Tuesday

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the value of forgiveness, and how if we are to become the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will have to be generous with our forgiveness while still being aware and vigilant to the corrupting forces of sin. For God had forgiven us all our sins even though our sins were so great they should have merited our death and destruction.

Remember whenever we pray the Lord’s Prayer, the Pater Noster, that we pray this phrase, ‘Forgive us all our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us?’ This is exactly what is the essence of today’s readings and particularly that of the Gospel. What Jesus had mentioned is also that there should be no limit to mercy, and no limit to the graces which we should show to those who have cause us hurt.

Much of the evils and suffering in this world can actually be attributed to our inability to forgive one another. We continue to linger in hatred and jealousy over others. We feel hurt by what others had done badly for us, be in on body, in spirit, in mind or heart. We are afflicted, yes, but if we stop the cycle there and begin to learn to forgive, then the pain will also cease to grow further.

Instead, we take revenge, we retaliate, we fight back and cause even more injury to others, contending that because we have been hurt, then others should be hurt in the same manner if not worse than what they had afflicted upon us. Many of the worst wars and conflicts in the world today are caused by this inability to forgive and to let go of the pains which have been caused to us.

The parable of the ungrateful and unforgiving servant tells us about the lord who had forgiven the immense debt of a servant, and yet that servant refused to forgive another servant who owed him a debt that was far smaller in size. This is a clear representation of the interactions between the Lord and all of us, and how we interact with one another, our fellow brethren.

The master of the house represents the Lord, who had forgiven the servant who was deep in debt to his master. That servant represents all of us, who have great debts to God, and we have been forgiven this debt, that is all of us who believe in Him. This debt is sin, and sin has weighed us down greatly. We have so much sin if we are to count for all the sins which we have committed throughout this life.

And yet, God has forgiven us all these sins, and did not count against us all of the mistakes which we have committed. Despite all the weight of sin on our shoulders, we have been relieved by our Lord who have generously let us go from the threat of destruction because of our sins. We would have deserved death, but we were absolved from our faults.

Thus, we too should forgive one another our faults to each other. Compared to the sins from which we had been forgiven, the faults we committed against one another is relatively insignificant indeed. We should not be like the unforgiving and ungrateful servant who struck at the fellow servant for a trivial debt, ungrateful at having been forgiven his huge debt by his master.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all commit ourselves to forgive one another during this holy season of Lent. This is the moment for us to change our attitudes and seek to follow our Lord and His ways ever more in our lives. Let us all be thoroughly reformed in our actions, that we no longer keep hatred and negativities in our hearts. Forgive and let go all the anger in our hearts and learn to accept each others’ differences and live together with each other in harmony and love.

May Almighty God have mercy on us all, forgive us and bring us all to everlasting life. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 10 March 2015 : 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 offenses 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, 10 March 2015 : 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.

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, 10 March 2015 : 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, 3 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the meaning of our faith. Our faith is not about being seen by others as pious or trying to outdo each other in piety. Rather, it is about obeying God’s commandment sincerely in our hearts. And it is also about listening to God’s will and humbling ourselves before Him rather than being judgmental on others and being unjust in our actions and deeds.

True expression of faith does not depend on external appearances or on the outward gestures of piety without true understanding of what the faith is truly about. God does not desire the punishment of the wicked and sinners, but instead the repentance and redemption of all of us mankind. And to this extent, He had sent Jesus His Son to remind all of His people of the need to change their ways and follow our Lord.

This is the essence of Lent, the season of recollection, the season of mercy and forgiveness, a time when we all should pull back from all of our busy schedules and hectic lives and instead seek to know more about the Lord, finding out more about His wishes and desires for us all, that is for us to abandon our sins and wickedness, and therefore for us to attain salvation and justification through our faith.

We are all called to come to realise the depth of our sins and all of the wrong things and mistakes which we have committed in life. It is easy for us to fall prey to the temptations of our pride and to the lures of our desires. Like the Pharisees, the scribes, the elders and the teachers of the Law, they took great pride in their supposed piety and strict observation of the extensive Law of the Jews.

But in their actions, and in how they lived their faith, they had failed miserably and greatly. This is because of the pride and the greed that covered their hearts and minds. They considered themselves righteous and just, and thinking that they alone were worthy of the salvation and the grace of God, to the point that they condemned all others around them, thinking that they all do not deserve salvation as they had received.

We are all reminded in this season of Lent, that we are all sinners, no matter be it small or great in terms of the sins we committed. Sins have entered into us since the day when we first disobeyed God, His will and His commandments. Even the greatest of the saints and the holiest of all God’s creations were all also once sinners, or even great sinners before.

What matters is therefore, if we look at it more carefully and closely, is the change of attitude and the change in our ways, that if we once walked in the path of sin, then now we would no longer remain in sin, but instead, seeking the true Light of Christ, we may be remade anew in righteousness and justice of the Lord. This is the essence of the repentance from sins, which all of us should aim for.

Our Lord and God is willing to help us and to forgive us from our sins, but only if we on our part also sincerely change our ways for the better, that is to sin no more but follow the Lord from now on through all of His teachings, and listen to what Jesus had told all of the people and His disciples in our today’s Gospel reading. This Lent, let us be thoroughly and completely transformed, from a creature of sin, into a creature and child of God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 23 : 1-12

At that time, 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, 3 March 2015 : 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, 3 March 2015 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 1 : 10, 16-20

Hear the warning the YHVH, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah. Wash and make yourself 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 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.

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Tuesday, 24 February 2015 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how Jesus taught His disciples how to pray properly, by showing them the perfect prayer, which He prayed to the Father, as a way of communicating with Him. He showed the people, that prayer ought not be a long litany of words and requests or petitions, but instead, prayer should be direct in its meaning and purpose, or else, we end up losing the true essence and meaning of prayer itself.

Prayer is not a litany of demands or a way for us to extort what we want from God. Many of us have the misconception that because God is loving and gracious then He will fulfill everything that we ask of Him. We misinterpreted the meaning of the words of Jesus when He said, “Ask and you shall be given.” That is why when we do not get we want from our Lord through our prayers, then we often become disappointed or even angry against God, because we think that He does not care for us by not answering and fulfilling our prayers.

God knows every single thing that we need, from the least and smallest things to the biggest and most important things. There is no need to worry about anything but rather, we must have the courage and humility to ask Him to provide us with what we need in life. That is why Jesus in His prayer mentioned the part on ‘Give us today our daily bread’. It is meant to ask the Lord to provide us with what we truly need and not what we, in our endless desires, want.

The essence of prayer is for us to be able to communicate with the Lord our God, that we may speak with Him and He may also speak with us as well. As we can see, it is a two-way conversation between us and God, and not just a unidirectional conversation, as we all often did, by bombarding the Lord with requests, desires, demands, or even curses and anger when we did not get our prayers fulfilled as we wanted them.

Jesus taught us how to pray, and indeed, the Pater Noster or the Our Father, and also known as the Lord’s Prayer because it was Jesus who prayed it, is a perfect prayer. It begins with not a request or demand or wish, but with the glorification of the Lord and submission to the will of God. ‘Holy is Your Name’ and ‘Your will be done.’, indeed these are proof of our understanding that whatever we want, ultimately, it is not our will that will be done, but God’s will. Mary, the mother of our Lord also showed this when the Archangel Gabriel showed up to her and proclaimed that she was to be the Mother of God.

And as mentioned, the prayer asks for the grace enough for one, in what one needs in life. There is indeed no need for excess, as we are by our nature very difficult to satisfy. Our desire and want is such that, once we have what we want, we have the tendency to have more of it. We really have to wake up to the realisation that while there are many things that we may want to have, and while temptation is truly difficult to resist, but the Lord will show the way to us.

And this prayer also pointed out what we have to realise, especially in this season of Lent, that we are all sinners and therefore we deserve to be destroyed, and yet God in His rich mercy and forgiveness had forgiven all of us our sins, and if only that we are to put our complete faith and trust in Him, we shall receive His full grace and blessings. But if God had forgiven us our sins, then we too have to forgive those who sinned against us.

The parable of the ungrateful servant will highlight the importance of this. In that parable, a servant was forgiven from his great and huge debts by his master and lord, who had pity on him and forgave him all the debts even though he initially wanted the servant to be severely punished. But after that, the servant did not forgive another servant who had some debts to him, although those debts was far smaller than what the lord had forgiven the first servant.

As a result, the lord and master punished the ungrateful servant, who did not forgive even a small fault while his much greater fault had been forgiven by his lord. That servant was punished even greater than before, and the mercy shown to him was withdrawn. From this, we should learn that, whatever our brethren and people around us had done to us, be it something hurtful or malicious in nature, we have to learn to forgive them, and forgive one another our sins to each other.

For our sins are very, very great, the collection of the wickedness we have committed throughout our respective lives. Yet, if we are willing to abandon them and believe fully in the Lord our God, He is ready to forgive all of them and welcome us into His glory, but if we cannot even forgive our friends and others who had sinned against us, incomparable as they are to the sum of our wickedness, then it is also difficult for our Lord to forgive us our sins then.

Therefore, let us today reflect on what we have discussed and also heard from the Holy Scriptures. We have to bring ourselves closer to the Lord, firstly by fortifying our own prayer life, communicating and conversing with God, allowing not just ourselves to speak to Him, but even more importantly, that is to allow Him to speak in our hearts. If we have done so, then certainly, we will be able to know better what God wants from us, and that is our love, devotion and ability to love one another in the same way as we have loved ourselves.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all renew our faith to the Lord, not just by mere words but also through deeds. We have to love each other and forgive each others’ faults and sin to one another. And only then, we can be really called truly the children of God, and our Father who is in heaven, as Jesus had introduced Him to us, shall reward us with the gift of eternal life. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 24 February 2015 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 6 : 7-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they believe that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask Him.”

“This, then, is how you should pray : Our Father in heaven, holy be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one.”

“If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either.”