Weekday Mass

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Saturday, 15 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us as we listened to the words from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for us to follow and obey faithfully the commandments of God, the Law that He has shown, revealed and presented to us. God has taught us all how we should be His followers and disciples, and we should make good use of everything that He has provided to us, all the guidance that He has given us, so that we may know how to live our lives worthily as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. All of us are God’s own beloved children, and as such, it is imperative that we live our lives in the manner that is pleasing and worthy of God, as if not, otherwise, we will sully and besmirch the Holy Name of Our Lord and God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which the Lord reminded His people, the Israelites during the time of their Exodus and journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, of their obligations to fulfil the commandments and laws that have been presented and taught to them. God had created His Covenant with all of the people of Israel, and hence, as part of this Covenant, all of the Israelites were required to obey the Law and commandments that God has set before them, just as He would always be faithful to His people, providing and caring for them in everything that they needed. That is why, as His beloved and holy people, they were reminded to love God with all their might, and to do whatever they can such that they may be good examples and role models for the people all around them.

It is this same expectation therefore that the Lord expects from each and every one of us, as God’s holy and beloved people, as we Christians are the people whom God had called and chosen to be His own. Therefore, as we are also part of this same Covenant which God has established, renewed and made firm, once and for all through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, therefore, we are all expected and called to be faithful to the mission entrusted to each one of us as God’s holy and beloved people, to be truly devoted to the path that He has called and shown us to walk in, so that by our every moments in life, our every actions, words and deeds, we will be truly worthy of being called God’s chosen and holy people. God has always ever been faithful to His Covenant to us, but it is us all mankind who have often disappointed Him and chose to follow all other distractions in life, and not following God’s path.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the main essence of the Law of God as highlighted and explained by the Lord Jesus Himself to His disciples and all the people gathered to listen to Him. He told them all about the Law and the commandments, and how the people ought to follow them with sincerity of heart and the genuine desire to love God first and foremost, and then to love their fellow brothers and sisters with the same kind of love, and at least as much as they love themselves. The Lord told them all to love everyone without exception and prejudice, and not to reserve their love only for those who have loved them back, as true love truly should be unconditional, and not be transactional in nature.

The Lord Himself pointed out how even the pagans and unbelievers also loved one another, and loved those who have loved them back. Therefore, as Christians, all of us must be truly revolutionary in how we love others around us, and that means, loving and showing care and concern for those who have not loved us back, and even to those who have hated and persecuted us. This is of course something that is far easier said than done, as it is in our human nature to feel hurt and angry, to feel betrayed and frustrated because of what had been dealt to us, be it injustice, harsh words, unfair treatments, prejudices or other nasty things that we have ourselves often done to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. But, we are all challenged to overcome those negative feelings, all the anger, hurt and desire for vengeance, and be truly magnanimous, compassionate and loving.

And we do not need to look far for example, as the Lord Jesus Himself, our Lord and Saviour, has shown us the perfect example by His own life and works in our midst. While the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, the elders of the people and the members of the Sanhedrin had made His ministry and works difficult all throughout, as those people questioned and doubted Him, refusing to believe in Him, spreading doubts about His authority and authenticity, challenging Him in many occasions, persecuting Him and His disciples, and yet, He still showed great patience in loving and caring for them nonetheless, chastising them all, rebuking them for their wicked actions and lack of true and genuine faith, their external and outward show of piety that were exclusivist in nature, among other things. But all these were done with the intention to make them realise the errors of their ways.

Then, ultimately, the Lord Himself showed the perfect action of love, compassion and magnanimity, when He forgave all those who have rejected and persecuted Him, praying for those who have betrayed and pushed for Him to be punished and crucified to death. He said, ‘Father, forgive them all for they do not know what they were doing.’, asking for them not to be punished or held accountable for their actions, because ultimately He Himself also offered His life on the Cross for everyone, for every sinners, including even those who have questioned, resisted and persecuted Him, all those elders who had betrayed and abandoned Him, for those who have crucified Him and tortured Him. The Lord Himself showed us all the perfect example of Christian love, on how we all should love our brethren around us in the most compassionate and generous manner.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, during this time and season of Lent, can we make the conscious effort to love everyone around us with more tender love and generous care, compassion and attention? Let us all continue to love others around us, even when our love may not be reciprocated, so that by our love, everyone may truly know God and His love, and that our love may touch the lives and hearts of many others, bringing them all together with us ever closer to the path towards God’s salvation. Let us all also continue to walk ever more faithfully down this path, and strive to deepen our relationship with God, our loving and most merciful Father, that one day, we will truly be worthy to share in His glorious and eternal inheritance. Amen.

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Friday, 14 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures during this time of Lent, all of us are reminded to live our lives worthily of the Lord, distancing ourselves from any taints and corruptions of sin. We must strive to resist the many temptations of sin and evil around us, all of which were meant to distract and pull us away from the path towards God and His salvation. That is why this reminder has been presented for us today so that we may leave behind our past sinful way of life, embracing instead the generous love and the bountiful mercy of God that He has constantly presented to us all. All of us as Christians are expected to live a good, just and righteous way of life in the manner that the Lord has shown and taught us through His Church, becoming good and faithful role models to all.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the Lord told His people, the Israelites in exile in Babylon of the hope that He offered to all those who seek forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. He told them all through Ezekiel that even those who had sinned against Him, would be forgiven and receive His grace, love and kindness if they were to seek His mercy, and commit themselves to change their ways of wickedness and sins. As the Lord Himself mentioned clearly that He did not desire the destruction of any one of them, no matter how great a sinner each one of them had been. This is a reminder for all of us just how beloved all of us are by the Lord, and how fortunate all of us are to be the ones whom God shows His generous love to, because it is by His love that we have received this sure hope of salvation.

At the same time, God also reminded His people that even those who were righteous and then committed sin and disobedience against Him would have to account for their sins and wickedness if they fell into temptation and chose to disobey Him. Essentially what the Lord wants to remind each one of us is that, we are responsible for everything that we have done, be it good and just, in accordance with the ways of the Lord, or be it wicked and evil. In the end, we will be judged by all those deeds, good or evil, worthy or wicked before God, the One and only Judge Who will determine our fate in the end. If we have sincerely atoned for our sins and sought the forgiveness from God, then none of those sins will be counted against us, as God by His most wonderful love will erase them all.

On the other hand, as mentioned, if we allowed ourselves to be tempted by sin, disobeying God and doing what is wicked in the eyes of the Lord, then we will be held accountable for those sins, for our failures to obey the Law and will of God, and for all the things which had made us to be unworthy of God, as sin corrupted us and made us to be defiled, unworthy to be in God’s Holy Presence. God indeed certainly loved all of His people, each and every one of us without exception. However, at the same time, sin is a barrier blocking our path towards Him, and unless we get them settled, by entrusting ourselves to God’s forgiveness and mercy, then we may find ourselves on the wrong side of the Day of Reckoning, at the time of the Final and Last Judgment.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples about the way that they should live their lives in following Him and in being truly committed to the path that He has taught and shown them. He told them all that they should be truly genuine in how they obey the Law of God so that they would not merely just be paying lip service in obeying God, but be truly committed in loving Him and in doing His will. And this is easier said than done, as there are indeed many temptations and obstacles that may prevent us from truly being able to obey the Lord wholeheartedly and from following Him, as our own sins and those of our ancestors and predecessors have shown us.

The Lord told all those disciples that they should truly understand and appreciate what the Law of God wanted to teach and show them, in truly being good and loving, righteous and just in the manner that their loving Father, Creator and Master, the Lord Himself, has shown them. All of us should all be genuine in loving one another just in the same way that God has loved us all, even when we have sinned against Him and disobeyed Him. His willingness to forgive us all our sins is an example for each one of us to follow in our own lives, in how we should also forgive one another, and learn to love everyone as the Lord Himself had done. If we have not made peace with our brothers and sisters, how can we truly have peace in our lives? And how can we truly have peace with God and be reunited with Him if we still hold grudge against our brethren?

That is why during this time and period of Lent, all of us are presented with this wonderful opportunity for us to reflect carefully on our path in life, and for us to reconsider our directions and paths, or our actions and way of living our lives, on whether we have truly been obeying the Lord and whether we have been practicing our faith actively and faithfully, or whether we have allowed ourselves to be swayed, distracted and tempted by the many wicked desires and ambitions present around us. Are we capable of turning away from our wicked and sinful past way of life, and embracing God’s love and mercy instead? He has shown the perfect example of love, forgiveness and mercy, forgiving even those who have persecuted Him, and thus, we too should follow in His footsteps and show love and mercy to others as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to be good Christians in all things, in each and every single one of our deeds. Let us all make good use of the time and opportunity that God has provided us this Lent so that we may have the genuine transformation of heart, mind, body and soul, coming ever closer to the Lord and deepening our relationship with Him. Let us all no longer persist in our disobedience and rebellious way of life, and instead be truly obedient to Him, loving Him wholeheartedly each day, and doing our best to proclaim Him, His truth and love to all those whom we encounter each day in our lives. As Christians, we should be good role models and inspirations to our fellow brethren around us, and even to strangers whom we meet in our daily lives.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, continue to help and guide us in our journey, and strengthen each one of us so that by our perseverance and courage in faith, we will continue to draw ever closer to His loving and holy Presence, and be the light and hope for everyone around us. May our Lenten journey and experiences continue to be good and fruitful, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 13 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent, Twelfth Anniversary of the Pontificate of Pope Francis (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded as ever again on the generous and great love which God has shown us, His beloved people and children, in His care and concern for us, and how He has always extended His kindness to us despite all of us having constantly and frequently disobeyed Him and His commandments. God has always been patient in reaching out to us and calling on us to return to Him with contrite heart and with the genuine desire to be forgiven from our many sins and faults. We must not take for granted all the love that God has shown us, and we must always be ready to seek Him wholeheartedly and commit to Him our whole lives, as expected of us as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Esther, in which the account of the moment when Queen Esther of Persia prayed to the Lord, asking for His help and guidance, has been highlighted to us. For the context, at that time, the people of Israel living in Persia and in other territories of the Persian Empire were facing a lot of difficulties and challenges as they encountered opposition from their enemies, such as in particular one Haman, the Agagite, who was an Amalekite, a sworn enemy of the Israelites. Haman managed to manipulate the Persian King and the laws to favour him and to attempt the elimination of the entire race of the Israelites by framing them for rebellion and disobedience. Therefore, Esther, the Queen of Persia, who was an Israelite herself, prepared herself to face the King and his court, in the attempt to seek mercy and liberation for her people.

What Esther sought to do was very risky and dangerous for her, as she was not allowed or supposed to come to the presence of the King without being invited or asked to do so. Her predecessor, the former Queen Vashti of Persia was deposed and exiled precisely because she disobeyed the King’s command and rule, albeit in the exact opposite, as she refused to come to the King’s presence when he asked her to do so. Esther was her people’s last hope, as without her intercession and effort, the Israelites would surely have been destroyed and eliminated by their enemies, as per the designs of Haman mentioned earlier. And Esther turned her hope to the Lord, as she herself has no one else to turn to, and entrusted herself completely in His hands, believing that God alone can make things work and that He would provide for His people in their hour and time of need.

Esther pleaded before the Lord as we have all heard in our first reading passage today, asking Him to show mercy and kindness to His beloved people, that He would protect and guide them all just as He had once done during the time of the Exodus and then in the subsequent many occasions when He has intervened and shown His providence to His people, the Israelites, despite their disobedience and sins. It is a reminder for us all that we must always have faith and trust in the Lord, believing that He has the power to save us from our predicaments and troubles. We should not abandon Him in search of other sources of fulfilment, satisfaction and providence in our lives, but reaffirm our commitment to Him instead, desiring to love Him wholeheartedly in each and every moments of our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples telling them all to put their faith and trust in God, Who is their loving Father and Creator, the One Who will not disappoint them in the struggles they encounter daily in life. If only they would put their trust and faith in the Lord, then the Lord would provide for them what they needed, and guide them to the right path. This is because as our loving Father, God will definitely not abandon us to harm or destruction, but He will give us what we need at that time and place. And in the case of Queen Esther, God was with her, as He answered her prayers and the prayers of the Israelites, overthrowing the designs and machinations of Haman, who was executed for his crimes and misdeeds, while the Israelites were saved from their fated destruction.

The Lord Jesus highlighted to His disciples, comparing God to a loving father, who will surely not give what is bad and harmful to his children. He will certainly provide for His children with love and attention, giving them our needs, even when we may not be aware of what we actually need in life. God’s love for us is such that we just need to ask Him, and He will answer us. However, many of us do not realise this, and we do not even bother to ask our Lord and Father, preferring to do things our own way, or depending instead on other means to settle our troubles, which may end up leading us into the path of disobedience and sin against God. And many of us may not understand that God may not necessarily answer us in the manner that we want, or give us what we seek or want. After all, He knows best what we need, even when we ourselves may not know what we need.

It is important therefore that we should spend the time during this Lenten season to rediscover the love which we all ought to have for our loving Father, our God Who has always shown us His patient and ever enduring love. All of us should not ignore our loving Father anymore, or neglect our obligations to Him, realising that there are still so many things that we are all supposed to do as God’s beloved and holy people, His children. We should make good use of this time and season of Lent to embark on a journey of reconciliation and repentance, seeking for the Lord, our most loving and compassionate Father to forgive us all of our trespasses, our disobedience and faults, and entrusting ourselves once again to His love and gentle care, so that we may truly be worthy to be called His children and holy people.

May the Lord continue to guide us through this journey of life, and may He help us to persevere through the many challenges present all around us so that we may truly be rooted in Him, and not be easily swayed by the many temptations present around us. May our loving Father continue to provide us all what we need, and help us to endure the various challenges that we may have to encounter in life, so that by His help and guidance, His strength and blessings, we may always walk ever more faithfully in His holy Presence, and strive to be good role models and examples for everyone around us. May God bless us all in each and every one of our good endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 12 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all continue to progress through the season of Lent, we are all presented with the call to repentance through the readings of our Sacred Scriptures today, which mentioned the story of the prophet Jonah in Nineveh, the great capital city of the Assyrians. We heard of the repentance of the city and its inhabitants, and how the Lord had mercy on all of them despite the judgment He had pronounced on them, and this was also mentioned again in the Gospels, as a reminder for each and every one of us on how we all should seek the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy because while our sins may indeed be plentiful and horrendous, but God’s love for us and His mercy surpass and transcend even all of those things.

During this time and season of Lent, we are reminded that God’s generous mercy and forgiveness are always available for us as long as we repent from our sinful ways and commit ourselves to change our wickedness, embracing His love and mercy, entrusting ourselves to Him, our loving Father and Creator. However, it is important that we remember, how this mercy and forgiveness require us to change our wicked and unworthy paths in life, embracing instead the righteous and just path of the Lord. We have to change our ways for the better, purifying our hearts and minds, our whole bodies and souls, our whole beings from all the corruption of the darkness of sin and evil. We are reminded not to squander this opportunity that God has given us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jonah as mentioned, the story of how Jonah had been sent to the people of Nineveh, the great capital of the Assyrian Empire. At that time, the Assyrian Empire was a truly mighty Empire that had dominated its neighbours, and they were infamous for being the conquerors who defeated and destroyed the kingdom of the people of God in the northern kingdom of Israel, and brought many of the people into exile. As such, at the time the sayings and the stories of the prophet Jonah was compiled during the Hellenistic period according to Biblical scholars, the Assyrians had gained the notoriety of having committed great sins against God, for their rather vicious and ruthless actions against those people whom they defeated, including that of the Israelites themselves.

That is why when the Lord warned the people of Nineveh of the impending destruction that they all would face for their many sins, it would have come to no surprise for many of those who were reading about the account of the Lord’s warning to those wicked people of Nineveh. Yet, what is even more amazing is the fact that how the people of Nineveh very readily responded to the words of Jonah, and from their king and nobles to the simple men on the streets, all of the whole city showed genuine repentance and regret for their many sins, publicly showing their repentance by wearing sackcloth and in mourning for their fate of destruction, seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness for their wicked deeds. God saw their sincere repentance and humility, and spared them all for the fated destruction that had been proclaimed against them.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus Who told the people that were listening to Him about the sign of Jonah in response to all those people who still refused to believe in Him and His truth. Those people were the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom have witnessed the many works, miracles and wonders of the Lord, and heard His words and teachings, and yet, they still constantly and consistently refused to believe in Him, doubting Him and questioning His authenticity and authority before the people, accusing Him of wrongdoing and evil deeds that He did not do. They kept on asking Him to perform signs and wonders before them, repeatedly even when the Lord had actually done exactly done before their very own eyes. And yet, they still refused to believe.

And that was why the Lord told the people that they would come to see the sign of Jonah, referring to the three days that the prophet Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish or whale, as a premonition of His own time of Passion, His suffering, persecution and death, which would lead to Him being buried in the tomb, in the ‘belly’ of the earth, descending into Hell for a period of three days from the time of His passing until His glorious Resurrection. This sign would be the ultimate sign of truth and salvation, and the revelation and fulfilment of everything that God had promised to all of His people. God wants all of His people, all of us, to know of His most wonderful love and mercy, the compassion and kindness which He has always generously provided to us throughout all these time. And through His Son, He has revealed to us this ever enduring love and kindness.

However, the sad truth and reality is such that, just like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders of the people, many of them still closed their hearts and minds to the Lord, refusing to believe in Him or accepting His truth. The Lord Jesus also mentioned in the same occasion as presented in the Gospel passage earlier that the Queen of the South has come to listen to the wisdom of King Solomon, highlighting how even a pagan and foreigner bothered to make the very arduous travel from faraway lands to come and listen to the wisdom of the renowned King Solomon, and then, comparing it to Himself and the Wisdom which He has shown, the Lord told the people and all those who resisted and rejected Him of the irony that in Him there is a Wisdom that far surpassed that of Solomon’s, as He is Himself the Wisdom of God personified and manifested in the flesh. And yet, His own people refused to believe in Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore spend this precious time and opportunity of Lent to reorientate our lives once again towards the Lord, deepening our faith and trust in the Lord. We must not allow our pride, ego and stubbornness from distracting and swaying us away from the path towards the Lord, as how those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had allowed themselves to be tempted and distracted by their own pride and ego which made them to harden their hearts and minds, not allowing the Lord to speak or communicate His love and truth to them. Let us all remember all the love and mercy which God has for us, and do our best to open our hearts and minds, communicating our thoughts to Him through prayer, spending more good and quality time with Him, our loving Father and Creator.

May all of us continue to draw ever closer to God and grow more aware of our sins and wickedness, all of which had prevented us from coming back towards our Lord’s loving embrace and Presence. Let us all make good use of this time and the opportunities we have been given this Lent so that we will not regret it when we have to give account of our lives before the Lord at the Last Judgment. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord in the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of firstly the importance for us all to obey the words of the Lord, His Law and commandments, and to follow wholeheartedly everything that He has shown and taught us all through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and also through His Church, by which He has revealed His love and everything that He has intended for us all, His faithful and beloved ones. Each and every one of us are also then reminded of the need for us to be in constant contact and communication with God, our loving Father and Creator so that we may always come to know His will for us, and be attuned to His path and ways, so that we may not end up being distracted, swayed and tempted away towards the path to damnation.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which God spoke to His people through Isaiah revealing some information about the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour Whom He has promised to the people of Israel, and of Whom Isaiah had spoken a lot about. The Lord revealed how this Messiah or Saviour would be the One to accomplish His will, like the Word that came out from His mouth to proclaim the will of God and the salvation to all the people. This was in fact a revelation of what God would do for all of His beloved ones in this world, that He would send none other than His own only Begotten Son, the Word of God or the Logos, to be Incarnate in the flesh, by the will of the Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be born of the Virgin, His mother, Mary, so that He may become like one of us, the Son of Man.

And through this action, God had made Himself to share in our human nature and existence, taking up upon Himself the Humanity that He has shared with each and every one of us, and which is united to His Divine nature in the person of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whom we believe to be truly and fully God, and fully Man at the same time. We may not fully realise the significance and importance of such an action by God, which He had willingly done for us, until we realise that precisely because the Lord chose to take up our human nature and embody Himself and His Divinity in that Human form, therefore, He has come to share in our experiences and humanity, and becoming the One through Whom mankind would be reunited with their Divine Lord.

As we heard in our Gospel passage today, that the Lord taught His disciples how to pray to the Lord, referring to Him as ‘Our Father in Heaven’. This is the prayer that we all well know and recognise as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ or ‘Our Father’, in Latin ‘Pater Noster’. In this ideal and perfect prayer, the Lord showed us all how we should pray, not with long litanies of requests or demands, as we may commonly have done, but instead, beginning with praising and glorifying God, thanking Him for all the love that He has shown us. That prayer also highlights our humility and willingness to listen to God our loving Father, in our words ‘Let Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven’. Ultimately, prayer is not about us imposing our demands on the Lord, because who are we, the humble creatures of God, to demand things from our Almighty Creator?

And then, what we request is not for grandiose things, but asking for ‘our daily bread’, which highlights and summarises what we all need in our respective lives. God knows what we need, and He will provide for us in manners and ways that may be beyond our knowledge and understanding. We must truly have faith in Him and believe that He can provide us what we need, and that He may guide us in the right paths in life, if we truly trust in Him and put our whole faith in Him. We also ask for forgiveness for our many sins, recognising our shortcomings, faults and weaknesses, being again humble before God, and committing ourselves to do the same to our fellow brothers and sisters. All of these essences and parts in the Lord’s Prayer serve to remind us of our relationship with God, and why it is important for us to deepen our relationship with Him through constant prayer.

First of all, through Christ our Lord, Whom I mentioned earlier having shared in our human nature and existence, we have become sharers in the nature of the Son, Who is both the Son of God and Son of Man. And because the Lord called God in Heaven as His Father, therefore, through this Incarnation of Christ, all of us can also call God as our Loving Father as well, and hence, ‘Our Father in Heaven’. God’s love for each one of us has indeed been revealed as a truly genuine and powerful love, one that resulted in our Creation in the first place, and which endures even our separation from Him through our sins and disobedience against Him. Like that of wayward and prodigal children who disobeyed their parents, no matter what, their parent still loved them all and would want their children to be reunited with themselves. It is therefore the same with the Lord as well.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore as God’s beloved children, His adopted sons and daughters, realise the depth of our sinfulness, our wayward behaviours and actions, our inappropriate way of life and our disobedience against our loving Father, Who has always been so patient in loving us and in trying to reach out to us, to teach us all how to love Him and to follow Him back towards His loving embrace. Let us no longer be stubborn in refusing His love and kindness, and do whatever we can so that our lives may be truly worthy of Him once again, and strive to commit ourselves and our lives to Him from now on, if we have not yet done so. We should humble ourselves and admit our shortcomings and problems before the Lord, so that He may help and guide us in our journey towards Him, and that He may teach us how to be faithful and obedient to Him once again.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to progress ever further through this time and season of Lent, let us all continue to live our lives with faith, devotion and commitment to God, doing whatever we can so that we may come ever closer to our loving Father, and come to know His will, through good quality time and effort spent in establishing a strong and vibrant relationship with God our Father. Let us continue to make the effort to embody our faith in our every actions, to be truly faithful in all things, not merely in words or formality only. All of us should remember the love and mercy that God has shown to us His people, and make good use of the opportunities which had been given to us this Lent such that we will reconcile with our loving Father, and live a life that is in harmony with Him from now on, glorifying Him by our lives, in each and every moment.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us all with the courage and blessings needed for us to persevere through the many trials and challenges that we may have to face in the midst of our journey during this time and season of Lent. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, and bring us all ever closer to Him, to be once again His beloved children and people, the inheritors of the great glory of God, all that He has promised us, through our devotion, faith and commitment to Him. Amen.

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Monday, 10 March 2025 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, all of us are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for us to live our lives carefully, being ever vigilant against the many temptations present all around us which may lead us into the wrong paths in life, moving ever further away from the Lord and His salvation. We are all reminded today that while God has generously given us all the many opportunities for us to follow Him and to embrace His mercy and forgiveness, but we must not take those for granted, or else we may come to regret it when the time comes for us to account for our lives before the Lord, at the time of the Last Judgment. Will we want to end up in the wrong side of the judgment at that time, brothers and sisters?

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Leviticus in which God spoke to His people, the Israelites during the time of their Exodus from Egypt, detailing to all of them the Law, the commandments and all the things which He had taught and revealed to them.  Through those Law and commandments, He wants all of His people to know how to carry on living their lives with true and genuine faith in Him. God reminded the Israelites to act in the manner of righteousness, justice and virtue, that they do not cause suffering to others and pervert justice, or to manipulate others for their own benefits. All of these reminders that God had told His people are still important reminders for us even up to this day, because as the disciples and followers of the Lord, we ourselves are called to live lives that are truly worthy of Him, and we should be good role models and examples for everyone to follow.

The Lord wanted the Israelites to keep faithfully the Law and commandments which He had provided to them so that they would not fall into the temptations to sin, which could lead them all into their downfall and destruction. This is therefore also an important reminder for all of us so that we ourselves do not let those temptations of the world, desires, ambition, greed, or our ego and pride from leading us astray from the path towards the Lord. We have to strive to resist the wickedness of the evil ones who are constantly trying to lead us into our downfall. We should show genuine love towards our brothers and sisters, caring for the needs of those who are around us, such that through our loving actions and examples, we may inspire others to follow the Lord as well, because they will come to know God through us and our lives.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus presented to His disciples and to all those who were listening to Him about the time of the Final or the Last Judgment, which will come to happen at the end of time. The Lord told them all how everyone will have to account for their lives before God, the Judge of all, Who is none other than the Lord Jesus Himself. Essentially, He has come into this world not just to lead us all into the salvation and eternal life by His loving sacrifice on the Cross, but also to reveal to us the coming time of reckoning at the end of time, when we have to account for all of our actions in each of our lives, be it those that are good or those that are wicked, as well as any failures for us to act.

All of these things will determine whether we will be worthy of God and His glorious inheritance. God has always been generous in loving us and on showing us His mercy, and He certainly wants us all to be reconciled and reunited with Him. However, at the same time, we must always remind ourselves that God, Who is all holy, good and perfect, will not allow sin and evil to exist in His Holy Presence. If we are to come towards Him with sins and wickedness that we have not repented from and have not been forgiven from, then we will be condemned by those same sins and wickedness which we have committed, all the disobedience and other unworthy deeds which we have done, which prevents us from truly being worthy of the Lord.

We must remember well as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent that our faith in the Lord is the source of our salvation, for God has given us His grace through our faith in Him. However, we also must not think that our faith in the Lord without action and concrete deeds to back it up will benefit us in any way. As St. James the Apostle mentioned in his Epistle, and also the Apostolic tradition of the Church stated, that faith without good works is dead. This must not be misunderstood as what some believed wrongly, that we can gain salvation through our works without faith. Instead, it means that our faith in God must always be supported and made concrete and alive through real actions, not by mere words and formalities only, or else, that faith will not avail us.

And how should we live our faith such that we are truly worthy of the Lord? It is by following what He Himself had said in the Gospel passage today about the Final Judgment. He told all of His disciples and all those who were listening to Him about the actions taken by all those who will be found worthy at the time of the Final Judgment, that is those who have shown love to the least among their brothers and sisters, caring for those who are sick and needy, showing love and attention to the marginalised and all those who are suffering from various difficulties. All those actions show true faith that is indeed lived with genuine desire and sincerity to love both God and one’s fellow men and women alike, which is exactly what all of us as Christians have been called to do.

On the other hand, if we neglect to do those good deeds and ignore the need to show love and sincere care towards our fellow brethren, no matter how we may claim to be faithful to God, but in the end, that faith will not avail us, because all of our ignorance of the opportunities and the actions that we could have done for the benefit of others, or if we only care about ourselves, causing suffering for others and ignoring the plight of the needy and those who are suffering in our midst, all those things led us into sin against God, the sin of omission, which will be judged against us, and makes us unworthy to share in the true happiness and eternal glory that God has promised to those who have been truly faithful to Him. Essentially, we cannot come towards the Lord unless we make the conscious effort to do what is right and just, as well as commit ourselves to do His will, to show love towards our brethren in our midst.

Therefore, during this time of Lent, let us all continue to deepen our relationship with God, and strengthen our faith in Him by doing whatever we should be doing in this period of renewal and rejuvenation of our faith. Let us all do them with true understanding of our faith and with genuine desire to seek to be forgiven by God from our many sins and wickedness. We must continue to journey towards the Lord, reestablishing the connection which have been weakened by sin, and resist the many temptations present around us trying to drag us away from our loving God and Father. May the Lord also help us in this journey so that we may continue to persevere and move forward in our path towards Him, and with this blessed time and opportunity of Lent, may we rediscover that love which we all ought to have for God, and grow ever more committed to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 9 March 2025 : First Sunday of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the very first Sunday of the season of Lent, in which we are reminded of the need for us to be careful in living our lives so that we do not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations that are ever always present around us, all the wickedness and evils that may lead us astray in the journey towards God. As we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, we need to remind ourselves of the many challenges and trials that we may have to endure and encounter in our path so that we will not be easily distracted and lose our focus in the Lord. We have to keep in mind that the Lord wants us all to be holy like Him, and to be worthy of Him, and this is why during this season and time of Lent, we seek to purify ourselves and rid ourselves of all the corruptions of sin.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard of the words of Moses, the leader of the Israelites, who exhorted the people of God on how they ought to offer their sacrifices and present them before the Lord. In that passage, we heard how the priest offering the sacrifice recounted the great deeds that the Lord had done for the people and for their ancestors, guiding them all through the various trials and tribulations in life, and how He has moved His hands to guide them all, performing great deeds, signs and wonders in their midst, freeing them from all of their enemies and from those who have persecuted them, as evidenced in the great signs of the time of the Exodus from Egypt.

Essentially, through those words of the priests, the people were constantly being reminded of the great and wonderful graces that they have all received from God, all the love that God has constantly shown to them. This is a reminder of the great love of God, the enduring love that had transcended even the rebelliousness and the sins of the people, who have often disobeyed and rebelled against Him. He did not forget those whom He loved when they called upon Him, and He came to their help and gave them all His blessings, and bringing them to the Land of Promise, fulfilling the Covenant which He had made with their forefathers, with Abraham and his descendants. And therefore, it is also a reminder for all of us that if we sincerely seek God’s mercy and love, we shall be forgiven by Him, and we shall once again be found in His loving embrace and Presence.

Then, in the second reading taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, we heard of the salvation which God had reassured all of us, His faithful ones, by the sure guarantee that He has given to all of us through His Son, Whom He had sent into our world to be our Saviour, so that everyone who believes in Him, all of us may receive through Him the sure path towards the eternal life and true happiness that can be found in God alone. And everyone, regardless of their background and origin, be it they are Jews or Greeks, or any other differences or categories that we often differentiate ourselves by, all of us are truly beloved by God, and God will bless and grant us His salvation if we are to put our trust and faith in Him.

This is yet again another reminder of the universal nature of God’s love, which is given freely to everyone without bias or preference. Everyone is equally beloved by God, be it those who are rich or poor, privileged or nobody, powerful or weak, healthy or sick, man or woman, and no artificial human divisions or groupings, prejudices and biases affect His love for all of us, love that He has genuinely shown us from the very beginning of time. God Who created us all out of love wants us all to be reconciled to Him, to be guided back to Him through our repentance and sincere desire for purification of our souls, for the atonement of our faults and mistakes, which He had accomplished once and for all, for all time and for all creation through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, Who has triumphed and conquered sin and death.

And in the Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard that famous moment when the same Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God Incarnate, was tempted by the Devil in the desert for the forty days period after His baptism at the Jordan. This baptism was the mark of the beginning of the Lord’s ministry, the time when He started to do everything that His heavenly Father, our loving God and Father, has entrusted to Him, for the sake of our salvation. But in order to do that, He Who also share in our humanity, and born into this world, also has to subject Himself to the same temptations that the Devil has brought upon our ancestors, by which he had led countless souls into the path of sin and damnation. Why is that so? That is because, by uniting Himself to our humanity, and by embracing our human nature, Christ our Lord showed us all that it is possible for us to defeat sin and reject the temptations to sin, by obeying God perfectly and wholeheartedly in our lives.

Now, let us all look at the three temptations that the Devil presented to the Lord. The first temptation was the temptation of hunger and food, in which the Devil told the Lord to turn the stones there in the desert into bread for Him to take and eat, because He was very hungry after having fasted in the desert for forty days. Clearly the Lord was capable of such a deed, but He rebuked Satan, telling him that ‘man does not live on bread alone, but on every words that come from the mouth of the Lord’. Essentially this is a reminder for all of us not to give in to the temptations of our flesh, our desires for things of this world, be it for food and other luxuries around us, or for the other goods and pleasurable things in this life. It is not that we cannot or should not eat, as certainly we need to eat to sustain ourselves, but we must not allow ourselves to be overcome by the attachment and desires we have for those things that we end up neglecting the Lord and His truth and words.

It is also an important reminder that we should not orientate our lives around the material things in this world, which is what the second temptation that the Lord was given by the Devil, who brought Him up a very tall mountain, showing Him all the glory and riches of the world, all the kingdoms and the glory of all those things. The Lord told the Devil off when he said to Him that everything would be His if only He would worship the Devil. The Lord rebuked the Devil saying that the Lord God alone is worthy of worship, and nothing or noone else do. This is an important reminder for all of us because many of us may truly realise that we may have idolised or turned into an idol our obsession and desire for worldly glory, wealth, possessions and all the other things that we usually desire for in our lives, such as praise, renown, money, material goods, pleasures of the flesh, and many more.

That is why during this time and season of Lent, we practice fasting and abstinence to remind us all of the need to restrain these desires which we may have in us so that we do not end up being swayed and led down the path of sin. We have to make the conscious effort to keep ourselves free from the unhealthy attachments to worldly matters, and fasting and abstinence, done with the right spirit and desire to keep ourselves focused on the Lord will help us in our journey towards the Lord, particularly during this time of Lent. We also should deepen our relationship with God, and remind ourselves to spend more and more time during this season in particular, so that if we have not really spent the time with Him all these while, we should change our way of life, and begin to spend more time with God, good quality time through prayer and other means.

Lastly, the third and final temptation that the Lord Jesus faced from the Devil is the greatest temptation of all, that is pride. This happened as the Devil brought Him up to the parapet or the peak of the Temple of Jerusalem, asking Him to drop down from there, even quoting from the Scriptures that ‘The Lord would not let His Holy One to be hurt, and would send His Angels to protect Him’. This was meant to test the Lord with pride, as doing such an action in the view of so many people present at the Temple and miraculously surviving such an action, would make the Lord praised and glorified by the people, and everyone certainly would have believed in Him with such a wonderful miracle. But the Lord rebuked Satan again, telling him that no one should test the Lord, and He refused to be tempted by pride.

Pride is certainly something that the Devil was very familiar with. After all, it was pride that brought him to his downfall, he who was the greatest and most brilliant of all the Angels of God, Lucifer, the lightbearer. His great brilliance and might made him to grow proud and to think that he can ascend above God, aspiring to take over the Throne of Heaven. And thus that was how Lucifer fell from power and grace, becoming the Devil, the great Enemy of all the people of God. He used this same temptation of pride to tempt us mankind, to lead us astray from the path towards God by causing us to indulge in our pride, ego, ambition and desires, so that we end up following his path of rebellion and disobedience, turning us into the followers of the Devil instead of the faithful disciples and holy people of God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have heard all these words from the Sacred Scriptures, and hopefully after carefully discerning together our path in life, we may come to realisation that sin and the temptations to sin are serious obstacles preventing us from coming back to God, our loving Father and Creator. Each and every one of us should make good use of the time and opportunities which the Lord Himself has provided to us so that by our sincere efforts in seeking Him and His forgiveness, God may be kind to show us His love, His compassion and mercy, allowing us to be fully and truly reconciled and reunited with Him. We should humble ourselves and resist the temptations of pride, ambition, ego, desires and all the attachments to worldly pleasures, vices and all those distractions that can keep us away from God.

May the Lord continue to guide us throughout this Lenten journey, so that our observances of Lent, our practices such as fasting, abstinence, prayer and almsgiving, among others, may truly benefit us and strengthen us all in our faith and in our relationship with the Lord, our most loving God, as we journey towards the pinnacle of the story of our salvation at Holy Week and Easter. May God continue to bless our efforts and good works in bringing ourselves ever closer to His loving embrace, so that we may one day be worthy to be at His Holy Presence, to share forever His eternal joy and glory, having been forgiven from our many sins and faults, and be reunited with our loving Father, to live forever in His Presence. Amen.

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Saturday, 8 March 2025 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of St. John of God, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for us to live a holy and worthy life in God, one that is truly in accordance with the ways of the Lord, in tune with what He has revealed and taught to us through His Son and His Church. We must keep ourselves away from the corruptions and snares of sin, striving to seek the Lord and His forgiveness, His mercy and love, allowing Him to forgive us and heal us from this corruption of sin that had afflicted us all these while. We must not be discouraged from a truly holy life that is in harmony with God and His righteous path, and as we continue to progress through this season of Lent, we are constantly being reminded to stay true to this path of the Lord.

In our first reading today, we are called to heed the words from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke to His people through Isaiah, calling upon them all to remove from themselves the yoke of sin and disobedience, for them all to turn away from their rebelliousness and disobedience against Him, all which they had done for the many years of their existence and lives in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. God has always been patient in helping and guiding all of them back to Himself, pointing out the path for them all to follow, sending to His people countless prophets, messengers and others to help and lead them all to the right path. Many of those people had lost the direction in their lives, being swayed by the temptations of worldly pleasures and glory, that they disobeying the Lord and His Law, and even persecuting His prophets.

God wanted to remind all of His beloved people that while He chastised them all for their sins and wickedness, but ultimately, He loved them very much and wanted all of them to find their path to Him, to be reconciled and fully reunited with Him, no longer separated from Him because of their sins and wickedness. He told them that if they were to change their ways and abandon their sins, they would be blessed by Him again, and they shall all be His people once more. God’s love is truly great, and He wants all of His people, that is all of us to be united to Him, but sin and the temptations to sin have always been great obstacles barring our path towards Him. As long as we are corrupted and afflicted by sin, then we will always be separated from God. But God has always been patient in helping us and showing us the path to return to Him, and we should not take this for granted.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist the account of the Lord Jesus speaking to Levi, one of the tax collectors that He encountered in His ministry, and called on this same Levi to follow Him and become His disciple. Levi listened to the Lord and followed Him, leaving behind everything that he had, all of his possessions, money and profession. Not only that, but he also invited the Lord to his place, to have dinner with him and many other tax collectors who sought to know Him and listen to Him as well. This brought about immediate outcry and protest from the Pharisees who were often following the Lord, as those people regarded the tax collectors as being sinners and wicked, and would have nothing to do with them because this was considered as making them ritually unclean.

But the Lord rebuked those Pharisees for their wrong ideas and ways, and told them that it was exactly for this purpose that He had been sent into this world. The Lord came into this world to save us all, His beloved people, and He has reached out to us with His generous compassion and love, calling upon each one of us to follow Him and to repent from our sins. As He told those Pharisees that He came into this world to heal those who were broken and sick, and to gather all of us from the precipice of darkness, preventing us from falling into the darkness. That is why, He reached out to the least and the lost, and to those whom others would have rejected and ostracised, like those tax collectors, prostitutes and others marginalised by the society, and this is an example for all of us as Christians to follow in our own lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of God, a holy man of God and renowned founder of the religious order and institute, the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, which is an institute dedicated to the care of those who are poor, sick and suffering from mental disorders. St. John of God was born in Portugal in the late fifteenth century to an impoverished but pious family of prominent heritage, but met an unfortunate incident early in his life as he was lost from his family at the age of eight, and eventually became an orphan in Spain. He was raised by a farmer who gave the young St. John of God a job as a shepherd. Then he escaped the farmer’s place after he consistently tried to make St. John of God marry his daughter and become his heir, becoming a member of the military.

St. John of God spent some time in the military until he was wrongly suspected of theft of what he had been entrusted to guard, and for the next twenty years, this and many other challenges, uncertainties and difficulties that he encountered in his involvement as a soldier fighting various wars and conflicts, and after periods of internal struggles and spiritual barrenness, and some period of soul-searching, it was told that after receiving an apparition of the Holy Child, the Infant Jesus, St. John of God, whose name of John of God was apparently bestowed on him by the Lord Himself, eventually St. John of God decided to leave behind his past life and work in the military and other fields, and decided to devote himself thoroughly to God.

St. John of God had a profound moment of conversion then, and he began to live his life with the intention to reach out to the less fortunate, the sick and suffering in the midst of the community, gathering like-minded individuals to establish the aforementioned Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God. This community of devout men spent their time and effort to reach out to those who are suffering, those who are sick from various illnesses and maladies, and St. John of God devoted himself and the rest of his life to this ministry for the sake of God’s people. His great faith and dedication to the Lord, while only lasted for about ten years before he passed away, inspired many other people both during his lifetime and afterwards, in putting themselves to make the lives of their fellow brethren to be a better one.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have reflected from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, and also as we have discussed from the life and good examples shown to us by St. John of God, we should be inspired to follow the Lord faithfully in the manner that he and our many other holy predecessors had done. Each and every one of us as Christians ought to be good role models and examples, the ones to show everyone what it truly means for us to live as Christians, as the disciples and followers of the Lord. And in particular during this time of Lent, we are reminded to attune ourselves well to the path of the Lord, reorientating our lives as per necessary if we have strayed away from the path of the Lord, that we may spend more time and effort to benefit all those around us who are in need, those who are poor, sick and marginalised, among others who are in need of our love and care.

Let us all therefore continue to strive to live worthily in the Lord’s Presence, to do His will and to live in accordance with His Law and commandments at all times. Let us no longer remain idle or procrastinate in our efforts to seek the Lord, but do our best to expedite our journey towards the Lord, doing our very best to come to Him with contrite and repentant hearts, seeking His forgiveness and mercy for our many sins, for our most loving and forgiving God will surely forgive us if we are truly sincere in looking for Him and His mercy. May the Lord be with us always, and may He show us all His loving mercy, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 7 March 2025 : Friday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season of Lent, this time of repentance and reorientation of our lives, we are all reminded that everything which we are doing during this time and season of Lent should always be focused on the Lord, our Saviour and Master. We should not allow ourselves to be deluded and misguided by the temptations of worldly glory, pleasures, or other pursuits and ambitions which can lead us into the wrong paths in life. This Lent we are all called to turn away from our many worldly attachments and distractions, as well as coming closer to the Lord by our deepening of this relationship which we ought to have for Him. Each and every one of us should seek to rend ourselves off the various shackles of worldly desires present around us, and come to the Lord with a sorrowful and contrite heart.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people, the Israelites through Isaiah in which He called on all of them to turn towards Him with genuine faith and desire to love Him, and not merely paying lip service to Him and obeying His Law and commandments out of formality and mere outward observance only. The Lord pointed out how some of the people were doing exactly this, contradicting their own pious practices with other things that were not in accordance to His Law and commandments. The Lord quoted some examples how the people observed the fasting and the festivals, and yet, as they put ashes on their heads and wearing their sackcloth as they fast, they still persecuted and oppressed others around them, manipulating and benefitting over the sufferings of their fellow brethren.

All of those things meant that those people had not truly understood the Law and commandments of God. They fulfilled the requirements of the Law more as formality and perhaps even out of fear for the Lord, but not because they truly desired to seek Him or to follow His path wholeheartedly as they all ought to have done. That is why the Lord reminded all of His people through Isaiah, who wanted to tell them all to turn away from this wicked path, and embrace once again wholeheartedly and meaningfully the path that He has shown them, and which He has helped and reminded them constantly through the many prophets that He had sent to them including that of Isaiah himself. God wanted all of His people, and this is a reminder to all of us as well, that we must truly be sincere in our faith and all the practices we do, especially during this time and season of Lent, that we do not end up being hypocrites, believing in one thing and yet doing something entirely contradictory and opposite on the other.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to the disciples of St. John the Baptist who came up to Him to question why He and His disciples did not practice fasting in the manner that the disciples of St. John the Baptist themselves and the Pharisees had done. Unfortunately, especially for the latter group, many of them did the practice of fasting and other pious practices not for the right purpose and intention, but rather to seek attention and praise from others around them. At the same time, the Lord also used this opportunity to reveal and highlight the truth about Himself and His mission, how He, the Lord God Himself descending into our midst in the flesh and form of Man, being in our presence is no circumstance for His disciples and followers to fast.

Ultimately, this is a reminder for all of us that fasting and abstinence are practices that serve to remind us all of our sin and mortality, our rebellion and disobedience against God. When we fast, we also in a way mourn and show our regret and sorrow against our separation from God, reflecting upon the sad reality of the state of our soul, tainted and corrupted by sin and evil. And yet, at the same time, we must always remind ourselves that God has provided us His help and love, His kindness and grace, offering us all generous forgiveness and mercy. We must not squander these opportunities that God had given us all, as He reached out patiently towards us, gathering us all and calling on us to come into His Holy Presence once again, to be loved by Him again and reunited with Him.

Today, all of us are called to repent from our sins and wickedness as we continue our progress through this penitential season and time of Lent. We are called to reevaluate our path in life, and whether we have truly lived our lives worthily in the Lord or whether we are still being wayward in disobeying the Lord and His commandments. This is why we need to heed the words of the Lord that we have listened to and discussed today so that our Lenten season and whatever we are doing to observe it can be truly beneficial and fruitful for us. We must not do those observances and actions without truly understanding their significance and importance, and whenever we fast, abstain, spending our time in prayer and performing acts of charity, we should do them because we sincerely desire to better ourselves and to come back towards the Lord with contrite hearts.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, two holy and devout women whose martyrdom during the era of persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire inspired many of the faithful throughout history. St. Perpetua was a Roman noblewoman who was recently married at the time of her martyrdom while St. Felicity was a slavewoman, who was arrested and imprisoned together with St. Perpetua during one of the episodes of persecution of Christians in the Empire. Despite their different backgrounds, both were united in the common faith they had in the Lord, in their belief in Christ, the Saviour of all. They refused to abandon their faith, and for St. Perpetua, she refused her father’s desire that she recant her faith in God. Eventually both of them were put to death for their faith in the Lord, courageously defending their faith to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we reflect upon these words from the Sacred Scriptures and upon listening to the examples of the great saints, St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, let us all hence renew our commitments to the Lord, and renew that desire in each and every one of us to seek the Lord ever more wholeheartedly, by our exemplary living and deeds, by our obedience to the Law and commandments of God. The Lord has given us this time of Lent as the wonderful opportunity for us to embrace Him and His mercy, to reevaluate our lives and to reattune ourselves to His path. Let us all not squander these opportunities that He has given us, and let us all seek the Lord faithfully, being good role models for everyone around us, much as our holy predecessors, like that of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity had been for us.

May the Lord continue to bless us in our journey of life and strengthen us in our faith and commitment to Him, and bless our Lenten practices and observances so that through them, we may draw ever closer to Him and find the path to His Holy Presence, and remain ever firm in our desire to love and seek Him always in our lives. Amen.

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Thursday, 6 March 2025 : Thursday after Ash Wednesday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we embark on this journey through the penitential and contemplative time of the Lenten season, let us all reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received on this day. We are reminded that as Christians all of us must make the decision to consciously follow the Lord and His path in our lives, and make the conscious effort and commitment to persevere in this path no matter what challenges, trials and tribulations may be in the journey that we have towards God. There is likely going to be plenty of obstacles in our path, but we must not allow these to be barriers preventing us from coming towards the Lord with genuine faith and devotion. Instead, they should make us even more committed and willing to follow the Lord more faithfully each day.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy in which Moses, the leader of the Israelites during the time of the Exodus from Egypt presented before the Israelites the rules and the commandments which the Lord had revealed and passed to them, and the expectations that accompany the Covenant which God had made with them, His beloved people. Moses reminded the people of the path that they ought to choose in their lives, whether they wanted to follow the Lord and obey Him, His Law and commandments, or whether they wanted to walk their own path of disobedience and rebellion against God. Moses made it clear the choices that lay before the people, and how their choices are truly important, in deciding their eventual fate.

What Moses had said to the Israelites highlighted the way that the Lord has always been loving and caring towards His people, and He has always been patient in helping and leading them all to Himself. However, at the same time, He also gave them the free will and the freedom to choose their course of actions in life, the gift that the Lord gave to each one of us. He does not impose on us His will, and He gave us the freedom to walk the way that we choose. At the same time, Moses made it clear that if we put our faith and trust in God, then in the end, we will receive the fullness of His grace and blessings, and we will not regret our choice, as despite the challenges and trials that we may face, we will be vindicated by the triumphant glory with God. On the other hand, if we choose to walk away from God, in the end, there will only be suffering and eternity of regret in Hell.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord telling His disciples plainly and frankly about what He Himself would experience in the midst of His upcoming Passion, the culmination of His worldly ministry. The Lord said it clearly that He, the Son of Man, would have to suffer rejection, persecution and oppression from none other than the leaders of the people, the chief priests and the elders, to be handed over to His enemies, and to be punished and persecuted although the fault was not His own. And yet, He would obey willingly to follow the path that His heavenly Father has shown Him, the path of redemption for all mankind, which He would accomplish by His most selfless and loving sacrifice on the Cross.

He also predicted His own Resurrection on the third day, and also how the same sufferings would be part of the disciples’ life, mission and journey. He reminded them all that just as the world has rejected and opposed Him, thus it is likely that they would also face the same challenges and obstacles that He had been facing. And they cannot be His true disciples and followers unless they carried their own crosses and follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully. This is the reality that the Lord presented to His disciples, reminding especially those among them who might be expecting good and comfortable life if they were to follow Him as their Lord and Master. Some among the disciples at the time had the misconception thinking that the Messiah was to come to usher the era of peace and glory, the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel, and this is what the Lord wanted to remind them about the truth.

All of us are reminded that as Christians, as the disciples and followers of the Lord, we must always be ready to face persecution and difficulties in our path, and we should not expect that our lives will be good and smooth. This does not mean that God will not bless us, as He will surely bless us abundantly and give us His guidance and strength. However, we have to put our faith and trust in God whenever the challenges and trials come by us, or else we may be easily tempted and swayed to abandon our faith in the Lord and abandon His path, choosing to embrace instead the other allures of worldly temptations and solutions to our struggles and issues. All these may lead us astray in our journey in life, and in the end, we may end up being lost forever to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we enter into this time and season of Lent, we are all called to turn over a new leaf in our lives, embracing the truth of God and His love, His path wholeheartedly as we all should have done. We have been given these many wonderful opportunities by the Lord which we should never squander, and we should try our best such that we use them well in changing our way of life and our attitudes, putting ourselves wholly in the path of righteousness and virtue, doing our very best to live in accordance to the manner that the Lord has shown us. We have been given the freedom to choose our path in life, and we have been reminded and shown what each of those paths will lead into, and therefore we should really spend the time to discern how we are to move forward in life from now on.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen and encourage us all in our lives, each and every moment of these precious lives we have been blessed with. Let our Lenten practices and observances be truly good, worthy and fruitful in leading us ever closer towards the Lord, and help us to remain true and faithful to this path towards God’s salvation and eternal life. May all of us not easily be swayed or tempted to abandon our struggles and perseverance despite all the challenges and difficulties that we may have to face in this journey. May God bless us all in our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.