Weekday Homily

by

Tuesday, 30 January 2018 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we continue the discourse of the Scripture readings from yesterday, regarding the civil war between king David of Israel on one side, and on the other side, Absalom, David’s son who was supported by many of the nobles and the people of Israel. David had to flee from the capital city of Jerusalem, bringing many of his loyalists with him. Eventually, as much as David did not want to face off with his son in the battlefield, circumstances forced him to do so.

David had to face Absalom in battle, and when Absalom was losing and fleeing the battle, as we heard in our first reading today, his hair was caught among the tree branches, and the commander of David’s guards, Joab, when he heard about what happened to Absalom and how no one dared to harm him, took his own initiative and killed Absalom who was trapped and helpless.

As we heard from what happened next, David was devastated by the news of his son’s death. This actually resembled what David also had done, when he heard the news of his predecessor’s death at Mount Gilboa, when king Saul committed suicide to avoid being captured by the Philistines. David was truly sorrowful and filled with anguish, when he heard about the horrible news.

This showed that despite all the bitterness that often arose because of civil wars, disagreements and conflicts, David still loved his son, Absalom, and also revere his king, Saul when Saul was still alive. This is showing the quality of a person of David’s calibre, and a very good reason why he was likely chosen by God to be His king to rule over Israel. He was upright, just, loving and compassionate, even to his enemies and all those who have wronged him.

Joab, the commander of the guard certainly did not agree with king David. Right after the events portrayed in the first reading today, he admonished the king for having turned what should have been a celebration for the victory against the rebel forces into a lamentation and sorrowful wailing for the deceased Absalom. But Joab was thinking in the manner of the world, and he was not aware of the love which David had for his son, despite all that the son had done towards him.

In the same way, if we look at the Gospel passage today, Our Lord Jesus had mercy on all of us mankind, those whom He loved despite all those who have sinned against Him, as He showed us when He healed the woman who had bleeding problems for many years, as well as the time when He raised up the daughter of the synagogue official from the dead, calling on her to return to life.

Through this, all of us should be aware that each and every one of us are precious to the Lord, no matter what we have done to antagonise and to make Him angry. Just like Absalom who is still beloved by his father, David, all of us are also still loved. But many of us do not realise this fact, and we continue going down the path of our rebellion and disobedience, ultimately to our downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be like the woman who had bleeding issue, that even though we may be afraid or unsure, but we should be courageous enough to seek out the Lord and by wanting to be healed. Let us allow the Lord to touch our lives, that by His actions and works in our lives, we will be transformed thoroughly, from what was once creatures of sin and darkness, into a new people living in the light.

May God be with us always, and may He bless us all with His grace. May He empower us all to live ever more faithfully day after day, doing our very best to walk in His ways and by drawing ever closer to Him, Our loving God and Father. Amen.

by

Monday, 29 January 2018 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard about the story in which David and his loyal retainers and followers went away from the city of Jerusalem, the royal capital of the kingdom of Israel, because of a great rebellion and civil war that raged at that time, led by Absalom, the eldest son of king David, and therefore, the natural heir to the throne.

The rebellion of Absalom was supported by many people, and according to historical research, he was supported by many of the disenchanted nobles and local rulers who were against the reforms carried out by David, to strengthen his royal authority and in his strong adherence to the laws of God. Those rebels supported Absalom who had an ambition of his own.

And what is that ambition? The ambition of gaining worldly power and wealth, authority and prestige. He was to be his father’s successor, only if he waited for the right time, and following the normal order of succession, meaning that he would be king upon his father’s death. But it was likely that Absalom was impatient and he seized upon the opportunity presented to him to rebel against his father David.

Then we heard how Shimei, a member of the tribe of Benjamin, cursed David and his family, and he cursed him due to the possible feud between David and some of the Benjaminites, from whom Saul, David’s predecessor as king, hailed from. He could have done that in earlier time period, in the many years since David replaced Saul and his son as king over Israel. However, he must have taken the opportunity presented by Absalom’s rebellion, and thinking that David was about to meet his downfall, Shimei used the chance to ridicule David and curse him.

After having heard and discussed all that happened during that time of civil war in David’s kingdom, let us all remember what we heard in the Gospel passage today. In that passage, we heard about Jesus’ encounter with a man possessed by evil spirits in the area called the Gerasenes, in the wilderness. No one dared to come close to him because of his affliction. No one could control him because of the demons, and he was enslaved by those evil spirits.

And the Lord cast the demons and evil spirits out of the possessed man, freeing him from his predicament. All those evil spirits feared the Lord, because they knew Who He was, and they still had to obey Him even though they had rebelled against Him. He was after all, their Lord, Master and Creator. He freed the man from the slavery to Satan, to all those who have chained him to unjust treatments.

This is related to what we have witnessed throughout the history of God’s people, in the example of David and Absalom’s bitter feud, the civil war which engulfed his kingdom. While they might not have been afflicted in the manner the possessed man had been, but many of the people were obsessed with worldly temptations of power, wealth, influence and many more, which I am sure are quite familiar to all of us.

In the history of mankind, there had been many occasions in which people would go to a great extent, even to cause suffering to others, even death, just so that they can get what they wanted. That has been the cause of many conflicts and troubles in our world, all because of the greed and the desires of man, enslaved by their attachment to the world, and therefore, easily swayed by the devil to follow the wrong path towards their downfall.

I am sure that even many among us Christians have experienced this, and indeed, have been doing these for a while. Are we able to resist that temptation to follow the devil’s ways and resist that pull for us to sin? Are we able to try to say no to his temptations and persuasions? Are we able to call on the Lord and ask Him for mercy, to be freed from the chains that bound us, just as the Lord Jesus healed the man at Gerasenes?

Let us all put our trust in God, no longer trusting in our own human abilities. Let us all overcome the temptations of the flesh, the temptations of power and human ambitions, the temptation for glory and worldly prestige. Instead, let us all look towards the Lord and see in Him, the true hope of our life. Let us be liberated from all of our past attachments and let us be truly free from all bondage to sin, and instead be worthy of the kingdom of God, as those whom God has chosen from among this world. May God be with us always. Amen.

by

Sunday, 28 January 2018 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday as we gather together to celebrate the Holy Mass, let us all spend some time to reflect on what we have just heard in the Scripture passages today, beginning with the Book of Deuteronomy, our first reading, in which we heard Moses, the leader of the people of Israel during the time of the Exodus, spoke of a prophecy concerning the coming of a great prophet from among the people.

In fact, that prophecy was a premonition for the coming of the Messiah or Saviour promised by God to Israel, and to all of mankind, as the One in Whom God Himself would speak through, in Jesus Christ, the Divine Word Incarnate, the Saviour of the world and Son of God. But Jesus, as we all know, is also the Son of Man, as the One born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the legal descendant and heir of David, rightful King of Israel.

And He came into the world, and fulfilled God’s promise of salvation to His people, as we heard in the Gospel passage today, when a man filled with evil spirits was at a synagogue where Jesus was teaching to the people. He taught with great authority and truth, unlike the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were hypocrites and did not practice what they have preached. Jesus showed with true sincerity what it meant to become a disciple of God.

He had mercy on the man who was enslaved by the demons, and with authority He cast those demons out of the man, and the man was therefore healed from his sickness. The people who saw the miraculous occasion were astonished and they praised God and believed in Jesus, as they saw in Him a new hope and light amidst the darkness of the world. This had been foretold by Moses and the prophets, particularly the prophet Isaiah.

Unfortunately and ironically, those who were entrusted to safeguard the teachings and the messages of the prophets, and those who were educated and equipped with the knowledge of the coming of God’s salvation, did not enthusiastically welcome the Lord Who came into the world to save His people. Instead, they ridiculed Him and doubted Him, and even challenged His authority, failing to perceive that what Jesus taught the people was the truth.

And in fact, the evil spirits themselves recognised Jesus as Who He was, and they rightly feared Him. Why is that so? That is because even though they had power over men and that they were able to threaten us mankind and cause harm to us, just as their master Satan is able to, but they ultimately are also God’s creations, the once beautiful and just Angels who have since fallen from grace, as they followed in Satan’s rebellion, and therefore became evil spirits and demons.

It is sad to see how mankind have often refused to listen to God, and instead preferring to walk in their own path, following their own flawed judgments and desires. Right from the beginning of time, from the time of Adam and Eve, our ancestors, to the people of Israel, as recorded in the Books of the Old Testament, and also as mentioned earlier, the opposition faced by Jesus as told in the Gospels, all of these highlight the rebellious nature of man.

Yet, God has been so kind to us, so as to give us one opportunity after another, and having been patient with us, to the point of giving us the best of all gifts, by giving Himself to us mankind, that through Him, and eventually by His ultimate loving sacrifice on the cross, we may have hope through Him, and that we may be saved and forgiven from our sins. It was through Jesus that each and every one of us Christians have been saved.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, how should we then proceed from now on? How should we then live our lives so that we can be good followers of Our Lord? Then we should heed what St. Paul had mentioned in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth. He asked all of the faithful to live a righteous life, dedicated and committed, centred upon God, and not upon themselves.

If we are to read the message of the excerpt taken from his Epistle today, we may find it weird that St. Paul was actually discouraging the people from having marital relationships. But we have to understand what he said in the context of what the faithful believed at that time. At that time, the common consensus among many of the faithful, including among the Apostles and the disciples was that the Lord Jesus would soon come again into the world, within their lifetime. Therefore, that was why, St. Paul made such an advice to the people.

Nonetheless, what St. Paul said to the people is true, and indeed is a fact, except for his suggestion on married life. In order for us to be true disciples of the Lord, we have to centre our focus and attention on God, and He must be the focal point of our lives and our actions. St. Paul’s concern that those who have husband or wife might be distracted because they were divided between satisfying the needs of their husband or wife, and satisfying their obligations to the Lord, is also therefore justified.

In our lives today, many of us have known the Lord, thanks to the hard work of all those who devoted their lives, generation after generation, passing down the faith and the truth as preserved in the Church, and we keep alive this faith this very day, as all those who call ourselves as Christians, as those who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah as Our Lord and Saviour.

However, many of us are often indifferent to Him, or even ignorant of Him. Many of us fulfil our obligations to go to the Sunday Mass and other celebrations of our faith, but for the sake of fulfilling our obligations or even fearing of retribution and punishment. Many of us even find it a chore to spend time with the Lord, and how many of us can relate with the experience of those who keep on looking at their watches, being impatient waiting for the time when the Mass ends and then we can continue doing our daily activities?

Brothers and sisters, if we have done all of these in the past, then we should be ashamed if we remember what happened in the past, as told by the Scriptures to us. If the evil spirits themselves feared God and bowed low before Him, then why do we not also do the same? And if God has spared nothing less than to give the very best to us, giving to us the ultimate gift of love in Jesus Christ, His Son, Who laid down His life for us all on the cross, that we may be saved, then should we not do the same as well?

There have been so many instances when we mankind have not put God as the priority and main focus in our lives. There have been so many occasions when mankind set God aside and treat Him as nobody, and even nuisance. Many of us only remember Him when we need His help, and when we did not need Him, we left Him behind and forgot about Him.

Brethren, all of us gathered here should spend some time to reflect, to think and to internalise all these things which I have just mentioned. Let us ask ourselves, how are we better able to show our gratitude to God, through our commitment and dedication, and not just empty faith. Let us all seek to change our way of life, that we should no longer be distracted by the many temptations and pressures which the devil and all of his allies had given us in order to pull us away from God’s salvation.

May the Lord be with us always, so that through Him we may strive to live ever more faithfully in His ways. May He empower all of us, that we may persevere through whatever temptations, persuasions and challenges we may face along the way. May the Lord be with all of our efforts and endeavours, and bless all of us in everything we do. Let us all live our lives worthily in the Lord from now on, always. Amen.

by

Saturday, 27 January 2018 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the Scripture passages, telling us first of all, the anger of God directed to His servant David, king of Israel, because of his disobedience and waywardness, when he plotted the killing of Uriah, the husband of a woman who he desired to be his own wife. The Lord delivered His words through the prophet Nathan, who severely rebuked the king for his sins.

However, unlike his predecessor, king Saul, David regretted his sins and immediately humbled himself before God, recognising how unworthy he was because of what he has committed. And this made a great difference between him and Saul, and one of the many qualities which made the Lord to be pleased with David, and confirmed him in his role as the king and leader of His people.

Nonetheless, he still committed a serious sin before the Lord, and for that, as the prophet Nathan mentioned, the son born of the relation between David and Bathsheba would die. David implored the Lord and begged Him to spare the life of his son, even to the point of fasting and humbling himself all the more before Him. But God did not relent, for it was just punishment that He had inflicted on David, and the king accepted that fate.

David’s moment of weakness is something truly extraordinary, considering that he was such a faithful servant of God, devoted wholeheartedly to Him, and was exalted by God as His great servant. But we must not forget that David was still a man, just like each and every one of us, and therefore a sinner. All man are susceptible to sin and to fall into temptation, and David did fall in that one occasion and another.

That is a lesson for all of us, that we must be ever vigilant in our lives, that we do not allow the devil any opportunity for him to tempt us or to persuade us by his false promises and persuasions, so that we will be less likely to fall into his trap and sin against God. The Gospel passage today is yet another reminder for this, that we should put our trust in God and not be swayed by the worries of the world.

We heard about the moment when the ship boarded by Jesus and His disciples in the Lake of Galilee was hit by a great storm, with strong winds and waves battering on the ship, threatening to sink the ship. But Jesus remained calm and did not panic, unlike the disciples, who were filled with fear. They could have chosen to abandon the ship and jump into the water in order to save themselves, but thankfully, they did not.

Brethren, do you know that the Church is often portrayed and compared to that of a big ship? The Lord in the ship actually represents Him as the Head of the Church, and all of the disciples in that ship represent all of us who belong to God’s Church. And that storm, the winds and the waves represent the difficulties, challenges and the temptations that many of us have to face day after day, one after another in our respective lives.

But if we abandon the Church and the Lord, just because we think that we can save ourselves, we will end up sinking just as if those disciples were to jump into the water, thinking they could save themselves. If we put our trust in the Lord, He will guide us and protect us, and in the end, even though we had to suffer and face difficulties, we will be triumphant with Him and share His glorious inheritance.

Today, we happen to celebrate the memory of a holy saint and a dedicated virgin, St. Angela Merici, who dedicated her life to the Lord, a renowned educator and founder of a society of like-minded individuals who committed themselves to the education of young Christian girls, especially from those who were poor and did not have the opportunity to have a proper education.

St. Angela Merici and her fellow religious sisters also opened up many schools and orphanages to support their work and mission, caring for many of those who have none to take care of them, and giving them the love which they lacked before. And this should inspire each and every one of us as Christians, to live our lives with faith and commit ourselves to the Lord by our loving actions to one another.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, may the Lord continue to strengthen in us our faith, so that we will always persevere through the many challenges and difficulties in life. May we find our way to the Lord, by our commitment and dedication, following the examples set by our predecessors in faith, especially that of St. Angela Merici and her contributions to the faith and the salvation of many. St. Angela Merici, pray for us. Amen.

by

Friday, 26 January 2018 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Bishops (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate after the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, the feast for two of his close confidants and friends, St. Timothy and St. Titus, to each of whom St. Paul wrote a letter, as recorded in the Scriptures, as the Epistle to St. Timothy and to St. Titus. Both of them were important leaders of the early Church, as those who were first appointed and chosen to become the overseers of the Church, the first of the bishops.

They were the ones whom the Apostles appointed to help in the management and governance of the Church, which at that time had rapidly spread throughout many cities, towns and villages throughout the Mediterranean region and beyond. With more and more people coming to the faith and were baptised, there was an ever greater need for more shepherds and guides in their faith.

And as more and more priests and deacons were chosen from among the people, dedicating their whole lives to God, the bishops like St. Timothy and St. Titus worked hard to build up the Church, guiding the people and those who serve the Lord as their shepherds. They follow in the example of the one and only Good Shepherd of all, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is their role model, and following His examples, they all performed what the Lord had commanded them to do.

In the Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus sending His seventy-two other disciples ahead of Him, to be the ones who prepare the path for His coming. The Lord told them to be prepared, as they would be sent like lambs sent to be among the wolves. This means that it would be likely for them to encounter challenges and difficulties during their mission, facing ridicule, rejection and even persecution.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus also mentioned that while the harvest was plentiful, but the labourers available to gather the harvest were few and insufficient. He called for the faithful to heed the Lord’s call, to embrace the mission of the Church, as the labourers to help fulfil God’s good works and graces among His people. And this is what our courageous priests and bishops have done, answering God’s call and following Him.

Yet, there are truly many challenges that they have to face, exactly just as what the Lord forewarned His disciples, that they would face those adversaries and tribulations during their mission. And yet, still, many of us as Christians, we do not support what they have been doing for our good and for the good of the Church at large, and instead, we slander them and even gossip about them, and made things difficult for them.

On this time and age, there is an ever greater need for the Church to have faithful and dedicated servants of the Lord, through whom God may be able to perform His wonderful deeds, calling more and more of His people to salvation and redemption in His Name. We need more devoted priests and bishops, those who are willing to spend their time, effort and attention, to call God’s people back to Him through repentance, and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to Him.

It is getting increasingly difficult to find those who are willing to give their all to the Lord, as temptations after temptations, one after another, are always around to tempt more and more young men who have been called by the Lord. If we as Christians do not lend them our support, then it is not a surprising result that there are increasingly more and more problems facing the candidature to priesthood and religious life.

Let us all therefore do our best, as Christians, to take care of all those who have given themselves to the Lord, by providing our support and help, by encouraging them and giving them the backup they need. Let all those who are among us, who have been called by the Lord, heed His call and respond to His words speaking to us in the depths of our heart.

May the Lord bless all of our shepherds, so that they may imitate the examples of the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, particularly the glorious and ever faithful St. Timothy and St. Titus, in serving Him and the people of God. May the Lord awaken in our hearts, the ever stronger desire to love Him and to devote ourselves to Him, day after day. St. Timothy and St. Titus, pray for us. Amen.

by

Thursday, 25 January 2018 : Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate a great occasion in the history of our faith. In the history of the Church, as recording in the Scripture passages, we heard of the moment when a great enemy of God and His faithful ones, Saul, was converted to the faith, renouncing his former life and sinful past, and embracing the Lord as his Master, he eventually became a great defender and champion of the faith, St. Paul the Apostle.

Today we remember the moment of the conversion of St. Paul, when he was called by God from the depth of the darkness and into the new path in the light as the Lord had shown him. This is the pivotal moment in the history of the Church and our faith, as St. Paul would go on to perform many good works for the sake of the Church, ministering to many of the faithful in many cities throughout his journeys and travels across the Mediterranean, and in his many letters and writings to the faithful.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the calling and conversion of St. Paul is a reminder for each and every one of us as Christians, that all of us at one point in our own lives have also been called by the Lord in the same manner. We might not have experienced such a miraculous occasion as what St. Paul experienced, but surely God has also called all of us to follow Him, and by being Christians, it means that we have responded to His call.

Yet, many of us do not know what being a Christian truly mean. Some of us even went to the point of ridiculing and looking down on others just because they have not become Christians like ourselves. However, we did nothing in order to bring the Lord closer to the people mentioned. In fact, by our actions, our haughtiness and our indifference, we ended up distancing more and more people from God by our own actions.

First of all, we have to realise that God is calling everyone to Himself, to reconcile all those who have been sundered and separated from His love. We are all sinners and unworthy, and we are just like St. Paul who was once a great persecutor of the faithful, and sinned greatly against the Lord. Many other saints were also once great sinners, like St. Augustine, who once fell into a life of debauchery and sin during his youth days, even to the point of fathering a child out of wedlock.

But God called all of them, and they responded to God’s call in various ways. But what distinguished persistent sinners from saints, is the very fact that they allowed God to work His wonders in them, and they turned away from their sinful way of life, embracing a new way as shown to them by the Lord. They were deemed worthy because of their newfound commitment to God and to His people, and that was how they were made saints of the Church.

St. Paul was just one amongst the many other people who have experienced similar experience of conversion, but his is often highlighted simply because of his impact to the Church in its early years, and therefore, his critical importance and significance to the Church and the faithful as a whole. Certainly, no one who have lived during those years and times when St. Paul was still known as Saul, could have imagined that the fanatical and overzealous Pharisee could have become a great champion of God’s people.

Yet, that was what actually happened. And this is therefore an appropriate time for us to reflect on our own respective lives, based on what we know and from what we have heard with regards to the conversion of the great Apostle, St. Paul. It is a reminder that each one of us have also been called to a renewed life, turning away from our waywardness and from our sins.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that all of us, while sinners, can become saints as well, if we are to follow the Lord and put our trust completely in His guidance. It is through our actions and deeds, by which we show our genuine faith in God, that we can draw ever closer to Him, and that we can follow in the footsteps of our forefathers in faith, all those deemed worthy by the Church to be saints and blesseds.

All of us are called to continue the mission entrusted by the Lord to His Apostles and disciples, which is the propagation of the Good News of His salvation, and by calling all to the same repentance and forgiveness, through baptism in the Holy Name of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This mission is still ongoing, and there are still many people out there, who have yet to receive the Good News, and worse still, many more who have fallen away from the faith.

Let us all therefore do what we can, to follow in the footsteps of St. Paul the Apostle, in his courage and determination to live faithfully, by preaching the Good News of salvation, not only through words alone, but also through deeds, filled with love and genuine care for all of our fellow men. Let us all show love in our actions, by showing our care and concern for all those who are in need, especially those who are in most need of God’s love and mercy.

May the Lord continue to guide us and protect us on our way, that we will always walk faithfully in His path, and that day after day, we will draw ever closer to Him, so that by the end of it all, we may be worthy of sharing the glory of His saints, all those who were once sinners like us, and yet, by their determination and commitment, having received the crown of glory from the Lord, Who blessed them for their wonderful dedication and life consecrated to Him. St. Paul the Apostle, pray for us all sinners, that we may be strengthened by God to be ever faithful to Him. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 24 January 2018 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened first of all about the word of God which He delivered to His servant, David, the king of Israel through the prophet Nathan. What actually happened, brethren? At that time, king David, having settled all accounts with his enemies and secured the entirety of the boundary of his kingdom of any further discord and conflict, wanted to establish for the Lord a new House in which He might dwell among the people.

At that time, the Lord dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant, as the earthly vessel of His most Holy Presence. The Ark of the Covenant was the tangible symbol of God’s presence among His people, as the epicentre of the community of Israel, most visibly during the time of the Exodus, when the Ark was housed in the Tent of Meeting. The priests would periodically go up to the Holy Presence of God and offer sacrifices there.

David wanted to make a House and Temple for the Lord as he did not find it right for him to stay in a lavish and large palace and yet the Lord stayed in under a Tent. But God made it clear to David, that it was actually not up to him to build Him a house, but rather, God would give the grace to David’s son, Solomon, to be the one to complete a house for Him. God chose those whom He deems to be worthy, and it is by His grace that everything comes to be.

In the Gospel passage today, we listened to the Lord Jesus Who taught the people using the parables or stories, through which He taught them about the truth of God in easily understandable comparisons to real life situations and conditions. In today’s passage, we heard about the well-known parable of the sower, in which the Lord Jesus related to the people, the story about a sower who sowed seeds that fell on few different locations and their outcome.

In that story, the seeds that the sower spread represent the Word of God, and the sower represents God Himself, Who came to spread His word and His truth among His people on earth. Yet, the reactions to the Lord’s words and call are truly varied, just as varied as the conditions in which the seeds fell into. There are those who fell into difficult grounds, into rocky grounds and among thistles and brambles, and failed to grow. Those represent all those who received the Lord’s words, and yet, failed to live up to the expectations that come together with those words of salvation.

As Christians, all of us are called to follow in the footsteps of king David, because he was one of the few of those who followed the Lord, and obeyed Him in most of the situation, listening to His will and obeying whatever it is that he was told to do. When the prophet Nathan told David that it was not God’s will for him to build the House and Temple for His Presence, he obeyed it all, and continued to live righteously in the presence of God henceforth.

That is the example of those who have listened to the Word of God and allowed it to enter into their lives and transform them, just as those seeds falling onto rich and fertile soil grew to bear fruits in many multiples of what have been originally planted. This is what all of us as Christians should also be doing, imitating the good examples of our predecessors in faith. And that also includes the saint whose memory and feast we celebrate today, St. Francis de Sales.

St. Francis de Sales was the patron saint of the Salesians, a religious order now widespread throughout the world, all following the examples of their founder, who was the Bishop of Geneva in Switzerland, who was renowned for his great piety and commitment to the Lord. He ministered to many of the people, especially all those who have wandered away from God’s truth, falling into heresies and false teachings, and gently leading them back to the faith.

He devoted himself to God and walked faithfully in His ways, helping many who are trying to find their way to their Lord and Saviour. And he also did many works and wrote many letters and books through which many more people through the years after him were inspired to seek the Lord and to be forgiven from their sins. This is the example of true discipleship and what each and every one of us as Christians are expected to do in our own respective lives.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us to live faithfully in accordance with His will. Let us all dedicate ourselves to Him anew, and may He empower us all to become ever better and ever committed disciples. May the Lord be our Master and our Guide at all times, and bless us and all of our endeavours. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 23 January 2018 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture, relating to us firstly about the moment when king David brought the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s covenant and promise with His people, into the city of Jerusalem, after the Ark had resided for many months outside of the city, due to an accident that happened during the earlier attempt to bring it into Jerusalem.

King David himself accompanied the Ark with many other people, with priests bearing up the Ark which symbolised God’s presence and dwelling among His people Israel. It was told in that same reading how king David danced with all of his might and passion before the Lord in the Ark. The people celebrated and rejoiced because the Lord has come to dwell among His people, as symbolised by His entry into Jerusalem, the capital of the whole nation of Israel.

King David was truly blessed because he obeyed God, and he devoted himself wholeheartedly and entirely to serve his Lord and Master. He did not even hesitate to dance before the Lord, to show Him his jubilation and adoration, before the entire people of Israel. This is something that had not been seen yet in all of the history of the people of God, as it was extremely uncommon and indeed, in the eyes of many, unbecoming for a king to lower himself such as to dance before his people.

That was exactly what Michal, Saul’s daughter, whom David took to be one of his wives, told him in mockery, after having seen David wearing the ephod cloth and danced before the Lord in the procession. Yet, this roused the anger of God against Michal, who have slandered her own husband and mocked him, that she was made barren and without child from then on, as the clear sign of God’s anger upon her.

In the Gospel today, we heard about the exchange between the Lord Jesus and the people who were listening to His teachings, as it was conveyed to Him that His family was waiting for Him outside the place where He was teaching the people. But He told the people that all those who listened to the word of God and obeyed Him, they would become the children of God, as the Lord Jesus Himself would consider them to be His brothers and sisters, as His own family.

This should be understood in the context of how Jesus and His actions would be seen by many, including from those among His own family as being controversial and weird, and in another occasion, they even pulled Jesus out from the crowd, because He was spending so much time with the people, teaching them about the Word of God, that they took Him away, saying to the others that He was out of His mind.

What does these two occasions that happened to the king David of Israel and to Our Lord Jesus Christ tell us, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is the revelation to us that if we are to become true disciples of the Lord and devote ourselves wholeheartedly in His ways, then we must be prepared that there will be those who slander us, attack us and doubt us. There will even be those who ridicule us and reject us, based on what we believe in the Lord.

After all, if such criticisms and difficulties were experienced by Our Lord Himself, then we can expect that the same will also happen to us if we are to obey Him and to follow Him wholeheartedly. But we must not lose faith or try to conform to whatever ways that the world expects us to do. We have to stand by our faith in the Lord and persevere through those challenging times, that we may be able to find our foundation in the Lord.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen our faith, so that even when the world and even those who are close to us ridicule our faith and commitment to God, we will always be ready to do our best, to give our very best and commit ourselves completely, to the One Who has loved us so much since the beginning of time following in the examples of David and Our Lord Jesus, as we heard in the Scriptures today. May God bless us all. Amen.

by

Monday, 22 January 2018 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture, telling us the continuation of the story of king David of Israel, how he ascended the throne of Israel after the death of king Saul, his predecessor. Interestingly, what we heard in the Gospel passage today is truly linked to what the story of king David could tell us. In the Gospel passage, the Pharisees slandered and claimed that Jesus performed His miracles by the power of Beelzebul.

At the time mentioned in our first reading today, king Saul had perished in the fight against the Philistines at a place named Mount Gilboa. Meanwhile, the supporters of David raised him up to be the king of Israel, but his authority was only acknowledged in Judah, David’s ancestral tribe and homeland. The other tribes of Israel recognised only the family of Saul as the heir of the fallen king, and thus placed Ishbaal, Saul’s son on the throne.

And thus, a terrible civil war arose between David and Ishbaal for a few years, and many of the Israelites perished during that conflict. Some of the most sorrowful tragedies that happened in Israel occurred during that civil war, as murders and assassinations, trickery and betrayal ended up causing much negative emotions running among the people, including between David and his closest advisors.

It was only after the assassination of Ishbaal by one of his own servants, that the civil war was ended, and peace was once again restored to the kingdom of Israel and to its people. Then, as we heard in today’s passage, all the tribes of Israel finally accepted David as their lord and king, and they ended their dispute with him. Yet, later on, after the reign of David and Solomon, the kingdom would once again be torn asunder into two, into the kingdom of Judah, and the other ten tribes of Israel forming a rebel northern kingdom.

As we can see from that historical example, a civil war is truly a bitter time for everyone involved, and for most of the time when civil war has occurred, they have not led the country or the state into a better condition. Bitter divisions and rivalries often continued even long after the conflict has been resolved. Sometimes not all the issues had been settled, and another bitter civil war might just break out again over a mere small spark, as how it had indeed happened throughout history.

That is why, the words of Our Lord Jesus in the Gospel passage we heard today truly ring true to us, as He rebuked the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who wrongly accused Him of working with the devil Beelzebul and using the demon’s power to perform His miracles. He said that a kingdom or nation that is divided among itself, would not be able to survive, as it would surely collapse and fail.

And what the Pharisees had accused Jesus with, was indeed totally wrong, and Jesus was truly very angry at them, not only because they have slandered Him and accused Him wrongly, but clearly they knew, among all the people, being well educated and well versed in the Law and the Scriptures, that there was no one else who could have performed all those miraculous deeds but God alone.

That was exactly what the Lord Jesus meant, when He said that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law have slandered against the Holy Spirit. What does it mean by slandering against the Holy Spirit? It means that someone voluntarily knows about the works of God, and yet, actively and voluntarily denies that the works of God are genuine and real, just as what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had been doing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, learning from the historical examples and all that Our Lord has taught us, we should come to realise that it was not Satan and his kingdom that was divided, but instead, it is us mankind, the people of God, who have been divided. The Church itself had been divided and splintered, by those who refused to believe in God’s truth, and as a result, inflicted great pains on the body of the faithful people of God.

That is why, as we happen to be in the midst of this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, let us all pray with sincerity and true zeal, for the Lord to bring all of His beloved people together, that everyone who profess to believe in Him will be united once again in the one Church, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let us pray that all those who have fallen into heresies and followed the erroneous teachings of man, will repent and return to the loving embrace of the Holy Mother Church, the one and only Catholic Church.

Today we also remember the memory of St. Vincent, a holy deacon and martyr of the faith, who was remembered as an ardent servant of the Lord and a hardworking disciple of Christ, who ministered to the people of the place now known as Zaragoza in Spain, during the time of the great persecutions of Christian under the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

St. Vincent was arrested eventually by the authorities, and he was offered safe passage and forgiveness by the government, if he would abandon his faith and burn the Scriptures to show his rejection of the Lord. St. Vincent refused to do so, and he remained resolute in his faith and commitment to the Lord. He stood up for his faith and he preached the truth with such eloquence and passion, that those who heard him were inflamed with anger, and put him to death in holy martyrdom.

May the Lord be with all of us, that each and every one of us as Christians will be able to embrace each other as brothers and sisters, children of the same God, Our Lord, Master and Saviour. May each and every one of us follow in the footsteps of the courageous faith of our predecessor, St. Vincent the deacon and martyr. May God bless us all and bless our Church. Amen.

by

Sunday, 21 January 2018 : Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, each and every one of us as Christians received the Word of God being spoken unto us through the Scripture passages, beginning from the passage taken from the Book of the prophet Jonah, telling us how Jonah was sent to Nineveh in order to warn it of the impending catastrophe which God planned to send to the city because of their wickedness.

In that passage, we heard of how the prophet Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, telling them of the impending doom and destruction, and the people of Nineveh believed in him. Even the king of Nineveh itself, the mighty ruler of Assyrian Empire and conqueror of many nations believed in whatever Jonah said, and ordered a general repentance, mourning and penitential efforts, where everyone humbly admitted their sins and sought the Lord for His forgiveness and mercy.

And God saw their sincerity and desire to be forgiven, and He withheld the destruction He had intended for the city of Nineveh and its inhabitants. He showed His mercy to the people. Had the prophet Jonah not gone to them and warned them about their sins, they would not have turned away from their sins, and they would have fallen further into wickedness, and destruction would have been unavoidable for them.

In the second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, we heard of the exhortation by St. Paul, calling the people to live a holy life, to live a fully devout life abandoning all sorts of worldliness and even relationships. This has to be understood in the context of how the faithful at that time understood the message about the imminent coming of the Lord.

At that time, many of the faithful including that of St. Paul believed that the Lord would be coming soon, and that the end of time would come in a short period of time. As such, he exhorted the faithful to abandon all of their earthly attachments and even married life and families, so as to prepare for the imminent second coming of the Lord. And although this did not happen as he had foreseen, but in truth, thanks to what St. Paul had done, many of the people abandoned their vices and committed themselves to God.

Then, finally, in the Gospel today, we heard about the calling of the Apostles by the Lord Jesus, Who came by the region of Galilee and saw four fishermen who were fishing by the lake of Galilee. They were two sets of brothers, St. Andrew and St. Peter, as well as the sons of Zebedee, St. James and St. John. Jesus saw them and called them from their boats to follow Him and become His disciples.

They left behind their nets and their boats and followed Him, leaving behind even their families and friends. From then on, they would serve the Lord and His purpose for many years and many decades, becoming the instruments of God’s work of mercy and salvation. Through them, many were saved from damnation in hell, and many souls were reconciled with God, even though these poor fishermen were truly of no significance and had little respect among the people at that time.

And after hearing all of these passages from the Scriptures, now it is time for us to think carefully about what we have just heard and received, and look into our own respective lives and ask ourselves, what is it that we, who are the followers of Christ, can do, in order to become ever more dedicated and true disciples of His? All of us as Christians are by default, Christ’s followers and disciples.

First of all, all of us have been called to follow in the footsteps of the prophets and the Apostles, all those whom God had called and chosen to be the bearers of His Good News to the people. They have been called to minister to those who have been lost from the Lord, those who have disobeyed Him, those who have fallen into sin and wickedness.

That was why Jonah was sent to the city and people of Nineveh, and that was also why St. Paul was sent to the people of God, writing to the many churches throughout Christendom and exhorting them to live their lives faithfully, and lastly, the Apostles, members of the Twelve and many other disciples called by the Lord Jesus, to minister to the people and to preach His Good News to them.

If we then think that those people were great saints and servants of God, as those who we deem to be beyond our league, then we are truly mistaken. Let us all look at those whom the Lord called from among those we heard of today. The prophet Jonah was not eager in the beginning to obey the Lord, and in fact, I am sure we are familiar with the story how Jonah tried to run away from the Lord.

He travelled by ship to a faraway land, only for the ship to be struck with a great storm, and he had no choice but to throw himself into the sea to spare the other passengers and the ship, and carried in the belly of a great whale, he was brought to the seashore, from where he eventually decided to follow the Lord’s commands. It was not an easy journey from the beginning, and he was a reluctant follower at best.

Then, St. Paul was once Saul, the great enemy of the Church and all the faithful people of God, greatly feared by all Christians, as he went from place to place, violently rounding up all those who believed in Jesus and arresting them, bringing about much sorrow to the faithful. And yet, God called Saul and converted him, on the way to Damascus, where the revelation of truth was given to him, and he turned his back to his past as a great sinner, into a great defender of the faith.

And lastly, the Apostles themselves were not perfect either, they came from various background, called by the Lord to be His followers and chosen to be their leaders. Yet we know how even one among them betrayed the Lord, Judas Iscariot, who sold off his Master for a mere thirty pieces of silver to the high priests. And the other Apostles fled out of fear when the Lord Jesus was arrested, each to their own hiding places.

What is the lesson that all of us as Christians can learn from these? It is the realisation that God calls those who He deems to be worthy, not those who deem themselves to be worthy. That was why He did not call those who were proud and haughty, including the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who looked down on the sinners such as tax collectors and prostitutes and more.

Instead, God reached out His hands and brought all those who were sinners and considered unworthy, and called His servants from all kinds of people, from all backgrounds and not withstanding any worldly considerations. Those whom He called and accepted the calling, He would make them to be worthy of His Name, and He would be with them, even though they may indeed face difficulties, persecution and rejection.

This is a reminder for us that when the Lord calls us, we should not reject His call or pretend not to hear what He has called us for. Rather, we should listen to Him and pray, asking the Lord to tell us, what it is that He wants from each one of us. We are all called to walk in His ways and devote ourselves to Him in whatever way we can, giving our time, effort and attention.

Therefore, today, it is also a good time for us to remember our priests and all those who have dedicated themselves, their whole lives for the sake of the Lord. Let us pray for them that they may continue to persevere faithfully throughout their vocation and mission, as those to whom the Lord entrusted the governance and guidance over His people.

Let us all work together that the whole Church of God, all the faithful people of God will be able to coordinate our efforts as one united people, devoted to the Lord, and helping all of our priests and bishops, in their mission and works, that in the end, the Lord’s mercy and compassion may reach all those who are in need of that mercy, and therefore like the people of Nineveh, they may be saved from damnation and destruction.

May the Lord strengthen us all, that each and every one of us as Christians may be able to courageously carry out the mission entrusted to us, to be the bearers of the Good News of the Lord, through our words and even more importantly, through our actions. Let us inspire one another to walk faithfully in the way of the Lord, and be ever more committed to live a life consecrated and devoted to Him, loving Him through all of our every actions and deeds. May God bless us all. Amen.