Wednesday

by

Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 38-44

At that time, leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever, and they asked Him to do something for her. Bending over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately, she got up and waited on them.

At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying His hands on each one, He healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, “You are the Son of God!” He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew He was the Messiah.

Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of Him, and finding Him, they tried to dissuade Him from leaving. But He said, “I have to go to other towns, to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.” And Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

by

Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 51 : 10, 11

But I am as a green olive tree that thrives in the house of God : I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.

I will praise You forever, for all You have done; and proclaim Your good Name before the faithful ones.

by

Wednesday, 6 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Colossians 1 : 1-8

Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, to the saints in Colossae, our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ : Receive grace and peace from God, our Father, and Christ Jesus, our Lord. Thanks be to God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord!

We constantly pray for you, for we have known of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of your love for all the saints. Indeed, you await in hope the inheritance reserved for you in heaven, of which, you have heard through the word of truth. This Gospel, already present among you, is bearing fruit, and growing throughout the world, as it did among you, from the day you accepted it, and understood the gift of God, in all its truth.

He who taught you, Epaphras, our dear companion in the service of Christ, faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, has reminded me of the love you have for me, in the Spirit.

by

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 : 21st 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, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to truly be faithful and be obedient to God in all things, as well as having the proper understanding, appreciation and knowledge of the Law and commandments of God, so that we may indeed be fully and completely attuned to the ways of the Lord, walking ever more faithfully in His path and obeying His Law and commandments with all our heart and with all of our abilities, and not merely just having an outward expression of the faith and being merely focused on doing what we are expected to do as a member of the Church, as one of the Christian faithful, but without properly understanding and appreciating our faith as all of us should have done. Unless we live in such a manner, we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Thessalonica, St. Paul the Apostle spoke to the people of God there and reminded all of them, of the need for all of them to remain faithful to God and to follow Him in all of His ways. He also gave thanks to God for the faith and the commitment which the faithful Thessalonians had shown and their willingness to accept the truth of God, in listening and embracing openly the words of God’s truth and Good News, and in following the examples that St. Paul and the other Apostles and missionaries had shown them. The faithful in Thessalonica had therefore lived their lives worthily of the Lord and truly worthy of being called as Christians, as the people that God had called and chosen to be His own beloved people.

Therefore, by extension, these are the attitudes that all of us as Christians, as God’s chosen people will have to show in our own lives as well. And in fact, as mentioned, we should not merely show it through our external observances and actions, but in all of our whole lives and disposition, our whole beings and our entire existence, we should really show this faith in God and the love that we have for Him, by genuinely carrying out ourselves and our way of life, filled with the desire to serve the Lord and to follow Him at all times, undeterred by the many temptations and distractions present all around us. As long as we remain truly focused on the Lord and have the right attitude and disposition in life, like what the Thessalonians had done, it is likely that our actions, words and deeds all will truly be worthy and good, righteous and exemplary.

Then, contrast this with the behaviour and attitude of many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law which the Lord Jesus continued to highlight and criticise in our Gospel passage today. Those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were often swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, by their privileges and fame, the glory and honour which they received from their positions and respected place among the Jewish community, among the people of God. However, many of them allowed those worldly attachments, temptations and allures to distract and mislead them down the path of corruption and evil, pride, ego and ambition, in which they forgot the true significance and importance of their faith and commitment to God.

This is because their overly zealous and rigid attachments and emphasis on following and obeying the Law of God as revealed through Moses and passed down through the Jewish community over history, had led to them being misguided by their own short-sighted focus on obeying and observing the Law according to their strict criteria and overemphasis on the rituals and details. They ended up being empty in their faith and life, being only outwardly faithful and pious, and yet, losing the focus and sight on what truly matters, that is to be filled with true faith and love for God. Instead, they placed the emphasis and focus on their own preoccupation and obsession with the numerous steps, rituals, details and the unnecessary and excessively rigorous way of practicing their faith, which distracted them from their true obligation to love and serve the Lord.

Not only that, but they were also swayed by all those things and obsessions, leading to them becoming haughty, proud and ambitious, elitist and having the tendency to exclude and ostracise those whom they deemed to be less worthy than they were, and whom they looked down upon, thinking highly about themselves and having high regards for their own selves and actions, way of life and piety. It was all those things which led to the Lord criticising those to whom had been entrusted with the leadership of the people and the guardianship of the Law and the commandments of God, as instead of helping more and more people to come closer to God, they closed off the path to salvation to many people, who became discouraged and disillusioned by the actions carried out against them by those who were supposed to be entrusted with God’s Law and commandments.

That is why today, all of us are reminded yet again by the Scripture readings that each and every one of us have to be filled with genuine faith in God, and not one that seeks glory or human ambition, or in seeking the goal of worldly fame, satisfaction and other things, that are not compatible with the calling for us to be a truly holy and devoted people. We must not allow pride, ego, greed and ambition to fill up our hearts, minds and our whole being so much that there is no place for God and others inside us. Too many times, people had fallen into the temptations of sin and evil, and the allures of the various vices and wickedness in the world because they allowed themselves to be guided and misled by their own weakness in the flesh, by their own sense of self-righteousness and by their excessive attachments to worldly matters, and therefore, forgetting the true path that they have to follow in the Lord.

May the Lord therefore help each and every one of us so that we may find the right path in life, resisting and rejecting all the things which may hinder us from truly being able to follow Him wholeheartedly. May God be with us always and may He empower and strengthen us so that we may be able to remain ever true and faithful to His true path, the path of His love and justice. May He bless our every works, deeds, actions, words and interactions, so that every one of us will truly be worthy of Him, and be great examples and inspirations to one another, now and always. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 23 : 27-32

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful in appearance; but, inside, there are only dead bones and uncleanness. In the same way, you appear religious to others, but you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness within.”

“Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and decorate the monuments of the righteous. You say : Had we lived in the time of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding thr blood of the prophets. So, you, yourselves, confess to be the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.”

“And now, finish off what your ancestors began!”

by

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 138 : 7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

Where else could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I flee from Your presence? You are there, if I ascend the heavens; You are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there, Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand shall hold me safely.

Shall I say, “Let darkness hide me, I prefer the night as my light?” But darkness, for You, is not dark.

by

Wednesday, 30 August 2023 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 2 : 9-13

Remember our labour and toil; when we preached the Gospel, we worked day and night, so as not to be a burden to you. You are witnesses, with God, that we are holy, just and blameless toward all of you who now believe. We warned each of you, as a father warns his children; we encouraged you, and urged you to adopt a way of life worthy of God, Who calls you to share His own glory and kingdom.

This is why we never cease giving thanks to God for, on receiving our message, you accepted it, not as human teaching, but as the word of God. That is what it really is, and, as such, it is at work in you who believe.

by

Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded by the passages from the Sacred Scriptures that we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly temptations and desires, and we must remind ourselves that each and every one of us, we are all God’s people, His beloved children and disciples, all called to His Presence and to follow Him wholeheartedly. There should be no place in us and our hearts and minds for ego, ambition, pride, jealousy, greed and all those things which often led us to be divided against each other, and to hate and despise one another instead of loving them as God has told us all to do in our lives. As Christians, all of us should make good use of the lives and the opportunities presented to us so that we may indeed live our lives worthily as those whom God has been calling into His path.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Judges in which the story of the power struggle involving the sons and descendants of the Judge Gideon was highlighted to us. Back then, Gideon had many children from his wife and concubines, at a time when this was still a common practice among the people of Israel. As the judge and ruler of the Israelites, Gideon had gained great prestige and power for his family members, which led to the conflict after Gideon’s death. In this case, Abimelech, one of the sons of Gideon, desired power and glory, and persuaded his relatives in the town of Shechem to support him in his vile plan in seizing power for himself, by gathering and slaughtering all of his own brothers and relatives from his father Gideon, all the other seventy of his brothers, with only one, named Jotham, managed to escape the slaughter.

It was this same Jotham which spoke up in Shechem against their decision to support and raise Abimelech over themselves as their king, highlighting how they had made a terrible decision in doing so, in their choice of a wicked man as their ruler, by using the comparison to a story, in which he highlighted four distinct trees, namely the olive tree, the fig tree, the grape vines and lastly the bramble bush, which the other trees were looking to make into a king over themselves. All the first three trees, which were all very good and useful, in producing olive oil, fig fruits, grape juice and wine, declined to do so, preferring to continue in their own humble role in providing for the needs of others and their fruitfulness. Instead, it is the useless and harmful bramble bushes that agreed to be king over all those trees, in which we must understand that the brambles tend to choke the life out of the other plants, and lived well upon the destruction of other plants.

This serves to highlight just how by choosing and raising Abimelech to be their own king, the people of Shechem had allowed that man’s ambition, greed and ego to become even worse, as later shown by his actions in carrying out wars and conflicts, in attacking his neighbours and others, with the most likely aim of enlarging his dominion and increasing his power and wealth. Such wicked man should not have been allowed to gain such power and position, especially after Abimelech had carried out such wicked deeds as the killing of his brothers had shown us, and Jotham’s words reminded all of us as well that worldly glory, fame and all the temptations of this world can indeed be really dangerous and evil, and if we are not careful, we may end up falling into the trap of those worldly desires and ambitions, and are therefore kept away from God and His grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples using the parable of the vineyard workers, in which those whom the owner of the vineyard called and gathered to work in his vineyard, all were rewarded equally and fairly, and that owner kept on going to find out more and more people to work in his vineyard right up to the last hour. Through this parable, the Lord wanted to show us how He Himself, represented by that vineyard owner, seeks for us all to follow Him and to be His disciples and servants, in walking down His path and in following His examples. All of us are those whom the master of the vineyard had called and gathered to work in his vineyard, while the reward that he has promised and fulfilled, is the gift of eternal life and glory that He has assured us all through His Son.

That is why, when those workers who have been called earlier grumbled and complained to the vineyard owner on why they were paid the same as those who have started their work on the last hour, the vineyard owner told them that all those who work for him would gain the same reward as agreed. This is a reminder for us that we must not have the thinking and attitude that we are better than others simply because we are perhaps more religious, pious, committed or dedicated to God, and not because we have somehow received His truth, Good News and grace sooner. All of us are equally beloved by God and we are all equally important in the eyes of the Lord. If we follow the Lord because we seek glory and greatness for ourselves, then I am afraid that we have lost the essence and meaning of what it truly means for us to be Christians, that is as disciples and followers of the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Rose of Lima, well-known for being the very first saint to be canonised from the Americas, from the New World. Her great piety, dedication to God and emphasis on her purity and worthy life to God should inspire all of us in living our own lives more worthily and in doing God’s will at all times. Each and every one of us should heed the examples shown by St. Rose of Lima that we may live worthily of the Lord in our own ways, in labouring for the field of the Lord just as heard in our Gospel passage today. St. Rose of Lima was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva in the city of Lima, during the time of the Spanish rule there, in what is now the capital of Peru. She was born of mixed heritage between her Spanish descent father and her mother’s mixed Spanish and indigenous descent.

At that time, St. Rose of Lima grew up to be a very beautiful woman, who therefore had a lot of suitors and a lot of those who sought to get married to her. But St. Rose of Lima, who had grown strong in her dedication to the Lord and in her determination to dedicate herself as a holy virgin, she continued to resist all those advances, even against the opposition of her own family and friends. She led a very dedicated and holy life, and spent her time in prayer and in caring for those who were less fortunate around her. She resisted her suitors by cutting off her own hair and rubbing pepper on her beautiful face. And she was also renowned for wearing a heavy silver crown crafted in the form of the Crown of Thorns that Christ had worn during His Passion and crucifixion. She suffered physically because those thorns, but she used them to remind herself to get rid of physical distractions and temptations in life, and in keeping the holy path that she had devoted herself to.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples of St. Rose of Lima, her piety and dedication to God, her humility and efforts in resisting the temptations of the world, coupled with what we all have heard in our Scripture passages today should serve as inspiration and motivation for all of us to lead a truly holy and dedicated life free from the corruption of sin in our own lives in this world. Are we able to resist the temptations of sin and evil, and do what God has commanded and taught us to do, brothers and sisters? Or are we going to follow the path that all those who have given in to their human desires and temptations, like that of Abimelech, whose misdeeds and wickedness, pride and ambition eventually led to his ultimate downfall and infamy? Abimelech died in humiliation, killed by a rock thrown down by a woman during one of his wars, forever remembered as a usurper and kinslayer. On the other hand, St. Rose of Lima was remembered well for her great love for God and for her exemplary life and virtues.

Can we be the inspiration for others instead, in how we faithfully live our lives from now on, so that others may come to believe in God through us and be more motivated to follow Him, just as St. Rose of Lima had done to us? May God be with us always and may He empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Matthew 20 : 1-16a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A landowner went out early in the morning, to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.”

“He went out again, at about nine in the morning, and, seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, ‘You also, go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went. The owner went out at midday, and, again, at three in the afternoon, and he made the same offer.”

“Again he went out, at the last working hour – the eleventh – and he saw others standing around. So he said to them, ‘Why do you stand idle the whole day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said, ‘Go, and work in my vineyard.'”

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ Those who had gone to work at the eleventh hour came up, and were each given a silver coin. When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received one silver coin. On receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.”

“They said, ‘These last, hardly worked an hour; yet, you have treated them the same as us, who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.’ The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per day? So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?'”

“So will it be : the last will be first.”

by

Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

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

The king rejoices in Your strength, o YHVH, 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 – 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.