way of the Lord

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Saturday, 16 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Mark 2 : 13-17

At that time, when Jesus went out again beside the lake, a crowd came to Him, and He taught them. As He walked along, He saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow Me!” And Levi got up and followed Him.

And it so happened that when Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners sat with Him and His disciples; there were a lot of them, and they used to follow Jesus. But Pharisees, men educated in the Law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, “Why does your Master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard them, answered, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Saturday, 16 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Psalm 20 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

The king rejoices in Your strength, o Lord, and exults in Your saving help. You have granted him his desire; You have not rejected his request.

You have come to him with rich blessings; You have placed a golden crown upon his head. When he asked, You gave him life – the length of days forever and ever.

He glories in the victory You gave him; You shall bestow on him splendour and majesty. You have given him eternal blessings, and gladdened him with the joy of Your presence.

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Saturday, 16 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

1 Samuel 9 : 1-4, 17-19 and 1 Samuel 10 : 1a

There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a valiant Benjaminite. Kish had a son named Saul, a handsome young man who had no equal among the Israelites, for he was a head taller than any of them.

It happened that the asses of Kish were lost. So he said to his son Saul, “Take one of the boys with you and go look for the asses.” They went all over the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah but did not find them. They passed through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but the asses nowhere to be found.

So, when Samuel saw Saul, YHVH told him, “Here is the man I spoke to you about! He shall rule over My people.” Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and said, “Tell me, where is the house of the seer?” Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me. In the morning, before you leave, I will tell you all that is in your heart.”

Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head.

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Friday, 15 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we see how the people of Israel were jealous of the fact that the other nations and peoples had their own kings and rulers to rule over them, while they themselves had no king to reign over them, but instead just a judge appointed to shepherd the people of God and the faithful.

The people were not satisfied with that arrangement, and they preferred to follow the ways of the world, not understanding that even though they had no king to rule over them, but they actually truly had a King, Who constantly cared for them and watched over them, that is the Lord their God, their King and Master. It was through the judges that He had made His will known to His people.

And in this manner, the kings of Israel were also like the judges, in that they represented the Lord in the completion and in fulfilling His will, as the regents and vicars for the Lord, not in advancing their own glory and power, but instead giving glory to God for all that He had done, and doing their best to fulfil whatever had been entrusted to them, in the guidance of the people of God towards the way of the Lord.

But, the kings of Israel often fell victim to their own human desires, greed and needs. They ended up serving their own needs first instead of serving the need of the people of God, and they, as what the prophet Samuel had warned in the first reading today, would oppress the people, demanding from them many things to satisfy their own desires and needs.

Yet, in the Gospel today, we see another King, One Who acts with justice and righteousness. Yes, He is Jesus our Lord and King, Whom we heard today, giving the paralytic man a new lease of life, by healing him from his afflictions. Despite the opposition from the chief priests, the Pharisees and the scribes, who endlessly criticised Him and tried at every opportunities to disturb His works, He continued to do the will of God.

This is to show that Jesus did not misuse His authority as many of the kings who ruled over Israel had done, as should be evident if we are to read the Book of Kings from the Old Testament. Those kings led the people to the wrong paths, serving idols and other gods, and they also acted with tyranny and injustice, just as the king Ahab showed, in how he unjustly gained the vineyard of Naboth, whom he falsely accused of blasphemy in order to get him out of the way.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, then, what is it there for us to learn from this then? It is that with power comes great responsibility, and with power comes also the risk of corruption and tyranny, that if we do not use power and authority given to us rightly, then we are all in danger of being taken in and being engrossed with whatever we have, the wealth, the power, the fame, the opportunities and many other things.

Let us all understand that all of us have been given the responsibility to live our lives and use whatever God has given us, our abilities and our strengths, to help one another and to lead one another ever closer to God. Let us help one another to find our way to the Lord, and put the needs of others ahead of our own selfishness, desires and all the things that prevent us from realising this potential inside each one of us.

May the Lord our God awaken in each one of us the spirit of love, to love one another, especially those who are less fortunate than us, and those who have wandered off into the darkness of the world. Let us all reach out to one another, and guide all of us together, as one people, that we may all in the end find our way to the salvation in our God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 15 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 88 : 16-17, 18-19

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

You give us glory and power; and Your favour gives us victory. Our king is in the hands of the Lord; the God of Israel is our Shield.

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Friday, 15 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 8 : 4-7, 10-22a

Because of this, all the chiefs of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel in Ramah. They said to him, “You are already old and your sons are not following your ways. Give us a king to rule over us as in all the other nations.”

Samuel was very displeased with what they said, “Give us a king to rule us,” and he prayed to YHVH. And YHVH told him, “Give to this people all that they ask for.” So Samuel answered those who were asking him for a king, and he told them all that YHVH said to him, “Look, these will be the demands of your king : he will take your sons and assign them to his chariot and his horses and have them run before his chariot.”

“Some he will assign as commanders over a thousand men and commanders over fifty. Others will till his ground and reap his harvest, make his implements of war and the equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters as well to prepare perfumes, to cook and to bake for him.”

“He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards and your olive orchards and give them to his officials. He will take a tenth portion of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your menservants and maidservants, the best of your cattle and your asses for his own work.”

“He will take the tenth of your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves. When these things happen, you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves. But by then, YHVH will not answer you.”

The people paid no attention to all that Samuel said. They insisted, “No! We want a king to govern us as in all the other nations. Our king shall govern us, lead us and go ahead of us in our battles.”

Upon hearing all that his people said, Samuel repeated it to YHVH. But YHVH said to him, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

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Thursday, 14 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the words of the Sacred Scripture about the great sorrow of the people of Israel, when during their struggle against the Philistines, they were badly beaten, and most importantly, the Ark of the Covanent itself was taken away by the Philistines, and many of the Israelites lay defeated and killed on that day.

What they did not know is how far the have fallen deep into sin and disobedience against God. They have not been entirely faithful to the commandments and laws that they were all expected to obey and follow. And even their leaders, the sons of Eli, namely Hophni and Phinehas, who was corrupt and wicked in their ways, cheating the people of God of their money and offerings, taking the best for their own.

In the Gospel we witnessed how Jesus cleansed the leper from his predicament, removing from him the taint and the shame of leprosy that had once tainted and made him rejected and outcast among his own people. Jesus appreciated his faith and He was willing to extend His mercy and forgiveness to those who sincerely seek Him and wants to be healed and purified.

The parallel between the two readings can be seen in the low state of shame, despair and the destitute state when those who have disobeyed and refused to listen to the Lord suffered because of their actions and their inability to receive the grace and blessings from God. But God did not leave them all in darkness and uncertainty, as He provided them with the means with which they would be able to find a way out of that darkness.

Through all these, all of us should come to the realisation of the fact that, even though we may have been unworthy, sinful, wicked and filled with so much pride, hubris, darkness and with all of our negative emotions, but as long as we are willing to change ourselves and commit ourselves anew in our effort to love Him and devote ourselves to Him, then there is hope for all of us.

God loves us all, and He wants us all to be reunited with Him, and thus, even though we may have been separated from Him once, but He offered us a new opportunity, and in that opportunity, if we accept the offer which He had granted us with firm heart and resolution within, then surely we will find our way towards the promise of God’s eternal salvation and the life that He promised all of us.

What matters is that, we have to be able to overcome the barriers and the obstacles of fear that often blocked our path towards the Lord. This is because of the fact that we are all sinners that sometimes prevented us from actively and directly reaching out to the Lord, because of the uncertainties in our hearts, and our inability to understand and comprehend God’s great love and mercy.

But if we fear God’s anger and punishment and therefore we do not take the path towards the Lord’s mercy, then in many cases, most of us will just remain as where we are now, living constantly in sin and darkness. This is what we cannot do, and we have to stir ourselves awake so as to push ourselves into doing what is right and just in the sight and presence of the Lord.

Let us all now therefore, go forth and seek the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness for all of our trespasses, and so that we may reorientate ourselves and our lives to be in accordance to the will of God. Let us all from now on be more active and be more devoted to God our Lord and Father, that in all the things that we do and say, we will always bring glory to the Lord and remain in His love forever. Amen.

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Wednesday, 13 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the calling of the boy Samuel, who would become a great prophet and servant of God one day in his lifetime, who would be the one to anoint the first kings over Israel and also led the people of God during a time of turmoil and uncertainty, and also go against even the king Saul when he had erred in his judgment and no longer following the will of God.

Samuel was still very young when he was dedicated to the Lord at His House, when his mother Hannah whose prayer for a child had been answered by God, gave him to be the possession of the Lord forevermore. And then, as he grew up under the tutelage of Eli, the then judge over Israel, he grew in spirit and in faith to the Lord. And when the time was ripe, even though he was still also very young then, God began to speak to him, revealing the intention He had for him, and also for His people Israel.

In the Gospel today, we heard about Jesus our Lord Who healed the mother-in-law of His disciple Simon Peter, Who cast out from her the sickness and made her whole once again, and then we also heard how He healed many others who were sick and cared for those with afflictions, casting out evil spirits from them and brought them back from the depth of the darkness and into the light.

And Jesus also said to His disciples, how many of the people in other places also had need of Him, and He could not just stay in one place only serving the sick and the destitute of that area alone. He was sent into the world to bring about the salvation and the liberation of all of the peoples of God, and to that extent He would make Himself available to heal all those who seek for His help.

And in the same way Samuel had been called by the Lord even in his youth in order to serve a greater purpose. One might have thought that someone like Samuel would have become a servant in the household of Eli and as a servant in the House of the Lord, but God called him to be His mouthpiece and to be the one who would reveal His truth to the multitudes of the Israelites and to their neighbours alike.

Today we commemorate also the feast of St. Hilary, also known as St. Hilary of Poitiers, a holy saint renowned for his devout life and for his purity of life, and as a faithful servant of God, as the Bishop of Poitiers, he opposed the move and the attempt by the heretical Arians from their trying to subvert and lure away the people of God from the salvation in the Church.

St. Hilary of Poitiers tried his best to defend his flock from the depredations of the Arians, and despite their opposition, even which caused him to be exiled from Poitiers to the the other far ends of the Empire, he continued to labour hard for the sake of the Lord, and for his true faith in Him. He never gave up even despite all the oppositions and the challenges he had faced.

And when he managed to return to his own diocese after a few years, he continued the good works which he had started and continued on to sow the seeds of good faith amongst the people of God, and this resulted in many who were prevented from falling into heresy, and many others repented and returned to the true faith in the Lord.

In all these, we see the courage and the faith exhibited by St. Hilary of Poitiers, the kind of faith that all of us should have as well. We must have the same kind of zeal and faith, in following God and heeding to His call as the prophet Samuel had also once done. Only when we actively live out our faith and dedicate ourselves fully to the Lord, then we shall be blessed and made the sharers in our God’s inheritance.

Let us all from now on be more committed in our faith and dedicate our lives to serve the Lord in all things, so that through all that we have done, we may glorify God and bring much grace and blessings to all of us. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the continuation of the story of the birth of Samuel the prophet, who was born of Elkanah, his father, and of Hannah, his mother who was once barren and unable to bear a child at all. And the other wife of Elkanah liked to jeer at Hannah and gloat over her because she was able to provide Elkanah with children, unlike Hannah.

And when Hannah prayed fervently before the Lord, beseeching Him for His mercy and help, the Lord heard her prayers and fulfilled her wish to have a son, whom she then dedicated to the Lord to be His servant, namely Samuel. And God blessed her richly from then on, as she had dedicated the very son who had come to her, and thus she was given many more children.

It was this that is in our psalm of today, which was taken from the song which Hannah in great joy and thanksgiving praised the Lord for all that He had done for her. She thanked God for having lifted from her the shame and embarrassment that came with the fact of her being unable to have a child, which was truly something shameful in the society at that time.

In the Gospel, we heard how the Lord Jesus cast out demons and evil spirits from a possessed man. At that time, people who were possessed with evil spirits, or had leprosy and other aberrations were seen as unclean and wicked, and they were excluded from the society, forced to live outside the bounds of the villages and the cities. People were afraid to look at them, turned their faces away from them, and they were thought as cursed by God.

Jesus showed that He had the authority over all things, be it human beings or spiritual beings, and even the devil and his angels also have to bend their knees before Him. And by casting out the evil spirits from the possessed man, He had healed him from his afflictions, removing from him the stigma and the obstacle which prevented him from being truly united to the rest of his society.

In all these, we see our God Who is loving and merciful, filled with love for us, He Who wants us all to be healed of our afflictions and suffering because of our sins. Yes, sin is the disease and affliction of the soul, which prevents us from being united with the Lord our God, the snare of the devil which pulls us down into the damnation and suffering in hell.

And God wants to show us all that He has the power and the authority to liberate us from all those pains and sufferings, and He brought with Him the hope and the light for us all, so that all those who gaze upon Him will see a new hope and way out of their suffering in sin. But all these do not just need the mercy and the love of God, but also our commitment and desire to be saved.

Yes, just imagine that if God had given us so much attention and love, and yet we refuse to follow Him and reject the forgiveness and mercy which He has given us, then surely we will have no part in the salvation that He had promised us. We have been given the free will to choose, and thus it is within our choice too for us to choose between obeying the Lord and following His ways, and disobeying Him while following our own whim and desires.

Let us all today therefore reflect on our own lives, on our own actions and choices we have made in life. God has given us His rich mercy and love, and the countless opportunities for us to be redeemed and be forgiven, and now it is up to us, if we are to welcome all these with open hands and hearts, or whether we are to turn our backs against the Lord and remain with all the pleasures and the good things that this world offer us. May God strengthen our faith and resolve, and may He guide us to the right paths. God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 11 January 2016 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we begin our season in the Ordinary Time, after we left the season of Christmas that officially ended yesterday with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Today’s Scripture readings made it very clear to us that God called us mankind to be His followers and to walk along His path.

In the first reading, we heard about the prophet Samuel, who was born to a couple who were once unable to have a child, as the mother of Samuel, Hannah, was barren. She prayed to the Lord and promised that if her prayers for a child were fulfilled, then she would offer her firstborn to be a servant of the Lord in all things. And thus, Samuel was born and given to the Lord to be His servant.

God listened to her prayers and fulfilled her wish, as truly nothing is impossible for God. As long as whatever we wish is within His will to grant us, then He shall grant us what we need in accordance with His will. God loves us all and He wants us all to be reunited with Him in perfect love, and that was why, just as the parents of Samuel who loved God and offered their first son to Him, God also gave us His own Son as the proof of His eternal and infinite love.

Yes, He gave us Jesus His Son, to redeem us, and through Him, all of us have been called just as Samuel was called by the Lord, to be His followers, abandoning our old ways and our sinful past, and from then on, to be faithful and devoted in all the things that we say and do. He is calling us to be light to the nations, and to be His disciples and the extension of His hands, to spread to more people His love and help.

Therefore, just as we heard how Jesus called His disciples from among the simple fishermen at the shores of the lake of Galilee, and even tax collectors and zealots, who were counted among the numbers of His Twelve Apostles, thus, this is an example for us all too, that all of us should also follow their footsteps in following the Lord, and be transformed in our own lives, so that we no longer exist as creatures of this world, but as the people of God’s everlasting Kingdom.

Today we are all called to be like the disciples of our Lord, who left behind all of their tools of trade and even families behind in order to follow the Lord our God. Well, this does not mean that we have to literally do the same thing as well, abandoning our families and our lives. Rather, it means that all of us, who have often been in our comfort zone for very long time, should be aroused to move out and get on the path towards the Lord and His salvation.

And how do we do this then, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is by removing all of our doubts and fears, or laziness and unwillingness to do what is expected from us as the followers and disciples of our Lord. Let us rather be courageous and be forthcoming in all of our words, actions and deeds, showing to all those who see us that we all belong to the Lord and we are always faithful in Him no matter what happens.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all renew our commitment and our faith to God, by refusing to be pulled down by ourselves and our attachment to our comfort zone. But rather, at the beginning of this new year, let us all strengthen our resolve ever more to be ever more faithful disciples and followers of our God, to love one another, our brethren ever more, and bring more lost souls to the salvation in God. God bless our endeavours and be with us all. Amen.