unfaithful servants

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Sunday, 14 September 2014 : 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 77 : 1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Give heed, o My people, to My teaching; listen to the words of My mouth! I will speak in parables, I will talk of old mysteries.

When He slew them, they repented and sought Him earnestly. They remembered that God was their Rock, the Most High, their Redeemer.

But they flattered Him with their mouths, they lied to Him with their tongues, while their hearts were unfaithful; they were untrue to His covenant.

Even then, in His compassion, He forgave their offenses and did not destroy them. Many a time He restrained His anger and did not fully stir up His wrath.

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Saturday, 19 April 2014 : Easter Vigil of the Lord’s Resurrection, Easter Triduum (Seventh Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ezekiel 36 : 16-17a, 18-28

The word of YHVH came to me in these terms, “Son of man, when Israel occupied her own land she defiled it by her way of life and her actions. I poured out My fury on them because of the blood they shed in the land and because they defiled it with their filthy idols. Then I scattered them among the nations and dispersed them in other lands. I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.”

“But when they were brought to other nations, My Holy Name was profaned because others said of them : ‘The people of YHVH had to be exiled from His land!’ Then I was concerned for My Holy Name, profaned by Israel among the nations where she had been dispersed.”

“Now you shall say to the people of Israel : It is not for your sake that I am about to act, but because of My Holy Name that you have profaned in the places where you have gone. I will make known the holiness of My great Name, profaned among the nations because of you, and they will know that I am YHVH when I show them My holiness among you.”

“For I will gather you from all the nations and bring you back to your own land. Then I shall pour pure water over you and you shall be made clean – cleansed from the defilement of all your idols. I shall give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I shall remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

“I shall put My spirit within you and move you to follow My decrees and keep My laws. You will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be My people and I will be your God.”

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Tuesday, 8 April 2014 : 5th Week of Lent (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we see today how great is the love that God our Father has for us. We have rebelled a lot against Him and spurned His love much like the people of God had done long ago as they journeyed through the desert towards the Promised Land. God promised them something great and eternal happiness for them if they walked in His path, and yet, they made complaints after complaints because what they seek is pleasure, that is the joys of the world, the pleasure of food and the flesh, and not true pleasure and happiness that only God can give.

The people of God showed their ingratitude and lack of faith, even to the point of worshipping a golden calf in place of their loving God. That is why God showed them His wrath, sending fiery serpents to destroy them for their rebelliousness. Yes, this event showed that, even though our God is a loving God, but He also hates all forms of sin, because God is good, and He us diametrically opposite to sin, which is the progenitor of all that is evil.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, does that mean we should see God as One to be feared? No! In fact, if we fear God because of His wrath without understanding first the reason of His wrath, we will likely end up getting further and further from Him, and thus sink into the sea of death. Yes, God hates sin and all of its unholy spawns, pride, greed, anger, hatred, and many others, but at the same time God also loves us, and even more than He hated our sins.

That is why He continued to pour out His love to His people even after they had repeatedly disobeyed Him and spurned His love and sought instead the pagan gods and earthly pleasures. He never gave up on any of us, even to the most obstinate and hard-hearted. He continues to offer us daily, at all times, the hope and opportunity at salvation, which He Himself offered through the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus on the cross.

God loves us that much, and He has His merciful eyes and heart always set upon us. He never abandoned us, because it is we who has abandoned Him instead. He gave the bronze serpent to Moses, that when it was lifted up, those who were bitten by the fiery serpents and saw it will not die but live. The same thing applies to all of us, that all who looks up to Christ crucified on the cross, will not face death, that is the destruction of our soul, but live eternally with God.

Yes, just as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, that just as the bronze serpent was lifted in the desert for the rescue and salvation for all those nearing death from disobeying God, so the Son of Man, Jesus Himself too had to be raised up high for all to see, that all who look upon Him and believe, will not die either, but gain life eternal. And yet, honestly, how many of us truly look up on the crucified Christ and believe in Him, and in His love?

Jesus Christ suffered for us, was tortured for us, and ultimately died for us on the cross, because of His love, God’s love for us all, His children who had sinned against Him and thus deserving death. And desiring not our futile death, He sent us helpers after helpers, and assistance after assistance. And finally, He gave us Jesus, His own Son and the Word of God made flesh, to be our Saviour. Yes, that all who believe in Him and look at Him will be saved.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all from today on, reflect on our own lives, whether they have been obedient and aligned to God and His will, or whether we have stayed away and disobeyed Him through our words, deeds or actions. We have to reflect on our lives, that we may realise our conditions and needs before it us too late for us. Let us therefore, aspire and commit ourselves to seek God and His mercy.

Let us from now on, commit ourselves to always look at the crucified Christ, the One who has died for us and to be thankful for that sacrifice through which, we are saved. Let us never spurn God’s love again, but resolve ourselves to be ever closer to God our Father who loves us so much, that He sent us Jesus, to save us from death. May God be with us all. Amen.

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Friday, 20 December 2013 : 3rd Week of Advent (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Obedience to the Lord’s will and following His ways are the greatest virtues that mankind can have. And that is what we can take home from what we received today from the Holy Scriptures. And there is no greater obedience and its example, than what Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ had shown, in her acceptance of the role that she had been given in the grand plan of salvation.

Obedience entails listening to others of authority, those with rightful and legal authority over us, without doubting or disobedience to such authority with our words and actions. That was what King Ahaz of Judea had shown, when the prophet Isaiah spoke to him regarding the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour and Chosen One of God.

King Ahaz might appear to obey the Lord because he seemed to be humble and knowing of his place, refusing Isaiah’s request for the king to ask for a sign from God. But if we look deeper into the matter, the king did not do that out of true and clear faith in the Lord, and instead, out of fear, the fear of the power of God, repeatedly shown through the prophet Isaiah, and what that power could do to him.

King Ahaz said one thing, but in practice, did another thing. He did things wicked in the eyes of God, and worshipped the pagan gods and their idols, leading the people to sin against the Lord. He was not faithful to the laws and precepts of the Lord and instead followed the ways of the world. He made sacrifices to the idols, disgusting sight to God, and yet, he claimed to obey the Lord by saying that he would not put the Lord to the test.

In fact, his very actions had already repeatedly put the Lord to the test, exactly just as how the people of Israel put the Lord to the test during their long sojourn in the desert, on the way to the Promised Land. They were unfaithful, complaining constantly and worshipping the gods of the pagans around them, following their wicked practices and ways. And that was the kind of faith and ‘obedience’ that Ahaz, the king of Judea, had.

Compare that case with that of Mary, who received the Good News through the Archangel Gabriel, who announced to her, the coming of the Messiah, and the pivotal role that she would play in the coming of that Saviour. It is indeed an exceedingly rare honour for someone to be held in such high esteem by God, and Mary had indeed been prepared to be the one through whom the Saviour would come.

Mary did ask the Archangel Gabriel a question, on how that news which she received, would be possible, given that she was still a virgin and yet was to bear a Child. Mary made that statement, that inquiry, not because she doubted what the Lord could do to her, but because as a young woman given such an important role to play in the salvation of all mankind, she was uncertain. And yet, in her actions, our Blessed Virgin Mary was truly exemplary in all her deeds, showing clearly her faith and how much she treasured God in her heart.

It was also her sincere answer, which showed further the true quality and the brilliance of her faith. Mary simply said to the Archangel, that she as the handmaid of the Lord, as His servant, would obey the Lord and His will, whatever that will may be, and surrendered herself to whatever the Lord had designed for her. That complete surrender, the complete trust she had in God, and her virtuous actions, are what distinguished her from the actions of King Ahaz.

That is why we too should follow the example of the mother of our Lord. It was because of her obedience and her virtues, that many good things were to come into the world, foremost of which is our Lord Jesus Himself, who saved us all from sin and death, through His most noble sacrifice on the cross. It is the faith of Mary that we should emulate, follow, and replicate in our own lives, and not the faith as shown by King Ahaz.

It is the reality that many of us showed the faith of Ahaz, professing outwardly our faith in God through words, but not in our actions. That kind of faith is just lip-service to God, and not the kind of faith that God wants from us. It is the faith of Mary that we should emulate, follow, and replicate. Our faith cannot be limited with mere words or statements, as even though that kind of faith is necessary, it is simply not enough. Our faith must ever be like a living faith, vibrant and filled with life.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, for this coming Christmas, let us show the birthday boy, Jesus Christ our Lord, that we truly rejoice in His coming, by showing it through our actions and dedications of love to our brethren, and to love one another without exception, and showing that we truly are children of God. Amen.

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Monday, 19 August 2013 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priest)

Judges 2 : 11-19

The Israelites treated YHVH badly for they served the Baals instead. They abandoned YHVH, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt, and served other gods, the gods of the neighbouring peoples. They bowed before these gods and offended YHVH.

When YHVH saw that they had abandoned Him to serve Baal and Ashtaroth, He became angry with His people and gave them into the hands of plunderers who left them in misery. He Himself sold them to their enemies who completely surrounded the Israelites, so that these Israelites could no longer withstand them.

Whenever they felt strong for an offensive, YHVH would turn against them and send evil upon them, as He had warned them and sworn to do. And this caused much distress and anguish for the Israelites.

YHVH raised up “judges” (or liberators) who saved the Israelites from their exploiters. But neither did they obey those “judges” for they still prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They soon left the way of their fathers who obeyed the commandments of YHVH; they did not follow the way of their fathers.

When YHVH made a judge appear among His people, YHVH was with him and saved them from their enemies. That lasted as long as the judge lived, for YHVH was moved to pity by the lament of His people who were oppressed and persecuted. But when the judge died, they again became worse than their ancestors – worshiping and serving other gods. They would not renounce their pagan practices and stubborn ways.