Wednesday

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 104 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

Give thanks to YHVH, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds.

Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek YHVH rejoice. Look to YHVH and be strong; seek His face always.

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHVH our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

He remembers His Covenant forever, His promise to a thousand generations, the Covenant He made with Abraham, the promise He swore to Isaac.

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Genesis 15 : 1-12, 17-18

After Abram met with Melchizedek, the word of YHVH was spoken to Abram in a vision : “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great!” Abram said, “My Lord YHVH, where are Your promises? I am still childless and all I have will go to Eliezer of Damascus. You have given me no children, so a slave of mine will be my heir.”

Then the word of YHVH was spoken to him again, “Eliezer will not be your heir, but a child born of you (your own flesh and blood) will be your heir.” Then YHVH brought him outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”

Abram believed YHVH Who, because of this, held him to be an upright man. And He said, “I am YHVH Who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” Then Abram asked, “My Lord, how am I to know that it shall be mine?” YHVH replied, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon.”

Abram brought all these animals, cut them in two, and laid each half facing its other half, but he did not cut the birds in half. The birds of prey came down upon them, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep came over Abram, and a dreadful darkness took hold of him.

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the victims. On that day YHVH made a Covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this country from the river of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

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Wednesday, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, all of us are again reminded that each and every one of us have to be sincerely and genuinely faithful to God. In all of our actions and deeds, in our every words and interactions with one another, each one of us should always be filled with genuine commitment to God, in our way of life and in whatever we believe in. Otherwise, our faith is no better than that of the faith of the hypocrites, who only show their faith in order to impress others, or to advance their own desires and ambitions. Or as compared to the faith of those who are lukewarm and lacking in true dedication to God, where their faith is flickering and weak, and not supported by the strong desire to follow the Lord or to love Him.

In our first reading today, we listened to the words of the Scriptures from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth. In that passage, the Apostle St. Paul spoke to the faithful people of God in the city of Corinth that the Lord has blessed them wonderfully and generously, and hence, in the same way, the people of God are therefore called and expected to do the same as well, in showing their love and generosity towards each other, in caring for their fellow brothers and sisters. Each one of us as Christians are reminded that the riches and the blessings we have are gifts from the Lord, and we should be happy and willing to share these with each other, particularly with all those who are lacking and short in the things that they needed. It is an important aspect for us as Christians to be selfless and to be filled with love in all of our actions.

St. Paul told the faithful that all those who have sowed meagerly would reap meagerly while those who sowed generously would also reap generously, as a reminder that each one of us as Christians should not be calculating and transactional in how we conduct ourselves, that we only love those who can benefit us or return us what we have given them. That is not what we should be doing, brothers and sisters, as it is what the Lord Himself has taught us or shown us to do in our respective lives. As we heard the Lord Himself saying in our Gospel passage today, all of us should truly be sincere in doing all of our actions in faith, and not because we want to gain benefits, glory, fame and satisfaction for ourselves. Otherwise, it is easy for us to end up losing focus on what each and every one of us are called to do as Christians, as God’s holy people.

All of us are reminded that whenever we fast, and whenever we give alms, we should do them because we truly and sincerely desire to glorify God and to turn away from the path of sin and wickedness, and also because we are genuinely concerned about others whom we care about. We should not be centred and focused on ourselves, our own greed and ambition, and all the things we usually pursue in life. We should always remind ourselves that what we have in this world, are also not ours to begin with, but in fact they have been given to us by our Lord and loving Father, Who blesses us according to our needs and by His will and desire. That is why we should not seek to gain more worldly glory and achievements, or more of the other temptations and desires of this world, but instead, we should do our best to follow the Lord and His ways, walking down the path that God has led us into.

Each one of us have been reminded that we have to be truly genuine in faith, in our every actions and way of life, in how we pray and carry out our lives and our faith lives. Unless we commit ourselves thoroughly to the Lord, we will likely end up being swayed into the path of sin and evil, misled by the many temptations present all around us. That is why we have to listen to the Lord reminding us today so that we may return our focus and attention once again towards God, to His Law and commandments. Let us all also look upon the great examples set by our holy predecessors, many of whom had lived their lives worthily of the Lord and became great examples and sources of inspiration for many throughout the lives and the history of the Church, as we celebrate one of them on his feast day today.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a renowned saint who has shown in his rather short life, a true dedication and commitment to God, as well as great and generous love for his fellow brothers and sisters around him, in caring for them and ministering to them. St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born as the eldest son and heir of one of the cadet branches of an influential Italian family, the Gonzaga family. He was expected to succeed to his family’s fortunes and positions, and yet, he turned to the Lord instead, and sought Him rather than indulging in the life’s excesses as were common during that time in the late Renaissance era. He felt called to become a missionary and began to adopt an ascetic lifestyle. Ultimately, he remained resolute in his desire to be a missionary and joined the Society of Jesus, after giving up all of his rights and inheritance, to the dismay of his family, especially that of his father, who begrudgingly allowed his son to do as he wished.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga committed his life to his new ministry and calling, dedicating himself to the service of God and living a very devout and ascetic lifestyle. He kept on caring for the sick and those who suffered, especially at that time when a plague broke out in Rome and afflicted many people, even many among the Jesuit brothers. This however did not deter or dissuade St. Aloysius Gonzaga from continuing his work and efforts to care for those who were sick, despite having suffered from poor health and having contracted the plague himself. To the very end, St. Aloysius Gonzaga continued to commit himself for the good of others around him, and he never stopped caring for those whom he has shown compassion for, not even at the expense of his own health and life. In essence, St. Aloysius Gonzaga has shown us what true Christian charity and love is all about.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the faith and examples showed by St. Aloysius Gonzaga, and also by our other holy predecessors, the innumerable saints and martyrs, and all other holy men and women who had dedicated their lives to God. Let us all therefore do our best in our lives to give ourselves in serving God and in loving our fellow brothers and sisters, in whatever way we can, so that by our actions and works, more and more people may come to know the Lord and His love, His ways and Good News. Let us all be genuine Christians in all things, in our every works and actions, so that through us more and more may come to believe in God and be saved, together with us. May God bless us all and our every good works, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 6 : 1-6, 16-18

At that time, “Be careful not to make a show of your good deeds 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 noticed in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by people. I assure you, they have their reward.”

“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 noticed. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners, in order to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have their reward.”

“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, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

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

Alleluia! Blessed is the one who fears YHVH, 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, 21 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Corinthians 9 : 6-11

Remember : the one who sows meagerly will reap meagerly, 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 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 interest on 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, 14 June 2023 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us as part of the Church of God, as His people and as His beloved ones, His disciples and followers, we are all expected and called to do what He has given us in His Law and commandments, in all the things which He has taught and shown us to do in our lives. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded to understand what we have been presented in God’s Law and commandments so that we may truly fulfil them wholeheartedly and meaningfully, and not falling into the trap of hypocrisy and lukewarmness in faith which our ancestors and predecessors had fallen into. All of us need to be truly faithful in all things, and commit ourselves to the works that God has entrusted to us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, we heard of how the Apostle spoke to the faithful people in Corinth with regards to the matter of the Law and commandments of God, and how all of them need to obey the Law and the commandments beyond merely written text and the letter of the Law, lest we misunderstand and think that St. Paul was telling the faithful not to obey the Law of God. That was what St. Paul meant when he said that ‘the written text kills, but the Spirit gives life’, referring to how obeying merely the letter of the Law without understanding its meaning, context and purpose will lead us into the ‘death’ of our faith, as our faith will likely be nothing more than just empty and dead expression of our Christian faith, instead of a true, genuine and living faith that we all should have in us.

In the past, this was exactly what many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done in their lives, as they chose to obey the Law in the superficial manner, taking the letter of the Law to the extreme, interpreting the Law and the commandments according to their own way of thinking, and demanding that the people of God obey the very oppressive set of rules, regulations and rituals without truly understanding and appreciating the rationale behind why one should obey and follow such aforementioned Law and commandments. That was why the Lord Himself criticised those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, especially in the manner how they had lived their lives and in their observance of the Law, telling the faithful that while they ought to listen to their teachings and preaching, but they should not follow the way those Pharisees and teachers of the Law lived.

That was because many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law became enslaved by their own vanity, pride, ambition and ego, through which they ended up desiring more of the worldly glory and fame that they had attained in the community, by fiercely and zealously guarding their way of living the Law and their interpretation of the Law and the Scriptures. Hence, that was why they refused to listen to the Lord or believe in the truth which He has clearly presented before all of them. They thought that they were superior and better than others, and that their ideas and interpretations of the Law could not have been wrong, and hence, they bitterly and strongly opposed the Lord and His works, seeing Him, His popularity and teaching authority as great threats to their established status and power.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord made it clear to all those who listened to Him, which might very well had consisted of some of those Pharisees and teachers of the Law who frequently followed Him wherever He went, that He came into this world not to eradicate or destroy the Law and the commandments of God. On the contrary, He came to us so that He might reveal to us the true and fuller meaning of the Law and commandments of God, by giving us greater insight and understanding of what the Law of God is all about, that is truly about loving God and loving one another, and to live righteously in the manner that God has expected us to live our lives. The Law is not about making a show of our faith or about discriminating or looking down on others who may not agree with us or whom we perceived and deemed to be less worthy than us.

The Lord also made that very clear because the same Pharisees and teachers of the Law often misunderstood and even misrepresented the Lord’s efforts and teachings as the efforts to destroy or replace the old Law of God as revealed through Moses and passed down through many generations of the people of God. Instead, the Lord came to make clear to His beloved people the true meaning and intention of the Law that He Himself has presented to them. That Law had long been misunderstood and misinterpreted, and over the succeeding centuries and ages, the true meaning and context of the Law had been lost over countless rituals, misunderstood tenets and practices that were not in the original intention of the Law when the Lord revealed it to His people through His servant Moses. That Law was meant to bring the people of God closer to Him, and to remind them all to love Him and to love one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why all of us are reminded today to be truly and genuinely faithful to the Lord in all things, in the Law that He has presented to us and taught us. All of us have to do what God has commanded us to do, and when we do it, we need to make sure that we truly understand the meaning and the intention of the Law and the commandments, the rules that the Church has presented to us among other things. Unless we have the right understanding and appreciation of the importance and significance of God’s Law and commandments, it is easy for us to wander off into the wrong path and live our lives not being centred on God but rather on ourselves and on our own selfish desires and ambitions, like how pride and ego, greed and ambition had affected those Pharisees and teachers of the Law.

Therefore, let us all seek the Lord with renewed faith and conviction, as we dedicate ourselves more thoroughly to His cause from now on. Let us all be more faithful and be ever more genuine in our expression of faith, so that by our inspiring examples and virtuous and worthy way of life, we may inspire more and more people to come ever closer to God and His presence. May the Lord bless us all and may He empower us to live ever more worthily at all times, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 14 June 2023 : 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 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.”

“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, 14 June 2023 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Extol YHVH, 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 YHVH, 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 YHVH our God, You responded to them; You were a patient God for them: but You punished their wrongs.

Extol YHVH our God, worship at His holy mountain. Holy is YHVH our God!

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Wednesday, 14 June 2023 : 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 used 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.