understanding the faith

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Saturday, 16 November 2024 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Gertrude, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all called to be truly faithful disciples and followers of our Lord, dedicating and committing our time and efforts to serve the Lord and to be ever more faithful to Him at all times. All of us are reminded that we must always be loving and caring towards our fellow brothers and sisters, being generous in loving and showing compassion upon everyone around us, following the examples of the Lord Himself Who has loved us most generously all these while. We must always have faith and trust in God, knowing that through Him and His constant care and love for us, all of us shall indeed never be disappointed as He will always continue to provide for us and protect us from any harm.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John the words of the Apostle reminding the faithful people of God of the importance of them caring and showing love for one another especially for those who have dedicated themselves to the Lord and became His ministers and missionaries. As the Lord Himself has instructed His disciples, that all of them should go forth to the nations and proclaim His words and teachings, sending them out to give the words of His encouragement and truth to all the people. And they were all told not to depend too much on their own means and possessions, on all their own provisions and power, but rather to trust in the Lord and to receive whatever the people they visited and ministered among were willing to share and give to them.

That was why St. John reminded all of the people of God to be truly generous in their giving and love, for their fellow brethren and especially more so for all those who have dedicated themselves to the Lord. Each and every one of them and also all of us as Christians must always be filled with generous and wonderful love of God in our every words, actions and dealings with one another. We must not ignore this calling to love and to share our blessings with our fellow brethren. Let us all not forget that the Lord Himself has been generous and compassionate towards us when we had nothing with us and when we are still sinful and corrupted by our many sins and wickedness, and calling us and offering us freely His saving help and rich grace and mercy, He has indeed shown us all what love truly is.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Gospel by St. Luke the Evangelist of the account of the time when the Lord taught His disciples using a parable to highlight how we should put our faith and trust always in the Lord, in His Providence and help and all the things that He has promised to us, all the encouragement and blessings that He has generously given to us, if only we can put our faith in Him and trust in Him. He used the parable of an evil judge and a persistent old widow to highlight His ideas and points to the people. The old widow kept on pestering the judge, who in his pride and wickedness had no fear of anything and anyone at all, and despite the judge’s reluctance, eventually the persistence of the old widow bore fruit as it led to the judge relenting and agreeing to address the old widow’s case.

Hence, the Lord used this example in this parable to highlight how if even a wicked and proud, reluctant and stubborn judge could listen to and heed the wishes of the persistent old widow even when the judge was not obliged to do so, then all the more the Lord Himself, our most loving God and generous Father will love us and be kind and caring towards us if we ask Him. We must always have this strong faith in the Lord and follow Him at all times, reaching out to Him and believing in Him, His Providence and guidance, and ask Him whenever we have need for help. God will never forget or abandon us, and it is important that we remember this great love of God at all times, especially when we are facing challenges and difficulties. At the same time, just as St. John the Apostle exhorted earlier on, we should always be willing to help one another and share our blessings with our fellow brethren.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great and holy women, those whose lives and dedication to God have been truly exemplary and inspirational. They are St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Gertrude the Great. St. Margaret of Scotland was the Queen of Scotland and an English princess by birth to the House of Wessex, which ruled England prior to the Norman conquest. She was born in exile in Hungary following her father who had been exiled from the kingdom, and later on, after she and her family had returned to England, changes in the political landscape and her family’s fall from power would mean that she had to flee again, and eventually she would marry the widowed King of Scotland, Malcolm III and became the Queen of Scotland. As Queen, St. Margaret was known for her great and tremendous piety and charity, in her many contributions and care for the poor and the less privileged throughout her kingdom, as well as her contributions to the Church and great personal and public piety.

Meanwhile, St. Gertrude the Great was a great mystic and Benedictine nun from Germany during the High Middle Ages era. She grew up in a monastery since a very young age, and tradition showed either she was offered to the monastery by her parents or that she was orphaned from very young age, as was common at that time. She grew up strong in the faith and began experiencing visions from the Lord in her twenties as she continued to deepen her commitment to God in the Benedictine community. Her great piety and commitment to God, her spiritual life and dedication, all of her mystical visions and experiences inspired many people even long after her passing, and her great faith is indeed an inspiration to all of us as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore heed the words of the Lord through the Scriptures and having heard the great examples and the lives shown by St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Gertrude the Great, among the many other holy men and women, holy saints of God, let us all therefore do our best to live a truly holy and worthy life in the path that the Lord has shown us in our lives. Let us all be renewed in faith and conviction, in our zeal and desire to be truly full of God’s love and grace, to be wholly dedicated in all things and at all circumstances, to be committed to God and to be generous in our love towards each other, especially to those who need them. May God be with us always and may He continue to empower us all to live always in His Holy Presence. Amen.

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Friday, 15 November 2024 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to heed the call of the Lord for us to obey His Law and commandments, to follow His ways and to love in the way that He has shown and taught us because in the end, we will be held accountable for all of our actions and deeds, our show of love to our brothers and sisters around us or any lack of love instead. If we have not loved our fellow brothers and sisters if we should have done, then we shall also be held accountable for our lack of action and love for our brethren. We have to keep all this in mind as we all continue living our lives as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. John, we heard of the reminder from the Apostle to the faithful and hence to all of us, of the need for us to show love in al of our every actions and deeds, in our every interactions and works with one another because ultimately, our God is Love, and if He is Love Himself, the manifestation of perfect and most selfless love, then all of us must also be manifestation of God’s love, embodied in our every actions and deeds, in all the words we speak and in every moments of our lives. God Himself has shown His love to us through His beloved Son, Whom He had sent into the world, into our midst so that He may show us all the manifested and most perfect love of God in the flesh, becoming tangible and approachable for all of us.

As Christians, it is imperative that we keep reminding ourselves that we have been called to love most generously and sincerely to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should not ignore those who need our love and kindness, our help and compassion. There are many out there who have not been loved, ignored and ostracised by those who are around them, and if we are in the position to show love to these brethren of ours, then we should really make good use of the opportunities that God has given us so that we may truly love our brothers and sisters in the same way that the Lord Himself has first loved us all, in all the kindness and patient love and care that He has shown us all these while. We should therefore show the same love in each and every moments of our lives too.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus gave truly grim premonition to His disciples about the coming of the time of reckoning at the end of time, when the moment will come all of a sudden, without anyone knowing or realising it, making use of the examples of past catastrophes and events like that of the Great Flood of Noah, which happened suddenly without warning, destroying the whole entire world and civilisations that existed prior to that, and for those people who had rejected the call of the Lord to repent and follow Noah and his family, it was too late for them once the rain poured down and the waters flood the whole earth. Similarly, the example of Sodom and Gomorrah was also presented, when the rain of fire and brimstone destroyed both cities and their people for their wickedness and sins, and their refusal to repent.

Everything will happen in the same manner as the destructions that happened in the past, swift and without warning, and no one save the Lord Himself knows when the exact time of this happening is. No one among us, past, present and future will ever know the time of the Lord’s Second Coming, which He Himself has predicted and reassured us, just as none of us can ever know the exact time of our passing from this world, the end of our earthly life through death. And just like death, which is a certainty that is definitely going to happen, the Lord’s coming into this world and the time of reckoning, of the Final Judgment is something that is a sure certainty, and having been reminded, all of us should make sure that we prepare ourselves and make ourselves ready for that moment.

And how do we do that, brothers and sisters? We should therefore make sure that we practice our faith and whatever it is that we believe in actively in our lives. We should not merely be making lip service of our faith, but we must always be loving and generous just as our Lord and God has always been kind, generous and loving towards us. That is the mark of a true Christian, and one that we have always been reminded of and been challenged to do, to be truly like God in all things, to be loving and compassionate just as He has been towards us. Let us all hence commit ourselves anew to the Lord in our loving actions towards one another, just as St. John the Apostle had exhorted and reminded the faithful back then. Through our actions and efforts, many more people will come to know of the Lord and His love.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Albert the Great or Albertus Magnus, a great and renowned bishop and faithful servant of God who had devoted his life to the Lord and to all the people and the flock which God has entrusted to him as bishop and shepherd. St. Albert the Great, also known as St. Albert of Swabia or St. Albert of Cologne, was a Dominican priest who dedicated himself to a lifelong learning of all sorts of matter of the faith, involved in the teaching and formation of many other priests and religious who encountered him in his many academic efforts and pursuits, devoting himself to explore more about the Lord, His nature of love and to reveal more about the teachings of the Christian faith to many people who sought to know Him better. Among his students was another famous theologian and saint, St. Thomas Aquinas.

And later on, as he was appointed by the Pope himself as the Bishop of Regensburg in Germany, he was known for his great humility and piety, in his dedication to his flock, traversing the whole of his large diocese not on horse or carriage as was common for bishops of his time, but on foot instead. He resigned after a period of three years, humbly returning to the academic and intellectual pursuits that had made him to be so influential at that time and even long after his time. For his great faith in the Lord and his many contributions to the Church, he was later not only honoured and canonised as a saint, but was also made as one of the esteemed Doctors of the Church, as a great role model and inspiration for many of us as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the Scriptures and the life of St. Albert the Great that we have just discussed earlier, we are all reminded to commit ourselves to a life of faith and dedication to God. We should always walk ever more faithfully in the Lord’s path, and do our best so that in each and every moments of our lives, we will continue to glorify the Lord by our every actions and deeds, our every efforts and works, like St. Albert the Great and so many of our other holy predecessors had done. May all of us be able to follow them in their footsteps as well, and strive to live our lives worthily as Christians, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 November 2024 : 32nd 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, we are all reminded of the need for us all to hold fast to our faith in God, to follow Him wholeheartedly in all things and to be prepared to face difficulties, trials and challenges in our path and journey in life as followers of Christ, as Christians, God’s holy and beloved people. Each one of us must always be steadfast and be exemplary in our lives, in our faith and actions so that we will be able to inspire one another and strengthen our fellow brethren in faith, in commitment and entrusting ourselves to the Lord in all occasions and circumstances. We must always continue to trust that the Lord is and will always be by our side throughout our challenges in life, even if worldly means fail us.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Philemon, we heard of the Apostle telling St. Philemon, who was a fellow Christian and missionary of the Church, regarding a particular person Onesimus, also known as St. Onesimus, who according to Church tradition and history was the slave of St. Philemon, to whom St. Paul was addressing his Epistle to. At that time, during the early Roman Empire, slavery was quite common throughout the Empire, and Onesimus was a slave that had run away from his master, which was perhaps St. Philemon himself. And according to Apostolic and Church tradition, that happened before both of them were converted to the Christian faith. St. Paul encountered both of them on his journeys, and eventually converted both of them to Christianity.

Therefore, in today’s passage that we heard, St. Paul likely wanted to reconcile between the two of them, as St. Onesimus was likely a companion of St. Paul while he was in Rome, and at that time, St. Paul was in prison or was going through difficult moments due to persecution, which was why St. Paul sent St. Onesimus back to St. Philemon, so that not only they could be reconciled to each other but they could also continue the many good works that St. Paul himself had started, as faithful disciples and missionaries of the Lord, complementing each others’ efforts and works through the various gifts and talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord had granted them all. St. Paul has therefore also reminded all of us Christians to be charitable, loving and kind to one another, and live with harmony and peace with one another. 

Then, in our Gospel passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to the Pharisee who asked Him about the kingdom of God and its coming into this world, and He responded by saying that the kingdom of God is not something that can be seen, witnessed or identified by a place or location. Instead, the kingdom of God is within us, in our midst and all around us, and we are all part of God’s Kingdom that He Himself has established, through the establishment of His Church, for the Church of God is the kingdom of God on earth, with God as our Lord and King, and as Head of the Universal Church, Who exercises His authority through His Vicar, our Pope and the bishops who are the successors of the Apostles.

Through what the Lord had shared with the Pharisee, He has highlighted that all of us must always remain firm and strong in our commitment to the Lord, despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face, remembering that the Lord Himself had faced similar rejection and persecution because of what He had brought into our world and what He had proclaimed before all. If the Lord Himself had to suffer and endure hardships, persecutions and eventually even a most humiliating death on the Cross, then we too may suffer similar rejection, persecutions, oppressions and challenges because the world and all the wickedness in it are truly incompatible with the way of the Lord and the truth that He has brought into our midst.

As Christians, all of us should always be ready to help one another, to reach out to those who are in need around us, to support one another in our journey and life, especially as we encounter struggles and challenges, difficulties and persecutions, oppressions and trials in our path. Like St. Paul who kept on encouraging the faithful and gave his help and assistance whenever and wherever he could, including what we heard in our first reading today, in his attempt to reconcile St. Philemon with St. Onesimus for their own good and for the good of the Church and the faithful, therefore each and every one of us must also model ourselves and our lives and interactions upon the examples of those faithful and committed servants of God.

Each and every one of us should always be aware of the difficulties that we may face as Christians, the struggles and challenges that our brethren may be facing around us. We should not be ignorant to their pleas for help, especially if we are in the position to help and assist, and even if we ourselves are also suffering and being persecuted. The Lord Jesus Himself has been rejected, persecuted and oppressed, but this did not stop Him from continuing to reach out to all those who have been rejected and ostracised by the society, and also from loving and forgiving all those who have persecuted and hurt Him. As Christians, we should learn from our Lord’s own examples and be inspired to show the same love and kindness to our brethren, and even to those who despised us. We ought to pray for them and show them love, charity and compassion, so that they may be touched by our love and be changed by God’s love and grace.

May the Lord, our most loving and merciful God continue to help and strengthen us all in our journey through life, so that by our continued cooperation and harmony with one another, by our constant support to our brethren in need, and by us journeying with each other, supporting and encouraging our fellow brethren along the way, we may be strengthened and empowered in our resolve and desire to walk this path of righteousness and justice with God. May God bless us all and our every efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 13 November 2024 : 32nd 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, we are all reminded to seek the Lord Who is our ever loving, compassionate and merciful God, the One Who has always shown His patient love and grace, attention and kindness towards us, despite us having constantly and consistently been disobedient towards Him, not listening to Him and disobeying His will, His Law and commandments. As our loving Father, the Lord has always been patient in loving us and in caring for us, forgiving us all of our sins and mistakes, our faults and all the things which we have done in defiance against His will, patiently reaching out towards us, helping and guiding us to walk in the right path, and showing us the path towards salvation and eternal life, hoping that we will turn away from our wicked path and return towards Him with renewed love and faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Titus in which the Apostle spoke about the matter of how everyone of the faithful and holy people of God ought to be truly faithful to the Lord, and to distance themselves from all sorts of vices, evils and corruptions of the world. As Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, those whom He had called and chosen from this world, we are essentially expected to follow the path that the Lord has presented and guided us through, the path of His righteousness and virtue, through which we shall find the path to salvation in God. All of us are called to be good role models and inspirations for each other in faith, to be thoroughly dedicated to Him and to be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth from now on, if we have not yet done so.

That is because all of us have been saved by what the Lord had done for us in Jesus Christ, His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, just as St. Paul had reminded his protege, St. Titus and all of us, the faithful people of God. We must not take for granted everything that God had done for us, all the love that He has shown us most patiently and wonderfully. God has shown us all His love and generosity, compassion and kindness so that we can also follow His examples instead of as St. Paul said, hating one another and be filled with anger and malice in our hearts, thinking of nothing but ruin and destruction for others around us. As God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us are called to be those who are always filled with genuine love and kindness to one another, to be concerned with the needs and the plight of those who are suffering in our midst.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus encountered ten lepers that came to Him seeking for Him to heal them from their affliction. By that time, they certainly have heard well of the Lord and all the miraculous deeds and works that He had performed, and they hoped that they could heal them from their condition. At that time, as it had been since the time of Moses and the Exodus from the land of Egypt, those who suffered from leprosy had been ostracised and had to stay away from the cities and towns, having to wander off in the wilderness, and they could not rejoin the community and the other people of God until they had been healed from their afflictions and problems, showing themselves to a priest who could certify that they had been healed.

The Lord did indeed want to heal them all, but He also instructed them beforehand to show themselves to the priest according to the Law of God revealed through Moses. Those ten men obeyed His instruction, and on their way to the priest as we heard, they became healed and their leprosy left them. However, as all of them realised their fortune and became overjoyed, only one of the ten lepers bothered to come back to the Lord to thank Him for everything that He had done for them, while the other nine went on their way, presumably to resume their lives now that they were already free from their leprosy and problems. This is all a reminder for each and every one of us that we often seek God’s help, compassion and love, His mercy, forgiveness and grace, and we often cry out for His help, guidance and strength, and yet, we often forget about Him when things are good again for us.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is the sad nature of our faith and way of living our Christian existence that we frequently put God as secondary importance in our lives. We ignore and abandon Him whenever we do not have need for Him or His help, and we only remember Him whenever we have any need for help and assistance. And is that how we treat God’s generosity and kindness, brethren? Have we stooped so low so as to ignore our loving Father’s kindness and love, His ever patient and enduring love for us? Let us all really think and reflect about all these, as we remember the love and mercy which the Lord has shown us through His Son, in healing those ten lepers, just as He has healed us all from the affliction of our sins, the corruptions that had darkened our souls and separated us from God.

Sin is indeed a leprosy of the soul, as one would have put it and compared it rightly, as just like leprosy that eats upon the flesh and corrupts it, sin is a far more dangerous affliction on us. For what can harm the body can be cured by worldly means, by doctors and other methods known to us, but there is no cure and healing for sin save that of the healing and forgiveness provided by God alone. And the Lord willingly provides us this healing and cure, calling upon all of us to come back to His ever loving and comfortable embrace, in His Holy Presence. However, we need to make the commitment for this, to commit ourselves to follow Him and to dedicate ourselves to His cause, in recognising that each and every one of us have the part to play in our salvation, by accepting God’s generous offer of mercy and salvation, and by cooperating with Him and being grateful at all the love that He has shown us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence strive to live our lives worthily as Christians, to listen to and obey the Lord’s words and will, to heed His call for us to follow Him, and to realise just how blessed and fortunate we are to have been beloved by God. Let us all contemplate God’s generous love and then strive to embody the same love in all of our actions and dealings, interactions and works. Let our love be generously given as well then, in our love for the Lord and also in our love for our fellow brothers and sisters, so that by our love, people will indeed know the Lord and His love, and that they will also know that we are all His holy and beloved people. May God bless each one of us in our journey of faith and life, now and always. Amen.

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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.

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Monday, 11 November 2024 : 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be ever faithful and committed to God, to be full of God’s grace and love in all of our actions, words and deeds, in all of our dealings and works, so that we will always be truly righteous and just in all of them, so that we may truly be the worthy, good and committed bearers of our Christians truth and Good News, to be the beacons of God’s light in our world today, in the midst of our communities and among all those whom we encounter in life in each and every moments of our lives. We should always strive to be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us in how we live our faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Titus, one of his protege in which the Apostle spoke of the matter of the overseers of the faithful, which would eventually be known as the bishops of the dioceses once the administration and management of the ever growing Christian community developed further. Those overseers were chosen by the Apostles and their successors, as the ones to take care of the needs of the people of God, especially in their spiritual needs, to help and guide the people on their way towards the Lord and salvation in Him, and hence, as St. Paul mentioned to St. Titus, it is very important that they all must be of good character and truly worthy of such a role, and hence, they ought to be selected carefully from among the people of God.

Such was the demand placed on those who were to be entrusted with the position of overseers, the precursor to the office of bishops, as they would be the ones to shepherd the people of God. If the shepherds were corrupt and wicked in their lives and actions, then the people would be very easily misled down the wrong path, become corrupted and misguided into the wrong path, or they might have led the people to be disillusioned and discouraged to follow the Christian path and ways any further, due to the scandals and the wicked living of their leaders, overseers and elders. This had happened in many occasions throughout the history of the Church, and we are all reminded therefore that we have to strive to be truly faithful in all things, especially those among us who have been called to give our service to the Lord and to guide others towards Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the words of the Lord to His disciples were recounted to us. And echoing what St. Paul had told St. Titus regarding the quality of the candidates and those who were to be chosen as overseers of the faithful, therefore, the Lord also spoke to us about the matter of how we should truly be faithful as well in our every words, actions and deeds. All of us must also practice what we believe in our lives and in every actions that we do, in our every interactions with one another, or else we are no better than hypocrites who did not truly believe in God or paying only lip service to the Lord, having no real love or faith, commitment and dedication to God.

All of us must live a good and virtuous life, and to avoid any scandals or behaviours that are contrary to our faith in the Lord, so that we do not end up misleading others away from the path towards God, or to discourage people from following the Lord, which can very well happen if our actions and deeds are not in accordance to the Lord and His path, His commandments and will. All of us are representatives of the Lord’s works, His truth and teachings, His Good News and the face of His Church in this world, and if we do not practice our faith in the manner that we should have done, how can we expect others then to believe in the same manner? That is why we are all reminded that we should always be truly full of faith in the Lord, to trust Him ever more wholly in our lives, to be filled at all times with the great love and mercy from God.

The expectation and difficulties are even greater for those who have been called to the higher office, of those who have given themselves in service to God, to be His priests and even more so as the bishops of the Church, as the shepherds of the Lord’s flock. As we heard from the words of St. Paul to St. Titus, the expectations for those who have been called and chosen to be bishops are truly great, and no matter how pious, holy and devout they are, they can still falter and fall into sin, as quite a number of bishops and priests in the past have fallen into the path of sin, which led to great scandals of the Church, causing untold harm and destruction, for many souls to be lost away from the Lord and His salvation. It is important therefore that each and every one of us continue to support them and to help them, to pray for them all so that they may all truly remain faithful to their missions.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martin of Tours, a renowned and holy bishop whose life and great dedication to the Lord and to his flock is an inspiration to all of us the faithful people of God. St. Martin of Tours was born during the late era of the Roman Empire after the persecution of Christians by the state had ended, and Christianity had become tolerated and further widespread throughout the Empire. He was born into a military family and according to Church tradition, at the young age of ten, he became a catechumen against the wishes of his family, but he persisted on in this desire to become a Christian. As he continued to grow up, he became a member of the military, and eventually become a respected centurion or army captain in the military.

He was conflicted throughout his ministry as an army officer, and according to one popular hagiographic tradition, St. Martin of Tours encountered the Lord Himself in one occasion when on a cold winter night, he saw a poor old man by the roadside who had nothing to protect him against the bitter cold. St. Martin of Tours took his sword and cut off half of his officer’s cloak, giving it to the old man to help him cover against the cold. Later on, the Lord would appear in a vision to St. Martin, showing that the old man was none other than the Lord Himself in disguise, and He came appearing in the cloak that St. Martin had given Him. This is a truly nice reminder of the Lord’s own words in the Gospels, namely, ‘Whatever you have done to the least of your brothers and sisters, you have done it unto Me.’

The generosity and great faith of St. Martin would lead him later on in life to be entrusted with the governance of the region of Tours, and later on, having won the support and admiration of the people of the region, he would be acclaimed as the successor to the position of the Bishop of Tours, becoming the third bishop to guide the flock of the Lord there. As the bishop of Tours, St. Martin would continue to do his best in dedicating himself to the Lord and to His people, showing loving care and concern to their needs, and standing up for the truth and genuine teachings of the Lord against those heresies that were rampant at the time, as a courageous and most dedicated shepherd, standing ever ready to guard his flock against all those seeking to destroy and bring ruin to the Lord’s flock.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore as we remember the words of wisdom from the Scriptures and the life of St. Martin of Tours, let us all continue to strive to do our best to live our lives in the manner that is truly holy and worthy of God. All of us should always continue to live our every day living with genuine devotion and commitment to God, showing the love of God manifested through our actions, through our genuine care and concern for those around us, much as St. Martin of Tours and the many other holy men and women of God had done, those who are our inspirations and role models to follow. May we all also become good and worthy role models for our fellow brethren as well, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 November 2024 : Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all called to be generous in loving others and to be kind upon everyone around us, and for us to give generously from our hearts, and to heed the plight and sufferings from those who are less fortunate than us, especially so if we are in the position to help and assist our fellow brothers and sisters. Especially as Christians we are always reminded to be full of love firstly for the Lord, and then also to be full of the same love towards our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should not ignore that calling and the opportunity for us to reach out to others who are in need, to show generous love through our daily actions and living.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the First Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard the story of the prophet Elijah who had been sent to the town of Zarephath away from the land of Israel at the time when the land of Israel was experiencing great drought and famine due to the sins of the Israelites and their king Ahab, who was wicked in his actions and who disobeyed God. The prophet Elijah went to the town of Zarephath and encountered a widow there who was struggling to make a living for herself and her son amidst the great drought and famine, and it was then that the prophet Elijah asked the widow for some food, to which the widow replied that she barely had any food left for herself and for her son, which she was going to make for them to prepare for their impending deaths from the famine.

It was then that the prophet Elijah reassured the widow of God’s love and providence, and that she should trust his words and the assurances of the Lord, that in her generosity and goodwill, she would be well taken care of by the Lord, since no one who had shown love and kindness on God’s servants would be ignored or abandoned by God. And hence, as the woman willingly shared her share of food, making bread for Elijah, the messenger of God to eat, sharing from her own lack of food and poverty, Elijah showed her God’s power and providence just as he had said, that the jug of oil and the flour would not run out till the day rain returned to the land of Israel and the famine disappeared from the land and the area. Through this story, we are all reminded that we can still love and be generous even when we are lacking and in need ourselves, and God will remember us for all this love we have shown this way.

Then, in our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard about the author of the Epistle telling the faithful from Jewish background and origin, of the role that Christ, the Saviour of all the whole world had played in our salvation, by His coming into the world as the Son of God, manifested and incarnate in the flesh, appearing before us all and showing us all God’s ever generous and tender love, to be our one True and Eternal High Priest, willingly taking up upon Himself the punishments and the consequences due to our many and innumerable sins. Through His ever generous and wonderful love, God has opened the doors of His mercy and salvation to all of us through His Son, through the breaking of His Body and the shedding of His Blood, by which He made us all to be righteous and to have our sins atoned for completely.

And we heard how the author explained that the Lord had done this once and for all, offering Himself as the perfect and worthy sacrifice in atonement for all of our sins, and He did all these while shedding all of His glory and majesty, having chosen to become the lowest and most despicable of all things to share His ultimate and most powerful and enduring love with us, love that is most generous, unconditional and perfect, teaching and showing all of us what it truly means for us to love, to have this love for others around us, to be truly selfless and generous in loving everyone and not just ourselves. And He showed this to us, to continue to reassure and strengthen us, reminding us that He will always be with us, journeying by our side through all the struggles and difficulties.

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the words of the Lord from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which He praised the great faith and generosity of a poor old widow who gave donation from her own poverty, a tiny amount of two copper coins, as compared to the rich donations of the many other people around her. In saying so, the Lord was not in fact being biased against the rich and those who have given a lot of money, as those people could have also been genuinely generous and full of love towards others. Rather, what the Lord was trying to point out to His disciples and to all of us is that generosity and love is something that we should never try to quantify or compare. We should not try to compare to see who have given more or who would be rewarded more, but rather focus on doing what we can, and share what we are capable of sharing for the benefit of others around us.

This means that like the old widow of Zarephath and the old woman at the Temple, who have given generously from even their own poverty, when they themselves were lacking, we should always be ready to share our blessings and whatever we have, not counting whether it will profit us or affect us financially, but giving and sharing because we truly care and want to help others. Of course at the same time we should also be prudent and mindful that what we share do not end up causing difficulties and hardships for ourselves and those who are under our care like our families and children, our parents and others as well. Essentially, we are all called to love generously and constantly at all times, to be prudent in making good use of the blessings and opportunities which we have been given by God, be it plenty or little, more or less that we have been blessed with.

As Christians, let us all continue to love generously and sincerely, following the examples of the Lord Himself, Who has loved us so patiently and generously even when we have not loved Him, forgotten about Him and disregarded His kindness, compassion, mercy and love. Let us all learn to love generously like Christ our Lord, and to love one another as He has loved us, and of course to love Him most consistently and with greater faith and dedication as we should have done. Let us all continue to carry out our daily actions and works with love, to be truly exemplary in showing care and concern towards one another, particularly to our brothers and sisters around us who are less fortunate and suffering, those who are unloved and neglected by the society.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and generous God continue to show His love towards us, His beloved children and people, and may He continue to inspire all of us to love Him and to love our fellow brethren as well, to love ever more generously and sincerely at all times. In the words of the Prayer of Generosity of St. Ignatius of Loyola, let us all pray : Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to seek for reward, save that of knowing that I do Your most holy will.’

May all of us be truly full of love and compassion, kindness and mercy, care and concern, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Universal Church celebrates the great Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, also known as the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the great Church of God dedicated to the Lord, the Most Holy Saviour Himself, and then to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in the area known as the Lateran in Rome. This great Church of God, the House and Temple of God’s Holy Presence is unique and special, the greatest among all the churches in all of Christendom and the whole world. And why is that so? That is because the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is the place where the Cathedra of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome is located at, the place that is therefore the Cathedral of the Pope, the Mother Church of the Diocese of Rome.

Many people throughout the world often have this misconception that the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican, another great church building and indeed the largest and greatest in size in all of Christendom is the Cathedral of the Pope. This misconception is further reinforced by the prominence which the Basilica of St. Peter played in most of the important and large scale Papal occasions and events, being situated within the Vatican City over which the Pope is the Sovereign, and being built atop the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, who was the first Pope and Vicar of Christ. However, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran has precedence over that of Basilica of St. Peter, which is undoubtedly the second most important of all the churches after the Lateran Basilica itself, because first of all, it was the very first church to be publicly built in Rome after the centuries of persecutions of Christians by the Roman state.

It was built at the site known as the Lateran Palace, which was a prominent site in the centre of the city of Rome during the Roman Empire era, being also part of the fortress belonging to the Imperial Guards. Then, after Emperor Constantine the Great triumphed against the forces of his enemies, and as he attributed his victory and triumph to the Christian God, he donated that land and place to the Church, and with the tacit support and funding from the Emperor and the state, therefore a great church of God was built in that site, the very first of the Basilicas of Rome, older than even the Basilica of St. Peter. And it was in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, dedicated on this date to the Lord, the Most Holy Saviour, the ninth day of November, exactly seventeen centuries ago, in the Year of Our Lord 324.

This great Church of God is truly a place of great history and a place truly worthy and honourable to worship God, having been set aside and consecrated to God, dedicated to Him forever to be the place worthy of the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Divine Worship. And as the seat of the Pope, the place of his Cathedra, as the Mother Church of all Christendom and the whole world, thus, all of us rejoice together in the anniversary of this great church’s dedication, and we give thanks to God for all the great graces that He has bestowed upon us through this most wonderful House of God, and the many wonderful things and the many souls that had been saved thanks to the use of this great House of God in the propagation of the Christian truth and faith.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard the details of the great heavenly vision received by Ezekiel in which he saw the glory of God and His majesty, and the great Heavenly Temple where God’s Holy Presence is enthroned in. This passage, which is always used for the Dedication of churches, highlighted the importance of the place to be made as the place of the worship of God, the dwelling place of the Lord Himself, because the Lord Himself will dwell in those houses, and be present in our midst, and from the Heavenly Temple in Ezekiel’s vision, great flood of life-giving water poured forth, reminding us of the presence of God in our midst and in our lives as the life-giving eternal Spring of Life, through Whom all of us shall be brought into the assurance of eternal life and salvation.

From our alternative first reading passage, that is also the second reading for this celebration as a Solemnity, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, we then heard the exhortation of the Apostle to the faithful people of God, and to all of us that we must take good care of our own body, our hearts, minds and souls, our whole being, because each and every one of us whom God had called and chosen, and become members and parts of His Church, we are all part of the Body of Christ, and the Temples of His Holy Presence, the Temples of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Lord our God, the Master of the whole Universe Himself is dwelling within us, and consequently we must make sure that we are truly worthy of Him, for we are all the Living Church, the living stones of the Temple of God, and much as we have consecrated great churches, like that of the Lateran Basilica, we too have been consecrated to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard about the moment when the Lord Jesus came to the Temple of Jerusalem not long before the time of the Passover when He Himself would finally embark on His last mission, His Passion, suffering and death. But at that time and moment, He cast out all the merchants and money changers peddling their business at the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Those people were doing things that were necessary in order to allow people from the various parts of the Jewish diaspora to exchange their money and goods to worship and offer sacrifices at the Temple of God, which could only be done with lawful money issued by the local Jewish authorities. However, what was wicked is the fact that many of those merchants and money changers overcharged the pilgrims and profited greatly from their works.

That was why the Lord Jesus became angered and cast out those wicked people, cleansing the Temple of God from a place of business and wicked deeds, purifying the place to be truly what it was meant to be, as a place where the people of God may come to encounter the Lord, His Presence in their midst. And when He was confronted by the chief priests and the elders, the Lord also foretold the coming of His Passion and death, referring to the Temple that would be destroyed, that is none other than His own Body, to be broken and shared for each and every one of us, and then to be restored and resurrected in glory on the third day, to prove to everyone that He is truly the Saviour, the Holy One of God, God Himself coming to dwell amongst us.

For the Lord is truly so great and holy, that places used for His sacred worship and dwelling place, where the Holy Eucharist, our Lord Himself present in the Body and Blood, in His whole Being and Divinity, must indeed be blessed, hallowed and made worthy of His Holy Presence. In the past, only the finest materials were used to craft the Ark of the Covenant, upon which the Law of God was placed, the bread of the manna and the staff of Aaron, and God’s Presence would descend upon the Ark itself on occasions, and no one could touch the Ark, because it was so hallowed, and anyone who touched it ended up being struck down and dead. In the same way, God prepared Mary, His mother with the special grace and sparing her from the taint of original sin, and remaining in the state of fullness of grace that she may bear Him within her.

In the same manner therefore, all of us must strive to live a truly holy and worthy life, one that is truly acceptable by the Lord and honourable in all things, distancing ourselves away from sin and from all the things that can lead us astray away from the Lord and His salvation. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, we are all the ones whom God had called and chosen, and as His people, His dwelling place and Temple, all of us are reminded to keep ourselves holy and consecrated to Him at all times, just as we had done at the time of our baptism. Like the Lord Jesus, Who cast out all those wicked merchants and money changers, who profited unjustly from their business and efforts, causing sufferings to the pilgrims, we too should cast out from our hearts and minds, from our Temple, the wickedness of evils and sins around us.

And for those who know the details and the events unfolding during the Consecration and Dedication of a church, they can clearly see the parallel between what happened in the dedication of a church and in our Christian baptism, as we all receive the holy water, the light of Christ, the clothing with the white garment and incensation just as the same is done to the church to be made worthy for Divine worship. We have been marked at baptism, and truly clothed with the glory of God, descending upon us from Heaven, God Himself dwelling in us, His Holy Spirit being sent and bestowed on us, much as He has come to dwell in the churches, in the places of Divine worship. And we must also not forget that we have all received the Lord Himself, in His Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist, Him truly being present in us and within us all.have also received the Lord Himself in the flesh, through the Eucharist, much like the Holy Eucharist being stored in the Tabernacle. We are the Tabernacles of the Lord’s Holy Presence, and we should always therefore keep ourselves holy.

We must not allow ourselves to be snared any further by sin, or defiled by all the wickedness of the world. The Lord had made it clear that we ourselves are also to be hallowed and be made holy and worthy of His Presence, and if we allow our wickedness and evils to defile this Holy Temple of God, then we will have to account for it before the Lord. That is why, we are reminded that we should always be exemplary and committed in the living of our faith and lives as Christians so that we will always be full of God’s grace and love, and that we will always be fully attuned to Him and His will, obeying Him in all things and at all circumstances in our lives. We should also do our best to continue to glorify God by our lives, in each and every one of our actions.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, to dedicate and consecrate ourselves anew to Him, renewing the commitment we have made at our baptism, to be truly dedicated and worthy of God at all times, and to be holy and honourable as the great houses and churches of God, particularly the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran which dedication we commemorate today. Let us always remind ourselves and one another that we are God’s Holy Temple, the Houses of His Holy Presence. May the Lord continue to help, strengthen and guide each and every one of us so that we may always remain firm and strong in our constant devotion and commitment to God, to be ever faithful and good in everything we do in our lives, for the greater glory of God. Amen.

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Friday, 8 November 2024 : 31st 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 contained within the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that we are all called to a life of holiness, righteousness and virtue as is expected of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. Each and every one of us are called to a life of virtue and faith, where we truly embody our faith and belief in God, and showing that faith genuinely through every moments of our lives, and putting the Lord at the very centre and as the focus of our whole lives and existence. All of us must always keep this in mind as we continue living our lives in this world today, so that we may truly be the worthy bearers of our Christian faith and identity, as those whom God had called and chosen as His own people.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Philippi, we heard the Apostle telling the faithful there about how each and every one of them as Christians, as the people God had called and chosen, and as they have received the revelation of God’s truth and love, all of them are expected to live in a holy and worthy manner, distancing themselves from all sorts of wickedness and evils which would have corrupted them and led them away from the path towards God and His grace. They and hence all of us, as God’s faithful people are reminded not to live in a worldly manner, but rather in a manner that is truly pleasing to God and worthy of Him.

St. Paul also mentioned in that same passage of the fact that all of us are ultimately meant for Heaven, by stating that our citizenship is truly one that is in Heaven, and we are meant to be in Heaven with our Lord and Creator, as He has always intended for us. We were never meant to be defiled in this world of darkness and sin, and we should not have endured all the sufferings, difficulties and challenges that we are facing in this world, as that was not what the Lord intended for us. He had intended for all great and wonderful things for us, creating us to share His most wonderful love with us, but our inability to resist the many temptations of this world and our attachments to the worldly desires and ambitions had led us astray and kept us away fom God and His righteousness.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the famous parable of the dishonest steward which the Lord Jesus told to His disciples and all the people who were listening to Him at the time. In that parable, the Lord told the disciples about a dishonest steward who had been reported to his master because of his dishonest action which therefore led to him being dismissed from his position. And we then heard how that steward then quickly acted in order to secure his own livelihood after he lost his job and position, by using his position to leverage certain bargains and privileges from those who owed money and things to his master. Essentially, if we were to read more into the actions of the dishonest steward, he was actually carrying out even more dishonest actions through what he had done.

That was how the dishonest steward attempted to safeguard himself, by making use of the tricks and ways that he himself was very familiar with, doing dishonest actions and carrying out those things to benefit himself and so that he could safeguard his livelihood after he was no longer having a job anymore. We heard how the Lord described then the master commending the dishonest steward for his astuteness in his actions, for having done what he did to swindle even more money and possessions from his master by manipulating the debts from his master’s debtors. On the face value, this parable may be somewhat confusing to us, and we may even be surprised to think that the Lord Jesus was perhaps promoting the dishonest and wicked acts that the dishonest steward had done. But that is not the case, brothers and sisters.

In fact, what the Lord wanted to highlight to His disciples and therefore to all of us is that those who were following the ways of this world, those who were accustomed to the ways and practices of the world are filled with the wickedness of this world and its many temptations, distractions and all the things that can separate us from the Lord and prevent us from truly being able to return to the Lord. Meanwhile, those who are righteous and worthy, just and obedient to the Lord, like how a steward should have been to his master, ought not to carry out those things that the dishonest steward had done. That dishonest steward had indeed done things that would guarantee him good life in this world, but that does not mean that what he has done is right and recommended. For as mentioned earlier by St. Paul, that we as God’s holy and beloved people, we belong to Him and Heaven is our true abode, not this world.

That is why this parable by the Lord on the dishonest steward is in fact a reminder for all of us that we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly desires and ambitions, and we must always do our part as Christians, as God’s faithful and beloved people, to be His good, worthy and committed stewards, to be truly good and just, righteous and exemplary in all of our deeds, in everything that we say and do at all times? We must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by those temptations and desires we have in our hearts, and we should endeavour to put the Lord and His righteous paths and teachings at the centre of our lives and actions. We should not resort to wicked ways and means to fuel our own ambition and personal desires, and instead, we should make good use of whatever the Lord has given to us, His many blessings and opportunities we have received, to glorify Him.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, the question is, are we all willing make the commitment to follow God wholeheartedly and to turn our hearts and minds completely to Him, that we, who all belong to the Lord and are meant to dwell in the eternal joy with God in Heaven, can truly be worthy of everything that God has promised us? Are we capable of giving our best to the Lord, our time, effort and attention, everything that we are in the service of our Lord and God? Or are we merely just giving Him our lip service and our faith merely a formality? This is why each and every one of us must always strive to overcome our attachments and entanglements with worldly desires and all the things that can lead us down the path of destruction and ruin, just as the dishonest steward had shown us.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey from now on, so that we may always strive to live our lives in the best manner, to be always faithful to Him, as His worthy and dedicated stewards, the stewards of His creation and of this world and everyone we have encountered in life. Let us all continue to glorify the Lord by our lives, and lead by example in our every actions, words and deeds, and in our every interactions with one another, to proclaim the Lord and His righteousness through our own virtuous, worthy and noble deeds, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 November 2024 : 31st 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 Sacred Scriptures, we are constantly being reminded as we have always been by the Lord to be those whom God had deemed to be worthy, holy and truly deserves to be in the eternal Kingdom and true glory and happiness which He has prepared for each and every one of us. We must always strive to put our focus on the Lord and to come and seek the Lord, as He has always been kind and merciful towards us, showing us His everlasting grace and kindness, revealing His love and patience to us at all times. And we should no longer be stubborn in resisting His ever generous mercy and love, the compassion and kindness which He has given us and shown us all these while, but we must always be grateful instead of the opportunity we have been granted and be the good role models in faith for each other.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Philippi in what is today part of Greece. In the continuation of that Epistle we heard of the sharing from the Apostle regarding his beliefs and experiences of being a faithful and zealous Jew and Pharisee in his younger days, in what was likely addressed especially to the Jewish converts to the Christian faith in Philippi. St. Paul mentioned about how he followed the Law of Moses in its entirety just as how the Pharisees back then often zealously followed and observed the Law, getting himself circumcised and following other tenets and parts of the Law despite having been born and growing up outside of the lands of Israel, in Tarsus in Asia Minor.

What St. Paul then further highlighted to the faithful and especially the early Jewish Christians and maybe other Jewish people in Philippi was that while obeying and observing those Law and commandments were good and worthwhile, but they are superseded and transcended by the knowledge of Christ and His salvation, and of the ways and manners which the Lord Himself had brought into our midst, purifying and clarifying the intentions, purpose and the practices of the Law of God. What was once seen as means to achieve righteousness in God, and which was misunderstood and misused as means to make oneself feeling superior and better to others, like what many of the Pharisees had done in their way of observing the Law, the Lord had pointed out and St. Paul had further reminded the people of God that one’s faith in Christ matters way more than fussing over how one ought to observe the Law of God.

Indeed, the Law itself was in fact meant to lead us to God and to teach us to love Him more, to be more faithful to Him. But many during the time of the Lord Jesus and His Apostles when these New Testament Scripture passages we heard today were written, had lived their lives in manner contrary to the true intentions of God’s Law, and as mentioned, many among the Jewish people, especially the Pharisees among them who put more emphasis and importance in the details, rituals and the practices of the Law rather than in truly understanding, implementing and appreciating what God’s Law and commandments were all about, and how they really should have been observed and lived, focused on the Lord in all things rather than being obsessed with the rituals and details as many of the faithful then had done.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples and all those listening to Him using parables to highlight to them about God’s wonderful mercy and love, which He has kindly offered and shown to all those whom He had called and chosen, to all of us mankind, who are truly dear and beloved to Him. He used those parables to highlight to them the concepts of God’s mercy and love with themes that were easily understandable by those living at that time, as He used the example of a shepherd who was looking for one lost sheep among the hundred sheep that he had, and also a woman who was looking for a silver coin that she had misplaced and could not find, among all the silver coins that she had possessed. All those were events and things that all of the people could relate to and understand easily.

And the Lord’s message to His people, to all of us was that, if He Himself like the shepherd who left all of his other sheep to look for the lost sheep and like the woman who went through all the efforts to search every corner of her house in looking for the silver coin, then it is the same with Him as well, as He has a Heart that is always full of love for each one of us. Thus, God wants us to know that He would go out all the way in looking for us, His beloved and precious ones, so that every single one of us would be found, reconciled and reunited with Him once again. He would never abandon us to the darkness and as long as we are willing to listen to Him calling on us to follow Him, and heed His call, there is always a path for us to come back to Him.

And that was why He gave us all His Law to help and guide us in our path, to learn how to love Him and to be truly faithful to Him, and to rediscover what it means for us to be God’s holy and beloved people, distancing ourselves from anything and everything that had corrupted and separated us from God and His love. And not only that, He even gave us all His most beloved Son to be our Saviour, to bring forth the salvation that He has promised to us and our ancestors, and to lead us all back to Him. Christ, the Son of God is the Good Shepherd just as He Himself mentioned in the parable to the people, as He went forth calling for the last, the lost and the least among the people so that they all may find justification and reconciliation with God through Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must never take this love from God from granted, and we truly should appreciate all the love that God has given us. Let us all be thankful for all the love of God, and His generosity in caring for us and in being compassionate with us, by striving to live our lives with the desire to love Him and to obey His will at all times, to do what is right and just in the manner that He Himself has taught and shown us. May the Lord continue to bless us and strengthen us in our journey in life so that by our every efforts and works, our contributions and commitments in our daily living and actions, we will draw ever closer to the Lord and His saving grace. May our lives be truly worthy of God and may all of us be good and worthy role models and inspirations for everyone around us. Amen.