Tuesday

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Tuesday, 4 August 2015 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Vianney, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 5-6a, 6bc-7, 12-13

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. You are right when You pass sentence and blameless in Your judgment. For I have been guilt-ridden from birth, a sinner from my mother’s womb.

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

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Tuesday, 4 August 2015 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Vianney, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Numbers 12 : 1-13

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married and they said, “Has YHVH only spoken through Moses? Has He not also spoken through us?” And YHVH heard. Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than any man on the face of the earth. Yet suddenly YHVH said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, all three of you, to the Tent of Meeting.” The three of them came out.

YHVH came down in the pillar of cloud and, standing at the door of the Tent, called Aaron and Miriam. They both went out and He said, “Listen carefully to what I say : If there is a prophet among you, I reveal Myself to him in a vision and I speak to him in a dream. It is not so for My servant, Moses, My trusted steward in all My household. To him I speak face to face, openly, and not in riddles, and he sees the presence of YHVH. Why then did you not fear to speak against My servant, against Moses?”

YHVH became angry with them and He departed. The cloud moved away from above the Tent and Miriam was there white as snow with leprosy. Aaron turned towards Miriam and he saw that she was leprous. And he said to Moses, “My lord, I beg you, do not charge us with this sin that we have foolishly committed. Let her not be like the stillborn whose flesh is half-eaten when it comes from its mother’s womb.”

Then Moses cried to YHVH, “Heal her, o God, I beg of you.”

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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Scripture readings, firstly in the Book of Exodus, on how God instructed Moses to set up a Tent of the Covenant or the Holy Tent of Meeting where God would periodically descend upon it to meet with Moses and the people, where His holy Presence would dwell and fill the whole place with His glory.

Then in the Gospel, we heard of how Jesus spoke of a parable to the people and to His disciples, namely the parable of the sower, between the good sower and the evil opponent, who sowed weeds between the wheat in the field. In the end, the wheat and the weeds will be harvested, and separated from each other, and while the wheat goes into the granary to be stored, the weeds go into the fire and are destroyed.

In the first reading God mentioned how He is filled with mercy and forgiveness to all who sincerely look for His forgiveness and love, and are willing to commit themselves to change and repentance, genuine and sincere, that they turn their back to sin and past wickedness. God will overlook their past mistakes and receive them back into His loving embrace.

But those who refuse to be forgiven, who repeatedly reject His love and mercy, and those who continue to sin even despite the reminders and messages sent to them through His servants will receive great punishment and the fullness of the brunt of the anger and wrath of God. We have to remember that as much as God loves us all, giving us opportunity after opportunity, He also hates all forms of sins and wickedness, all of which have no place in His presence.

This is a reminder for us, that we who live in this world are like the field which God had tilled and sowed in. He had sowed His seeds of faith, hope and love within us, and these are in us, but the devil too, ever since he tricked and tempted our ancestors since the time of the fall at Eden, he had also sown in us the conflicting seeds of hatred, of jealousy, of greed, and of many other vices and malice inside us.

Both of these are growing within us, and with each of our actions, we cultivate either the good seeds of the Lord, or the evil seeds of Satan. Whenever we love, care for one another, devote ourselves to God and follow in His ways, seeking the poor and helping them, caring for the sick and the downtrodden, we cultivate the good seeds and allow them to grow and prosper.

On the other hand, whenever we commit something evil, slandering against one another, coveting what others have in jealousy, be greedy over worldly things and desires, and giving in to the temptations of the world, we cultivate the seeds of evil, that will grow to be weeds that will choke the good seeds growing in us. Therefore, in this, we should see how if we dwell in our sins, then the way ahead will be dark for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today reflect on our own lives. Have we been faithful to the Lord and walk in His ways, or have we instead been wicked in our ways? Have we loved one another or be jealous towards what our brethren have and we do not have? There are many things which we have to see in ourselves, and if we are still walking in the path of darkness, then truly we have to begin to change ourselves.

Indeed, before the time of judgment and it is too late for us, when God will sunder the righteous from the wicked and separate them, one to enjoy everlasting life and happiness, and the other to suffer eternal suffering and darkness. Shall we want to find ourselves on the side of happiness and true joy, or shall we find ourselves a place among the wicked? The choice is ours. May Almighty God help us all, that we may commit ourselves to the path of righteousness. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 13 : 36-43

At that time, Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” Jesus answered them, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one.”

“The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the end of time, and the workers are the angels. Just as the weeds are pulled up and burnt in the fire, so will it be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil.”

“And these will be thrown in the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.”

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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 102 : 6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13

The Lord restores justice and secures the rights of the oppressed. He has made known His ways to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow in anger; He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever.

He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve. As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

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Tuesday, 28 July 2015 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Exodus 33 : 7-11 and Exodus 34 : 5b-9, 28

Moses then took the Tent and pitched it for himself outside the camp, at a distance from it, and called it the Tent of Meeting. Whoever sought YHVH would go out to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. And when Moses went to the tent all the people would stand, each one at the entrance to his tent and keep looking towards Moses until he entered the tent.

Now, as soon as Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance of the tent, while YHVH spoke with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud at the entrance to the tent, they would arise and worship, each one at the entrance to his own tent.

Then YHVH would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his neighbour, and then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua, son of Nun, would not leave the tent.

And Moses called on the Name of YHVH. Then YHVH passed in front of him and cried out, “YHVH, YHVH is a God full of pity and mercy, slow to anger and abounding in truth and loving kindness. He shows loving kindness to the thousandth generation and forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin; yet He does not leave the guilty without punishment, even punishing the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

Moses hastened to bow down to the ground and worshipped. He then said, “If You really look kindly on me, my Lord, please come and walk in our midst and even though we are a stiff-necked people, pardon our wickedness and our sin and make us Yours.”

Moses remained there with YHVH forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the slabs the words of the Covenant – the Ten Commandments.

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Tuesday, 21 July 2015 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the readings on the event which many of us surely are quite well aware of, that is the opening or splitting of the Red Sea when the people of Israel was chased by the Egyptians and its Pharaoh, to the edge of the sea. God through Moses, His servant showed forth His might and deliverance for His people by opening the sea right in front of their eyes.

This is a well known story from the Bible which all of us should be familiar with, that God showed forth His salvation and help to all those who devoted themselves to Him and remained in His love. He delivered His own beloved people from the hands of those who sought to enslave them, oppress them and destroy them. He cast down all those who have opposed His loved ones, and turned upside down their plans.

And in the Gospel today, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of those who have done the will of God, and putting the words of the Lord and His teachings into real practice, as those who will be found worthy and just by the Lord, and therefore worthy of His grace and blessings. This is a reminder for all of us that God really values our faith, trust and devotion to Him, and He is always looking at us, taking note of our actions, words and deeds.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day let us look into ourselves and see if within us we have that faith and trust which we really ought to have for the Lord our God. Do we trust Him, and do we have that unshakeable faith in Him? When troubles come our way, and when challenges and obstacles bar our path, do we give in to the pressure of the world and its threats? Or do we stand up tall and place ourselves fully in the hands of God?

Like the Israelites, having been hemmed between the sea and the armies of the Pharaoh, the situation seemed to be hopeless for them, and indeed, they certainly panicked and thought that the end had come upon them, and they would all either be enslaved back by the Egyptians, or meet their end right there on the seashore. But God showed them that only if they put their complete trust in Him, they had nothing to fear.

Those who are righteous and walk faithfully in the way of the Lord have nothing to fear. Those who fear was because they have no faith in God, or that their faith was weak and easily shaken. They put their trust in human power and strength, and when those fail, they give in to their fears and anxieties. As a result, they subject themselves to drastic measures, and even at times such abominations like suicide or giving in to the pressures of those who seek to corrupt us?

We truly have to look at the examples of our holy martyrs and saints, who have remained strong and resolute even in the face of persecution and oppression from the world. They did not give in to the demands of the world and they continued to live righteously despite the difficulties they faced. And the Lord watched over them and protected them. In many occasions they were delivered from those who persecuted them.

But most importantly, at the end of their earthly lives, whether it was by martyrdom or natural death, all of them were righteous and just, and they were delivered from the clutches of death and sin, and they were freed from the dominion and power of Satan into real freedom with God. For just as the Lord delivered the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians, thus He had also delivered all those who are faithful to Him from Satan and all of his forces of darkness.

Today, we celebrate together as well the feast of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, who was a renowned priest who was later made a Doctor of the Church in recognition of his many works and commitments for the betterment of the Church of God and the people. St. Lawrence of Brindisi was a Capuchin friar and preacher who dedicated his life to help those who have fallen to heresy and became wayward in their faith.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi helped establish many Capuchin monasteries and works across areas which had been badly affected by the so-called Protestant ‘reformation’, and he helped to call back many people back to the Lord by his preaching, dispelling the falsehoods of Satan and his agents, and revealing to the people of God, the truth which has always been preserved in the Church.

Through his works, countless thousands upon thousands have been brought back to the true faith and to salvation. He should be an inspiration to all of us, as we all who still live in this world must also therefore awaken the courage and faith in our brethren who still live in darkness and ignorance of the Lord. Through us God will make His works evident in this world, and through us He will bless all mankind, bringing all His scattered people together once again.

May Almighty God who is always with us, protecting us and guarding us from harm, extend His loving embrace and hands upon us, to defend us from the forces of darkness and Satan trying to bring us harm. May He bless us and be with us, so that with all the might He had shown us, we may grow to trust Him and place our faith in Him forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 21 July 2015 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is for Me brother, sister or mother.”

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Tuesday, 21 July 2015 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 15 : 8-9, 10 and 12, 17

At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up, the surging waters stood firm in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, “I will give chase and overtake, I will divide the spoil and make a feast of it. I shall draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.”

A breath of Yours and the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

You will bring Your people and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance, the place You chose to dwell in, o YHVH, the sanctuary prepared by Your hands.

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Tuesday, 21 July 2015 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 14 : 21 – Exodus 15 : 1

Moses stretched his hand over the sea and YHVH made a strong east wind blow all night and dry up the sea. The waters divided and the sons of Israel went on dry ground through the middle of the sea, with the waters forming a wall to their right and to their left. The Egyptians followed them and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and horsemen moved forward in the middle of the sea.

It happened that in the morning watch, YHVH in the pillar of cloud and fire, looked towards the Egyptian camp and threw it into confusion. He so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly move. Then the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites for YHVH is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Then YHVH said to Moses, “Stretch your hand over the sea and let the waters come back over the Egyptians, over the chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The waters flowed back and engulfed the chariots and horsemen of the whole army of Pharaoh that had followed Israel into the sea. Not one of them escaped.

As for the Israelites they went forward on dry ground in the middle of the sea, the waters forming a wall on their right and their left. On that day YHVH delivered Israel from the power of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. They understood what wonders YHVH had done for them against Egypt, and the people feared YHVH. They believed in YHVH and in Moses, His servant.

Then Moses and the people sang this song to YHVH : I will sing to YHVH, the Glorious One, horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.