way of the Lord

by

Tuesday, 23 February 2016 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, the message of the Holy Scriptures to us is very clear. And it is calling for us to repent from our sins, turn from all the wickedness we are committing, and turn a new leaf, finding our way in the Lord, and no longer disobeying His laws and commandments, let us all go on in our lives with a new purpose, that is to serve the Lord and to love His people, our fellow brethren.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Gospel today spoke of the matter of human pride, selfishness and greed, when Jesus talked about the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who liked to flaunt the rich display of their faith in public, so that the whole people might see their supposed piety and devotion to the Law of God. But they did so seeking not the approval of God, but instead, the approval of men.

Yes, they prayed and worshipped in public places, making a great scenery with loud voices and displays, so that they might be praised for whatever they had done. It was not because they truly loved the Lord or wanting to obey Him and His commandments that they had done so, but they rather loved themselves more, and wanted themselves to enjoy the satisfaction of power and pleasure of the flesh, satiating their own ego and greed.

To them, the laws of God represented an opportunity to do so, which they gladly accepted and made full use of. And thus, they misused what God had given them to be a guide for the people of God to find their way to the Lord Himself, and instead using them to further their own human agenda. They did not truly care about those whom God had entrusted to them, as leaders and shepherds to guide them to the way of the Lord.

And as a result, they sinned not just because they have not done what the Lord had expected of them as those entrusted to shepherd God’s people, but also because they had misled them and acted wickedly for their own self benefits. And that was why Jesus was so critical at them. He rebuked them harshly because of their own self-serving actions that were incompatible with what God teaches us to do.

It is difficult indeed in our world today for us to live faithfully in accordance with the will of God, and we have the tendency to be swayed and to be tempted and pulled into the lures of the devil, who with his allies and forces in this world is always trying to lay trap for us, and to bring us into our downfall that we may share with him the fate of eternal fire and damnation. And in order to do this, he is making use of our own pride, our own greed and desires, and all the things that keep us tied into the immorality of this world.

This is why it is important for us, during this season of Lent, to practice the method of self-restraint and abstinence, and as we do our fasting and abstinence, and by expanding our good works and charity, we limit and restrain our own ego, our own human pride, greed and desire, resisting the temptation of the evil one to us, and therefore gain for ourselves the rewards for our righteousness and faith to the Lord.

Today, we also celebrate the feast day of St. Polycarp, a holy bishop and martyr of the Church and the Faith. St. Polycarp was told to be the disciple of St. John the Apostle, the youngest of the Twelve Apostles of Christ, and who was appointed as the overseer or bishop of the region in Roman Asia known then as Smyrna. He ministered to the faithful there and helped to establish the foundations of the Church.

But he did not have an easy time, as many oppositions and challenges faced him, the Church and the faithful entrusted under his care. Nevertheless, St. Polycarp continued to work hard for the benefit of the faithful, the flock of the Lord placed under his care as their shepherd. It was told that he met his martyrdom at the hands of those who forced the faithful to reject the Lord and to offer sacrifices to the Roman Emperor, and St. Polycarp remained resolute and strong in his commitment to the Lord and to his faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all take note of the examples of St. Polycarp, and let us live our lives with the same kind of courage and strength, to resist the temptations of the world to defile ourselves, and thus, deliver ourselves free from all the bonds of sin that had held us back all these while. Let us resolve to live our lives free of sin in this season of Lent, and by striving to deepen our faith and spirituality, let us draw ever closer to our Lord and to His salvation.

May God strengthen us in faith and love, and may in all of our actions, we continue to show our faith, through our charities and care for our fellow brethren. May God be with us all in all of our endeavours. God bless us all. Amen.

by

Monday, 22 February 2016 : Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate a great feast day of the Church of Rome, that is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, the Patron Saint of Rome, the Heart of Christendom and the seat of the Pope as St. Peter’s successor as the Vicar of Christ on earth. The chair of St. Peter represents his teaching and magisterial authority as the one to whom God had given authority and power as we witnessed in the Scripture readings of today.

The authority of a bishop, leaders of God’s faithful and His flock is represented by his seat, called the Cathedra, which usually is placed in a church which is then called the Cathedral because of the presence of the bishop’s seat there, and that place is the heart of the individual dioceses and archdioceses. And in the same way therefore, the Cathedra Sancti Petri, the seat representing the authority of St. Peter the Apostle is in Rome, in the Cathedral of the Popes.

But the seat itself, as in the physical seat is only a representation of the true authority given by Christ to St. Peter and to his successors on earth. As we heard in the Gospel today, of the moment when Jesus Christ our Lord granted to Peter the authority and power over all of the sheep and flocks of the Lord, as the one in whom the whole Church would be established upon, upon the faith of St. Peter, the rock of faith.

Jesus told him, that he is to be the foundation upon which God would build His Church on earth, with the phrase, Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam Meam, meaning, ‘You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.’ And He mentioned how not even the gates of hell could prevail against it, and He shall grant him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the authority over us all mankind, that whoever is bound, will be bound in heaven, and those loosened will be lost forever.

Such was the authority given to St. Peter the Apostle, and he and many of his successors carried their duties and responsibilities with commitment and true devotion. Not all of his successors had been faithful, but most had devoted themselves to lead the flocks of the Lord and all of the faithful towards God and towards salvation away from their sins and damnation.

But was St. Peter’s faith exemplary and perfect? Was he perfectly holy and beyond reproach all of his life? No, he was not. He was just a simple and poor fisherman doing his trade at the shores of the Lake of Galilee when the Lord came to him and some others on one day and called him to follow Him. He stumbled quite a few times during the time when he followed Jesus in His mission and works around Judea and Galilee.

Yes, St. Peter was not a perfect man, and neither was he a great, mighty or rich man. He had nothing save for his fishing boat, and even that he left behind when he decided to follow the Lord, abandoning everything for His sake. He betrayed the Lord on one important occasion, when he denied Him for fear of persecution by the Jewish authorities, when these people went to arrest Him. He denied his Lord not just once, but even three times.

And yet, God forgave St. Peter and chose him to be the tool of His work, and not just any tool, but the primary and greatest tool of His work on earth, to be His sole chief representative and leader of all the faithful in His Church. Why is this so, brethren? That is because, God Who knows all the things in one’s hearts and minds, in one’s souls and flesh, knows all things, and knows the faith in each people, and in St. Peter, He found a great faith, unshaken and tested by many trials of doubts and sufferings.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we have to know is that, God does not despise sinners like us. What He despises are all the sins that we have committed, all the wicked and dark things that we have done in His presence and in the presence of men alike. God hates the sins and not the sinners. He wants us to be reconciled with Him, and to be cleansed from our sins.

Those sins are what separated us from Him and from His grace, and it is these sins that we need to cast away, far far away from us in order for us to find our way to an eventual and complete reunion with our loving God. God chose the ordinary ones who wanted to love Him and devote themselves to Him, and He shall transform these into His greatest servants.

In this season of Lent, today’s feast of the Chair of St. Peter reminded us that, if we are faithful, and if we persevere, even against the rejection of the world and resisting its persecution, enduring pain and suffering for God’s sake, then there is a great hope waiting for all of us. God is looking forward to the conversion of sinners, and there is no greater joy for the Angels and saints in heaven then the conversion of even a once lost soul, who returns to God’s grace.

Let us therefore put our trust in the Lord through His Church, and let us all help support the works of the Church, which God Himself had established on the firm foundation of faith of St. Peter the Apostle, a faith which in itself was once weak and unstable, but which had undergone trials and tribulations, and in God, he was strengthened, and ended up bringing great glory to the Lord. We too can follow in his footsteps and do our best to be faithful to Him.

May the Lord bless us all, forgive us all our sins, and strengthen ever our love and commitment for Him, that through our many works and devotions in this world, we may show forth the truth about God to the nations, and walk in the footsteps of the Apostles to bring forth His Good News into the world. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

by

Sunday, 21 February 2016 : Second Sunday of Lent, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard in our first reading from the Book of Genesis, of the covenant which God had made with Abraham, the father of many nations and our father in faith. God established His everlasting covenant with him and with his descendants because of the faith and the righteousness that he had constantly showed Him.

God showed His love and His favour to those who have been faithful to Him, and Abraham showed to us how the faithful will earn a place of honour among those whom God has blessed and favoured. All those who have listened to God and who have walked in His path has no need to fear, since God Himself will protect them, and He shall send His Angels to guard them from harm and to keep them in His path.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminded the faithful and the Church that those who followed the ways of the world were heading towards ruin and destruction, and they shall face damnation in hell. And he reminded them that those who are in the Church belong to God’s kingdom, and they therefore are bound by the covenant which God had established with them, and thus, they have to fulfil their part of the covenant.

God has always been faithful, but have we always been faithful as well? We should ask this question to ourselves as we go through this season of Lent. More often than not we are not faithful, and we often waver in our commitment to our part of the covenant, and we often were swayed by the temptations of this world and the temptations of pleasure and other things that keep us from staying in the right path towards the Lord.

In the Gospel today, we heard about our Lord Jesus Who was transfigured in glory, Who revealed His true glory among His three disciples, and He showed His light that shone brightly without compare, and in that account about the Transfiguration, we see how God is always faithful to His covenant, which He had first established with Abraham, and which He then maintained and renewed with His servants David and then the people after that, through His prophets and messengers.

God promised Abraham greatness and eternal grace to him and his descendants, and He promised David that his kingdom will never end, and his descendants shall sit on his throne forever. And all these were fulfilled in Jesus, Son of God, Son of Abraham, Son of David, the Heir of the throne of David and the Saviour of the whole race of mankind, all the children of Abraham.

Those who would believe in Him, and put their faith in Him, and those who commit themselves to obey Him and His teachings, shall not be disappointed, for if they honour their part of the covenant, God too shall reward them with everlasting grace and blessings. The Transfiguration has two important lessons and meanings for us, and it is important that we take note of them.

Firstly, through the transfiguration of His earthly flesh, Jesus our Lord showed that all the faithful ones in God shall also be transformed in body, mind and soul and receive the glory of heaven which has been promised and intended for them. They shall share the glory of the Lord, and everything wicked and impure will be cast out from them. They shall enjoy forever the fruits of the covenant that they have established with God and managed to maintain faithfully.

And then, Jesus Who was transfigured did not remain in that mountain for long. The three disciples of Jesus, Peter, James and John wanted to build three tents for Jesus, Elijah and Moses, because they enjoyed being in the presence of the glory of God. They felt the safety and the security, the comfort of being in the presence of God, as they would have feared no evil and obstacles on their path.

But Jesus told them that in order to follow Him, and to be truly faithful to the covenant of God, then one must realise that the ways of this world are not always in accordance or in harmony with the ways of the Lord. On the other hand, conflict will always arise whenever we are to choose the Lord and His ways over that of the approved ways of the world.

But we must not be afraid or be hesitant as many people had done in the past. If we are truly faithful to the Lord and to the covenant which He had established with us and our ancestors, then He will ensure that nothing will harm our eternal soul. Yes, indeed, suffering and pain may come upon our flesh, our earthly bodies that may be subjected under the powers of the world, but nothing can harm our soul but God alone.

If we want to follow the Lord our God, and accept the covenant which He had created for us, and which He is fulfilling with us, even now, then He shall bless us with eternal life, eternal happiness and glory with Him, but it will not be an easy path for us. It requires total commitment and devotion, as Jesus Himself had fulfilled His end of the covenant, by suffering a great deal and being crucified for our own sins.

In this season of Lent, shall we commit ourselves anew to the Lord, to His laws and precepts, and to obey Him in all things as the part we need to do as our part of the covenant? God offered us His love and mercy, but He has also granted us the free will to choose whether we want to embrace His love and mercy, or whether we prefer to choose the world and its wickedness, and all the temptations of pleasure instead of the love of God.

May God help us to remain faithful to Him and to His covenant with us. May He strengthen our faith and our resolve to live in accordance with what He had wanted us to live in, and may all of us grow stronger in our love and devotion for Him. May Almighty God bless us all and forgive us our sins, and may He grant us the gift of everlasting life in our righteousness. Amen.

by

Sunday, 21 February 2016 : Second Sunday of Lent, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Philippians 3 : 17 – Philippians 4 : 1

Unite in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and look at those who walk in our way of life. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. I have said it to you many times, and now I repeat it with tears : they are heading for ruin; their belly is their god and they feel proud of what should be their shame. They only think of earthly things.

For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like His own Body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is His to submit everything to Himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Philippians 3 : 20 – Philippians 4 : 1

For us, our citizenship is in heaven, from where we await the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Lord. He will transfigure our lowly body, making it like His own Body, radiant in Glory, through the power which is His to submit everything to Himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, you my glory and crown, be steadfast in the Lord.

by

Saturday, 20 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded of the laws and commandments that God had put in place for us, through His servant Moses, through His prophets and messengers, that all of us should obey them and act in the fulfilment of the precepts and the will of the Lord. This means that we should not do things that contradict the Law and the ways of the Lord, and in all things, we should devote ourselves to the righteousness as the Lord had shown us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, but we have to take note that we cannot become like robots in our faith, which means that we must not believe blindly or believing without understanding the true meanings of our faith. If we believe for the sake of believing or if we believe because we were told to do so, and see it as an obligation, then brethren, I fear that we still have a long way to go to become truly the disciples and followers of our Lord worthy of Him.

In the example which our Lord Jesus gave us today, He gave us the example of those who love only their friends and relatives, meaning that they love only those who love them back, as opposed to those who love everyone without discrimination, meaning that they will even love all those who have hated them, disliked them, treated them badly and spoke all kinds of evils and wicked things about them.

What Jesus our Lord mentioned was in fact, the essence of true and pure love. This kind of love is love that does not expect returns or rewards, and neither does it require any prerequisites or conditions. This is unconditional, selfless and perfect love, the same kind of love which our Lord Jesus Himself had shown us as an example to all of us how we should love Him and love one another as well.

For Jesus had given Himself up on the cross, allowing Himself to die for our sake, to suffer for our sake, that even though we were all sinners, wicked and unrepentant, He was willing to die for us, so that through His death and through His perfect love, we may find a way to Him, and by His resurrection, be reunited with Him in love, within the grace and within the loving embrace of God.

And by His many other works and examples, and through His teachings to His Apostles and followers, He had given us the examples of how we should love one another, and how we should interact with others, be it those who love us and care for us, and for those who hated us, who despised us, who cursed us, and who treated us badly. These too we should love and care regardless of what they had done for us.

Therefore, in this season of Lent, all of us have been challenged to love one another, even those who have not loved us back first. Our love must be unconditional and demanding for no reward or returns. We are all called to greater mercy and charity during this period of time, turning our hearts and minds away from selfishness, and growing deeper in our commitment to love God and His people.

Let us all pray together, and work together as one people, belonging to the one and only Church of God, to be filled with love and with the goodness of God, in this season of Lent. Let us all be converted to God, and seek to be reunited with our Lord, and may by our actions, all of us can be made whole and worthy once again. God bless us all. Amen.

by

Saturday, 20 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 43-48

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said : ‘Love your neighbour and do not do good to your enemy.’ But this I tell you : love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and He gives rain to both the just and the unjust.”

“If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? As for you, be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect.”

by

Saturday, 20 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Deuteronomy 26 : 16-19

On this day, YHVH, your God, commands you to fulfil these norms and these commandments. Obey them now and put them into practice with all your heart and with all your soul.

Today YHVH has declared to you that He will be your God, and so you shall follow His ways, observing His norms, His commandments and His laws, and listening to His voice. Today YHVH has declared that you will be His very own people even as He had promised you, and you must obey all His commandments.

He, for His part, will give you honour, renown and glory, and set you high above all the nations He has made, and you will become a nation consecrated to YHVH, your God, as He has declared.

by

Friday, 19 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard in the Scripture readings about the importance of being righteous in our actions in life, and how important it is for us to remain committed to the righteousness in our lives. God wanted to show us that no one is truly beyond redemption, and there is hope for us all, as long as we are willing to commit ourselves to the way of our Lord.

There is no such thing as immediate damnation until it is too late for us or if we constantly and repeatedly refused the offer of mercy from God. And there is also no such thing as privileged status for us if we are righteous, and if we are not careful or if we do not stay vigilant, we may easily fall back into sin, and therefore back into damnation and the risk of hellfire.

God wanted us to know that our faith cannot be one that is passive and without action. And neither can our faith be contradicted by our actions that do not show our faith, and instead bring about scandal because of our wickedness. Instead, we have to live our lives filled with real action based on our faith, and in all of our dealings and actions, they must be filled with the grace of God and in accordance with God’s commandments.

In this season of Lent, have we all done what is expected from us as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord our God? Have we done the actions that show us as true Christians not just on paper, but also through real and concrete acts as well? This is the perfect opportunity for us to take up our crosses and follow our Lord, and proving through our dedication and commitment, to be faithful to God in all things.

We are all called to bring forth peace, harmony and love among peoples, between ourselves and our brethren and neighbours around us, in our own families, in our own societies and communities, that everyone may live with one another in peace, and in harmony to do the will of God, and by loving and caring for one another, we may bring each other closer to God.

It is important for us to keep ourselves pure and far away from sin, and even though temptations to sin will always be there, but if we put forth the effort of our bodies, hearts and minds, together as one people of God, and if we help each other, surely then we will be better able to resist the temptations of sin and better able to reject with certainty the lies of Satan.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all renew our commitment to the Lord this Lent, and let us all work together, to keep ourselves and our actions pure and righteous before God. Let us not give any chance for Satan to infiltrate our hearts and tempt us to sin, but cast him out and reject him with firm faith, knowing that if we follow him, we are heading to eternal damnation.

May God help us in this journey and this life, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and that we may find our way to Him and be saved from the certain destruction awaiting those who have not been faithful to Him. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

by

Friday, 19 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 129 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8

Out of the depths I cry to You, o Lord. O Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.

If You should mark our evil, o Lord, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness, and for that You are revered.

I waited for the Lord, my soul waits, and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects the Lord more than watchmen the dawn. O Israel, hope in the Lord.

For with Him is unfailing love and with Him full deliverance. He will deliver Israel from all its sins.

by

Thursday, 18 February 2016 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we see the truth behind the love that God has for all of us. He is a Father to all of us, for He had created us all. And just as all fathers love their children, therefore, He too loves all of us, and even more than fathers do love their children. And He will not abandon His children in times of need, but He will succour us and protect us from everlasting harm.

And Jesus in the Gospel today made clear of this fact, that God will care for His children well, and He will not bring them to harm or bring them into trouble. If we only would ask when we are in trouble, and sincerely opening ourselves and our hearts to Him, then He will succour us and help us for sure. If we seek Him and try to find help in Him, then help will be given to us.

In the first reading today, we heard about the Queen Esther of Persia, a Jew who became the queen of the Persian Emperor, at the time when the enemies of the people of God were trying to bring about their destruction. The people of Israel were in very dire straits indeed, as the order of death and destruction had been placed on them, under the laws of the Persians and the Medians, which could not be revoked, and the enemies of the Lord and His people were then rejoicing for the coming destruction of Israel.

Therefore, at that time, Queen Esther sought the help of the Lord, praying and seeking His divine protection, beseeching the love which God has for His people and begging for Him to intercede for their sake, in tears and in in humble supplications, in mourning and in sorrow, and the Lord heard the prayers of Esther and the people of Israel, doomed to death and destruction, and yet God Who loved them would not let that fate to befall them.

How are these relevant to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is very relevant as all of us in our own respective lives on earth, and as we continue living on in this world, we all have our own troubles, difficulties, challenges and obstacles. And we all have no one better to turn to in case of difficulties, than our Lord Himself. He is the only One Who shall not abandon us in times of difficulties. Friends and even families may abandon us, but not God.

And yet there is one thing that all of us need to remember and take note of, and that is the need for us to reach out to the Lord, to be proactive, seeking Him, asking Him and finding Him, and we should not forget that while we must humble ourselves before Him, but we should not be afraid to approach Him, as He loves us all, and there is nothing worse than us being lost just because we are afraid to bring about God’s anger if we seek Him.

This season of Lent is the perfect time and moment for our conversion and for our renewal. Let us draw closer to God, and let us be courageous to speak to Him and to ask Him for His mercy and help, but at the same time, let us all also be committed fully to change ourselves for the better, abandoning our sinful ways and finding our way to the Lord. Let us all be saved and be freed from our sins, and find our way to the Lord, our loving God and Father. Amen.