Weekday Homily

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Friday, 4 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Vianney, Priest and Patron of All Priests (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded and called to remember the Lord, obey His Law and commandments, celebrate the feasts and festivals that He had appointed and placed before us, and which His Church had stipulated for us to commemorate. We should remain active in the living of our faith and participate as much as possible in the life of the Church and in Christian actions and commitments. Those are our calling and our responsibilities as the ones whom God had called and chosen, as Christians, as the holy people of God. We cannot ignore these responsibilities and we cannot be idle and ignorant, in disregarding what we are expected and what we have been shown to do by the Lord Himself. As long as we remain idle in our faith and close ourselves against the truth of God, His words and love, then we will likely remain distant and away from Him and His grace.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Leviticus, we heard of the Lord speaking to His servant Moses, in which He told him to tell the people how they should celebrate their various events and celebrations of faith, and all those celebrations were meant to keep so that they would always put the Lord and His precepts and laws at the very centre and as the focus of the whole entire community. Those were not just merely celebrations and spectacles, but in truth, they helped to keep the Lord present in the hearts and minds of the people, who were often rebellious and delinquent in their activities and lives. They have often disobeyed the Lord and abandoned Him for pagan gods and false idols, and hence, that was why the Lord gave them His Law and commandments, and all those celebrations to remind them of the path that they all should follow, and the way that they should obey in their lives.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the time when the Lord Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. He was not well-received over there as many among the people doubted Him and ridiculed Him when they heard Him teaching before them, proclaiming the Good News and truth of God. The Lord has proclaimed the fulfilment of the prophecies and the words that the prophets had spoken, particularly that of the prophet Isaiah regarding the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour that God has promised to all of His beloved ones. That was because they presumed and thought that they knew Him better and that He could not have been the Messiah simply by Him being the mere Son of the village carpenter, St. Joseph, His forefather. The people thought that it was impossible for the Lord Jesus to be the Saviour and doubted and could not reconcile how His supposedly humble origins and background led to such great Wisdom and Authority.

Why was that so? It was because they did not have a strong and enduring faith in the Lord. They also did not see things through the eyes of faith, and instead, they saw things from the worldly perspectives, with their biases and prejudices. They thought that a carpenter, being then a job that no one wanted to do, and as a lowly profession could not have possibly been great and glorious, or educated and intellectual, and hence, they looked down on the Lord because of that, especially since many of them had seen and witnessed Him growing up in His youth as the Son of the local carpenter, and they refused to let their prejudices and biases to go away, and despite the great wisdom that the Lord had shown, and the news of all the miracles, wonders and signs that He had performed in the areas of Galilee, they refused to believe in Him.

That is why there is a need for all of us as Christians to turn away from our many worldly attachments and prejudices, and we should purify ourselves and keep ourselves free from the corrupting influences of the world. Otherwise we may end up falling deeper and deeper into the wrong path, the path of sin and evil, the path of disobedience and rebellion, lacking in faith just as our predecessors have shown in their actions, in how they rejected and abandoned the Lord, even after they had seen His wonders, His love and faithfulness to the Covenant that He had made and established with all of them. This is also why we should dedicate ourselves and our time and effort, our every actions, words and deeds to Him, following in the footsteps and examples of our holy predecessors, the holy men and women, saints of God.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Vianney, also known as John Maria Vianney, a simple parish priest from the village or town of Ars in southern part of what is today France. St. John Vianney was born into a simple, devout and faithful family where he grew up in faith and dedication to God, and grew to love the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, which gradually made him to come to realisation of the calling to be a priest. Hence, he began his education with the intention of becoming a priest and answering his calling. He did not have an easy time with all the preparations as he struggled with all the academic requirements and especially with the learning of the Latin language, the official and liturgical language of the Church. While he failed that again and again, it was his determination and desire to serve the Lord as a priest which kept him going and he eventually succeeded in doing so after facing many challenges, including the disruptions due to the Napoleonic wars that happened at the time.

St. John Vianney was assigned to a small parish church in the small town of Ars, far from the great churches and parishes, the large religious institutions where the ambitious among the clergy tried to get into those days. However, St. John Vianney was in the priesthood not for the glory or achievement, ambition or worldly fame. Instead, it was his very intense love for the Lord and his love for his fellow brothers and sisters, who have been entrusted to his care that led him to a very deep and committed life as a parish priest, which soon began to earn him the fame of being a truly holy and devout man of God. He spent many hours in the confessional, waiting for many people, which crowd kept on growing, to confess their sins and to ask him for guidance in life, just as he patiently helped to guide the people back to the Lord, in his patient, compassionate and yet firm and persistent preaching and homilies, which were meant to help the people to resist the indifference to the Church and the faith.

More and more people came to know of this holy man and priest of Ars, and thousands came to flock upon the small town as pilgrims and as sinners seeking God’s forgiveness and mercy. Miraculous tales, stories and events came in droves as many recounted how they received great graces from God through the words and actions of St. John Vianney, and how in one case, it was told that St. John Vianney could even communicate with the suffering souls in purgatory, and asking the living to pray for them. Throughout his life, St. John Vianney had done many great and wonderful works, by which he had brought countless souls back towards the Lord and to His salvation. He has inspired many generations priests and other faithful alike, in their renewed commitment to serve and follow the Lord in their lives and works. St. John Vianney might have been born to a simple family and had a simple, unassuming life and work, but in his love for God and in his commitment, his great efforts and dedication, he has been a great inspiration and role model to many others.

Now, the question is, brothers and sisters in Christ, are we willing and able to follow the great examples showed by St. John Vianney and the many other holy men and women who had gone before us, and who have shown us how we should all live our lives before the Lord? Are we able to turn away from the corruptions of worldly attachments and greed, desires and glory, and return our focus and attention back to the Lord? Are we capable of committing ourselves more wholeheartedly to the Lord and develop an ever better relationship with Him? May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our path, and may He empower and ever encourage us always so that we can continue to strive to live our lives as faithful and devout Christians, as God’s beloved and holy people. Amen.

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Thursday, 3 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded yet again of God’s ever encompassing presence, love and kindness, by which He gathered each and every one of us, His beloved ones, from being scattered all over the whole world. He came into our midst, dwelling among us, showing us all how much He has loved us all these while. And He came into our midst bearing His truth and love, His Law and commandments, His path and salvation. He established His Kingdom and dominion over all of us, delivering us all from the tyranny and power of sin and evil, which have had power and control over all of us, for a really long time, just like how God has come and rescued His people, the Israelites, from the tyranny and dominion of the Egyptians and their king, the Pharaoh.

In our first reading today, all of us heard from the final chapter of the Book of Exodus in which the details about the building and establishment of the Holy Tent or the Tent of Meeting, the centrepiece and focus of the whole community of the people of Israel where the Lord’s very own Holy Presence resided among His people, enthroned upon the cherubim statues on the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant itself contained the two slabs of stone with the Ten Commandments of the Lord, the Staff of Aaron and the manna, the bread of heaven by which God gave the people of Israel sustenance throughout their journey in the desert. Then, we may also not realise it at first, but the Ark of the Covenant and all the things contained within were actually a prefigurement of the New Covenant that God would bring unto this world.

How is that so? That is because Mary, the Mother of God, according to the teachings and traditions of the Church, is the New Ark of the New Covenant, by bearing within her the Lord and Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And because through His Son, our Saviour, God established with us a New and Eternal Covenant, thus reconciling us all to Himself and establishing with us that enduring and lasting connection by which God willed us all to come to Him and to be reunited to Him. If the Holy Tent of Meeting represented the love and the willingness of God to be with His people, even while He was still intangible in His Holy Presence upon the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies of the Tent and later on the Temple of God in Jerusalem, then by the incarnation of the Son and Word of God Himself in the flesh, becoming the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, God has revealed unto all of us His love manifested perfectly in the flesh, before all of us.

Yes, it means not only that His love has been made manifested even more clearly to us, but His love and truth, His glory and Presence have been made tangible and approachable to us. The Lord Himself came into our midst, walking in our sight and dwelling place, and coming to touch us and to bring healing upon us all. And in our Gospel passage today, the same Christ, Son of God, our Saviour, revealed more of the Lord’s intentions in leading us all to salvation and eternal life in Him and through Him. God does not abandon us all and He has always patiently guided us to Himself. However, at the same time we must also realise that we cannot take God’s love and patient care for us for granted, just as the Gospel passage today highlighted how the kingdom of heaven, which reach is truly great, gathering all the faithful people of God, but those who remain out of its reach to the end shall be crushed and destroyed.

We are all therefore reminded each and every moment that we are the disciples of the Lord, His followers and beloved people, and all of us have been given so many opportunities and chances to seek the Lord, His forgiveness and grace. Each and every one of us have been called to seek the Lord, to find Him and to gain His forgiveness. If we are truly God’s people, then we should not have disobeyed against Him and sinned against Him, and we should not allow the temptations of worldly glory, fame and desires to lead us astray. The Lord has extended to us many chances and opportunities for us to seek Him, again and again, as He reached out to us with love, and He sent unto us His most generous forgiveness, promised unto us through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. And it is now truly up to us to embrace His love and forgiveness that He has given us most freely and most generously.

Many of us and our predecessors had remained in the path of sin and evil because we did not open our hearts and minds to the Lord, and we did not let Him to enter into our beings, to transform us from the creatures and people of darkness into the people and creature of light. All of us have the capacity and the potential to do what is good, right and just in the presence of God, or to do what is evil and wicked in the sight of the Lord. It is our free will and choice to do what we can, be it good or bad, just or evil, and we have been given the wisdom and the ability to embrace this choice, and it is really up to us to choose our path in life. Are we going to continue to follow the false way of worldly temptations and evils, the allures of worldly attachments and glories, or are we going to embrace the Lord more wholeheartedly and dedicate ourselves henceforth with our whole heart and mind, in following God at all and every moments of our lives?

Let us all therefore discern carefully our path going forward in this life, and let us all turn once again towards God’s ever generous love and mercy. Let us all no longer be ignorant of this love and compassionate mercy that God has given us, ever since the very beginning, be thankful and be grateful for all that He had done for us. Let us no longer be wayward and rebellious in our path and way of life. Let our every actions, words and deeds, our every moments and our every interactions be filled with God’s grace and love, and be truly exemplary and faithful to Him, so that by our role model and great examples we may inspire many others who see and witness our works and lives, and all those whom we encounter and interact with, may all of us be the guiding beacons of God’s light and truth. It is through each and every one of us, that the kingdom of God becomes manifest in this world, through our every actions and exemplary deeds.

May the Lord our God, our Saviour and King continue to be with us and may He guide and empower each and every one of us in our journey and faith in life. May He bless our every actions and endeavours, our every good efforts so that in everything that we do, we will always commit ourselves to the cause and the path that the Lord has shown us, the path of His righteousness and justice. May God be with us always, and bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 2 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop and St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops and Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we heard of the word of God from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to come ever closer to the Lord and to seek His treasures of truth and love, of His glorious majesty and compassionate kindness, which He has always generously and richly granted to us. All of us as Christians are God’s beloved people, and we have all received His wisdom and truth, through the Holy Spirit that He has imparted upon us. However, many of us still do not realise the importance and the value of these treasures of faith which the Lord has promised us, and which He has shown and revealed to us. Instead, many of us are busy in pursuing worldly treasures and pursuits of worldly glory and pleasures, which truly distracted us from the path of righteousness, virtue and grace, through which we can reach out to the Lord and to His salvation.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard the continuation of the story of what happened around the time when the Israelites were camping at Mount Sinai, the holy Mountain of God, where Moses, God’s servant and the leader of the Israelites went up and gained for the people of God, for all of us, the set of Law and commandments, especially the Ten Commandments which God set over all of His beloved people, to guide and help them to remain true to the Covenant which He had set up with all of them. The Lord has called upon all of His people to follow Him faithfully, as He freed them from the slavery in Egypt. Many of them had grumbled and rebelled against Him, and just right after He gave them His Law and His Covenant, they established and built a golden calf idol to be their god and lord over them, in defiance and betrayal of God’s love and kindness.

But God forgave His people and showed them His most wonderful mercy. Those who were responsible most for the rebellion and the disgraceful pagan worship of the golden calf were crushed and made to suffer the consequences of their sins, while the rest of the people repented from their mistakes. And hence, as we heard, God did not hate us all and instead, He truly loves each one of us, but He detested and despised the sins and wickedness that we have committed in our lives. Each one of us should not take God’s love for granted and we should not spurn the love that He has always generously lavished upon us all these while. Like the people of Israel, who had often been ungrateful of the love of God despite them having been shown the great compassion and love of God in many occasions, and yet, they still grumbled, disobeyed and rebelled against God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the parables that the Lord used in revealing the truth and knowledge of the kingdom of God to His disciples, that is with the examples of the treasures of the field and also the pearl of great price. Those examples represent just how important the great graces and blessings of God can be to us, and how each and every one of us should learn to put the Lord and His truth, Law and commandments as the centre and focus of our attention and our whole lives. We should not allow the worldly temptations and the allure of power, greed and desire to turn us away from the righteousness and salvation in God, just as those had mislead and misguided the people of God in the past, in their inability to resist the temptations of evil and sin, of worldly attachments, of glory and fame, amongst many others. The Lord has always been patient in guiding them all to His path, and sent His messengers to help and correct the people whenever they were wrong.

That is why, today all of us are reminded as Christians, as God’s beloved people, that we should always strive to lead a life that is truly worthy of the Lord as well as exemplary and filled with righteousness and justice. We should not allow the false treasures, pleasures and the excesses of our worldly existence and life to prevent us and to become obstacles in our path and journey towards the Lord. We have to keep in mind that it is only the true treasures and the precious grace of God that will last forever and that will keep us safe and good to the end of days and beyond. No matter how many worldly things and goods we have with us, none of these will be sufficient to satisfy us, and none of them can last forever. No form of worldly glory and fame, of joy and pleasures of the flesh, of the body and all the money and material satisfactions all around us can replace the true joy that we can only find in the Lord alone. Hence, that is why we should strive to resist those worldly temptations and allures, and reorientate ourselves and our lives towards the Lord and His path.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of not just one but two of God’s faithful servant, holy men who dedicated their lives to the Lord, who lived their lives with great commitment and love for God, and the Lord has made them to be great and inspiring role models and examples for many of us, the faithful people of God so that we may follow their examples and inspiration, in their dedication and commitment, their holiness and great actions. St. Eusebius of Vercelli and St. Peter Julian Eymard are truly blessed and worthy servants of God, His holy and just role models, for us all to follow. St. Eusebius of Vercelli was one of the Church fathers, a Roman bishop from Sardinia, in what is today part of Italy, who was remembered as a great and humble shepherd of the people that were entrusted to his care. St. Eusebius of Vercelli dedicated a lot of his time in living among his priests and flock, and cared for their spiritual needs, helping and guiding them on the way to the truth and salvation in God.

He was instrumental in the efforts of the Church in combatting the heresy and falsehoods of Arianism, the great heresy which had afflicted the Church and many among the people of God at that time. And as part of that ministry and work, he had to endure great challenges and sufferings, as he went up together with those who upheld the orthodox and true teachings and Christian faith against those who sided with the heretics. He had to endure bitter sufferings as he faced the opposition from those who supported the heretics and the false wicked ways. However, he remained firmly true to his faith and commitment to the Lord, and devoted himself wholly to the Lord, to the very end of his life, dedicating himself to guard the faithful against the false and heretical teachings that misled many to their destruction and downfall. His commitment to the Lord and his inspiring examples should be great inspiration to all of us as Christians.

Then, St. Peter Julian Eymard was a great and dedicated priest of the Lord who was renowned for his commitment and piety to the Lord, and for his popularisation of the dedication to the Blessed Sacrament, to the Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. He dedicated much of his time and work in reaching out to the faithful and to all those in his ministry and areas of responsibility, who are suffering and in need of both physical and spiritual help. St. Peter Julian Eymard spent a lot of time reaching out to the lost souls and to those who are facing difficulties and hardships of the world, and helped many to find their way to the Lord. His commitment to serve the Lord and his efforts in gathering like-minded men and women in the two religious orders he founded, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament, and the popularisation and spread of the effective Forty Hours devotion are truly great examples and inspirations for all of us to follow.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the great examples shown by St. Eusebius of Vercelli, St. Peter Julian Eymard and countless other saints, holy men and women of God, all those who have shown us what it means for us to be truly dedicated and committed Christians, servants and followers of the Lord. Let us do our very best to lead a life of virtue that is truly worthy of the Lord, lives that are truly exemplary and great, free from the corruptions of various worldly temptations all around us, and worthy of those whom God had called and chosen, being ever thankful and grateful that He has always shown us such great compassion, tender love and mercy. And may He bless us all and keep us all in His grace, and empower each and every one of us to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 1 August 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Scriptures which reminded us all of the great love and compassion, mercy and kindness which He has often shown us all, we mankind who are sinners and unworthy of His love, having often betrayed and abandoned Him for false gods and idols, and all the other distractions and temptations which kept us away from the path that the Lord has shown us. Each and every one of us have been given this great grace of God’s mercy and love, which He constantly showered upon us, as He wants us all to return to Him, and to find our way back to Him, as we are all truly precious and important to Him, and He does not hold grudge or hate us because of the fact that we are sinners, as He despises not us, but our sins and wickedness.

That is why, as we listened to our first reading today from the Book of Exodus, we are reminded of this great love and compassionate mercy of God, as Moses came to the Tent of Meeting where the Lord’s Presence resided, shortly after the people of Israel had been chastised and punished for their great betrayal of the Lord in the building of the golden calf idol at Mount Sinai, at the time when the Lord was establishing His new Covenant with all of them and was giving them all His Law and commandments. The Lord in His righteous anger had wanted to destroy the people for their sins, but Moses pleaded before the Lord to spare them, and after the golden calf idol had been destroyed, as we heard in our first reading today, he once again pleaded to the Lord to show mercy upon the people who had sinned against Him and disobeyed His Law and commandments.

Moses went to the Tent of Meeting to meet God Himself, Who came clad in the a mighty pillar of cloud and light, and he called upon the Lord to show His kindness and to continue to dwell along His people even when they had disobeyed and refused to listen to Him in numerous occasions. The Lord then responded in showing him and all the Israelites that He was indeed full of mercy and compassion, as the One and only True God of all, Who wants to be reconciled and reunited with all of His scattered and lost loved ones, the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock. The Lord then at the same time also highlighted that He would still punish those who committed sins and evil deeds, and mete out justice against those who have not walked in the path of righteousness and those who have committed sins and wickedness in His sight and presence. It is a reminder for us that God loves us, but He does not tolerate our sins and wickedness, our waywardness and disobedience.

This is why we need to be alert and vigilant against the temptations of evil and all the allures of worldly pleasures and ambitions. We should not allow ourselves to be easily tempted and swayed by all those falsehoods and lies, which the devil and all of his wicked allies propagated in order to lead us all down the wrong paths to our downfall and damnation. In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus highlighted to His disciples and hence to all of us, the parable of the weeds in the field, which is related to the parable of the sower which the Lord elaborated just earlier on. In that parable of the weeds, the Lord mentioned how the enemy came to sow the seeds of weeds among the good seeds of the crops of the field spread by the master and owner of the field. Those bad seeds represent all the wickedness and evils present in us, which the devil and all of his forces had constantly spread in our midst, in trying to pull us away from God and His salvation.

At the same time, God, the Master of all of us, and the Lord and Master of this whole world has planted in us the seeds of His truth, the seeds of faith and love, the seeds of righteousness and justice, the seeds of His Wisdom and grace. These gifts and good things are present in us, just as the weeds and all the vices and wickedness are present within and all around us, in our lives and in our beings, in our communities and in all of our families and circles of friends. It is a reminder for us, through that parable of the weeds, that in the end, all the weeds will be gathered, burnt and destroyed, while the good crops, the wheat and other fruitful harvest will be gathered into the Lord’s glorious kingdom one day. It is representative of how the wicked and those who commit evil shall one day have to answer for their wickedness and evils, and meanwhile, the righteous and the just shall be made worthy by their obedience and faith in the Lord.

Now, the question is, what are we then going to do with our lives? Are we going to allow the seeds of evil and wickedness, the seeds of weeds to grow and suffocate us all in our lives? And are we going to let them to mislead us down the path of damnation and downfall? Or can we resist those temptations and strive instead to remain faithful and true to the Lord in all of our dedication and faith towards Him? Can we commit ourselves once again to walk with zeal and true faith in God? Just as Moses and all the whole people of Israel came before the Lord with repentance and regret for their sins and wickedness, can we all do the same as well? It is our pride and greed, our inability to resist the many temptations and evils around us that had often led us down the wrong path, and hence, we should now entrust ourselves wholly to the Lord, and humbly seek Him with faith and genuine love, as our holy predecessors and the many holy men and women of God have shown in their lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, the renowned founder of the religious order known as the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. St. Alphonsus Liguori was truly a great man of God, a bishop and faithful servant of the Lord, who dedicated his whole life to the service of God, his Lord and Master. He was born into a small minor noble family, and went on to excel in his academics and studies, and became a lawyer for quite a number of years. However, he did not truly find true satisfaction and joy in life, and was looking for deeper meaning in his life. St. Alphonsus Liguori then eventually sought the Lord in the consecrated life, as a priest and missionary of the Lord, in proclaiming the love and truth of God to many people, with his initiatives and efforts reaching out to tens of thousands of people, who were touched by his genuine and clear sermons, filled with truth and genuine love of the Lord.

St. Alphonsus Liguori desired to show more of the Lord’s compassionate and merciful side to many of the people who have been lost to Him, while at the same time also stressing the importance of repentance and turning away from one’s sins. St. Alphonsus Liguori hence established the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, which began a great campaign of ministry all throughout the whole world, in bringing the knowledge of the Divine Redeemer, the Mercy of God to more and more of the people of God. Later on, the order would also add on to their charism and ministry, the propagation of the devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, having been entrusted by the Pope himself with the care of the Byzantine Icon of the Mother of Perpetual Help, which complemented and added on to their missions in seeking the salvation of souls, the redemption of sinners and the liberation of the whole world from the forces of sin and darkness.

St. Alphonsus Liguori himself, despite having been appointed and made a bishop in his later years continued to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to the people entrusted to his care, never ceasing to carry out his hard work and efforts for the salvation of souls. He ensured the discipline and the well-being of his priests and members of his congregations, encouraging more and more among the people of God to lead a life that is truly worthy of the Lord. Hence, all of us should really look carefully upon the examples and the actions which St. Alphonsus Liguori had done in his life, in all of his ministry and works, and be inspired by them, so that we ourselves may also carry out the same mission and work, in dedicating ourselves to the glory of God, and to the salvation of our fellow men, all those who are still suffering the tyranny and bondage to sin.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to the Lord, and being inspired by the examples of the saints, the holy people of God, particularly that of St. Alphonsus Liguori, let us all hence be great role models and inspirations ourselves, in leading lives that are truly worthy of the Lord, by doing God’s will and obeying His Law and commandments at all times. May the Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey, and may He empower us all to carry on with our lives with great zeal and obedience to God, now and always, forevermore. St. Alphonsus Liguori, holy servant of God, pray for us all sinners, that the Lord, the Most Holy Redeemer, may always show His mercy and compassion towards us all. Amen.

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Monday, 31 July 2023 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to obey the Law and commandments of God, and to keep ourselves away from the wickedness of evil and all the temptations present all around us, which may distract and mislead us in our journey throughout life, in leading us towards the path of downfall and sin, like what our predecessors has shown us. We should all nurture a life that is full of faith, commitment, love and obedience to God, and strive to do our best so that in our every words, actions and in our whole life, we may truly embody our Christian faith above all else. We should strive to live a life that is in harmony with the Lord and His ways, so that by our works and lives, all may come to know God and they may know that we truly belong to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus of the moment when Moses came down from the Mount Sinai after having received the Ten Commandments, the Law and the precepts of the Lord, which were meant for all of the people of God, only to find the people of Israel having committed a great sin against God. They apostatised themselves and abandoned the Lord Who had just very recently brought them out of their slavery in the land of Egypt and led them through many great wonders and by His own mighty hands, in smiting the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, and in how He had opened the sea itself before His people so that they all could safely walk through the dry seabed away from the forces of the Pharaoh, which God had destroyed and crushed before their very own eyes.

Despite all those and how God took really good care of all of them throughout their time and journey in the desert, in providing them with food and sustenance, and with protection and help against their enemies and those who were hostile against them, many of the Israelites rebelled against the Lord and disobeyed Him, building and raising up an idol, a false god to be their lord and master, a golden calf modelled after the gods of their former slave masters, the Egyptians. Thus, they commit the most grievous and serious crime and sin against the Lord, the most important commandment of all, which stated that all the faithful people of God must love the Lord their God, with all their heart, their strength and might, and have no other god beside Him. The Lord has just established His Covenant with His people back then, only for those same people to betray Him in this manner. For this sin they should all have deserved death and destruction, but Moses pleaded for them all before the Lord.

Thus, the Lord regained His people, the Israelites, after those most responsible for the disobedience and the golden calf worship, especially those who refused to repent, had been crushed and destroyed. The people all had to atone for their sins and wickedness, and they had to repent and turn away from their sinful path. Through His Law and commandments, God has bestowed His providence and help for all of His beloved ones, and through those same Law and commandments, God prepared them all to walk down the path of righteousness and justice, the path of His virtue and grace, towards the eternal life and salvation that He alone can provide to them. The Lord has reminded us all yet again today through our Gospel passage today, in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples about the parable of the yeast and the flour, by which He explained the kingdom of God is like, and how all of us, as His disciples should lead our lives that we can truly embody this kingdom of God being truly present in our midst.

For those who are truly familiar with breadmaking, placing yeast inside the flour that had been kneaded and mixed into dough is necessary for the dough to rise into a large and properly developed bread. However, this requires a specific kind of conditions, which include the absence of oxygen and also having the right temperature in order for the yeast to be able to turn the substances in the dough into the right mixture and texture present in the bread. This is why it was used by the Lord to highlight to His disciples, and hence also to all of us that in order for us to become truly faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord, then we have to spend our time and effort to cultivate and nurture that favourable conditions for the development and growth of the seeds of faith present inside each and every one of us.

For the Lord has given us all His truth, His Wisdom and love, to help and guide us, as are His Law and commandments, but for them to truly and meaningfully make use of those gifts and blessings, they have to provide the best and optimum conditions for those gifts to grow ever stronger in faith and grace in God. All these cannot happen unless we strive to live our lives worthily and well in accordance to God’s path and ways, and unless we do our best in trying to live our lives with dedication and commitment to God, loving Him and knowing His ways, and doing whatever we can to serve and love Him at every possible opportunities. Through all these things, we shall become the great beacons of God’s light and truth, His missionaries and messengers to all the people all around us. It is by our examples and actions that we can proclaim His Good News to the nations.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Founder of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits. On this day as we recall the life of this great saint of God, we recall the actions and works that St. Ignatius of Loyola carried out in his life, in his dedication to serve the Lord, that we may also be inspired to do the same in our own lives. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born Inigo Lopez into a family of lower nobility in the region of Basque in what is now northern part of Spain. And after a rather turbulent early years in life, the young St. Ignatius of Loyola was attracted into a life in the military, and was persuaded and tempted by the many hedonistic and materialistic pursuits of the world, that in his teenage years, he took up gambling, dancing, duelling and pursuing young women, as were common in those days among the nobles and the rich.

Then, when St. Ignatius of Loyola joined the military, for about more than decade, he encountered a lot of glorious moments and victories, but when he was injured in a particular battle, he faced a life-changing moment and encounter with God, through which he decided to renounce the allures of worldly glory and temptations, of greatness and desires, and henceforth, committed himself to a life that is dedicated to the greater glory of God alone. This would become the motto of the religious order that he would establish, that is the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. Their motto is ‘Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam’, that is ‘For the Greater Glory of God’. St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered several other like-minded people, who became the first members of the Jesuits, and dedicated themselves and their efforts henceforth in serving the Lord at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the commitment and dedication shown by St. Ignatius of Loyola and his fellow Jesuits, many people came back to the faith, turning away from the falsehoods and heresies of their past. Thus, St. Ignatius of Loyola became the examples for many others to follow the Lord more faithfully, and by his commitment and dedication, he became for many of us a shining beacon of God’s light and truth. Are we able to do the same with our own lives, brethren? Are we willing and able to embrace the Lord and His path just as St. Ignatius of Loyola had done with his life? Let us all hence turn wholeheartedly towards the Lord once again, reject the path of sin and evil, and be ourselves the worthy bearers of God’s truth in our world. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 30 July 2023 : Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded by the passages of the Sacred Scriptures for us all to seek the true treasures of our lives that can be found in the Lord our God alone. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, all of us have been called and chosen by the Lord to be His own beloved people, and we have also responded to this call through our baptism and initiation into the Church of God. All of us are brought into the presence of God, and have been blessed with the many gifts and blessings, rich graces and wonders, through the Wisdom that He has bestowed upon us, in the Holy Spirit that has come to dwell upon each one of us, as the members of His Church. The Wisdom of God has come to dwell in our midst, granting us the knowledge and understanding of truth, much as how God has blessed King Solomon with great wisdom and understanding unparalleled in his time.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, the account of the moment from the youth and early days of the reign of King Solomon of Israel, just shortly he ascended to the throne following the death and passing of his father, King David of Israel. Both King David and King Solomon are remembered for their great and righteous rule, as great and noble kings, who ruled over great and golden era of the Kingdom of Israel, as righteous and just rulers over the people of God. King Solomon in particular was renowned for his great wisdom, his great riches and glorious rule over a vast kingdom, which were presented unto him by God, as we heard in that passage today. Solomon was initially still young and inexperienced, unsure about his rulership and uncertain about the challenges and other obstacles that he might have to face, and hence, he sought for God’s help, praying and asking Him for the gift of wisdom to help him in being a good and worthy ruler over God’s people.

And as we heard, that it was because of this request that God has blessed Solomon even more wonderfully and greatly, because he did not ask for any kind of worldly glory, greatness or material wealth, and all sorts of things that people may often be asking for. Instead, Solomon asked for the grace and the guidance to know what is right and just, the discerning and intuitive mind to do what is right and appropriate, the wisdom and intellect to do God’s will and to ability to govern the people of God well and with responsibility. Therefore, as Solomon was not asking for a selfish desire and want, and he was selflessly asking for a gift that was meant for the good of others, God granted him his wishes, and blessed him even far more than what he has ever asked. God blessed Solomon with such great wisdom and wealth, power and glory, that his name became famous throughout the world.

King Solomon was filled with God’s wisdom and grace, and his kingdom was great because of that. However, this does not mean that he was impervious to faults and mistakes, and he was neither perfect nor infallible. While mostly having reigned with great justice, wisdom and faith in the Lord, building up the great Temple dedicated to God in Jerusalem and leading God’s people and kingdom to its magnificent days, but later on in his life, King Solomon allowed himself to be swayed by the temptations and the attachments of worldly corruptions and pleasures. He had a large number of wives and concubines according to the later part of the Book of Kings, many hundreds of them, with many of them coming from the various peoples living in the lands surrounding the kingdom of Israel, and who brought pagan practices and wickedness into the king’s court.

Thus, while Solomon was guided by the Wisdom of God in the early and middle part of his reign, but later on, he allowed worldly glory, pride, wealth and all of his greatness to cloud his judgment and wisdom, and mislead him and the people into the wrong path, the path of evil and sin. That is why, linking to what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, in the Lord’s words to His disciples, speaking to them regarding what it means to come and seek the kingdom of God, to seek the true treasures that can be gained and found in the Lord alone. We should not allow ourselves to be deluded and tricked by the many false treasures present all around us, which offered us temporary and ultimately disappointing results and outcome, and which pleasure and joy do not truly lead to true satisfaction and happiness, unlike what is found in God.

For example, King Solomon himself, in his pursuit of power and glory, likely sought to gain alliances and worldly renown, as well as great prestige and fame from having so many marriages and concubines, as part of the customs of the world at that time. But instead of solidifying his rule and dominion, it led to the fracturing of his united kingdom shortly after his death, as the ten tribes of the Israelites broke free to form the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving just the tribes of Judah and Benjamin in the southern kingdom of Judah for the House of David, to Solomon’s descendants. And despite of his massive armies and huge armada of chariots according to the Scriptures, all of these came to naught, and the kingdoms after Solomon would fall apart due to civil wars, conflicts and would eventually be crushed and conquered by their enemies.

Through all of those examples and many other historical evidences in our world history, the Lord has shown us time and again how those who seek Him should commit themselves wholeheartedly to Him, and place Him at the centre and as the main focus of their lives. All of us are reminded of the limitations of our human power, abilities and intellect, all of which pale in comparison with the power and wisdom of God. The value and worth of following the Lord and His path, knowing and appreciating His truth and love are far beyond any treasures that this world can offer us, as while the treasures of this world can only offer us temporary joy in this world, and in accordance with what the Lord Himself told His disciples, that those could perish and be destroyed by fire and by the other forces of the world, there is nothing that can destroy or affect the true treasures that we can find in God alone.

Now, let us all ask ourselves what is our treasures in life and what it is that we are seeking for in our lives. Are these treasures referring to any kind of worldly glory, fame, wealth and other material goods and pleasures of this world? Are we looking for and being obsessed with all those desires and temptations being present all around us? Or do we rather seek the treasures of the Lord, the righteousness, justice and virtues in God? Do we rather seek the certainty and guarantee of God’s love and compassion, in everything that God has always been faithful and committed in providing to us, as He has proven yet again and again, in fulfilling the Covenant which He had made with each one of us. St. Paul in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans also reassured us by reminding us of the ultimate gift of love from God, the gift of His own Firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour and King, delivering us from the tyranny of sin and death, and into eternal life.

And nothing can truly separate us from the love of God, as not even sin and death can do that, less so even those worldly forces that can destroy any other false treasures of this world, but can never bring us apart from the Lord, Who willingly sought us out and did His best to reconcile us to Himself, by the most selfless sacrifice that His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, offered on the Altar of His Cross. All of us have been truly blessed to be beloved by the Lord in such a manner, and we have to be thankful for all that He has given and blessed us with, all these while. That is why we should strive from now on to live our lives no longer under the sway of any worldly temptations and desires, or influenced by the corrupt forces being present all around us. Let us all as Christians be exemplary in all of our actions, our way of life and our deeds that we may truly be worthy of the Lord and everything that He has assured and promised us all through His Son.

Let us all reject the path of sin and evil, and embrace anew the path of God’s righteousness and virtue, and entrusting ourselves anew to the Lord, like King Solomon of old, that God’s Wisdom may guide us and keep us firm in faith, and guard us against any forms of worldly excesses and wickedness that had brought about the downfall of many among our predecessors. May God be with us always and may He continue to show us His Wisdom, so that we may always be His most worthy and wise disciples and followers, whose actions and works, efforts and endeavours are for His greater glory alone. Let nothing deter us and stop us from seeking the Lord, our true Treasure in life. Amen.

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Saturday, 29 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, the friends of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and also some of His closest disciples. Through all of them we are reminded of the great and loving relationships that the Lord shared with His friends and closest confidants, as St. Martha and St. Mary were often hosting the Lord at their house while St. Lazarus was one of those that the Lord resurrected from the dead, after he passed away from sickness. The Lord showed His great love to all of them, and revealed the nature of His generous love and compassion. All of us are truly fortunate that the Lord has not abandoned us and indeed, He will never do so, and that is why, through these three great saints, all of us are reminded to come ever closer to Him and seek Him.

As we heard in our Gospel reading passage today, either of the account of the resurrection of St. Lazarus from the dead, and also how St. Martha and St. Mary welcomed the Lord into their place, we heard of the interactions between these three saints and holy people with the Lord Himself, how they were beloved by God, and how the Lord wanted to tell us that if we believe in Him, then we shall have no need for fear or uncertainties, and there is no need for us to be afraid of anything because the Lord will always be by our side, and we will always be guarded and protected, given the blessings and strength, grace and might from God. St. Lazarus’ death and his resurrection by the Lord showed us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and not even sin and death can do that, as God, the Master and Lord of life and death, have dominion over all things.

Meanwhile, St. Martha and St. Mary showed us all the love that one ought to have for one’s fellow brother and sister, just as we can see how distraught both of them were at the passing of their brother, and yet, at the same time, they still held on to the faith in the Lord, believing in Him and in the Resurrection, which came to complete fulfilment with the Lord’s resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. St. Martha and St. Mary also showed us in the other occasion, of what it means to dedicate ourselves to the Lord, with all of our heart and attention, and as a reminder that sometimes we may be swayed and distracted by the many worldly matters and attachments which may lead us down into our failure to recognise God’s Presence in our lives, or in being so busy and preoccupied in doing things in our lives, even if for the Lord, that we forget to remember Him and spend time with Him.

As we heard from the famous account of how St. Martha hosted the Lord in her house with her sister St. Mary, we heard of how St. Martha was really very busy preparing everything for welcoming the Lord, which presumably included cooking, preparing the food, the table and everything, in trying to be as hospitable as possible. Meanwhile, St. Mary was seated by the Lord’s side, spending time with Him and listening to Him, and when St. Martha complained to the Lord about her sister not helping her, the Lord quietly chided her obsession and preoccupation with her works and efforts, which made her to forget what she should also be doing at that time, which is to spend good, quality time with the Lord and to listen to His words, rather than to spend so much time preparing all things for Him, but ignoring Him and His presence and words in the process.

That is a reminder for us that the Lord wants from us our love and attention, our whole hearts and minds, undivided focus and more, and not all the busy actions and preoccupations we have in life, in all the things that may distract us from focusing ourselves upon the true focus of our lives, that is the Lord Himself, the Lord and Master of us all. That is why today, all of us are reminded as we rejoice in the glorious memories of the three siblings turned saints, St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, that each and every one of us should always put our faith and trust in the Lord, and we should always place the Lord first and foremost before everything else. We must always do our best so that we will not be swayed easily by the temptations and obstacles present all around us, threatening to mislead us away from the path of the Lord and His salvation.

As Christians, each and every one of us are expected to be wholly devoted to the Lord, and to live our lives with great commitment and focus on Him, so that all the others who witness our works, actions and deeds, and who hears us and our words, and interact with us all, they may be inspired to come to know more about the Lord and His salvation. You can essentially say that we are all God’s missionaries and the beacons of His light and truth in our communities and in the world. It is through us that we can either help to bring more and more people to come towards the Lord and His salvation, or to deter and discourage the same people from coming to approach the Lord by our own scandals and lukewarmness in faith. We must not allow worldly desires, distractions and temptations from leading us down the path towards our downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the examples of faith shown by those three great saints, particularly that of St. Mary, in her focus and attention on the Lord, in her devotion and commitment to Him. And from St. Martha, let us all be inspired by her desire to serve and love the Lord, but at the same time, let us all keep reminding ourselves that we should not allow our actions, our piety and all to distract us somehow from our love and focus on the Lord. As it is very easy for us, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had shown throughout the Gospels, to be swayed and distracted, to become proud and haughty over our own actions of faith, that our faith become inward looking and exclusive, self-righteous and lacking in genuine and true love for the Lord. This is something that we all must be careful of, and strive to avoid, by keeping our focus solely on the Lord alone.

May the Lord, ever glorified through the lives and actions of His holy ones, the glorious saints and martyrs, and particularly on this day, through St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, who are dear to Him, continue to bless us all and guide us in our own journey of faith and life, so that we may always be ever faithful to the Lord in all things. May we continue to strive and persevere in faith, even amidst the many challenges and trials all around us. May God bless our efforts and good works, our every endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 28 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded of the Law and the commandments which the Lord our God and Master have revealed to us and given us all, beginning from the time when He first revealed it all to Moses, His servant, to be passed on to the people of Israel, the people that God first called and chose from among all the nations. The Law of God, His commandments and precepts, are all meant to help and lead us to the path of salvation in God, and they are the means by which God planted in us the seeds of faith, which we will need to nurture, or else, we may end up becoming stagnant in faith, or lukewarm in it, and falling deeper and deeper into the path of evil, wickedness and sin, distancing ourselves from God. All of us are reminded today to be ever more faithful to the Lord, to do His will and to obey His Law and commandments, living a good and faithful Christian life.

In our first reading today, we heard of the moment when God revealed His Ten Commandments to Moses, His servant, at the top of Mount Sinai, where He appeared before Moses and dictated to him His Law and commandments. It was also at that time that the Lord established His Covenant with His people Israel, and therefore, as part of that Covenant, all of His people ought to follow and obey the Law and the commandments that He has set before them, because by following Him, and becoming His people, they have put themselves in the Presence of God, and become His own adopted children, and hence, they submit themselves to His rule and power, and as is only right and just, they have to do what their Lord and Master have told them to do.

Not only that, but as God’s beloved people and children, if they, the Israelites, and therefore, all of us Christians today, did not do as our Lord and Father had taught and shown them and all of us to do, then their faith and actions would have become a mockery of the Lord and would have sullied His Holy Name. All of the pagans and all those who have not believed in the Lord would have laughed at the infidelities and the lack of faith of God’s own people and children, and it is not possible for us to expect that others come to believe in the Lord and follow Him, if the people of God themselves have not done as He has commanded and taught us to do. And His path and ways are actually not that difficult to do, but unfortunately, many of us preferred to follow the easier paths of the world.

That was why the Lord had difficulties with His people, the people of Israel, because they continuously rebelled against Him and disobeyed Him, abandoning and betraying Him for the many pagan idols and gods which they chose over the Lord and Master Who had liberated them from their slavery in Egypt, and Who had taken care of them and provided for them throughout the entire journey in the desert and beyond, and Who fought with them against their enemies, crushing those who oppressed them and guarding them from harm, again and again throughout history. The Lord has always proved to be faithful to the Covenant that He has made with us all, with all His beloved ones, but we are the ones who have often gone astray from the path of the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, as mentioned, we heard of the famous parable of the sower, in which the Lord told His disciples regarding the matter of nurturing one’s faith with the righteous actions and way of living their lives, so that the Lord’s words and teachings, that are the seeds which He has brought into our midst, may truly germinate and grow in us, and grow well and strongly, into a faith that is vibrant and enduring, despite the many challenges, trials and obstacles that we may have to face in the midst of our lives and actions. That is why, we are all reminded of this parable, so that we may indeed discern how we are to live our lives from now on, and consider what kind of actions and paths that we should take so that we may live our lives more worthily of God.

As we heard in the parable of the sower, those who are represented by the seeds falling by the roadside are those who ignored the words of the Lord, His Law and commandments, choosing to live their lives the way they want to live it, and not heeding the Lord’s call and teachings. As a result, they lost the words and the truth of God, and the devil came to steal all of those with them, putting instead his falsehoods and lies, by which he had probably been successful in leading countless souls into damnation in hell. Meanwhile, those who are represented by the seeds that fell on the rocky ground are those who did not allow the words of the Lord, His Law and commandments to take strong roots in them, as they were rather superficial in their faith, only following the Law and commandments of God without understanding, realising and appreciating their meaning and significance.

That was what happened to many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law that the Lord Jesus frequently criticised against and rebuked, because of their empty faith and actions, as well as piety that were all for show, and not truly genuine faith in the Lord. And they were also like those who are represented by the seeds that fell among the brambles and thistles, as the young plants that grew from them were choked by the brambles and thistles, and thus, could not grow or be fruitful. Many of those mentioned, as well as many others throughout history, our predecessors, allowed themselves to be swayed by worldly temptations and therefore fell into evil and wicked ways, drawn to the allures of worldly attachments and pleasures which prevented them from truly living their lives as faithful people of God.

Instead, as we have been reminded constantly through these Scripture readings and by weeks and weeks of exhortations from the Church, its teachings and others, all of us are reminded to be like the rich and fertile soil, upon which the seeds of faith, the words of God’s truth, and all of His grace may grow well in us and bear rich fruits, thirty, sixty and hundred-fold if not even more. And how can we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is by understanding God’s Law and commandments, and live them well in our lives, by doing what God has told us to do. In all of His Law as well as the Ten Commandments which we heard in our first reading today, the Lord has taught us how to love, first of all, to love Him, our Lord and Master, with all of our might and strength, and then, how to love our fellow brothers and sisters, in the same manner, and at least as much as we love ourselves.

Therefore, if we have spent a lot of time trying to love and please ourselves at the expense of loving God and our fellow brothers and sisters around us, let us all take a step back and discern carefully how we are going to go forward from here. Let us strive to do what we can in obeying the Lord, His Law and commandments so that in everything we say and do, in all of our actions in life, we will always do what the Lord wants us to do, and be exemplary and inspiration in faith to our fellow brothers and sisters. May the Lord be with us all, and may He empower us all to be His faithful and worthy disciples, at all times, and may He bless our every good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded of just how blessed and fortunate each and every one of us are, to have been so loved by God, and to have been so lucky that the Lord has always had His eyes on us, as His most beloved creation. All of us have received the grace of God, Who willingly established a Covenant between Him and all of us, as He promised all of us the loving grace and blessings that He reserved for all of us, His beloved people, from the people of Israel at first, and then to all the people of this whole world. Therefore, all of us should be thankful and appreciative of everything that we have experienced, and all the privileges that we have received from the Lord. Unfortunately, the reality is such that many of us are often ignorant of the great love of God and many of us did not appreciate what we have received and what we have been blessed with.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus, of the time and moment when the people of Israel came to the region of Mount Sinai, where God would establish His Covenant anew with them, and hence, God told Moses of what He would establish with His people, as He came down upon the mountain to be with them, and to dwell in their midst. Through Moses, God would pass to His people His Law and commandments in order to help guide and lead them down the right path, so that they would not end up going down the wrong path in life, and that they would be able to live their lives more faithfully and worthily as the people that God had blessed and chosen to be His own. The Lord came to show His people that He has always been with them, guiding, providing and helping them along the way, and He has always been true to the promises that He has made to their ancestors, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus spoken to His disciples who asked Him about why He was often speaking in parables and veiled words and terms. And the Lord responded to them, saying that everything that He has said and spoken, all were meant to reveal the truth about Himself and all that God has done out of love for every one of us, but because of the stubbornness of mankind, and all the doubts and lukewarmness of their faith, their lack of love for Him, and their lack of trust and faith in Him, that is why, many of those who have heard of the Lord could not comprehend or appreciate the meaning of His truth and the extent of the love which He has shown them very generously, time and time again. This is such that even if the Lord were to speak frankly and most clearly, many among the people would still fail to understand and appreciate them.

For example, even when the Lord Jesus had performed so many wonders and miracles, and showed His wisdom and truth, His teaching authority and greatness, many of the people, especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the chief priests and elders still refused to believe in Him, and were adamant in their rejection of His works and truth, even going so far as to condemn Him and to accuse Him of colluding with Beelzebul, the prince of demons, or of committing blasphemy against God for His teachings and sayings. This is just the same like how during the time of the Exodus from Egypt and afterwards during the journey of the Israelites through the desert, when despite having repeatedly seen the greatness and glory of God, His faithfulness, love and works in their midst, many of the Israelites still doubted the Lord, disobeyed against Him and refused to believe in Him.

Those same Israelites hurled abuses against God and Moses, and blamed them for the hardships that they had to endure during their journey in the desert, where they ungratefully said that the Lord was leading them to their deaths, and how they could enjoy many great things in life, food and merriment in Egypt despite having greatly suffered in being enslaved by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. Those ungrateful and faithless Israelites hence sought false and pagan idols, like how they built a golden calf to be god over them just not long after the event mentioned in our first reading today. Not long after God had shown His greatness before them and made a new Covenant with them, and gave them all His Law and commandments, their lack of faith and trust in Him and impatience led them to abandon their Lord and Master for the false golden idol, modelled after the gods of their former slavemasters, the Egyptians.

The Lord has also given His people so much throughout their journey, providing them with so much food and provisions along the way, feeding them daily with the heavenly bread, the manna, and also flocks of birds to nourish and provide for them in the midst of the lifeless desert. He gave them good and crystal-clear water to drink when there was none at all in the desert, and yet, the people still complained of being left without food and provisions, an accusation which was totally not right and ungrateful for those people to make against God. And why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because the people of God, the Israelites were easily swayed by worldly desires and attachments, by the whims of their greed and ego, such that the devil easily made them to stumble in faith and in losing their way, drawn by the false paths of evil and sin.

Now, all of us are reminded therefore by these Scripture readings, of the need for each one of us to remember the love of God, and the truth which He has brought upon us. All of us should realise just how fortunate and blessed we are to have received these great graces and blessings of God, that we have been given such opportunities and blessings by God, to be His own chosen people. We should turn away from all the things that keep us away from God and His truth, and from all the corruptions and attachments that have often become obstacles in our journey of faith towards Him. All of us should remind ourselves and each other that we are all, as God’s beloved people, the faithful Christians, should put Him at the centre and as the focus of our lives and works. All of us should endeavour to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and dedicate our whole lives and actions to serve Him with faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore renew our commitment to love and serve the Lord with ever greater faith and zeal, from now on. May all of us continue to walk ever more faithfully and worthily in God’s Presence, at all times, and be great role models and inspirations for one another in faith. May God bless us all, in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 26 July 2023 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Joachim and St. Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all presented with the story of the great love of God that had been given to His people, as He generously provided for them and helped them throughout their time and journey in the desert, after their Exodus from their land of slavery in Egypt. God patiently cared for them, gave them food and blessed them even despite their many faults and sins, their stubbornness. And we are all also reminded of how the Lord has given us all His love and truth, and how all of these should be nurtured in us as we heard from the parable of the sower in our Gospel passage today. Each one of us must realise just how blessed we are to have been beloved in such a way by God, and how fortunate we are that the Lord has always kindly watched over us, providing for us and strengthening us despite our many stubborn attitudes.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard of the story of the journey of the Israelites, who had been led out of their enslavement in the land of Egypt by God, their Lord and Master, through the actions and leadership of Moses, the servant of God. The Israelites had been freed from the sufferings and the humiliation that they had to face in Egypt, and God led them through the desert on their journey to the Promised Land. But as we have heard in that reading passage today, no sooner than they have left the land of Egypt that they lost their faith in God and ended up complaining and being angry against God for having freed them from their slavery in Egypt. Their reason? As mentioned in the Book of Exodus, those Israelites said that they could have all the meat and bread they wanted in Egypt, although they were enslaved, while in the desert they did not have such a luxury.

This is truly the mindset and also shows us the lukewarmness of the faith of those people whom the Lord had endeavoured to bring out of their suffering and humiliation. The Lord had shown them many times His providence, help and love, and even from the days of their ancestors, the Lord has always provided without fail, and everything would be fine in the end. But many among the people of Israel chose to forget about all the love, kindness and compassion which God has shown them through all the years, and chose to be angry against God and to malign Him, accusing Him of leading to their suffering and deaths. But God, in His most patient and compassionate love, chose to be magnanimous, in granting His people their need and desires for food and sustenance, which are something that the Lord would have provided anyway, should the people just be more patient.

Thus, we heard of how God gave His people the bounty of food throughout their long journey in the life-forsaken desert, with the gift of flocks of birds to sustain them all everyday, and also the gift of the heavenly bread, the manna, which God gave to all of His people for them to eat, that they have enough to eat and to be well and strong even as they journeyed through the wilderness and desert. He also gave them water to drink and other providence and sustenance throughout the way. Despite this, if we are familiar with the Book of Exodus and the later books involving the journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land, we surely would have known of how the Israelites have often rebelled against God, complained and being angry at Him, although He has provided and cared for them, even going as far as abandoning Him for other, false and pagan gods and idols.

Yet, God still continued to care for them, and from those who remained faithful, He raised a great new people, while those who have constantly disobeyed Him were crushed and destroyed. The Lord eventually guided those who were faithful and true to His Covenant into the Promised Land, and made them all to settle there in peace and happiness, to enjoy everything that He has promised to them and wanted to give to them. This is then related to what we heard in our Gospel passage today, in the famous parable of the sower. Through the parable of the sower, we heard of the teachings of the Lord, Who told His disciples and all of us how important it is for us to provide the necessary conditions to nurture well the faith and the graces that He has provided for us, as it is easy for us to fall astray and end up losing our way unless we remain vigilant and strongly faithful, in all the ways of our lives.

In the parable of the sower, we heard how the sower sowed the seeds, representing the faith and the truth that God has brought upon us, which have fallen on four different places, namely by the roadside, on a rocky ground with barren soil, among brambles and thistles, and finally on rich and fertile soil. Each one of these represent our attitudes upon listening to the words of the Lord and upon receiving the love and grace of God. Those seeds that fell by the roadside represent all those who have ignored the truth and love of God, and made themselves to be ignorant of the words and teachings of the Lord, which is why they did not have any faith in the Lord, much like those Israelites in the past. Then, those seeds that fell on the rocky ground and barren soil did not manage to grow well because they could not grow proper roots, and they were scorched by the Sun, symbolising those that did not let the truth and love of God to grow roots in them.

Meanwhile, those seeds that fall onto the midst of brambles and thistles were surrounded by those weeds, and while they managed to germinate and grow, they were choked to death by the brambles and thistles, representing those who allowed worldly temptations, desires and evils to lead them to their downfall. Then lastly, those seeds that landed on the rich and fertile soil managed to grow well and ended up with vastly greater returns, which is what will happen when we allow ourselves to grow in faith under great and nurturing environment and conditions, and if we put the effort to live our lives in accordance with God’s Law and commandments, and dedicating ourselves to serve Him at all times, in our every words, actions and deeds, and in our every interactions and dealings with one another.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and hence, they are the grandparents of the Lord Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour. On this occasion too, therefore, we celebrate the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, remembering all those who are elderly in our families, all of our elders and those who have given us their love patiently and constantly, even when they have not been appreciated and when they were tired and facing challenges in their own lives. Like St. Joachim and St. Anne, who had loved and cared for Mary, the Mother of God, since when she was not even born yet, and throughout her formative years. While we did not have a lot of information about them, but we can be very sure that they have brought Mary up very well, that she became a truly worthy being to be the Mother of God and the Saviour, in her exemplary faith and piety, and commitment to God.

Let us all therefore today remember and remind one another not to take those who love us for granted, from our elders and grandparents in particular, and especially more so, our Lord Himself, Who has done so much for us, and Who has unconditionally taken care of us and loved us, despite our constant and frequent disobedience and rebellions. Let us all turn once more towards Him, and strive to make ourselves and our whole lives to be worthy of the Lord, so that we may always grow ever closer to the Lord and be worthy to receive His love and grace. And may the Lord bless us all and our every endeavours, good efforts and works, that we may ever be fruitful in carrying out our actions and works, as good and faithful Christians, in each and every moments of our lives. St. Joachim and St. Anne, pray for us all and pray for our elderly and grandparents in our midst, that God will continue to bless and strengthen them in their lives. Amen.