Weekday Homily

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Sunday, 30 October 2022 : Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are presented with the great love and compassion that the Lord has for each and every one of us, without exception. This Sunday all of us are reminded that God’s love for us is truly generous, and He has always desired to be reconciled and reunited with us. Yet, it was often our own attitudes, stubbornness and wickedness in life which became serious barriers and obstacles preventing us from finding our way back towards the Lord and His salvation. That is why as we recall our readings today, we should spend this time to reflect on what we should do as Christians in embracing the love of God wholeheartedly.

In our first reading this Sunday taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard the reminder from the author of this Book of Wisdom, of the great mercy and compassion which God has willingly showed all of us His beloved ones. This Book of Wisdom, although also known as the Wisdom of Solomon, was written during a much later time that Solomon’s reign, and was likely composed by several authors throughout the Jewish diaspora which was scattered after the destruction of both of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The authors of the Book of Wisdom therefore could draw upon the historical facts and examples from how God showed mercy and compassion on His people after they had all faced their just punishment, for their many sins and wickedness.

Back then, the people of God in both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had not been obedient to God, rebelled against Him and followed their own paths rather than following what God had told them to do through His Law and commandments, and they also persecuted the many prophets, messengers and servants of God sent to them to remind them to return to the Lord. They refused to listen to the reminders from God’s servants and continued to live wickedly, worshipping pagan idols and gods, forsaking the Law and the commandments that their ancestors had kept. They spurned and rejected God’s love, and as a result, they had to face the just punishment, of having their kingdoms, cities and lands destroyed by their enemies, and them being brought into exile in far-off lands.

Yet, God has not forgotten or abandoned His people, although they had first forgotten and abandoned Him first. He did not treat them badly or hated them for what they had done, but He continued to care for them and loved them tenderly and generously as He had always done in the past. That is the proof of just how loving God has been towards us, and truly how ungrateful and unbecoming our attitudes had been, in how we and our ancestors and predecessors often behaved, in disobeying the words and commandments of the Lord. The Lord has always been patient in loving us, and yet, we have only treated Him with contempt and disdain. The Lord forgave His people when they turned back towards Him in regret and sorrow, and brought them all back to their homeland and reestablished them all there.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the classic story of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and Zaccheus the tax collector. In that occasion, just as the Lord was about to enter into Jericho, the man named Zaccheus, a notorious tax collector, wanted to come and see Jesus, and despite his physical challenges, being very short in stature, he climbed up a tree in order to see the Lord. The Lord knew that Zaccheus was looking out for Him, and called him down from the tree, and told him that He would want to come to his house for a meal with him there. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were there unsurprisingly criticised the Lord for this action, for having embraced a tax collector, and a notorious one at that, and even asked to have a meal at the latter’s house.

Back then, during the time of the Lord Jesus, we have to understand that tax collectors were often reviled and hated, simply because they were doing their work in collecting taxes both for the local rulers like king Herod and others, as well as ultimately the taxes for the Roman overlord of the whole region. At that time, the whole region of Judea, Samaria, Galilee and beyond were under the total dominion of the Roman Empire. Many among the people disliked themselves being ruled by the Romans and other local rulers appointed to rule over them, and the taxes which made people’s livelihood difficult did not help to endear those rulers to the people. Hence, by association, the tax collectors were also often hated because of the nature of their work.

They were often treated as collaborators and even traitors to the nation and the people. This was especially true for the case of how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law treated the tax collectors and all those others whom they often deemed to be unworthy of God and His salvation. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, those people who often took great pride in their knowledge, piety, practices and prestige in the community, and they always looked down on others who they deemed to be inferior to them. The tax collectors in particular were among the lowest in the hierarchy of the people of God in the sight of the Pharisees and the elders, as they were considered as scum and traitors, unworthy of God and His grace.

But they had forgotten that God loved all the people all the same, regardless of their status, background or stature in the eyes of men and the world. Even the worst of sinners are still capable of being saved, just as the Lord Himself had willingly extended His generous offer of mercy and forgiveness even to those who were most despicable and unfaithful in their ways. The Lord still looked kindly upon His beloved people even after they had betrayed Him, abandoned Him and rejected Him, and persecuted those who were sent to them in order to remind them. What matters therefore is not how righteous one is compared to the others, but rather, whether those who have sinned and disobeyed against God were willing to shed off their past existence and embrace God once again with love.

The Lord showed to all of the people, as well as all of us through His interactions with Zaccheus that no one is beyond God’s mercy and love. Zaccheus did not just welcome the Lord but he also publicly announced before everyone assembled, the Lord Himself, the other people, and the same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were there criticising the Lord for welcoming and embracing him, that he would return all those whom he had once cheated and treated unjustly, not just equal but more than what they have been owed by him. He essentially made a public declaration of faith and repentance from his sins, and made a public commitment to be faithful to God, before all the people.

That is what the key of God’s mercy and compassion, forgiveness and grace is all about. God is always ever merciful and generous with His compassion, and He is always ready to welcome us back to His embrace. Even the worst of sinners and all those whom we might have deemed unworthy or undeserving of salvation and God’s grace, are in fact recipients of His love and mercy. We must not forget that even many among the greatest of the saints were once great sinners themselves, and some of them were murderers, idolaters, adulterers, and tax collectors among others. One of the Lord’s Twelve Apostles and one of the Four Evangelists, St. Matthew, was a tax collector like Zaccheus. St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the four great original Doctors of the Church, was a hedonist and a Manichaean unbeliever in his youth, and who also fathered a son out of wedlock.

There are still many other examples of great sinners and all those perhaps deemed unworthy and undeserving of the Lord who have turned over a new leaf and embraced God wholeheartedly, like Saul, the chief persecutor of early Christians, who encountered and was called by the Lord to be His disciple. He abandoned his past mistakes and wayward life as a misguided young Pharisee, and became one of the Lord’s greatest champion and defender, as St. Paul the Apostle, whose many Epistles are part of our New Testament today, showing his work and concern for many of the faithful throughout his ministry. St. Paul embarked on many missionary journeys and did many evangelising work for the good of those souls that had been lost from God, calling on all of them to repent their sins and return to the Lord, and also for those who did not know God to find out more about Him.

Through these examples of our holy predecessors, of the sinners turned saints, I hope all of us can realise better that the Church and the Body of Christian faithful are not made up of only saints who have been deemed righteous and worthy. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law wanted salvation and God’s blessings and graces only for themselves, the ‘righteous’ ones, while others whom they did not agree with, were those who were unworthy of God’s salvation and grace. The Church is in fact more like a ‘hospital’ for sinners, as God’s mercy, love and compassion bring about healing for the souls of sinners, and where God called all of them to return to Him with repentance and through His forgiveness by which they are all made whole once again.

In our second reading today, we are reminded by St. Paul in his Epistle and letter to the Church and faithful in Thessalonica, that God is the One Who makes us worthy of Him, and not we who make ourselves worthy of Him instead. Our works and deeds, all reflect the nature of our disposition, our faith and our adherence to God and His ways, and not self-justificatory in nature or making us righteous by themselves. That is why it is important that all of us as Christians we must first of all be humble and put God at the centre of our whole life and existence. We should not let the temptations of pride, ego and worldly desires and ambitions to mislead us down the slippery path towards damnation.

We must not let our pride and ego, our hubris and ambition to make us into a self-enclosed and inward looking Church, where only the righteous and the elites have the right to be saved or to be in the presence of God. Let us not forget that each and every one of us are sinners ourselves, regardless of how serious our sins and mistakes may be. And God is always ever ready to welcome us back to His presence and heal us, and He is always patient with us. But it is we who have always shut the door before Him, ignored Him, and even made it difficult for others to follow Him and be forgiven by Him. That is how we end up falling deeper and deeper into our flawed and misguided ways, and unless we make the conscious efforts to return to the Lord with faith, we may end up getting more distant from Him, as we are full of our pride and ego instead of what should have been love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters.

Let us all hence commit ourselves to a renewal in our faith and a change in our practices, much as our great and holy predecessors had committed themselves to change their ways, from their past wicked and sinful ways into new, faithful and committed way of life in God’s grace and presence. Each and every one of us should also heed the examples of our predecessors and strive our best to live our lives worthily of the Lord and also helping those around us who are struggling in their journey and life. We should not turn a blind eye to their plight, and we should not ignore them or worse still, acting the way many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done, in ostracising those whom we deem to be less worthy than we are. Remember, that they are our brothers and sisters and are equally beloved by God.

Each one of us as Christians ought to take care of our fellow brethren, and we should always do our best to reach out to others who are in need of guidance and help in our faith. Let us all do our part to be the faithful witnesses of Our Lord’s truth and resurrection, and be the wonderful beacons of God’s light in our world and community today. Let us make the Church of God a truly living, vibrant and missionary Church, one that is always ready to show God’s love, compassion and mercy to more and more people out there. May all of us as God’s people, as His Church, and as those who are called as Christians, be the genuine followers and disciples of God, in all of our lives and actions. May God be with us all and may He strengthen each one of us to be ever courageous and committed in our journey of faith through life. May all of us remain humble and concerned for our fellow brethren in faith, at all times, so that we may always work together to glorify God through our lives and actions. Amen.

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Saturday, 29 October 2022 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to put the Lord our God at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existences. Each and every one of us are reminded that pride and ego will lead us nowhere, and we may end up falling into the wrong paths that lead us to damnation and eternity of suffering. The Lord wants us to always be vigilant against the temptations of pride and worldly desires, which can be a great bane and obstacle for us in our path towards Him and His grace and salvation.

In our first reading today we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Philippi regarding his experiences in ministering to the people of God and to many others as he carried out his mission and calling as an Apostle, in proclaiming the Word of God and His truth, and in all the good things and the challenges that he had to encounter as a disciple of the Lord. He encountered many opposition and hardships, and he had to even risk death and martyrdom in quite a few of those occasions, which we can read up more in the Acts of the Apostles. Yet, the Lord remained with St. Paul and protected him, and called him to do more of His missions and will.

The Apostle related to the faithful in Philippi how he truly desired to be with God, and to be with Him, free from the hardships and struggles that he had to endure as he stood up for his faith in Him, and free from the persecutions and all that he had to face, as a disciple of the Lord and as His champion and defender. Yet, he chose to continue to labour faithfully in this world, even knowing that he had to endure even more hardships and sufferings, all because he cared for the needs of those who were still separated from the love of God, and all those who have not yet known Him. He laboured hard and went on forward always, because he wanted that through his works, he might bring the Lord closer to many of them.

Compare this to the attitude of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that the Lord Jesus mentioned in our Gospel passage today. In that occasion, the Lord highlighted how those people often sought the most prestigious and important places at events and banquets, just as they were highly respected and esteemed in the community. They sought for glory and fame, for status and acceptance by the world, and they vied for that influence and greatness, and perhaps not realising that they had gradually been tempted and led astray by those pride and arrogance that had blinded them and kept them away from seeing the truth and love of God.

That was why many among them were often stubborn in their refusal to believe in God, and in their many efforts to undermine the good works of the Lord Jesus and His disciples. St. Paul himself was once a young Pharisee, who was deluded and misguided in his ways, and was overwhelmed with that misdirected zeal and anger towards the followers of the Lord. He eventually came to see the errors of his ways after the Lord called him and revealed to him the truth. He was humbled and brought low, and through his blindness upon the encounter he had with the Lord on the road to Damascus, St. Paul, who was then known as Saul, received a new life and vision through the Lord’s love, mercy and forgiveness.

St. Paul through his dedication, life and work, carried out his mission dutifully and humbly, proclaiming the word of God’s truth, love and salvation to more and more people, in all of his missionary journeys and works. And his examples, along with that of the other Apostles and the many other saints and all the holy men and women of God, all of whom had lived their lives worthily of the Lord, should become our sources of strength and inspiration that we too may follow the Lord in the same manner as they had lived their lives and followed Him in all of their efforts and works. Each and every one of us should be inspired to follow their examples and practice them in our own lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon these words of the Scriptures, let us all open our hearts and minds to welcome the Lord, His wisdom and truth into our hearts, and let us all allow Him to mould us into whatever tools and means by which He may exercise His will and judgment, His works and efforts in our world today. Let us all allow the Lord to guide us in our path and in our journey so that we may ever be inspired to commit our whole lives to His service, and to do whatever it is that is worthy of Him and the glory of His Name. We should do our best, in our respective areas and in whatever opportunities and abilities that God had blessed and endowed us with.

May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us always, and may He give us the courage and the perseverance necessary to resist the trials and challenges of this world, the opposition and oppressions that may come our way in our journey of faith. And may He also give us the gift of true humility, that we may grow ever lesser in our pride and ego, and die to them, so that as we grow ever greater in faith, so does our love for God and our desire to glorify Him, and not ourselves. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, evermore. Amen.

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Friday, 28 October 2022 : Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate together on this momentous day, the celebration of the Feast of Our Lord’s Holy Apostles, and not just one but two of the Twelve Apostles, namely St. Simon and St. Jude, Holy Apostles of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Both Apostles followed the Lord and dedicated their lives and works to God, and they became for us great role models, examples and inspirations to follow, in how we should live our own lives. God had called them from their respective lives and pasts, to be His servants, and to do His will. Today as we rejoice in their memory and glory, let us all discern all that they had done for the greater glory of God.

St. Simon the Apostle, also known sometimes as St. Simon the Zealot, as the name suggests, was a member of the Zealots, which was back then a highly nationalistic group of people who were determined to liberate the Jewish people in the region of Judea and Galilee from the domination and rule by the Romans or any other foreign oppressors, and to establish once again the independent rule over the people of God, in the form of the Kingdom of Israel. St. Simon was probably one of these Zealots, who then left to follow the Lord. Another tradition stated that the name of St. Simon meant more of being ‘zealous’ rather than him being a member of the Zealots. Regardless, he chose to follow the Lord and to do His will from the moment that the Lord called him.

Meanwhile, St. Jude the Apostle was also commonly known as St. Jude Thaddeus or St. Judas Thaddeus. He was often confused with Judas Iscariot, the traitor, as well as Jude, the brother of James, who was one of relatives or brothers of the Lord Jesus, as well as the writer of the Epistle of Jude, which might or might not have been written by St. Jude the Apostle himself. The association of St. Jude and his name of ‘Thaddeus’ itself was not conclusive, and biblical scholars sometimes considered them to be two separate people. Again, regardless of their origins, both St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles of the Lord, followed the Lord and faithfully embarked on the missions entrusted to them.

St. Simon and St. Jude both went on their missions after having received the commissioning and the commandment from the Lord, to go forth to all the nations and all the peoples, proclaiming the Good News and the salvation of God to them, and to baptise them all in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. St. Simon and St. Jude both dedicated themselves to their ministries, as tradition stated how St. Simon the Apostle went to evangelise in the regions of Egypt, Persia, Armenia and Lebanon among other places like Ethiopia. It was often mentioned that St. Simon and St. Jude worked together as an evangelising team, and hence the reason why their feasts are celebrated together this day.

Meanwhile, St. Jude the Apostle himself preached the Gospels and the Good News of God in many places, including that of Judea and Samaria, near Jerusalem, and also the faraway places such as Libya, Mesopotamia and Syria, and to other places together with the other Apostles and missionaries, like that of with St. Simon the Apostle. Both he and St. Bartholomew, another of the Twelve Apostles were credited as the first ones to bring the Christian faith to the region of Armenia, sowing the seeds of faith there long before that realm eventually becoming the first ever Christian nation in the world.

Both St. Simon and St. Jude encountered many challenges as well as opportunities and successes throughout their missions and works, as through their efforts, many came to know of the Lord and His truth, and many chose to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. Just like that of the other Apostles, St. Simon and St. Jude laid the groundwork and firm foundations for the Church and the Christian faith. St. Simon and St. Jude nonetheless faced intense persecutions and challenges throughout their ministry and both were martyred for their faith. While traditions sometimes differed on the details of their martyrdom, what matters is that they remained true and faithful to God to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard and reflect upon the lives and the works of these two Holy Apostles of the Lord, let us all ponder upon what we ourselves as Christians have been called to do with our lives like that of the Apostles St. Simon and St. Jude. Both of them had dedicated themselves to the Lord, answered His call and committed themselves to do what they had been tasked and entrusted to do. And we have to realise that there are still a lot of things that the Apostles did which were still not yet completed. In fact, as time passes on, there are more and more opportunities and areas where we as Christians and the Church can contribute for the sake of many of the people out there still in need of God’s grace and love, His salvation and eternal life.

Let us all hence be inspired and strengthened by the courage and faith shown by St. Simon and St. Jude, and ask them both for their intercessions that through their prayers and guidance, we may always be strengthened by God and empowered to remain faithful and committed to the Lord at all times. May God be with us all His Church, His beloved people, and may each and every one of us be evangelising and faithful disciples of His, in the manner of the Holy Apostles, especially that of St. Simon and St. Jude. May God bless us all in our every good deeds and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 October 2022 : 30th 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 reminded of the need for all of us to remain ever vigilant and prepared in the constant spiritual warfare and battlefield that is this world ever raging all around us. We have to be prepared lest the forces of the evil ones and those wicked forces arrayed against us succeed in tearing us away apart from the Lord and His path towards salvation. That is why we have to be always proactive in living our lives with faith just as our Scripture passages have reminded us today, so that we do not end up falling into the wrong paths in life.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul to the faithful people of God in Ephesus, reminding all of them to put on the whole armour of God, the armour of fidelity and strength of God, allowing God to guide and protect them in their journey of faith through life. He reminded them of the spiritual warfare and struggles that are always happening all around them, which they need to be truly vigilant for, more than they should fear the persecution of the authorities of this world. That is because ultimately, there is nothing that the worldly authorities can do to them beyond harming their physical bodies and existence, but the same could not be said of those who threatened the souls of the faithful.

That is because those who seek the destruction of the souls of mankind are plenty, and unlike those of the world, there is little that we can do to resist them by ourselves, as they are always ready all around is, ready to surround us and to pounce on us whenever we falter or are unprepared against their onslaught. The Lord has warned us all against these attacks, and we should be ready to resist them, with the Lord by our side. But we need to have faith in the Lord and put our trust in Him, and give our best to live our lives in accordance to His path of truth. And it is by devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to God that we may find our path towards the eternal glory in God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His people and the disciples and some of the Pharisees who were giving Him some warning for the fact that king Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee wanted to kill Him. The Lord highlighted that despite all of that, He would still do what He has been called to do in His mission. The Lord would perform His mission, reaching out to His flock and to all the people, ministering to them, healing their sick and casting out demons from them even amidst all the challenges and trials that He and His disciples had to go through.

The Lord lamented then on the sad state of how the people those to whom the Lord had come to, rejected Him and refused to listen to Him and accept Him, just in the way their ancestors had persecuted and rejected the many messengers, prophets and servants of God sent to them earlier. Yet, He persisted on and continued to do the will of His heavenly Father, showing us the example of what we ourselves as Christians ought to be doing in our own lives, in doing God’s will, resisting and refusing the temptations to give in to the pressures of the world and give up our faith and struggle to be ever worthy of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, thus we are reminded that we must not let our guard down and continue to do our best to fulfil what God has called on all of us to do in our lives as Christians. Just as the Lord Jesus Himself has shown us, each and every one of us should strive to do our best in loving God and in doing His will, and continue to live worthily and justly, filled with Christian truths and virtues in life. We should be exemplary in our every words, deeds and actions so that in all that we do, we will always be sources of inspiration and strength for our fellow brothers and sisters, that we may encourage one another to remain faithful to God and to do God’s will at all times.

Let us all hence listen to the Lord’s call and hearken to His will, to embrace whatever missions He entrust to us to do, in making good use of our gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that we may indeed strong in our faith, in wearing the fullness of the ‘armour of God’ just as St. Paul told the faithful members of the Church in Ephesus. Let us fully entrust ourselves and our families, our loved ones and our every actions, efforts and endeavours to the Lord, and let us fully allow Him to lead and guide us down the right path, opening our hearts and minds that He may lead us and help to guide us, and correct us whenever we falter and enter into the wrong paths in life.

May God be with us always, and may He continue to protect us from the attacks of the evil ones, of those who seek our ruin and destruction. May God empower us all with the courage and strength to persevere through the many challenges and trials we may have to face in remaining truly faithful to Him as Christians, as those whom the Lord Himself had called to be His disciples, and to be the faithful witnesses of His truth and love in our world today. May all of us be ever faithful and be good role models and beacons of Christ’s light and truth to all the people, of all the nations, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 26 October 2022 : 30th 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 reminded of the calling for all of us to obey the Law and commandments of the Lord, and to follow the path that He has set before all of us. As Christians, each and every one of us should lead exemplary and genuinely faithful way of life so that in all things we say and do, we will always proclaim the truth of God in our various communities and places, and we will not be like those hypocrites and all those who claimed to believe in God and yet, had no place for God in their hearts and minds.

In our first reading today, which was taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard the words of the Apostle reminding all the faithful there to do the will of God, and that every members of the Christian community ought to play their part in living their lives faithfully as they should have. St. Paul exhorted everyone to live virtuously, in their various positions and obligations, in their respective parts of the community, to follow the path that God has revealed and set before them, and to be true Christians in all things, and not just for appearances only.

At that time, there were still many among the Christian faithful who did not truly follow the Lord and His path, and who although had embraced the Lord as their Master and Saviour, and was baptised into the Church, but yet they still retained their past ways of life, and they still carried on doing things as they had done before. Unfortunately, all of those actions brought scandal to their faith and the Church, as well as to the Holy Name of God. Imagine how others would say if a Christian behaved and acted in ways contrary to what they professed to believe in? Not only that this would scandalise those outside the Church, but even more importantly, those within the Church.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and the people about the matter of salvation and who would be saved. The Lord highlighted that the path towards God’s salvation and eternal life is in fact one that is difficult and challenging, and that many in fact would not be able to enter into the kingdom of God. And He highlighted how many of those who have professed to believe in Him and in His words, would be denied entry although they claimed to be faithful, all because they did not actually have genuine faith in Him, and they did not truly love Him with all of their might and hearts.

This was also a reference to the many Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who back at that time were against the Lord and His works. They were all adamant in their stubborn refusal to acknowledge the truth of God, and continued to resist and reject Him, spreading doubt and misinformation about Him, persecuting Him and His disciples and made it difficult for them to carry out their works and missions. And that is what the Lord referred to as the faith of the hypocrites, those who outwardly professed to be faithful and yet in their actions and way of life, brought scandal to their faith and the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore just as we have been reminded constantly through these readings of the Sacred Scriptures, we should do our part in living our lives to the fullest in doing God’s will and obeying His commandments. We must truly be genuine in our faith and in loving Him. Each and every one of us as Christians must put God first and foremost in our lives, and not be swayed or tempted by the many desires and all the things that often tempted so many of us, like how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who succumbed to the temptations of their pride and ego, in thinking that they had the superior knowledge and position, just because they thought that they alone were worthy of God’s grace.

Let us all therefore heed the words of the Apostle St. Paul and what the Lord Jesus Himself had told His disciples and the people in our Gospel today, that the path towards the kingdom of God is not an easy one and is one that is filled with a lot of challenges and obstacles. We have to be ever vigilant and do whatever we can to resist those temptations, and instead help and inspire one another to live our lives in the manner that God has shown and taught us to do. The Lord has taught us through His Church how we should act, in loving Him and loving one another with the greatest generosity and sincerity from our hearts.

Let us all therefore do our best to glorify God by our lives, and do whatever we can to serve Him and to walk down His path. May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey, so that we may always be willing to endure and persevere through the challenges and trials that may come our way, and continue to do our best to serve the Lord at all times. May the Lord bless our every endeavours and efforts, at all times, for His greater glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 25 October 2022 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today we are all reminded to live worthily of the Lord through our own relationships particularly that of within our own Christian families. Each and every one of us as Christians are called to be the faithful and committed members of our respective Christian families, building up within our own Christian communities good and faithful Christian families and relationships, which are truly the bedrock of Christian communities and the Church, and is essential in ensuring that the Church and the faithful community remain strong amidst the many challenges, temptations and trials they may all face.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, the Apostle spoke of the responsibilities that each and every members of the Church and in their respective obligations as families and as sons and daughters of God to do what has been expected of them in building up a loving and harmonious relationship within their families, in which every members are committed to each other and in which love is the foundation of their relationships. St. Paul elaborated on what each members ought to do, and how all Christians are tasked to follow this example, and to build up their holy and loving Christian families.

Back then, while various cultures had their own definition of families and marriages, which were in fact not very distinct from Christian marriage and family, but in practice, people still quite commonly practiced things like having mistresses and concubinage, especially in the culture of the Roman Empire. There were also quite a lot of immoral behaviour and attitudes, excesses of worldly habits and actions which led to great scandals and which are unworthy of those who have been called as Christians, as God’s own beloved children and people. As Christians, all of them were given higher standards and responsibilities.

St. Paul therefore reminded the faithful people of God that they are called to be the beacons of God’s light and truth, and that they ought to show good examples in the way they all lived their lives, where they were dedicated to one another in love, and where they were not led and guided by the temptations of their worldly desires, greed, pride and ambition. St. Paul told all of the people that they ought to show love and care for each other, in caring for the needs of their family, where husbands, wives, parents, children and relatives are all united in the bond of Christian love and virtues.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples and followers regarding the kingdom of God using a parable. Through the parable of the mustard seed and flour, the Lord wanted to highlight to them about the coming of His kingdom, and how each and every one of those who believe in Him, the members of the Body of Christ, the Church, are truly building and establishing this kingdom of God in this world. Yes, that is right, brothers and sisters in Christ, the kingdom of God is indeed already in our midst, and we witness its presence through our Church, the community of the faithful and also through our respective Christian families.

And we are all reminded through the parables mentioned of the importance of providing the necessary conditions for the nurturing of this kingdom of God in our midst, just as the Lord made use of the examples of the germinating and growing mustard seed, as well as the leavening of bread dough with the use of yeast. All of those are examples that were well known and understood by the people, as agriculture and bread-making are things that are crucial to the livelihood of most if not all of the people. Through this example, the Lord wanted His people, that is all of us included, to realise that we have to nurture our faith through providing the optimum condition needed for the growth of our faith, and this is important especially for our younger generation.

That is why the family is truly the domestic Church, the smallest and yet very important subunits of the Church. If our families are not founded upon the firm foundation of our Christian faith and the truth of God, and if the love of God is not present within our families, then easily our Christian families, our Christian communities and all the people in them will be swayed and tempted away from the path of the Lord’s righteousness and virtue, and we will be easily divided and led away from the unity that we should have within our families and communities. Unless we make the conscious efforts to live our lives according to the Christian truth and love, we have not been doing what we are called to do as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to a renewed effort to be exemplary Christians in all things, in upholding our Christian values and virtues at all times, in all opportunities and possibilities. Let us all show by our faithful commitment to God, what it truly means for us to be Christians, and how we can help lead and inspire one another to be ever closer to God. May God bless us always and our every endeavours, and may He bless and strengthen our families, that we may always be committed to God and to one another, and be filled with love, the love of God, always and evermore. Amen.

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Monday, 24 October 2022 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord telling all of us to remain faithful and true to Him. We must not allow the wickedness and evils of this world from coming into our midst and corrupt us. If we let those things to mislead and distract us from the path that the Lord has shown us, then many of us will unfortunately likely end up falling down the slippery slope towards damnation. We must remember that as Christians, each and every one of us are called to be righteous, good and full of Christian virtues, that in all the things we say and do, we always bring greater glory to God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus regarding the Apostle’s reminder to the people of God there on how them being the people and children of God, they were all called to a greater new life, full of genuine faith and actions as Christians, and how they should not follow their past ways and wicked path anymore. They were called to a greater new existence, one that was no longer based on the ways of their predecessors and ancestors. Instead, they were all called to follow in the path that God has set before them, and which He Himself had shown to them through His Apostles and His Church.

St. Paul reminded the people of God in Ephesus how the Lord has called on all of them to be holy just as He is holy, and He called on all of them to be virtuous and good in their path, and not to bring scandal to the Lord’s Holy Name and to His Church. As Christians, they were all expected to make a stand against the wickedness of the world, to abandon the temptations of the world and to side with the Lord wholeheartedly. The Lord told them and also to all of us, that we cannot be servants of both God and Money, and that is, we cannot be servant of both the Lord and of the world. If we allow ourselves to indulge in the temptations of worldly glory and power, sooner or later we may end up falling deeper and deeper into the path of sin.

Instead, we are all reminded of what He Himself had done, all the teachings He has given us and all the truth that He has revealed to us, so that through all of those, we may know how we can proceed ahead as Christians in our way of life, in our actions and deeds, in whatever path we follow. That is what we ought to reflect as we recall the message of the Word of God contained within the Sacred Scriptures we have heard today. We heard from the Gospel passage today regarding the confrontation between the Lord and the leader of the synagogue simply because the Lord healed a crippled woman on a Sabbath day.

The Lord had wanted to heal the woman who had been crippled and kept bent and enslaved by the evil spirits for a long period of eighteen years, and He highlighted to His opponents and naysayers, just how ridiculous it was that the woman would have to wait any moment longer just because it was the day of the Sabbath, which according to the Jewish laws and customs back then, was a day when no work was allowed at any circumstances. Meanwhile, the Pharisees and the leader of the synagogue, who likely held the same belief, were most particularly strict and extensive in their efforts to preserve this custom and practice, in enforcing these rules on the people.

However, in doing so they had become elitist and wicked in their ways, as they became self-righteous and prejudiced against all those whom they deemed to be inferior to themselves, which were essentially everyone else, and especially those who were afflicted with diseases like that of the crippled woman herself. Yet, the Lord courageously challenged this action and view of the Pharisees and the synagogue elders, and healed the woman, showing all the people of God what God truly wants from all of us, to be loving and forgiving just as God Himself has shown us His love and compassion, His forgiveness and mercy.

Today we have yet another example who can help us to find our way in living our Christian faith ever more worthily of the Lord. St. Anthony Mary Claret, the founder of the Claretian religious order, was a Spanish Archbishop and missionary, who dedicated himself to a life of ministry to God, first preaching amongst the Catalans in a region that had been destabilised by wars, and was remembered for his great love for his flock, by his dedication in going from one community to another even on foot. He went to several distant areas like the Canary Islands, preaching the word of God there, and calling on many people to return to the Church of God.

As Archbishop of Santiago, in the New World area of Cuba, the Church entrusted St. Anthony Mary Claret with the mission to evangelise to his flock, in caring for the needs of his community, showing them the love of God as shown by his commitment to establish many hospitals and schools for the common folks, in the reorganisation of the diocesan seminary among others. Through his missionary efforts and writings, he inspired many others to follow his good examples, and that helped to lay the foundation of many good deeds. He spent a lot of time caring for the need of the poor, helping them and caring for their needs, and miracles abound in his works and presence, turning even more people towards God. He continued to do many good works even in his later years, dedicating his life to his missions even when he faced many challenges and hardships.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect on all these, and look upon the good examples set by the Lord Himself, and by our faithful and holy predecessors, the saints and martyrs, especially of St. Anthony Mary Claret whose memory we recall and venerate today. Let us all strive to do the will of God in the manner that the faithful sons and daughters of the Lord and His Church had done. And may God be with us always in our journey of faith, so that in our every words, actions and deeds, we will always ever be filled with the righteousness and virtues of God, and strive to glorify God and not seek our own glory in life. May God bless us always in all things, and bless our every efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 October 2022 : Thirtieth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mission Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us heard of the reminder that pride and ego, hubris and ambition have no place amongst us Christians and those things will only lead to our downfall and doom, if we allow those to control our lives and our actions. We have been shown and taught what it truly means to be Christians, in our daily living and actions, and if we take heed of what the Lord had reminded us, through the Scripture passages today, we should do our best to do His will, and to be humble and be focused on Him, and not to give in to the temptations of our human pride and desire, which had become the bane and the obstacle for so many of our fellow brothers and sisters, past and present.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking on how He listened to the prayers of the faithful and how He uplifted and strengthened the humble and the just, while at the same time, God condemns and crushes those who were proud and mighty, those who oppressed others and who did not live their lives in accordance with His ways. He judged unworthy those who were merciless and those who have treated their brethren with disdain and lack of respect, those who have acted with violence upon others and those who have exploited their fellow men. All these have no place in God’s Kingdom and Presence.

In the Gospel passage today, we heard the parable which the Lord Jesus mentioned regarding the tax collector and the Pharisee, in which both were praying at the same time at the House of God. We heard how the Pharisee looked down upon his fellow man, the tax collector, considering him as a sinner while praising his own self-righteousness and virtues, as was common at that time. Back then, the Pharisees were considered the elites of the Jewish society, very well-respected and even feared by the other members of the community for their knowledge, intellect, power and influence.

On the other hand, the tax collectors were often ostracised and prejudiced against for their work in collecting taxes for the rulers and for the Romans. They were seen as great sinners and greedy people unworthy of God and His salvation, and they were often shunned by the community, especially hated and rejected by the Pharisees and the elders, who saw them as abominations and traitors to the nation. As such, this prejudice was shown in the Lord’s parable, as He highlighted the folly of such prejudice and narrow-sighted and narrow-minded attitude. The tax collector, fully aware of his sins, was not even willing to look up, embarrassed and shamed by his sins, while the Pharisee, though a sinner himself, lauded his achievements and not only that, but also slandered others before God.

That, brothers and sisters in Christ, is how dangerous pride and ego is for us, as well as human desire and greed. The Pharisee in the parable fell to the trap of his own pride, thinking that he was better than the tax collector, and in doing so, he turned inwards, focusing on himself and his own achievements, which resulted in his prideful and self-congratulatory attitude, which led to him being focused so much on himself and so full of himself, that he failed to see that he himself was also a sinner like the tax collector requiring God’s mercy and redemption. Instead, he thought that everything he did made him worthy of God and that he was superior than others who did less than what he had done.

This is not what each one of us as Christians should be doing. As Christians, all of us have been shown and taught by the Lord, first and foremost to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all of our might, and not to love ourselves more than how we love God and others. As Christians we are called and in fact challenged to show our love to one another, to our fellow brothers and sisters, reminding ourselves that God has been so kind, loving, compassionate and merciful in reaching out to us and in showing us His providence and love. He has never given up on us even whenever we have always been rebellious and disobedient in our attitudes in life and despite how many times we have refused to listen to His servants.

But often times we shut the Lord out of our lives because we were too busy and preoccupied with the many things and matters we have in life, and we were often too full of pride and arrogance to admit that we can be mistaken, imperfect or wrong in our ways, and that we ourselves are in need of help and healing. We tend to lose sight on what truly matters, as we have not allowed the Lord to be the true centre and focus of our lives. Instead, we put our own ego and ambitions, our own pride and desires, our attachments for worldly things and goods on the pedestal, and we end up turning inwards and became like how the Pharisee in the Lord’s parable had behaved. That is not the path that a Christian like us should be following.

Instead, we have to realise first of all that we are sinners in need of God’s help and healing, and through God, all of us can gain the sure passage towards eternal life and glory. We have to trust in the Lord just as we remembered what St. Paul told St. Timothy in his Epistle to him today, in our second reading passage. St. Paul encouraged St. Timothy, reminding him of all that the Lord had done to him, that despite all the challenges and the trials that he had to endure, God has always been by his side, protecting him and providing for him, encouraging him and guiding him through the difficult and hard times. He had done what he had been called to do in evangelisation and proclaiming the Good News of God to people of various nations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we recall and internalise the message contained within the passages of the Sacred Scriptures which we heard this Sunday, all of us are reminded to focus ourselves on God and not on ourselves and our own vanity and desires. And that is part of why the Church commemorates and celebrates Mission Sunday today, reminding us all that each and every one of us as Christians, all of us are called to be missionary in our lives and attitudes, to be life-giving and to be faithful witnesses of the Lord and our Christian faith at every possible opportunities. Each and every one of us as part of the same Church of God, as part of this same one Body of Christ are expected and called to be evangelising and missionary disciples and followers of Christ.

Now, what does it mean for us to be missionary and to fulfil our missions, brothers and sisters in Christ? It does not mean that we have to go and embark on mission to far away parts of the world, preaching the Good News of the Gospels and the Christian faith. Yes, there were and are still many people who have committed their lives to be full-time missionaries, as priests and religious members of the various orders involved in the missionary works all around the world, operating the various ministries and missions that the Church has placed all around the world, but those are not the only ones who should be involved in the mission of the Church.

On the contrary, it is the responsibility and integral part of being Christians that we have to dedicate our time, effort and attention to be true and living witnesses of our Christian faith and beliefs in God, in our every day moments, in living our best to serve the Lord and to do His will, not for our own glory and fame, but for the greater glory of God. Each and every one of us who partakes in the Body of Christ and are part of this Holy Communion of all the faithful and the saints, all of us are sharing in the same mission that Our Lord Jesus Christ has entrusted to His Church and His disciples, and that is to proclaim the Good News He has revealed to the world and to go forth and baptise all the people of all the nations in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We do not have to do great and marvellous things. What matters is for us to do the best even in the smallest and simplest things we do, such that in all of those, we truly proclaim the Lord not only just by our words, but even more importantly, by our actions and deeds. If we truly embody our faith and beliefs in all of our actions, and do our best to uphold ourselves in virtue and justice, in obedience to God and righteousness, then naturally all those who see us, witness us, hear us and interact with us will come to know the Lord through us, and we may be surprised but our every actions do matter, and they can have great impact on the salvation of many souls.

And we are also reminded not to be elitist and self-righteous, as the example of the Pharisee in the parable of the Lord warned us. We must not let pride and our human greed and desire to be a serious hindrance and obstacle in our path towards God and His salvation. As long as we strive and do our best to resist those many temptations all around us, we will be able to remain faithful to the Lord, remembering as always that we are all sinners after all, all of whom the Lord had shown love, compassion and mercy on. The Lord has loved us all from the very beginning, and He does not mind even our rebellious and our stubbornness, but keep on reaching out to us. Therefore, we too should not be prejudiced against those who we may have deemed to be less than worthy than us. We should not forget that we ourselves have received great grace of God’s forgiveness, and if all even the greatest of sinners receive this love and mercy from God, why we cannot do the same as well?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore live our lives with genuine faith and dedication, and be good Christian missionaries in our every works and actions, so that we may genuinely proclaim the truth of God to the people of all the nations. We have to live our lives worthily and faithfully at all times, and be the beacons of Christ’s light in our world today. Let us all therefore dedicate ourselves anew to the Lord, and may the Lord continue to guide us and bless us in every moments, and in our every good efforts and endeavours, as this Mission Sunday ought to remind us of our calling and mission in life. May God strengthen and empower us to be ever worthy to be in His Presence, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 22 October 2022 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are meant to do what we can as Christians, having been given various talents and gifts, blessings and graces by the Lord. Each and every one of us are therefore expected to make good use of those gifts of the Lord and be fruitful in the grace of God, bearing the rich fruits of our actions and commitments in life, in accordance to what each one of us have been called to do as Christians. All of us are reminded today of this calling, and we should embrace the Lord’s calling wholeheartedly.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, we heard about the matter of the gifts that God had given to His disciples, to the Apostles and the others who have given themselves to the service of God. The Lord has granted them all the gifts and the blessings, the opportunities and the abilities to do His will, and gave them each a mission to fulfil in their lives. St. Paul therefore wanted to remind the faithful in Ephesus of their calling and mission in life, on the significance of them being Christians, as followers of the Lord. The Lord has called on all of them to be the members and parts of His Church, His one united Body, made up of all the different various parts, all the different peoples of different origins and background.

The Church of God is made up of all these people and parts, each one of them with their own talents and capabilities, with their own missions and responsibilities. For example, as mentioned, the Lord called and gave the gifts and entrusted some with their responsibility as Apostles, some others as missionaries and teachers, while some others were entrusted to be evangelists and preachers, while others were called to be involved in building good and faithful Christian families, to be good fathers, mothers, children and other members of the Christian community, as parts of the same united Body of Christ, the Church.

At that time the Church and the Christian communities in the various parts of the Mediterranean and elsewhere were still in their early stages, as the Apostles and the other missionaries spread the Good News and the Christian faith to various parts of the world, proclaiming the truth of God courageously despite the many challenges that they had to face. The Lord has sent His disciples to those places, revealing His truth and salvation to all the people of all the nations. That is why, the Lord wants us all to remember how all of us have the same mission that He has entrusted to His Apostles and disciples, and thus, we have to make good use of the gifts and talents given to us. We can neither be idle or ignore our calling and mission.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord telling His disciples that all those people who had suffered due to the riot in Galilee and the collapse of the tower in Siloah had met their end, and while it was not due to any fault of theirs, but the Lord highlighted to them all, that unless they changed their ways and actions, then they would face the end in the same manner as those who had perished experienced. He used this example to highlight how all of our actions and works, our beliefs and faith truly matter as they all determine whether we are going to be worthy of the Lord, or whether our actions and lives will condemn us at the Day of Judgment. The choice and opportunities have been given to us, and now therefore it is up to us whether we will act on it or not.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all realise that as Christians, as members of the Church of God, all of us like that of the Apostles and the early Christians, are all the same disciples of the Lord, and we all share the same calling and mission which the Lord had given and entrusted to us through His same Church. Each one of us have been given the gifts and talents, and the various capabilities and opportunities, for us to reach out to more and more of our fellow men, and proclaim the truth of God through our own exemplary lives and actions. We do not have to perform amazing and wonderful things, as in truth, what really matters is for us to do whatever we can, in our own small little ways, to do the will of God, and to follow His path, at all times.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the great recent saint, whose name and memories must be familiar to so many among us both young and old, as he was the leader of the Universal Church as the Successor of St. Peter, the Pope and Bishop of Rome. Pope St. John Paul II, also known by his birth name as Karol Jozef Wojtyla, the first Polish Pope and non-Italian Pope after close to five hundred years. Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born in Poland after the First World War to a loving family, but unfortunately, he lost his family members one by one, beginning with his mother, then his elder brother and finally his father, during the harsh early years of the Second World War.

The young Karol Wojtyla suffered hardships during the war years, and during that time, he went through discreet seminary preparation as he committed himself to priesthood. He was ordained a priest, and then went through another hard period of oppression of Christians by the Communists, who were in power at that time. Christians were persecuted and oppressed, but Fr. Wojtyla cared for the needs of his flock, and this quiet obedience and commitment to the Lord eventually led to him being chosen as first the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow, and then succeeding as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, and from there on, his participation as a leader of the Church continued to rise on.

After being made a Cardinal by the Pope, the then Cardinal Wojtyla continued to fight for the rights of the Christians in his homeland, in Krakow and elsewhere, and he was particularly remembered for his period of struggle against the Communist government, as he led the faithful in the effort to establish a church in the new town of Nowa Huta, which the Communist government had touted back then as a churchless town, in a seeming symbol of triumph of Communism over the Christian faith. Cardinal Wojtyla helped to lead the campaign which eventually led to the completion of the church and shrine at Nowa Huta of the now famous Black Madonna of Nowa Huta.

He was then elected as the successor of St. Peter as the Pope and leader of the Universal Church. As Pope St. John Paul II, he led the Church on a great campaign of renewal, in leading the Church through efforts to evangelise to many more people, to lead to the greater unity within the Church, the repair of relations between the separated brethren among the Christian Church splinters, as well as in his great and memorable role in leading to the downfall of Communism, which happened just over a decade after he took over as the Pope and leader of the Church. He travelled to many countries, more than any Popes ever before and ever since until today, and as the Apostles long before his time and ours, Pope St. John Paul II continued to carry on the mission entrusted to the Church of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the intercession of Pope St. John Paul II and the many other saints who are our good role models, including that of the Apostles and the other disciples themselves, and let us ask all of them to pray for us, that God may strengthen us in our missionary journey, in whatever we do as members of the same Church of God, for our current Pope, Francis, the Cardinals and the Archbishops and Bishops all throughout the Church, all the priest and deacons, and everyone in the religious orders, brothers and sisters, and of course all those among the laity, in their various capacities and workplaces, as fathers, mothers and children, as members of the living Church of God.

Let us all do our best to obey the will of God and commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, resolving to follow the path that God has shown before us. May the Lord continue to guide us all and be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us with the strength and the grace to remain faithful to Him despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey of faith through our respective lives. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 21 October 2022 : 29th 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 reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to live our lives faithfully at all times, in the path that the Lord has set before us, and in doing what He has commanded all of us to do. The Lord has called on us to do His will, to proclaim His Good News among the people of all the nations, and He has taught us what we should do as His disciples. Each one of us are now therefore called and expected to be dedicated as children of God, in living our lives most worthily as those who have been made God’s own people.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, the Apostle reminded all the faithful there of the calling for all of them to live their lives worthily of God, to be committed and true to their faith, to do the will of God as they have been expected to, and to proclaim His Good News by their lives and actions. All the Christians have been given the vocations as God’s own beloved disciples and people, to walk in the path He has shown them, in loving Him with all of their hearts and might, and in showing that same love to their fellow brothers and sisters, unconditionally just as He has loved them all unconditionally as well.

As I have mentioned in my earlier discourses this past week, the Church community in Ephesus and in many other early Christian communities back then were often divided between the Jewish converts and the converts among the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people made up of various peoples like Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Syrians, Anatolians and many other people, all of whom had welcomed the Lord and accepted Him as their Lord and Master. But some of those from the Jewish community kept their past prejudices against those who belonged to the non-Jewish community. This is because they considered themselves being superior as they were directly descended from the Israelites of the past, and upheld the strict practices and customs of the Jewish people.

Some of those same Jewish converts, many of whom were likely members of the Pharisees and the scribes, even attempted to impose their excessive version of the Jewish Law and customs on all the faithful, including that of the Gentiles. As such, this would have made it very difficult for the converts from among the Gentiles to follow the Christian faith as contextually we must understand that some of the practices and customs of the Jewish people were seen by many of the Gentiles and pagans of the time as being aberration and strange, or even downright repulsive and undesirable.

Hence, St. Paul wanted the whole Church and all the faithful to realise that they should not be divided one against another by those bias and prejudices, or by any other differences that they might have between them. All of them are reminded to remain united as a whole united Body of Christ, the Church of God, with every members showing love and care for each other. There should be no more division or prejudices among them, whether they saw themselves as Jew or Greek, or any other Gentiles, or whether they were free people or slaves, or whether they were rich or poor, or whether they were males or females. All are equal before the same Lord Who loves us all.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord told all of His people and disciples that there were signs that they had seen, and they should henceforth act upon what they had seen. He was in fact referring to the signs and wonders which He Himself had done before all of the people, and yet many of them still doubted Him and refused to believe in Him. They would rather remain in their disbelief and in believing their own ways rather than to trust in the Lord, or to open their hearts and minds. They had all seen and heard whatever that the Lord had done, in all of His teachings and miracles, and yet they had failed to believe, and some even opposed the Lord and His disciples openly.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as what the Apostle St. Paul spoke to the faithful in Ephesus of, what we heard today in the Gospel passage reminds us all of just how we mankind have often allowed our own selfish nature and pride to undermine us in our path and progress towards God and His salvation. And all of that had prevented us from finding the Lord, keeping us trapped within our own prideful ways and habits. As long as we continue to resist the Lord, and not following Him in the way that we should have done, then we are not truly devout and committed Christians, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves and others otherwise.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, let us all realise that each and every one of us are expected and have been called to love God and also our fellow brothers and sisters with all of our strength and ability, and not only that, but we are also expected to love others without being biased or prejudiced against anyone. All of us should love one another equally regardless of our background, origin, racial status, wealth, possessions, societal status, gender or whatever other worldly divisions and prejudices we often placed ourselves in. We have to rid ourselves of these, and endeavour to keep the Church and all the faithful united together.

May the Lord continue to be with us and guide us, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may truly be good examples of our Christian faith to all the people, so that we may always proclaim the Lord, His truth and love by our every actions, words and deeds. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.