Weekday Homily

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Friday, 16 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we are all reminded of God’s great love and mercy towards us, as He constantly sought us out, reaching out to us with His great and ever enduring love although we have often disappointed Him, turning away from His Law and commandments, disobeying Him and not listening to Him and His words. God has sent His many messengers, the prophets and many other servants to remind and help them in their journey, calling upon them to embrace His love and grace once again, and while His people constantly rebelled against Him and even persecuted His prophets and messengers, He still loved them all nonetheless, and while chastising and punishing them for their sins, He still opened the path to forgiveness and reconciliation for His beloved but wayward children and people.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel we are reminded of the time when the Lord showed His people through Ezekiel how He still loved them all despite all the wicked things that they had done, despite all the evils and the betrayals which they all had done to Him, all of which had caused them to be sundered and separated from His grace and love, and brought them to their downfall. God listed down all the wickedness they had done, how they had tainted themselves with wickedness and corruptions of the world, and how they had spurned and rejected His love, His kindness and patient care. Yet, He still wished to heal them from their troubles, to bless and endow them with all the good things and blessings which He had given to them earlier on, to show just how precious and beloved they all are to Him.

Then in our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples and some of the Pharisees who were there, who asked Him about the matter of divorce, and how the Law of God as revealed through Moses, or the Mosaic laws did allow for divorce to happen under certain conditions and arrangements. However, the Lord pointed out that this was not actually what God intended for His people to do, but merely what He allowed them to do through Moses because of their stubbornness and constant disobedience. It is at least a lesser evil compared to letting them to persist in their sinfulness and in refusing to follow other tenets and precepts of the Law of God. God wanted them all to know that His Law and commandments, the rules and regulations that He had put in place was meant to keep them away from immoral living and from all sorts of sins which could further jeopardise them and their souls.

Essentially, through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Lord our God has shown His ever present and consistent love, in His desire to lead us all from the path of darkness into the light. It has always been His desire to see us all freed and liberated from the bondage of evil and darkness, from the corruption of sin and of all other human and worldly temptations that have often led many of us astray in our path in life. He wants us all to realise that we have been created in His image and meant to be all good and perfect, holy and worthy of Him, just as He has always intended it. He never intended us to suffer the consequences of our sins and evils, but it is by our own conscious choice that we have chosen the path of darkness, sin and rebellion against our most loving God and Father, Who has always constantly been so loving and generous towards us.

That is why, today, as we all listened to these readings from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded constantly and greatly by what we have received and heard so that in all the things we do in our respective lives, in our choice of actions and the path that we consider to take and stride forward in, we should always strive to do what God had shown and taught us to do, to be righteous, good and worthy in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions and connections with one another. As Christians, God’s holy and chosen people, and as His disciples and followers, all of us should be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, in doing whatever we can so that by our lives, our every examples, many more people may come to know the Lord through us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary, a renowned King of Hungary and a great man of God whose life and actions are truly great inspiration for each and every one of us to follow, a noble and virtuous king whose commitment to God and dedication to his people should be great examples for us to follow in our own lives. St. Stephen of Hungary was originally the Grand Prince of the Hungarians from the House of Arpad, who ruled over all the Hungarian people, and was the first in his family to be a devout Christian, a courageous and most faithful follower of the Lord, affirming the trend of conversions of the Hungarians to Christianity which had begun before his time, and which accelerated under his rule, which was truly notable and enlightened, and also marked by his strong support for the Church.

He was crowned shortly after as the first King of Hungary, and ruled for almost four decades, in a rule that was filled with great noble deeds, in caring for the needs of those within his kingdom, in increasing the stature of the Hungarian nation amongst the kingdoms and rulers of Christendom at that time, and for his support in establishing many Church infrastructure and dioceses, spreading the Christian message and truth to many more people, leading to many people embracing God as their Lord and Saviour, abandoning their previous pagan faith and beliefs. St. Stephen also embarked on many important works and projects to improve the livelihood for his people, creating a stable and strong kingdom, united and growing ever more prosperous under his care and reign, and also those of his successors. He committed his life to the very end for the good of his people, entrusted to him by God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the great examples which St. Stephen of Hungary has shown us ought to remind each and every one of us to be good and worthy in our own lives and actions as Christians as well. We must always strive to do our best, to be ever more faithful, committed and loving towards God in all things, to embrace God’s ever loving kindness, mercy and forgiveness so that we may walk ever more steadfastly in the path that God has shown to us, and that we may no longer be lost to Him into the darkness and corruptions of sin. Let us ask St. Stephen of Hungary to intercede for all of us, and may the Lord continue to help and strengthen us in all the days of our lives. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates a great event, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. On this day we commemorate the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, was assumed into the glory of Heaven by virtue of her Divine Motherhood, that in being the Mother of God and also therefore as the Ark of the New Covenant of God, she has been spared from the punishment and consequences of sin and death. This is because she has been specially prepared and set aside by the Lord Himself with the singular grace of being spared from the taint of original sin which had corrupted all other children of mankind ever since the fall of our first ancestors.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the Four Marian Dogmas together with that of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which was just mentioned, that Mary was conceived free from all sins and their corruption. But why is this so? This is because as mentioned, Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant through whom God’s New and Eternal Covenant would enter into this world, born in the hallowed womb of Mary, carrying within her for nine whole months the Son of God, the Divine Word of God Himself incarnate in the flesh, becoming the Son of Man through Mary and her humble acceptance of God’s will and plans. This was highlighted and shown in the first readings both from the Vigil and the Solemnity of the Assumption itself, showing the Ark of the Covenant of God and how it is related to Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant.

For like the old, first Ark of the Covenant which God had instructed to Moses and Aaron to craft and build, made from the finest materials of the world, from gold and the finest wood and other precious materials, God Himself crafted the New Ark of the New Covenant, Mary, just like us, made in God’s own image and also made hallowed, blessed and perfect just like and even better than the original Ark of the Covenant. The original Ark of the Covenant was so hallowed and holy that no one could touch the Ark directly by their hands. Those who touched the Ark were struck dead because their sins and wickedness judged them and made them to be unworthy to be in God’s Holy Presence. Not only that, but the Ark of the Covenant itself was the representation of God’s Holy Presence among His people, as the Lord Himself on occasion would come down to rest and be enthroned upon the Cherubim on top of the Ark.

In the same manner, Mary herself has been hallowed and set aside, made holy and perfect by the Lord Who willed this to be. Is it possible for God? Certainly! For God is omnipotent, all powerful and almighty, and there is nothing that is impossible for Him. It is certainly possible for the Lord to prepare Mary and hallow her by keeping her in a state of fullness of grace and light, to be a truly worthy vessel bearing God Himself within her. Just like the old Ark that contained within itself the two slabs of stone of the Ten Commandments, Mary as the New Ark contained within her the Lord Himself, the manifestation and perfection of God’s Law. And just like the old Ark containing the heavenly bread manna, Mary contained the Bread of Life, the Lord Himself, Who would offer His Body and Blood for everyone to partake and share for eternal life.

Lastly, just like the old Ark which contained the staff of Aaron, the staff of authority over all the people of Israel, thus Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant also bore within her the One Who has been given the authority over all the people of God, the Staff of the Kingdom of God, the Staff of Judah and the dominion over all the whole world and the whole Universe. This was also alluded to in our first reading of the Solemnity from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle where St. John saw the heavenly vision of the end times, with the struggles between the Great Dragon of the Apocalypse, that represents Satan, the great enemy of all, and the Woman clothed with the radiance of the Sun and the stars crowning her head, right after the Ark of the Covenant was viewed in Heaven.

That vision of the great heavenly struggle is a symbol of the great battle between God’s forces and that of Satan, who had risen up in rebellion against God. The Woman who was groaning in pain in labour of childbirth is in fact a personification of both Mary and the Church, in that the first, Mary as the Mother of God bore her Son, the Saviour of the whole world, and the Church of God personified at the same time as the Mother of all, through whom God Himself came into this world, after periods of great sufferings and tribulations, of Satan’s dominion over us and the world through sin and darkness, evil and wickedness present all around us. But God wanted to show us all that the reign and dominion of Satan is coming to an end, and through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, God had broken forever the power and dominion of Satan, leading us all into eternal life and true glory with Him.

Through Mary’s humble and faithful acceptance of her role in the whole entire plan of salvation, the plan that God had prepared since the very beginning for the salvation of all mankind, all of us have been made partakers in this New Covenant that God had made with us through His Son. And since the punishment and consequences of sin and disobedience against God is death, it is naturally incompatible with the fact that the Mother of the Mediator of the New Covenant, the one who had made this New Covenant possible through her complete obedience and faith in the Lord should succumb to the same fate of suffering through death. That is why, this belief of the Assumption or also known as the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as it is known by our brethren in the Eastern Church, had been held by Christians from the earliest days of the Church.

There is no doubt that the early Christians themselves from the time of the Apostles experienced what actually happened to the Blessed Mother of God at the end of her earthly life and existence. Thus such a belief in the Assumption or Dormition of Mary is certainly backed by firm evidences which was then passed down through the Church and the communities of the faithful to this day. There are two main versions of what had happened, the first being that Mary did not suffer death at all, but was immediately raised body and soul by the power of God, to the glory of Heaven, the explanation being that as mentioned, she did not become tainted by the taint of original sin and has also remained sinless throughout her whole life, and hence, it is not fitting that she should have a taste or experience of death, which is the consequence of sin.

Then, the second version revolves around Mary going into sleep at the end of her earthly life and existence, surrounded by the Apostles, and she did experience death, but not because of the consequences of her own sins or iniquities, or any form of defects or mistakes that she had committed. Instead, through her brief experience with death, she shared in the death that her Son Himself experienced on the Cross, as He went through His Passion, in suffering the most grievous sufferings and pains for the sake of our salvation. Her love for her Son was so great, that she was willing to share in His Passion, just as she has shared with Him the shared existence when He was in her womb during the nine months of sacred gestation, before the Lord our Saviour was born into the world.

Thus, in the end, this great New Ark, of the New Covenant of God, bearing the Mediator of the New and Everlasting Covenant, was raised and brought up body and soul into Heaven. According to tradition, the body of Mary disappeared miraculously shortly after her passing, replaced with a bed full of roses, which is also why Mary is often associated with roses and flowers. Regardless of which version of events actually happened, what matters is that, Mary has therefore been raised body and soul to Heaven, a privilege shared by very few others like Enoch and Elijah in the Old Testament. But Mary was raised even greater than they were, because she as the Mother of God has indeed been accorded with the honour of being the Queen Mother of Heaven, exalted and honoured first and foremost among all other beings created by God. At the same time, she is also our greatest intercessor and help, being always ever closest to her Son in Heaven, ceaselessly praying for all of us, whom the Lord Himself had entrusted to us as our own Mother.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, after having gone through what the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is all about, then what matters now is how all these relate to us, to each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. Mary has shown us all how to be the worthy and faithful Christians, to be God’s holy and worthy disciples, in obeying His will and carrying out His Law and commandments, and in being ever constantly filled with His grace, empowered and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. In each and every moments of our lives we should always be strengthened and filled by the Spirit of God and filled with the love and devotion that we all ought to have for Him, our Lord, God and Master. Mary is our perfect example and role model, and through her, we have also seen a glimpse of our own future selves, glorified and free from the taint and corruption of sin.

Let us all therefore strive to do our best in following God at all times and in doing whatever He had called and entrusted to us to do. Let us all be exemplary in all of our works and actions, in our every interactions and endeavours so that we may truly be the missionary and evangelising disciples and followers of Christ in our every efforts and good works, at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may His mother Mary, gloriously assumed into Heaven, our greatest help and intercessor, continue to pray for us all sinners, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 14 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that ultimately each and every one of us are beloved by the Lord and none of us are beyond His salvation and grace, as long as we are still willing to cooperate with Him and embrace Him as our loving Father and allowing Him to forgive us from our many sins and trespasses. Each and every one of us have been given many opportunities and chances to repent from our sins and turn away from our wickedness and evils, and God has also given us many assistance and help throughout our journey in life, strengthening our faith and encouraging us through His guidance and the Holy Spirit that He has sent to inflame our hearts with His love and zeal.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which God showed Ezekiel through the heavenly vision he experienced on what the people of Israel in Judah, in Jerusalem and all those who remained in the land of Judah would have to experience and endure, at that time when many among the people of God had been uprooted into exile in far-off and distant lands in Assyria and Babylon. Ezekiel himself witnessed this vision from his exile and time in Babylon during the years when the kingdom of Judah was in its final years of existence. Ezekiel was tasked to deliver the final fate of the kingdom of Judah and its people, to remind the rest of the people of God in exile not to continue to disobey the Lord just as their ancestors had done.

That was why God showed Ezekiel the vision of His glory passing through Jerusalem, as His Presence passed through out of the Temple, the House that King Solomon once built for Him, out of the city of God’s people, the city which had seen the lamentations of many prophets and messengers of God, persecuted and martyred for their faith in Him throughout the many centuries since the Temple was established. It was the coming of God’s judgment over all those who have profaned His Holy Name, desecrated His Holy Temple and House, rejected His messengers and servants who had kept on bringing to them the patient and ever enduring love of God, which He had kept on manifesting and reminding His people throughout the centuries since He brought them to settle in the land that He has granted to them.

It is a reminder for each and every one of us as well that while God is ever loving, forgiving, compassionate and kind towards us, and while He is always ever patient with His care and love towards each one of us, but we must not take this love for granted, and we must also realise that while He loves each one of us generously but He despises our sins and wickedness, all the things which we had done, which were all against the righteousness, justice and virtues which He has shown and taught us to do. The sins and wickedness that the people of Israel had done in the past all had to be accounted for, and God therefore told them through Ezekiel that they would have to bear witness and suffer the destruction of their city and kingdom, everything that they had found to be precious.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew about the Lord Jesus Who told His disciples to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with one another. He told them to get their fellow brethren to be forgiven and to be reconciled to the Church, especially when they had erred and become wayward in their paths and ways. God again showed His great mercy, forgiveness and love, calling on all of His people to return to Him, and He has provided us with the ways and means to embrace this great mercy, love and forgiveness. However, sin in all of its form is wicked and evil, and has no place before the Lord, and hence, we must reject those sins which we have committed, or else, they will keep us separated from God and His grace.

That is why we are reminded that we have been given the free will and the freedom to choose our path and course in life, on whether we want to follow the path of righteousness and God’s grace, or whether we prefer to continue walking down the path of sin and disobedience against God. If we continue to disobey the Lord and sin against Him, then we must realise that in the end there will be nothing left for us but destruction and damnation, eternal separation from God just as how those people in Judah had suffered from their sins and disobedience against God. However, if we choose to repent from our sins and return to the Lord once again with renewed love and commitment towards Him, we will then be blessed and be reconciled, reunited and returned to His Holy Presence.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a renowned Polish priest who was remembered for his great faith and piety as a missionary to many people in different parts of the world, and then finally in his perseverance and courage in faith in the face of great persecutions and hardships, as he faced the tyranny and the evils of the NAZI German regime during the Second World War, eventually dying as a martyr of the faith and became a great inspiration and role model for everyone of us. He was born in Poland and had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary since early on in his life, which eventually pushed him to dedicate himself to the Conventual Franciscans, a religious order founded upon the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi, where he became its member and eventually was ordained as a priest. Throughout all those years, St. Maximilian Kolbe championed and promoted strong devotions to the Blessed Mother of God.

St. Maximilian Kolbe would then assemble the Militia Immaculatae, or the Army of the Immaculate One, a powerful missionary movement centred upon the devotion to Mary, which worked hard for the conversion of sinners and the propagation of the faith, through their ceaseless prayers and missionary efforts, outreach and works among the people. He also founded the related publication Knight of the Immaculata dedicated to the propagation of the messages and ideals of his devotion. Then, St. Maximilian Kolbe undertook a period of six years of mission in East Asia, working first in Shanghai and then in Japan, as well as in India, performing missionary efforts and works before returning to Poland before the beginning of the Second World War. During that terrible war, many people suffered and St. Maximilian Kolbe helped many people through his connections and resources to hide from the terrors and tyranny of the NAZI regime.

This eventually led to the arrest and incarceration of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was then eventually transferred to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. In that concentration camp, St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to minister to the inmates as a priest, despite all the beatings and sufferings that he had to suffer from. And eventually, in July of the year 1941, when a prisoner escaped from the concentration camp, and the deputy camp commander ordered ten prisoners to be starved to death as punishment and warning for the rest of the inmates, a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek cried out, ‘My wife! My children’ which therefore prompted St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was there, to volunteer and take the man’s place to be executed by being starved to death. St. Maximilian Kolbe faced his final moments and death with peace, and when he was put to death by lethal injection in the end, having survived the starvation period, he remained calm and composed, surrendering everything to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have heard and discussed in our Scripture passages earlier, in everything that we have also discussed from the life and examples of St. Maximilian Kolbe, let us all therefore strive as Christians to abandon our sinful attitudes and actions, embracing once again God’s love and grace, His forgiveness and mercy, not taking all these for granted. Let us all also follow in the footsteps of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who has truly shown his love both for the Lord and for his fellow men, as a most exemplary Christian, and whose examples we should also follow as well. Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord, and put our faith and trust completely in God from now on. Holy martyr, St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us sinners! Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that each and every one of us should be willing to listen to God, to heed His words and the calling which He had made to us in each and every moments of our lives, as He has constantly done so, in reaching out to us and calling on us to return to Him and to embrace His love and grace once again. It is by our disobedience that we have fallen into sin and therefore been sundered from the fullness of God’s grace and love, and therefore that is why we have to wander and suffer in this world, as consequences of our rebelliousness and disobedience. But God truly did not wish for our destruction and damnation, and He truly wants each and every one of us to be reconciled and reunited with Him, and that is why He has always provided us with the means, help and guidance in order to do so, and we should heed what He has told and reminded us of.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the continuation of the vision of the prophet Ezekiel which he received from God was told to us. We heard how in that vision, the prophet Ezekiel was tasked to speak to the people of Israel, the people of God, in order to remind them of the words that the Lord wanted to share with those people, the lamentations, the groaning and the woes which He had for them, for all of their stubbornness and unwillingness to listen to His words, despite everything that He had done for them. It was their own wickedness and disobedience, their refusal to follow the path that God has set before them which led them to their then predicament and hardships, as they were enduring exile and sufferings far away from the lands that they had been uprooted from, the lands of their ancestors.

Yet, God still cared for them and loved them nonetheless, and He reached out to them through His many prophets and messengers with this specifically in mind. God loved His people, each and every one of them, and He sent them prophets like Ezekiel and many others so that they might recognise their errors and wickedness, and embrace once again the path of God’s righteousness and virtues. And not only that, but He even sent us all, His most beloved Son, His only Begotten One, Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Divine Word Incarnate to manifest to us His ever enduring and present love, and as our loving and Good Shepherd, He wants us all to be found and gathered from this world, each and every one of us, the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock.

In our Gospel passage today, this is what we have heard from the Lord Jesus Himself, Who told His disciples the folly of their debates and their struggles with each other to determine who among them was truly the greatest and the first among the disciples of the Lord. He told them all that they ought to have the faith like that of little children because it is this kind of faith which is truly pure and genuine, not tainted and corrupted by the desires of the world, truly loving God and committing oneself to follow Him wholeheartedly instead of being so immersed and preoccupied by worldly matters and desires that we end up forgetting our true and most important mission in life as Christians, that is to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and might, and to love one another in the same way as well.

The Lord then also reiterated this love which He has for each and every one of us. He told His disciples using the comparison with that of a shepherd and owner of the flock who would leave behind his ninety-nine safely accounted flock of sheep to seek for the one that had been lost to him. This is a representation and reminder to every one of us of just how beloved we are by the Lord and how precious we truly are to Him, that God will not let any one of us to be lost to Him. He will always show us His patient love and mercy, reaching out to us ever consistently and patiently to bring us out of the darkness into the light of His salvation and grace. That is why we all should heed His love and appreciate just how blessed all of us are to have been beloved in such a manner by our loving God, our Shepherd and Father.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus, two saints whose lives and commitments to the Lord, actions and examples have been great inspiration for each and every one of us. Pope St. Pontian was the leader of the Church at the time when the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire was persecuted for their faith in God, during the tumultuous years of the upheavals that were also facing the Roman Empire in that era. Pope St. Pontian and his predecessors, Pope St. Callixtus I and Pope St. Urban I also faced internal divisions and challenges such as from St. Hippolytus, whose feast we are also celebrating today. This St. Hippolytus, also known as St. Hippolytus of Rome, had been elected as a rival Pope or Antipope over the controversy of the Pope’s decision to extend absolution and forgiveness to Christians who have committed grave sins.

St. Hippolytus was among those who advocated rigorism and stricter attitudes against those Christians who have committed serious and grave sins such as adultery and idolatry, and thus, allowed himself to be elected by his supporters as a Rival Bishop of Rome and Antipope, which led to a bitter division in the Church which lasted through the next two Pontificates, up to that of Pope St. Pontian’s pontificate. When the persecution of the faithful intensified and led to the arrest of both Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus, it was told that when they were exiled to the Sardinian mines, they were reconciled with each other, with Pope St. Pontian apparently voluntarily resigning his Papal office to allow the election of a worthy successor to continue the office of the Supreme Pontiff while St. Hippolytus also repented his schism, which had led to the division of the Church. Eventually they were both martyred for their faith in God but not before they helped to restore unity in the Church and inspire many with their great courage and faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed in our Scripture readings earlier today and as we have heard from the great examples and inspiration shown by Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus, let us all as Christians continue to strive to be faithful and committed to God, rejecting the evils and wickedness of this world, and follow Him in all of the ways of our lives. Let us all be willing to work with one another, overcoming our differences and seek forgiveness for one another just as Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus had shown us. Each and every one of us as Christians should be great role models and examples for our fellow brethren in everything that we say and do, in our every efforts and endeavours in our lives.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey of faith in life, and may He continue to strengthen and empower us so that in everything that we do, we will always continue to glorify the Lord by our every actions, words and deeds in life. May God bless each and every one of us and may He bless our every deeds, efforts and good works in all things, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 12 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to obey the Lord as we are all His people, and we are all created by Him and are all under His dominion and rule. At the same time, we are also reminded to show the same obedience to the laws and customs of the land, to the place and the states that we have pledged allegiance to, as far as we continue to carry out our obligations and responsibilities as God’s faithful and committed disciples and followers. Today’s Scripture passages and discourses are reminders for us that we can indeed be both faithful Christians and also dutiful and law-abiding citizens of our respective countries, states and territories.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the moment when Ezekiel saw a heavenly vision from God was told to us. In that vision, Ezekiel saw the glory of God shown to him, manifested as the Great Throne of God and the Lord enthroned on it, above the Angels, the Seraphim and Cherubim surrounding Him, and the Thrones, the Angels supporting His Throne, revealing God Himself in all of His Divine and Almighty glory. The Lord showed Himself as a truly great and amazing Being beyond the comprehension of man, full of glory and power, and this is in fact a good reminder for us today, as people living in the world where many people have lost their faith in God in this much secularised world, where many marginalised God and His Presence in our midst, and others still also made God to be so personal and human-like that we end up forgetting that He is the Almighty God, Lord and Master of the whole Universe.

Through His Incarnation in the flesh, by His coming into our midst as the Son of Man, in Our Lord Jesus Christ, God has indeed made Himself to be visible, approachable and within our reach, unlike how God had been depicted and shown in the Old Testament, such as what we have heard in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel we have just discussed, and also other occasions like that of Moses’ encounters on the Lord and the prophet Elijah who also encountered God face to face. Earlier on, no one could look at the Lord and live, except for those whom God allowed it, but even then, like what Ezekiel did, he still looked down and fell on his face when he saw God in all of His glory. Through His incarnation, God made Himself personal and approachable to us, by sharing in our human existence. However, this does not change the fact that He is still the same Almighty God, Lord and King over all of us, Whom we ought to obey and follow.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew in which we heard of the Lord Who told His disciples that He would soon face trials, tribulations and challenges, to be handed over to His enemies and suffer death. This was a premonition of what would soon happen during the time on the Cross, during His Passion, His suffering and death for the sake of all of us mankind. In that, He was telling them all that He was obeying His Father’s will, to do what He has wanted to do for us, to open for us the path to redemption and eternal life. Through His selfless and most loving sacrifice on the Cross, He, as our Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, offered Himself to be the most worthy sacrifice and offering for the atonement of our sins and wickedness, for all the things that had caused us to be separated from God, His love and grace.

Then, we have also heard how the Lord spoke to them with regards to the matter of paying taxes to the temple, when they were confronted by the temple officials. At that time, all the Jewish people had to pay the temple taxes which were levied to them on top of the other taxes that they had to pay to the local rulers and their Roman overlords. The Lord told them all that because they were all God’s children, they were all free and not bound to anything, save that of the Lord Himself, their obligation and obedience to Him. However, the Lord also said that they all ought to follow the rules and ways of the land, and to do what they were all asked to do by the temple officials. Thus, all of us as Christians, we also should do our part in obeying the laws, rules and regulations of our countries and states, of any organisations or places that we belong in, as long as they do not directly contradict our obligation and obedience to God, to His Law and commandments.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, a religious whose life and devotion to God, action and great piety can serve as great inspiration for all of us to follow in how we ought to live our own lives as faithful and dedicated people of God. She was born in Dijon in France to an influential family and she was raised up well to be a refined and beautiful woman. She married Baron de Chantal who gave her the surname she would be later known as, and had a sizeable loving family. She was known as an excellent manager of her family’s estates and was a good daughter-in-law to her husband’s father, and was also renowned for her great charitable actions and works in the community, caring for the poor and needy in her community. When later on her husband was killed in a hunting accident, she took on a vow of chastity and devoted herself henceforth to God.

She eventually became a close friend of St. Francis de Sales and wished to become a nun, eventually establishing the order of the Nuns of the Visitation after she left all of her property and matters to her children. Together with the other sisters in her then small congregation, she was unusual in her approach to her ministry in that they all courageously went forth to the community to minister to the people who were needy and poor, neglected and unloved instead of staying cloistered in the monasteries. Her great piety and sanctity soon inspired many people to follow her examples and to be touched in their hearts, leading many ever closer to the Lord and His path. The great faith and examples shown by St. Jane Frances de Chantal should also therefore be inspiration for every one of us to follow her great examples in our own lives, and to be truly faithful to God while also being an active and contributing citizens of our respective countries and states, and as members of our various organisations.

Let us all therefore as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people continue to be truly faithful in all things, dedicated and committed in everything that we say and do so that we may always be sincere in our actions, our words and deeds, in everything that we do in life, so that we ourselves, like St. Jane Frances de Chantal, we may be good role models and examples for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. May all of us be blessed and strengthened by God, and may God continue to empower and encourage each and every one of us to live our lives to the fullest and to the best of our abilities in all things and circumstances. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, all for His greater glory and for the good of our fellow men and women. Amen.

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Sunday, 11 August 2024 : Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, we are all called to remember God’s providence and love for each and every one of us, in how He has constantly reached out to us with generous love, kindness and compassion at all times. He has provided us through His various means, helped us all when we have difficulties and challenges, in His own unique and mysterious ways. Essentially, He never abandoned us and has always wanted us all to be truly blessed and provided for, at all times. Ultimately, He gave to us the ultimate gift in His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God has saved all of us and gathered us all once again, giving to us all the gift of the Living Bread from Heaven.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the First Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard of the moment when the prophet Elijah, who had been sent to minister to the people of God in the northern kingdom of Israel. At that time, Elijah had been persecuted and oppressed by the Israelites and their king, Ahab, and his wife, Queen Jezebel, both of whom had disobeyed God and persecuted His prophets. The latter in particular was very hostile against Elijah because of his role in leading to the deaths of four hundred and fifty priests of Baal, the false god promoted by Queen Jezebel, as Elijah showed everyone that God is truly the one and only True God against the false god Baal at Mount Carmel, where a contest was held between Elijah, the sole representative of God, and Baal’s four hundred and fifty priests. The Lord showed His power before His people, while Baal was impotent.

Elijah was persecuted afterwards, and he had to flee into the desert. We heard his frustrations and sufferings when he expressed it to the Lord there. But God reassured Elijah and strengthened him, giving him the courage and resolve to carry on with his mission despite the challenges and trials he had to face. He sent to Elijah an Angel bearing food and drink for him to consume and to be strengthened in his body. Through the food that he received, he was empowered, and making the journey of forty days and forty nights, he eventually went all the way to the Mountain of God, Mount Horeb or Mount Sinai, where the Israelites once established a Covenant with God at the time of their Exodus, and where God revealed Himself to all of them. It was there that God would appear to Elijah as well, reassuring him and strengthening his resolve to continue to minister to the stubborn and rebellious Israelites.

Then in our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard of the reminders with St. Paul told the people of God of the great grace and love which all of them had received through the Lord, by the grace of His love, of the loving Father the Creator, the presence of the Son in this world in our midst, and by the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit in all of us, who have received the gift of the Spirit of God from the Father Himself through His Son. That is why all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us should always strive to be ever faithful and committed to Him, and to be exemplary in all of our lives and actions. We should always be righteous and just in all of our dealings and attitudes in life.

And as St. Paul himself mentioned to the Ephesians, that they all had to imitate the Lord’s own examples in loving us and in showing us His commitment to the Covenant which He had made with us and constantly renewed with us. God has always shown us all His patient and ever enduring love, His most generous love and kindness, His compassion and mercy which He has kindly extended to each one of us without exception. Even the greatest of sinners have access to God’s generous love and mercy, and He has always been patient in guiding and leading us all to Himself. He has given us all ample opportunities, moments and times for us to embrace Him and His loving kindness, His mercy and forgiveness, and for us to repent from our sins and change our ways in life. But that is up to us to choose, to make a stand and be faithful to the Lord in all of our lives.

In our Gospel passage, from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have begun last Sunday, when the Lord told them that He is the Living Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life, through Whom God wanted to give us all the assurance, nourishment and promise of eternal life, that all who worthily partake of His Body and Blood, all shall receive the fullness of His grace and love, and receive the promise of eternal life. We heard how the Jewish people and many among those who have heard Him openly grumbled and doubted Him because He told them that He is the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life that God would give to His people, comparing Himself to the manna, the heavenly bread that their ancestors had received and consumed, and how this Bread of Life is far better than all that manna in the past.

The Lord reiterated again that He is the Bread of Life, and this is a precursor and premonition of what would soon happen, when the Lord Himself offered His Body and His Blood at the moment when He accomplished and perfected His mission through His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross. By His willing acceptance and shouldering of all of our many sins and wickedness, our faults and mistakes, God through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, had taken up upon Himself, as the Paschal Lamb, the Sacrificial Victim to be offered on the Altar of the Cross for the forgiveness of all of our sins. Through His offering of this most perfect and worthy of offerings, He Who is also our Eternal High Priest, had created for all of us the New and Eternal Covenant, the one Covenant through which God reconciled us all to Himself and restored us to the state of grace.

And all of us receive from Him, through His Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, which we commemorate every year on Holy Thursday, His very own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, which have been broken and shed for us from His Cross, the same ultimate sacrifice that He has performed and offered on Calvary on Good Friday. Each and every one of us who partake of His Most Precious Body and Blood receive this same Bread of Life that Christ our Lord had promised to us, and He therefore dwells in us, making us all part of the same Body, the Body of Christ, the Church of God, uniting us all into one people, one flock of those whom God had called, chosen and saved from this world. It is through God Himself that we have been saved, and we should not squander this great opportunity that has been granted to us.

Through what we have therefore heard from the Scripture passages this Sunday, each and every one of us are reminded of God’s most generous love and kindness which He has always given to us, His providence, love and patient nurturing and care, which He has always given us freely. Therefore, recognising this fact and reality that we are truly blessed to have been loved in such a manner by the Lord, our most loving God and Father, let us all strive to live our lives worthily for Him, to love Him first and foremost in all things and distance ourselves from any forms of sin or corruptions that can prevent us from coming towards the Lord and His loving Presence. Let us also realise that while God’s love and mercy have been extended to us freely and generously, as mentioned earlier, we need to embrace His love and mercy, and act upon them so that we can be truly reconciled and reunited with Him.

Hence, let us all continue to do our part as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, so that in each and every moments of our lives we will always put our faith and trust in Him, believing in His Providence and help, in all the guidance, strength and all the things that He will bless us all with in our respective journeys in life. There will likely indeed be challenges, trials and difficulties we may encounter in our journey, but as long as we remain faithful to the Lord and trust in Him throughout our journey, in the end, we will be triumphant with Him, and we will receive the fullness of all the wonders and blessings, the graces and all the good things that God has promised and reassured us with, through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May all of us continue to walk faithfully in the path that Our Lord has shown us, and let us all continue to inspire one another to do the same, to be ever faithful at every moments of our lives. Amen.

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Saturday, 10 August 2024 : Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Lawrence, holy deacon and martyr, who was remembered for his great faith and commitment to the Lord and to His Church, and for his contributions to the needy and the less fortunate in the Church which he called the ‘true treasures of the Church’. Through all the great examples of this holy man of God, all of us as Christians are reminded of our duty and obligations, calling and mission as God’s beloved and chosen people so that we may truly embrace what He has entrusted to us, all the talents, gifts, opportunities and all that He had provided to us so that we may truly be fruitful in all of our lives and actions, in living our lives as true and worthy Christians at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth in which we heard of God’s providence to all of us, the gifts and blessings which He had imparted upon us all, in its many diversity and uniqueness, all that He has endowed and granted to us. He has given us all those things so that we may make good use of them for the benefit of everyone around us. That was why St. Paul mentioned about how those who sow meagrely would also reap meagrely while those who sow generously, they would reap great and rich harvests. This is a reference to how the Lord would want us to make good use of the many blessings and gifts that He has given to us so that by our actions and contributions, many great and wonderful things may happen amongst us and our brethren around us.

We should not be selfish and keep whatever God had given to us, or else, what we have been given would be taken from us and given to others who would be more deserving of those gifts. God does not want any one of us to be idle and He wants each and every one of us to be ever active in committing ourselves to His cause and to all the missions and works He had entrusted to us. In our Gospel passage today, we heard of this reminder through the account of the Gospel according to St. John in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples that ‘Unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the earth and dies, it remains alone, and it only bears much fruits if it dies, blessing others with great bounty of its fruits.’ This signifies first of all the premonition of what the Lord Himself would have to suffer, as He would suffer and die on His Cross, at the moment of His Passion, for the salvation of the whole world.

But it also symbolises and represents the need for all of us Christians to be like Christ in obeying the Lord’s will, His Law and commandments, and to follow His examples in doing whatever He had done out of His great and ever enduring love for each and every one of us. As Christians, that is as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us have been called and entrusted with the various missions and opportunities in our respective areas in life that God has led us into, and which He has directed us all to journey through. That is why, as His people, His followers and disciples, each and every one of us should do our best in whatever we can do, so that our lives, our every actions, words and deeds may always be filled with God’s grace and love, and that we will always glorify Him by our every actions, in every moments of our lives.

As Christians, our actions should always embody our faith in the Lord, and we must always be sincere in living our lives as God’s followers and disciples. In all of our interactions with each other, we should always continue to show love and kindness to one another, to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We must always love one another, our fellow brethren, especially those who are less fortunate and troubled, and the more blessed we have been by God, the more we are reminded and called to share our bountiful blessings with one another. This is why we are reminded on this day to be truly loving towards our brethren, to be genuine in our every actions, words and interactions, ever filled with generous love just as the Lord Himself has loved us most generously all these while.

As mentioned earlier, today we mark the glorious memory of St. Lawrence, holy deacon and martyr. He was born in the region of Valencia in eastern part of Spain today, and was a Christian whose parents were St. Orentius and St. Patientia, which according to the traditions of the Church were martyrs of the faith. He encountered the future Pope St. Sixtus II in Zaragoza nearby from Valencia, and they both moved from there to Rome. Later on, Pope St. Sixtus II was elected as Pope and leader of the Universal Church, and he ordained St. Lawrence as a deacon, entrusting him to be among the seven deacons in Rome, and then as the Archdeacon of Rome, a very important position in the Church at the time, as he was entrusted with whatever possessions, treasury and riches that the Church possessed, and their distribution to the poor and the needy in the community.

At that time, the Roman Empire was launching another round of intense persecutions against Christians during the reign of the Emperor Valerian. All those who were arrested and convicted, made to suffer and condemned to death also had their properties and wealth seized for the state, as a way for the state to gain and enrich itself from the sufferings of the righteous and innocent Christians throughout the Empire. Thus, when the Pope himself and many other Christians were martyred, St. Lawrence knew that sooner or later he himself would be arrested, persecuted and martyred, and thus, he quickly worked to distribute the treasures and riches available to the Church to the poor and the less fortunate, and to others who were deserving of these. When he was eventually arrested by the authorities and ordered to surrender the treasures of the Church under his care, St. Lawrence gathered the poor and the needy of the community and told his persecutors, that they are the treasures of the Church. He was martyred shortly afterwards, a courageous servant of God to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be encouraged and strengthened in our commitment to God, and be active part of His Church and the missions to reach out to everyone in this world, to those who have not yet known the Lord and to those who have been facing hardships and difficulties in life. From the examples, courage and commitment showed by St. Lawrence, Holy Deacon and Martyr, let us all therefore be always active in our lives as Christians, to be truly loving and missionary in all of our actions, words, deeds and interactions with others around us. Let us all be generous in giving and sharing our blessings with one another, helping each other to carry our own crosses in this life and to follow the Lord ever more faithfully. Let our lives be truly enriching and life-giving to everyone around us, now and always. Amen.

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(Singapore) Friday, 9 August 2024 : Singapore National Day (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the National Day of Singapore, the day when our country became an independent and sovereign nation, at the time when Singapore has to stand on its own as a country, determining our own fate and managing our own affairs. Today fifty-nine years ago all these happened, and this day we recall everything that had happened on that day, our history together as a nation, and more importantly the journey that has passed since then. All these years, the fifty-nine years that we have grown together as a nation is a very important journey to every one of us living in Singapore, both for Singaporeans and all the others who call this country home as well.

On this day, we rejoice together as a nation, but as always, we must never forget to give thanks to God for everything that He has blessed us and our nation with. We always recall whatever the Lord had said, including what He has told His disciples and the Pharisees, ‘Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.’ This means that each and every one of us as Christians are also called to be good, dutiful and responsible citizens of our respective countries, and in our case, it means our obligations, duties to Singapore, our beloved country that we are all living in, just as we give our best to the Lord as His holy and beloved people. We have to do what is right and just, worthy and appropriate for us all as Christians, as those whom God has called and chosen from this world.

As Christians and the residents of Singapore, we have to live our lives in a way that is truly worthy and exemplary, showing everyone how our Christian and Singaporean values stand out amidst the many wickedness and vile things around us in this world. As Christians, we are reminded of the virtue of faith, hope and love that we must have in us, the righteousness and justice that God has shown and taught us all so that we may truly be committed and faithful to Him in all things. And as Singaporeans and other residents of Singapore, we uphold the great values of meritocracy, tolerance and harmony, respecting people from different backgrounds, different religions, races and culture, treating everyone equally and accepting our differences in a society that is very highly diverse.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Kings, we heard of the passage that happened right after the young King Solomon of Israel, shortly after he succeeded to the kingship and rule over Israel from his father King David, prayed to the Lord asking for His help, strength and guidance so that he might be a good and wise king to rule over God’s people. He asked for wisdom and not for earthly glory, power or wealth, as what most people would usually have asked of the Lord. And for that the Lord granted him not only what he had asked for, giving his a great wisdom that would make him truly wise beyond compare, but also great wealth, power and glory during his reign, all of which made King Solomon truly famous and well-renowned even right up to this day.

And as we heard this today, we are all reminded that our country and all of us as citizens and residents of Singapore should also ask the Lord for His wisdom and guidance, so that each and every one of us may be truly wise in our choice of actions and paths in life, in whatever we decide to do, so that our every actions, words and deeds, our every interactions and contributions may truly be exemplary and worthy, not just as Singaporeans and Singapore residents, but also as good and faithful, holy and devoted people of God. We should also not allow the temptations of worldly glory and power to distract us and to mislead us into the wrong path, leading us to disobey the Lord, His Law and commandments. We should always strive to be obedient to God and to follow the rules and laws of the state as far as we are able to.

Then, we have also heard in our Gospel passage today the Eight Beatitudes, also known as the Sermon on the Mount, in which the Lord told His disciples a series of eight blessings for those people who have lived virtuously and righteously, those who sought not the glory of the world but rather the betterment and the prosperity of their fellow brethren, for the common good of people, which are universal virtues and values not only for us as Christians, but also in our responsibilities and duties as the citizens and residents of this country we love, Singapore. Each and every one of us should heed the Lord’s reminders and message, His calls to us to embrace His path and to do whatever He has shown and taught us to do.

Each and every one of us should continue to do our best to contribute to our country, to our community and our fellow brothers and sisters around us. And even as we celebrate and commemorate this joyful day with all the festivities and all of our National Day songs, all the fireworks and other events we enjoy, we have to remember that there are our fellow brothers and sisters around us who are not as fortunate as we are in our midst. We should always continue to do whatever we can to be more charitable and generous in giving, helping all those in our communities and societies, in our neighbourhoods and amongst us, so that no one will be left out to survive on their own. After all, a strong country is a country where its people are concerned and caring towards each other, following what the Lord has told us in the Beatitudes.

May the Lord continue to bless us all and our nation Singapore. May He continue to strengthen and guide especially our leaders and those who have been entrusted with the power and governance over us, so that they will continue to exercise their power with responsibility, with virtue and justice at all times. May God also bless each and every one of us so that we will continue to grow in love and charity, and do our best to help one another that no one is left out, and we may truly celebrate together this important event of our National Day, as one united people. May God bless Singapore, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 9 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded of the impermanence of worldly things, of all the worldly glory, fame and greatness, of all the things in this world that will not last forever. The Lord alone is the One Who will give us lasting peace, joy and happiness, the true treasure of our lives. If we seek the glory and power of this world, then sooner than later we will realise that there is nothing in this world that can truly give us true happiness and satisfaction, one that is lasting and permanent. If we seek something of this world, we will realise that it can only satisfy us to a certain extent, and as we may often realise, that we cannot be truly and fully satisfied by what we seek in this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Nahum, we heard of the Lord’s words proclaiming the downfall and destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire, which at the time of the prophet Nahum’s ministry, was still a great and powerful Empire, which had conquered the northern half of the once united kingdom of Israel, and brought many of its people into exile, those who were among God’s people. In their great triumph and hubris, they often blasphemed against God, and thought that their power would last forever. But as the Lord spoke it clearly through the prophet Nahum, that the days of Assyria and its glory were numbered, and true enough, not long after these words were spoken by the prophet Nahum, Assyria was defeated and destroyed, and Nineveh, its glorious capital was razed.

It is an important reminder for us that all the glory and power of this world are ultimately illusory and passing in nature, and none of them will last forever, no matter what. If we seek worldly glory, pleasures, fame and satisfaction, we will likely end up disappointed, to see that whatever our designs are for this world, we will never be fully satisfied and we will never be truly happy. Each and every one of us are called to reorientate our lives and regain our true focus, that we no longer spend so much time and attention on worldly matters, and instead we should seek what is more important in life, that is nothing else than the Lord Himself, and how our lives are called to be sanctified and holy, to glorify the Lord by our every actions, words and deeds. Each and every one of us should be ever more focused and centred on the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, we are again reminded of this as we listened to the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples, that if they wanted to follow Him, they ought to take up their crosses and follow Him. First of all, it was a reminder from the Lord to His disciples and ultimately also to all of us that being a follower of His is not going to be an easy thing, unlike what some or even many of His disciples that time might have thought. Back then, it was commonly thought that the Lord, as the Messiah or Saviour, would have brought about the glorious restoration of the Kingdom of Israel, and many among the Lord’s disciples might have thought of Him as the mighty conquering King Who would liberate Israel, and therefore they would gain good and wonderful lives from being the trusted followers of His.

The Lord told them the reality that being His disciples and followers would require them to face challenges and difficulties, and things would not be as rosy as they thought it would be. They would have to suffer just as He, the Lord Himself would have to suffer, all the persecutions and challenges, trials and difficulties in all of His ministry and works. Not only that, but He Himself would have to face rejections, condemnations and even betrayals and trial, and finally condemned to die for mistakes and sins which He did not even commit. Yet, He willingly did all of that out of His love for each one of us. He willingly embraced His Cross, taking it up so that by His ultimate and most loving sacrifice, He would open for us the path to eternal life and true happiness with Him.

The Lord reminded us all that in following Him, we must be ready to face the challenges and difficulties in this world, and that we may not have it easy. There may be moments when we may want to give up the struggle and journey as the Lord’s disciples and followers because of what we may encounter and have to experience in the midst of our lives as Christians in this world. But whatever happens, if we remain firmly rooted in our faith in God and continue to trust in Him, we will receive from God true and lasting fulfilment, satisfaction and joy, despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey. The path of the Lord may seem to be the more difficult and challenging one, but is one that leads to true and lasting joy, while the path of the world leads to nothingness and disappointment although it may likely seem to be easier and better.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known better as St. Edith Stein, a German convert from Judaism to Christianity, and who later became a Catholic nun, as a Discalced Carmelite nun. She was remembered for her courageous life and ministry throughout the difficult years of persecution by the NAZI German regime at that time, who persecuted all the Jewish people and even the converts like herself. St. Edith Stein herself was called to the Christian faith after having encountered and been exposed to the brilliant works of St. Teresa of Avila, a Discalced Carmelite saint and Doctor of the Church, whose writings, life and examples would inspire St. Edith Stein to become a Christian and later on to become a Discalced Carmelite herself.

St. Edith Stein joined the Discalced Carmelite just as the NAZIs began intensifying their efforts to attack and eradicate the Jewish communities in Germany, and as St. Edith Stein and her other fellow sisters’ lives might be endangered, they were relocated to Netherlands, where it might be safer for them. However, eventually Netherlands itself came under the NAZI rule after it capitulated in May 1940, and the NAZIs began targetting the Jews living in Netherlands as well. Eventually, St. Edith Stein and other Catholic converts from the Jewish community wee arrested and brought to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, where they were all killed by gassing with a poisonous gas. St. Edith Stein remained firm to her faith throughout all these arduous journeys, and died as a martyr for her faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be reminded from what we have heard and discussed on the passages from the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and martyrdom of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as St. Edith Stein, that we may often have to suffer through the challenges and trials in this world, but we must also remember that all the things in this world are ultimately impermanent, and all things, including our sufferings and trials will pass. It is the Lord alone Who is always ever constant and will be there for us to the very end, and He will lead us all into the ultimate triumph and glory with Him. We must keep up our hope and faith in the Lord, and do our very best so that we will continue to persevere through whatever challenges and trials we may encounter.

May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey of faith and life, and help us to persevere through whatever we may face going forward in our respective lives. May He empower each one of us to be ever more committed and faithful disciples of His, in all things, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 8 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the Covenant which God had made with each and every one of us. He has established this most wonderful Covenant as the sign and proof of His ever enduring and wonderful love for us, which He has repeatedly shown us, again and again despite our constant rebelliousness and disobedience against Him. God has always been loving towards us and He desires for us to come back to Him with the desire to be healed and to be forgiven from our many sins and wickedness. He has always called on us to respond to His call, as He embraced us all and bringing us close to Him, giving us all His Beloved Son to reassure us all of His love and salvation, and establishing His Church to gather each and every one of us, and bringing us out of the darkness and into the light.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the Lord reassured His people, those remnants of the Israelites in the southern kingdom of Judah that He would establish a new Covenant with each and every one of them, and that He still cared for them and loved them regardless of everything that He told them would happen to them. At that time, the people of Judah had been living through a hard time, pressed on all sides by their many enemies and subjugated by the Babylonians. The prophet Jeremiah had been sent as the final prophet God sent to the land and people of Judah to tell them of their coming destruction and conquest by the Babylonians, to tell them the consequences of their wickedness and sins.

That was why the prophet Jeremiah often spoke of the coming ruin of Jerusalem and Judah, the downfall of the Temple of Jerusalem, all of which drew the ire of those who refused to accept the truth of God’s words. Many among the people still thought that they did nothing wrong, and that their ways of disobeying God’s Law and commandments were not an issue. But God made it clear that while He loved each one of them, He did not condone all the wickedness and evil deeds that they had committed, and their sins had been the ones that judged and condemned them to their fate. That was why their cities would be destroyed and thrown down, all because of their hubris and sins in worshipping pagan idols and gods instead of the Lord their God, Who has cared for all of them all the while.

But God still loved His people nonetheless and desired their repentance and reunion with Him. That was why He still sent them prophets and messengers, one after another, all the way to the prophet Jeremiah himself, to help remind His people of the errors of their ways, so that they hopefully might be touched in their hearts and return once again towards God. God’s love and compassionate mercy have always been generously shown to us, but we have to embrace His love and mercy, and do what is necessary so that we may receive the fullness of His love and kindness, and be forgiven from our many sins that had separated us all from His love and grace. God reminded us all that we have been made partakers of this new Covenant He has established with us, and we ought to honour our part in it.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Gospel according to St. Matthew in which the Lord told His disciples about Who He was, as He asked them who they think that He truly was. It was there that St. Peter spoke truthfully and courageously that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Holy One of God, the Messiah and Son of God that has come into this world to bring about its salvation. He was therefore chosen by the Lord Who knew the great faith which St. Peter had in Him, the great love and commitment that he would make, that he was entrusted with the governance and leadership of the Church that God was establishing in this world, to lead the other Apostles and disciples as the Lord’s Vicar, the very first Pope and Supreme Pontiff, whose successor now is Pope Francis, our current Pope.

Through what we heard in our Gospel passage today, we are again reminded of God’s love that He has established His Church to gather each and every one of us His lost sheep, so that we may all be found and gathered together, united as one people and flock, no longer scattered and lost from the Lord, but having been reunited with Him through the Church and the many shepherds that He had sent to help us find our path in life, like that of St. Peter and the other Apostles, the other disciples of the Lord and their many successors throughout time, right up to our bishops and priests today. But at the same time, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, the Lord also reminded us all to obey Him and His words, just as He told St. Peter when He rebuked his temptation by Satan, to dissuade Him from carrying out His ultimate duty, of His suffering and Passion on the Cross.

It reminds each and every one of us as part of this one united Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, we are all called to unite ourselves to the Lord, and to devote ourselves to His path, following Him and His leads, as He guides us all to the right path. Wr must always strive to do what God has taught and shown us to do, so that in everything we do, we will always proclaim God’s truth and Good News, and proclaim Him and His love to all the people around us, to the whole world. In each and every moments of our lives, we should always be committed to the Lord, be faithful to Him and be evangelising and missionary in our attitudes and actions. This is what we are expected to do as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, those whom He had called and chosen from this world to be His own.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the great and famous St. Dominic, also known as St. Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, popularly known as the Dominicans after their founder. St. Dominic was born in what is now Spain, and he was brought up early in a monastery for his education, learning art and theology, eventually becoming a priest. It was later on that the Pope, who was sending missionaries to help against the Cathar heresy that was then rampant in southern France, sent Cistercian monks there without much success, and those monks encountered St. Dominic who was on his way back from a diplomatic mission. St. Dominic therefore went to the region of southern France, establishing himself and some others in his group in a monastery in the region of Prouille in southern France.

He spent many years there preaching to the people and ministering there, calling upon them to return to the Lord and to His Church, and eventually establishing the Order of Preachers in Toulouse during his ministry there. It was largely due to his tireless efforts and that of his fellow Dominican preachers and priests that many among the Cathars were convinced to return to the Holy Mother Church and to the orthodox Christian faith, abandoning their Gnostic-dualist heresy, and saving the souls of many among them. St. Dominic was also credited with the beginnings of the rosary devotion, as it was told that the Blessed Mother of God, Mary herself appeared to him in a vision, presenting to him the rosary, which was also instrumental in converting many of those who had fallen astray from the Lord back to His path.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier on from today’s Scripture passages and from the lives and examples of St. Dominic, let us therefore do our part to be good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord, following in the footsteps of St. Dominic and the other disciples of the Lord, our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to be grateful to the Lord for His ever generous and enduring love for us, and continue to do our part so that in each and every actions we do in life, we will continue to live worthily as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, in His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, helping our fellow brothers and sisters to come towards the Lord and His salvation. May God bless us all and be His Church always, now and forevermore. Amen.