Weekday Homily

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Saturday, 30 December 2023 : Sixth Day within the Octave of Christmas (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to celebrate this joyous season of Christmas and as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded to focus our lives and our attention on the Lord our God alone, through the salvation which He has shown and promised all of us, in His beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent into our midst so that by His incarnation and coming into this world, He might show unto us the sure path to eternal life and grace, which He has brought unto us through His coming, making it clear to us that God has always loved us, all these while, and each and every one of us have been blessed by His coming, His Presence in our midst, and His ever enduring love.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which the Apostle exhorted all the faithful, especially the young ones among them that they all should be ever resolute and faithful in following the Lord, in obeying all that He has taught and shown to them, so that they would all remain strong in faith, and not be easily swayed by the many temptations present all around them, all of which might lead them astray and fall further away from the path towards the Lord, and into the path towards eternal damnation. This is because while the faithful people of God have received the truth from the Church and the Lord’s servants, and received the Sacraments of Initiation, but this does not mean that they are immune or cannot be affected by the temptations of the world and sin.

On the contrary, the devil and all of his allies and forces are even more likely to try to strike at all of us the faithful people of God, trying desperately to lead us away from the Lord and from His salvation, so that we will share their fate of destruction and damnation in hell. This is why Satan and all of his forces are always arrayed all the time against the faithful and the Church of God, and time does not pass without the faithful experiencing some form of spiritual attacks and hardships, definitely orchestrated by all those seeking to mislead and destroy us all. This had happened even as early as the earliest moments in the Church, and hence leading to St. John to write this exhortation to the faithful and the Church, and all these still happen even up to this very day.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the continuation of yesterday’s passage on the Presentation of the Lord at the Temple of Jerusalem, in which the Lord Jesus was welcomed by the prophet Simeon, who praised God to have allowed him to see and behold the Saviour of the world before his own eyes. And today therefore we heard of the prophetess Anna, who was also there at the Temple, and to whom the Lord had also revealed that she would witness the Saviour of the world. The prophetess Anna spoke of everything that the Lord would do through this Child, and also predicted with Simeon, what He would become, a Sign to the nations, and also the sufferings that He and His Mother would have to endure, a premonition of the Passion of the Lord.

This is why we are all again reminded today through all these readings from the Scriptures that all of us, the Church, all should always be focused and centred on Christ our Lord, the One Whom we celebrate during this time of Christmas. The joy and celebrations which we have during this time of Christmas should not be focused merely on ourselves and our desire for pleasures and happiness, and definitely should not be inward looking. Instead, the joy that we all have during this time and season should always be outward bound, radiating from us all, and shared to everyone around us. We should always be centred on Christ, His Good News and truth, His love and joy, in all that we celebrate this Christmas and in also how we live our lives each day.

As Christians, it is important that we should always strive to be good and faithful to God in all things. We must always be filled with righteousness and good deeds in all things, all aligned with the Lord and everything that He has shown and taught us through His Church. In our every actions and interactions with one another, we should always be led and guided by the Christian truth, and all that we have been inspired by our holy predecessors. It is important that we all should always be genuine and committed in how we live up to our faith as Christians, or else we are no better than hypocrites and all those who merely have an empty and meaningless faith. We are reminded that we should refocus our attention and lives on the Lord, in case we have lost our path and way amidst the many temptations of this world.

Let us all hence do our best to be good and committed, holy and exemplary Christians at all times. Let us inspire one another and keep each other strong in our commitments to the Lord amidst the many challenges and trials found in this world today. This is why we are constantly being reminded that our lives are greater than just our own desires and ambitions. Our lives and existence in this world are all about serving and following the Lord, and walking in His path, and we should always keep this in mind lest we end up being distracted and swayed away from the path towards righteousness and salvation in God. This Christmas, we are exhorted and reminded to stay on our course and path towards the Lord, and not to lose our path and focus in life.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our way, and may He empower each and every one of us to live ever more worthily and allow us to commit ourselves ever more to His path. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always, through this Christmas season and beyond. Amen.

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Friday, 29 December 2023 : Fifth Day within the Octave of Christmas, Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this joyful season of Christmas, we are all reminded through the Scripture passages we have heard today that we must always be true to our faith, fulfilling all the Law and commandments that God had told us to do, the teachings and the path which He has revealed to us through His Church. This means that we should not be merely paying lip service to the Lord, but we must be truly committed to the Lord in all things, doing whatever we can so that we may always be good examples and inspirations to our fellow brothers and sisters, in showing what it truly means for us to be good and devoted Christians, the followers of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle, the Apostle reminded the faithful of the commandments of the Lord which He has brought into our midst, and which all of us should always follow and embody in our every actions and parts of life. We cannot profess to be Christians and yet, in our way of life, we act in ways that are contrary to the teachings of Christ. The Lord Himself has revealed His commandments to us, showing us that the Law which He has given us, is all about Love, the love which He Himself has shown us mankind, and which we are therefore expected to show to Him as well, and then, the love which we all should show our fellow brothers and sisters all around us, a true, genuine and selfless Christian love.

This is why St. John reminded all the faithful that they cannot still behave in a manner that is still not attuned to the path of Christ. The love of God has indeed been generously poured down on us, and in this season and time of Christmas, we commemorate the incarnation of the Love of God, Who has become Man, appearing before all of us in the Person of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Saviour of all. Therefore, if we all believe in Christ, it is imperative that we must really show our faith in Him and not merely just treating our faith as just a formality. In our every actions, words and deeds, in all of our whole lives, we must always radiate and show the genuine and authentic Christian living so that by our lives, God may indeed be glorified.

In the Gospel passage today, this is reiterated for us, as we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord Jesus was presented at the Temple of Jerusalem as per the Law and its requirements, and how this led miraculously to the Lord Jesus being welcomed by two elderly figures who had both long awaited the coming of the Messiah, and whom the Lord had told that they would not pass on from this world before they saw and behold the Messiah Who was coming into the world, with their very own eyes and hands. Thus, the prophet and man of God Simeon, as well as the prophetess Anna, in the related passage, both thanked the Lord for having shown the Salvation of the world to them, and foretold everything that this Child was to do for all of us, the Love and Word of God Incarnate in the flesh.

Again, this means that all of us really have to commit ourselves anew to the Lord and we have to centre and focus our attention and lives on Him, reminding ourselves that Christ is our Lord and Master, our Saviour and King. All of us should always strive to live our lives worthily, doing whatever we can so that we may ever always walk in the path of Christ, and be the bearers of the light of Christ to everyone. Each and every one of us should always strive to be the great and inspirational role models in all things, and we should always be like our holy predecessors, the many saints and martyrs, all the holy men and women who have gone before us, and whose lives are great examples for us all to follow in our own lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Thomas Becket, who was remembered for his actions as the Archbishop of Canterbury and hence as the leader and primate of the Church in all of medieval England then, as well as for his resistance and opposition against the irreverent and worldly actions of the then king of England, Henry II. St. Thomas Becket was actually a good friend of the king, whom the king appointed first as his Chancellor, to assist him in the governance of his realm. He was the right hand man of the king, and in the king’s effort to tighten his control over the often independent and troublesome English Church hierarchy and clergy, he thus appointed St. Thomas Becket as the Archbishop of Canterbury, who in that position became the most senior figure amongst all of the Church hierarchy. St. Thomas Becket became the Archbishop of Canterbury and then resigned his chancellorship soon after.

However, if the king’s intention was to subjugate the English church and its members, this backfired greatly as St. Thomas Becket had a moment of conversion and change as he took up the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and when he was ordained as priest and bishop before he was officially installed as the Archbishop of Canterbury. It was as if St. Thomas Becket received a calling from the Lord, which made him to refuse to obey the king’s orders regarding the English Church anymore. St. Thomas Becket stood firm his ground against the king and his nobles in all of their efforts to encroach into the domains of the Church, and he even excommunicated a nobleman close to the king who had caused trouble in the Church.

All these struggles and conflicts eventually led to the exile of St. Thomas Becket, who continued to resist and champion the rights of the Church even during his time away from his See and from England. He persisted in doing what he could to glorify God and to defend the faith from those who sought to corrupt it, and eventually, when he returned back to England and his See, the matter came to a point that the king, furious and frustrated at all the inconveniences and troubles that St. Thomas Becket had caused him, in a drunken stupor, asked of anyone who could help him to rid this troublesome man of God. This was responded by four of the nobles and knights of the king, who went to seek St. Thomas Becket as he was celebrating Mass, and in his own Cathedral, those four men murdered the holy Archbishop and shed his blood.

As we all heard, St. Thomas Becket was faithful right to the very end, committing his whole life to the Lord, not minding even sufferings and hardships, and he led by example in living his life worthily of the Lord. Therefore, all of us as Christians should always remember that the centre and focus of our lives should not be all the various sorts of worldly desires, ambitions and attachments, but rather to be truly worthy of God in all things, and to put Him, not our own ego and pride, desires and greed, at the centre of our whole lives and existence. May God be with us all and may He grant us the courage to remain always faithful to Him. Amen.

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Thursday, 28 December 2023 : Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Innocents, also known as the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem or the Martyrs of Bethlehem, in which the innocent children of Bethlehem were massacred by the forces of King Herod the Great, the then ruler over the land, in his futile pursuit and effort to destroy the fledgling Messiah, prophesied to be born in the city of David, Bethlehem of Judea. This day we recall this moment of great infamy and evil which mankind had committed in the pursuit of worldly glory and power, and we are all reminded that we have to be careful lest we are tempted and swayed by the many worldly temptations and coercions all around us which may lead us to our downfall and destruction through sin.

Back then, as we listened through the Gospel passage, King Herod who got to know about the coming of the Messiah through the Three Magi or the Three Wise Men who came to visit and pay homage to Him, saw this Messiah as a great threat to his rule as king, and hence he likely wanted to remove this threat as immediately and quickly as possible, firstly by pretending to want to pay homage to this new King also, and when the Three Magi, warned by the Angel of God of Herod’s true intentions, did not return back to him, hence, in his desperation, he committed a truly great sin in murdering the young and innocent children, which were without blame, and were caught in the events that unfolded then. They were killed amidst Herod’s futile effort to secure his reign and power.

Perhaps we can better understand the context as we learn more about the history of that time, and how Herod the Great himself came to power. Herod was a usurper and not a rightful king of Israel, as he actually took power by deceit and plots, and through collusion and cooperation with the Romans, who sought to secure their rule in the region. Prior to Herod’s accession to power, the land of the Israelites were ruled by the Hasmoneans, the descendants of the Maccabean rebels who led the descendants of the Israelites in a rebellion against the former rulers of the land, the Greek Seleucid Kings and gained independence for them. The Hasmonean Kingdom lasted for about a century since then before internal discord eventually led to its downfall, and Herod was the son of Antipater the Idumaean, a foreigner hailing from the lands adjacent to Judea, whom the Romans found favour in.

Thus, it was how Herod eventually rose to power, through his connections and plots, and the Romans eventually entrusted Judea, Galilee, Samaria and other surrounding regions to Herod the Great, who became sort of a client king for the Romans, a tactic that was often employed by the Romans back then to help them secure the lands that they had just conquered or extended their dominion towards. However, from this point of view, Herod was indeed a usurper, and hence, the people of God did not truly accept him as king and ruler over them. That was why Herod was known especially for his many efforts and megalomaniac ambitions, with many grand projects designed to shore up his rule and legitimacy among the people.

Given this context, it was likely therefore that Herod was desperate in holding onto power after a whole lifetime of trying to expand his rule and power, dominion and glory, and he did not wish to let all of these escape him or his family. This was why, we are taught and shown here a lesson of why we should not allow worldly temptations to bring us to ruin because of their strong allure and hold on us, the desires and ambitions of the world, which then led to Herod committing such a grievous and terrible crime in the futile efforts to secure his rule, which in the context of history eventually faltered and failed not long after that moment of massacre. Herod’s kingdom did not long last his immediate descendants, and eventually met its end and downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, something that may often make us wonder regarding this event of the Massacre of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem is that, if God is so good and loving, why is it that He allowed such a terrible atrocity to take place? That is precisely because while God despises sin and evil, at the same time He also gave us the freedom to choose our course in life, the free will that He has given each and every one of us. We have been given the capacity to discern our course of action in life, the wisdom and the ability to choose our path in life because God did not want to take that gift of free will from us. Hence, it is our free will to choose to do what is good or what is evil and wicked in the sight of God, and for Herod, he chose to abuse that free will, doing what was wicked for his own selfish desires. That is also how suffering came to be in our world today, when mankind abuse their free will and encroach on others’ rights.

The same therefore can be said to what is now happening in our world today. As we all well know, that war is still currently raging on in the Holy Land, with people suffering and dying daily in this recent conflict, borne out of human greed, ego, pride and desire, the desire to retain power and for more worldly influence and glory, which is honestly not that different from what had happened two millennia ago at Bethlehem. This is why we should learn from the lessons of the past, and not allow ourselves to be misled yet again by our human greed and desires, all the things which had caused the downfall of so many throughout time. This Christmas, many of our brethren in the Holy Land are unable to celebrate the way that many of us have done and are doing, and they are under constant threat and hardships.

Let us all therefore do our part to help them and to also strive for peace, that we should utterly and completely reject violence and all the wicked ways of the world so that we do not end up causing all these hardships and sufferings to others. Let us also in our lives be ever mindful of our actions in life, so that in our exercise of our freedom to choose our actions we do not cause inconvenience and difficulties for the people around us. Let the Lord our God, Whose birth we commemorate and celebrate this season be the centre and focus of our lives, and not our selfish desires and greed. May the Lord continue to guide us all that we may live our lives worthily as Christians as always. Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, Holy Martyrs, pray for us, especially for those now suffering in the Holy Land! Amen.

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Wednesday, 27 December 2023 : Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, commemorating this great man of God whose faith, commitment and dedication to God had brought unto us all a truly great testimony of faith, inspiring all of us in our own way of life and committing ourselves to the Lord. St. John, Holy Apostle and Evangelist, was known as a great disciple of Christ, the one whom the Lord cared for and loved, and through his experiences and understanding of the Lord, St. John revealed unto us the nature of God’s love and kindness, which He has shown unto us through His Son, Jesus Christ, with Whom St. John had lived with, laboured together and ministered to the people of God, as written and recorded in the Gospels.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John in which the Apostle St. John himself described the truth about the Love of God which had been manifested and revealed unto us through the same Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is this same Christ Who is the One that we celebrate about during this joyous and magnificent Christmas season and time. Christ, our Lord and Redeemer, through Whom the Lord has shown His ever enduring and persistent love, by which He has reached out to us, touching us all with His compassion and mercy, restoring unto us the life that He has always intended to have, giving reason and purpose to our lives, through Him, Who is the Lord and Master of Life, the Lord over our every lives.

This is something that He truly can reassure us with, as He Himself has shown St. John in person what He stands for, all that He has taught and delivered into our midst, as He proclaimed God’s love and forgiveness for each and every one of us sinners, and how He overcame even sin and death during the time of His Passion, His suffering and death, and ultimately, His glorious Resurrection as highlighted in our Gospel passage today. St. John himself had been with the Lord for a very long time relative to His ministry as he was among the first disciples whom He had called, ever since he was called with his brother, St. James the Greater at the Lake of Galilee. He, one of the two sons of Zebedee was called by the Lord, and he answered the Lord with a resolute faith.

St. John witnessed many of the Lord’s most important miracles and wonders, himself being one of the few inner circle members of the Lord’s followers, together with his own brother and with St. Peter the Apostle. He saw how the Lord healed the sick in many occasions, and even restored the life to those who have been deceased, such as the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official, the son of the widow of Naim, as well as Lazarus, one of the Lord’s own good friends. All of them had succumbed to death, and yet, the Lord showed St. John and His other disciples and followers, that He is truly the Lord and Master of life, the Holy One and Saviour of the whole world. He raised them up and restored them all back unto life, and then, ultimately, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus Himself conquered death and overcome it, as He gloriously returned to life, in His Resurrection.

St. John the Apostle saw and witnessed all of these things, just as the Gospel passage today mentioned to us. The Lord appeared on Easter Sunday morning to St. Mary Magdalene in which He revealed that He has risen from the dead, and did not remain in the realm of the dead just as He has predicted earlier, that He would rise again on the third day. St. Mary Magdalene thus proclaimed this truth to the other Apostles, revealing about the Resurrection and hence, the hope that has been renewed in Christ, Who has conquered and overcome death for us, joining us back to our Lord and Creator. St. John hence believed wholeheartedly in the Risen Lord, and ever since that, he committed his whole life to proclaim the Good News of God.

That was what St. John had done for many decades afterwards, as he went from places to places in helping to establish the Church and its communities, in his efforts to proclaim the Word of God and His truth to more and more people. St. John himself also suffered many trials and hardships as he had to endure persecutions, oppressions and even exiles, which saw him exiled in one occasion to the Island of Patmos in his old age, where he famously received the revelations about the end times from the Lord, which he wrote down and we now know as the Book of the Revelations or the Apocalypse of St. John the Apostle. He was the only one among the Apostles of the Lord who did not die as a martyr, instead passed away peacefully in a very old age.

Yet, St. John had also faced a lot of sufferings and struggles throughout all those years, which nonetheless did not dampen his faith or the enthusiasm to spread the Good News of Christ. All of these works and dedications of St. John the Apostle should indeed be inspiration for all of us as Christians to follow in our own lives. We should be inspired to follow in the footsteps and the actions which St. John had done in proclaiming God’s truth in our own community today, by doing whatever we can so that our lives may truly be filled with true and genuine Christian values, as well as with strong desire to love the Lord our God, and also His people, our own brethren in the same Lord. This is why today, through our remembrance of St. John and all of his actions and life, we all should continue to strive to be great and faithful disciples of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence be ever more committed in our lives and calling as Christians so that in whatever we say and do, on all the things we carry out in our everyday moments, we will always strive to do what God has called us to do and what He has entrusted to us. Let us all be ever more dedicated in putting more and more of our efforts and focus on Him, and be good role models and inspiration to one another just as St. John the Apostle has inspired us. In this Christmas season, let us all remind each other that Christ is truly the reason why we all rejoice and celebrate this magnificent and joyful feast, and let us all endeavour to proclaim Him to all mankind, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 26 December 2023 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on the day after Christmas Day, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen the Protomartyr of the Church. He is known as such because he is the first (from the word Proto, which means ‘First’) among all of the martyrs of the Church according to the Scriptures and the Apostolic traditions. St. Stephen was one of the first seven Deacons of the Church, appointed by the Apostles to be the ones who were assisting the people of God, showing care and attention to them, distributing the goods and the properties of the Church to care for the common good. At the same time, they also continued to proclaim the Good News and truth of God, and amidst that ministry, St. Stephen was the first to be martyred.

At that time, St. Stephen was chosen by the Apostles to help administer to the people of God, and he was given the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands, instituting the Order of Deacons. And as we heard from our first reading passage today from the Acts of the Apostles, an argument and struggle happened when the members of the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin and their supporters were trying to discredit and challenge the works of St. Stephen, who courageously stood up against them and proclaimed the Good News of God. St. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and he refuted all those false witnesses and the people the Sanhedrin had manipulated and paid to give false witness against St. Stephen.

St. Stephen faithfully defended the Lord and His truth, His teachings and Good News against all those who tried to slander and mislead the people with their lies and falsehoods. This is because at that time, the Sanhedrin had also released the story that the disciples of the Lord had stoled His Body and claimed that He was Risen from the dead in order to try to cover-up and prevent the news and truth about the Lord’s Resurrection spreading ever more amongst the community. Thus, they targetted St. Stephen and attempted to bring him down, silence him and to stop his works, even using false witnesses in order to achieve that goal. But through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and his determination, St. Stephen overcame all the struggles and he pointed out bravely before all those assembled how wrong their path and actions had been.

St. Stephen recounted the summary of the story of mankind and how they had been created, guided and helped by the Lord along their whole journey, and how God had fulfilled and accomplished everything that He had promised to them all through the same Jesus Christ that many of those members of the Sanhedrin had decided to oppose, persecute and condemn to death on the Cross. He spoke with such great Wisdom and inspiration that no one could argue against him, and they saw how his face glowed like that of an Angel. But the hearts of those who continued to resist the truth were hardened, as they stubbornly refused to listen to the words uttered by St. Stephen, and rushed to stone him to death, and hence, that was how the very first martyr of the Church came to be.

In the Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus has also spoken on the same matter to His disciples and warned them about the challenges, trials and persecutions that would likely happen to them as they carried out their missions and works, and lived as they should as Christians. The Lord reminded all of them that just as the world had resented, persecuted and rejected Him, therefore the same fate would likely be faced by those who have endeavoured and committed themselves to follow the Lord and walk in His path, just as St. Stephen had done. Many Christians throughout the history of the Church, right up to this very day are still struggling and enduring many trials and sufferings amidst their lives, as they had to endure those persecutions and oppressions by those who refuse to believe in Christ and His truth. However, at the same time, the Lord also reassured His disciples and followers that they must not be worried or fearful, for as St. Stephen himself has shown us, the Lord will be by our side and guide us in what we ought to do.

If we are wondering why so soon after we rejoice and celebrate Christmas, we come to this day of remembering and commemorating the memory of a martyr of the Faith, this is because once again we are reminded that Christmas is all about Christ, and all that He had done for us, so that through His salvation and liberation for each and every one of us, He has rescued us and brought us all into a new hope and existence. However, all of us have to realise that just as the Lord had told His disciples Himself and as St. Stephen and many other martyrs of the Church had shown us, through their sufferings and deaths, it is often required that if we are to truly believe in the Lord and His salvation, which He had brought forth into this world by His Incarnation in the flesh, then we may need to endure trials and sufferings for that.

That is why we are all reminded that our Christmas celebration and joy must also be tempered and aligned with the Lord, so that we do not end up being enamoured and distracted by the many worldly concerns, pleasures and all the other things that may distract and keep us away from the Lord and His saving grace. We should always remember our brothers and sisters around us who may be suffering the daily effects of the hardships of life, and being unable to celebrate Christmas the way that we do it. We should therefore be thankful for all the blessings that God has given us, and we should also strive to help and encourage our brothers and sisters around us who may need our help, so that all of us may continue to persevere in faith.

May the Lord, our loving God and Creator, Who has graced us all with His Holy and loving Presence, continue to strengthen our faith so that amidst all the challenges and trials, we will always be strong and able to endure the temptations and pressures to give in to wickedness of sin and evil. Let the examples and faith of His servant, St. Stephen, the Protomartyr of the Church, continue to inspire us always. May God be with us always and may He protect us in our respective journeys of faith and life. Amen.

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Monday, 25 December 2023 : Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, finally after a long period of few weeks during the Advent season that we have spent in preparation for today’s glorious and most joyful celebration, we can finally sing in great joy and jubilation, ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo!’, ‘Glory to God in the Highest!’ because His salvation has come into our midst and we recall the moment when this very important event in the history of our salvation and existence, happened more than two thousand years ago in the small town of Bethlehem in Judea. At that time, in the small town where David, the famous King of Israel hailed from, in a manger within a stable where animals were kept, a young Child was born, the firstborn of His Mother Mary, an unassuming young woman who had come with her husband St. Joseph from Nazareth in Galilee.

Yet, this seemingly ordinary occasion, of just another birth happening in this world, and all the more happening in a small and ordinary town, not even something that is supposed to be memorable, and yet, it is one of the most important moments in our faith which allows us to hope once again in the Lord, His love and compassion for us, that by this same, ever enduring and patient love, He has manifested this love in a tangible and real way, by making Himself approachable to us, through His beloved Son, Our Saviour, Lord and King, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Most High. His coming was welcomed not with great fanfare that usually accompanied the birth of royalty and great personages of this world, and yet, His birth is the singular most important birth that has happened and will ever happen.

He is the One Whom all the prophets and messengers of God had spoken about, prophesied and predicted, and His coming would herald a new era for the world. Before He came and reveal God’s love and truth to us, we were still all lost amidst all the darkness and evils of this world. We were tempted by the temptations of worldly pleasures to seek these things and our many attachments to worldly goods and pursuits that we often forgot about the Lord and failed to recognise Him being the One Whom we should focus our attention on in our lives. But God sent to us His Son, so that He can gather us all, His lost sheep who have been wandering all over the world. And His entry into this world, His Nativity or birth, is what we all rejoice for this day and throughout the Christmas season.

We must realise that without Christ and His Incarnation, His entry into this world and later on with everything that He had done for our sake, in willingly embracing and taking upon Himself our sins and the punishments due for those sins, we would have been doomed by those same sins and wickedness, and we should have suffered for eternity in Hell away from God and His perpetual love and grace. There is indeed a massive chasm separating us from God’s love, again due to our sins and refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God. No one could cross this chasm and be reconciled, reunited to God on His own, but through His coming, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had brought about the reassurance of our reconciliation with God, as He became for us the Bridge connecting between us and God, our loving Father and Creator.

Yet, brothers and sisters in Christ, despite all these, we can easily notice all around us how this time and celebration of Christmas had lost its meaning, purpose and significance in many of the occasions when we celebrate Christmas. Christmas has become yet just another celebration and festivities, with all of its glamour, glitz and parties, where many focused on the celebratory aspects, all the activities, feasting and rejoicing, but the heart and core significance of what Christmas is all about has often been lost, even to many amongst us Christians. How many of us Christians actually carry out our celebrations of Christmas with the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and God at the centre of everything we do this Christmas?

How many of us treated Christmas as merely a time for another celebration or holiday, or think of Christmas as the time and occasion to be merry and to celebrate with lots of festivities and parties? How many among us are looking forward to all the food and the good things that we are all going to have, to the gifts and presents that we are all going to exchange and receive, and to all the bling associated with the way how the world usually celebrate Christmas? How many of us have forgotten that Christmas is truly about Christ our Lord, and how He has brought into our midst the love of God, being made present among us, and therefore all of our rejoicing and celebration ought to be centred on Him and not on ourselves?

Christmas is definitely a time to be happy and to celebrate, brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if we allow ourselves to be deluded, fooled and swayed by all the temptations and the false ideas being presented to us, and if we forget the true nature and significance of Christmas, then I am afraid that we have not celebrated it in the right way and in the right spirit. Without Christ, there can be no Christmas and there can be no true joy and hope for us. It is precisely because of Christ that we can truly rejoice today, as His coming into this world and His birth shows us that God was not just making empty promises and He is truly loving all of us all these while. Through Christ, all of us can experience and we have become witnesses of God’s ever enduring and ever present love, just as we can also experience His Presence in our midst.

That is why, this Christmas, let us all turn away from all the excesses of the worldly and secular Christmas, that we do not end up celebrating and rejoicing in the wrong way. We should not be celebrating excessively, focusing our attention on all the glamour, parties and all the excessive attention on the festivities without remembering or putting Christ at the centre of all that rejoicing and celebrations. We must not allow the temptations and false pleasures of this world from distracting us away from the true reason and joy of Christmas, that is Christ our Lord. We should lead by example in how we all centre ourselves on Christ and do whatever we can so that our whole lives and how we celebrate Christmas will truly be filled with Christ in all things, and we may be the good and faithful bearers of our Christian truth and Good News to all the people around us.

Let us also share our joy and happiness with everyone around us especially if we have been blessed with more, and granted the opportunities and chances to do more good things in our lives and particularly during this Christmas celebrations and time. Let us also remember that not everyone has the opportunity to celebrate Christmas, either because of the circumstances or because of certain misfortunes and difficulties. Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, particularly in the Holy Land are now facing hardships and conflicts, ongoing warfare and constant threats to their lives and properties. They cannot celebrate in the same manner as us, especially when death and sufferings are all around them daily and at every moments. The same is also still happening to our brethren in Ukraine and parts of Russia as well, where conflict is still raging on almost two years now.

There are also many of our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted for their faith across the world, just like in the days of the early Church, and as it had happened throughout the history of our faith. Many of these brethren of ours cannot openly celebrate Christmas and cannot even let it be known that they are followers of Christ on the threat and pain of suffering and death. There are many others still who are facing financial difficulties and challenges in their lives, from losing their loved ones and their livelihood, from all the injustice and hardships of this world. Many are not able to even afford basic needs and basic welfare, and they are definitely not in the position to celebrate the way that many of us do for Christmas. Yet, we may be surprised to find out that in their hearts and minds, they know well the message and the hope of Christmas, and they look to Christ as their Hope and their focus as they endure all these crosses and sufferings with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore help our needy brothers and sisters whenever and wherever we can, and keep in mind those who are not able to rejoice as much as we do that our celebrations do not become lavish and excessive, or lose its focus on Christ. Let our Christmas celebrations and joy be shared with all, and let us all show that through Christ, a new Hope has descended into this world, illuminating a world steeped in darkness, raising us all from our wretched state and existence, allowing us all to have hope again, and His Peace has come into our world, and we hope that the Peace of Christ may reign in all hearts and in all the world, that all conflicts may cease and everyone may live once again in peace, and His Joy brought about a new smile and cheer to all of us, reminding us all that all these are possible because of His everlasting and ever patient Love.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our God, Saviour and King, born on Christmas Day, continue to bless us all and watch over all of us. May He bless our every Christmas joy and celebrations and help us to remain focused and centred on Him in all things. May He empower us all, particularly those among us who are facing hardships and troubles in life, and may He give us the courage and strength to continue to persevere in faith and life, at all times. Wishing everyone a happy, holy and blessed Christmas! Amen.

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Sunday, 24 December 2023 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Eve (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, finally after a long period of few weeks during the Advent season that we have spent in preparation for today’s glorious and most joyful celebration, we can finally sing in great joy and jubilation, ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo!’, ‘Glory to God in the Highest!’ because His salvation has come into our midst and we recall the moment when this very important event in the history of our salvation and existence, happened more than two thousand years ago in the small town of Bethlehem in Judea. At that time, in the small town where David, the famous King of Israel hailed from, in a manger within a stable where animals were kept, a young Child was born, the firstborn of His Mother Mary, an unassuming young woman who had come with her husband St. Joseph from Nazareth in Galilee.

Yet, this seemingly ordinary occasion, of just another birth happening in this world, and all the more happening in a small and ordinary town, not even something that is supposed to be memorable, and yet, it is one of the most important moments in our faith which allows us to hope once again in the Lord, His love and compassion for us, that by this same, ever enduring and patient love, He has manifested this love in a tangible and real way, by making Himself approachable to us, through His beloved Son, Our Saviour, Lord and King, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Most High. His coming was welcomed not with great fanfare that usually accompanied the birth of royalty and great personages of this world, and yet, His birth is the singular most important birth that has happened and will ever happen.

He is the One Whom all the prophets and messengers of God had spoken about, prophesied and predicted, and His coming would herald a new era for the world. Before He came and reveal God’s love and truth to us, we were still all lost amidst all the darkness and evils of this world. We were tempted by the temptations of worldly pleasures to seek these things and our many attachments to worldly goods and pursuits that we often forgot about the Lord and failed to recognise Him being the One Whom we should focus our attention on in our lives. But God sent to us His Son, so that He can gather us all, His lost sheep who have been wandering all over the world. And His entry into this world, His Nativity or birth, is what we all rejoice for this day and throughout the Christmas season.

We must realise that without Christ and His Incarnation, His entry into this world and later on with everything that He had done for our sake, in willingly embracing and taking upon Himself our sins and the punishments due for those sins, we would have been doomed by those same sins and wickedness, and we should have suffered for eternity in Hell away from God and His perpetual love and grace. There is indeed a massive chasm separating us from God’s love, again due to our sins and refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God. No one could cross this chasm and be reconciled, reunited to God on His own, but through His coming, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had brought about the reassurance of our reconciliation with God, as He became for us the Bridge connecting between us and God, our loving Father and Creator.

Yet, brothers and sisters in Christ, despite all these, we can easily notice all around us how this time and celebration of Christmas had lost its meaning, purpose and significance in many of the occasions when we celebrate Christmas. Christmas has become yet just another celebration and festivities, with all of its glamour, glitz and parties, where many focused on the celebratory aspects, all the activities, feasting and rejoicing, but the heart and core significance of what Christmas is all about has often been lost, even to many amongst us Christians. How many of us Christians actually carry out our celebrations of Christmas with the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and God at the centre of everything we do this Christmas?

How many of us treated Christmas as merely a time for another celebration or holiday, or think of Christmas as the time and occasion to be merry and to celebrate with lots of festivities and parties? How many among us are looking forward to all the food and the good things that we are all going to have, to the gifts and presents that we are all going to exchange and receive, and to all the bling associated with the way how the world usually celebrate Christmas? How many of us have forgotten that Christmas is truly about Christ our Lord, and how He has brought into our midst the love of God, being made present among us, and therefore all of our rejoicing and celebration ought to be centred on Him and not on ourselves?

Christmas is definitely a time to be happy and to celebrate, brothers and sisters in Christ. However, if we allow ourselves to be deluded, fooled and swayed by all the temptations and the false ideas being presented to us, and if we forget the true nature and significance of Christmas, then I am afraid that we have not celebrated it in the right way and in the right spirit. Without Christ, there can be no Christmas and there can be no true joy and hope for us. It is precisely because of Christ that we can truly rejoice today, as His coming into this world and His birth shows us that God was not just making empty promises and He is truly loving all of us all these while. Through Christ, all of us can experience and we have become witnesses of God’s ever enduring and ever present love, just as we can also experience His Presence in our midst.

That is why, this Christmas, let us all turn away from all the excesses of the worldly and secular Christmas, that we do not end up celebrating and rejoicing in the wrong way. We should not be celebrating excessively, focusing our attention on all the glamour, parties and all the excessive attention on the festivities without remembering or putting Christ at the centre of all that rejoicing and celebrations. We must not allow the temptations and false pleasures of this world from distracting us away from the true reason and joy of Christmas, that is Christ our Lord. We should lead by example in how we all centre ourselves on Christ and do whatever we can so that our whole lives and how we celebrate Christmas will truly be filled with Christ in all things, and we may be the good and faithful bearers of our Christian truth and Good News to all the people around us.

Let us also share our joy and happiness with everyone around us especially if we have been blessed with more, and granted the opportunities and chances to do more good things in our lives and particularly during this Christmas celebrations and time. Let us also remember that not everyone has the opportunity to celebrate Christmas, either because of the circumstances or because of certain misfortunes and difficulties. Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, particularly in the Holy Land are now facing hardships and conflicts, ongoing warfare and constant threats to their lives and properties. They cannot celebrate in the same manner as us, especially when death and sufferings are all around them daily and at every moments. The same is also still happening to our brethren in Ukraine and parts of Russia as well, where conflict is still raging on almost two years now.

There are also many of our brothers and sisters who have been persecuted for their faith across the world, just like in the days of the early Church, and as it had happened throughout the history of our faith. Many of these brethren of ours cannot openly celebrate Christmas and cannot even let it be known that they are followers of Christ on the threat and pain of suffering and death. There are many others still who are facing financial difficulties and challenges in their lives, from losing their loved ones and their livelihood, from all the injustice and hardships of this world. Many are not able to even afford basic needs and basic welfare, and they are definitely not in the position to celebrate the way that many of us do for Christmas. Yet, we may be surprised to find out that in their hearts and minds, they know well the message and the hope of Christmas, and they look to Christ as their Hope and their focus as they endure all these crosses and sufferings with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore help our needy brothers and sisters whenever and wherever we can, and keep in mind those who are not able to rejoice as much as we do that our celebrations do not become lavish and excessive, or lose its focus on Christ. Let our Christmas celebrations and joy be shared with all, and let us all show that through Christ, a new Hope has descended into this world, illuminating a world steeped in darkness, raising us all from our wretched state and existence, allowing us all to have hope again, and His Peace has come into our world, and we hope that the Peace of Christ may reign in all hearts and in all the world, that all conflicts may cease and everyone may live once again in peace, and His Joy brought about a new smile and cheer to all of us, reminding us all that all these are possible because of His everlasting and ever patient Love.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, Our God, Saviour and King, born on Christmas Day, continue to bless us all and watch over all of us. May He bless our every Christmas joy and celebrations and help us to remain focused and centred on Him in all things. May He empower us all, particularly those among us who are facing hardships and troubles in life, and may He give us the courage and strength to continue to persevere in faith and life, at all times. Wishing everyone a happy, holy and blessed Christmas! Amen.

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Sunday, 24 December 2023 : Fourth Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the fourth and last Sunday in the season of Advent, and this year, due to the nature of the liturgical year cycles, Advent is at its shortest, hence, this Fourth Sunday of Advent is immediately followed by Christmas, which begins just this evening with the Christmas Vigil Mass. Yet, this does not diminish the importance of this last Sunday of Advent, as it acts for us as a very crucial reminder of what Christmas is all about, and that is about Love, the Love which God has shown to each and every one of us, and which has been manifested to us in the person of none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Holy Child born unto us and which we celebrate about in Christmas.

This is why, after having reflected on the Aspects of Hope, Peace and Joy in the previous three Sundays of Advent, today we all focus on the Aspect of Love, reminding us that everything that we are about to celebrate in Christmas beginning with tonight is all possible now because of the Love of God that has always endured all these while for us. For without God’s Love, there would have been no hope for any one of us, and we would have ended up in damnation and destruction because of our sins caused by our disobedience against God. It was God’s ever patient and enduring love which brought us all from the depth of this darkness and despair, into the light of His salvation and grace, again through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, the reason for our Christmas joy.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard of how the Lord told His servant, King David of Israel who ruled over the whole people of God, through the prophet Nathan that He would make his reign secure and He would provide for him and his house, that the reign of David and his successors would be everlasting, and the House of David would indeed rule forever over the whole people of God. God also reassured David that He would take care and look after His people Israel, guiding and shepherding them down the right path. This came about when King David told Nathan how he wanted to build a House of God for the Lord because he felt that it was inappropriate that he lived in a house and palace of cedar and fine wood and yet the Lord was housed in a tent, referring to the Ark of the Covenant.

The Lord instead pointed out to David that while it may seem that He was present through the Ark of the Covenant among the people, His Holy Presence resting on the Ark itself as the proof of His existence and love for His beloved people, but it does not mean that He could be contained within the Ark or the Holy Tent of Meeting, or any House that King David or anyone else would want to build and establish for Him. God reminded David that He has been with His people and with David himself, at all times and at every occasions and places, and His Presence amongst them transcended time and space, and He would always be with them all, caring for them and being with them forever.

Now, as the Lord also told David that it would not be him who would be the one to build the House of God, but his son, this was a reference to King Solomon, who succeeded David as King of Israel, and was known for his efforts and works in building the first great Temple dedicated to the Lord, that is Solomon’s Temple. However, there is actually also a deeper and hidden symbolism amidst what the Lord had told King David, in that the ‘Son of David’ mentioned by the prophet Nathan was also a premonition and hidden prophecy about the coming of God’s salvation through Christ, Who is indeed David’s Heir, and also considered and known as the Son of David, the One sitting on David’s Throne as the rightful Ruler over all of God’s people.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Archangel Gabriel revealed to Mary, the Annunciation of the Lord, that is when the Good News of God’s salvation was finally revealed to us through Mary, who was to become the Mother and bearer of the Saviour of the world. In fact, Mary became the New Ark of the New Covenant and the Temple and House of God because in her, the Lord Himself, the Divine Word and Son of God had been incarnate in the flesh, and dwelling within her blessed womb, free from any taint of sin, hallowed and sanctified by God, to be worthy to hold the Divine and perfect essence of the Almighty Himself in her. The love of God for us all had made it possible, because God endeavoured and did all things to ensure that we can be reconciled and reunited to Him.

That was why He willingly chose to embrace our humanity, becoming incarnate and one with our human flesh and existence, and thus, becoming tangible and real to us, making the love of God manifested in this world, no longer far and apart from us. He wants to lead us all by hand, and as our Shepherd and King, He wants to bring us all close to Himself, gathering us all from all the ends of earth. And this is echoing what the Lord had spoken to King David through His prophet Nathan in our first reading today. God has come into our midst to lead us and guide us all to Himself, and He did all these because He has truly loved each and every one of us, for even though we are sinners, but we are still precious and beloved by the Lord.

We must understand and keep reminding ourselves that what the Lord despises is not us, but instead our many sins and disobedient actions and attitudes which had caused us to be separated from Him in the first place. He always cares about us and through His Son, He has shown us that perfect love manifested completely and in a tangible manner before us, that we may have hope and rejoice once again because of Him and His love. That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, shall we renew our commitment to the Lord from now on, and do our best that we may always love the Lord and remember the most perfect and wonderful love that He has shown us, that He did not hesitate to suffer a most painful and humiliating death for our sake and our salvation?

Let us all prepare ourselves well for the beginning of the joyous Christmas season that begins tonight, with a renewed faith and zeal, with greater love and devotion to God, and the willingness to do whatever we need so that we may always embody the love of God in our every moments in life. If God has loved us so much that He was willing to come into our midst and even adopting our humble human existence, and even to suffer and die for us, then should we not love Him in the same manner too? May the Lord be with us all and may He bestow His love and kindness to us, so that our Christmas celebrations and festivities will always be full of His love, in us loving Him more and more devotedly, and in our love for one another, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 23 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we come very close to the time and beginning of the Christmas season which is just in two days time or so, all of us are ever reminded of why we all celebrate Christmas in the Scripture readings that we have heard. We heard in this day in particular of the messenger that the Lord had sent to us in order to proclaim the coming and appearance of His Saviour, that is none other than St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, who prepared and made straight the way and path for the Lord. Later on, we will discuss why this is truly very important for us to reflect upon what this holy servant of God had done and its significance to our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Malachi, who was one of the final prophets to appear to the people of God before the time of the New Testament, approximately four centuries or so before the birth of Christ our Lord. The prophet Malachi spoke about the coming of the Messiah, and also the messenger whom the Lord would send ahead of His Saviour to prepare the way for Him. This messenger and herald that the Lord would send to His people was St. John the Baptist, whom the Lord sent to call of His people to come to Him and repent from their sins and wickedness. There was that long wait and expectation of the coming of the Messiah among the people of God, who had been promised the coming of God’s salvation from prophets to prophets.

The Lord spoke of this servant of God through Malachi as the one who would help to lead the people of God through a process of purification, so that they may all indeed be ready and prepared to welcome Him when He comes again, as the world was still full of sins and evil. Hence, through St. John the Baptist, the one who was prophesied to come as the Lord’s messenger, God would work His wonders among His people, calling all of them to repentance and to turn themselves away from the path of sin and evil. St. John the Baptist came into this world so that when the Lord came, He would have a people that had been touched by the call to repentance, and had been reminded of their sins and the need for them to be forgiven from those sins.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the moment when St. John the Baptist himself was born, which was miraculous as the child himself was born of a barren mother who had been way past childbearing time, and then the occurrences around his birth was no less wonderful and amazing, as his father, Zechariah whose doubt had caused him to become dumb and mute, was able to speak again the moment he wrote down the name of the child, which the Angel of God had told him in the moment when he was told of the good news of the coming of the Lord’s Herald. Thus, through that moment, we can see how the Lord truly began the time of His saving grace, beginning from St. John the Baptist who proclaimed to the people of God, after a long period of silence from the days of Malachi, that the Lord was finally about to come.

That is why today, as we all gather together to prepare ourselves further for the time of Christmas which is coming really soon, all of us are reminded of the need for the realignment and reorientation of our lives, our whole focus and emphasis especially in Christmas and all of the things that we celebrate so that in all of them, we may once again put the Lord, our God and Saviour at the centre, instead of ourselves and our own selfish desires, ambitions and all the other things that may prevent us from realising the true meaning and joy of Christmas, that is in Christ, Our Lord. Too often we have allowed the many temptations, sins and evils of this world to mislead us down the wrong path.

We have often allowed for the comforts and pleasures of this world to lead us astray. This is also reflected in our way of celebrating Christmas, which often has lost its meaning and focus. Instead of celebrating the joy which we have at the salvation and reassurances that God had brought unto us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, we have ended up focusing so much on the festivities and the celebrations that we often forgot why we even celebrate Christmas in the first place. As we continue to approach Christmas, let us all hence do our best to rediscover this true meaning and joy that we ought to have in Christ, Our Lord and God, the One in Whom we are all called to focus our attention on, in thanking Him for all that He had done for us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. John of Kanty, also known as St. John Cantius, a Polish priest who was remembered as a great and holy man of God, a dedicated priest and servant of God, as well as as a great and wonderful teacher of the faith and sciences. He was also well remembered for his great generosity particularly towards the needy and the poor, and also among the students who studied at the university where he was teaching at the time. St. John helped those who needed his help and showed his great dedication and love both for God as well as for his fellow brothers and sisters, an example we can well emulate and follow in our own lives in this world, as someone who place God and his fellow men and women ahead of himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be ever more committed to God and His path, and that as Christians, may our lives be truly worthy of Him, in loving and caring for one another, and in modelling ourselves upon Christ’s own examples so that we may always be full of love and compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us. May our Christmas joy and celebration be truly about Christ and not about our own selfish desires and greed, unlike how we often celebrated it all these while. May the Lord continue to guide us especially as we come towards the joyous celebration of Christmas which begins after tomorrow, and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours in all things. Amen.

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Friday, 22 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season of Advent towards the time of Christmas, let us all spend some time to reflect upon what we have just heard in our Scripture readings today. We heard about the story of how God had done great and wonderful things for two women, namely Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, and Mary, the Mother of God. Through both of their examples, which were highlighted in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded of how God has always loved us and how He is always thinking of us, putting us all in His mind at all times. And as long as we all have faith in the Lord, then we truly have nothing to fear at all.

Indeed, we have to learn to put our trust and faith in God, just as how Hannah and Mary had been faithful in the Lord. At that time, Hannah has been beset with problems as she was unable to bear a child at all for her husband Elkanah, who also had another wife named Peninnah. Peninnah bore Elkanah a lot of children while Hannah had none at all, which led to Peninnah to bully Hannah frequently as Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah despite Peninnah having borne him a lot of children. At that time, being barren and unable to bear a child was also considered as a curse by the people, and the blame often fell to the mother.

Therefore, Hannah went to the House of God and sought His help, and the Lord answered Hannah’s prayer, that she bore a child for her husband, named Samuel, whom Hannah promised to offer to God as her firstborn child. That child Samuel would go on to become one of the Lord’s greatest and most renowned prophets and also Judge over Israel. The Lord blessed Hannah and Elkanah thereafter, for their trust and faith in Him, as Hannah according to Scripture and tradition, went on to bear many more children for Elkanah, no longer barren but blessed by God. It was truly a great occasion that God helped a woman in distress, who trusted in Him.

In the similar way, at the time of Mary, when we heard of the Magnificat in our Gospel passage today, the song of praise that Mary sang in thanksgiving to God, it was also a reference both to herself and her cousin Elizabeth, who had a similar predicament to that of Hannah, because Elizabeth was also unable to bear any child for her husband Zechariah. It was then that the Lord also moved to help Elizabeth and Zechariah, and gave them a child, St. John the Baptist, who was also to become one of the Lord’s greatest servants just like the prophet Samuel, and through that, the Lord once again showed His great love and kindness.

Not only that, but Mary herself had been blessed even more than all the other women, including Hannah and Elizabeth, because she has been honoured and wonderfully blessed by God, to be the one to bear none other than the Lord and Saviour of the world Himself, the Son of God Most High, Jesus Christ, Incarnate Word of God in the flesh. That great joy which Mary showed in her song, as she was full of the Holy Spirit, is the kind of joy that each and every one of us should also have in us, as we look forward to the coming of the blessed time and celebrations of Christmas, joy that is focused, centred and about the Lord, our God and Saviour.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from all that we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, we can see how the Lord had done so many good things and blessed all those who have been faithful to Him. While they may indeed face hardships and challenges, and their paths were far from being smooth, but in the end, what matters is that the Lord was always with them, and they gained greatly from their unwavering faith and trust in the Lord. Each and every one of us should therefore have this same kind of faith in the Lord as well, in how we should always put the Lord at the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence, in all the things that we do in our lives.

Let us all make sure that in this upcoming Christmas season, we may always continue to glorify the Lord and embrace Him ever more wholeheartedly, remembering that without Him there can be no Christmas at all. For Christmas is the celebration of Christ our Lord, and how He manifested God’s love for us, as He reached out to us in order to help all of us out, just as how He once showed His love, kindness and compassion to Hannah and Elizabeth, and He has shown us His enduring love in His desire to see us freed and liberated from the tyranny of sin, evil and death, through His coming into this world, and by opening unto us the sure and new path to eternal life through Him.

May the Lord continue to journey with us and be with us always, and may He bless us in our every actions, efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory. May He help us to be able to embody the true joy of Christmas in all of our preparations for it, and that by our lives and way of celebrating Christmas, may all of us come ever closer to the Lord, and be the shining beacons of His Light and Good News to all. Amen.