Wednesday

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Wednesday, 26 March 2025 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord in the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the Law which the Lord has presented and given to all of us through the Scriptures and His Church, which has revealed and taught us this Law and the various commandments that we ought to follow and obey in our lives. Each and every one of us as Christians are bound to follow and obey these Law and commandments that God had given to us, as part of the Covenant which He had established and made with all of us. And what we heard today in our Scripture readings are reminders for us to follow these laws and commandments with appreciation and understanding of their importance and significance for us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses, the leader of the Israelites told all the people to be obedient to the Law of God and to follow His commandments, instead of being rebellious and hardened in heart as they had often done during their Exodus from Egypt and the journey through the desert. Moses told the people the reason why God gave His Law and commandments to them, and everything ultimately pointed towards the desire that God had in ensuring that His people would be forgiven from all of their many sins, to be guided in their paths and ways so that they would no longer be lost to Him and be condemned to the eternity of suffering and damnation like what the evil ones will be suffering from.

This is something which we need to be acutely aware of, realising that our sins like those sins of the people of Israel can lead us all into certain destruction, which God wants to prevent us from suffering such a fate. And this was why He gave us His Law and commandments just as He had once revealed it to the Israelites through Moses. They were meant to serve as a guide and assistance to the people of God so that they would live worthily and be strengthened in their desire to follow God wholeheartedly amidst the many temptations and coercions of worldly desires, pleasures and ambitions found all around them. Thus, unless we ourselves also obey the Law and commandments of God wholeheartedly and with true understanding of God’s love and will, then we may find it difficult to remain faithful to Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and all those who were following Him in which He made it clear that He did not mean to change or abolish the Law of God, contrary to the perception and misconception that many among the Israelites, particularly among the religious and intellectual elites, had in Him, His teachings and actions. Those leaders often assumed that Jesus and His works and teachings were contrary to the Law of God revealed through Moses, particularly in their frequent clashes on the matter of the Sabbath Law. To the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the Sabbath Law was sacrosanct in the manner that they observed it, refusing to allow any kinds of activities on that day.

However, the Lord told the people the true intention of the Lord when He instituted the Sabbath Law, and that was to help all of His people to come to Him and to remember the need to focus their lives on Him, and not on their various other pursuits and desires in life, in this world present around us. We may easily be tempted and swayed by our many attachments and desires, in all of our works and activities in this world that we forget our obligation and relationship with God. And that is why God instituted this Day of Rest, the Sabbath Day such that the people of Israel might have the time to take a break from their busy daily activities and works, and dedicate this time to worship the Lord and to strengthen their relationships with Him.

But, unfortunately, by the time of the Lord and His ministry, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had misunderstood the intention and purpose of the Law of God, using them instead to impose unrealistic expectations and observances on the people of God. In the matter of the Sabbath Law, it was so strictly enforced that the people were not allowed to do anything even good and virtuous deeds that may benefit the people around them. And this was what the Lord highlighted to those hypocrites, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who have misled the people through their wrong teachings and interpretations of the Law, and their elitist attitudes in claiming to be better, more pious and holier than everyone else, and in their judgmental and biased attitudes against those they deemed to be unredeemable sinners like the tax collectors and prostitutes.

And what we are being reminded of today is the love of God manifested through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Himself, Who has renewed the Covenant that God had made with His people, the love which He has shown us all again and again in many occasions, and which He has constantly reminded us through His Son and through the Law that He has taught and shown to us. What He wants us all to know is that He has given us all those Law and commandments to help and guide us in our path so that we may truly come to Him and embrace His great love and compassion without falling into the wrong path or be distracted by the many temptations and coercions found all around us. God, as our most loving Father and Creator wants us all to be reconciled and reunited with Him.

That is why, let us all make the conscious effort during this time and season of Lent so that in everything we do, in all of our Lenten observances, and in how we obey the Law and commandments of God that had been given to us through the Church, we may all continue to obey them with the right understanding and mindset, knowing that we do all them out of the sincere love for God and from the desire to be reconciled and reunited with the Lord, our loving Father and Creator. May He continue to bless and guide us in our journey so that by our examples and obedience, we may be good role models and inspirations to everyone else around us, to lead more and more people towards God and His mercy. Amen.

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Wednesday, 26 March 2025 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 17-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfil them. I tell you this : as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the Law will change until all is fulfilled.”

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Wednesday, 26 March 2025 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 147 : 12-13, 15-16, 19-20

Exalt the Lord, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word. He spreads snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes.

It is He Who tells Jacob His words, His laws and decrees to Israel. This He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

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Wednesday, 26 March 2025 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Deuteronomy 4 : 1, 5-9

And now, Israel, listen to the norms and laws which I teach that you may put them into practice. And you will live and enter and take possession of the land which YHVH, the God of your fathers, gives you.

See, as YHVH, my God, ordered me, I am teaching you the norms and the laws that you may put them into practice in the land you are going to enter and have as your own. If you observe and practice them, other peoples will regard you as wise and intelligent. When they come to know of all these laws, they will say, ‘There is no people as wise and as intelligent as this great nation.’

For in truth, is there a nation as great as ours, whose gods are as near to it as YHVH, our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him? And is there a nation as great as ours whose norms and laws are as just as this Law which I give you today?

But be careful and be on your guard. Do not forget these things which your own eyes have seen or let them depart from your heart as long as you live. But on the contrary, teach them to your children and to your children’s children.

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Wednesday, 19 March 2025 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church marks the occasion of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the husband of the Mother of God, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. St. Joseph therefore is the foster-father and legal guardian of the Lord, Who was born into his family. St. Joseph is the Protector and titular head of the Holy Family centred on Jesus, the Son of God and Saviour of all. On this day we honour this great figure of the story of our salvation, the one who has devoted himself thoroughly to the mission that has been entrusted to him, in protecting and guiding the Son of God which has been put in his guardianship. St. Joseph was this great example and role model for his foster and legal Son, and his righteousness and actions are themselves examples for us to follow.

In our first reading today, we heard from the second Book of the prophet Samuel in which the Lord told David, the then King of Israel, through His prophet Nathan regarding His response about the plan that King David had in wanting to build a great Temple and House of God in Jerusalem. The Lord told David that it would not be him that build the Temple and House for the Lord, but his son, the next king, King Solomon, who eventually built this great edifice and House of God. But more importantly in the same words of the Lord through the prophet Nathan, God assured David that He would bless him and his house forever, and his house would reign forever on the Throne of Israel. While this was seen immediately as the Lord’s promise of blessings for David’s son, Solomon, who would be the king after him, but it was in fact also the premonition of what God would do through David’s House.

This is because the kingdom that David and his son Solomon ruled in great glory did not in fact last long after their passing, and the kingdom of Israelites split into two barely moments after King Solomon passed away. And the descendants of David and Solomon were eventually bereft of kingship as the kingdom of Judah, on which throne the heirs of David ruled for another few hundred years, was destroyed and conquered by the Babylonians. But the descendants of King David remained and existed, and after many more generations, eventually it came to St. Joseph himself, who was the senior and rightful heir of David by descent. While keeping a low profile and was relatively unknown by the people of God at that time, by the legal rights and rules of the Law, it is right and just that St. Joseph was indeed the one to continue David’s legacy, and from him to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

And therefore this passage from the Book of the prophet Samuel is highlighted today for us because it provides us with the link between what God had promised to David, His servant, and its fulfilment in Jesus Christ, the Son and Heir of David through His foster and legal father, St. Joseph. Jesus our Lord is the perfect fulfilment of God’s promises and assurances for His people, and this was shown to us through the Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, which detailed to us the genealogy of Our Lord from that of the House of David. Thus, it was not without basis that the Lord Jesus came bearing forth the Good News of God’s salvation, as it was His right heritage as the Heir of David, the One Whom God has promised to both David himself and to the people of Israel, as the One to fulfil all of the prophecies that He had sent through His many prophets and messengers.

And St. Joseph was a great role model indeed as a father and guide for the young Messiah, dedicating himself thoroughly to the role which had been entrusted to him. He obeyed the Lord when He told him through his Angels and the dream he had received, taking Mary as his wife, guiding and protecting her as they made their way to Bethlehem for the census of the Roman Emperor Augustus, and then after the Child has been born, he led the Holy Family to safety when the life of the Holy Child was in danger due to the actions of King Herod. He patiently guided and protected both Mary, his wife and the child Jesus, taking shelter in Egypt during the dangerous times, and then leading them back to Nazareth where he stayed, and brought up the Child faithfully and taught Him well all that he knew of the world, the Law and the ways of the Lord.

Through these actions and great faith, righteousness and virtues that St. Joseph have shown us, we are reminded of the words of the Apostle St. Paul in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle that he had written and intended for the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome. In that Epistle, St. Paul spoke of how Abraham had received righteousness and blessings, and also the assurance for his descendants through the Covenant that God had made with him, not because of his obedience to the Law of God, but more due to the faith and true love and commitment that he had in the Lord. And since the Lord knew this faith and great love that Abraham had for him, this is why He blessed him and his descendants. This was the same as well for St. Joseph, our great Patron whom we celebrate today. His righteousness, virtue and faith in the Lord is a major reason why we commemorate and honour him such, even more than the fact that he is the foster-father of Our Lord and Saviour.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore look upon the great faith, virtue and obedience shown by St. Joseph, his great perseverance and commitment to the missions entrusted to him by the Lord as great inspiration and model for all of us to follow in our own lives. Each and every one of us should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by worldly temptations or fears, or any kind of worldly distractions from keeping us away from God. We have often fallen into those temptations and as a result, we became distracted, separated and distanced away from our Lord and His grace. And this is why the examples and inspiration shown by St. Joseph, his righteousness and love for those whom he had been entrusted with, his Spouse Mary, the Mother of God, and his foster-Son, our Lord Himself, in the Holy Family should be good examples to all of us, in our own families and among ourselves.

Let us all continue to walk in the path which the Lord has shown and taught us, and following the good role model and examples of St. Joseph, Holy Patron, the foster-father of Our Lord and Saviour, the Spouse of Mary, the Blessed ever Virgin Mother of God, let us all be ever more faithful and committed to be good and worthy Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen from this world to be His own beloved and holy people. Let us all be good example and role models ourselves to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We are all called to be devoted to the Lord, to be righteous and just in all of our ways and actions, our every moments in life, and be the worthy bearers of God’s truth, now and always. May our Lenten observance continue to bear good and rich fruits, and may we draw ever closer to God. Amen.

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Wednesday, 19 March 2025 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus Who is called the Christ – the Messiah.

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the Angel of the Lord had told him to do.

Alternative reading

Luke 2 : 41-51a

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, He went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the Boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.

They thought He was in the company, and after walking the whole day they looked for Him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for Him, and on the third day they found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw Him, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for You.” Then He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them.

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Wednesday, 19 March 2025 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Romans 4 : 13, 16-18, 22

If God promised Abraham, or rather his descendants, that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the Law, but because he was just and a friend of God through faith.

For that reason, faith is the way and all is given by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the Law, but also for all the others who have believed.

Abraham is the father of all of us, as it is written : I will make you father of many nations. He is our father in the eyes of Him Who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence what does not yet exist, for this is the God in Whom he believed. Abraham believed and hoped against all expectation, thus becoming father of many nations, as he had been told : See how many will be your descendants.

This was taken into account for him to attain righteousness.

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Wednesday, 19 March 2025 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

I will sing forever, o Lord, of Your love and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

You said, “I have made a covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.”

“He will call on Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.’  I will keep My covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure.

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Wednesday, 19 March 2025 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Samuel 7 : 4-5a, 12-14a, 16

But that very night, YHVH’s word came to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David, this is what YHVH says : When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you and I will make his reign secure. He shall build a house for My Name and I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a Father to him and he shall be My son.”

“Your house and your reign shall last forever before Me, and your throne shall be forever firm.”

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Wednesday, 12 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all continue to progress through the season of Lent, we are all presented with the call to repentance through the readings of our Sacred Scriptures today, which mentioned the story of the prophet Jonah in Nineveh, the great capital city of the Assyrians. We heard of the repentance of the city and its inhabitants, and how the Lord had mercy on all of them despite the judgment He had pronounced on them, and this was also mentioned again in the Gospels, as a reminder for each and every one of us on how we all should seek the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy because while our sins may indeed be plentiful and horrendous, but God’s love for us and His mercy surpass and transcend even all of those things.

During this time and season of Lent, we are reminded that God’s generous mercy and forgiveness are always available for us as long as we repent from our sinful ways and commit ourselves to change our wickedness, embracing His love and mercy, entrusting ourselves to Him, our loving Father and Creator. However, it is important that we remember, how this mercy and forgiveness require us to change our wicked and unworthy paths in life, embracing instead the righteous and just path of the Lord. We have to change our ways for the better, purifying our hearts and minds, our whole bodies and souls, our whole beings from all the corruption of the darkness of sin and evil. We are reminded not to squander this opportunity that God has given us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jonah as mentioned, the story of how Jonah had been sent to the people of Nineveh, the great capital of the Assyrian Empire. At that time, the Assyrian Empire was a truly mighty Empire that had dominated its neighbours, and they were infamous for being the conquerors who defeated and destroyed the kingdom of the people of God in the northern kingdom of Israel, and brought many of the people into exile. As such, at the time the sayings and the stories of the prophet Jonah was compiled during the Hellenistic period according to Biblical scholars, the Assyrians had gained the notoriety of having committed great sins against God, for their rather vicious and ruthless actions against those people whom they defeated, including that of the Israelites themselves.

That is why when the Lord warned the people of Nineveh of the impending destruction that they all would face for their many sins, it would have come to no surprise for many of those who were reading about the account of the Lord’s warning to those wicked people of Nineveh. Yet, what is even more amazing is the fact that how the people of Nineveh very readily responded to the words of Jonah, and from their king and nobles to the simple men on the streets, all of the whole city showed genuine repentance and regret for their many sins, publicly showing their repentance by wearing sackcloth and in mourning for their fate of destruction, seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness for their wicked deeds. God saw their sincere repentance and humility, and spared them all for the fated destruction that had been proclaimed against them.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus Who told the people that were listening to Him about the sign of Jonah in response to all those people who still refused to believe in Him and His truth. Those people were the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom have witnessed the many works, miracles and wonders of the Lord, and heard His words and teachings, and yet, they still constantly and consistently refused to believe in Him, doubting Him and questioning His authenticity and authority before the people, accusing Him of wrongdoing and evil deeds that He did not do. They kept on asking Him to perform signs and wonders before them, repeatedly even when the Lord had actually done exactly done before their very own eyes. And yet, they still refused to believe.

And that was why the Lord told the people that they would come to see the sign of Jonah, referring to the three days that the prophet Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish or whale, as a premonition of His own time of Passion, His suffering, persecution and death, which would lead to Him being buried in the tomb, in the ‘belly’ of the earth, descending into Hell for a period of three days from the time of His passing until His glorious Resurrection. This sign would be the ultimate sign of truth and salvation, and the revelation and fulfilment of everything that God had promised to all of His people. God wants all of His people, all of us, to know of His most wonderful love and mercy, the compassion and kindness which He has always generously provided to us throughout all these time. And through His Son, He has revealed to us this ever enduring love and kindness.

However, the sad truth and reality is such that, just like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders of the people, many of them still closed their hearts and minds to the Lord, refusing to believe in Him or accepting His truth. The Lord Jesus also mentioned in the same occasion as presented in the Gospel passage earlier that the Queen of the South has come to listen to the wisdom of King Solomon, highlighting how even a pagan and foreigner bothered to make the very arduous travel from faraway lands to come and listen to the wisdom of the renowned King Solomon, and then, comparing it to Himself and the Wisdom which He has shown, the Lord told the people and all those who resisted and rejected Him of the irony that in Him there is a Wisdom that far surpassed that of Solomon’s, as He is Himself the Wisdom of God personified and manifested in the flesh. And yet, His own people refused to believe in Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore spend this precious time and opportunity of Lent to reorientate our lives once again towards the Lord, deepening our faith and trust in the Lord. We must not allow our pride, ego and stubbornness from distracting and swaying us away from the path towards the Lord, as how those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had allowed themselves to be tempted and distracted by their own pride and ego which made them to harden their hearts and minds, not allowing the Lord to speak or communicate His love and truth to them. Let us all remember all the love and mercy which God has for us, and do our best to open our hearts and minds, communicating our thoughts to Him through prayer, spending more good and quality time with Him, our loving Father and Creator.

May all of us continue to draw ever closer to God and grow more aware of our sins and wickedness, all of which had prevented us from coming back towards our Lord’s loving embrace and Presence. Let us all make good use of this time and the opportunities we have been given this Lent so that we will not regret it when we have to give account of our lives before the Lord at the Last Judgment. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory. Amen.