Wednesday

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Wednesday, 29 June 2016 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles, Great Feast of the Church of Rome and the Universal Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 12 : 1-11

About that time king Herod decided to persecute some members of the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword, and when he saw how it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

This happened during the festival of the Unleavened Bread. Herod had him seized and thrown into prison with four squads, each of four soldiers, to guard him. He wanted to bring him to trial before the people after the Passover feast, but while Peter was kept in prison, the whole Church prayed earnestly for him.

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound by a double chain, while guards keep watch at the gate of the prison. Suddenly an Angel of the Lord stood there and a light shone in the prison cell. The Angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him saying, “Get up quickly!”

At once the chains fell from Peter’s wrists. The Angel said, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” Peter did so, and the Angel added, “Now, put on your cloak and follow me.” Peter followed him out; yet he did not realise that what was happening with the Angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

They passed the first guard and then the second and they came to the iron door leading out to the city, which opened of itself for them. They went out and made their way down a narrow alley, where suddenly the Angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, “Now I know that the Lord has sent His Angel and has rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from all that the Jews had in store for me.”

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Wednesday, 22 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop and St. John Fisher, Bishop and St. Thomas More, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard firstly the account of what happened during the time of king Josiah of Judah, when the book of the Law of God was rediscovered in the Temple of God after it had been abandoned or presumably lost for quite some time. The king ordered for the Law to be read to him, and what he heard astounded him and made him tore his clothes in regret to the Lord.

King Josiah was a faithful king, who renewed the covenant of God with His people in the kingdom of Judah. He destroyed the pagan worship sites and the pagan idols, destroying their altars and returned the purity to the faith of the people, enforcing once again the righteous and good worship of YHVH, their Lord and God. And he was also renowned for his celebration of the proper Passover again which have not been truly observed since the days of Solomon, several centuries prior.

But then why did he tremble and acted in terror when he heard about the Law of God which were read to him? That is because the Law of God told the people about the blessings which God would give all those who obeyed the Lord and were faithful to Him, while curses and destruction would be the fate of all those who have disobeyed the Lord and abandoned His ways.

And prior to the reign of king Josiah, there had been many wicked and unfaithful kings of Judah, amidst some of those who were faithful. And these led the people of God in Judah into sin, and as a result, God’s wrath was stoked against His people and His anger has blazed against them. And by the time of Josiah, the time of reckoning was at hand, as the time when the people of Judah would be carried off into exile as what their northern brethren had experienced was coming.

A good king produces good results, and led his people into the right paths. And that was what Josiah tried to do, to led the wayward people of God back to His presence, and hopefully the anger of God would be appeased and calmed down. Unfortunately, for a good king like Josiah and some of his predecessors, there were too many of those who had been wicked and unfaithful.

And these wicked leaders led the people into sin as I have mentioned. A bad tree also produces bad and rotten fruits as well. It was what the Lord Jesus mentioned in the Gospel today. And in the end, as Josiah was the last king of Judah who was faithful to God, and the people of God had their last chance of redemption and forgiveness through him. Unfortunately, they continued to live in sin, and thus God scattered them through the foreign lands where they were exiled in, after the Holy City and the Temple of God were destroyed.

In this we heard what are the consequences if we do not keep our faith in God, and if we do what is wicked and evil. If our hearts are filled with impurities and corruptions of the world, then it is likely that our actions will also be filled with sins and wickedness, and as a result, we are in great danger, for if the Lord comes again to judge us, then He may find our faith wanting, and we will be judged amongst those who deserve the eternal suffering of hell.

If we want to be saved, then we must make sure that we walk in the path of righteousness, and lead a just and devoted life. And if we have not done so all these while, then we should start it right now. Otherwise, if we have done so, then we should continue doing what is right and just before God. And indeed, today, we are all blessed with the presence of not just one, but three honourable saints whose feast we commemorate today.

St. Paulinus of Nola was a Roman noble, who was born into privilege and belonged to a distinguished family, who became an official in the government and eventually rising to the rank of the Roman governor of Campania, a very distinguished and privileged position at that time, ruling one of the main provinces and region of Italy, the heart of the Roman Empire.

But despite that influential position, and the wealth and position which he possessed, St. Paulinus of Nola changed his ways almost entirely after he married a Christian to be his wife. He accepted the Lord as his Messiah and Saviour, and was baptised as a Christian. He was once a devoted pagan, but after having been baptised and followed the Lord’s way, he came to realise the errors of his previous ways, and changed his ways almost completely.

After his son died at an early young age, he and his wife shunned all forms of worldly influences and attractions, with St. Paulinus of Nola leaving behind his career as the governor of Campana and embraced wholly the way of the Lord through service to the Church of God and to His people. And St. Paulinus of Nola ministered to the people of God over many years, eventually appointed as the Bishop of Nola.

Meanwhile St. Thomas More was the Chancellor under the employ of the King of England, King Henry VIII. He was a powerful man with great influence, and he has a lot of power and authority being the one most trusted and most powerful beneath the king himself. However, he remained humble and devoted to his works, and in many cases, he did his best for the sake of his kingdom and his Faith.

St. Thomas More in particular was strongly against the heresy of the Protestant ‘reformation’, the heresy which had spread rapidly throughout Christendom, and caused many people to fall into sin. And he worked closely with the Church, ensuring that the heretical teachings were outlawed and prevented from misleading the people of God into sin.

St. Thomas More remained steadfast even in the midst of the increasing pressure from the king and his allies, all of whom were drifting gradually towards the Protestant camp, with the king having had the grudge against the Church and the Pope for the refusal against the remarriage of the king with another woman as well as his protracted attempt at annulment from his wife, which caused a great scandal at that time.

Both he and St. John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, refused to obey the king on the matters in which he had caused a break between the Church in England from Rome. St. Thomas More resigned his Chancellorship and remained true to his faith, and openly with St. John Fisher stood against the tide of heresy and wickedness that had engulfed the king and his court.

They were the examples of good trees that produce good fruits, for their steadfast faith led to great courage and bravery to stand up even against overwhelming forces, and even in the face of suffering and death. They were martyred for their Faith, and from their examples, inspirations and hope remained for many people to keep up their faith even amidst persecutions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today reflect on all these, and think about what all of us as the people of God can do, so that our actions, words and deeds may be filled with righteousness because our hearts and minds are filled with the Law of God, as well as obedience to His laws and the justice and strength which God has given to all of His faithful ones. Let us all commit ourselves anew to God, and do our best to be righteous in His sight always. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 22 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop and St. John Fisher, Bishop and St. Thomas More, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 7 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus spoke to the people and to His disciples, “Beware of false prophets : they come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inside they are wild wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”

“A good tree always produces good fruit, a rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire. So you will know them by their fruit.”

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Wednesday, 22 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop and St. John Fisher, Bishop and St. Thomas More, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 118 : 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

Explain to me, o Lord, Your commandments, and I will be ever faithful to them.

Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law with all my heart.

Guide me in obeying Your instructions, for my pleasure lies in them.

Incline my heart to follow Your will and not my own selfish desire.

Turn my eyes away from vanities and direct them to Your life-giving word.

Oh, how I long for Your precepts! Renew my life in Your righteousness.

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Wednesday, 22 June 2016 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop and St. John Fisher, Bishop and St. Thomas More, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

2 Kings 22 : 8-13 and 2 Kings 23 : 1-3

At that moment Hilkiah, the high priest, said to Shaphan, the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the House of YHVH.” And he entrusted the Book to Shaphan who read it. Then Shaphan went to the king and said, “We have gathered the money in the House, and this has been turned over to the overtakers of the House to make the repairs.”

And Shaphan added, “The priest Hilkiah has turned over a book to me.” And Shaphan read the book to the king. When the king heard the contents of the book, he tore his clothes and commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, the secretary Shaphan, and Asaiah, his minister, to do the following, “Go and consult YHVH about the threats in this book which you have found. Consult Him for me, for the people and for the whole of Judah, since our fathers did not listen to what this book says nor to its ordinances. This is why the anger of YHVH is ready to burn against us.”

The king summoned to his side all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem. Then he went up to the House of YHVH followed by all the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The priests with the prophets and all the people went with him, from the youngest to the oldest. When all were gathered, he read to them the book of the Law found in the House of YHVH.

The king stood by the pillar; he made a covenant in the presence of YHVH, promising to follow Him, to keep His commandments and laws, and to respect His ordinances. He promised to keep this covenant according to what was written in the book with all his heart and with all his soul. And all the people promised with him.

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Wednesday, 15 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are reminded of what we as Christians have to do as part of our faith, and God reminds us that whatever we are doing, we should not do it for ourselves, but rather, we have to do it for the sake of the Lord our God. This is what we often tend to forget and which we also tend to overlook.

We just have to look at the examples of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of Jesus, whose teachings do not correspond to the actions which they have taken. They preached one thing, but then in their actions they were not genuine in their faith. Jesus elaborated extensively on that matter, criticising them as hypocrites and those who sought to bring about their own personal glory.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us just see some of the examples. The Pharisees were overly concerned about their appearances and about how the people perceived them and their actions. They feared that the people would abandon them and their teachings for Jesus, Who taught with authority and with truth, and who did not just preach but also practiced what He preached.

And Jesus our Lord was right in criticising them, because their actions were not done for the sake of the Lord and His people, but instead, they were meant for themselves, to advance their own positions and to satisfy their own need and greed. They prayed in public places with a loud voice and with great appearances so that the people would see them and what they were doing, and then praise them and gave them the prestige and honour which they desired for so much.

And when they fasted, they fasted publicly, showing sad and gloomy faces, to show others that they were fasting, just as Jesus mentioned. And He pointed out that in doing so, they risked themselves, or indeed they had purposefully done so, that they again might be noticed by the people. And they gained the satisfaction when people praised them for what they have done, and they grew proud in their hearts.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what the Pharisees had done then, are also applicable to us all as well. How often was it throughout our history that we have acted in ways so as to satisfy our own personal desires and wants? And how often is it that men had been so selfish so as they forgot about others around them, or even trample at them in order to fulfil our own needs?

And the most important of all, is that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law did not give glory to God and neither did they love Him or have true faith for Him when they did all the things they have done. They did it for themselves, and not for God or for His people. And that was exactly why the Lord rebuked them and condemned them harshly for it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from all that we have heard and discussed today, let us all come to the realisation that each and every one of us as Christians must have genuine and living faith in our God, and this means that we must truly have that devotion for our God, and when we do everything, let us do it for the Lord our God.

May God strengthen our faith and empower us always to be filled with faith, hope and love, so that in all the things we do, we will always be ever faithful to Him, our Lord and God, and be worthy of His life everlasting. Amen.

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Wednesday, 15 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 6 : 1-6, 16-18

At that time, Jesus spoke to the people and to His disciples, “Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven.”

“When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full.”

“If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father, Who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.”

“When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father Who is with you in secret; and your Father Who sees what is kept secret will reward you.”

“When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so that people can see they are fasting. I tell you this : they have been paid in full already. When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father Who sees beyond appearances.”

“And your Father, Who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.”

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Wednesday, 15 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 30 : 20-21, 24

How great is the goodness which You have stored for those who fear You, which You show, for all to see, to those who take refuge in You! In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from human wiles; You keep them in Your dwelling, safe from the intrigues of wagging tongues.

Love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves His faithful, but He fully requites the arrogant.

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Wednesday, 15 June 2016 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Kings 2 : 1, 6-14

YHVH took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. It happened this way : Elijah and Elisha had left Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, I beg you, for YHVH is only sending me to the Jordan.” But Elisha answered, “I swear by YHVH and by your life that I will never leave you.”

And as they went on their way, fifty fellow prophets of Jericho followed them at a certain distance. When Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan, Elijah took his mantle, rolled it, and struck the water with it. The water parted to both sides and they crossed over on dry ground.

After they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What shall I do for you before I am taken away from you? Ask me.” Elisha said, “Grant that I may have the best of your Spirit.” Elijah answered, “Your request is most difficult. Yet if you see me while I am being taken from you, then you shall have it. But if not, you shall not have it.”

As they were walking on the way, a chariot of fire with horses of fire stood between them, and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw him and cried out, “Father, my father, chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” When Elisha lost sight of him, he took hold of his own clothes and tore them. He then picked up the mantle which had fallen from Elijah and returned to the banks of the Jordan.

There he struck the water with the mantle, but it did not part. So he asked, “Where is YHVH, the God of Elijah?” And as he struck the water again it parted. Elisha crossed over.

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Wednesday, 8 June 2016 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the Scripture readings today, we may not be able to immediately see the link between the different passages which we have heard today. But in fact all of them spoke of a singular message which all of us must know and understand. Our first reading was taken from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, telling us how the prophet Elijah went up against king Ahab and his four hundred and fifty priests of Baal.

And in the Gospel we heard how Jesus was telling the people as well as His disciples about how He came not to nullify and replace the old Law, but instead to reaffirm and confirm the Law and reveal its truth to the whole world. He came not to destroy the old Law but to renew that Law and to bring the people to understand fully the meaning and the purpose of that Law.

How do the two readings reconcile and link with each other? In fact, what we heard from the Old Testament is the most fundamental belief which all of us must have if we are to call ourselves as Christians. We are Christians because we believe in that one and only True God, Jesus Christ, Who has come into the world to be our Saviour, redeeming us from death and sin.

And it was the same God about Whom Elijah preached among a population of unbelievers, the people of the northern kingdom of Israel who had followed their kings into the worship of Baal, Asherah and the other pagan gods worshipped by their neighbours, the Canaanites, Ammonites, Moabites and others. Those people refused to remain true to the covenant which their ancestors had established with God.

God gave His commandments and laws to Moses, so that through him, His people might come to know of His precepts and ways, and therefore obey the rules and the regulations that would be part of the covenant which He established with them. And among the commandments and laws that He had given them, all of them spoke of the same thing, that we the people of God must love God with all of our heart and with all our attention, and then show the same love to our parents, our family, our neighbours and all others around us.

And the people of Israel at the time of Elijah had abandoned those laws and forgotten the love which God has given them. They no longer loved and served the Lord, and instead they served the pagan idols and fornicated themselves, committing wicked acts in the sight of God. But God Who loved us all still wanted to give us a chance, and thus, He sent to them the prophet Elijah to bring the revelation of His truth to those rebellious people.

And Elijah showed the might and the power of God, to lead the people to know that God is the One and the only One Whom they ought to worship. And that same God has then shown us His love and faithfulness, by fulfilling the Law and its covenant through Jesus Christ, as God Himself became one of us, so that through Him all of us may gain perfection and eternal life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus showed His perfect love, the perfect love of God by His own act of the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. He has loved us all even to the point of willingly picking up His cross and bearing our sins, so that we may be free from those sins and their consequences, and thus be made righteous through Him. He showed us all how to love by His own example, to love God with all of our heart, as Elijah had done, and as Jesus loved God His Father, and then loving one another in the same way as He has loved us all.

Let us all reflect on the love which God has generously granted to us, that as we share in His love, we may always be ever mindful of one another, and show love in all our actions, that in everything we do, we will show care, concern, compassion and love for each other, for our brethren, especially those who have no love in them, those who were unloved and ostracised, and those who are despised.

Let us all also love God in the same manner and more, devoting ourselves completely to Him. May God be with us all, and may He continue to love us all the same, always, now and forever. Amen.