Weekday Homily

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Thursday, 9 January 2025 : Thursday after the Epiphany (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded again during the remaining time of this joyful season of Christmas that we truly are celebrating the love of God manifested in this world through the coming of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all mankind and the whole world, by Whose arrival, presence and ministry, in all that He has done in our midst, in His teachings and outreach, all of us have seen and witnessed, experienced and learnt about what God truly wants from each and every one of us. And we are also reminded on how God is truly faithful and ever committed to the Covenant which He had made with us and all the promises He had given us.

In our first reading today, from the continuation of the Epistle of St. John the Apostle, we heard the exhortation from St. John to all the faithful reminding all of them to love one another, to show love to everyone without exception, and to show care and concern for each other, following the example and the teachings which the Lord Himself has shown to us by His words and actions amongst us. The Lord’s commandments and all of His Law, all of them are truly about love, on how we ought to love God with all of our strength and might, and then how we should love in the same manner as well to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, all those who need our love, care and attention.

It is also important that we all should embrace God’s love wholeheartedly and be appreciative and thankful that God has shown us all so much love, even when we have often disobeyed Him and disregarded His Law and commandments. Our loving God and Father has often been patient in loving us and caring for us, and because He has taught us all how to love and to show His love in our actions, words and deeds, therefore, it is important that we are truly filled with love in everything that we do, or else, we cannot truly call ourselves as God’s children or people. St. John himself said it plainly that if we do not show love to our brothers and sisters, then we are not truly loving God, and we are in fact ‘liars’ in our proclamation of love for God.

St. John made it clear that all those who love the Father, also loves the Son, and vice versa, and in order to be able to truly love God as we should, then we must be truly loving in all things, and we cannot be full of hatred or lacking in love towards anyone. If we ourselves are not showing love towards our fellow brothers and sisters, then how can we truly be genuinely loving towards God as well? And God Who loves everyone certainly will not find our lack of love and even hatred against our fellow brethren as something that is favourable. As Christians it is imperative that we follow the examples of Christ our Lord Himself, loving everyone around us generously and sincerely, to the best of our abilities. Indeed, this is something easier said than done, but we should at least make the effort to do so.

In our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus, early in His ministry returned to His hometown of Nazareth, and when He went to the local synagogue, at the appointed time, He proclaimed what the prophets like Isaiah and the ones before him had prophesied about the coming of the Messiah or the Saviour from God. And as Jesus proclaimed those words of the Scriptures, He proclaimed the fulfilment of everything that had been prophesied, how everything had indeed come true as it was meant to be, and everything that He had done, His teachings and great Wisdom, all the miracles and signs He had performed, all were the evidence that He was the Messiah that had been promised.

Yet, many of those people in Nazareth failed to recognise this and they refused to believe in Him, and instead they preferred to be swayed by their own prejudices and biases against the Lord just because they thought that they knew better about Him, that they knew about His family and His background, being merely the supposed Son of the town carpenter, from a lowly background and origin, unlike what many of the people of that time expected, that the Saviour would come as a great, mighty and conquering King, as the One to restore the Kingdom of Israel and lead the people of God to triumph and victory against their enemies. But the Lord Jesus revealed to them that God’s plan is far greater than their limited desires for worldly glory and liberation, for the Lord desired for no less than the salvation of the whole entire world, and the healing of those who have been hurt and afflicted by sin.

That is why, as Christians, all of us are challenged to be the ones to show the love of God as revealed to us through His Son to those whom we encounter in our lives in each and every interactions we have with them. We should show this through even the smallest parts of our lives, we can be the ones to show the love of God to everyone around us, in how we love our neighbours, all those whom we encounter in life, in our willingness to forgive those who have hurt us and to pray for them and their conversion of heart, among other things. This is why as we still continue to celebrate this joyful Christmas season, we are constantly being reminded to be always putting Christ, the manifestation of God’s love, at the centre of our lives.

Let us all therefore truly become worthy children and followers of the Lord, to be truly worthy to call God our ‘Father’ because we are truly like Him in all things, especially in how we love generously from our hearts and continue to do so just as how the Lord Himself has loved us all so generously. Let us all no longer be idle in our lives, in not realising that our every actions can be very important in showing the love of God to all the people, and let us all be proactive from now on in being evangelising and missionary in all of our actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions with our fellow brethren, even in the smallest things, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 8 January 2025 : Wednesday after the Epiphany (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded again of the love of God, His Presence in our midst and His faithfulness to the Covenant which He had made with all of us, and how we all should not be afraid or hesitant to follow Him because if we put our faith and trust in Him then rest assured that we will be well taken care of and provided for, and even though we may encounter challenges, difficulties, obstacles and trials in our path, but as long as we remain firmly faithful in Him, then we shall not falter and shall continue to sail through the storms and troubles of life with God by our side, as He leads us to the right path and true happiness with Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which St. John spoke to the faithful regarding the matter of love and how each and every one of them ought to show their love to one another, their compassion and care for those who are around them, because that was exactly what the Lord had done for us all, out of His endless compassion for us, His ever generous love and care, His patience in showing us His loving kindness, in His desire to see us all saved from our predicament and certain destruction because of our many sins. While it is true that because of our disobedience we have fallen into sin and been corrupted by those sins, but God never condemned us or desired our destruction. Instead, it is by those sins, unrepented and unforgiven that we have fallen into damnation.

That is why as St. John mentioned very clearly in his Epistle that the salvation of God has come into our midst through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Divine Word Incarnate, the Divine Son of God Who assumed our human nature and existence so that by His entry and arrival into this world, He might manifest before us all, the love of God in all of its perfection, and showed it all to us. And that was exactly what the Lord had done. He has given us all His only begotten Son so that by His suffering and death, all of us may be saved and redeemed from our sins, and have the sure path towards Him and the eternal life and true joy that can be found in Him alone. Through His perfect and ever enduring love, God has opened for us the path to salvation.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which the famous encounter between the Lord and His disciples in a storm was told to us. At that time, as we heard, the Lord was going by Himself to pray while the disciples of the Lord were together in a boat sailing in the middle of the lake, likely the Lake of Galilee where they often travelled around during the Lord’s ministry. And we heard how the Lord then appeared to those disciples while great storm, wind and waves were battering against their ship, so much so that it would have sunk them. This was one of the few occasions that this had happened to the disciples, but each and every time it happened, the Lord was with them, came to them and helped them.

In this particular occasion, the Lord came to those disciples who were frightened by the waves and the wind, and His appearance, walking on the water made them to be frightened more, as they thought that He was a ghost or spirit. Yet, the Lord reassured them all immediately, telling them all that it was indeed Him Who was there, reaching out to them, and He went to them, miraculously walking on the water, and then calmed the storm and the waves, taming those wind and waves, as He came into their midst. All of these showed those disciples and also all of us that we are truly blessed to have the Lord and Saviour of the whole world to have come into our midst, in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

That story of the Lord saving His disciples and being with them in the middle of the storm in the lake is a representation and reminder for us all that the Lord never abandons us, and He is always ever by our side, even in our deepest moments of struggle and despair. The boat that the disciples were travelling in is a symbol of the Church, and the disciples themselves represent each and every one of us, God’s beloved people. The storm, the waves and the wind are all representations of the danger, struggles and difficulties, all the trials that we may have to face in the midst of all these journey we have, and yet, we must not give in to fear and despair, for the Lord is and will always be by our side, protecting and providing for us.

Now, are we all going to put our trust and faith in the Lord, believing in Him, His love and providence, or are we going to let our fears, uncertainties and doubts to cloud our judgment and path in life? The choice is ours to make, and we must do our very best to remain firm in our dedication and commitment to God, opposing the temptations to abandon the Lord and instead embracing the many other alternatives and false assurances of the world. We must not give in to our fears, but instead trust in the Lord, just as those disciples remained in the boat, and believed in the Lord, and did not abandon the ship to save themselves.

Therefore, let us all remember our faith in God and also our obligation to take good care of one another, to help guide each other in our journey towards the Lord. We are all called to be good role models, inspirations and help for one another, to help lead and guide everyone towards the Lord and His salvation. As Christians, let us all be the bearers of the Good News of God, to be the shining beacons of His truth and love, to be His witnesses and courageous servants in our world today, so that by our exemplary living and actions, we may proclaim Him and His light, His love and truth to many more people around us, now and always. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good works and endeavours, for His greater glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 7 January 2025 : Tuesday after the Epiphany, Memorial of St. Raymond of Penyafort, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, while we still continue celebrating the joyful time and season of Christmas, focusing our attention on the birth and coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, bearing the salvation for everyone, we now begin to focus more on the works and actions of Christ during His ministry as we are about to come to the end of this season and begin the first round of the Ordinary Time. Through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are reminded of God’s love which He has manifested before us through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all. We are reminded that by His coming into our world, the love of God and all has become real, tangible and approachable to us, which is what we celebrate in Christmas, that is the Love of God made Man.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which St. John reiterated the great and most generous love which God has for all of us mankind, and this love is shown to us through the giving of His Son, and He gave us this Son so that He might be able to bring us all from the brink of destruction, and through His suffering and death, which He obeyed perfectly and carried out willingly, all of us have received the assurance of salvation and eternal life, because He offered for us all, on our behalf, the one and only perfect offering and sacrifice for the atonement of our innumerable sins, as the Lamb of God, the Sacrificial Lamb offering His own Most Precious Body and Blood, the perfect unblemished sacrifice that can heal us from all of our sins.

That is why today as we continue to celebrate this joyous occasion of Christmas, at the same time we are also reminded that ultimately Christmas will not have its meaning, importance and relevance without what we will celebrate soon in Holy Week and Easter. For if Christmas is a celebration of the Lord’s coming into this world as a little Child, to be God Who dwells with His people, then it is in the Holy Week and Easter that everything He was about to do came into perfect fulfilment and completion. If Christ did not suffer and die on the Cross, and then rose in glory and triumph, conquering sin and death, then this birthday is just a celebration of the birthday of an ordinary person, not unlike any other person. But this is certainly not the case.

It is precisely because Christ has become Man at Christmas and then went on to fulfil all that the Lord has planned perfectly at Holy Week and Easter, that we rejoice even all the more because we know that by becoming a Man like us all, He has united our humanity to Himself and gathered us all as one united people and flock of the Lord, and made us all to share in His death and Resurrection. He became the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and all mankind, an everlasting Covenant sealed with the Precious Blood of the Son of God, the Paschal Lamb of sacrifice. Truly, as the Lord Himself had said in the Gospel according to St. John, that ‘God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, so that all who believe in Him may have eternal life.’ And these are the concrete proofs of this love.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark, we heard the moment when the Lord Jesus performed a wonderful and well-known miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men and many others who were gathered to listen to the Lord and who were hungry after many days without having any food. The Lord showed His genuine and powerful love for His beloved ones, that He provided for them what they needed, not just the spiritual nourishment through His words and teachings, but also even in terms of physical needs and the fulfilment of the flesh and the body through food. He miraculously multiplied five loaves of bread and two fishes, that all those thousands of people had more than enough to eat, with plenty of leftovers.

Through what the Lord had done and shown us, again we are all reminded that truly Jesus Christ is Our Lord and Saviour, the One Whom God had sent into this world to be our Saviour and the Hope for all of us who have long awaited His salvation in the darkness of sin. His Light and Hope had dispelled this darkness and overcome the power of sin, and broke free the chains that had kept us down and dominated by the forces of darkness, bringing us all through the reconciliation with God, and by His direct contact with us, showing us that the Lord truly cares for us, and wants us all to be sharing in His love, and to be the ones enjoying the fullness of our inheritance as He has always intended for us all.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Raymond of Penyafort, also known as St. Raymond of Penafort, a famous Dominican preacher and missionary who was well-known for his great piety and charisma, his many great works and efforts for the sake of the Church, all the theological works he created and prepared, as well as his miracles and signs. He was known for his efforts to codify the Canon Law as well as outreach towards sinners, including his efforts to bring King James I of Aragon into the right path, as St. Raymond was the king’s confessor. At that time, the king was living in sin with a mistress, and when the king kept on refusing to change his ways, St. Raymond told the king that he would leave him behind for having not listened to his advice so many times.

And when the king forbade St. Raymond of Penyafort from leaving the island where he was living in, the island of Majorca, according to tradition St. Raymond and a Dominican companion went to the seashore and taking off his long black Dominican cloak, spreading it on the water, and then rode on it on the water, sailing towards Barcelona at the court of the king, witnessed by many people who thereafter became proof of this amazing occasion. Having heard of this and witnessed the great sanctity of the man of God, the king eventually repented and changed his ways. There are many other great deeds that the Lord had done through St. Raymond of Penyafort, and we ought to be inspired by his exemplary faith and life in how we ought to live our own lives in faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures and inspired by the life of St. Raymond of Penyafort, let us all therefore strive to love the Lord our God with all our heart and strength, and to be truly devoted to Him above all other things, doing whatever we can to glorify Him by our lives. Each and every one of us should be good examples and inspiration in how we live our lives with faith, much as how St. Raymond of Penyafort had done for us. May the Lord our loving God and Saviour continue to guide and strengthen us in our faith and path, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 6 January 2025 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the joyful occasion of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, marking the occasion when the Lord revealed and made Himself known to all the people of all the nations as represented by the Three Magi or the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, a story which we all are certainly familiar with, in how they came from their distant lands to seek the Saviour of the world, the Light of His salvation and grace, and found it in the Holy Child born in Bethlehem over two millennia ago. On this day we all rejoice in the great Christmas joy celebrating the salvation and hope which we have all received from God’s most generous love and compassionate Heart, manifested in real and tangible form in His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

In our first reading today, we heard about the premonition and prediction of this event which the Lord had made through His prophet Isaiah many centuries before everything came true. The prophet Isaiah had been sent to the people of God who have suffered difficulties, challenges and trials, as those in the southern kingdom of Judah had witnessed their northern neighbours and fellow Israelites in the kingdom of Israel conquered and having their cities destroyed by the Assyrians recently, and how many of those people had been brought into distant and far-off lands by those same Assyrians, bereft of their homeland and their dwelling, forced to live as exiles among the foreigners, all because of their lack of faith and virtue, their disobedience against God.

And similarly, those in Judah itself had not been spared from all those difficult moments, as in the context of the time when this prophecy was revealed through the prophet Isaiah, it was likely that the people of God in Judah had faced and survived the event when the King of Assyria, Sennacherib brought with him a mighty force numbering in the hundreds of thousands with the intent of conquering and destroying Judah and Jerusalem, just as they had done with their northern brethren earlier on. And as the Assyrians besieged Jerusalem, their king even mocked the Lord and made blasphemous comments about Him, trying to make the Israelites to give in to fear and despair, saying how the other gods of the other people the Assyrians had conquered were powerless to stop them.

But God showed His might and crushed all the forces of those Assyrians, and sent their king back home in great shame. And through this and many other events, the Lord proved His love and providence for His people, reassuring them of His constant presence and help, and as what we have heard in today’s first reading, the Lord promised the coming of His Salvation and Light which will be revealed and shared to all the nations, which will all come to Him, seeking His love and compassion, His kindness and grace. God does not desire the destruction or damnation of any one of His children and He loves all of us mankind without exception. That is why He gave us all His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, and revealed Him to everyone, and showed that His salvation is given freely to all and not just to a select group of people.

In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus spoke of this same revelation, that God reveals the desire He has to save each and every one of us mankind, without exception, His love and kindness, His generous mercy, that all those who seek Him, regardless whether they are Jewish or non-Jewish, they will all be saved and become part of the one holy people of God, those whom God has called and chosen. This is the response to those whom at the time of the Lord’s ministry and the early Church who claimed that only the Jewish people deserved salvation from God, or that everyone who sought to be saved must adopt all the customs, practices and beliefs of the Jews to the extent that they themselves became Jewish.

Thus, St. Paul refuted such a claim, and the fact that it was he who did so is significant because St. Paul was a Pharisee who adhered to such beliefs in the superiority and exclusivity of salvation to only the Jewish people. But God revealed the truth to St. Paul, and upon whose conversion received the reality and true intention of God in calling all of His people to Himself, regardless of their background, race, origin or by any other worldly parameters we often differentiated ourselves by. To the Lord, everyone is truly equal, equal in stature, equal in opportunity and equally beloved by Him without prejudice or discrimination. And He has given us all the ultimate means to achieve this salvation, and that is through His Son and His coming into this world.

In our Gospel passage this day we then heard of the story of the moment that we are celebrating about this Epiphany of the Lord, when the Lord Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, the Saviour of the world and the Son of God Most High, the Divine Word of God Himself incarnate in the flesh. At that time, a great and bright sign has appeared in the sky, the Great Star of Bethlehem, clearly heralding the coming of the Saviour. And three wise men from the East, from distant places and renowned for their great wisdom and knowledge of astronomy, which were studied for signs from God and they all saw the great Star heralding the coming and arrival of the Messiah, the Saviour from God. The three of them went on a long journey towards the land of Judea, coming to seek the salvation of God, which has come into our midst, and the Lord showed Himself to everyone, symbolically presented through the Three Magi.

We heard how the Three Magi eventually found their way to Bethlehem to the presence of the Lord, the Holy Child after enquiring about Him at the court of King Herod the Great. The Three Magi came to the Lord to pay homage to Him, bearing the three unique gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold represents the kingship and the glory of Christ, while the frankincense represents both His Divinity and also His role as our Eternal High Priest, and lastly the myrrh represents the way how the Lord would accomplish His mission, through the suffering and death that He would have to endure during His Passion, for our sake and our salvation. Through all these three gifts therefore, we all come to know the full extent of Who the Lord our God is, and what He has done for us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is the essence of what the Epiphany celebration is all about.

First of all, the gift of gold is a very symbolic sign of the kingship of Christ, as gold has always been a very valuable commodity and noble metal used in coinage and in collection of wealth, and they are often associated with power and worldly glory, and they also have associations with the Divine, as gold is often used on the ornaments and the worship of gods and idols in various cultures and traditions. Gold in this case symbolised that Christ is truly our Lord and King, the King of Kings, Lord and Master of all, all of creation and the whole of the Universe. It also showed the glory and divinity that our Lord and God has, and how each and every one of us are expected to give Him honour, glory and homage, as the King over all of us. He is the only One truly worthy of our worship and obedience.

Then, the gift of frankincense is a representation as earlier mentioned, of the divinity of Christ, as incense is often used in religious festivities and worship, and incense is used until this day in the Church to indicate the prayers of the faithful people of God rising towards God. At the same time, incense was also usually used by the priests in offering the sacrifices and offerings to God. Hence, this frankincense, which is among the finest type of incense available, is a representation that Christ our Lord is truly Divine, the Almighty God Who manifested Himself in the flesh, to be in our midst. Then, at the same time, it also highlighted Christ’s role as our one and true Eternal High Priest, the One Who would offer on our behalf the perfect and worthy offering, for the absolution and forgiveness of all of our sins.

Lastly, the gift of myrrh is the representation of what the Lord would do for our salvation, as myrrh is a precious spice used for the embalming of the bodies of the dead. It may indeed be a rather strange and curious gift for a newborn Child, but in this case, it is a representation of how Christ would suffer and die from the Cross that He Himself would bear, and through His death He would redeem all of us, by making us all free from sin, and then by His glorious Resurrection, He would lead us all into a new life, no longer subjected to sin and death, to evil and destruction. This is what the gift of myrrh had revealed to us, and we are all reminded that we are all truly so fortunate that God has done all of these for our sake. We must be thankful for all that He has done, and we must return to seek the Lord and His salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate wonderfully during this time of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, we are reminded through the three gifts of the Magi of the true nature of that Child Who has been born in Bethlehem two millennia ago, He Who revealed Himself to all of us through the symbolic representation of the Three Magi. In Christ our Lord, we have the Divine Lord Himself, Almighty and all-powerful coming down into our midst, to dwell among us and to be with us, and ultimately, to offer Himself for our sake, to suffer and die for us, so that all of us can receive the sure promise of eternal life and fullness of grace from Him. Let us all keep this in mind as we go forth to this world, to our communities around us, to proclaim the Lord our God and Saviour, He Who has come into this world and revealed His love, to everyone, calling them to His Presence and mercy.

May the Lord, Who has been manifested, ‘Epiphaneia’ in the flesh, revealed in His love and kindness through the Holy Child of Bethlehem, continue to be with us and bless our every endeavours and deeds, and may He continue to bless our every works, efforts and endeavours to glorify Him by our lives, our every actions, works and deeds. Holy God, Mighty God, Holy Immortal God, revealed to us all through the Wisdom and love You have shown us, have mercy on us and give us Your love and grace, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 6 January 2025 : Monday after the Epiphany (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from our Scripture passages today, once again we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us as Christians to hold firmly to our faith in the Lord, to trust in Him and to walk ever more faithfully in the path that He has revealed to each and every one of us. We must not easily be swayed by the temptations and the falsehoods of the world, of all things which may lead us astray into the path towards our downfall and destruction if we are not careful and vigilant, in resisting the various temptations to disobey God and to embrace the different pleasures and false joys of the world instead of following the Lord and truly walking in the path of His virtuous righteousness and justice.

In our first reading today, this is what St. John spoke about in one of his Epistles, continuing from what we have heard from earlier parts of the Epistle in the earlier days. The Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God, including all of us to remain vigilant of what we listen to and receive, for there would indeed be false prophets, messengers and antichrists, all those who do not speak the truth and perhaps even try to distort the truth that God has given to us through His Son and through His Holy Spirit. St. John spoke clearly reminding all of us of the salvation which all of us have received and been reassured with by the coming of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the One by Whom we have all been gathered and reunited once again with the Lord, our Creator and loving Father.

This is why as Christians, all of us must always proclaim Christ our Lord, our Saviour and King, our Divine Master and God, the One and only Master whom we honour and worship, and we remember His coming into our midst, in His incarnation in the flesh, by which He has made Himself approachable and visible to us, that He has bridged the gap between us and God, our Heavenly Father and Creator. We must always remember that the Christ our Lord is at the centre and is the focus of our whole existence, and we must not let the world and all those false prophets and messengers to distract us from the Lord by their offer of alternatives that do not adhere to the Lord’s teachings and truths. We must be vigilant and careful lest we may be tempted to follow those falsehoods, as many of our predecessors had fallen to their snare.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew the Apostle in which the works of the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of the world are recounted to us, all that He has done for the sake of the people of God after He embarked on His ministry. St. Matthew in his Gospel also spoke clearly about how the Lord Jesus and everything that He had done were fulfilment of all the prophecies and the promises of God which He had made through His prophets such as Isaiah and many others. And if we understand the main target audience of this Gospel by St. Matthew, we will understand better why this was highlighted, as St. Matthew intended for his Gospel to be read and used by the Jewish Christians, those among the Jewish people who converted to the Christian faith and became believers in Christ.

Therefore, as this Gospel was mainly directed to the Jewish community and the early Jewish Christians, we can see that St. Matthew wanted to convince those Jewish people and community that the Lord Jesus was indeed the one True Messiah, the Saviour Whom God had promised to His people and renewed those promises through the prophets. At the time of the Lord’s ministry and even before that, historically there had been several failed rebellions, some of which were recorded in the Scriptures, of those who had claimed to be the Messiah, and yet, they were truly false Messiahs, having called on the people to believe in them, but they did not represent the truth and Good News that God only proclaimed and brought into our midst through Christ His Son alone.

And not only that, as the Jewish leaders, like the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, the members of the Pharisees and the Sadducees among others, many of them did not believe in the Lord Jesus, doubted and even openly opposed Him, both during His ministry and during the early days of the Church, by opposing the efforts of the Apostles and the other disciples and missionaries of the Lord, persecuting and oppressing them in many places and occasions. Therefore, St. Matthew testified that Jesus Christ was indeed the Messiah promised by God and His coming and His actions, in His many works and miracles, signs and wonders, in all of His words of wisdom, He has fulfilled the previous prophecies and predictions made about Him.

And this is why all of us should do our best to uphold this faith and trust in the Lord, in His Providence and everything that He has put in our path to help us in our journey of faith and life. All of us should remain firmly focused on the Lord and oppose all the falsehoods of the world, all the false teachings and ideas that can easily lead us astray down the wrong path, and be the good role models and inspirations to one another in how we all live up to our faith. We should not instead be the source of scandal and division, falsehoods and distractions ourselves, but be the worthy disciples and followers of the Lord, doing our best to glorify Him in each and every things that we do in our respective lives.

As we all continue to celebrate in the Lord’s coming in this season of Christmas, the season full of joy and celebration, let us all continue to remember why it is that we celebrate greatly this season, and continue to focus and help others to focus our attention towards the Lord in all things. May the Lord be with us always and may He give us all the strength and courage to continue living our lives from now on, ever virtuous and faithful, against all the challenges in life and against all the temptations that we may have to face in our journey. Amen.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the joyful occasion of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, marking the occasion when the Lord revealed and made Himself known to all the people of all the nations as represented by the Three Magi or the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, a story which we all are certainly familiar with, in how they came from their distant lands to seek the Saviour of the world, the Light of His salvation and grace, and found it in the Holy Child born in Bethlehem over two millennia ago. On this day we all rejoice in the great Christmas joy celebrating the salvation and hope which we have all received from God’s most generous love and compassionate Heart, manifested in real and tangible form in His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

In our first reading today, we heard about the premonition and prediction of this event which the Lord had made through His prophet Isaiah many centuries before everything came true. The prophet Isaiah had been sent to the people of God who have suffered difficulties, challenges and trials, as those in the southern kingdom of Judah had witnessed their northern neighbours and fellow Israelites in the kingdom of Israel conquered and having their cities destroyed by the Assyrians recently, and how many of those people had been brought into distant and far-off lands by those same Assyrians, bereft of their homeland and their dwelling, forced to live as exiles among the foreigners, all because of their lack of faith and virtue, their disobedience against God.

And similarly, those in Judah itself had not been spared from all those difficult moments, as in the context of the time when this prophecy was revealed through the prophet Isaiah, it was likely that the people of God in Judah had faced and survived the event when the King of Assyria, Sennacherib brought with him a mighty force numbering in the hundreds of thousands with the intent of conquering and destroying Judah and Jerusalem, just as they had done with their northern brethren earlier on. And as the Assyrians besieged Jerusalem, their king even mocked the Lord and made blasphemous comments about Him, trying to make the Israelites to give in to fear and despair, saying how the other gods of the other people the Assyrians had conquered were powerless to stop them.

But God showed His might and crushed all the forces of those Assyrians, and sent their king back home in great shame. And through this and many other events, the Lord proved His love and providence for His people, reassuring them of His constant presence and help, and as what we have heard in today’s first reading, the Lord promised the coming of His Salvation and Light which will be revealed and shared to all the nations, which will all come to Him, seeking His love and compassion, His kindness and grace. God does not desire the destruction or damnation of any one of His children and He loves all of us mankind without exception. That is why He gave us all His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, and revealed Him to everyone, and showed that His salvation is given freely to all and not just to a select group of people.

In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus spoke of this same revelation, that God reveals the desire He has to save each and every one of us mankind, without exception, His love and kindness, His generous mercy, that all those who seek Him, regardless whether they are Jewish or non-Jewish, they will all be saved and become part of the one holy people of God, those whom God has called and chosen. This is the response to those whom at the time of the Lord’s ministry and the early Church who claimed that only the Jewish people deserved salvation from God, or that everyone who sought to be saved must adopt all the customs, practices and beliefs of the Jews to the extent that they themselves became Jewish.

Thus, St. Paul refuted such a claim, and the fact that it was he who did so is significant because St. Paul was a Pharisee who adhered to such beliefs in the superiority and exclusivity of salvation to only the Jewish people. But God revealed the truth to St. Paul, and upon whose conversion received the reality and true intention of God in calling all of His people to Himself, regardless of their background, race, origin or by any other worldly parameters we often differentiated ourselves by. To the Lord, everyone is truly equal, equal in stature, equal in opportunity and equally beloved by Him without prejudice or discrimination. And He has given us all the ultimate means to achieve this salvation, and that is through His Son and His coming into this world.

In our Gospel passage this day we then heard of the story of the moment that we are celebrating about this Epiphany of the Lord, when the Lord Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, the Saviour of the world and the Son of God Most High, the Divine Word of God Himself incarnate in the flesh. At that time, a great and bright sign has appeared in the sky, the Great Star of Bethlehem, clearly heralding the coming of the Saviour. And three wise men from the East, from distant places and renowned for their great wisdom and knowledge of astronomy, which were studied for signs from God and they all saw the great Star heralding the coming and arrival of the Messiah, the Saviour from God. The three of them went on a long journey towards the land of Judea, coming to seek the salvation of God, which has come into our midst, and the Lord showed Himself to everyone, symbolically presented through the Three Magi.

We heard how the Three Magi eventually found their way to Bethlehem to the presence of the Lord, the Holy Child after enquiring about Him at the court of King Herod the Great. The Three Magi came to the Lord to pay homage to Him, bearing the three unique gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold represents the kingship and the glory of Christ, while the frankincense represents both His Divinity and also His role as our Eternal High Priest, and lastly the myrrh represents the way how the Lord would accomplish His mission, through the suffering and death that He would have to endure during His Passion, for our sake and our salvation. Through all these three gifts therefore, we all come to know the full extent of Who the Lord our God is, and what He has done for us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is the essence of what the Epiphany celebration is all about.

First of all, the gift of gold is a very symbolic sign of the kingship of Christ, as gold has always been a very valuable commodity and noble metal used in coinage and in collection of wealth, and they are often associated with power and worldly glory, and they also have associations with the Divine, as gold is often used on the ornaments and the worship of gods and idols in various cultures and traditions. Gold in this case symbolised that Christ is truly our Lord and King, the King of Kings, Lord and Master of all, all of creation and the whole of the Universe. It also showed the glory and divinity that our Lord and God has, and how each and every one of us are expected to give Him honour, glory and homage, as the King over all of us. He is the only One truly worthy of our worship and obedience.

Then, the gift of frankincense is a representation as earlier mentioned, of the divinity of Christ, as incense is often used in religious festivities and worship, and incense is used until this day in the Church to indicate the prayers of the faithful people of God rising towards God. At the same time, incense was also usually used by the priests in offering the sacrifices and offerings to God. Hence, this frankincense, which is among the finest type of incense available, is a representation that Christ our Lord is truly Divine, the Almighty God Who manifested Himself in the flesh, to be in our midst. Then, at the same time, it also highlighted Christ’s role as our one and true Eternal High Priest, the One Who would offer on our behalf the perfect and worthy offering, for the absolution and forgiveness of all of our sins.

Lastly, the gift of myrrh is the representation of what the Lord would do for our salvation, as myrrh is a precious spice used for the embalming of the bodies of the dead. It may indeed be a rather strange and curious gift for a newborn Child, but in this case, it is a representation of how Christ would suffer and die from the Cross that He Himself would bear, and through His death He would redeem all of us, by making us all free from sin, and then by His glorious Resurrection, He would lead us all into a new life, no longer subjected to sin and death, to evil and destruction. This is what the gift of myrrh had revealed to us, and we are all reminded that we are all truly so fortunate that God has done all of these for our sake. We must be thankful for all that He has done, and we must return to seek the Lord and His salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate wonderfully during this time of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, we are reminded through the three gifts of the Magi of the true nature of that Child Who has been born in Bethlehem two millennia ago, He Who revealed Himself to all of us through the symbolic representation of the Three Magi. In Christ our Lord, we have the Divine Lord Himself, Almighty and all-powerful coming down into our midst, to dwell among us and to be with us, and ultimately, to offer Himself for our sake, to suffer and die for us, so that all of us can receive the sure promise of eternal life and fullness of grace from Him. Let us all keep this in mind as we go forth to this world, to our communities around us, to proclaim the Lord our God and Saviour, He Who has come into this world and revealed His love, to everyone, calling them to His Presence and mercy.

May the Lord, Who has been manifested, ‘Epiphaneia’ in the flesh, revealed in His love and kindness through the Holy Child of Bethlehem, continue to be with us and bless our every endeavours and deeds, and may He continue to bless our every works, efforts and endeavours to glorify Him by our lives, our every actions, works and deeds. Holy God, Mighty God, Holy Immortal God, revealed to us all through the Wisdom and love You have shown us, have mercy on us and give us Your love and grace, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the Second Sunday in the Christmas Season or the Second Sunday after Christmas. And as we are still currently celebrating the great joy of this Christmas time and season, we ought to continue reminding ourselves to keep the focus of our celebrations, festivities and rejoicing on Christ our Lord, the true reason for our joy and celebration this Christmas so that we do not end up forgetting the purpose, reason and intention why we are rejoicing during this period. We should always keep in mind that we rejoice not because we want to enjoy all the comforts and pleasures in life but rather we want to continue to be thankful to the Lord for all the love that He has shown us constantly all these while.

And as we all heard from our Scripture readings this Sunday, we are reminded of how God has sent us all His salvation, reassuring us all of His ever continued presence, guidance and help, loving us and giving us all the hope and light in the midst of the darkness surrounding us and our paths, so that by His light and hope we may be able to find our way out of our predicament and bondage to sin, and come to His loving Presence, be reunited and truly reconciled fully with Him. He has sent us all His Saviour in the form of His Son, the Divine Word Incarnate, Who has taken up our human existence and nature, dwelling in our midst and came to be born into this world through Mary, His Mother, the event which all of us celebrate as Christmas.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard of the words of the Lord’s assurance to His people, the Israelites and their descendants through the prophet Jeremiah in which the prophet spoke of God’s promise of redemption and help for all of them, liberation and good things to come. The prophet Jeremiah was known mostly for his message of warning against the sins of the people of God in the kingdom of Judah, the southern half of the once united Kingdom of Israel. Back then, the prophet Jeremiah ministered to the people of Judah during the last moments and years of its existence as an independent state, and Jeremiah spoke courageously on many occasions about the coming of destruction for Judah and Jerusalem because of the wickedness and sins of the people and also because they have all abandoned the Lord their God.

All of those things would indeed come true with the coming of the Babylonians and their mighty forces, the regional power of the time, which led to the siege of Jerusalem and the eventual downfall of the kingdom and the city of God’s people. Most of the people of Judah would be scattered to far-off places by the Babylonians, who burnt down the Temple of God and ransacked Jerusalem just as Jeremiah and many other earlier prophets had foretold. And yet, amidst all those prophecies as we have all heard today, God still did not give up hope on His people and He still loved them all nonetheless despite His anger against their wickedness and sins. Hence, Jeremiah also spoke of the love and compassion of God Who would eventually forgive His people and lead them and their descendants back once again to their lands.

In our second reading this Sunday, we then heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Ephesus in Asia Minor. St. Paul spoke to the faithful regarding what God had done for us all in His most generous love and kindness, in giving us all His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Mediator of our salvation and to help bring us all back and reunite us with our loving Father. Christ our Lord, through everything that He has done, in His incarnation and entry into this world which we celebrate this Christmas, and ultimately in His loving and most selfless sacrifice on the Cross, the Lord has fulfilled everything that He has promised to us since the very beginning, all made and accomplished through His Son.

For by the power of the Cross, Christ has triumphed and conquered death, and also broke forever the chains and dominion of sin and evil over us. He has provided each one of us the sure path to eternal life and salvation in God, which we can attain only through Him alone. And this is why we have been reminded of this great act of love from God because everything has been possible thanks to the Lord and His ever enduring and patient love for each and every one of us, His constant Presence, providence and guidance for us, His perseverance in continuing to care for us and in showing us compassion and mercy despite our repeated stubborn attitude in disobeying Him and in disregarding His Law and commandments.

And the Gospel passage from the famous first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle perfectly summarised what the Lord had done in loving us regardless of our sins and wickedness, and in His continued desire to seek to be reconciled and reunited with us. His Incarnation from the Divine Word of God, the Son of God Most High, becoming the Son of Man is the pivotal moment in which God opened the way for us to return to Him because by becoming Man like us, Jesus Christ, the Divine Word Incarnate showed us all the example of perfect obedience to the will of His Heavenly Father, and by being our Eternal and one True High Priest, He offered for us on our behalf the perfect offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, the Body and Blood of the Lamb of God, slain and sacrificed for us all.

This is why this Sunday we should reflect well on these messages from the Sacred Scriptures and on all that we have been celebrating and focusing on this whole Christmas season. Has the Lord become the centre and focus of our whole lives? Or have we marginalised and ignored Him, putting Him as secondary in importance as compared to all the worldly distractions and pursuits around us? That is why we should renew our commitment to the Lord, doing our best to live our lives according to His will and following His commandments once again. And let us all make this a reality, turning our lives over a new leaf and do what we can to live a most Christian life that we have been called to do.

May the Lord our loving God, our Saviour, our loving Father and Creator continue to be with us, guide us and empower us all, giving us the means and the strength to live our lives with faith and grace, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 4 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures amidst our still continued celebration of the glorious and most joyful season and time of Christmas, we are all reminded that each and every one of us are the disciples and followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Whose birth into this world and appearance in our midst we have been celebrating this Christmas season, and Who should indeed be the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence. And this is why each and every one of us must always strive to proclaim Him and His truth in all and every moments of our lives. We should not be easily distracted by the various desires and temptations all around us, and continue to stay faithful in the Lord, at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which St. John spoke of the need for the faithful to be careful of the evil one and of all the falsehoods, evils and wickedness which the evil one and all of his forces will always be trying to attack us with, to distract and pull us away from God’s salvation and grace. St. John reminded all of the faithful of the truth which God has revealed to them through His Son, Whose coming into this world has brought into our midst the light of hope and salvation, redemption and freedom from the bondage to sin and darkness. St. John exhorted the people of God not to give in to their fears and uncertainties or to doubt in the power and providence of God.

And this is because the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has come into our midst in order to undo the works of the evil one and to destroy the dominion and power of sin over us. God Who loves us very much certainly does not want any one of us to be lost to Him, and hence, He has endeavoured to do everything for our sake, and He did not spare even His own beloved and only begotten Son for us. God gave us all His Son as the perfect manifestation of His love, ever enduring, ever present and ever strong, to make this love tangible and approachable to us, without any exception. God has reassured us all that as long as we put our faith and hope in Him then we shall not be disappointed, and we shall find solace and true comfort, joy and happiness in Him.

Then in our Gospel passage today we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus, the same Son of God and Saviour that St. John had spoken about, began His ministry and went on to call His first disciples. The Lord’s ministry began with His baptism at the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist, and that faithful servant of God then pointed out to some of His own disciples that the One Whom he had just baptised was indeed the One that he had been preaching and proclaiming about, pointing out to them that the Lord Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God, the One Who was going to take away the sins of the whole world and lead all mankind to salvation and liberation in God. One of these two disciples according to Church tradition was St. John the Apostle himself, together with St. Andrew, another Apostle and brother of St. Peter the Apostle.

We heard then how the two went to seek the Lord Who happened to be travelling towards their hometowns in Galilee, and when they found Him there, they introduced the Lord to their brothers, namely St. Peter the Apostle and St. James the Apostle, both of whom also became disciples of the Lord like their brothers. God called these simple and humble fishermen to be His followers and disciples, as the first ones among many others that would come to follow Him. And this is in fact a very important reminder for us that God is calling on everyone to follow Him and to be His disciples, regardless of our background and origin, and regardless our status and whatever things in this world that we have with us. All of us are equally precious and beloved by God, and we should remember that fact well.

Then, it is also a reminder for us that our Christian faith is by nature evangelising and missionary. Our faith is meant to be shared and spread to others around us, just as how St. John and St. Andrew both introduced the Lord to their brothers, convincing all of them to be the disciples of the Lord. Therefore, in the similar way, we are all called and expected to do as what they had done in leading others towards God and His salvation. As Christians, it is our obligation and calling, our mission and expectation to bring the Lord and His Good News to everyone whom we encounter in life, showing His truth and love, His light and grace so that we may let Him be known by more and more people all around the world. Through us and our actions, our exemplary lives and inspirations we can bring more people to God.

Now, the question is whether we are willing to commit to this path and do whatever is necessary for us to be good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord. Are we willing to commit the time and effort to lead lives that are truly life-giving, Christ-like and centred on the Lord? Or do we prefer instead to follow the customs and ways of the world, all of its temptations and all the corrupt practices all around us? The choice and freedom to choose our path have been given to us by God and now what remains is for us to make that choice and commitment, and for us to do what is necessary in order to walk in His path and to be the worthy beacons of His truth, His Good News and to help more and more people to find their way to the Lord.

May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to bless us in our every endeavours and good deeds, our efforts to glorify Him and to proclaim Him in our every communities and among everyone we encounter in our path. May God grant us the courage, strength and perseverance to continue to live to the best of our abilities with faith, to put Him as the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence, just as how we put Him at the centre of our every Christmas joy and celebration. May God bless us always, and be with His Church and people now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 3 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together as one people in continuing to celebrate this ever joyful season and time of Christmas, we are all reminded of the true reason of our joy and celebration today as we rejoice in honouring the Most Holy Name of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the One through Whom God has brought His salvation into the whole world. To Him has been given the Name which is above every other names, in Heaven, on and under the earth, in all the whole Universe and Creation. And it is in His Name and His coming into this world that all of us have rejoiced so greatly during this time of Christmas, celebrating the revelation and coming of the salvation of God, manifested in the flesh.

And that was what St. Paul the Apostle had written about in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Philippi in what is today Greece. He spoke of the salvation that has come into this world through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who has become incarnate in the flesh, becoming for us the manifestation of God’s love made real, tangible and approachable to us. And not only that, but by the coming of God through His Son in the flesh, in Him becoming the Son of Man and embracing our humanity, human nature and existence, He has become the New Adam, the New Man, Whose perfect obedience to the will of His heavenly Father has countered the disobedience of the first and original Adam which had led us all to sin.

The other reading from the Epistle of St. John also spoke of the same action from God Who has given us all His Son, as a sign and perfect proof of His ever enduring love and faithfulness to the Covenant and to all the promises which He had made with us and our ancestors. And He did all this by willingly embracing our humanity, emptying Himself of all glory and honour, power and majesty, which we saw in how He came into this world, not in a grand and majestic palace, but in a stable not even fit for the dwelling of men like us, and even more so especially at the moment when He embraced His Cross, and choosing willingly to suffer and die for our sake when He was without any blame, to be punished and scourged, condemned for our faults and mistakes.

And it is by this perfect obedience that the Holy Name of Jesus is truly the Name that is above all other names, above all powers and sovereignties, as the Name of the perfect Man, the One Who saved us all by His suffering, His wounds and His death on the Cross, He Who has conquered and destroyed death itself, overcoming the power and dominion of sin and evil by His perfect love and selflessness which has undone the hold of the original sin over all of us, caused by our disobedience, pride and greed. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ in His perfect humility and obedience, and in His great and enduring love for each one of us, has shown us all the perfect manifestation of God’s ever wonderful, generous and magnificent love and grace for each one of us.

In the past, the Name of the Lord was so holy that no one could utter it on the pain of death and condemnation, because of the great sins that we have committed against God. Only the High Priest was allowed to utter the Holy Name of God at the Holy of Holies of the Temple of God and even then it was only allowed at one particular occasion in the whole entire year. Otherwise, the Name of God is something that is utterly taboo for the people to mention at all, and they cannot utter it no matter what, and usually the term Adonai or ‘Lord’ is used instead. The Name of God is difficult to utter and is usually represented by what is known as the Tetragrammaton, or the Four Sacred Letters written as YHVH or transliterated as ‘Yahweh’.

Now, by assuming the identity and nature of our humanity, becoming the Son of Man, God Himself assume a Name just as we all have been given and assigned a name, and through this act of Incarnation, not only that what was once invisible and vastly unapproachable to us has become tangible and real, in the love that God has manifested to us in Christ, His Son, but He has given us all a Name by which we can say and utter, the Name of God which has power and dominion over all things, the Name feared by Satan and all the forces of evil, from which they shall all flee from, and which we can all depend on, trusting always in His love and providence, in all that He has shown us in loving us and caring for our needs, in His ever patient love and generosity.

However, we must also realise that we should not use the Lord’s Holy Name in vain, as quite a few among us and in quite a few occasions the Name of the Lord had been used inappropriately and without reverence. While the Lord has made His Holy Name available and approachable to us, but it still remains the Holy Name of God, the Lord and Master of all, the King of Kings and our Almighty God and Father, which we should treat with utmost respect and deference, and not to use it for cursing others or in other situations when we make light of His Name, or worse still to make fun of it. Let us always remember that through this Name alone we have been saved, and we have received the assurance of eternal life and redemption.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence continue to keep our focus firmly in Christ our Lord, and put our trust in the Holy Name of Our Lord, Jesus, the Saviour of all, through Whom we shall be strengthened and healed from all of our predicaments. May the Lord continue to bless us all and strengthen us through the many challenges and trials that we may encounter in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 2 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures we are all reminded to stay true to the Lord and His truth, His Good News and all that He has revealed and taught to us through His Church. As we are still currently in the Christmas time and season, we are still constantly being reminded of the coming of God’s salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, through Whom we have received the assurance of God’s salvation and grace, His love and kindness which He has always provided for us, ever remembering the love that He has for each one of us, desiring us all to be reconciled and reunited fully and perfectly with Him in His heavenly Kingdom, no longer separated from Him because of our sins and wickedness.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of St. John the Apostle in one of his Epistles in which he continued to speak about the lies and falsehoods of the antichrists, all the false prophets and messengers who did not speak truly about the Lord and His salvation, misleading the faithful people of God down the wrong path in life. And St. John also reiterated once again the truth and the Good News of God’s salvation which He has presented unto us and revealed to everyone through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all the whole world. Amidst all the falsehoods and the heresies that happened even very early on in the Church history, which prompted St. John to speak up about it, the truth and the Good News of God’s salvation in Christ His Son remained firm and strongly entrenched in His Church and among the faithful.

However, it was indeed easy for many among the faithful and others to fall prey into those lies and falsehoods, and unless they all make the conscious effort to remain vigilant against those falsehoods and lies, and remain truly committed to the truth enshrined in the Church of God, it is really easy for all of us to fall astray and to be misled into the path towards our downfall, which was indeed the intention of the evil one and all of his wicked forces, that had led to this proliferation of lies and falsehoods, of salvation and joy that do not have their origin in Christ, Our Lord. That is why as Christians all of us ought to take a firm stand in defending our faith and in remaining true to our calling at all times, to proclaim the truth of God and to keep our focus in Christmas on Christ.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle, we heard of the words of the testimony of faith by St. John the Baptist when he was confronted and asked by the Jewish authorities, the elders of the people and the members of the Pharisees about his intentions, his true identity and his works. Back then, St. John the Baptist was truly very popular, as thousands came flocking to him seeking to listen to his words and to be baptised by him, heeding his call for repentance and to seek reconciliation with the Lord, their loving and compassionate God. He could very well have declared himself as the Messiah or Saviour from God, or as the great Prophet who was promised to come, but he did not do so, unlike some others during his time who claimed to be the Messiah.

Instead, first of all St. John the Baptist put it very clearly that he was not the Messiah and that he was merely the one who had been sent into this world and among the people of God in order to prepare the path for the One Who would save the world, that is the true Messiah. He did not give in to the temptations of power, glory, ambition, ego and greed to seek popularity, influence and power for himself, but as a faithful, humble and loyal servant of God, he did what he had been told to do, and courageously embraced the mission and tasks that he had been entrusted with. He spoke to the people and before all those leaders and Pharisees that he was a mere servant tasked to prepare the way for the Lord’s coming, and he did his works dutifully, criticising those leaders who have misled the people into the wrong path and calling on all sinners to return to God with repentance.

This is an important reminder for all of us that we should always live up to our Christian faith in each and every moments of our lives with true sincerity and desire to glorify God, distancing ourselves from the wickedness and temptations of the world so that we will not fall prey to those temptations and desires that may lead us all into our downfall and destruction. We have to remember our calling as Christians, our mission to proclaim the Lord and His salvation to more and more people throughout the world, to glorify Him by our lives and not to gain glory and fame for ourselves, for our selfish desires or ambitions. This is why, as we still continue to celebrate the joy of Christmas, it is important that we should always be focused on the Lord in all things.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great saints of God, namely St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. St. Basil the Great, also known as St. Basil of Caesarea, was the Bishop of Caesarea in what is now part of Turkey. Meanwhile, St. Gregory Nazianzen was the Archbishop of Constantinople who was the close friend and contemporary of St. Basil. Both of them were remembered for the great faith and courage that they showed in their leadership in the Church, as shepherds of the flock of the Lord and also as theologians who were committed to proclaim the truth of God to the people who at that time faced a lot of falsehoods and heresies, just like it had been in the earlier years and times during the time of the Apostles.

St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen were both known for their great piety and staunch defence of the Christian faith throughout all their respective lives and ministries, standing up faithfully against the falsehoods spread by the popular Arian heretics and also by others who claimed to represent God’s truth. They worked tirelessly among the people of God to restore the unity among the faithful and to proclaim the truth about the Lord, opposing all the influences of the heretical teachers and all those who have subverted the Good News of God for their own selfish desires and ambitions. They are truly good role models and inspirations for each and every one of us, showing us all the path towards God and His true salvation and grace, away from all the falsehoods of the antichrists, false prophets and heretical teachings.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, striving to do our best to glorify Him and to proclaim His truth and Good News as we should always do in our lives. Let us all continue to walk faithfully in the path that He has shown us, and remain firmly committed to Him as our Lord and Saviour, putting Him ever at the heart and centre of our whole lives. May the Lord continue to bless us all and guide us in our journey of faith and life so that we may be the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love, now and always. Amen.