Tuesday

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Tuesday, 3 December 2024 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of Missions and Missionaries (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22-23

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.

So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

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Tuesday, 26 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures we have heard today, we are all reminded that we must always be prepared and vigilant in our lives, in each and every moments of our daily living, in our every words, actions and deeds so that we may truly be prepared for the coming of the Lord and to be truly worthy of Him at all times, so that when He comes again and when we have to account for our lives, actions and deeds, all that we have carried out in this life and even things that we have not done or failed to do when we should have done them. As we come ever closer to the end of the current liturgical year we are being constantly reminded about this so that we will have the resolve and the desire to continue living our lives worthily of the Lord as we should have always done.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Revelations the continuation of the account of the events that is to come at the end of time according to the vision which St. John the Apostle received at the Island of Patmos, who recounted to us what he saw in the Angel of God being sent into the world to reap the harvest at the appointed time, referring to the moment of reckoning, the end of times and the coming of the Final and Last Judgment. In that vision, St. John saw the Son of Man sending the Angels out to the world with a great sickle, to harvest the vines of the earth for it is already time for the harvest. Then, we heard how the Angels gathered the produces and put them in the winepress of the anger of God. This is a reminder for us all to cultivate a truly good and worthy life that the Lord will truly find worthy at the time of the great harvest, the end of times.

It is also a reminder for us that while God’s love and kindness, His compassion and mercy for each and every one of us are truly great and generous, wonderful and ever made available always for us, but we must not forget that we must embrace His generous offer of love and mercy, and not to reject Him and ignore His outreach of love and grace. Otherwise, by our own disobedience and wickedness, our own constant rejection of His love and generous mercy, in the end, there will be nothing left for us, no share in God’s grace and salvation. It is often that we have disregarded and abandoned Him for many of the temptations and other pursuits and desires in the world all around us. That is why, for our wickedness and constant refusal to listen to Him and embrace His love, God’s righteous anger will be against those who reject Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to the people gathered in the area of the Temple of Jerusalem to admire it, its magnificence and wonderful appearance. This great Temple complex was the second Temple built on the site after the first Temple originally built by King Solomon of Israel was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Temple was modest in size and appearance, but was greatly enlarged and expanded by King Herod the Great, the previous ruler of the land of Judea, who was obsessed with lots of large building works to cement his legacy, including that of the Temple of Jerusalem. But while the Temple was truly grand and mighty in appearance, but it was full of corruption and wicked things, due to the corrupt activities of the merchants and the money changers that were there.

Not only that but the beliefs and the practices of the Israelites and their descendants, the Jewish people were already astray and far from what God has intended for them, from what God had taught and shown them. The priests and those Pharisees and teachers of the Law put much greater emphasis and focus on the sacrifices at the Temple, and not truly understanding and appreciating the true meaning and purpose of the Law of God. They have grown proud and arrogant because they thought themselves as being superior and better than the others around them. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord, refusing to listen to the truth which the Lord Jesus Himself had brought to their midst and presented to them.

That was why the Lord told the people and everyone else assembled how no matter the greatness and the glory of the Temple and all of its appearances, everything would not last forever as they would be crushed and destroyed within a matter of decades, and this prophecy would indeed come true about thirty years or so after the Lord had said it, with the Romans destroying Jerusalem and its Temple during the first Roman-Jewish War caused by the rebellions led by the more extreme and hardline factions among the Jews at the time. It was a reminder to all of us that no matter what kind of greatness and glory in the world, ultimately all of those things are illusory and will not last forever, no matter what. That is why we must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by all the temptations and pleasures of this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us remember that we are all weak and sinful people, who are in need of God’s great love and mercy, His healing and grace. Let us all remember to be humble and to desire this forgiveness and compassion, so that we may be truly reconciled with God, and be one day fully and completely reunited with Him. Let us all put our trust in the Lord instead on all worldly things and matters, so that by having this strong and genuine anchor in faith in God, we will not be easily shaken and swept by all the tides and waves around us, caused by all the temptations and challenges in our path. Let us all continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s path, and do whatever we can to inspire many more people to come ever closer to God.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God, our merciful and just Creator and Master continue to help us to be ever stronger in our faith and commitment to Him. May He continue to give us the courage and strength to persevere through whatever challenges and trials, hardships and obstacles in our path so that we may not falter in our journey towards Him, and that we will continue to endure and be strong, and ever be committed in our desire to love Him and to follow Him at all times. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 26 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 5-11

At that time, while some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” And they asked Him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”

Jesus then said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come claiming My title and saying, ‘I am He, the Messiah; the time is at hand!’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, do not be frightened; for all these things must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”

And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.”

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Tuesday, 26 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 95 : 10, 11-12a, 12b-13

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.

Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.

Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before the Lord Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.

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Tuesday, 26 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Revelations 14 : 14-19

Then I had this vision, I saw a white cloud and the One sitting on it like a Son of Man, wearing a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. An Angel came out of the sanctuary, calling loudly to the One sitting on the cloud, “Put in Your sickle and reap, for harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe.”

He Who was sitting on the cloud swung His sickle at the earth and reaped the harvest. Then another Angel, who also had a sharp sickle, came out of the heavenly sanctuary. Still another Angel, the one who has charge of the altar fire, emerged and shouted to the first who held the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and reap the bunches of the vine of the earth for they are fully ripe.”

So the Angel swung his sickle and gathered in the vintage, throwing all the grapes into the great winepress of the anger of God.

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Tuesday, 19 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, it is clear that we are all reminded to repent from our many wickedness and sins, to stop our acts of disobedience towards God and all the things which had separated us from Him, all the things that had kept us from being able to commit ourselves thoroughly and wholeheartedly to His path. All of us are reminded that God has always been rich in mercy and generous in offering us His compassionate love and kindness, and all of us are truly precious to Him, being those whom He has always loved and cared for from the very beginning, and He has created us all with love and truly intends for us all to enjoy the fullness of His love and grace.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, we heard of the words of the Apostle reminding the faithful people of God throughout the many prominent early churches that were spread then across Christendom of the words of the Lord that had been passed and revealed to him in the series of the revelations and visions he received while he was exiled to the Island of Patmos, many decades after the Lord’s Passion, suffering, death and Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. The Lord showed St. John what happened to those who have not obeyed the Lord and followed His ways, those who have fallen into the path of wickedness and evil, and refused to listen to Him and turn towards the light of God. He also showed then what those who have been living righteously and worthily of the Lord will enjoy at the end of time.

Thus, St. John passed on the words of the Lord delivered through the visions that he had received to the faithful people of God across Christendom, reminding them and all of us of all that we are expected to do as God’s people, His disciples and followers. We must not be lukewarm in our faith and be ignorant of our calling and the missions which God has entrusted to us, reminding all of us that everything that we should be actively doing in our lives, in each and every one of our actions and interactions with one another. We must show love and compassion to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, to be the shining beacons of God’s light, hope and truth to everyone, so that everyone may know the Lord through our dedication and commitment, our every examples and inspiration in life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke we heard of the famous story of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and Zaccheus the infamous tax collector, which I am sure that all of us are quite familiar with. At that occasion, as we heard from the Gospel, the Lord was visiting the place where Zaccheus lived in, and Zaccheus, being intrigued and wanting to meet the Lord, made the effort to go and climb up a tree to be able to see Him, as he was short in stature. And already here in that part, we see the first of Zaccheus’ good qualities, being the effort that he put into seeking the Lord, going out of his way to seek Him and to find Him, when many others could be less bothered to do the same, ignoring Him and even rejecting His message and refusing to believe in Him.

Then, not only that, but Zaccheus also pledged Himself to the Lord in a most public manner before everyone who were assembled there, pledging that he would undo whatever wicked things and deeds that he might have done in the past as a tax collector. One of the many reasons why tax collectors during the time of the Lord Jesus were often reviled, hated and ostracised was that they were themselves corrupt, putting heavier taxes on the people while pocketing some of those gains for their own selfish desires and ambitions. Zaccheus must have been doing the same and hence, he was mentioned as being quite notorious among the people. But the Lord did not care about all that, as what He truly saw in Zaccheus is the potential as well as the strong desire to seek Him, which Zaccheus committed firmly in his public confession of faith and desire to repent from his many sins.

Zaccheus showed us all that even the greatest of sinners may have a change of heart and repent from his or her many sins, provided that the sinner is willing to embrace God’s most generous and wonderful love and mercy, like Zaccheus had done. His public form of repentance and commitment, as well as the desire to follow the Lord is an inspiration for many of us that God truly loves us all and wants us all, His beloved children and people to come back to Him and to be reconciled and reunited with Him without any exception. No one is truly beyond God’s rich mercy and love, and we should keep this in mind as we continue to progress through this life. We must not forget that God loves each and every one of us and He does not discriminate us one from another. It is always us who made artificial and man-made categories and barriers separating us from other people.

We should begin with following the example of humility that Zaccheus had shown us all and also the realisation that we are all sinners, imperfect and flawed, needing God’s healing and mercy above all else. We cannot and should not think that we are better and superior than others, or that there are those who does not deserve God’s love and kindness. In fact, if we see around us that there are those who are bereft of love, compassion and kindness, we should lead the way in showing them the genuine love that our Lord Himself has shown to us. In each and every one of our actions, words and deeds, in our every efforts and works, in our every interactions, we should always show love, care and concern for everyone without prejudice, and strive to seek the Lord together, helping and supporting one another in this endeavour.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God, our patient and ever caring Father, continue to bless us all with His love and grace, and help us to open our hearts and minds to Him, to get rid of the pride and stubbornness which had prevented us to come towards His salvation. May His compassionate love and mercy embrace us all much as He Himself has embraced Zaccheus the penitent in the past. May God always be with us and may He continue to journey together with us as He has always done, in our every efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 19 : 1-10

At that time, when Jesus entered Jericho and passed through the city, a man named Zaccheus lived there. He was a tax collector and a wealthy man. He wanted to see what Jesus was like, but he was a short man and could not see Him because of the crowd.

So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree. From there he would be able to see Jesus, Who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, Zaccheus, come down quickly, for I must stay at your house today.” So Zaccheus climbed down and received Him joyfully.

All the people who saw it began to grumble, and said, “He has gone as a guest to the house of a sinner.” But Zaccheus spoke to Jesus, “Half of what I own, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.”

Looking at him Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house today, for he is also a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

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Tuesday, 19 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 14 : 2-3ab, 3cd-4ab, 5

Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right, who speak truth from their heart and control their words.

Those who do no harm to their neighbours and cast no discredit on their companions, who look down on evildoers but highly esteem God’s servants.

Those who do not lend money at interest and refuse a bribe against the innocent. Do this, and you will soon be shaken.

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Tuesday, 19 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Revelations 3 : 1-6, 14-22

Write this to the Angel of the Church in Sardis, “Thus says He Who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars : ‘I know your worth : you think you live but you are dead. Wake up and strengthen that which is not already dead. For I have found your works to be imperfect in the sight of My God.”

“‘Remember what you were taught; keep it and change your ways. If you do not repent I will come upon you like a thief at an hour you least expect. Yet, there are some left in Sardis who have not soiled their robes; these will come with Me, dressed in white, since they deserve it. The victor will be dressed in white and I will never erase his name from the book of life; instead, I will acknowledge it before My Father and His Angels.'”

“‘Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.'”

Write this to the Angel of the Church in Laodicea, “Thus says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God’s creation : ‘I know your works : you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! You are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold so I will spit you out of My mouth.'”

“‘You think you are rich and have piled up so much that you need nothing, but you do not realise that you are wretched and to be pitied, poor, blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold that has been tested by fire, so that you may be rich, and white clothes to wear so that your nakedness may not shame you, and ointment for your eyes that you may see. I reprimand and correct all those I love. Be earnest and change your ways.'”

“‘Look, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My call and open the door, I will come in to you and have supper with you, and you with Me. I will let the victor sit with Me on My throne just as I was victorious and took My place with My Father on His throne. Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.'”

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Tuesday, 12 November 2024 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we must always continue to live our lives well in the manner that the Lord has shown and taught us. We must always be righteous and good in all of our words, actions and deeds, so that the Lord will find us all to be worthy and just, worthy of the eternal life and true happiness that He has promised to each one of us. As Christians, it is expected that all of us should always be full of faith and zeal in living our lives, in each and every moments in them to be truly shining and worthy beacons of God’s light and grace. And if we are truly God’s people, His followers and disciples, then we should always live our lives with God’s teachings and truth at the forefront in our lives at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Titus, we heard of the words of St. Paul to his protege, who was one of the first bishops of the Church as the successors of the Apostles that they and all the other faithful people of God must always be good, virtuous and faithful to the Lord so that in all their daily living, each and every one of them, in their own respective capacities and parts of the community they were living in that they may become worthy bearers of Christ’s truth and Good News to everyone they encountered and interacted with. They have to be truly devoted to God through their faithful observance and living of the Lord’s Law and commandments, and by showing Christian charity and virtue in all the things that they say and do.

To be Christians, it is always important for all of us to be truly faithful to God, not just in appearances and formality, not just in words and proclamations, but also in all of our every actions and deeds, in our every good works and contributions, our every encounter with everyone around us, those whom we meet in our daily lives. As Christians, all of us ought to be good, worthy and righteous in all things, to strive to do what the Lord has called and commanded us all to do, to be truly devoted to Him in all things, doing our very best so that our whole lives may indeed be full of virtue and goodness, that through us, many more people will come to know the Lord and believe in Him, experiencing His love and grace, His kindness, compassion and mercy through our own loving actions, words and deeds.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples highlighting the fact and reality that we are all servants of the Lord, our Master and each and every one of us should always remember that we should only do what our Lord and Master has wanted and called us to do, and then at the same time, we should not be conceited and proud, thinking that we deserve more things or that we ought to have more just because of our actions, works and deeds, or end up demanding the Lord to reward us for whatever we have done in His Name, in our obedience and contributions to the Church and the works of salvation, our many missions and outreach to everyone around us.

It is a reminder for us that salvation in a grace from God for us, and we are saved by our faith in Him, which we make alive and genuine through our actions and works, our contributions and efforts in life. But we are not saved solely through our own efforts and works, as without true and genuine faith in God, those efforts and works are meaningless. Similarly, faith that is not made alive, real and manifest through active contributions, actions and genuine Christian virtues, efforts and works is also dead and meaningless. Hence, we are all reminded today that we must always put the Lord our God at the centre and as the focus of our whole lives and existence. Then, at the same time, we must also actively live our lives as Christians, in following the Lord ever more courageously and faithfully at all times, obeying Him in all the Law and commandments He had presented to us, and answering His call to us, that He made to each one of us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Josaphat Kuntsevych, a faithful and holy servant of God, who as bishop of the Church was truly a courageous and dedicated servant of God, being martyred for his faith against all those who refused to listen to reason and embrace the true teachings of the Church and the unity of the Church against all the divisions that had brought about much harm to the Church and the faithful. St. Josaphat was one of the Eastern Orthodox bishops in Ruthenia, what is today part of Poland and Ukraine, where he was one of the leaders of the faithful people of God. Amidst the efforts of the time in that region to reconcile the divided Church and the Christian communities between those who are in communion to the Pope and those who have separated themselves from the communion of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, St. Josaphat rose to prominence in his efforts to bridge this gap.

St. Josaphat Kuntsevych was one of the bishops who accepted the agreements of reunion between the Churches, which was also known as the Union of Brest, about four centuries ago. He worked hard to bridge the differences between all those who supported and those who refused to embrace the efforts at reunification and reconciliation between the faithful members of the Body of Christ, the Church. But he still faced a lot of opposition and rejection from many of those who refused to listen to reason and truth, and in the end, he was martyred and suffered a terrible fate as those who opposed him and his efforts at reunion of the churches mobbed and attacked him, and brutally murdered him. Nonetheless, the inspiration and courageous examples of St. Josaphat Kuntsevych continues to inspire many people even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discerned and discussed from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures and as we have heard from the life and inspiring examples of St. Josaphat Kuntsevych, let us all therefore be resolved to live a good and worthy life in the manner that God has called us to in each and every moments, opportunities and occasions throughout our lives. Let us all be the shining examples and role models for one another in faith in all things, and help one another to remain firmly faithful to the Lord, to be truly committed in actions and deeds, to be courageous despite all the challenges and difficulties, trials and hardships we may encounter in our journey in life. May God continue to bless us all, and may He empower us all to remain ever always in His loving presence, now and forevermore. Amen.