way of the Lord

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Sunday, 28 February 2016 : Third Sunday of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s readings, we see the encounter that happened between mankind and God, between sinners and their Creator Who loved them, and Who desired to save them and bring them from the slavery of sin into the liberty and freedom that He wants to bring to them, and we see how we are also part of this great works of the Lord to bring salvation to all mankind.

God does not abandon us to die or to be destroyed, even though our sins and wickedness can indeed be very great. Many of us, just like the people of Israel whom God Himself had saved from their enslavement in Egypt, had been rebellious, disobedient and unwilling to listen or to commit ourselves to the ways of our Lord. And thus, as a result, our sins grew and we grew more distant from our Lord.

The Scripture readings today from the Book of Deuteronomy spoke of the uncertainty, the doubt and the lack of faith in the hearts of the people of God, who questioned His love and dedication for them, and who refused to see the light and refused to accept and understand that God had given them so much, so many things and blessings, and yet they were still not satisfied.

God gave them freedom from the scourge and yoke of slavery, lifting up from them the yoke and chains of the Pharaohs, that they would no longer suffer in the lands of Egypt, and that they would no longer toil in harsh labour, but be freed and He led them to the lands which He Himself had promised to their ancestors, and which promise He also renewed with them Himself, as He renewed the covenant He had with them.

And He destroyed their enemies and pursuers, their oppressors and all things wicked before them. He crushed the Pharaoh and his chariots, drowning them in the Red Sea, and He destroyed the Amalekites and the other enemies of the people of God, giving them victory and triumph. He guided them through the desert for many long years, leading them on the way and providing for them with none other than the food from heaven.

He blessed them with the manna, the bread of the Angels, and gave them many large birds and other foods to eat in the midst of the lifeless desert. He gave them clear and sweet spring water from the rocks in the middle of a very dry and parched desert, that all of them would have their fill and be satisfied. They all had what they needed, and no one lacked anything.

But they were not content and neither were they satisfied. They grumbled and complained against God for having brought them into the desert while they could have enjoyed a ‘better’ life in Egypt even though they would be enslaved. They rebelled against God, because they had no true love or commitment for their Lord, and their stomachs and hearts’ desires got the better of them.

How is this relevant to us, brethren? It is just as we ourselves also prefer sin to doing the will of God. We refuse to listen to God and do what He has asked us to do. Instead, we preferred to walk on our own path, because we see them as better, more enticing and less troublesome or risky. But this is all because it was the intention of the devil and all of his wicked forces, trying to lure us all into damnation by tempting us to do all those vile things.

And yet, even though we often failed to follow His will and even though we have committed so much wickedness throughout our lives, not listening to God and His words, but the love which He had for us was truly very great indeed, for He still offered us His salvation, His mercy and His love despite the fact that we were still sinners. St. Paul pointed out this fact for us, so that we may realise this and come to sincere and genuine repentance.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this season of Lent, we have all been called to cease our rebelliousness and to cast aside our pride, our hubris, greed and desire, all of which had led us deeper and deeper into disobedience and sin against the Lord our God. This is the perfect time to begin our lives anew, to turn our backs against the past, that is our past sins and vile deeds.

All of us have been called to the mercy and forgiveness of God, and God had made it clear that those who are willing to repent shall be accepted and received in God’s eternal kingdom. But we first have to learn to restrain ourselves and to die to our pride and hubris, our greed and desires, and this is why we fast and abstain during this period of Lent. Thus, when we fast and abstain, let us all do them with proper understanding of their purpose, so that they may benefit us ever more for our salvation.

Let us all recommit ourselves anew to the Lord, that by our words, deeds and actions, we may show Him and the world all the same, that we are willing to live in accordance to our faith, and no longer adhering or being corrupted by this world’s desires and sins, but instead are committed to be good disciples and followers of our Lord from now on.

May Almighty God guide our paths, and may He strengthen the resolve in our hearts, so that we may strive always to live faithfully in accordance with His will and thus be worthy of the salvation and eternal life which He had promised us all. God bless us all. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 February 2016 : Third Sunday of Lent (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

1 Corinthians 10 : 1-6, 10-12

Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, about our ancestors. All of them were under the cloud and all crossed the sea. All underwent the baptism of the land and of the sea to join Moses and all of them ate from the same spiritual manna and all of them drank from the same spiritual drink.

For you know that they drank from a spiritual rock following them, and the rock was Christ. However, most of them did not please God, and the desert was strewn with their bodies. All of this happened as an example for us, so that we might not become people of evil desires, as they did.

Nor should we grumble as some of them did and were cut down by the destroying Angel. These things happened to them as an example, and they were written as a warning for us, as the last times come upon us. Therefore, if you think you stand, beware, lest you fail.

Alternative reading (from Readings of Year A)

Romans 5 : 1-2, 5-8

By faith we have received true righteousness, and we are at peace with God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through Him we obtain this favour in which we remain and we even boast to expect the Glory of God.

And hope does not disappoint us because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of God. Consider, moreover, the time that Christ died for us : when we were still helpless and unable to do anything. Few would accept to die for an upright person; although, for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die.

But see how God manifested His love for us : while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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Sunday, 28 February 2016 : Third Sunday of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8 and 11

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His Holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

The Lord restores justice and secures the rights of the oppressed. He has made known His ways to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger. As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him.

Alternative reading (from Readings of Year A)

Psalm 94 : 1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful sound to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him giving thanks, with music and songs of praise.

Come and worship; let us bow down, kneel before the Lord, our Maker. He is our God, and we His people; the flock He leads and pastures. Would that today you heard His voice!

Do not be stubborn, as at Meribah, in the desert, on that day at Massah, when your ancestors challenged me, and they put Me to the test.

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Sunday, 28 February 2016 : Third Sunday of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Exodus 3 : 1-8a, 13-15

Moses pastured the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. One day he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the Mountain of God. The Angel of YHVH appeared to him by means of a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that although the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Moses thought, “I will go and see this amazing sight, why is the bush not burning up?”

YHVH saw that Moses was drawing near to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He replied, “Here I am.” YHVH said to him, “Do not come near; take off your sandals because the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

And God continued, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face lest his eyes look on God. YHVH said, “I have seen the humiliation of Mu people in Egypt and I hear their cry when they are cruelly treated by their taskmasters. I know their suffering. I have come down to free them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a beautiful spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Moses answered God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them : ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ they will ask me : ‘What is His Name?’ What shall I answer them?”

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO AM. This is what you will say to the sons of Israel : ‘I AM sent me to you.” God then said to Moses, “You will say to the Israelites : ‘YHVH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me.’ That will be My Name forever, and by this Name they shall call upon Me for all generations to come.”

Alternative reading (from Readings of Year A)

Exodus 17 : 3-7

But the people thirsted for water there and grumbled against Moses, “Why did you make us leave Egypt to have us die of thirst with our children and our cattle?” So Moses cried to YHVH, “What shall I do with the people? They are almost ready to stone me!”

YHVH said to Moses, “Go ahead of the people and take with you the elders of Israel. Take with you the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you on the rock at Horeb. You will strike the rock and water will flow from it and the people will drink.”

Moses did this in the presence of the elders of Israel. The place was called Massah and Meribah because of the complaints of the Israelites, who tested YHVH saying, “Is YHVH with us or not?”

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Saturday, 27 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the familiar story of the prodigal son, who went away from his father to live in sin and wickedness, and then who returned to his father in shame and in humility, begging for mercy and to be forgiven, and the father accepted him back with great joy and gladness, celebrating how the lost prodigal son had been found and had returned to him in safety.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we heard today in the Gospel and in the other readings have just summarised the entire meaning of our observations of the rules and customs of the season of Lent which we are in the midst of at this moment. We are the prodigal sons, and we are those who have gone astray in our path towards God, our Lord and Father, Who is filled with love and mercy for our fate, and Who wants us all to be redeemed through Him.

Through our sins and our disobedience against God, even no matter how small it was, we have been sundered and separated from the fullness of God’s love. We have to realise, brethren, that while God loves us, but no sin and wickedness can remain in His presence and go unaccounted for. If we sin and do not repent, we will have no part in Him. It is the same desire for sinning that is also the same desire causing the younger, the prodigal son to choose to go away from his father, carrying all of his wealth and inheritance with him.

In the same way therefore, all of us have been given by God, the free will to choose how we are to live our own lives. Thus, we can indeed choose to be like the prodigal son, and leave behind our Father, that is God, and all of His ways and instead following our own will and desires. Therefore this means we give in to sins and to the wicked ways of the world. The path will indeed seem to be easier, and all the allures of the world, the pleasures and happiness we encounter will persuade us to go and dwell in deeper into that path.

But after all of them ended, what will we get in the end? The story of the prodigal son told to us how after the prodigal son spent all of his wealth and squandered all of them in a life of hedonism and sin, he was truly left with nothing, and he could not even afford to eat a proper food, since he had nothing left with him. And when he tried to work at a pig farm and eat the same food that the pigs were eating, nobody allowed him to do so.

In that scenario, he became even less than a pig, an animal considered unclean at the time of Jesus by the Israelites, and therefore, he was treated as a nobody. And indeed, it is going to be the same with us, once we exhausted our time enjoying all the false happiness and joy, all the pleasures that the world is offering and giving to us. We would have nothing but desolation and destruction, and doom is upon us without hope of succour or redemption if it is too late for us.

That is also the same feeling whenever we come to realise how sinful we have become, how wicked were the things that we had done, and how great was the extent of our sins. And the danger here is that we fear, and we are afraid to retrace our steps and come back to the Lord, because we are afraid that He will be angry with us because of our disobedience.

And thus, this is why many people were not able to repent and change their ways. They are afraid that God will punish them and rebuke them. But the reality is that it is better for us to be rebuked by God rather than for us to be lost forever to the darkness. That is why, we have to take note of the resolve of the prodigal son to return to his father despite all the things he had committed.

Shall we therefore also seek to return to our Lord with a heart filled with regret and sorrow, the desire for the forgiveness of our sins? Shall we commit ourselves to a life of repentance and be forgiven for our trespasses? This is the best time for us to do so, to be like the prodigal son who regretted his sin, and resolved to return to his father seeking forgiveness.

And then, let us also not forget that, heeding the example of the elder son, it is important that we also take note the lesson from there. The elder son represented the actions of those who have been made righteous, but then they succumbed to their sense of selfishness and jealousy, and they resented the love that God gave to sinners and all those who had erred in their path, and yet forgiven by God when they repented.

We should not resent those who have yet to be saved and still living in darkness, or be disgusted at them for their sins. Remember, we ourselves were once like them, sinners and delinquents, rebels in the sight and presence of God. Condemning or being disgusted at others who have sinned, or still living in the state of sin is just like being disgusted at ourselves.

If all that we can do is just to condemn others, to be disgusted at what we ourselves had once done ourselves, and then doing nothing to help these people, then we are truly responsible for their downfall on the day of judgment. Do not think that if we do not do anything wrong or wicked, then we are certainly safe and immune from being judged, as we have to remember, that failing to do good while we are perfectly capable of doing so, is just as bad as doing something that is bad and wicked.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, in this holy season of Lent, let us make best use of the time available to us, in order to change our ways and dedicate ourselves to help one another to find our ways to the Lord. Let us no longer be apathetic or indifferent to the sufferings of others, especially those who are still trapped in the darkness of this world.

May Almighty God, our Lord and Father, awaken in us all the love which we all ought to have for Him, and may He bless us with the hope and the strength with which all of us may persevere in our path towards Him, that resisting and rejecting all forms of sin, we may always seek to be faithful to Him in all things. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 26 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard two stories from the Holy Scriptures, the first being taken from the Book of Genesis, about Joseph, the son of Jacob, descendant of Abraham, who was hated by his brothers because of his special position in his family, and they plotted to remove him from their presence, firstly by trying to murder him, but then, having been stopped by some among themselves, they sold him into slavery instead.

And we see the parallel with what we heard in the Gospel today, about the parable which Jesus spoke about in the parable of the vineyard, where evil and wicked tenants plotted against the master of the vineyard and the son, as well as his servants, refusing to do as what they were expected to do, and instead desiring to have the vineyard for themselves.

But the master of the vineyard did not stay silent for all the things that these wicked tenants had done to destroy him and his works, and he cast these evil and wicked tenants out, and subjecting them to utter and complete darkness. Those who do not deserve to be part of the inheritance and the goodness as had been promised to them. They deserve to be cast out and be destroyed.

Now we have to ask ourselves, are we like the brothers of Joseph, who were swallowed by their jealousy and by their hatred? Are we like the evil tenants who were also swallowed by their greed and desire so as to disobey the orders and wishes of the master who had allowed them to dwell and prosper on the land they had rented? In fact, many of us had walked in this path before, but we did not realise it.

This path is the path of worldliness, of pride, of greed, of desire, of jealousy, of hatred and many other negative emotions and things that kept us separate from the love of God. If we walk on this path, then we should realise that we will only grow ever more distant and further away from God’s grace and salvation. If we do not turn away from this path soon, we may be further trapped in the vicious trap of sin and evil.

In this time of Lent, we have to realise that we all in this world must find the way to the Lord through penitence and forgiveness, and through the fullness of cooperation with the love and mercy of God. God offers us all freely this mercy, but He does not allow wickedness and vile things to prevail over whatever is good. Mankind may plot for certain things and think of certain things, but in the end it is the will of God that will prevail.

This is why in the Scripture readings today and from what we know from the knowledge of the Bible, we heard and know how eventually, Joseph, whom the brothers had sold into slavery to Egypt, he became an agent of God’s salvation of countless people and countless souls from famine and destruction, and in the end even saved the very same brothers who had sold him out. And the master of the vineyard also dealt with the wicked tenants in the way that they had deserved.

Let us in this season of Lent open our hearts, and seek the light of God and find the way to reach out to Him. Let us find out what He wants from each one of us, and most likely this will be the desire for our repentance, for us to turn away from our wickedness and return to righteousness and justice. In this time, the perfect time for mercy and forgiveness, let us all reflect on all of our actions, words and deeds.

Let us no longer be attached to our greed and desire, and let us no longer seek to satisfy our ego and pride. We have to dedicate and commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and in our faith, the faith we have for Him, let this faith shine forth and guide us on the path to salvation and eternal life. May God bless us all, and may He guide us in this way to eternal glory. God bless us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are all reminded of the fate that awaits all those who have not been faithful and to God, namely all those who have committed sin in His presence. The story of Lazarus and the rich man underlined the division that existed between the world and the Lord in their respective ways. And God reminded us that the fate awaiting those who have not been righteous, then they shall fall down into the depth of hell and the eternal fire.

Those who are faithful and committed to the Lord shall not be disappointed. Even though they may encounter difficulties and challenges throughout their earthly lives, but God Who knows it all and sees all, shall know all that His people had done on earth, and He will reward them in accordance to their virtues and deeds, as they have done it.

In the first reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, it was made clear to us, that those who have followed the path of righteousness shall be blessed and shall receive the fullness of God’s grace, and have the inheritance and the eternal promise of God given to them as their right. But those who have been wicked and refused to do as what the Lord had told them to do, these shall be destroyed and cast out into the utter darkness.

It is a reminder for all of us still living in this world, not to wait until it is too late for us, to change our ways and abandon all the sinful and wicked things that we have done and committed in this life. God has offered us many chances and opportunities, but it is up to us now whether we want to accept His mercy and be forgiven from our sins.

And we cannot merely just say that we will repent and change our ways, as words without actions are truly empty and meaningless. Instead, we must show with real action, dedication and commitment, that we want to be forgiven, and that we will abandon all of our past wickedness, and turn over a new leaf, and embrace righteousness and justice from now on. This is what we urgently need to do, brothers and sisters in Christ.

We cannot say or think that there is still ample amount of time for us. We may think that we are still young and we have many more years ahead of us to enjoy all the goodness and the pleasures in this world, but life is not for us to decide, when the Lord Himself Who is Lord and Master of all life, is the One to decide our fate, when He calls us back to Himself, and then from there, into judgment.

Thus, in this season of Lent, this very moment, this very day, minute and second, let us not hesitate any longer, and let us not be afraid any longer, or be unsure of what to do. Instead, let us all gather every ounce of our strength, and commit ourselves to righteousness and charity, and in all of our actions, let us no longer be self-serving and selfish, but instead, let us all love one another and care for each other as our own brethren in the Lord.

May our efforts be blessed by God, and may all of us find our way to the Lord, and through our actions and commitments, let us be justified by the actions that we have done to hold upright our faith in God. Let us practice self-limitation and inculcate in ourselves, a heart for service and charity during this period of Lent. And therefore, let us all hope that God will make us stronger as His people in faith. God bless us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the Law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Wednesday, 24 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, the Scripture readings present to us the reality about our lives here on earth if we are to be faithful to God, and what we are to encounter if we remain true to His teachings and walk in His ways. There will be difficulties and challenges, and it will not be an easy one for us to live faithfully to God and His Laws, as this world and the devil that is ruling over this world will do all that is within his abilities to keep us away from God’s salvation, by one means or another.

In the first reading, from the book of the prophet Jeremiah, we heard about how the prophet Jeremiah, the prophet God had sent to the kingdom and to the people of Judah made complaints against the Lord, for all the oppositions, the plotting and the schemes the wicked people had devised against him, refusing to listen to him and instead trying to bring him down and to silence him for all of his incessant warnings and works.

To those people, all the warnings and the urgings of the prophet Jeremiah sounded like poison in their ears, and they hated him for that. He spoke of the doom that was to come, and the punishment for the sins that the people of Judah had committed, which wickedness had come to the attention of the Lord. But God still loved His people, and He did not wish for their destruction lest they themselves were the ones who wished for it.

And thus God sent His prophet Jeremiah to them in order to give them one final chance for repentance, so that by the good works of the prophet and by his call for them to repent, hopefully that the people of God might be spared of the doom that they were heading towards, and turn themselves back into the grace of God and into His salvation.

But they refused to listen, and adamantly persisted in their disobedience and rebellion against the will of God, and they persecuted the prophets and the messengers of God, as they had also done with Jeremiah. They imprisoned them, tortured them, and for some others, they even murdered them in cold blood. And thus they closed the door to salvation in front of themselves by their actions.

And yet, again, God still loved them and wanted to forgive them, by offering His mercy freely, and yet, again, many souls were lost to eternal damnation by rejecting this generous offer. And God finally sent Jesus, His own Son, to be the Saviour and Deliverer of the whole world and of all mankind. Through Him, God wanted to reveal to the world the full extent of His love and care for us, and the mercy that He wanted grant to us.

But the people still resisted and refused the love which God would give them, if only that they would turn away from their sins and repent with wholehearted intention and commitment. And this is because they were too full of themselves, having too much ego and pride in them, which caused them to be incapable of comprehending and accepting God’s love and mercy.

And this is why, in this season of Lent, we must take this opportunity during this season of fasting and abstinence, during this time of penitence and forgiveness, to turn ourselves anew, and to find our path to the Lord with renewed fervour. And we all should heed and take note of what Jesus our Lord Himself had said in today’s Gospel, as we proceed along this time of Lent.

The greater ones among the people of God must be the servant of others. This means that with greatness must come humility and a spirit of commitment and responsibility. It is pride and greed that will become our downfall, as these kept our hearts closed against the pleas and cries of others around us, those who have great need for our help. Pride and greed will only push us to do even more wicked things to satisfy our own selfish needs.

Let us all renew our commitments to live faithfully in the Lord and to do works and actions to bring good things for our brethren in need around us. Let us no longer be stubborn and resist God’s forgiveness and mercy, but instead, let us lay down our ego and greed, and open ourselves humbly to accept the Lord’s rich offer of mercy and love. God be with us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 30 : 5-6, 14, 15-16

Free me from the snare that they have set for me. Indeed You are my Protector. Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed me, o Lord, faithful God.

I hear whispering among the crowd, rumours that frighten me from every side – their conspiracies, their schemes, their plot to take my life.

But I put my trust in You, o Lord, I said : “You are my God.” My days are in Your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin.