Tuesday

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Tuesday, 8 November 2022 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord through the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of our Christian calling and mission to be faithful to God, true and obedient to His ways and to the path that He has shown and taught us to follow. Each and every one of us ought to obey the Lord and for all of His Law and commandments. Otherwise, if we do not do so or have not yet done so, we cannot really consider ourselves as Christians, as our faith is then no better than hypocrites and unbelievers. After all, how can we be faithful Christians if our actions, words and deeds are not in accordance to what we profess to believe in, or worse still, even contrary to what our faith is about?

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Titus, which we have begun yesterday with St. Paul communicating the criteria for the selection of worthy candidates for overseers or bishops to lead the Church, then today we heard the Apostle communicating to his protege and godson St. Titus, regarding the matter of reminding all the faithful in their various capacities and responsibilities, in their positions and places in the community to be faithful to God. St. Paul spoke of what each segments of the Christian community ought to be doing, so that they may be sources of inspiration and strength for one another, and that their actions do not lead to scandal to the Church, the faithful and God’s Holy Name.

This is also a reminder that it was not only just the leaders, elders and shepherds of the Church who are expected to be faithful to God. On the contrary, every single members of the Church, every single one of the Christian faithful, are expected to fulfil their part in obeying God, His Law and commandments. All of us as Christians are part of the same Church and our actions, words and deeds ought to reflect well our Christian faith and beliefs. If we do not live our faith as we should, and do things that contradicts our beliefs in God, then how can we account that to the Lord on the Day of Judgment? If by our actions and way of life we have turned people away from the Lord and salvation in Him, and caused dissension and divisions within the Church, then how can we be considered worthy of the Lord?

Each and every one of us, be it as those who are young or old, powerful or weak, rich or poor, influential or nobody, whatever our background and origins are, as parts and members of the Church, each one of us have been made sharers in God’s one united Church, in His one community that is His Body. And we are all called and expected to be good, righteous and exemplary in our way of life just as the Lord our God, our Father and Master is perfect and all good. We must embody this faith we have in Him in our every actions and interactions with each other, so that by our lives, we may truly be living witnesses of what we believe in, that we do not just talk, but really are ‘walking the talk’. We have to inspire others to live in the same manner as well, to be obedient to God and to follow Him wholeheartedly.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord saying to His disciples regarding the matter of following God and obeying His commandments, and how we as His servants and followers should act and behave. The Lord said that as servants and followers of God, doing God’s will is what we are all expected to do, and we should not feel entitled to gain profits or benefits out of doing what has been expected to us. This is a reminder for all of us Christians that our faith is not one that is transactional or based on any rewards system. That is important because we will easily think that the more we do things for the Lord, in obeying His Law and commandments, then the more righteous and deserving of praise and glory we are.

All of that attitude will lead to selfish and arrogance which characterised some people the Lord criticised like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom had the elitist attitude in thinking that they alone were righteous and worthy of the Lord, while looking down on many others whom they deemed to be inferior or less than worthy than they were. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law also made it difficult for others to come near to the Lord, particularly those who were in most need of them, as they made people like tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners to be ostracised and felt unwanted and unwelcome. Not only that, but in their attitude and haughtiness, they had not done what the Lord had expected them to do. Instead of being good and exemplary shepherds entrusted to guide the faithful towards the Lord, they closed the gates to salvation to many people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have been reminded today, let us all therefore reflect on what we have heard through the words of the Scriptures and what we have just discussed earlier on. As Christians, we should try our best to live our lives with virtue and true obedience to God, with love and dedication towards Him. Each one of us should strive to be role models for one another and to resist the temptations to sin. We have to show true Christian love and charity in our actions, in whatever we say and in how we interact with one another, both with those within the Church and our various communities, with our families, relatives and friends, and also even with strangers and all those whom we encounter each day. In whatever circumstances, we are reminded to do our best to be faithful to God and righteous in our dealings.

Let us all therefore be good disciples of the Lord, committing ourselves to a graceful existence in God, and showing care and concern for our fellow brothers and sisters, for even strangers whom we meet in life. We have to inspire others through our faith and actions, and let us ask the Lord to guide us and strengthen us in our journey. May the Lord be with us always and may He empower all of us to be good and dedicated disciples and missionaries of our faith wherever we are. May God bless us all in our every efforts and hard work, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 8 November 2022 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner?’ No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterwards.'”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'”

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Tuesday, 8 November 2022 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 36 : 2, 18 and 23, 27 and 29

For they will fade as any green herb and soon be gone like withered grass.

The Lord watches over the lives of the upright; forever will their inheritance abide. The Lord is the One Who makes people stand, He gives firmness to those He likes.

Do good and shun evil, so that you will live secure forever. The righteous will possess the land; they will make it their home forever.

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Tuesday, 8 November 2022 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Titus 2 : 1-8, 11-14

Let your words strengthen sound doctrine. Tell the older men to be sober, serious, wise, sound in faith, love and perseverance. The older women in like manner must behave as befits holy women, not given to gossiping or drinking wine, but as good counsellors, able to teach younger women to love their husbands and children, to be judicious and chaste, to take care of their households, to be kind and submissive to their husbands, lest our faith be attacked.

Encourage the young men to be self-controlled. Set them an example by your own way of doing. Let your teaching be earnest and sincere, and your preaching beyond reproach. Then your opponents will feel ashamed and will have nothing to criticise.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God, while we await our blessed hope – the glorious manifestation of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus. He gave Himself for us, to redeem us from every evil and to purify a people He wanted to be His own and dedicated to what is good.

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 : Solemnity of All Saints (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today together as the Universal Church we all celebrate with all the glorious saints in Heaven the occasion of the Solemnity of All Saints, as we rejoice on this All Saints’ Day. On this All Saints Day, we rejoice in the glory of all the saints, both the ones whose names and lives are known to us, as well as the many other innumerable holy men and women of God out there who are saints, and yet not known to us. There are also all those other holy men and women who have deserved the glory of Heaven, and yet have not been named and declared saints yet, because of various circumstances. Today, as we rejoice on this All Saints’ Day, we remember all those whom I had mentioned, the ones who have lived their lives worthily of God.

Who are the saints? First of all we have to understand the role that the saints play in the history of our salvation and in the Church. The saints are all those holy men and women of God who have been deemed by the Church after a period of scrutiny and exploration, as worthy of God and as deserving of the glory of Heaven. The process of the declaration of someone as Saint is one that is usually lengthy one, as one went from being a Servant of God, Venerable, and then Blessed or Beatus and finally Saint. All those things are meant to highlight that being a Saint means that the person, his or her life and actions are truly worthy of God and of being exemplary Christians. This is to ensure that the person mentioned as saints are truly worthy of veneration and honour, and being followed by other Christians as good role models and inspirations.

And then, we must understand also that the saints are not divine beings or gods, or divinities, as what some others might and may still misunderstand about this particular practice of the Church. Quite a few people both inside and outside the Church have the misunderstanding and misconception thinking that we worship the saints. Yet, that is a very wrong way of seeing how we Christians venerate the saints and blesseds since the very beginning of the Church. Ever since the earliest days of the Church, the faithful Christians have always venerated important members of the Church who have been martyred for their faith, or have led exemplary lives, venerating them as great role models and inspirations, and beings worthy of Heaven, to inspire them in their own lives.

That is in essence what saints are and how they are significant for us all. The saints are our role models and inspirations, who by their words, actions and deeds have been deemed by the Church and the authorities of the magisterium to be worthy of God’s grace and eternal kingdom, to experience the beatific vision of Heaven prior to the Last Judgment, and are now in Heaven with God and His Angels. Christians and even the Jewish people of the past believed in the life after death, and the existence of the world to come, and the saints are those who have been welcomed to enter into God’s heavenly Presence, to enjoy the fruits of their labour and faithful life. And when we venerate those saints, we honour them for all that they had done out of faith and love for God.

We must understand that veneration does not equal adoration and worship or ‘latria’. Those are reserved for God and God alone. Not even Mary, the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven by virtue of her Divine Motherhood, is to be worshipped and adored. On the contrary, to her we accord the greatest honour and veneration or also known as ‘hyperdulia’ among all the other saints and beings, as the one who bore the Messiah or Saviour of the world in her, and who is our greatest intercessor, ever being present by her Son’s side in Heaven, pleading for our sake before Him. To Mary we accord the greatest of veneration, but that still does not equate to adoration and worship that we only give to God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Triune God, the one and only True God.

Then to St. Joseph we accord the next greatest honour of ‘protodulia’ which accords him the first of honour among all the saints just after Mary, her spouse. St. Joseph as the foster-father of the Lord and the Protector of the Universal Church has that place of honour and also because of his virtuous life, which are again great inspiration, examples and role models for each one of us as Christians. Then the other saints and blesseds also have their own unique life stories and examples which we can emulate and follow in our own lives. That is why we venerate them, as we are all inspired by their examples, and wanting to follow them, and why we adopt their names as our baptismal names as well. And not only that, as we also believe that the saints are already in the presence of God in Heaven, we also ask the saints for their help and intercession.

Now, what we need to realise is also that the saints although they are no longer physically with us, they are still very much part of the Church. The saints, blesseds and all the other holy men and women of God already in Heaven and have not yet been officially recognised by the Church as saints, are all parts of the same Church of God, as the Church Triumphant. Meanwhile, all of us still living in this world are the Church Militant, those who are still struggling and enduring the challenges and trials of this world daily. Then the Church is completed by all those souls who have departed from this world and yet, they are not yet worthy of Heaven, and are enduring the purifying flames of purgatory, the Church Suffering. Those holy souls in purgatory will be remembered tomorrow in the All Souls’ Day.

Altogether, the Church Triumphant, the Church Militant and the Church Suffering all form a united Church of God, all united through the indivisible link and union through the common Communion in Christ. All of us are united together as one Church, and as such, we are united in prayer for each other. The saints and blesseds have no more need for our prayers, but they are always praying for us in this world, the Church Militant, as well as for the ones who are still suffering in the purgatory, the Church Suffering. We ourselves as those who are in this world can also pray for those in purgatory. We can see how each and every one of us are still united as one Church, and just as we are still connected to each other, we should also be inspired to follow the examples of the saints in our respective lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been shown the means and the ways for us to follow the Lord faithfully as Christians. As we heard in our first reading today from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, the vision of St. John revealed to us the glory of the innumerable saints of God, who in the vision had appeared in their pure white garment, all made white by washing in the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God. The martyrs suffered at the hands of their persecutors and those who oppressed them, but they remained resolute and firm in living their lives faithfully, in standing up to their Christian vocations and missions, and enduring whatever persecutions with grace and faith. Some of them had to shed their blood and some perished, but even those who did not perish, had to endure martyrdom of sorts, as they were persecuted and had to face hardships and challenges.

They practiced what the Lord had told them all to do as we heard in our Gospel passage today on the Beatitudes, or the Eight Beatitudes, in which the Lord listed down all the behaviours and attitudes that are truly worthy of Him, and praised all those who have done according to those ways. Essentially through the Eight Beatitudes, the Lord has called on all of us as Christians to be His true disciples, as those who are poor in spirit, for those who are sorrowful and suffering for their faith, for those who are gentle and kind, and for those who hunger, thirst and desire for justice, for those who show mercy to others, for those who are pure and virtuous at heart, for those who advance and work towards peace and help others to seek peace, and for all those who are persecuted. All of those are essentially what we are expected to do as Christians in our own daily living.

Now, if we are not sure how and where to start in this regard, we must not be disheartened or give up the effort before we even start it. That is precisely why we have the saints to inspire us and to show us the way how we should live our lives. Each and every one of them had distinct and unique circumstances that some may in one way or another inspire us in our respective lives and journey, to be our compass and guidance in how we are to practice our faith in life. Each and every one of us are called and constantly reminded of the many good actions and deeds of our holy predecessors, and we should do the same. The question is, are we all willing to commit ourselves to this cause that the Lord had called us to do? Are we willing to put the effort to transform our lives from one that is based on worldliness and wickedness into one of virtue and adherence to God’s ways?

It is important that as Christians we have to live our lives worthily of the Lord, doing whatever we can to uphold our Christian faith and actions, in each and every possible moments like what the saints had done. But at the same time we must also have the correct understanding of what the saints are and how they can help and lead us on the right path. Sadly, even within the Church there are still many people, among the faithful who misunderstood the meaning of sainthood, and conflating it with idolatry, which resulted in the so-called popular devotions and faith among the people becoming corrupted with the worship and adoration of the saints instead of a proper veneration. Not only that, but those same people end up depending on the saints and hoping that the saints would solve all of their issues and problems, and that by praying to them everything they were troubled with would magically and immediately be solved.

That is why we have to correct our wrong or mistaken understanding and knowledge about the saints, should we have any of them. And we should also encourage ourselves on this Solemnity of All Saints, that each one of us will no longer be idle and be ignorant in the living of our faith. Instead, we should be more active and involved in being true and devout Christians starting this very moment, being inspired by the many examples of our holy predecessors, the saints and blesseds we have among the Church Triumphant. We as the Church Militant are reminded that we are still facing the trials, struggles and challenges that can prevent us and lead us astray from reaching the path towards God and His salvation. We cannot let the temptations of worldly glory and fame to make us abandon these struggles, and as long as we keep our focus on the Lord and strengthened by the courage and examples of His saints, we surely can find a way to live worthily of God.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide us in all of our lives, and may He, through His saints, constantly inspire and encourage us that we too may be holy just as those saints had led holy and worthy lives. May God be with us always and may He bless us all in our every good works and endeavours. All the Holy Saints of God, holy men and women who have glorified the Lord by your lives, all of you who are now with God in Heaven, pray for us sinners! Pray for the sake of all your brethren still living and struggling in this world who are in dire need of God’s mercy, love and strength. Amen.

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 : Solemnity of All Saints (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 5 : 1-12a

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain. He sat down and His disciples gathered around Him. Then He spoke and began to teach them :

“Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Fortunate are those who mourn; they shall be comforted. Fortunate are the gentle; they shall possess the land.”

“Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. Fortunate are those with pure hearts, for they shall see God.”

“Fortunate are those who work for peace; they shall be called children of God. Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

“Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are My followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God.”

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 : Solemnity of All Saints (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 3 : 1-3

See what singular love the Father has for us : we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are God’s children, and what we shall be has not, yet, been shown. Yet, when He appears in His glory, we know, that we shall be like Him, for, then, we shall see Him as He is. All who have such a hope, try to be pure, as He is pure.

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 : Solemnity of All Saints (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

The earth and its fullness belong to YHVH, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.

Who will ascend the mountain of YHVH? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.

They will receive blessings from YHVH, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.

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Tuesday, 1 November 2022 : Solemnity of All Saints (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Revelations 7 : 2-4, 9-14

I saw another Angel, ascending from the sunrise, carrying the seal of the living God, and he cried out with a loud voice, to the four Angels empowered to harm the earth and the sea, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.”

Then, I heard the number of those marked with the seal : a hundred and forty-four thousand, from all the tribes of the people of Israel. After this, I saw a great crowd, impossible to count, from every nation, race, people and tongue, standing before the Throne, and the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands, and they cried out with a loud voice, “Who saves, but our God, Who sits on the Throne, and the Lamb?”

All the Angels were around the Throne, the elders and the four living creatures; they, then, bowed before the Throne, with their faces to the ground, to worship God. They said, “Amen, Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honour, power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen!”

At that moment, one of the elders spoke up, and said to me, “Who are these people clothed in white, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, it is you who know this.” The elder replied, “They, are those who have come out of the great persecution, they have washed, and made their clothes white, in the Blood of the Lamb.”

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Tuesday, 25 October 2022 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today we are all reminded to live worthily of the Lord through our own relationships particularly that of within our own Christian families. Each and every one of us as Christians are called to be the faithful and committed members of our respective Christian families, building up within our own Christian communities good and faithful Christian families and relationships, which are truly the bedrock of Christian communities and the Church, and is essential in ensuring that the Church and the faithful community remain strong amidst the many challenges, temptations and trials they may all face.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, the Apostle spoke of the responsibilities that each and every members of the Church and in their respective obligations as families and as sons and daughters of God to do what has been expected of them in building up a loving and harmonious relationship within their families, in which every members are committed to each other and in which love is the foundation of their relationships. St. Paul elaborated on what each members ought to do, and how all Christians are tasked to follow this example, and to build up their holy and loving Christian families.

Back then, while various cultures had their own definition of families and marriages, which were in fact not very distinct from Christian marriage and family, but in practice, people still quite commonly practiced things like having mistresses and concubinage, especially in the culture of the Roman Empire. There were also quite a lot of immoral behaviour and attitudes, excesses of worldly habits and actions which led to great scandals and which are unworthy of those who have been called as Christians, as God’s own beloved children and people. As Christians, all of them were given higher standards and responsibilities.

St. Paul therefore reminded the faithful people of God that they are called to be the beacons of God’s light and truth, and that they ought to show good examples in the way they all lived their lives, where they were dedicated to one another in love, and where they were not led and guided by the temptations of their worldly desires, greed, pride and ambition. St. Paul told all of the people that they ought to show love and care for each other, in caring for the needs of their family, where husbands, wives, parents, children and relatives are all united in the bond of Christian love and virtues.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples and followers regarding the kingdom of God using a parable. Through the parable of the mustard seed and flour, the Lord wanted to highlight to them about the coming of His kingdom, and how each and every one of those who believe in Him, the members of the Body of Christ, the Church, are truly building and establishing this kingdom of God in this world. Yes, that is right, brothers and sisters in Christ, the kingdom of God is indeed already in our midst, and we witness its presence through our Church, the community of the faithful and also through our respective Christian families.

And we are all reminded through the parables mentioned of the importance of providing the necessary conditions for the nurturing of this kingdom of God in our midst, just as the Lord made use of the examples of the germinating and growing mustard seed, as well as the leavening of bread dough with the use of yeast. All of those are examples that were well known and understood by the people, as agriculture and bread-making are things that are crucial to the livelihood of most if not all of the people. Through this example, the Lord wanted His people, that is all of us included, to realise that we have to nurture our faith through providing the optimum condition needed for the growth of our faith, and this is important especially for our younger generation.

That is why the family is truly the domestic Church, the smallest and yet very important subunits of the Church. If our families are not founded upon the firm foundation of our Christian faith and the truth of God, and if the love of God is not present within our families, then easily our Christian families, our Christian communities and all the people in them will be swayed and tempted away from the path of the Lord’s righteousness and virtue, and we will be easily divided and led away from the unity that we should have within our families and communities. Unless we make the conscious efforts to live our lives according to the Christian truth and love, we have not been doing what we are called to do as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to a renewed effort to be exemplary Christians in all things, in upholding our Christian values and virtues at all times, in all opportunities and possibilities. Let us all show by our faithful commitment to God, what it truly means for us to be Christians, and how we can help lead and inspire one another to be ever closer to God. May God bless us always and our every endeavours, and may He bless and strengthen our families, that we may always be committed to God and to one another, and be filled with love, the love of God, always and evermore. Amen.