Weekday Homily

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Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to embrace God’s ever generous love and mercy, His compassion and kindness to all of us, His beloved people. The Lord has always patiently reached out to us, with His ever patient and enduring love, that He has extended upon us ever since the very beginning, helping and leading us down the journey towards Him, calling upon each and every one of us to embrace His path and His love once again, even though we have often ignored, abandoned and rejected Him. God did not want us to be lost from Him, but unfortunately many of us tend to be filled with pride and ego, ambition, desires and attachments to worldly desires that we continue in our rebellion and disobedience against Him.

In our Gospel reading today, this is what the Lord had pointed out as He rebuked and criticised all those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who had always hardened their hearts against Him and His truth, in rejecting all that He has revealed and delivered to them through Jesus Christ, the One Who had been sent into this world to save us all. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had acted like their predecessors and ancestors, who had proudly rebelled and disobeyed against God because they deemed that their ways and paths were better than what God had shown them all. Their ancestors, the Israelites persecuted the prophets and messengers sent to them to remind and help them in their way back towards the Lord. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves also persecuted the Lord and His disciples in the similar way.

Why was that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That was because of the dangers of man’s pride, ego, ambition, jealousy, desire and many other things which can mislead us down the path of our downfall. Those people thought that they knew it better than everyone else, in how they ought to live their lives and in the path that they were walking. They hardened their hearts and minds with pride, and as a result, God’s truth, His words and reminders cannot enter into them, and they ended up doing things that led them into sin and evil, as they persecuted, murdered and opposed those faithful and holy servants that God has sent into their midst. Yet, the Lord has always been very patient with His people, and He continued to send unto His people, more and more reminders, help and assistance. He had always shown them His patience and love, and even sent His Beloved Son to save them all.

St. Paul in our first reading passage today in his Epistle to the Romans highlighted how God had saved us all through His love and ever present kindness, compassion and care towards us, His beloved ones. St. Paul made a comparison of how the Law of God as revealed through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has shown us the perfection of God’s grace and love, and how it has surpassed the other aspects of the Law, which was in fact a reference to the way the Law and the commandments were practiced and done by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during the time of the Lord and His Apostles. St. Paul wanted to remind each and every one of us that we must first and foremost be faithful to God, and to put our whole and complete trust in God, in all things, and at all opportunities. We should not allow our own prejudices, pride and ambition, our attachments to worldly matters to distract us from the true path of God’s righteousness, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done. Instead, as Christians, we must always put the Lord at the centre and as the very focus of our lives and existence.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of several great and holy people, whose faith, commitment and devotion to God can serve as inspiration and as great role models for us all to follow so that we may also know how we should live out our lives in commitment to God. St. Isaac Jogues and St. John Brebeuf were French Jesuit missionaries who ministered and worked in the region of what is today part of the province of Quebec in Canada, as they went to the indigenous peoples living in those regions, bringing unto them the Good News of God, the salvation of God to them. Together with several other missionaries, they laboured hard tor the sake of the Gospel. Then, we also honour St. Paul of the Cross, a priest and mystic who was also the founder of the Passionists.

First of all, St. John Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and their fellow missionaries were all very hardworking and committed in their missions to spread the Good News of God in the very harsh conditions of the subarctic parts of North America, in what is now known as Quebec, that was then known as New France. The missionaries had to persevere through a lot of hardships and difficult environmental conditions, in often subzero conditions and afflicted by diseases, while being in the wilderness and facing opposition and resistance from some among the indigenous natives that viewed the missionaries with suspicion or even outright hostility and rejection, and this was what eventually led to their martyrdom in the end, when they were attacked and massacred by those who refused to believe.

Nevertheless, the inspirational examples and faith of the missionaries made quite a number of converts among the natives, some of whom were also martyred together with them. In particular, for the example of St. Isaac Jogues himself, martyred during one of his missions among the Iroquois natives, his faith and determination inspired his own killer such that when this killer was arrested and awaiting his execution, he chose to be baptised as a Christian, and took upon St. Isaac Jogues’ name as his own baptismal name, and thus, the curious case of St. Isaac Jogues’ ‘double martyrdom’ happened. As we can see, the examples and efforts of the missionaries like St. Isaac Jogues, St. John Brebeuf and their fellow missionaries and martyrs touched the lives and the hearts of so many, who were called to follow Christ henceforth.

Meanwhile, St. Paul of the Cross was the founder of the Passionists as mentioned. He was a young man that felt the stirrings of God’s call early on, and which continued to vex him throughout his growing years, as he encountered various people and experiences that directed him towards the path of God. Eventually, this inspired him to establish a community of like-minded men who were willing to follow the Lord and to live their lives in commitment to God, in promoting the love of God for each and every one of us, particularly through His Passion, that is His suffering, His endurance of a most humiliating and painful death on the Cross, and His perfect love manifested to all of us through those actions. This was how the congregation that St. Paul of the Cross established came to be known as the Passionists, as they fervently championed the propagation of God’s love and the revelation of that love by calling on all the people of God to remember His Passion and suffering for our sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples of those holy men and holy servants of God should inspire each and every one of us in how we ourselves should be living our own lives so that in whatever it is that we are doing in life, in our work, in our various efforts and commitments, so that we may truly inspire everyone around us and all those whom we encounter in our daily lives, interacting and working with us. Let us all strive to be always truly faithful and committed to God. Let us all get rid from ourselves, our hearts and minds, the corruption of pride, ego, greed, desire, and all the attachments to the worldly things all around us which can distract and mislead us down the path of disobedience and sin. Instead, let us remind ourselves always of the Lord’s great love and the Holy Passion that He has endured and suffered for our sake, and thus, commit ourselves thoroughly to His cause from now on. May God bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, in all the things we say and do, so that we may draw ever closer to Him and His love, His grace and kindness. Amen.

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Wednesday, 18 October 2023 : Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, one of the Four Evangelists who wrote the Holy Gospels detailing the life and works of the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Evangelists are important parts of the Church’s efforts and history because they detailed the actions, works and the words that the Lord Jesus spoke of throughout His ministry, giving us the Good News of God, revealed directly through our Lord and Saviour Himself. The word Evangelist itself came from the Latin for the Gospels, that is Evangelium, which also means ‘Good News’, reminding us that the Four Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John, collectively showed us the Good News that God Himself has brought upon us in this world.

St. Luke was a physician and a disciple and follower of St. Paul the Apostle, and was mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, which was widely considered as St. Luke’s own work as well. St. Luke was likely born of a Greek family in the then Hellenistic city of Antioch in Syria, where he encountered early Christians and became a convert to the Faith. Some tradition held that he was a local Syrian or a Hellenised Jew living in Antioch, but regardless of his origins and background, St. Luke was notable for his educated background and capabilities, and often followed St. Paul in his travels, as well as keeping track of the works and actions of the other Apostles, which allowed him therefore to write the accounts on the works and actions of the Apostles and their companions as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

St. Luke was also a close collaborator of the faith, and was sometimes even included among the Apostles as he was considered by some Church fathers to have been part and member of the seventy or seventy-two disciples or Apostles highlighted in the Gospel passage today, those whom the Lord had chosen in the Gospels to be the ones that He sent out before Him to carry out His missions and works. He followed some of the other disciples and Apostles in their ministry, particularly that of St. Paul, whom he accompanied even in Rome, as St. Paul himself said that he was only accompanied by St. Luke in his time there. St. Luke therefore had in depth knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the works of the Lord’s disciples and the Church, as well as the events that happened back then, and his prodigious writing skills and talents contributed greatly to the Church.

According to the Church traditions and well-attested history, St. Luke continued to minister to the faithful in various ways, and went all around various places in supporting the works of the Church, as a missionary as well as a physician, caring for the spiritual and physical needs of God’s people. Eventually, he would live on to an old age of approximately eighty-four years old and passed away in Boeotia in what is parts of Central Greece today. Despite his passing, his enormous contributions in various areas, especially his detailed recollection and record of the Lord’s ministry in his Gospel, and also those of the Apostles in the Acts of the Apostles and other works influenced many others immensely, right up to our own time.

Today, as we celebrate this Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, let us all therefore strive to do God’s will and deepen our understanding of His will and commandments, devoting ourselves, our time and efforts to follow the Lord ever more faithfully in each and every moments of our lives. Like St. Luke, we should do our best to commit ourselves to follow God and His Law, His commandments and carry out whatever missions and works that He has entrusted to each one of us as Christians. Each and every one of us have been given and entrusted with unique and amazing gifts, talents and opportunities so that in our own special way, we may indeed contribute to the works of the Lord and His Church, in our own capacity and areas of responsibility.

It means that in each and every parts of the community and in whatever opportunities that God has given us, we are just like the seventy-two disciples that the Lord had appointed and chosen to go forth before Him, carrying out His mission. To be missionary and to spread the Good News of God does not always mean that we have to preach the words of the Lord before others. On the contrary, it is often good and faithful actions that will lead to people coming to believe in us, in our words and in the Good News that God has entrusted to us. If our actions and way of life do not correspond to what we have said and spoken, or preached, then who will believe in us, brothers and sisters in Christ? We are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers in that case.

Like that of St. Luke, who had spent so much of his efforts and so many years of his life to do God’s works and to obey His will, therefore all of us should also do our best, in whatever capacity and opportunities that we have in our lives so that each and every one of us can truly be the good and worthy bearers of God’s truth, His Good News, love and hope to our world today, to everyone whom we encounter in life, to our own family members, brothers and sisters, our parents and children, our various relatives and circles of friends, and even to our acquaintances and strangers, and also to those who despise and hate us. If our actions, words and deeds truly embody our Christian faith, the truth and love, the Good News of God, then surely many will come to believe in God through us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore do our very best to commit ourselves to follow God in all things. Let us always be filled with faith in each and every one of our actions so that by our dedication and commitment to God, we will always be faithful and dedicated to Him, in our every works and efforts, in our words and deeds. May the Lord continue to guide us in our good works and bless our every efforts and endeavours, in glorifying His Name by our lives. St. Luke, Holy Evangelist and servant of God, pray for all of us. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that all of us are God’s faithful and holy people, and we have to be truly holy and worthy, in all of our actions and words, in how we live our lives and in how we interact with one another. Each and every one of us should always strive to follow God and His path, devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to His cause, and becoming good role models, examples and inspirations for everyone around us all in how we live our lives in this world, in our community and among one another. Unless we truly commit ourselves in our every words, actions and deeds, and have genuine faith and commitment in God, then we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of the need for every members of the faithful people of God, the Body of Christ, the Church, to be truly dedicated to the Lord, and to place Him at the very centre and as the focus of their whole lives and existence. We must not allow ourselves to be deluded and swayed by worldly temptations and coercions, falsehoods, as well as attachments and our pride and greed to lead us down the wrong path into our downfall. As St. Paul mentioned that the Good News of God had been revealed to all of God’s faithful people, through Christ, His Son, and through His servants, the Apostles and disciples who have laboured hard to proclaim His Good News and truth to more and more of the people all throughout the world. However, there were those who continue to be deluded and misled by their attachments to worldly things, to power, glory and worldly pleasures among other things.

St. Paul elaborated further on how those people had known God and they had knowledge of His path and truth, and yet, they deluded themselves by their intelligence, wisdom and desires, their pride and ego which all led to them disobeying God and exchanging their faith in God with the faith in false idols and gods, or in trusting upon other distractions and false emphasis in life, which ended up bringing them further and further away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. This is because mankind, all of us, are easily tempted and swayed by our pride and ego, by our desires and ambitions, pursuits for power and glory, and all those things ended up closing the path towards God’s salvation because we delude ourselves that we have no need for God, or that there are other things that are worth our attention more than that of God.

That was exactly what happened to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of the Lord Jesus, which was highlighted to us in our Gospel passage today. The Lord rebuked and criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for the superficial and the wrong nature of their faith, their observance and enforcement of the Law and the commandments of God. Those people who were very highly educated by the standards of that time, and knowledgeable about the teachings and words of the Prophets and messengers of God, all of them failed to recognise the Lord Himself when He came into this world through the Lord Jesus, His Son, as the Saviour of the world, because they could not accept that their version of the Law and their observance of the Law were mistaken and flawed.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law allowed their pride, ego, ambitions and desires to delude them and to distract them from their true obedience and responsibilities to God, in shepherding and guiding the people of God, and in being good role models and examples for all of the people. Instead, they allowed their personal ambitions, desires and greed to mislead them down the wrong path, to turn them towards the path of arrogance and greed, the path of disobedience and prejudice, as they did not just fail to carry out their responsibilities in caring for the spiritual need and well-being of the people, but they also did not live their lives worthily of the Lord, as they became superficial in their faith, and becoming very much preoccupied in their rituals and practices, overly attentive on the details and forgetting about the purpose and intent of the Law and commandments of God.

Essentially, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had made false idols and gods out of their own preoccupation and overemphasis, their overly focused attention on the rituals and practices, and they had pushed God out of their lives with this emphasis and focus on their rites and practices. Hence, that is why the Lord rebuked and criticised them for their lack of faith and obedience to God, and for having done what they done in persecuting the people whom they had deemed to be less worthy than they were. They all had misled the people down the wrong path, and lived in vain pursuit of worldly glory, greatness, fame and power, and hence they had disregarded the Lord’s commandments and missions entrusted to them from the very beginning.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest Church fathers and leaders of the Church, whose faith and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary and great, and whose commitment and obedience, focus and emphasis on the Lord remains strong and firm despite his important position in the Church, as he led the flock entrusted to him with great zeal, courage and faith at all times. St. Ignatius of Antioch was one of the earliest Bishops of Antioch, as the successor of the Apostles, in being a disciple and follower of St. John the Apostle according to the Apostolic and Chruch traditions. He was also known as Theophorus, or God-Bearer, as according to some traditions, he was one of the children who had been brought to the Lord and blessed by Him.

St. Ignatius of Antioch dedicated himself to the well-being of his people, in spreading the Good News of God and the truth, love and hope that the Lord has revealed to His Apostles and disciples. Antioch was then one of the early and major centres of the Christian faith, and many people each day converted to the faith thanks to the efforts of the Apostles and their successors, including that of St. Ignatius of Antioch himself. St. Ignatius of Antioch courageously carried out his duties with great humility, and with great commitment and devotion, to be the Good Shepherd in managing the people of God and leading them to the right path. He was martyred during one of the persecutions of Christians running rampant at that time, but until the very end, St. Ignatius of Antioch has always remained firm in his conviction and faith in God, in serving Him all the time, throughout his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we remember what we have discerned and discussed earlier regarding the readings from the Sacred Scriptures, and as we heed and remember the life and examples of St. Ignatius of Antioch, let us all hence do our best so that we may truly embody our Christian faith at all times, and be truly exemplary and faithful in all things. Let us all continue to do our best, to work and to do our part as servants and followers of the Lord, in all things, so that we may be the shining and bright beacons of God’s light and Good News, to bring forth His hope and light to all the nations. May God be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us to be truly worthy and faithful, despite the many trials and challenges facing us throughout our lives and journey. Amen.

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord being spoken through the promises of God’s servants and His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom, salvation has come into this world, and God’s promises have all come true, and been perfectly fulfilled just as He has promised to us. God has never abandoned us, and He has always provided for us in His own mysterious ways. He showed us all the path to Himself, and opened for us the gates of Heaven, ever graciously offering to us the richness of His mercy, compassion and love, that He has always given us all these while.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Rome, we heard of the reminders from St. Paul the Apostle to the faithful there that all of them have received salvation and grace through none other than Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, Who is also the Son of God and Heir of David, Who has come into this world in the flesh, Incarnate through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the fulfilment of all of God’s promises to us mankind. Through His Son, God has reaffirmed everything that He has promised to us and our forefathers from the very beginning, and reaffirmed to us His love and compassion, to each and every one of us.

Through Christ, God has revealed to us all that He has planned for us, and has reminded us that we truly belong to Him, and therefore we all should embrace Him wholeheartedly, in His Law and commandments, and we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the many worldly temptations and the evils all around us, and we must always put our trust and faith in Him, at all times. God has never abandoned us, and He has always renewed and made true of everything that He has promised us, making a Covenant with us, that is everlasting and generous. However, it is us mankind who often reneged on our commitments to God and His Covenant, betraying and abandoning Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord telling to His people, mentioning those of Jonah and the Queen of the South, and highlighted His frustrations at them, at how many of them still refused to believe despite having received and witnessed many proofs and signs of His truth, wisdom and greatness. The Lord Jesus has performed many miracles and wonders, and despite those people having seen those wonders and signs being done before their very own eyes, and despite having heard of the words of wisdom and truth being spoken right before their very own selves, they still failed to believe and even doubting Him, demanding that He gave them signs and proofs of His authenticity and authority.

The Lord mentioned first of the sign of Jonah, because He was comparing of the sign which He Himself would perform to them, as He would lay down in the underworld for three days, just as the prophet Jonah ended up being in the belly of a whale for three days, when the Lord Jesus would face His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross. And then, the mention of the Queen of the South was meant as a rebuke to those people who refused to believe in Him, because this Queen of the South, also known as the Queen of Sheba, went on a long journey from her land to come and listen to King Solomon’s wisdom, and the Lord Himself said that, what the people all beheld before them was One far greater than Solomon himself, in all of his wisdom and power, the Wisdom of God as revealed through Christ, His Son.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two holy and great women, whose lives and great examples in faith and in their way of life should inspire each and every one of us in how we should be living our lives, and in how we can be good and devout Christians in all things, in putting our faith and trust in God, rather than in worldly matters and temptations. St. Hedwig, also known as St. Hedwig of Silesia was the Duchess of Silesia as the consort of the Silesian Duke, and was renowned for her great piety and dedication to God, while St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French religious nun, who was also renowned for her faith in God, as well as for having received visions and revelation from the Lord, which has shown His Most Sacred Heart to her.

St. Hedwig of Silesia was married to the heir of the Duke of Silesia when she was barely just twelve years old, and she was involved for many years in the great intrigue and court politics involving her husband, who struggled to maintain the ducal authority while at the same time expanding his rule and influence, against rival duchies and other rulers. In one occasion, St. Hedwig interceded on behalf of her husband, when the latter was in captivity, and her husband was released by her efforts. The virtues and good actions of St. Hedwig helped her husband in his rule, and also became great inspiration for many people of her time, and both St. Hedwig and her husband, Duke Henry of Silesia, were very pious and faithful to God. And when she was widowed after many decades of marriage, she moved into a monastery and dedicated the rest of her life in commitment to God.

Meanwhile, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a very devout servant of God who had great and intense love for the Lord even from her early childhood. She dedicated herself to the Blessed Sacrament and the Lord, as well as to His Blessed Mother Mary, since early on, especially after recovering from a bout of serious illness, and eventually became a religious nun after having received a vision of Christ, reminding her of her love for Him. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received several private revelations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus over a period of eighteen months, in which the Lord Jesus revealed to her the intense love that God has for each and every one of us, as manifested through His Most Sacred Heart, injured and wounded because of our many sins and transgressions.

Eventually, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque revealed her visions to her superior, after a period of struggle and discernment, and the messages she received from the Lord were made known, writing testaments and other works to make the Lord’s intentions known better, for the state, the society and all the people of God. Ever since then, and after having her visions and revelations certified as genuine, the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had actually begun centuries earlier, came to take form in the manner that we are familiar with today, and became widespread among the people throughout Christendom, which continues to this very day, all thanks to the faith, devotion and commitment shown by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having reflected upon the Scripture readings we have heard today, and having listened to the lives and examples of both St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and strive so that we will always be ever more virtuous, worthy and good in all of our works, actions and way of life, in our every interactions with one another. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 15 October 2023 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday through the Scripture readings which we have just heard, all of us are reminded that as God’s beloved and holy people, each and every one of us are partakers of His Covenant and members of His One Church, the one united Body of Christ. Therefore, as we are all parts of this same Church of God, all of us are reminded that all of us should always put our trust and faith in the Lord, and know that it is in Him alone that we can gain true joy and happiness in life, both in this one and the one that is to come. We must also be careful lest we are swayed and tempted to seek for other things and desires which are not in accordance to God’s path, and which may end up leading us into damnation instead of eternal life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord reassured His people through Isaiah, of the coming of the days of true joy and happiness with Him, reminding all of them of the love and all the kindness that He has shown to them and their ancestors in the days past, even as they themselves then were suffering and facing humiliation and indignation due to their own sins and wickedness. Contextually, we have to understand that the prophet Isaiah was delivering the words of the Lord to a people that had been beset by many troubles, difficulties and challenges, as they were faced with many enemies and all those who oppressed them, which also happened because they had abandoned their Lord and God, and chose to follow the worship of the pagan and false gods, over the worship of God.

That was why the Israelites had been divided, fell into hard times and challenges, and by the time of the prophet Isaiah’s ministry, the northern half of the kingdom and the people had been crushed and destroyed by the Assyrians, who have come and conquered the northern kingdom, destroyed and razed its capital of Samaria, and brought off many of the people of God living in that place far away into exile in the lands of Assyria and Mesopotamia, while putting foreigners and other people to dwell in the lands once occupied and dwelled by the Israelites. The southern kingdom of Judah itself had not been spared, and had also faced similar challenges, being subjected to the might of the Assyrians, who almost conquered and destroyed Jerusalem and Judah when King Sennacherib of Assyria came with a mighty army to conquer them. It was only by God’s timely intervention and humiliation of Sennacherib that the people of God were saved.

Thus, the people of God in Judah had received a preview and a foretaste of what God’s salvation will be like, as they are all reminded of just how faithful God has always ever been to His Covenant and promises. After all, the people of Israel are all God’s beloved people and children, and He has made His Covenant with them and their ancestors, renewing them again and again, despite of the people’s lack of faith and frequent rebellions and disobedience against their Lord and Master. God still loved all of them despite of their many transgressions and stubborn attitudes, giving them many opportunities, time and again so that they might find their way back towards Him, opening the way towards His salvation and grace. He has always ever been so generous with His love, mercy and kindness, as He has always done from the very beginning. He could have easily destroyed and wiped us out by the power of His will alone, but instead, He chose to care for us, to heal us from our sins and troubles. We are shown just how beloved we are all to God, from the beginning, now and forevermore.

In our Gospel passage today, we are all reminded that we have all been invited to a life full of joy and happiness, as the Lord Himself has prepared a celebration and banquet for us. He has generously done all these for us, so that by His grace all of us may indeed enjoy forever the fullness of His love and generosity. However, as we heard in that Gospel passage today, many of us often rejected and refused to embrace God’s ever generous offer of love and kindness, as we were often swayed and tempted, distracted and confused because of our many temptations, desires and coercions of this world. In that parable of the wedding banquet, the people and guests whom the king had invited to the banquet, all of them refused to come to the celebration, and they were all busy with their own businesses and preoccupations, and there were even those who killed the ones sent to remind them.

This is a reminder for us that we can be like those who have rejected God’s love and grace, like those wayward guests whom the king had invited to his banquet and yet they all allowed their many distractions and the temptations all around them to get their priorities all wrong. As we heard, they were all punished and destroyed, and they had no part in the king’s banquet and inheritance. Thus, if we also do the same with our own lives, in not heeding God’s words and His call, in rejecting His love and kindness, mercy and compassion, then we will also be rejected in the same manner as well. We are all called to embrace God’s call, His love and mercy, His reminders that we should no longer be ignorant of His love and mercy, and we should not reject His compassion and generous offer of forgiveness. We should answer God’s call with faith and commitment.

And then, we also heard in the end of the same parable in our Gospel today, about how the king invited others who were called to fill up the seats and places vacated by those who have refused to come to the banquet. We heard of how a man, one of the guests, turned up without a wedding garment or a garment suitable for the celebration. As was the custom of that time, and as is also common elsewhere in our world, one ought to turn up in one’s best possible garments, and even the poor people often had their best reserved for the important celebrations in their lives and communities. Therefore, the point that the Lord wanted to make in making that part of the parable is that, in order for us to follow the Lord and to come into His banquet, celebration and into His Holy Presence, all of us need to take up that new garment of faith, and cast off the old garment of wickedness of sin. This is the hidden symbolism that we may often miss out as we read through this parable.

That means all of us must turn away from the temptations of the world, all the things, desires, attachments, all of which had kept us from truly being able to follow the Lord. This had been implied in the earlier part of the same parable, when the earlier invited guests of the king refused to heed the king’s call and invitation because they were all busy and preoccupied with their works and with whatever it is that busied them in their respective lives, their various concerns and attachments. This is why, in the same manner, unless we learn to restrain ourselves, our desires and various attachments, and also unless we strive to resist the temptations to disobey God and sin, it will likely be very difficult for us to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and faithfully as we should have done. In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians reminded the faithful there of the need for all of them, and hence, all of us to trust in the Lord fully, and to heed these words of St. Paul himself, ‘I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.’

Those words remind us all that the Lord and His Presence in our lives will strengthen us and give us the necessary ability, courage and power to do our part in living a most worthy and virtuous life, in becoming good, faithful and committed Christians, as God’s beloved children and people at all times and in all opportunities. We must always keep in mind that we are all, and we should indeed be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters, all around us. We should embrace God’s path, His ways and teachings wholeheartedly, and do whatever we can so that we truly wear the worthy garments of our faith, as we come to the Lord, to be part of His heavenly banquet, to enter into the glorious kingdom that He has prepared for each and every one of us. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all, and may He continue to lead us down the path of righteousness and virtue towards Him, free from wickedness, sin, desire and evil, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that as God’s faithful people, His followers and disciples, each and every one of us are part of His flock and kingdom, His family and inheritance. Each and every one of us should always heed His words, listen to Him speaking in our hearts and minds, and allow Him to lead and guide us in our path and journey throughout life. We must trust in the Lord and we must do what He has commanded and taught us to do, so that in all of our actions, words and deeds, we will always be full of love for God, righteous and virtuous in our works and way of life, and we may indeed be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, His Good News at all times, being good inspirations to one another.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Joel, we are reminded of God’s love and grace, His providence and kindness to His beloved people, that despite of their many sins and wickedness, which had brought them down and made them to suffer condemnation and humiliations, but God did not wish for them to remain in that despicable state caused by their own folly and disobedience. The Lord has always patiently reached out to them, gave them His help and assistance, and sent His prophets and messengers to lead and guide them down the right path. He has always pointed them all to the right path, and has called on all of them to follow this same path. Those who are willing to listen to His words and obey His commandments will be vindicated, found worthy and will receive the inheritance promised to them, to live with God in glory and true joy in the end.

The Lord promised all of His people that they would no longer be despondent or afflicted, and that they would once again enjoy the favour of His love and compassion, as He has always intended them to be. God has always loved all of the ones that are precious to Him, and He does not want any of them to fall into their fallen state due to their unwillingness to obey His Law and commandments, and by their abandonment of His tenets and precepts, in favour of following and worshipping pagan idols and false gods, that had brought about ruin upon themselves, and which they had ben chastised for. God reminded all of His beloved ones that in the end, His love for them will triumph, and if they side with Him, then they all shall share in His most wonderful love.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the very simple reminder from the Lord, as He responded to one of those who told Him that His mother and relatives are truly blessed, and especially so, His mother who has given birth and raised Him. To this statement, the Lord responded by saying that all those who listen to the Lord and follow Him, obeying His will and commandments, doing what they are all supposed to do in their lives, all are bound to be blessed, and will be the benefactors of everything which God has promised His faithful ones. He was not saying this out of disrespect of His mother, but in fact, the Lord was pointing at the perfect example of Mary herself, who as the most faithful and committed servant of God, together with the other saints of God, are great role models for us to follow.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy saints, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose commitment and actions should inspire us all in our own lives, in how we ourselves can become good and committed disciples of the Lord, in all of our actions and works. Pope St. Callistus I was the Pope and leader of the Universal Church, as the Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, during a difficult time in the Church’s history, as at that time, persecutions were rampant against the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Oppression and sufferings were often part of life for many of the Lord’s faithful people, who had to endure those sufferings simply because of their faith in God.

Amidst all of these, Pope St. Callistus I, who was a deacon and assistant to the Pope St. Zephyrinus, in managing the catacombs of the city of Rome, serving the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Rome, and then eventually becoming the successor of the same Pope St. Zephyrinus, he had involved himself with many of the works and the service for the sake of God’s people, caring for both of their physical and spiritual needs. The Lord has called Pope St. Callistus I to be His Vicar, and he carried out his duties most diligently, in embracing all of the people of God, including those who have lapsed from the faith and fallen into sin. At that time, this matter of welcoming and allowing lapsed Christians who have given in to the pressure to worship pagan gods and idols, either by choice or not, had caused great divisions and disagreements in the Church.

This division and disagreement had led to one of the first schisms in the Church, as St. Hippolytus, a popular priest and preacher who disagreed with the practice of readmitting lapsed Christians without proper penance and consequences, was elected as a rival Pope to Pope St. Callistus I, becoming the first antipope. Pope St. Callistus I was determined to bridge the differences and worked hard to lead the people of God amidst the turbulent times, beset from all directions, both from outside and within, in the many persecutions and challenges that the faithful people of God were facing daily, and in the disagreements that turned fellow Christians against each other. Pope St. Callistus I patiently led the Church throughout all of that, and remained firm in his faith and conviction in dedicating himself and the Church to God. In the end, he was martyred for his faith, during one of those persecutions, but his efforts helped the Church to remain strong throughout the challenging years.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow in the good examples and in the inspiring actions of Pope St. Callistus I, and let us walk ever more faithfully in the path which God has set before us, in all that He has shown and taught us to do. Pope St. Callistus I has shown all of us what it truly means for us to be good and devout Christians, as God’s followers and disciples. We must always do whatever we can, in all the opportunities given to us so that our every words, actions and deeds truly show this commitment and faith in the Lord. May God continue to guide us all and strengthen each one of us in our courage and resolve to live our lives faithfully in Him, and to embrace once again the fullness of His love and mercy. Let us stay away from the path of sin and evil, and instead, strive to live our lives fully and worthily as good Christians from now on. Amen.

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Friday, 13 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that we are all truly blessed that we have the Lord our God, Who has always cared for us and never ceased to send us help whenever we need that help. He has always ever been generous with His grace and love, and He wants each and every one of His beloved and faithful ones to be reunited with Him, that we may find our way back once again towards Him. We have once been lost to God because of our disobedience and rebellion against Him, which brought about sin and our downfall. But God has never given up on us, and He has always patiently cared for us and looked out for us despite our frequent and constant rebelliousness and disobedience against Him.

In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Joel we heard of the Lord calling on all of His people through Joel to be repentant and to regret their sins and wickedness, remembering how the Lord has been kind and merciful towards them and their ancestors. The prophet Joel was sent to the people of Israel at the time of their sufferings and hardships because they had disobeyed and abandoned the Law and the commandments of God as passed down to them through their ancestors. It was not conclusive according to historical and Scriptural evidence available, whether Joel ministered to the people of God before or after the destruction of Israel and Judah, as the words and the events depicted in the Book of Joel could refer to both before and after the periods when the people of God were exiled from their lands.

Regardless of the fact and the timeline of his work and ministry, the prophet Joel brought about the much needed reminders for the people of God that they should not take God’s love for granted, because the day of God’s reckoning will come for each one of them, and if they are to be caught unprepared and unaware of, steeped in their sins and wickedness, in their evil and vile ways, then unfortunately what remains in store for them will be an eternity of regret and despair. This is because God has always been kind, patient and merciful in all of His actions and outreach towards us, but there is also a limit to how much we can be part of that love and grace, as if we constantly and repeatedly refused and rejected that mercy and love, then it is by our own conscious choice that we have landed ourselves a place in hell and eternal damnation.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the confrontation between the Lord Jesus and some of those who have accused Him of colluding with the demonic forces, that of the prince of demons, Beelzebul, in performing His miracles and works, particularly in the casting out of evil spirits and demons. The Lord immediately rebuked all those who accused Him of such falsehoods, and pointed out the utter folly of such an idea and suggestion, that the forces of evil were divided amongst themselves. As we heard, the Lord used the comparison and analogy with that of a worldly realm and kingdom that would not have been able to stand together and remain strong if its members and parts are locked in disagreements, rebellions and civil wars against each other. Hence, in the same manner, it was a folly and indeed blasphemy for those people to accuse the Lord Jesus of colluding with Beelzebul.

The fact is that, the forces of evil, of Satan, Beelzebul, of all the princes and lords of demons and other evil spirits, all of them may indeed have their own agenda and aims, and they may differ in the methods of their actions and works against us, but they are all no less united in their constant and works in striking out against us, in their campaign and efforts to lead us away from God and His salvation. It is therefore nonsense to say that the devil and his associates are conflicting and being divided against each other, as they were quite united in their hatred and efforts against us, in tearing us away from the path that God has shown us and prepared for us. They repeated and constantly tempted all of us to walk away from the Lord.

In truth, the attitudes of all those who have accused the Lord wrongly of collusion with Beelzebul was yet another effort by the evil ones in trying to divide us all and to turn us away from the path towards God. By attempting to discredit the Lord and His works, His miracles and power, the devil and all of his allies, all the forces of evil were trying and working hard to snatch us away from God and His salvation. They sowed those doubts, mistrusts, lies and all the misinformations in order to confuse us, keeping us away from the ability to fully trust in the Lord, and to hold onto faith in Him. And that is exactly where those wicked forces will come and swoop in, tempting and misleading us down the wrong paths in life.

This is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we remember and reflect upon these readings from the Scriptures today, let us all do whatever we can so that we may rid ourselves of all these corruptions and temptations present all around us. Let us all strive to do our best in living our lives with ever greater zeal and effort, to do what God has taught and shown us to do, which He had done through His own Son, His prophets and servants. We are all reminded that we should always do what is right and just according to the Law of God, and keep ourselves free from the wickedness and sins present all around us, not allowing the wicked and evil spirits to dissuade, mislead and drag us away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. Let us always put our faith and trust in the Lord, now and always.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through our lives, and may He empower each and every one of us with the courage and the willingness to walk in His path, so that in all things we may always ever be faithful and committed to His cause. May all of us dedicate our time and effort, that we may become ever better and ever more faithful role models and inspirations of our Christian faith, in all opportunities and at all times. Can we be the ever more worthy and devoted servants of God, and be His most faithful disciples, now and always, brothers and sisters in Christ? May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, our works and dedications, at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 12 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are all reminded that all of us should always listen to the Lord, our loving Father and Creator, and be obedient to His will, His words and commandments. As Christians, each and every one of us have been adopted and made to be God’s own sons and daughters, and therefore, with God as our own Father, we should do what He has taught us to do, and we should not do things which are not in accordance to His will and His ways, or otherwise, we will be held accountable for all of our actions and way of life, and if we have not been doing what we have been asked to do, or if our actions have been wicked and sinful, then we will have to answer and face the consequences of all of those on the Day of Judgment.

In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Malachi, we heard of the Lord’s words to His people, reminding all of them how He has always been patient and kind towards them, and how He has always cared for them and loved them despite their many and repeated transgressions. And yet, we also heard how the people were ignorant of their transgressions, wickedness and sins, and hence, they continued to sin against Him. There were of course those who have listened to the Lord and heeded His words, and then returned back to the Lord, being repentant over their sins. The Lord then highlighted to all of the people how the righteous and just would be vindicated, blessed and receive the fullness of God’s grace, inheritance and love, while the wicked would perish by their sins and evils.

This is why all of us are today both reminded of God’s love, mercy and compassion, and at the same time, also His hatred against sin, wickedness and evil, against all sorts of disobedience and vile things of this world, His justice and the punishments that He will mete out against those who have sinned and refused to repent from those sins. God is always full and rich with His mercy, ever generous with His love, compassion and kindness, having always reached out to us, at all times and in all and every opportunities, giving us all many chances, one after another, reminding us and helping us all throughout our way that we may turn away from our wrong, mistaken and evil paths, and embrace once again the path of God’s righteousness and truth, His wisdom and love, and be filled once again with His grace, love and truth. It is our calling as Christians to embrace this path, and to help others all around us to walk down this same path.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke, in which the Lord compared the love of God with the love of a most loving father, who has always cared for his beloved children, no matter in what circumstances and what background they have. God had created us all with love, and He has always cared for us, at all opportunities, and hence, He loves us all, cares genuinely for us, and He wants to remind us to always be filled with the same love that He has for us, and to be ever righteous and good to one another all around us. The Lord Jesus mentioned how there is no friend who would not be moved to help should one look for assistance and help, or else, that friend is truly no real friend at all. If a friend can be moved and touched to help and assist us when we are in need, and when we ask them, then all the more that God, our loving Father will help us and assist us, when we are in need and if we ask Him.

However, more often than not, we do not turn to our Lord first, as we often sought for consolation, help and assistance from our worldly means and abilities, our various tools and other worldly methods in order to settle our problems and issues. And that is why we end up getting further and further away from the path that the Lord has set before us, as we ended up following the whim of our own desires, and the many temptations and pressures all around us. Not only that, but we are also often reluctant to ask the Lord for help and assistance, and we keep Him as a distant figure away from us, which we have only remembered whenever we are in desperate need for help, and yet, on other occasions, we tend to forget about Him and ignore Him, His words, His commandments and Law, and choose to live our lives in our own way.

Then, it is also our pride and ego which have often kept us away from the Lord and His path. We are often too proud to admit that we are flawed and imperfect, with inability to do things on our own and without God’s help and assistance. That is why we tend to follow our own path and ways, and do things in our own way, disregarded the Lord’s words and commandments, and ignoring all the advice and help which He has always provided to us all along the way. But, more often than not we ended up doing things even worse, and make things fail even further. For truly without the Lord, our loving God and Father, we cannot truly and fully realise our potential and works in this life. It is only by God’s grace and help, His guidance, wisdom and love, that each and every one can truly walk down the path of true greatness and grace, and be exemplary and great role models of our faith.

That is why all of us must always strive to be humble before the Lord, and to be open-minded and be willing to embrace God and His path, in all of our days, and in all opportunities and moments. We must always be in touch with the Lord’s will, and strive to communicate with Him, and to find out what it is that He has intended for us to do with our respective lives. Otherwise, without that close and vibrant relationship that we ought to have with the Lord, we may end up easily being swayed and tempted by the many currents of worldly temptations and evils, with all the wicked desires and all the things that had kept us away from the Lord. This is why, as Christians, all of us cannot have a shallow faith or faith that is merely superficial in nature. We must have a strong and genuine faith that is rooted in strong love for the Lord, and in the strong desire to commit ourselves to Him, at all times, and we can do that, through our good habits in cultivating a life full of prayer and virtue.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the Lord faithfully from now on, deepening our relationship with Him through prayer and devotion, and by spending more quality time with Him, that we always seek to keep in touch with our loving God and Father in all things. We must not lose focus and attention on the path that God has shown us, and we should always kept Him at the centre and as the focus of our whole lives and existence. May the Lord continue to help and guide us in all of our efforts and journey throughout life. May He empower each and every one of us, and give us the courage and strength to do His will. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 11 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John XXIII, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of God’s great love and mercy to all of us, His beloved people, as He has always reached out to us, patiently leading and guiding all of us towards Himself, and He has never given up on us, no matter how much we have rebelled against Him and disobeyed Him, as He constantly still tried to reach out to us, loving us, caring for us and giving us help along the way so that hopefully we may be able to find our way towards Him. As our loving Father and Creator, God wants us to experience His love and kindness, just as He is also stern and serious whenever He disciplines us as we erred and made mistakes along our journey in life. In the end, those who have constantly rejected the Lord and refused His mercy and love, had condemned themselves by their stubbornness and actions.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the story from the Book of Jonah in which the prophet Jonah was unhappy because everything that he had worked in going forth all the way to Nineveh, the capital and great city of the Assyrian Empire, and proclaiming its destruction and downfall, did not happen because the Lord took pity on the people of Nineveh on the account of their repentance and regret over their many sins and wickedness, and their very much public show of regret and remorse over their many sins. For the mighty and proud Assyrian Empire, which had boasted over its many achievements and power, in conquering and ruling over many cities and nations, this was indeed extraordinary and unheard of, that a whole city and its people humbled themselves before God.

The Lord wanted Jonah to understand that He never actually intended or desired the destruction of any one of us. This is because each and every one of us mankind are dear to Him, and He does not want any one of us to be lost to Him forever, unless if it is by their own choice and conscious decision that they constantly and repeatedly rejected His ever persistent and enduring offer of love, kindness, compassion and mercy. Yet, Jonah was being selfish at that time, because he was complaining to the Lord about the great heat when a castor oil plant that shaded him died, and yet, he wanted the destruction of the whole entire city of Nineveh, and its a hundred and twenty thousand people according to the Scriptures, just because it was kind of a vindication of his efforts and works in answering God’s call.

Initially, Jonah refused to do what the Lord had called and entrusted to him to do, trying to flee from the Lord, and then later on, when the Lord brought a great storm that threatened to sink his ship, he eventually continued to carry out his mission as intended. He might have felt that he was entitled to see the destruction of Nineveh as after all, that was the message that God had intended and assigned him to deliver to that city and its people. However, he was essentially making a presumption that God desired the destruction of the people of Nineveh, and assumed that he knew of what God truly wanted, when that was not the case. But what God truly wanted from all of us, even the worst among sinners, is for us to be fully reconciled and reunited with Him, by embracing the rich forgiveness that He has offered us.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account from the Gospel of St. Luke regarding the time when the disciples of the Lord asked Him about how they ought to pray to the Lord, and then the Lord taught them all how to pray with the prayer which we all certainly know really well, that is the Pater Noster, also known as the ‘Our Father’ and as the Lord’s Prayer. Through that prayer, the Lord highlighted to us what it truly means for us to pray to God, to seek the Lord, our loving Father, and to commit ourselves to Him in prayer, and in communicating with Him, speaking and spending time with Him, asking Him for His blessing, guidance and help in all of our lives. The Lord’s Prayer is truly an example and inspiration through which all of us should follow, in committing ourselves to a life of prayer and devotion to God.

Why is that so, brothers and sisters? That is because the Lord’s Prayer is the example and the perfect prayer that we all should emulate in how we ourselves pray to the Lord. In our prayers, we should not be full of self-praise and full of litany of requests, or even demands, in asking the Lord to do things for us. Prayer is not meant for us to demand that the Lord does things for our sake, or that we ask Him to intervene for us, when we are in need and then ignore Him at other times and moments. Prayer is in fact the means through which we come to communicate with God and as we ought to do so with reverence and sincerity, and with genuine love and desire to seek the Lord. Like we heard in the Lord’s Prayer, prayer is not about us, but in fact, is about us seeking to glorify God and to thank Him for everything that He has done for us, and is a reminder for us to always listen to God and obey Him at all times.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. John XXIII, one of the more recent Popes who have lived and reigned as the Pope, Supreme Pontiff and Vicar of Christ in the middle of the twentieth century, leading the Church through rapidly changing and turbulent times, and was especially well-known for his contributions in convoking the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as the Vatican II Council. Through his examples, Pope St. John XXIII should indeed be a great role model and inspiration for all of us in how we all should live our lives as true and genuine Christians, in all the things that we say and do in life. He was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in a poor family of Bergamo in northern part of Italy today. Despite having been born into a poor family, the young Angelo Roncalli was brought up well in the faith by his devout parents.

Eventually the young future Pope St. John XXIII entered the seminary and after a period in formation, was ordained as a priest, in which he then experienced firsthand the challenges of the people and the workers then, under the tutelage of his mentor, Bishop Giocomo Radini-Tedeschi, the then Bishop of Bergamo, who was a champion of the rights of the workers at the time, and impacted the young Angelo Roncalli greatly, as he was Bishop Radini-Tedeschi’s secretary then, until the latter passed away. Then, the young priest experienced the ministry among the trenches and warfare during the First World War before being appointed as the Apostolic Delegate and representative of the Pope to Bulgaria, and ordained as a bishop in the years following the war.

The experiences of the earlier days Pope St. John XXIII in his years as Apostolic Nuncio to Bulgaria, and then Greece and Turkey, and finally Apostolic Nuncio to France greatly expanded his horizons and views of the world, its divergent and great variety of peoples and groups, and in his ability to negotiate and work with various parties and collaborators of the works of faith. In Bulgaria, he was instrumental in making bridges and connections with the separated brethren from the Orthodox Church, while during his tenure in France, he helped to repair the often tense relationship between the Church and the state. As Patriarch of Venice for several years, he would continue to do what he has always passionately and courageously done since his youth and earlier days as a priest, that is dedicating himself to his flock and all those who had been entrusted to him.

As Pope, Pope St. John XXIII devoted himself to many great works and efforts, in leading a reform to the Church, by convoking and announcing the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican as mentioned, helping to bring the Church, its practices and beliefs more up-to-date in responding to the challenges and the difficulties faced by the faithful due to the rapidly changing world and conditions. He was also instrumental in his efforts to bring about peace between the feuding superpowers in the Cold War, namely the United States of America and the Soviet Union, particularly during the intense crisis in Cuba that almost led the world to nuclear war and total destruction, publishing his Papal Encyclical, Pacem in Terris or ‘Peace on Earth’, calling upon peace between peoples and nations. To the very end of his life, Pope St. John XXIII continued to labour greatly for the Lord’s sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have all been reminded by the inspiring examples set by Pope St. John XXIII, in his life and ministry, let us all therefore strive to do our best in our own lives, in our every words, actions and deeds so that we may indeed be great role models of our Christian faith and virtues, and be the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love. Let us all obey the Lord ever more faithfully in all of our lives and actions, entrusting ourselves to His will. May all of us continue to bear the Good News and love of God ever more faithfully in our lives, and strive to be ever more faithful in all the things we do in life, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 10 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded today to have a listening ear to God’s words and call in our hearts and minds. God has spoken to us in various ways, and He has always reached out to us patiently, urging and leading us all to return to His path once again. He wants all of us to be reconciled with Him, and He wants each and every one of us to be filled with love and grace once again, to be truly worthy of everything that He has prepared for us, meant for us and wanted us to inherit from the very beginning of it all. All of us as God’s beloved people are reminded today through these Scripture passages to be ever more willing to heed God’s words, reminders, and His will for us, as He has always constantly reminded us in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jonah in which the announcement of Nineveh’s downfall and destruction was made by the prophet Jonah against that proud and mighty city, which was the then capital of the aggressive and expansionist Assyrian Empire. The Lord announced His judgment against Nineveh and its people, because of all the wickedness which they had done, and delivered it to them through Jonah. We heard how the Assyrians in Nineveh, right from its king, all the way down to the simplest, humblest and smallest among its inhabitants all immediately humbled themselves before the Lord and made public show of repentance and regret for their sins. They clearly also seemed to genuinely repentant over their sins, of having committed many wicked deeds prior to that, and even if not, contextually for such proud people and nation, at the pinnacle of their glory, to humble themselves in such a way was truly unprecedented.

What matters is that, those people of Nineveh, the great and proud city of the Assyrians, were willing to listen to the Lord, and change their ways, that while they were truly wicked, evil and sinful in what they had done previously, in disregarding God’s Law and His ways, in committing atrocities and a lot of evil deeds, but they were willing to repent from those sinful deeds and actions, and publicly showed remorse for those wickedness. Through all of these, we are all reminded that first of all, God never despised any one of us, as what He despised is our sins and wickedness, our evil deeds and actions, and not us as individual persons, after all, God has created us because of His love for us.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the story of what happened when the Lord Jesus visited the house of His friends, Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus, whom the Lord would resurrect from the dead, and they were quite close to the Lord. We heard how Martha was very busy preparing everything for the Lord, which we can assume to be activities and chores like cooking, cleaning among other things. Meanwhile, as we heard that Mary, Martha’s sister, chose to sit and listen to the Lord teaching and speaking to her. Martha became annoyed at her sister and told the Lord to tell her sister to give her some help, only for the Lord to lightly rebuke her and said that Martha herself should do what is important, and that is to welcome the Lord and listen to Him, spending quality time with Him rather than being distracted by the many tasks and preparations that had to be done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it does not mean that whatever things which Martha had done was bad, sinful or terrible. In fact, as we heard from the Scriptures, it was quite evident that Martha genuinely busied herself with the preparations and all the chores because she really wanted to give the Lord a proper welcome, and she did all of them out of good intent and purposes. However, in her focus and attempts to do her best in achieving her efforts to please the Lord in her hospitality, it was likely that Martha was too focused on her work and ended up forgetting what truly matters in the end, that is the Lord Himself, that instead of spending good and quality time with Him, she ended up spending more time and focus on all those chores and work instead.

That is why, as we reflect upon these words from the Sacred Scriptures, let us all keep in mind of the need for us to listen to the Lord and to open our minds and hearts that we may truly communicate with Him, and place Him once again at the centre and as the focus of our lives and attention. Without this focus, we will easily end up being distracted by the many things, attachments and concerns present all around us, that we may end up walking down the wrong path, losing our focus and attention on the Lord, His ways and teachings, which we should have been following throughout our lives. The Lord wants to remind us that we should always keep our focus on Him, and try our best not to be easily distracted by the many temptations and distractions present in the world all around us.

How do we do that, brothers and sisters in Christ? First of all, we should have the humility to realise that we all need God in our lives, and that we need His wisdom and love, His grace and compassion, at all times. We need to remind ourselves that our lives do not just revolve around ourselves, and we cannot exist without God. We have to keep ourselves, our attention and our gaze towards the Lord, desiring to be reunited with Him and to walk in His path as always. We should keep ourselves away from the path of disobedience, sin and evil, and guard ourselves, being ever vigilant so that we may not fall into temptations and the allures of false pleasures and glory, which may cause us to be corrupted by the falsehoods and lies that the evil one and all those seeking our downfall and destruction had spread to us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive from now on to do God’s will in all opportunities and at all times, and let us all be the good inspiration and examples for one another, in how we live our lives so that we may always be exemplary in our path and in how we commit ourselves with devotion to God. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey and path towards Him, so that we may inspire many others, and we may truly live our lives worthily as good and faithful Christians, in all times and opportunities. May all of us be good role models and be good and shining beacons of God’s light and truth to all the others present in this whole world. May God bless us all and may He help us in our path and journey, all throughout our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.