Weekday Homily

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Saturday, 15 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that God always loves each and every one of us, more than any others among His creation, and all of us are truly precious to Him, and hence, we have no need to be afraid or fearful at all, particularly when we are perhaps encountering challenges and difficulties. The Lord is always there by our side, providing and caring for us, even when we often do not realise it and even when we often do not know that He is there for us. The Lord has shown us all His promise from time to time, and never ceases to surprise us all just how dedicated He has always been to the Covenant and to the promises that He has made and established with us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of how both Jacob and Joseph reached the end of their lives in the land of Egypt, in the story that capped and concluded the Book of Genesis and its accounts of the lives of the forefathers of the Israelites before the time of the Exodus. Jacob was already old by the time he was reunited with his long-lost son, Joseph, and he passed away surrounded by his many sons and children, and gave them all his blessings, the blessings that God has assured and given to him and his ancestors. We heard of how Jacob was buried back together with Abraham and Isaac, his forefathers in the Promised Land, and how the brothers of Joseph were reassured by Joseph himself that he would care for them and not seeking revenge against them.

God would indeed bless Jacob and his descendants, and just as Joseph was about to pass on from this life, we heard from him the words that he spoke to his descendants and relatives, asking him to bring his bones back to the land of Canaan, the Promised Land that God had promised to his forefathers, foretelling the coming of God’s time when He would lead them all out from the land of Egypt and back to the Promised Land, as how it would indeed happen during the Exodus hundreds of years later. The Lord would indeed remember His promises, and brought all of His people out from Egypt, and led them back patiently through the desert despite their many transgressions and wicked deeds, under the leadership and guidance of Moses, until they finally reached the land promised to them, while renewing His Covenant with them.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the matter of trusting in the Lord and not needing to fear the evil and the darkness, or the challenges and the sufferings that the disciples might have to endure as part of their work and ministry. The Lord reassured them using the parables to explain to them how they were part of the greater things and have the assurances of the guidance of God, by comparing the wicked ones and those who oppressed them with the evil ones, led by the princes of demons like Beelzebul. Such a mention was made because those princes of demons were imperfect, wicked and flawed, as compared to the perfection and the power of God, to Whom even those demons and wicked ones had to submit themselves.

The Lord also used the parable of the light and how that light will uncover everything that is hidden in the dark, showing that the truth of God cannot be hidden or be oppressed by anyone. Even if the disciples in the future will be facing hardships, trials and obstacles amidst their ministry, but they will always have the Lord by their side, and nothing can stop them from proclaiming the Good News of God. They should not be afraid of all those who could harm them physically, all the oppressions and the hardships that they would have to endure from the many persecutions they would have to face from the worldly authorities, because all those things cannot harm them in a lasting manner.

This is contrasted to what will happen to us if we choose to side with the world and all the evil temptations which may lead us to good reprieve from hardships and persecutions, but in the end, we may fall away from the path that the Lord has shown us, essentially leading us to our downfall and destruction. However, this is what many of us may choose to do when we are faced with fear and uncertainties in life, threats and dangers that can lead us down the wrong path and into damnation. We are often worried because we are concerned about our well-being and livelihood, but we forgot that the Lord has always been watching over us, caring for us and in the end, we will be satisfied because of His providence and compassionate care. Sometimes we focus so much on ourselves and our needs and desires that we became blinded and unable to see God’s love being shown to us in our midst.

That is why today we are reminded that we should renew our trust and faith in God, and learn to follow His path and examples, while resisting the temptations of the world and the pressures all around us which may try to force us to succumb to those temptations and abandon our faith in the Lord. That is why today we should look upon the great faith shown by our predecessors, all those servants of God, disciples and followers of the Lord who had given their all in order to serve Him. Today we celebrate the feast of one of those servants of God, namely St. Bonaventure, a renowned Franciscan bishop, theologian and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, who was later on declared as one of the Doctors of the Church for his great contributions to the Christian faith and the Church, as well as his commitment to Church reforms.

He joined the Franciscan Order and had an interaction with its founder, the other renowned saint, St. Francis of Assisi. He wrote extensively on theological matters, so much so that he was known well as the ‘Seraphic Doctor’ by his contemporaries and later Church theologians. He was also elected as the leader of the Franciscan Order as its Minister General, and was instrumental in guiding the order through its works and principles, and at the same time also involving himself in greater and wider whole Church reforms. He was elevated to the Cardinalate by the Pope for his influential efforts and works in securing his election, and in his many other contributions to the good of the Church and the faithful people of God. The great examples of St. Bonaventure still inspired many people right even up to this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all today therefore be strengthened and encouraged by the great examples and inspirations shown by St. Bonaventure and the many other holy men and women of God, whose lives have been truly worthy of Him, so that we too may follow in their footsteps. May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide us in our path, in our faithful commitment to His cause, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 14 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scriptures reminding us all of the calling that all of us have received as Christians, in following God and in entrusting ourselves and our lives to do whatever it is that He has commanded us all to do. God has given each and every one of us the commission and the responsibilities to proclaim His truth and the Good News to all the nations. That is why all of us have been guided to His path, with God’s calling, His words and will revealed within our hearts and minds, that show unto us the way to His salvation and grace, and so that many more people may come to know of the Lord and His path, by our example and inspiration, by our actions and guidance for all those around us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis we heard how God reassured Jacob when he was about to embark on the journey to the land of Egypt, upon hearing the joyous news that Joseph, one of his beloved sons, had not died but in fact lived and had become the great Regent of all Egypt. Jacob was uncertain and unsure when it was all true, and whether it was for him to go to Egypt, but the Lord reassured Jacob, telling him that it had been His plan all along, how He had sent Joseph ahead of everyone else in his family so that he could take good care of them in the land of Egypt during the time of great famine and hardships, so that the whole nation of God’s chosen people, descendants of Jacob, the Israelites, might prosper and flourish, grow and became great just as He has promised to Jacob and his forefathers.

Thus that was how Jacob was convinced to go to Egypt with his whole entire family, and was reunited with Joseph at last. God took good care of Jacob, Joseph and their whole family, and fulfilled everything that He has promised to all of them. Even later on when their descendants, the Israelites were mistreated and enslaved by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, the Lord was always with them and did not forget about them. He sent them Moses whom He had entrusted with the mission to liberate His people, and in the well-known story of the Exodus from Egypt, we are all aware of how God brought His beloved ones out of the land where they suffered and were enslaved. God has always been faithful to the Covenant that He has established with His faithful ones, and this was no exception.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the instructions that the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples as He sent them out to carry out their missions and works among the people, to do God’s will and to proclaim the Good News, so that they might know what they were sent to do, and also what they might have to endure and face amidst the mission and works they carried out, the challenges, trials, rejections and persecutions, and all the things which might be obstacles and stumbling blocks in the way of those who follow the Lord and His ways. The Lord told them upfront that their journey might be fruitful and good in some occasions, but might also be challenging and tough in others, and they might have to stand up for their faith from time to time, and defend their beliefs before others. But the Lord told them that they truly had nothing to be worried about.

The Lord Himself reassured them that He would be with them and that the Holy Spirit would guide them and strengthen them, and that the Wisdom of God, His eloquence and truth would empower them that they would be able to make a stand and outwit those who oppose them, as long as they keep their faith and trust in the Lord. He reassured and reminded them that just as they would have to suffer, He Himself would suffer the rejection of the world, the persecutions and the hardships, which we all know too well, of how the Lord embraced His Cross willingly, rejected and betrayed by His own people and even His followers, condemned to death for a sin that He did not commit, and bore the burden of our innumerable sins and faults so that through Him all of us might be truly and fully reconciled with God, and receive from Him the fullness of pardon and grace.

That is why today, all of us as Christians, we are all reminded of God’s calling for us in our respective lives. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the grace of God’s blessings, and we have received His most generous love. He has called on all of us to share these blessings and all the graces we have received with one another, and to proclaim the truth and salvation that He has brought into our midst so that we may truly be His faithful and great missionaries and disciples, in proclaiming His truth, Good News and love to all the people all over the world, even in our smallest and most insignificant actions and works. All of us as Christians are called to

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Camillus de Lellis, a holy and devoted man of God, who as a priest was remembered for his great care for his great care and compassion for the sick and the dying, and for all who were wounded and hospitalised, based on his own prior experiences, when he was fighting in the military prior to joining the priesthood, where a leg injury and also bad experiences, attitude and problems, that included his aggressive nature and excessive gambling, eventually led him to seek the Lord through the assistance of a Capuchin friar who patiently helped St. Camillus de Lellis to find his way to the Lord. Through that conversion, this sinful man turned into a new life as a priest and man of God eventually felt the calling to serve the Lord and His people in greater ways.

He founded the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm, also known today as the Camillians after their founder, which members dedicate themselves to the care of the sick and the wounded, assisting in wars and conflicts, and in the care of all those who were not able to take care of themselves. St. Camillus de Lellis himself suffered from ailments and hardships throughout his life and ministry, but he did not let all of those things to dissuade or discourage him from continuing to carry out his works, in reaching out to the sick and suffering, and all to those who were less fortunate, actions that inspired many other people to join and help out in his cause, through his patient efforts and works.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of the great and inspiring examples set by St. Camillus de Lellis and those that the Lord’s disciples had done, let us all therefore help one another to be strong and firm in our own faith as well. Let us all be good role models and inspirations for each other in faith, so that in our every works and actions, in our every good efforts and endeavours, we will always help to lead others ever closer to God, and that we will always be ready to walk in the path that the Lord has shown us, even if things may seem to be really challenging and difficult for us. May God be with us always, as He has always been with His beloved ones, and may He bless our every step forward as we carry on living our lives with faith and commitment to Him. Amen.

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Thursday, 13 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Henry (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each one of us are reminded that each and every one of us have been sent by God to proclaim His truth and Good News, which He has revealed to all of us, so that we may tell everyone of His great kindness and love, and of everything which He has done for our sake, in loving us and in caring for us. All of us have been blessed to be so beloved by God and to be the ones who have received His favour, and hence, we all should follow Him wholeheartedly and do our very best to honour Him and to profess our faith in Him, by our exemplary lives and actions. Through all of these we will allow more and more people to come to believe in God and His truth, and many more will come to be saved. Of course, not everyone may end up believing in Him, but this does not mean that we should not try.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of Genesis we heard of the story of how Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel, was reunited with all of his brothers, the other sons of Jacob, as we continue on with the discourse of the story of Abraham and his descendants. Joseph, who was at that time the great Regent of all Egypt, the second most powerful person in that land after the ruler, the Pharaoh himself, recognised his brothers who came to Egypt seeking for sustenance and food, during the seven years of great famine and hardships. He tested his brothers and arranged such that they would bring to him his beloved younger brother Benjamin. Thus, that was how Joseph was reunited with his long separated brothers, which happened because of the other brothers’ jealousy that led to them selling Joseph off to the slavers that brought him to Egypt.

God was with Joseph and He guided him, made him successful and great, but he remembered who he was and how God had helped and provided for him. Hence, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and forgave all those who have sold him off to slavery and those who have caused him to experience sufferings and hardships, revealing before them all how God had protected him and been with him all the way, and how He has planned and willed all of these, that the evil intents of Joseph’s brothers had been turned into one of fortune for Joseph and his brothers, for their whole entire families. God sent Joseph into Egypt so that over there he could perform His good works among the people and save countless people and lives from destruction because of the famine and great hardships that would come upon the land.

That sending of Joseph into the land of Egypt was kind of reminiscent of what we later then heard from our Gospel passage today, in which we heard how the Lord sent forth His disciples and followers to go before Him and to do His works and ministry. He sent them all in pairs, two by two, to reach out to the many people that were in need of care and help, and through this, God had shown His most wonderful and amazing love being manifested in the flesh, in reality and truth. God was always with His disciples that even though they encountered many challenges and hardships, rejection and even persecution through many moments and occasions throughout their respective ministries, but by God’s grace all of them continued to thrive and the impact of their works and efforts helped to establish and strengthen the community of the faithful people of God, the Church.

The Lord instructed the disciples on what they should do, and told them what they ought to do if they were welcomed in a certain place or if they were rejected instead. This would indeed come to good use as the Apostles and the many other missionaries, disciples of the Lord embarked on mission works and efforts to proclaim the Good News of the Lord, His truth and salvation. There were many of those who welcomed the disciples and listened to them, following the path that they had set and becoming the followers of the Lord, as Christians. However, there were also those who refused to follow the Lord and resisted the efforts and the works of the Apostles and the many missionaries who had been sent to proclaim the Good News to them, those who persecuted the faithful and oppressed the Church of God.

That is why we are reminded this day that all of us are called to continue the works of the Apostles and the many missionaries and servants of the Lord, in doing the works and efforts of the Lord and His Church, in order to proclaim courageously the salvation of God in the midst of our communities and among the people of God, especially to those who have not yet known Him. All of us have been given the truth, the knowledge and understanding, the Wisdom of the Lord so that we may truly live our lives with faith and to be exemplary in faith, that our every actions, words and deeds may truly be a reflection of our beliefs and our confession of faith, which we have made before Him and others. If we ourselves have not truly and sincerely believed in the Lord, and lived our lives according to our Christian faith and calling, how can we then expect others to believe in Him?

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Henry, also known as Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, the paramount secular ruler of Christendom during the High Middle Ages, who lived and reigned exactly a millennium ago from this day. St. Henry was renowned for his great piety and dedication to God, for his love for the Law and precepts of God and for his obedience to the Church. St. Henry spent a lot of effort and time in caring for the needs of his subjects, and all those who have been put under his dominion, and at the same time, he was also ever active in promoting the cause of the Church and that of the Christian faith, by establishing Church institutions and by giving his full support on the mission of the Church and the work of evangelisation, which saw great success in the continued growth of the Church and more and more pagans being converted to the true faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are therefore called to follow the Lord more faithfully following the great examples of our holy predecessors, like that of St. Henry, Holy Roman Emperor, and like that of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, and also the patriarch Joseph, son of Jacob, who had obeyed the Lord and entrusted himself to His providence. Let us all therefore do whatever we can in order to walk ever more devoutly and with greater commitment in the presence of God, proclaiming His truth and love at all times. May God bless us all and our every good works and endeavours, for His greater glory. Amen.

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Wednesday, 12 July 2023 : 14th 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 responsibilities and the obligations that each one of us have received from the Lord, in our various vocations and callings, in whatever it is that God has called us to do with our lives. All of us have been entrusted by the Lord with various gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities, through which all of us can carry out God’s good works and proclaim His Good News in the midst of our communities and among our circle of friends and to all those whom we encounter in life. Each one of us are given the trust to do what we can with those gifts and abilities, to glorify God and to do His will, just as our Scripture passages today have told and reminded us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis of the story of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob who also known as Israel, and in this case, Joseph had been sold off by his own brothers who resented him for having dreamt of things that indicated that they would all bow down to him and subordinated themselves to him. Little did they all realise that Joseph had actually been blessed with the gift of vision from the Lord, a gift that God would make use of in guiding Joseph in preparing the path for them, for his whole family, to be safeguarded and provided for many years in the future, when great famine would rampage the whole known world back then.

Despite having been betrayed and sold off by his brothers to the slavers of Midian, and brough to Egypt against his will, Joseph was guided and protected by the Lord, who helped him in his hour of need, when he was imprisoned for having been falsely accused of impropriety by one of the Pharaoh’s officials named Potiphar, even though Joseph was innocent of the crime he was accused of. Joseph was freed from prison and given very important positions in the Egyptian kingdom after he managed to interpret correctly the dreams of the Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. God, Who has given Joseph the gift of dreams and the interpretation of dreams, helped Joseph to leave behind his difficult years of slavery behind, and to regain his honour, freedom and life back.

It is on the backdrop of these events that we heard of today’s first reading passage, that when the seven years of great famine came after seven years of great abundance just as what the Pharaoh’s dreams had foretold through Joseph’s interpretations, the whole family of Israel, the family of Jacob and his sons, suffered the same famine, and in the threat of being exterminated due to the adverse conditions, the brothers of Joseph came to the land of Egypt, doing exactly what they had been shown doing in the dream of the once young Joseph. Joseph tested his brothers and wanted to see their sincerity and in order to be reunited with his beloved younger brother, Benjamin, hence, Joseph, as the Regent of all Egypt and the second most powerful person in Egypt, arranged for the things to be carried out as they were.

In summary, after going through all these things and carrying out his plans, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and told them that everything that they had done, all were done in the end to fulfil God’s will. God sent Joseph ahead of his family, and all of his brothers, so that he could prepare the place for them in Egypt, a fact that none including Joseph himself could have known or foretold. We can clearly see through this example that God has always watched over us, and entrusted to us at the same time, the calling and the vocation, the responsibility and the charge to do what He wants us to do with our lives, in whatever opportunities and places, areas and circumstances that we have been placed in.

This is just like how the Lord Jesus in our Gospel passage today having sent out His disciples to carry out His works among the people, choosing twelve among all of them to be His chief disciples, as the Twelve Apostles, who were introduced to us all by name. Each and every one of them had been entrusted by the Lord with a certain mission, and later on, except for the traitor Judas Iscariot, they would go on to proclaim the truth and Good News of God in various places, in distant realms and facing many struggles and encountering successes both. Through them and their dedication, the Lord has performed many great and wonderful works, reaching out to many people throughout the world, revealing the salvation and love, and the many promises that He has always reassured His people, His faithful ones.

That is why today, all of us who have heard these words from the Scriptures and received these reminders from the Lord are all encouraged and exhorted to do what we can in order to follow the Lord to whatever and wherever that He is leading us towards. All of us have been entrusted with the various gifts, talents, opportunities and blessings from God, and it is now up to us whether we can make good use of all of them for the sake and for the good of everyone all around us, such that in everything which we say and do, we will always bring glory to God, and we will be good role models and inspiration for one another. We must remember that each one of us have the capacity for great and worthy things, as well as for wicked and vile things, and what matters is our choice and the decisions that we make, on whether we want to follow the Lord and obey His will, or whether we prefer to walk down the path of sin and disobedience against God.

Let us therefore spend some time today to discern our path going forward in life. Let us think carefully how we should carry on living our lives, in our every actions and works, in our every words and deeds, so that we will always strive to do God’s will at all and every possible opportunities. Let us all make good use of the talents, abilities and gifts, the many opportunities and blessings that we have been given that we may always be filled with God’s grace and love, and be ever closer to Him, worthy of His saving grace and Presence. May God bless our every good works and efforts, our every good endeavours for His greater glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 July 2023 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us have been called and chosen by God to be His disciples and followers, as those whom He has shown His favour and blessings on, and of us, He therefore requires our commitment and efforts, contributions and dedication, just as He has committed Himself to the Covenant which He has established with all of us. All of us are truly blessed to have been given this opportunity and grace by God, Who has always patiently loved us and cared for each one of us, without exception. None of us are truly beyond God’s love and attention, and none of us can be separated from the most wonderful love of God unless it is we ourselves who have constantly and repeatedly rejected and refused His love and kindness.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the moment when Jacob, the ancestor and forefather of all the Israelites, came back to the Promised Land of Canaan with his wives and children, with his whole family and possessions, and in the region of Bethel, where Jacob had once passed through on his way to flee from his brother’s wrath, he encountered the Lord Himself, Who was disguised in the form of a great Man, that struggled with Jacob till the daybreak. That was how Jacob became known as Israel, as one who has struggled and brawled with the Lord Himself and prevailed. God therefore showed His reassurance and guidance to Jacob, reminding him of His ever presence and providence throughout the path that Jacob had walked through, and how He would continue to affirm and bless him and his descendants just as He has promised them all.

At that time, Jacob had spent many years in the land of Harran beyond the Euphrates River, in serving Laban, his uncle, and he has grown rich and great, with many children that God has blessed him with. Jacob brought his family back to his ancestral lands, to return to his father Isaac and hopefully to reconcile with his brother Esau, whom he had fled from. That God has blessed him such was a proof of His faithfulness to the Covenant which He has made with His loved ones. Jacob and his descendants would become the chosen people of God, the Israelites, who would prosper greatly and gained the grace of God. He called on them therefore to put their trust and faith in Him, and to continue to live ever more faithfully in His Presence, following His commands and walking in the path that He has revealed before them.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord performing His miracles and wonders, as He healed two blind men and then cast out the evil spirits and demons from a man who had been struck dumb because of the demonic possession. The people hailed the Lord Jesus for His works, rejoicing because such great miracles and wonders had not been seen among the people before. Truly, Christ was the love and promises of God made manifest in the flesh, the Divine Word Incarnate, the Son of God, Who came into our midst bearing the will and desire of His Heavenly Father, our Lord and Master, Who sought to be reconciled and reunited with us all. Yet, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law disparaged Him and refused to believe in Him, and even went on to the point of accusing Him falsely of colluding with the prince of demons in His works.

Now, we all can see there just how stubborn some of the people of God could be, all because of their pride and ego, their unbridled desires and ambitions, through which they had been blinded and their thoughts muddled. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, the elders and the chief priests were easily swayed by the temptations of worldly desires and wants, so much so that they were willing to persecute the Lord for crimes and faults that He did not do, and to put obstacles and trials in His path simply because they saw Him as a rival to their power, influence and privileges. Yet, the Lord was still patient in showing His love and care even to those who have rejected and refused to believe in Him. We are all truly undeserving of God’s love, and yet, just as He has affirmed His love to Jacob and to our forefathers, He has renewed this love to us all.

That is why as Christians, all of us whom God had called and chosen, and made to be His own beloved and precious ones, all of us are called to commit ourselves to the Lord in the way that our righteous and holy predecessors had done, just as they all have committed their lives to God, and did what the Lord had commanded and asked them to do. This is something that is easier said than done, just as the Lord Himself in our Gospel passage today had said, asking His disciples to pray and ask the Master of the harvest to send the labourers to gather His harvest, as the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. This highlights to us just how few of us have truly dedicated ourselves to follow Him, and if only more people are willing to entrust themselves to the Lord, then there would have been more people who will come to know of the Lord, His love and truth, through us and our good examples.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great and renowned saint whose life can and should indeed be a source of great inspiration for all of us as Christians, as God’s beloved people. St. Benedict, also known as St. Benedict of Nursia, was the founder of the Benedictine Order, and is also the Patron Saint of Europe, whose influence and works lasts till this very day in the large number of religious organisations, institutions that are directly descended from his original Benedictine Order, as well as the many other religious institutes that follow his Rule of St. Benedict, as well as countless others who had devoted themselves to the Lord while following the examples and inspirations of this great saint and man of God. St. Benedict is indeed a great role model for us in how each and every one of us ought to live our lives as devout and committed Christians.

How is that so? St. Benedict was the son of a Roman noble in what is now part of Italy, who was well-educated in his youth but became disillusioned with the excesses of worldliness, and beginning to seek a new life of being a hermit and monk. Thus, he began to live in seclusion, away from the glory and temptations of the world, in which he continued to grow in wisdom and holiness, and in his love and commitment for God, which drew many to be attracted to his way of life, establishing the foundation for the later Benedictine Order and the flourishing of religious life and monasteries all throughout Christendom. Through St. Benedict and his great examples in faith and commitment to God, many came to seek the Lord and abandon the excesses of this world, in exchange for the true happiness that one can find in God alone. Thus was how many were called to God and His salvation by the great faith and examples shown by St. Benedict.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we willing and able to commit ourselves to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, and to dedicate ourselves each day and at every moment, so that we may indeed be worthy followers and disciples of our Lord, inspired by His holy servants like St. Benedict and many others? Are we able to entrust ourselves to His cause, and do whatever we can to glorify the Lord by our lives? May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us, and may He empower us all to live ever more worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 10 July 2023 : 14th 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, all of us are reminded that we are all the beloved people of God, and He always provides for us, and has always been with us, journeying with us and guiding us throughout the way, in our lives and beyond. God has never abandoned us even in the moments of our greatest hardships and difficulties, and He has always been faithful to the Covenant and true to the promises that He has established and made with us and our ancestors. We must always trust in the Lord and believe in everything that He will do for our sake, in helping and providing for us all in our time and moments of greatest need. God is always with us at all times, even when we do not realise this.

In our first reading today, we heard from the story of Jacob who was on his way in exile, fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau after he has taken away his inheritance and the blessing that his father Isaac had meant to give to the elder brother. Jacob was by himself, an exile from his own family and homeland, at Bethel, where he laid down his head and slept. God showed Jacob a great heavenly vision, showing him His might and power, and how He was with him, and would be with him throughout his path and journey forward, reaffirming with him the same promises that He had made with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, in the Covenant that God Himself has made and established with Abraham and his descendants.

God reaffirmed that everything would come true just as He has promised them all to Jacob and his descendants, and he would receive the land that was promised to him, despite his then predicament and uncertainty. And thus, Jacob also renewed the Covenant by promising to God that if God would guide him through his difficult moments and through the struggles that he would be facing, upon his return, he would dedicate that place to God, and true enough, indeed, that God really guided Jacob, helped him to survive those difficult years afterwards, providing him with a woman whom he truly loved, in Rachel, and through her and Jacob’s other wife, he would have twelve sons, and other children, becoming great in wealth and status.

God did guide Jacob and his whole family back to the promised land, and Jacob made good of his promise, building an altar to God there in that place, and that place was henceforth known as Bethel thereon, because of Jacob’s vision detailed in our first reading today, and because of God’s providence for His people in their time and hour of need. We are assured as we have always been, by the Lord’s constant presence in our midst, in guiding and helping us so that we may find our path in life. We must always trust in Him and follow Him faithfully, even amidst the challenges and hardships that we may have to face in our journey through life. Jacob could not have known what he would have to experience and to endure in the years after the events at Bethel, but he remained steadfast in entrusting himself to God, and his faith was indeed greatly rewarded, in God’s good time.

In our Gospel passage today, we all heard of the time when the Lord Jesus miraculously healed a woman who had suffered from severe bleeding issue for more than twelve years as well as miraculously raising the daughter of a synagogue official from the dead, in the presence of many witnesses who were present then. From those accounts and examples, we can clearly see how the Lord has always shown His care and providence for us, and how He has never abandoned us, but continuously and patiently loving us, and how nothing is truly impossible for Him to do, that when we have given up hope in any earthly means of sustenance and provision, the Lord’s providence never failed. In whatever things we encounter, in our many hardships and challenges that we have had to face, if we put our trust in the Lord, in the end, we shall be triumphant with Him.

That woman who had been suffering from the bleeding problems, likely one that was related to her reproductive organs, must have truly suffered a lot, not just physically but also socially, as according to the old Jewish laws and customs, a woman who was suffering or experiencing bleeding or discharge was considered as unclean and was therefore unable to join the greater community of the people of God until their bleeding or discharge had ceased. And since she had been suffering the problem for over twelve years, she must have either had to endure being ostracised, shunned and cut out for that whole period, or she must have had to hide her condition from others, out of fear and shame, and the treatments that she might have to face, should everyone were to know of her condition, which was why she was looking for the Lord in secret. But her faith in the Lord saved her, and she was healed because she truly believed that the Lord could heal her.

Meanwhile, with regards to the daughter of the synagogue official, who was very sick and eventually passed away before the Lord reached her place, it was the faith that her father, the synagogue official, which was identified as Jairus in another Gospel, which saved her. He trusted in the Lord and sought for him when he needed help, just like that of the woman who was suffering from the haemorrhage. Like Jacob their forefather, they both turned towards the Lord when there was no other hope or means for healing and help, and God showed them His most wonderful and eminent love and compassion, His providence and help, by raising Jairus’ daughter back to life, and healing the woman from her bleeding issue, when no other worldly or earthly means had been possible, while at the same time showing that He was indeed God in the flesh, Son of God and Son of Man alike.

Now, we also have to take note that I do not mean that we do not have to suffer or endure hardships if we are to follow the Lord. All those whom I had mentioned, particularly Jacob and the woman who had bleeding problems, both had to endure hardships, cast out and exiled, endured scorn and difficulties for many long years. Yet, they persevered and endured in faith, and in the end, trusted in the Lord, Who showed them His most wonderful love and care, in providing for them and in guiding them towards true joy and freedom, blessed anew and strengthened once again by His hands. Thus, in the same manner, each one of us must also be prepared to face hardships and challenges, and we have to be always ready to stand up for our faith, and to persevere through despite the trials and challenges that we may face, in our paths going forward.

May the Lord continue to help and guide us, and may He always be with us, journeying with us and guiding us as He has always done so far, that no matter what hardships and trials we may have to face, we will always put our trust and faith in Him at all times. May He be with us always and be with His Church in all circumstances, and bless us all and our many good works, our good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Sunday, 9 July 2023 : Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that God has revealed to us His most amazing kindness and love, which He has extended to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, by His coming into this world and by His works, as He set to save us all from our many predicaments and troubles, gathering us all into His loving embrace and caring for each one of us. All of us are reminded of the love which God has shown us, a most generous love surpassing all others, and which He has shown as an example for each one of us, so that we may follow His examples in how we live our own lives, in committing ourselves to His cause and walking ever more faithfully in His path, as a people whom He has called and chosen from this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard the joyful proclamations from the prophet Zechariah to the people of God, made during the time of his ministry, which happened according to historical sources during the reign of the Persian ruler Darius, of the Achaemenid Empire. At that time, the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah and Israel had been crushed and destroyed by their conquerors and oppressors, as the people had abandoned the Lord and refused to walk in the path that He had shown them. As a result, they were defeated by their enemies, their cities and towns ransacked and destroyed, and the city of Jerusalem itself and its Holy Temple, the House of God built by King Solomon had been destroyed and ruined, with the Ark of the Covenant missing and nowhere to be found.

The prophet Zechariah in today’s passage made that famous prophecy that the Saviour, the King of Israel, the Messiah, would come to the city of Jerusalem and to God’s people on a donkey, a prophecy which would later on be fulfilled by the coming of the Lord Jesus Who rode into the city of Jerusalem on a humble donkey, welcomed by the people of the city who waved palm branches and spread their cloaks and clothes in His path, joyfully singing and praising, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!’ As we are all surely familiar with, the Lord’s glorious and triumphal entry into Jerusalem marked the fulfilment of the prophecy that God has revealed through the prophet Zechariah, a prophecy that was meant to strengthen the faith of a people who had been downtrodden and beaten because of their sins.

Then, our second and Gospel reading passages reminded us that God, in His most amazing and enduring love for us, has sent us all the most wonderful gift and the grace of His salvation, in the Person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, Our Saviour. The Lord Himself has robed Himself in the flesh, in our nature and appearance as Man, as the Son of Man, so that by coming into our midst, and by dwelling among us, as St. Paul mentioned in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans, that the Lord may bring us all from death into life, and from the downfall due to our many sins and faults, into the everlasting life and true joy in Heaven with God, His Angels and His saints. Through His Son, God has made it possible for us to find our way to salvation and liberation, opening the very gates of Heaven, bridging the chasm that existed between us and God.

And Christ did so by His Cross, which He bore willingly for each one of us, so that all of us, a people who have been bereft of joy and true grace and love of God, just like that of the Israelites in their Babylonian exile, may now see the true Light of God’s salvation, and have hope once again through Him. By His Cross, the Lord has offered the most perfect offering of love, of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, that He, as the Lamb of God, might free us from the bondage of sin and death. His Body and Blood alone, Most Holy and worthy, are good enough to reconcile us completely to our Heavenly Father, our Creator and Master. Through Him all of us have received the assurances of God’s ever-present and ever-enduring love, which He has manifested perfectly in His Son, and through what He has done for us.

Now, are we then going to heed the Lord’s call that He had made to us, calling us all to follow Him as we heard Him saying, ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’? Through these words, all of us are reminded that first of all, it is in God alone that we have true hope of redemption and liberation of all of our troubles and trials, all the bondage we have to sin. Through Christ alone there is hope for salvation and eternal life, as we all should realise. That is why we all should follow Him and commit ourselves to Him, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always obey the Lord and do what we have been called and tasked to do, as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord, in His salvation and in His Passion, death and Resurrection, by which He has redeemed the world.

We are all Christ’s witnesses in this world, the ones who should be proclaiming His truth and Good News. However, just as the Lord Himself also mentioned, that His yoke is light, which means that following Him will likely require sacrifice and efforts, that we should not think being Christians means that we will have an easy and good life ahead of us. There will definitely be challenges and obstacles facing us, but what matters is that, we have to realise just how God is journeying with us and being with us in these struggles of life. Thus, we should always keep our faith in Him and trust in Him, remembering the salvation and help that He has provided to us, His faithfulness to the Covenant and the promises that He has made for us, that He gave us all His only begotten Son, to suffer and die for our sake, that by His death, all of us may be saved and have life in us.

Let us all therefore be genuine and faithful Christians, ever committed and courageous in our calling and mission to proclaim the Lord, Our Saviour and King, to all the whole world. Let us all embrace the Lord and His love for us, and then bear His love, and His light of truth so that many more may come to believe in Him as well and be saved. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in our missions and journey of faith, and in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 8 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are called to follow the path that the Lord has shown us, the new way of life that He has presented to us, as the path that each one of us should walk, as we live in this world. Each one of us as Christians have received the grace of God, the revelation of His way and truth. Therefore, it is only natural that each one of us should live our lives in the manner that all of us as Christians should be doing, in obeying God’s will and in carrying out what He has presented to us, or else we cannot consider ourselves as true and genuine Christians, followers and disciples of the Lord. True Christians will be willing to commit their lives and dedicate themselves wholeheartedly, even against the challenges of this world.

In our first reading today, we heard from the passage in the Book of Genesis in which we were told of the tale of how the inheritance of Isaac, the son of Abraham, his blessing and gifts were bestowed upon Jacob, the younger son of Isaac, while Esau, the elder son, forsook his inheritance and birthright, and how Isaac was also tricked by Jacob and his mother Rebekah, to give the blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. Upon listening and reading of this passage, we may think that what Rebekah and Jacob had planned was indeed devious and unjust, but the reality is that, everything happened as it should be in accordance with God’s will. It does not mean that what Rebekah and Jacob did in tricking Isaac was something that is right, but in the end, God’s grace and blessings, His will still rested upon Jacob, and upon his descendants.

Let us now look closer into the story to understand better its significance and meaning. Esau and Jacob were the two sons of Isaac, and were therefore the grandsons of Abraham, the one with whom God had established His Covenant. Abraham has been promised the blessings of God, the guidance and providence from God, which have now been passed on to Isaac, as Abraham’s heir. As the oldest son, Esau should have stood to gain the inheritance from his father, but when Jacob earlier on told Esau about exchanging his inheritance and rights for the food that he had made, as prelude to today’s reading, we should note how Esau took lightly of his inheritance and birthright. He did not take his inheritance seriously, and chose to sold off his rights and inheritance. Thus was how Jacob gained his rights to the inheritance, as agreed by Esau himself.

Not only that, but Jewish and prophetic traditions, as well as Church traditions and teachings highlighted that Esau had also been unworthy to be the heir of Isaac, because of his actions and misdeeds. It was also told that Esau married two Hittite women which was disapproved greatly by his parents, who preferred that their sons married some from within their extended relatives’ family, as Jacob eventually did. Regardless of the reasons, it can be seen that Esau had been less than worthy of God’s blessings, and yet, in the end, much like Ishmael before him, the elder half-brother of Isaac, God still cared for him and blessed him nonetheless. Esau would become the father of great nation, the Edomites, who lived alongside the descendants of Jacob, the Israelites, God’s first chosen people.

In his later life, Jacob had to face a lot of trial and tribulations, as he fled to far-off land in hiding from his brother, Esau’s wrath. He had to labour for many years in his uncle, Laban’s fields and care for his uncle’s flock, but he remained faithful to God and entrusted himself to His care and providence. Here we can see that Jacob has somewhat atoned for his mistakes and mischievousness, and most importantly, as contrasted to his elder brother, who disobeyed his parents and was also more wicked in his actions, Jacob kept his faith in God even amidst the difficult and troubling times of his exile. God blessed Jacob and guided him, and eventually made him to have a large family, that he led down back to the Promised Land, where he was eventually reunited with his father Isaac, and was also reconciled with his brother Esau, who had forgotten the feud and forgiven Jacob.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord telling His disciples when the disciples of St. John the Baptist came to them asking why they did not fast in the manner of how they and the Pharisees all fasted, that all of them follow His new path, the path of truth that He Himself has brought into this world. It was not that the old path and ways were wrong, but they had been used incorrectly in many occasions, and the Lord had come forth bearing the new revelations and truth to perfect the Law and the commandments. God has therefore called on all of His followers to commit themselves to the new path of righteousness, and not to be like especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who often fasted and performed other pious actions because they wanted to be seen and praised by others around them for their actions.

That was why the Lord used the parable of the wine and wineskin, and the parable of the old and new cloth and their patches to highlight this matter to His disciples and followers. As the people at that time should be familiar with, old wine cannot be placed into new wineskin, or new wine cannot be placed into old wineskin. Similarly, it was also shown how the old cloth cannot be patched with a new piece of cloth and vice versa. This highlighted that to become true disciples and followers of the Lord, we should have the courage and the willingness to follow Him and to commit ourselves to His way of righteousness, and leaving behind our attachments to worldly matters and desires, which often distracted and tempted us all away from the true path towards righteousness in God.

Now, after listening to the stories and tales from the Scriptures, are we all more inspired and strengthened in our resolve to live our lives in a more Christ-like manner? Are we willing to embrace the Lord more wholeheartedly in His ways, and endeavour to do our best in glorifying Him by our lives, that is by our every words, actions and deeds? Can we commit ourselves to focus our energy and attention ever on the Lord and not upon the glories and pleasures of the world, so that we will always ever firm in our calling and mission as Christians? This is what we all need to discern on, and what we should do in our respective lives and vocations, as we continue to progress in our journey of faith, and in obeying God’s will and carrying out His commandments. We should always be ready to listen to God speaking to us, calling us and telling us what we are to do with our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Master, continue to provide for us, and strengthen each and every one of us so that in everything we say and do, and in our every commitments and works, we will always be ever worthy of Him, and that we will always walk in His path. Amen.

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Friday, 7 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us received through the Sacred Scriptures the assurances and reminders of the kindness and compassion that the Lord has shown His beloved ones. God has always provided His help and kindness towards us, caring for us and helping us all to come out from the predicaments and troubles which we have constantly been facing throughout our lives. The Lord has patiently helped us and showed us all His consolation whenever we have troubles, just as He had done again and again throughout our history. Each and every one of us should not be easily disheartened or lose faith in the Lord simply because we are troubled or encountered hardships and trials.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the discourse from the Book of Genesis, in which we heard of the story of personal loss to the family of Abraham and his son, Isaac, as Sarah, Abraham’s wife and Isaac’s mother, passed away and everyone mourned her passing, especially Abraham and Isaac. However, God reassured and strengthened both of them, as Abraham has always kept his faith in the Lord, and Isaac was comforted when he encountered his future wife, Rebekah, who came along from the land of Abraham’s forefathers. We were told that Isaac and Rebekah eventually became husband and wife, and Isaac was comforted of the loss of his mother.

In the Gospel passage today, we then heard of the account of the moment when after having healed a paralytic man and gained the scorn of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for healing the man and forgiving his sins, the Lord Jesus then called Matthew the tax collector, also known as Levi, whom the Lord Himself called to be one of His disciples. This earned the Lord yet another scorn and ridicule from the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who considered the tax collectors as wicked people, traitors and betrayers who have sold off their country and people to the foreigners like the Romans, and who loved money and possessions more than they loved others and God.

However, this was truly a generalisation and misunderstanding, as the tax collectors themselves were also labouring for their survival and livelihood. As the tax collectors themselves has shown, that they were no more or less sinners than everyone else, and in fact, they were open in their mind to welcome the Lord into their midst, willingly and even excitedly listening to Him speaking to them. They were like lost sheep who sought for guidance and path towards the Lord, Who graciously and lovingly reached out to them, as the most loving Good Shepherd, Who cares for His sheep. He did not abandon any one of them to the darkness, and since those same lost sheep had come looking for Him, it was only right that He comes to find them, that He gave it all to find the lost ones.

On the other hand, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who had accused the Lord and sneered on Him for having called upon tax collectors and spent time with them, have all failed to realise that they themselves were in need of salvation from God, healing and forgiveness for their own sins. They were also sinners just like the tax collectors, prostitutes and others who suffered from various maladies, that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had looked down upon. Not only that, but they have also failed in their obligation and responsibilities as the guides and leaders of the people, to help guide those who have been lost from God back towards their Lord and Master. Instead, they have been focused so much on their own self-righteousness and piety, that they have forgotten their calling and also their faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all henceforth be committed anew to God, and to focus our attention once again towards Him. We have to keep in mind that we should not be judgmental and biased in our attitude towards others, or be swayed with pride and desires which can lead us down the path of sin and wickedness, and away from the salvation and grace of God. It is why each one of us must always remember that first of all, we are all sinners who have been given so great a grace from God, Who deigns to reach out to us, loving us all most wonderfully, reaching out to us even when we are still sinners and wicked in our actions. That is also why we cannot think that we are better than others, or that others are less worthy than us, or that we are superior in any way.

Instead, all of us should help one another to reach the Lord, His truth and salvation, and do our very best to follow the path that God has shown us most faithfully, so that we may truly be genuine Christians, followers and disciples of the Lord in all things, and not just in name only. We should not be like those Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who have given in to pride and desire, and failed to realise God’s love and mercy being shown in their midst. We should be humbler and more compassionate, like Christ Himself, Who has reached out to us with love, and humbled Himself so much in order to save us from our own downfall and destruction. All of us should do whatever we can so that we may help many others to find their way towards God.

May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all in our journey, and may He continue to help us to find our way in life, and be strengthened that in all the path we walked through, we will always be able to persevere amidst the many challenges and trials that we all had to face. May all of us continue to live our lives with ever more amazing faith and dedication, that we may truly be inspiration for each other, for all who witness our works and deeds in life. May God be with us always, and may He inspire us with His wisdom, love and strength, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 6 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

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 we should truly have faith and trust in the Lord, remaining true to His path and righteousness, distancing ourselves from the wickedness and evils present all around us. All of us should do our very best to embrace the path that the Lord has set before us, and not be swayed by worldly temptations, and by the coercions and pressures from all those who sought to sway and mislead us down the wrong path. In our Scripture passages today, each one of us are reminded of the moments when the Lord has shown His love and faithfulness to us, to the Covenant that He has established with us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the story of the moment when God told Abraham to bring his beloved son Isaac, the one whom the Lord had promised to Abraham, to Mount Moriah and to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly and brought Isaac with him to Mount Moriah as God has commanded him to do. Abraham might have indeed been pained and dumbfounded by God’s request, as Isaac was the son he had been long awaiting for, and this might have indeed led to questions in Abraham’s heart and mind. But whatever it is, Abraham did not let all those things to sway him from his faith in God, as he fully trusted the Lord, and knew that if God had provided Isaac to him, then He would provide for him in whatever He had called him to do.

Thus, Abraham brought Isaac all the way to Mount Moriah and placed him on the altar, ready to be sacrificed and offered to God, when God sent His Angel to stop Abraham and to tell him that He had seen the great and absolute faith which Abraham had shown him, and hence, He would bless Abraham all the more and reaffirmed the Covenant which He has established with him. God gave a ram to replace Isaac, and there God reaffirmed the Covenant He made, and showed us all that He truly loves each and every one of us, as He showed Abraham that He has always held His end of the promises and bargains made. Not only that, but this offering and sacrifice of Abraham’s son, Isaac, was in fact a prefigurement of what the Lord Himself would do for us all, which I would detail in a moment.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who healed a paralysed man that had been brought to Him. He healed him and showed pity upon him, seeing the faith that the man and those who brought him to Him had, only to be faced with opposition and stubborn refusal by the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in the midst of those who witnessed the miracle. Instead of giving thanks to God for the help that has been shown to the suffering man, they blamed and condemned the Lord, by thinking that He has blasphemed and uttered blasphemy by saying that He could forgive sins. They hardened their hearts and minds, and refused to believe in the truth that God had brought before their very own eyes.

Those same Pharisees and teachers of the Law had allowed their worldly desires and ambitions, their fears and attachments to the temptations of this world, their desires for fame and glory to mislead them down the wrong path. Unlike Abraham, who trusted in the Lord with all of his heart and might, who did not even withhold giving his most precious possession, Isaac, his most beloved son, the promised heir who was more worth than all of Abraham’s other vast possessions and wealth combined, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law prioritised their attachments to worldly glory and fame, and their fears that they would lose all those things were catalysts that led to their stubborn opposition against the Lord and His works.

As I mentioned earlier with the sacrifice of Isaac, the Lord Himself showed us that He was not hesitant to give us His Son, just the manner that Abraham gave his son willingly to the Lord. God gave us all His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, so that by His willing sacrifice, His obedience to His Father’s will, and by Him bearing all of our sins and wickedness, and all the punishments and consequences for those sins. God showed us His love and faithfulness, to the Covenant which He has established with us, the same Covenant that He had made with Abraham, and which was made anew and made into an eternal and everlasting Covenant through Christ, by His sacrifice of love on the Cross, by His suffering and death.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Maria Goretti, a renowned saint remembered for her faith in the Lord, her righteousness and steadfastness amidst the things that she had to face and endure, the trial of her faith and dedication to God. St. Maria Goretti was a young woman who was born to a family of poor farmers, and her father’s early death led to her family having to live together with another family, the Serenellis, whose son, Alessandro, attempted to rape St. Maria Goretti as he made advances upon her. St. Maria Goretti resisted Alessandro’s advances and dissuaded him from committing such a sin with her, and as a result, she was assaulted many times by Alessandro, who stabbed her many times with a knife before fleeing.

St. Maria Goretti was found in a critical state, but just before she passed away, she told her mother and others that she forgave Alessandro and stating that she would want him to be in Heaven with her, along with her concern for her mother. This reflected what the Lord Himself had done for all of us, when He was on His Cross, praying for us and asking His Father not to hold our sins against us, those who have condemned Him to death on the Cross. Eventually, St. Maria Goretti’s assailant, Alessandro, repented from his sins and mistakes, and after having gone through the period of punishment and trial, in which time St. Maria Goretti appeared to him, Alessandro became a totally changed man, and together with the mother of St. Maria Goretti, they attended her canonisation as a saint.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us as Christians, as God’s followers and people are therefore reminded of our obligation and calling to commit ourselves to the Lord, to give our all in devotion to God, remembering just how the Lord Himself has been faithful to the Covenant He has made with us. And as part of that Covenant, all of us are called to live our lives as faithful and committed Christians, just as how St. Maria Goretti had lived, in her upholding of the sanctity of her virginity and her upright life, and how she forgave her assailant and murderer, and her prayers for him, right to the end. Can all of us do the same with our lives as well, brothers and sisters in Christ? Can we commit ourselves more wholeheartedly as how our holy predecessors had done?

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to be with us and bless us, and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may indeed live our lives most worthily, in all things and at all times. May all of us dedicate ourselves with ever greater commitment and faith, now and always, and be ever great role models and inspirations for our fellow Christian brothers and sisters all around us. Amen.