Weekday Homily

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Sunday, 11 July 2021 : Fifteenth 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 Scripture we are all reminded that each and every one of us as Christians have been entrusted with the mission to reach out to the world, to the people we have been sent to, as missionaries and witnesses of our faith to the other people who have not yet heard the truth or known the Lord.

In our first reading today, we heard the tale of the prophet Amos, who was sent to the northern kingdom of Israel, composed of most of ten tribes out of the twelve tribes of Israel, who have rebelled against the house of David. While initially the first king of Israel, Jeroboam had been faithful to God, the fears of having the people of the northern kingdom going to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices as required by the Law, led to the king instating a rival worship practice and centre at Bethel in the northern kingdom.

This was the same Bethel that the prophet Amos came to as mentioned in our first reading today, as king Amaziah who ruled Israel a few generations after Jeroboam, told Amos to go off back into the land of Judah. Amaziah was likely angered by the works which Amos did in the land of Israel, and in Bethel no less, calling on the people to return to Lord and be reconciled with Him, abandoning their sinful and wicked ways. This included the pagan and unlawful worship carried out at Bethel among others.

Yet, Amos persisted and told the king that it was God Who called on him from his humble origin and background, from his ordinary life to be the shepherd of the people of God, Israel. Amos answered the Lord’s call and dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the mission that has been entrusted to him by the Lord. He encountered challenges and obstacles from those who refused to listen to him or believe in the Lord, but he worked hard nonetheless for the greater glory of God.

In our Gospel passage today, then we heard the Lord sending out His disciples to go before Him to many places, and to minister to the people, two by two, that they might help and cure the people of their sickness, and speak of the truth of God which He has revealed to them. He sent them out to the people to bring the Good News of God’s salvation to all, and those disciples had been entrusted with the care of the various peoples that God has called to be His own. They were tasked to reach out to the separated and lost sons and daughters of mankind, their own brothers and sisters, that more and more may come to know of the Lord and His truth.

They were told not to carry more than the barest essentials, and to wear very simple and minimal dressing as is appropriate and yet unassuming in nature. They were also told to stay in whichever place that accommodated and welcomed them in, and not to stay in the places where they were not welcome to stay or where the people rejected them. Through all of these, the Lord told His disciples to put their trust in Him and not in their own power, devices and strength.

He also told them plainly of the challenges and trials that they would face, all the things that they would have to endure to walk down the path that He has shown them. It would not be easy for one to become a faithful and committed Christian, as a dedicated disciple and servant of the Lord. There would be plenty of obstacles that they all had to overcome, and this is also therefore a reminder to each and every one of us. We shall also face moments when we can even question our faith and commitment to God, due to all the sorrows and sufferings we have to endure.

But the Lord reassured each and every one of us, that we are never alone, and He is always with us, by our side. And ours is a most important mission which the Lord Himself has entrusted to us, that is to be the bearers of the Good News of salvation and the Light of truth to many people who have not yet heard of them or seen the light of God’s truth. This is what our Christian faith is all about, that we do not just keep this faith and truth to ourselves, but rather, we are all required to share this faith and truth with others.

That is why today we heard all of these reminders from the passages of the Scriptures, as reminders for us that each and every one of us as Christians have that very important role to play and the obligation to reveal the truth of Christ to all the people, without exception. We have to entrust ourselves in the Lord and follow Him wholeheartedly in the mission which He has entrusted to each and every one of us in turn. We have to embark on this missionary journey, responding to the call which the Lord has made upon us.

We have been so blessed by God and received the bountiful grace of salvation through Christ, which we have heard in our second reading today, from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, as St. Paul told the faithful there of the wonderful grace that they have received from the Lord, and revealing to all of them, the desire that the Lord has in saving all mankind, be it Jews or non-Jews alike, and it is because of this that St. Paul himself and the other Apostles and missionaries of the faith had laboured hard, to spread the Good News and truth of God to all the people of all the nations.

St. Paul reiterated the Lord’s call to all of us, that each and every one of us have that responsibility and duty to be the faithful witnesses of our faith in our respective communities, reaching out to all those who are in need of guidance and truth so that by our actions and faithful witness to the truth of Christ, and by our exemplary life and commitment to God, we may be inspiration for many others that they may also follow our good examples and faith, and come to believe in the Lord as well.

Let us all therefore do our very best, and strive to be faithful to God and commit ourselves to the mission which He has entrusted us all, and be faithful and good in each and every moments of our lives that walking in the footsteps of the prophet Amos and the Apostles, we may always glorify the Lord by our lives and works, at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us all with the courage and resolve to follow Him and dedicate ourselves to His cause. May God bless our good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 10 July 2021 : 14th 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 Scripture, we are all called to entrust ourselves to the Lord and put our faith in Him, and not be easily worried or swayed by the temptations of worldly comfort and pleasures, or be deterred by challenges and sufferings, for the Lord has always provided for our needs. He has always been faithful to the Covenant He made with us and our ancestors, and we have nothing to fear if we trust in Him.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account of the death of Jacob, or Israel, the forefather of all the Israelites, who had passed on in the land of Egypt after being reunited with his son Joseph, surrounded by all of his extended family. Then, the brothers of Joseph were afraid that the latter would take revenge against them after their father had passed away. They were afraid that Joseph, who was the Regent of Egypt, would use his power to his advantage and take revenge on them.

Yet, Joseph reassured his brothers that he had no such intention at all. Instead, he reminded all of them of God’s most bountiful grace and guidance to all of them, His beloved ones. Joseph reminded his brothers how God had turned their malicious plan on him into a blessing for many others, as He brought Joseph into Egypt, and while initially he suffered, but God made him to be in the position to benefit so many others, all through his position as Regent, by which he saved many during the years of famine.

In the end, therefore God still wanted to reach out to His beloved ones, and be reconciled with them, just as Joseph was reconciled to his brothers. He still blessed them and loved us mankind, despite all that we had done, in our disobedience and refusal to believe in Him. He still believes in us and wants to love us all tenderly, caring for us as He has always done, all these while. It is often we ourselves who refused to trust in Him and preferred to walk our own path.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord reassuring His disciples how there is nothing that they need to worry about since each one of them are precious to the Lord, and that mankind should not spend so much time worrying about themselves and their concerns. Instead, they must entrust themselves and their lives to the Lord, believing fully that the Lord will always be with them, and nothing that happens to us which is not known to the Lord. He always has our best interests in mind, and this sometimes leads to scenarios in which we may have to suffer or endure difficulties for a little while. But we have to learn to be patient in facing all these.

Are we going to let little shortcomings and obstacles to stop us in the path towards God and His salvation? This is not what we should be doing, and we should learn to trust in the Lord to guide us rather than worrying about we are to enjoy and experience in our daily living. We have to remove from our hearts and minds those obstacles and barriers of doubt, fear and indecisiveness, and learn to be more courageous in living our lives in accordance to the way of the Lord. We should be courageous and dedicated in being true to our Christian truth and ways that in all things we say and do, we will always be our Lord’s faithful and worthy witnesses.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this world today, there is already too much darkness and wickedness, and there is not enough faith and hope, and the love of God. As we all carry on our respective journey in life, we are all called to reflect on our actions and our outlook in life, that we may strive to be ever more worthy of the Lord and be ever more committed to walk in His path, so that through us, many more people may come to be inspired by our examples and be strengthened by our resolve, to live faithfully in the same way as we have done it as well.

Let us all be great inspiration for one another, that we may strengthen each other and help support one another in our journey towards the Lord. May He continue to bless us and guide us in our every steps in life, and may He empower each and every one of us to be His most faithful followers and witnesses of this same Christian truth, hope, faith and love that we have received, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 9 July 2021 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures we are all reminded of the reassurances of the Lord to all of us, that all who are faithful to Him shall never be left alone, and God will always take good care of those who are beloved and precious to Him. God will be with those who are faithful to Him and will not leave them wanting or in need. This is just as we heard the story of Jacob as he was about to go to Egypt from the Book of Genesis, and the Lord’s words reassuring His disciples regarding the mission they would be taking on.

In our first reading today from the Book of Genesis, we heard about Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, who in his old age was embarking on the journey to the land of Egypt, as he had just heard the unbelievable news that Joseph, his second youngest son, whom he thought to be long dead, was in fact still alive and was the Regent of all Egypt, the second most powerful person there after the Egyptian Pharaoh himself. Jacob heard all of these from his other sons, who had once told him that Joseph was seized by wild beasts and was killed, a plot they did due to their jealousy to Joseph’s preferential treatment by Jacob.

After all those years, Jacob who had grieved over the loss of one of his beloved sons, heard again the message of hope, and he wanted to see his long-lost son. Yet, at the same time, he was unsure and worried of the journey to come. Joseph had called his father and the rest of the extended family of Israel to move to Egypt, as that time it was still in the midst of the great famine engulfing the whole world, and many years remained in that long famine, while Egypt had plenty of food storage thanks to Joseph and his insight from God.

The Lord therefore spoke to Jacob as we heard in our first reading today, reassuring him that he had nothing to fear from the journey, and that God Himself would accompany him and his family, and continue to bless him and all of his descendants in the land of Egypt. He reassured Jacob that He would always be by his side, no matter what, and provide for the Israelites, as He would prove again and again. Then we heard how Jacob finally encountered Joseph again, and was indeed overcome with great joy of seeing his beloved son.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord told His disciples that their commitment to Him and the mission which He has entrusted to them would see them facing plenty of obstacles and trials, as they might encounter severe persecutions, oppressions and challenges from the powerful, from the state and the authorities, and all those who were opposed to the Lord and His truth and works. This is the reality which the Lord did not hide but instead, reveal plainly before all of His disciples.

But at the same time, the Lord also reassured them all that they had nothing to be worried about, as they embark on their missionary journey and works, echoing what the Lord had told Jacob many centuries previously. He would be with all of His disciples, followers and all who have professed their faith in Him, and He would journey together with them, suffering with them and helping them to endure all the persecutions and trials that they would face in the midst of their ministry.

These therefore are reminders for all of us that the Lord is always ever faithful to the Covenant which He had made with us, and He will always stand by us no matter what, and He will not abandon us, and we truly have nothing to fear even if we are facing the worst of oppositions and troubles. As Christians, we have to embrace our calling and respective mission in life with faith, and trust the Lord with our lives, at all times. We have to believe in Him and put our faith in Him, and be strengthened with courage and faith.

Today, we remember the glorious memory of the holy saints, St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of China. Today we recall these multitudes of people, our holy predecessors, who have suffered for their faith in the great country of China. Many of them were converts to the faith who had embraced the Lord and remained firm in their faith despite the persecutions they faced from the local authorities and the challenges they had in various forms, and when forced to abandon their faith, they remained faithful to the Lord and suffered martyrdom as a result.

Many of them suffered grievously and faced great tribulations, prison and torture, death in most painful ways, for their dedication and commitment. But they remained steadfast, all because they believed in the Lord and His faithfulness, that no matter what, they trusted in Him and the love that they had received from Him. To the very end, they persevered and remained true to the Lord. They are our inspirations in life, in how we ourselves can devote ourselves to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore dedicate ourselves to the Lord in the same way. Let us entrust ourselves to the Lord and give ourselves in the best way possible, that each and every one of us shall be more and more faithful, closer and worthy of the Lord, with each and every passing moments in our lives. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us with resolve and courage to follow Him wholeheartedly in all things. Amen.

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Thursday, 8 July 2021 : 14th 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 Scripture, we heard of the moment from the Book of Genesis when Joseph, son of Jacob, was reunited with his brothers in the land of Egypt, in a most unlikely encounter between Joseph, who was then the second most powerful man and Regent over all of Egypt, and his brothers, who had come from the land of Canaan seeking for food and provisions during the great famine that time.

Initially, none of the brothers had recognised Joseph, and since they had thought him long gone after they sold him off to the Midianites, and even probably dead, they did not expect to see Joseph again, after so many years and in such an occasion no less. Joseph, on the other hand, recognised his brothers immediately, and although he could have revealed himself immediately, but he waited and tested his brothers first to see how they were doing.

Eventually, Joseph could not take it anymore and revealed himself before his brothers, saying that it was God’s plan and grace that allowed everything to happen as it was, that their evil plots had been turned to good things as God sent Joseph to Egypt to pave the path for Jacob and his descendants. God sent Joseph ahead of the rest to prepare everything, so that when they would eventually come, they would eventually be taken good care of, as Israel would eventually stay in Egypt for quite many years.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the way that they ought to live up to their lives and mission as those whom the Lord had sent to be His servants and witnesses, His disciples to be the ones to proclaim His truth among the peoples of all the nations. The Lord called on them all to turn towards Him and entrust themselves to Him, not worrying about what they were to bring and how they were to survive, for God Himself would be with them.

Those disciples would encounter significant challenges and opposition, trials and problems throughout their ministry, just as almost all the Apostles save for St. John encountered martyrdom along with numerous other saints of the early Church and beyond. Throughout the history of the Church, there were then still so many others who had suffered in the midst of their trials and journeys. Yet, they all persevered and remained faithful.

This is what we have been reminded of through today’s Scripture readings, that each and every one of us as Christians ought to trust in the Lord and to follow Him wholeheartedly, and not to be easily swayed by worldly temptations or our fears. We must never be afraid since we will always be preserved and protected by the Lord Who loves each and every one of us without exception. If only that we all have this great faith in Him and love for His kindness and compassionate Heart, with which He has generously taken care of us as always.

Today, we are all called to refocus our attention and focus on the Lord, and do our very best to glorify His Name by our every actions and commitment in life. Are we capable and willing to commit ourselves to be the true bearers of God’s light and truth, brothers and sisters? If we have not followed Him in the manner that we should have, then we really ought to begin doing so now. God has called us to follow Him and to respond to this calling. He has revealed to us what we all need to do as Christians.

We can no longer be complacent or idle as Christians, ignorant of all that we can and should be doing as those who proclaim to believe in God and His truth. God has called on all of us to walk in His path, and that is what we all should be doing, with great faith and dedication. That is why, we should dedicate our time and effort to serve Him, to be His witnesses to all the whole world. Let us all be good witnesses and servants of God, and let us show our devotion, now and always. May God be with us always, and may He ever strengthen our resolve to walk in His path. Amen.

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Wednesday, 7 July 2021 : 14th 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 Scripture, we heard the reminder for us to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters, that is we all need to share the love of God to those whom we encounter in life, and commit ourselves to follow the Lord with faith, with dedication and the desire to spread His message and truth, to all the people of all the nations, in the footsteps of the Apostles.

The Lord showed His love to His people when He sent Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob, or Israel, into Egypt ahead of his brothers and family. This happened as Joseph was despised earlier on in his youth by his elder brothers, as he was one of their father’s favourite, being born of his beloved wife, Rachel, in his old age, besides Benjamin, the youngest son. As Jacob showered Joseph with lots of affection, this made many among the older brothers jealous and angry. His dream in which he saw his elder brothers and his own father bowing before him made them even angrier.

This resulted in them plotting for Joseph’s death, which was also thwarted by the efforts of Ruben, his elder brother, who tried to convince them otherwise, and by the suggestions that they sold him to a Midianite slaver instead of killing him. And that was how Joseph ended up in Egypt, and became a slave in the household of Potiphar, one of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s officials. When he was falsely accused of trying to sleep with Potiphar’s wife, he was arrested and put in prison.

But by God’s grace, Joseph became a very successful man in Egypt, as he was rescued by the Lord, and his ability to interpret dreams came to the attention of the Pharaoh, who after hearing the interpretation of his dreadful dream, made him no less than the Regent of the entire kingdom, as the second most powerful man in the whole realm just after the Pharaoh himself. And it was before this Regent of Egypt, whom Joseph’s brothers came to as described in our first reading today.

The whole land, the whole earth suffered from a great famine just as predicted by the dreams of the Pharaoh, after years of great bounty. But Joseph was there in Egypt to advise the Pharaoh by God’s guidance, to save up plenty of food during the years of prosperity, and that was how God blessed His people and saved them even many years beforehand, as Joseph would later on say upon revealing himself eventually to his astounded brothers.

This is what we have heard of God’s love for us, how even when we mankind plotted bad things against others, He changed what was bad and terrible into something that is good instead. He still patiently leads us and guides us through the right path, despite our disobedience and wickedness, all these while. And He sent His disciples to go before Him, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, to bring forth the message of His truth and love to everyone.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to these readings from the Scripture, we are reminded that we should be more obedient and faithful to the Lord, learning to entrust ourselves to Him and walk faithfully in His path. We should not allow worldly temptations and desires to be hurdles and obstacles that distract us and prevent us from reaching this goal of finding the Lord and reaching His salvation and grace. God wants us all to listen to Him and to follow Him with all of our heart and might.

Let us all therefore follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and all those whom God had sent into this world to bring more and more of His beloved people back to Him. We are the successors of the works of the Apostles, and there are many things that we can do in reaching out in our daily living, to our fellow brothers and sisters, that through us many more people may come to the Lord and be saved, together with us. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 6 July 2021 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scriptures we are presented with the story of Jacob who encountered the Lord and struggled with Him, and survived, as he made his way back to the land of Canaan to be reunited with his family. God reassured Jacob that he would be always blessed and protected by Him, and God would never abandon him and his descendants.

We heard then in our Gospel passage today, of the moment when the Lord healed His people, healing the blind and the sick, and casting out demons from those who had been possessed. And yet, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law among the crowd were quick to criticise Him and even accused Him of colluding and working together with the prince of demons in order to deceive the people.

This is the same struggle that Jacob had as he was still doubting the Lord when he was on his way back to Canaan. As he returned to the land of Canaan, he was still worried and fearful that his elder brother Esau still held great grudge and anger against him and wanted him and his family dead. Yet, that was not to be the case. Nonetheless, God came to Jacob and made him to see reason, and turn away from his doubts and fears.

The Lord therefore did the same as He came among His people, bearing His truth and salvation, healing His people from their sickness and troubles. And yet, some among them still refused to believe in Him and hardened their hearts and minds, as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done. Nonetheless, God never ceased in trying to reach out to even the most stubborn among His people.

And that was when He also said to His disciples, that while the harvest was plentiful, but the labourers were few. He asked them all to pray and ask the Lord, the Master of the harvest, to send labourers to work and gather the harvest that has been waiting to be harvested. And this means that, all of us as Christians, we have been given this very task to be the labourers of the vineyard and the harvest of the Lord.

He has entrusted to us the mission to evangelise the whole world, to make disciples of all the peoples of all the nations of the world, to be the witnesses of His Resurrection, the bearers of His light, hope and truth to all and every peoples. But how are we going to do this, if we ourselves have not been truly faithful to Him yet, brothers and sisters in Christ? Many of us are still stubborn much like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in refusing to commit ourselves to the Lord and believe in His truth.

That is why today all of us should be inspired by the examples set by St. Maria Goretti, the famous saint and martyr of the faith, a young girl who was martyred while she was but a young teenager, in defence of her faith and chastity. The story of St. Maria Goretti and her martyrdom was well known, how she was about to be raped by Alessandro, a neighbour’s boy, who wanted to do indecent things with her.

St. Maria Goretti refused his advances, and persisted in maintaining her purity and virginity before God, which caused the older boy to be angered and stabbed the young girl many times, and leaving her for death. Yet, this courageous and brave young girl and servant of God forgave her assailant even to her last breath and prayed for his conversion. Later on, she was to appear to her assailant, and according to accounts, led him down the path of repentance, as he turned a new leaf of life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we also able to follow in the path set by St. Maria Goretti and many other of our holy predecessors? God has called us all to be holy and to be dedicated to Him, doing His works and be His faithful labourers in all things. Let us all strive to do our very best in glorifying God, in every little things we do, and commit ourselves, each and every moments of our lives, to be the bearers of God’s truth and love. May God bless us all, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 5 July 2021 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony Zaccaria, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are called to trust in the Lord and His words and promises to us, as He gave us all His reassurances, as He has given to His servants and people, such as what He has told Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, as He watched over him and guided him in his journey, and as He has done to the woman who was suffering from haemorrhages and the official synagogue whose daughter has passed away.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story of Jacob, the younger son of Isaac, son of Abraham, who was at Bethel in the midst of fleeing from the wrath of his elder brother Esau. At that time, Esau who was the elder brother of Jacob was supposed to be the one to inherit Isaac’s blessings and grace as the heir of Abraham, but Jacob took those blessings and inheritance from Esau. Jacob flee away from Esau, fearing his wrath, but God was with Jacob, and He showed this reassurance as he lay sleeping in Bethel.

As we heard in our first reading today, Jacob received a vision of heaven as he lay sleeping, and God spoke to him, reassuring him that He would be with him and also with his descendants, remembering the same Covenant and promise which He had made with Abraham and Isaac. Jacob promised God that if He would guide him and help him to return to the land one day, he would raise a great altar in His honour and stay faithful to Him, he and his descendants altogether. And God did guide Jacob and eventually He brought Jacob and his family back to the land promised to him and his descendants.

In our Gospel passage today we heard of the moment when the Lord healed two people from their troubles. There was a woman who had been suffering from bleeding and haemorrhages, and had sought for treatments without any success. She sought the Lord as she believed that the Lord would be able to to help her from her troubles. She touched the Lord’s cloak and was instantly healed. The Lord also reassured the woman for her faith, and strengthened her, reassuring her that she has been healed and made whole by her trust in Him.

Then, the Lord also raised the dead daughter of the synagogue official, who initially sought Him to heal her from her sickness. When she had passed on while the Lord was delayed on the way, the Lord reassured her father, the official, that he had nothing to worry about, and despite the ridicule and laughter from all others there who laughed at the Lord’s suggestion that the girl was only sleeping. The Lord raised the girl from the dead and restored her to life, showing to all the power and love of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard these things, are we still doubting the Lord and all that He can do for our sake, on our behalf? Are we still not sure of the things that we shall receive from Him, and all that we shall gain by putting our trust and faith in Him? We are all called to reflect on this, as we ought to consider what we can do in order to commit ourselves as good and faithful Christians in life. We should not just pay Him a lip service and live in manner that is against His laws and commandments.

Today therefore, we should follow the examples set by St. Anthony Zaccaria, a holy priest and dedicated servant of God, known as one of the leaders of the Counter-Reformation efforts and as the founder of the Barnabites order, who was remembered for his commitment and service to the people, especially to those who are poor and needy in the community, devoting much of his time and effort to serve the community of the faithful and encouraging devotions to the Lord such as the increasingly popular Forty Hours Devotion, among others.

St. Anthony Zaccaria did not live long as he passed away relatively young from the ravages of a disease, but he was credited with the foundation of several religious orders, through which his works and passion were continued on by all those who shared the same calling and missionary zeal. This is why we should also follow the examples and be inspired by the faith and dedication of St. Anthony Zaccaria, in how he spent his time and effort to serve the Lord, and to glorify the Name of the Lord among His people. After all, He has loved us so very much and given so much for our sake.

Let us all therefore do our very best and commit ourselves, to serve the people of God, to be inspiration to our fellow brothers and sisters, by entrusting ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord from now on. Let us all turn towards Him and be the bearers of His light and truth in our community today, that through us, many more people may come to believe in the Lord as well. May God be with us and bless us all in our every efforts and good endeavours. Amen.

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Sunday, 4 July 2021 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are presented with the sad and unfortunate reality of how the people rejected those whom the Lord had sent to them, and refused to believe in them and in the message of truth and revelation which God has given them through those servants. This is all because of our stubbornness and our lack of faith and trust in the Lord, as we often trust more in our own abilities and we discriminate others based on our prejudices and biases.

In our first reading today we heard about the Lord sending Ezekiel to the people of Israel in exile in Babylon, to be His prophet and messenger among them. At that time, the people of Israel had been scattered in faraway lands, as the northern kingdom of Israel, composed of most of ten of the twelve tribes of Israel had been crushed and conquered by the Assyrians over a century before the time of Ezekiel, and most of the people had been brought to exile. Then, the Babylonians in turn subjugated the southern kingdom of Judah and brought many of its people into exile as well.

Thus, it was to this people that the Lord had sent Ezekiel to be His mouthpiece among them, to be the one to bring His message of truth to them and to call them to repentance and to turn away from their sinful and wicked ways. It was because of their many sins and refusals to obey the Lord that they had fallen from grace, and the glory of the old kingdom of David and Solomon had faded and gone from them. In a short time after God sent Ezekiel to the exiles in Babylon, the rest of Judah and the city of Jerusalem itself would be destroyed, and the remaining people brought to exile as well.

The sins of the people separated them from God, and without God, as they stood alone on their own, they faltered and failed, fell and became disgrace among the nations. Yet, we can see that the Lord still cared for them and did not forget about them. He could have destroyed and annihilated them easily, or abandoned them forever and chose other people to be His own people, but He still patiently sought them out, called them and sent prophets one after another to them, through the days of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and up to that time, the prophet Ezekiel.

Many of those prophets were rejected and ridiculed, and not few among them were made to suffer and even were killed for their works and faith in the Lord. The prophets laboured hard for the sake of the Lord and His people, and many gave their all to glorify the Lord and to bring His people to salvation. They endured all sorts of trials and troubles, sacrificing their time and many other things in following God’s call. But the people often still hardened their hearts against the Lord and refused to believe in Him.

The same thing happened to the Lord as we heard in our Gospel passage today, as we heard how He was rejected in Nazareth, in His own village and hometown. The people of Nazareth publicly doubted and questioned the Lord and His authority and authenticity when He came to His own town, teaching and preaching among them. This despite Nazareth itself being not far from the region around the Lake of Galilee where the Lord had performed many miracles and works.

Why did the people of Nazareth reject the Lord? That is because many of them were prejudiced against Him, thinking that they knew better than Him and they saw Him as an unworthy upstart, as the mere Son of the village carpenter, St. Joseph, His foster-father. No one in Nazareth beyond His immediate family knew the Lord’s true identity, and this is why everyone thought of the Lord as a fraud, and someone who was just the Son of a carpenter could not have gained such wisdom or taught with such authority. It was simply impossible in their minds.

That was why they refused to acknowledge the Lord and His truth, and they questioned and doubted Him, looking down on Him despite everything that they had heard and seen. They refused to open their hearts and minds to welcome Him inside, and kept Him out of their minds. And before we ourselves look down on them, let us remind ourselves that we have often done the same in our own lives, in each and every moments of our existence.

We should ask ourselves how often is it that the Lord had called us to follow Him and yet we hesitated and refused to listen to Him. And even though He has patiently reached out to us via various means, we still continued to harden our hearts and minds, and are stubborn in adhering to our old ways and paths, in opposition to God, in how we have been selfish and mean to others, in loving ourselves more than we love God and our fellow brothers and sisters, in indulging our various pleasures and pursuits in life, among others.

Therefore, as we listened and are reminded by this Sunday’s Scripture readings, we are all called as Christians to be humble and to be willing to open our hearts and minds to the Lord. And we can do this best by spending more quality time with the Lord, especially through prayer. Unfortunately, this is where many of us are falling short, as we do not regularly pray to the Lord, or when we pray, we do not pray in the right way. Prayer is not the same as asking God to do things on our behalf or to fulfil our desires and whatever we wanted. It is not about asking God to miraculously solve our problems and other things that we often did in our prayers.

Instead, we should be willing to listen to the Lord and learn to listen to Him more. We should open our hearts and minds, and allow Him to speak to us in the depth of our souls, that we may know His will more and be more attuned to Him in our lives and actions. This is what we are all challenged to do as Christians, to be ever more genuine in the way we live our lives with faith in God, and to devote our time and effort to glorify the Lord at all times. We should allow the Lord to lead us and guide our path in life.

And lastly, may all of us also be the beacons of God’s light and truth in this darkened world today. Like the prophets and the servants of the Lord whom He had sent into our midst, we should also follow in their footsteps and be inspired by their faith and dedication, as well as by their enduring love for God. Are we willing and able to do so, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to love the Lord more and to put our trust in Him, that we will always follow Him and obey His Law and precepts, in each and every moments? May God be with us all and may He bless us always in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 3 July 2021 : Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast day of one of Our Lord’s Twelve Apostles, namely St. Thomas the Apostle, also known as Thomas Didymus or the Twin, and as we may have known quite well, that he was one who often doubted the Lord and even publicly questioned His decisions and actions. Yet, later on he would become one of the Lord’s most fervent evangelisers and workers of faith, dying as a martyr in a distant land and glorifying the Lord.

St. Thomas was always the most skeptical among the Lord’s disciples, as he did not appear to fully trust in the Lord, and was pessimistic when the Lord wanted to go to Jerusalem to fulfil His mission, despite the advice against doing so by His disciples. St. Thomas publicly said before all of them that, in a rather sarcastic way, they should all follow the Lord so that they could also suffer with Him and die along with Him.

When the Lord was risen from the dead, St. Thomas happened to be not among the other disciples, and did not witness the Lord appearing for the first time in His Risen glory before all the other disciples. And we heard from our Gospel passage today, how St. Thomas again refused to believe and even then publicly declared before the other disciples how he would not believe unless he could prove that the Risen Lord is truly the same One crucified, by touching His wounds and putting his hand into the Lord’s pierced side.

And the Lord then appeared again before all the disciples and St. Thomas included, and asked him directly to do as he said he would do to prove that the Lord had indeed risen from the dead. From what we have heard in the Gospel passage, we can clearly see how dumbfounded and surprised St. Thomas was, as his doubt was proven to be wrong, and the Lord Himself appeared in the flesh before him. He humbled himself utterly and proclaimed before all, ‘My Lord and my God.’

These are the same words that we utter whenever the Lord’s Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist are elevated and raised in the most solemn occasion, as the celebrant uttered the words of consecration, proclaiming the presence of the Lord before all the faithful, truly present in the bread and wine which the priest, by the power and authority of the Lord, had transformed completely into the matter, essence and reality of the Lord’s own Holy Body and Blood.

Then, do we all recall the Lord’s words after St. Thomas uttered those words? He said, ‘Happy are those who believe because they have seen, but even happier and more blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believed.’ This is truly significant for us because, while we have not seen the Lord in the human form as the disciples like St. Thomas had seen, but we still believe that the Eucharist is the Lord Himself, in the flesh, the Real Presence of Our Lord.

Yet, there are also still so many of us who doubted this truth, and many of us who refused to believe in the Real Presence, especially among some of our separated brethren in faith. And within the Church, there are sadly still many of those who outwardly profess to believe in the Real Presence of God in the Eucharist, but behaved in the manner that is contradictory to that belief, in how they treated the Eucharist, by receiving the Eucharist in an unworthy state, or treating it as no more than just mere bread and wine, without proper decorum, respect and honour, less still worship and adoration.

Then in that manner, we are also no better than how St. Thomas was before he turned wholeheartedly to the Lord at the moment when he fully acknowledged Him as his Lord and Master. And now, we are called to reflect on our own attitudes in life, and also our perception and attitude towards the Lord in the Eucharist. Have we been truly faithful to the Lord? Or have we allowed our doubts and lack of faith and understanding of this faith to mislead us and make us to doubt the Lord and His truth and love for us?

Many of us often do not realise that we are doing exactly what St. Thomas had been doing in doubting the Lord earlier in his life, by our own lack of reverence and adoration for the Holy Eucharist, as well as our own sinful and wayward lifestyle, in contrast with the righteousness of God. We are often stubborn in walking down the path of sin rather than the path of righteousness. This is why, we should then be like St. Thomas, who turned away from his doubts and embraced the Lord wholeheartedly.

He would go on to preach the Christian faith in many places, most famously and significantly in what is now the southern regions of India, where he established the firm foundations of Christian communities there, which lasted till this very day, often known as the ‘St. Thomas Christians’. He brought God’s truth to all these people, and revealed Him to them so that through this, more and more people can be saved from their sins and wicked ways. St. Thomas would suffer and die a martyr’s death in the end of his missionary journey, obedient and faithful to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us also therefore cast off the shade and veil of doubt from our eyes and from our minds, and from our hearts. Let us entrust ourselves fully from now on to the Lord, and commit ourselves, each and every moments of our lives, that we may always walk in the path of His light and truth, and we may always be faithful and righteous in all things, that everyone who see us and witness our works and actions, will know that we belong to the Lord and that God lives within us.

May God bless us always and may He remain with us in our journey of faith and life. May He strengthen each one of us with courage and hope, to endure and persevere through the challenges and trials we are facing daily, for His sake, and for the greater glory of His Name. Amen.

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Friday, 2 July 2021 : 13th 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 Scripture, we are reminded that the Lord remembers all of us and loves each and every one of us without exception, from saints to sinners, and all whether they are rich or poor, powerful or weak, be it whether they belong to that race or having any particular backgrounds. He loves each and every one of us equally, and all of us have a share in His love and grace, provided that we first allow Him to touch our lives and love us.

In our first reading today we heard of the story of the passing of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, our father in faith. Sarah passed away in her old age and was buried in peace by Abraham, who had been blessed with a son, Isaac, the one whom God had promised to him, to be the one to bear his name and to be the father of many descendants who would thereafter call Abraham as their forefather. And God blessed Isaac in the same way that He has blessed Abraham, as we heard how Isaac managed to get a wife from among his own relatives.

We heard how God gave Rebekah to be Isaac’s own wife, to be the one to console Isaac after the loss of his own mother Sarah. Through this, we can see yet again how God had always put each and every one of us foremost in His mind and His care. He sought to console us and help us, whenever He could. He is always concerned about us and wants nothing else but our happiness. Yet, it is often we ourselves who refused Him and distanced ourselves from Him. This is what kept us away from Him and prevented us from being fully reconciled to Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord calling on a tax collector, who was later to be known as Matthew. Matthew would become the Lord’s follower and one of His chosen Twelve, a dramatic turn from once being a tax collector into a most faithful and devoted servant of God. Matthew abandoned everything and followed the Lord, and not just that, but as he was about to follow the Lord, he invited the Lord to have dinner with him and his other fellow tax collectors, who were very eager to meet the Lord and listen to Him.

The tax collectors back then were very hated and reviled by most of the community, especially by the elites such as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. They were seen as traitors and sinners simply because of the nature of their work, as the ones who collected the taxes on behalf of the Roman overlords who ruled over the Jewish peoples. They were hated as a group simply because of the hate that many of the Jews had against the Romans, and their hatred on the tax imposed on them. As a result, they were often ostracised and rejected by the general community.

Yet, the Lord showed what was most unconventional and surprising to all who had witnessed His actions, by not only calling one of these tax collectors to be His own disciple, but to even have a meal in the house of the tax collectors, in the company of the other tax collectors. To the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, this was an act of ultimate defilement, as none of them would even want to come near to the tax collectors, deemed as sinners and unclean, less still to have a meal in their house and dwelling place.

Through this occasion, the Lord wants to remind us all yet again that we are all beloved and precious to Him, without exception. Not even those whom others considered to be great sinners could be far away from God and His love. On the contrary, even if we are separated from God, but if we are willing to seek God and His mercy, and are humble enough to admit our sinfulness and wicked lives, and willing to embrace His mercy and love, we shall be blessed and strengthened, and we shall be forgiven from our sins.

May the Lord continue to love each and every one of us as He has always loved us all these while, and may He awaken in us the love which we ourselves should have for Him. May He bring us all ever closer to Him, and encourage us all to live as faithful Christians, now and always, in all occasions. Let us also never be judgmental or be prejudiced against our fellow brethren, and instead, learn to love one another just as the Lord has loved us, and help each other on the path towards God’s grace and salvation. Amen.