Wednesday

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Wednesday, 24 June 2015 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

O Lord, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

It was You who formed my inmost part and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You for these wonders You have done.

And my heart praises You for Your marvellous deeds. Even my bones were known to You when I was being formed in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth.

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Wednesday, 24 June 2015 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Listen to me, o islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. YHVH called me from my mother’s womb; He pronounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in His quiver.

He said to me, “You are Israel, My servant. Through you I will be known.” “I have laboured in vain,” I thought and spent my strength for nothing. Yet what is due me was in the hand of YHVH, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of YHVH, and my God is my strength.

And now YHVH has spoken, He who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel to Him. He said : “It is not enough that you be My servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that My salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”

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Wednesday, 17 June 2015 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all reminded, of the purpose of our actions which we do as part of our faith in God. All of us ought to pray and to devote ourselves to God, through actions such as charity to others and fasting at the allotted time, such as during the season of Lent and on Good Friday, and abstain from meat on Fridays.

But all these observances and practices would mean nothing to us if we do not understand or know the significance of such practices. As an example, Jesus often criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for their very rigid and unbending observance of the Law, and while the intention may be good, but their blind obedience and devotion was their undoing.

When we pray, do we do it for the sake of fulfilling our faith obligations? And when we go to the Mass, do we do so out of fear that if we do not go to the Mass on Sundays then we will be deemed as sinful? Do we truly believe in what we do? Or do we do it without knowing its purpose? When we pray, we ought to know that we are communicating and talking with God in our hearts, so we open our hearts and allow God to enter into us and speak in the depth of the silence of our hearts.

When we do something charitable, we also open ourselves to the rich graces and love of God, and we become the extension of God’s love, through which He showed His mercy and love to men. And when we fast, we do so because we want to die to our desires and to our human needs, and therefore be more capable of focusing our attention to the Lord. It is truly about God, and not about ourselves.

Therefore, if we look at the examples, we should know that when we pray, when we go to the Mass, when we fast and when we do something charitable to others, it is truly about the Lord, and also about those whom we do our charity for, and not about ourselves. It is however a tendency for us to look into ourselves and become too focused on ourselves as we do all these good things.

It is imperative therefore, for us to reexamine ourselves and our focus in life, especially in how we live our faith lives. Have we been genuine in our devotion to God, or have we instead been so selfish and self-serving in our actions? If we are truly faithful, then we would try our best to do everything with proper understanding. It is also a lesson for all of us to take our faith seriously.

Remember, we need to have a correct understanding of our actions so that our actions may benefit us. When we do something, let us all do it for the sake of God and for the sake of others around us, and less for ourselves. Many of the vices and evils happen in our lives exactly because we put ourselves first above God and above others.

Indeed, let us all not seek praise for ourselves and the approval of the world. Let us all be more humble in everything and let go of the pride that often had its grip on our hearts. Let us seek to understand more of what we need to do to be truly faithful to the Lord our God. Give thanks to Him who have given us so much, and for all of His generous graces and blessings for us.

Our prayers and actions should not be dead or filled with self-gratification. Rather, they should be filled with the expression of love and devotion to the Lord, filled with joyful thanksgiving for God’s grace, and also for the mercy and forgiveness for all the sins and wickedness which we have committed in this life. May Almighty God be with us all, fill up our hearts with His love, that we may love Him ever more, through our prayers and through our actions in this life. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2015 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 6 : 1-6, 16-18

At that time, Jesus said 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 already been 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 already been paid in full.”

“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, 17 June 2015 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 111 : 1-2, 3-4, 9

Alleluia! Blessed is the one who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands. His children will be powerful on earth; the upright’s offspring will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are for his family, there his integrity will remain. He is for the righteous a light in darkness, he is kind, merciful and upright.

He gives generously to the poor, his merits will last forever and his head will be raised in honour.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2015 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Corinthians 9 : 6-11

Remember : the one who sows meagrely will reap meagrely, and there shall be generous harvests for the one who sows generously. Each of you should give as you decided personally, and not reluctantly as if obliged. God loves a cheerful giver.

And if God is able to fill you with every good thing, so that you have enough of everything at all times, and may give abundantly for any good work. Scripture says : He distributed, He gave to the poor, His good works last forever. God who provides the sower with seed will also provide him with the bread he eats. He will multiply the seed for you and also increase the interests of your good works.

Become rich in every way, and give abundantly. What you give will become, through us, a thanksgiving to God.

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Wednesday, 10 June 2015 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the words of the Scriptures reminding us all on the matter of obedience to the Law and to the will of God. Jesus mentioned how the entirety of the Law has to be obeyed and followed if we truly belong to the Lord, and if we truly profess our faith in Him. And what is this Law that all of us should obey?

Is it all the rituals and details that we all ought to remember? Is it all the ordinances and rules that the Church had taught us and stipulated for us all to follow? Is it the things which we have heard and which we have been instructed by our teachers in faith and by our priests? Yes, indeed they are, but we also have to question ourselves, with this question, “Are we following the rules and the laws because we are told to do so? Or do we follow them because we understand the Law and its intention for us?

God had first given His Law to His people through Moses His servant while they were in the journey towards the Promised Land. But the people failed to understand the true meaning of the Law, and with the addition of how many people who refused or failed to comply with the observance of the Law. And this is shown by how many of the people of God who followed the Law blindly and without understanding, as shown by the actions of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

Do you all remember or notice how Jesus mentioned that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are like the blind ones leading the blind? It is exactly this very fact which He had mentioned there. They were blind because they demanded blind obedience to the Law without understanding. They were strict and inflexible in how they taught to the people, in the manner of how the Law should be observed.

They focused on all the wrong things, by focusing on the minute details of the Law, on the externals in particular, but they completely forgot and ignored the true meaning of the Law itself. They were unable to comprehend the meaning of the Law because their hearts and minds had been hardened against the Lord, and in their stubbornness they have sinned and caused people to also sin against God.

Therefore, Jesus made it clear to the people through the revelation of truth which He brought to the people, by teaching them that the Law of God is truly Love, for God Himself is Love. The purpose of the Law is to bring mankind closer to God through love, by firstly loving God with all of their might and strength, and then to show the same kind and intensity of love to their fellow brethren, that is loving one another.

This is true obedience to the Law of God. The laws and rules which the Church had established and taught to us for obedience have been designed to help us to remain true and obedient in our Faith, so that we may hopefully grow in understanding and in our observance in the Laws of the Lord. Therefore, we too should obey them and follow them with understanding. If we are not sure, we can always ask and look for assistance.

Our faith is one of action, brothers and sisters in Christ. We cannot be passive or ignore the laws and rules which had been placed for us, for our own good. Let us therefore seek to be more active in our participation in our faith and devotion to the Lord, and let us all truly be obedient to the Lord our God, following His commandments, by showing love and care to both Him as well as to our fellow men. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 10 June 2015 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

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 fulfill 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.”

“So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven.”

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Wednesday, 10 June 2015 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 98 : 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Extol the Lord, our God; worship at His footstool. Holy is He! And mighty!

Among His priests were Moses and Aaron, and Samuel among those who called on His Name. They called to the Lord, and He answered them.

In the pillar of cloud He spoke to them, and they kept His statutes and the decrees He gave them.

O Lord our God, You responded to them; You were a patient God for them, but You punished their wrongs.

Extol the Lord our God; worship at His holy mountain. Holy is the Lord our God!

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Wednesday, 10 June 2015 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Corinthians 3 : 4-11

This is how we are sure of God, through Christ. As for us we would not dare consider that something comes from us : our ability comes from God. He has even enabled us to be ministers of a new Covenant no longer depending on a written text but on the Spirit. The written text kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The ministry of the Law carved on stones brought death; it was nevertheless surrounded by glory and we know that the Israelites could not fix their eyes on the face of Moses, such was his radiance, though fleeting. How much more glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be!

If there is greatness in a ministry which uses to condemn, how much more will there be in the ministry that brings holiness? This is such a glorious thing that in comparison the former’s glory is like nothing. That ministry was provisory and had only moments of glory; but ours endures with a lasting glory.