Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 12 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate another feast honouring the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, after her Nativity just a few days ago, when we celebrated her birth into the world, and then today, we celebrate her Most Holy Name, the name that is the terror of demons and evil. Just as the Name of her Son Jesus is the Name above every other names, the name of Mary is significant and important for us as well.

Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because at the Name of Jesus, all the devils, all the forces of evil, all those opposed to the Lord, chief of which is Satan, Lucifer, the prince of evil, all these shake in fear and despair, for they know perfectly well, that in Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Saviour of the world, their doom is at hand, and they know perfectly well, their fate of eternal suffering for their wickedness.

They have tried to rise up against the Lord in rebellion and they have failed. They have tried to bring down mankind, God’s most beloved creations, and they have failed as well. They have not been able to do this as they have to face our loving God and Father who cares for the souls of us all. Those who are plotting for our downfall must come to face with the One who cares for us all at every single moment.

And then, what is the significance of Mary in all this? That is because just as they feared and trembled at the Holy Name of Jesus, whenever they hear the Holy Name of Mary uttered in good faith, they too would tremble and hide out of fear, because they also know perfectly well that it was by Mary, her faith and obedience to God and His will, and by the special role she played in God’s plan of salvation.

It is through Mary that the Saviour of this world was born, and through her that salvation was able to come down upon us all. It was her perfect and total obedience to the will of God, that even when she was faced with the daunting task of being the mother of our Saviour, all the uncertainties, doubts and fears accompanying that, and yet she did not give in to her fears, and instead, she faced all of them with faith.

This is why, Mary is an inspiration and example to all of us. It was her dedication and commitment to the mission which God had entrusted her with that had helped us all on the way towards God’s salvation. And even then, she did not end her work and her role there. Even after her Son Jesus had died and risen from the dead, and even after He had ascended in glory to heaven, she continued to be a guide to the early Church, until her own Assumption into glorious heaven.

Mary in her unique position in heaven, as the mother of our Lord and God, has been crowned by her Son as the Queen of the heavenly forces, the angels and the hosts of heaven. And thus, not only that her faith and unfailing dedication commitment to God brought terror to the hearts of Satan and his allies, because they were unable to faze and corrupt her to sin, sinless as she was, is and will always be, but then, she also leads the forces of heaven in the resistance against evil.

We all ought to know that in Mary we have such a great ally against the devil, for she is constantly praying for our sake, beseeching her Son Jesus on our behalf. She leads the angels and the saints in prayer to God, for our intercession. When we sin and fall into darkness and evil, Mary and the angels and the saints led the forces of good in the constant battle and struggle with evil and its forces in the daily and constant spiritual battle for our sake.

Let us all from now on, invoke the holy name of Mary, as well as the Holy Name of her Son, Jesus, with good and genuine faith, so that we may receive her protection through her prayers and intercessions, and as the commander of the forces of heaven, the angels and all fighting to defend us from the evil one, that we may be brought away from the depredations of those seeking our downfall.

May all of us be ever closer to the Lord our God, by showing it through our actions and deeds. Let us all also put our trust in Mary, His mother, who always prays for our sake, and who is the bane of the evil one. Let us ask for her intercession at all times, and promise her that we will draw ever closer to her Son and abandon all of our sinfulness and wickedness. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 12 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary)

Luke 6 : 43-49

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “No healthy tree bears bad fruit, no poor tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it bears : you do not gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles.”

“Similarly the good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart.”

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what the one is like, who comes to Me, and listens to My words, and acts accordingly. That person is like the builder who dug deep, and laid the foundations of his house on rock. The river overflowed, and the stream dashed against the house, but could not carry it off because the house had been well built.”

“But the one who listens and does not act, is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. The flood burst against it, and the house fell at once : and what a terrible disaster that was!”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Luke 1 : 39-47

At that time, Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit, and giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour!”

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Saturday, 12 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary)

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord! Blessed be the Name of the Lord now and forever!

From eastern lands to the western islands, may the Name of the Lord be praised! The Lord is exalted over the nations, His glory above the heavens.

Who is like the Lord our God, He who also bends down to see on earth as in heaven? He lifts up the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap.

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Saturday, 12 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary)

1 Timothy 1 : 15-17

This saying is true and worthy of belief : Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Because of that I was forgiven; Christ Jesus wanted to display His utmost patience so that I might be an example for all who are to believe and obtain eternal life.

To the King of ages, the only God who lives beyond every perishable and visible creation – to Him be the honour and glory forever. Amen!

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Galatians 4 : 4-7

But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son. He came born of woman and subject to the Law, in order to redeem the subjects of the Law, that we might receive adoption as children of God.

And because you are children, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of His Son which cries out : Abba! that is, Father! You yourself are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, and yours is the inheritance by God’s grace.

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Ephesians 1 : 3-6, 11-12

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in His presence.

From eternity He destined us in love to be His adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will. This goal suited Him : that His loving kindness which He granted us in His Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise.

By a decree of Him who disposes all things according to His own plan and decision, we, the Jews, have been chosen and called and we were awaiting the Messiah, for the praise of His glory.

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Friday, 11 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about God who leads us on the way out of sin and darkness, and into the light, who have awakened us from the sleep of sin that we experienced, and brought us back into soberness after the drunkenness of our stupor in sin. This is certainly what St. Paul could relate to, as in the first reading today he exhorted Timothy his disciple and fellow worker in Christ to do and to tell the people of God.

This is because St. Paul himself was a sinner, a great one at that, as he was once a great enemy of the Lord and His faithful, as the merciless and fierce persecutor of many of the faithful in the early days of the Church before his repentance and redemption by the merciful act of God, who called him out of the darkness and into the light, as the events unfolded in the city of Damascus, where Saul the persecutor of the faithful became Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ and defender of the Faith.

When he was younger, St. Paul as Saul was naive and blind to the realities and truth of the Lord, and he blindly followed the faith of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, whom Jesus rebuked frequently and as we heard in the Gospel today, the criticism levelled at them for being blinded to their own sin and faults, and as a result, becoming the blind leading the blind in faith.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were proponents of tough enforcement of the Law of God, the laws of Moses as practiced by the people of Israel throughout the ages, and they enforced on the people the rigid rigour of the numerous laws, rules, prohibitions and commandments that they thought as the way to be rightful and just disciples of the Lord.

Yet, in their fulfilment of the Law and in their way of following the rules, regulations, prohibitions, rites and commandments, they lost their way and instead of understanding what the Lord had given them in the Law, its purpose and the true reason why God had revealed to them such things, they ended up following them blindly, for the sake of following the laws, and even worse, as they thought of themselves as just and righteous because they had done what they had done, and they thought that they were right in condemning others because they had not followed the laws as they had done.

In the same manner therefore, St. Paul as Saul in his youth had been led to believe in such falsehoods, in leading such a false and wicked life as taught to him by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law because of his lack of understanding in what God truly wanted for us all mankind, for all of us His beloved people. And they failed to look upon their own faults and sins, thinking themselves as righteous and condemning others for their faults instead.

In the end, God called Saul out of darkness and into the light, and after having revealed His truth to him, St. Paul became awakened and realised the truth of it all, and he regretted all the things he had done, and from then on, he became a tireless and courageous servant of the Lord God, telling and preaching the truth to all others without fear and without reservations, knowing that he wanted to help them to get out of their ignorance and blindness as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, let us all also come to the realisation of our sins and faults, of the imperfections and the wrong things which we have committed in life. Let us not be blinded to the truth, and let us not be prideful in refusing to admit that we are all sinners, and that we have been wrong at times. Let us be humble and admit our mistakes, and seek the forgiveness for our sins, and find the mercy of God, which our Lord generously offers us.

Let us therefore also help one another in finding our way to the Lord, and be inspired by St. Paul and all that he had done in revealing the truth about the Lord to all the people whom he had visited and worked with. Let us walk in his footsteps, and let us all dedicate ourselves all the more, to be true and faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, in all that we say and do in our lives. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 11 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 39-42

At that time, Jesus offered this example, “Can a blind person lead another blind person? Surely both will fall into a ditch. A disciple is not above the master; but when fully trained, he will be like the master. So why do you pay attention to the speck in your brother’s eye, while you have a log in your eye, and are not conscious of it?”

“How can you say to your neighbour, ‘Friend, let me take this speck out of your eye,’ when you cannot remove the log in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your neighbour’s eye.”

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Friday, 11 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord. O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I bless the Lord who counsels me; even at night my inmost self instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence the fullness of joy, at Your right hand happiness forever.

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Friday, 11 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Timothy 1 : 1-2, 12-14

From Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus by a command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy and peace.

I give thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who is my strength, who has considered me trustworthy and appointed me to His service, although I had been a blasphemer, a persecutor and a rabid enemy. However He took mercy on me because I did not know what I was doing when I opposed the faith; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, together with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

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Thursday, 10 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard about the famous saying by Jesus, that when someone strikes us on the cheek, we should offer the other cheek as well, and when someone wants to take our coat, then we should offer our clothes as well. This is the principle of being a Christian, a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. It means that if we call ourselves a Christian, then we must be ready to die to ourselves and seek the good of others first before ourselves.

It was mentioned how if we all care only about ourselves, or to those whom we want to care for, then it is very often that our care and concern are not truly genuine. This is because in relationships and interactions between peoples, we often seek to be compensated for whatever we have given, and for everything we have given, naturally we seek to have a return of what we gave, in a similar way with what we granted.

It is in our nature to expect something in return of what we have done, or what had been done to us. If we have done something good for others, then we think that we deserve to be treated equally good as well by the ones to whom we have given that good thing, and if we have been wronged or slighted in any way, then we also by our nature would seek revenge and expect to see the other party to be injured and to suffer at least what we have suffered.

Yet, it is exactly this attitude and vulnerability of ours that had led us to continue in an endless cycle of sin and wickedness. As we try to preserve our ways and follow our own whim and desires, we tend to push our own interests first and ensure our own safety and satisfaction first, at the cost of others around us who may suffer because of our actions.

It was because of the selfishness of mankind, that so many people remained in suffering and continued to suffer even until now, as they were unable to shake free from their ego and their desires. Many people were oppressed, manipulated and persecuted because those in power and with influence, wealth and authority misused the gifts which God had entrusted to them. Instead of using these for the betterment and for the good of everyone, there were those who instead wanted to gain more and expand what they have already had, ignoring the pleas and the plight of those who have less or none.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all these showed us that there is a need for us to reexamine our lives’ priorities and what we should truly do, and indeed what we are expected and ought to do as those who proclaim themselves as the disciples and followers of the Lord, the members of His Church. If we call ourselves Christians, the we would try our best to put the interests of one another, and others around us ahead of our own needs.

As Christians we are all called to be sensitive and attentive to all those who are around us, especially if any of them are in need of anything, be it love, sustenance to keep them from hunger and to allow them to have a comfortable life, or for guidance when they fall into darkness and sin. We have to remind each other to keep their faith in God, and to help one another living in this difficult world full of challenge.

In the first reading today, St. Paul in his letter to the faithful and the Church in Colossae reminded them that if they call themselves God’s people, and indeed they are God’s chosen, then they should truly clothe themselves and fill themselves up with everything that show their identity as belongings and possessions of Christ. So, then, we too are challenged to do the same.

If we profess ourselves to be Christians and those who follow the Lord and His commandments, then we should practice our faith in our daily life, in our actions and deeds, in everything we say and do. Then, people will truly believe that we are all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, because they can witness what we are saying and doing, and they too may even believe in Christ because of us.

On the other hand, if we commit things that are contrary to the way of the Lord, and if we act in ways that do not show us as members of God’s Church and as His children, then we create scandals of the Faith, which not only that we would answer to it, but it is also because of our own actions, many people who would otherwise have believed in Christ had been led astray or lost their faith in Him.

Therefore, it is a clear reminder to all of us that we all have to always be mindful of what we are doing, on what we are saying and ensure that all of these are in accordance with the will of God, and conform to God’s ways. Let us all seek then, to be faithful and devoted servants of our Lord, and commit ourselves anew in His ways. May Almighty God bless us all, forgive us all our sins, and help us to keep ourselves firmly planted on the way towards salvation. God bless us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 10 September 2015 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 27-38

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “But I say to you who hear Me : Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who treat you badly.”

“To the one who strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek; from the one who takes your coat, do not keep back your shirt. Give it to the one who asks, and if anyone has taken something from you, do not demand it back.”

“Do to others as you would have others do to you. If you love only those who love you, what kind of grace is yours? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do favours to those who are good to you, what kind of grace is yours? Even sinners do the same.”

“If you lend only when you expect to receive, what kind of grace is yours? For sinners also lend to sinners, expecting to receive something in return. But love your enemies and do good to them, and lend when there is nothing to expect in return. Then will your reward be great, and you will be sons and daughters of the Most High. For He is kind towards the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

“Do not be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack a good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back.”