there. And through the will of God, He helped and cared for both Elijah and the widow.

He provided Elijah with a dwelling place and a shelter during his exile and journey away from those who wanted to persecute him. At the same time, God also fed him through the widow who made for him and provided him with the food and sustenance he needed. And at the same time, God showed mercy and love to the widow, whom He helped through Elijah, by providing her with flour and oil that would not dry up and continued until the Lord restored the rain over the land.

Elijah did not despair even though he was under constant persecution by the king and his allies, and he did not give up the fight even though at that time literally he was the only one standing up and indeed, dared to stand up against the king and the worship of Baal, the pagan god of the Canaanites that led Israel to sin. He preached about God throughout the land and even in the foreign lands.

And that widow of Zarephath showed her faith in God when she served the prophet of God, Elijah, by providing him with water and provisions, even when she herself was very short on food for herself and for her own son. The Lord called her and she responded with faith, and for that faith, she was rewarded, just as God rewarded the prophet Elijah for his faith and devotion.

They had shown themselves to be salt of the earth and light of the world, showing God’s love, grace and truth in a world which has been immersed in the darkness of evil. They have shown their light to many people, through whom they have called them to righteousness and grace in God. Not many responded well, and many refused to change their ways, but in the end of the day, through their example, many have been saved. Jesus our Lord Himself commended the faith of the widow of Zarephath in one of His teachings to the people.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, can we do the same as well with our own lives? Are we able to be truly faithful to God? Are we showing good examples of our faith to others and our neighbour? If we want to be true Christians and reap the grace and blessings of our Lord, then surely we have to show that we are true and devoted to Him, with all our heart and our mind, and be sincere and be genuine in our faith.

Let us all renew our faith to the Lord, and devote our time and effort in order to be ever more committed and be more faithful to the Lord our God in all the things which we do. May God be with us all and may He bless us in all of our endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 7 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 13-16

At that time, Jesus spoke to the people and to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will trample on it.”

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and covers it; instead it is put on a lampstand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before others, so that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

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Tuesday, 7 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 4 : 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

Answer when I call, o God, my justice! When I was in distress, You gave me solace. Have compassion on me and hear my plea. And you people, how long will you harden your hearts? How long will you delight in deceit and go in search of falsehood?

But you must know that the Lord has shown His kindness to me. When I call to Him, He hears me. Be angry, but do not offend. Keep your words to yourself, when you are in bed, and be still.

Many ask, “Who will give us a happy time? Would that His favour shine upon us!” You, o Lord, have put joy in my heart; more than by giving me wine and food.

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Tuesday, 7 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 17 : 7-16

After a while, the brook dried up because no rain had fallen in the land. Then YHVH spoke to Elijah, “Go to Zarephath of the Sidonites and stay there. I have given word to a widow there to give you food.”

So Elijah went to Zarephath. On reaching the gate of the town, he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel that I may drink.”

As she was going to bring it, he called after her and said, “Bring me also a piece of bread.” But she answered, “As YHVH your God lives, I have no bread left but only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am just now gathering some sticks so that I may go in and prepare something for myself and my son to eat – and die.”

Elijah then said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me; then make some for yourself and your son. For this is the word of YHVH, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of meal shall not be emptied nor shall the jug of oil fail, until the day when YHVH sends rain to the earth.”

So she went and did as Elijah told her, and she had food for herself, Elijah and her son from that day on. The jar of flour was not emptied nor did the jug of oil fail, in accordance with what YHVH had said through Elijah.

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Tuesday, 31 May 2016 : Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the moment when Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, came to visit her cousin, Elizabeth in the mountain counties of Judea. It was the sixth month since Elizabeth has become pregnant by the grace of God, with the herald of the Messiah, John the Baptist in her womb, while Mary herself carried Jesus, the Lord and Messiah in her womb.

Today is a day of joy, since the same joy experienced by John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth his mother is also the same joy which all of us should experience. After all, we are all mortal and sinful men, all of whom have sinned and did not deserve the kindness, mercy, love and forgiveness from our Lord, and yet He generously extended His love, which He had shown us through none other than Jesus, His only Son.

Today we remember that God has loved us all mankind so much, and indeed so great is His love that He gave us His only Son, Jesus, to be our Saviour and Redeemer so that all of us who believe in Him may be saved and may receive eternal life through Him. He has willingly come down into this world so that through Him the world of men may have hope and light in the midst of all the darkness.

And in all these, Mary played a very central role indeed, as the one through whom the Saviour was to be born. Mary fulfilled perfectly the role to which she had been appointed to by the Lord, by obeying the commands which God had given her, faithfully carrying out the mission and believing and trusting in the providence of God, that whatever God’s will is for her, it shall be done.

Elizabeth too believed in the Lord, and she obeyed Him in all things, and God rewarded her with the very important role, to be the mother of the herald of the Messiah, the one to usher in the coming of the Lord Himself, even though she was already very old and long past child bearing age. Through her, and ultimately through Mary, God showed this world, that His divine protection, grace and blessings are with those who obey Him.

The song of Mary, the Magnificat which Mary sang, filled with the Holy Spirit is the great song of thanksgiving for all the great things which God had done for her, and ultimately, also for all those who have been faithful to God. And in that song, we too have the same hope, the same joy and the same gladness, knowing that God is also with us, and will also bless us in the same manner if we are faithful to Him.

Therefore today, it is imperative that all of us find a moment to reflect on the great occasion of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth. The Lord has come upon us and showed us His mercy, and He is willing to forgive us, but are we all willing and ready to forgive ourselves? Are we all ready to commit ourselves to the Lord in the same manner as the Lord has committed Himself to us?

Let us all change ourselves, our ways and everything that we do, so that in all things, we may draw ever closer to God, and become ever more devoted servants and followers of our God. Let us become truly worthy of God, so that when He comes again in His glory, we may be welcomed into His eternal kingdom, and receive the glory of eternal life with Him. Amen.