Weekdays of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 8 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Genesis 27 : 1-5, 15-29

When Isaac was old and his eyes so weak that he could no longer see, he called Esau, his older son, and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” he answered. Isaac continued, “You see I am old and I do not know when I shall die; so take your weapons, your bow and arrow, go out into the country and hunt some game for me. Then prepare some of the savoury food I like and bring it to me so that I may eat and give you my blessing before I die.”

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau went into the country to hunt game and bring it back, she took the best clothes of her elder son Esau that she had in the house and put them on Jacob, her younger son. With the goatskin she covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck, and she handed to him the bread and food she had prepared.

He went to his father and said, “Father!” He answered, “Yes, my son, who is it?” And Jacob said to his father, “It is Esau, your firstborn; I have done what you told me to do. Come, sit up and eat my game so that you may give me your blessing.” Isaac said, “How quick you have been my son!” Jacob said, “YHVH, your God, guided me.”

Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near and let me feel you, my son, and know that it is you, Esau my son, or not.” When Jacob drew near to Isaac, his father felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob but the hands are the hands of Esau.” He did not recognise him, for his hands were hairy like the hands of Esau his brother and so he blessed him.

He asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” And Jacob answered, “I am.” Isaac said, “Bring me some of your game, my son, so that I may eat and give you my blessing.” So Jacob brought it to him and he ate. And he brought him wine and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” So Jacob came near and kissed him.

Isaac then caught the smell of his clothes and blessed him, saying, “The smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. May God give you the dew of heaven; and of the richness of the earth; and abundance of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you and nations bow down before you. Be lord over your brothers, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone that curses you and blessed be everyone that blesses you!”

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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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Friday, 7 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 9 : 9-13

At that time, as Jesus moved on from where He healed the paralytic man, He saw a man named Matthew, at his seat in the custom-house; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And Matthew got up and followed Him.

Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is it, that your Master eats with sinners and tax collectors?”

When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go, and find out what this means : What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Friday, 7 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 105 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

Alleluia! Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good, for His love endures forever. Who can count YHVH’s mighty deeds, or declare all His praises?

Blessed are they who always do just and right. Remember me, o YHVH, when You show favour to Your people.

Rescue me when You deliver them; let me see the triumph of Your faithful; let me share the joy of Your nation; and join Your people in praising You.

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Friday, 7 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Genesis 23 : 1-4, 19 and Genesis 24 : 1-8, 62-67

Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years. She died at Kiriatharba – that is Hebron – in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to weep and mourn for Sarah. Abraham left his dead one and spoke to the Hittites, “I am only a stranger among you; give me a burial place among you, so that I may bury my dead.”

After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. Abraham was now old and well on in years, and YHVH had blessed him in every way. Abraham said to his senior servant, who was his steward, “Put your hand under my thigh and you will swear to me by YHVH, God of heaven and earth, that you will not choose a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom we live; rather it is to my country and my kinsfolk that you will go to choose a wife for my son, Isaac.”

The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not want to follow me to this country. In that case should I take your son to the country you came from?” Abraham said to him, “In no way will you take my son back. For YHVH, God of heaven and God of earth, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, spoke to me and swore to me that He would give this country to my race.”

“He will send His Angel before you, that you may find a wife for my son. But if the woman is unwilling to follow you, you will be free of this oath. In any case you are not to take my son down there.”

Now Isaac had come from the well of Lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negeb. As Isaac went out in the early evening to meditate in the field, he looked up and saw camels coming. Rebekah also looked up and when she saw Isaac she alighted from her camel and said to the servant, “Who is this man in the field coming to meet us?”

He replied, “It is my master!” She then covered her face with her veil. The servant related to Isaac all that he had done, and Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent of Sarah, his mother. He made her his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

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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.

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

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 9 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus got back into the boat, crossed the lake again, and came to His hometown. Here, they brought to Him a paralysed man, lying on a bed. Jesus saw their faith and said to the paralytic, “Courage, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”

Some teachers of the Law said within themselves, “This Man insults God.” Jesus was aware of what they were thinking; and said, “Why have you such evil thoughts? Which is easier to say : ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? But that you may know, that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralysed man, “Stand up! Take your stretcher and go home!”

The man got up, and went home. When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe, and praised God for giving such power to human beings.

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

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 114 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

Alleluia! I am pleased that YHVH has heard my voice in supplication, that He has not been deaf to me, the day I called on Him.

When the cords of death entangled me, the snares of the grave laid hold of me, when affliction got the better of me, I called upon the Name of YHVH : “O YHVH, save my life!”

Gracious and righteous is YHVH; full of compassion is our God. YHVH protects the simple : He saved me when I was humbled.

He has freed my soul from death, my eyes from weeping, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before YHVH in the land of the living.

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

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Genesis 22 : 1-19

Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I shall point out to you.”

Abraham rose early next morning and saddled his donkey and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He chopped wood for the burnt offering and set out for the place to which God had directed him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance, and he said to the young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He carried in his hand the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke to Abraham, his father, “Father!” And Abraham replied, “Yes, my son?” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.”

They went on, the two of them together, until they came to the place to which God had directed them. When Abraham had built the altar and set the wood on it, he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the wood placed on the altar. He then stretched out his hand to seize the knife and slay his son. But the Angel of YHVH called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.” “Do not lay your hand on the boy; do not harm him, for now I know that you fear God, and you have not held back from Me your only son.” Abraham looked around and saw behind him a ram caught by its horns in a bush. He offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place ‘The Lord will provide.’ And the saying has lasted to this day.

And the Angel of YHVH called from heaven a second time, “By myself I have sworn, it is YHVH Who speaks, because you have done this and not held back your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the lands of their enemies. All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your descendants because you have obeyed Me.”

So Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba and it was there that Abraham stayed.

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Wednesday, 5 July 2023 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony Zaccaria, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord, each and every one of us are reminded that no one is to be excluded from the love and grace of God, from the kindness and compassion that He has always shown each one of us. No one is truly beyond the reach of God’s grace and mercy, as the Scripture passages today can attest to us and remind us what God’s love has done for many amongst us even in the times of greatest distress and hardships. He has always shown His care and attention, and none of us are ever too far from His providence. That is why we are reminded this day that we should not lose hope and we should continue to hold on fast to our faith in the Lord even amidst great tribulations and trials in our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis the story of the conflict that arose between Ishmael, the firstborn son of Abraham from his mother Hagar, a slave owned by Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and Isaac, the son that Sarah herself had borne for Abraham, the son that God had promised Abraham. It was logical to think that Sarah was afraid that Ishmael would try to snatch the inheritance away from Isaac, her own son, and all these ultimately happened because in his momentary weakness and moment of doubt, Abraham chose to find worldly solution to his problem rather than to trust in God for what He had promised and spoken to him about giving and granting him a son to continue his legacy and family. Abraham took Hagar, Sarah’s slave to bear a child for them, probably upon Sarah’s suggestion, a decision that would probably be regretted by the latter.

Now, despite all the problems and issues that arose from the fact that Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, they are both still Abraham’s sons, and while Abraham did send Ishmael and his mother away, God did not abandon them but in fact took good care of them and helped them in their times of hardships, sending His Angel to take care of them and to provide for them in the wilderness. God has also promised Abraham that He would still take care of Ishmael for despite the child having been conceived against God’s will, but ultimately, as a child of Abraham, he was also still deserving of God’s blessings that God has promised his father Abraham. Ultimately, he was also one of God’s beloved children, just like all of us.

That is why, we can see how God’s love has been given so generously to us, as we have seen His blessings, love and compassion even to those who others may think as undeserving of God’s love and kindness. This He has yet again shown in our Gospel passage today as we heard of how the Lord had shown His mercy and compassion on two men who had been possessed by evil spirits in the region of Gadara beyond the Jordan River from Judea. Those two men had been living in the wilderness, shunned and rejected by the rest of the Jewish community for their condition, as they were struck by the evil spirits that made them to be very much feared by the rest of the people, who stayed away from them.

But the Lord did not abandon those two men, and He cast the demons from the two men into the herd of pigs nearby, freeing the two men from the possession by the evil spirits. The news of that miracle and exorcism astounded many of the people in the region, who have never heard or witnessed such things before. And the pig herders and owners in that area naturally were afraid of the Lord because He has caused many of their pigs to fall into their deaths, possessed by the evil spirits, and hence, they begged Him to leave their area. But in the end, the two men, who were once possessed by the evil spirits, had been freed from their bondage and from those wicked spirits, gained their freedom and position again among the people of God. The Lord did that for them, and again, we can see the love of God that has been generously shown to us.

Today, all of us are therefore reminded that we should continue to love the Lord wholeheartedly and commit ourselves totally to Him. All of us as Christians have been so fortunate that God has always watched over us and taken care of us even when He was not obliged to do so. After all, it was us who have disobeyed and abandoned Him first, betrayed Him and refusing to listen to Him. Yet, He still patiently cared for us and repeatedly sought for us, calling on us to return to Him so that we may find our way back to Him. All of us are beloved by God, and no one can indeed separate us from the love of God, unless we ourselves have consciously and repeatedly rejected His love right up to the very end.

This day, we also celebrate the feast of St. Anthony Zaccaria, a faithful priest and saint, man of God, whose life and actions hopefully can serve as inspiration for all of us to follow in our own lives, that we may indeed know how to follow the Lord faithfully as he had done in his own life. St. Anthony Zaccaria was a truly devout priest and preacher who spent a lot of time and effort to proclaim the truth of God, and calling upon the people of God to love the Lord through the devotion that now has become very popular, that is the Forty-hours devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. He laboured hard during the tough time of the Protestant reformation, leading the efforts with the Counter-Reformation, helping many among the faithful to realise the flaws and mistakes in the heretical ideas and teachings that were then running rampant all around Christendom.

St. Anthony Zaccaria dedicated himself so much to his work and ministry, and laid the foundations for not just one, but in fact three religious institutions, namely the Clerics Regular of St. Paul, the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, as well as the lay organisation of the Laity of St. Paul. Through his establishments of these societies, and his many other works, and inspiration for many to work together for the greater glory of God, St. Anthony Zaccaria had truly brought about great good to many people, and helped many to realise their love for God, and to walk ever more faithfully in the path that God had called them to walk in. All of us as Christians therefore should also do our part in the manner that St. Anthony Zaccaria has shown us, in loving God, Who has loved us so dearly, and to show that love to one another.

Let our actions be truly Christ-like, and be the extensions of God’s love and compassion, so that we may truly, like God Himself had done, love one another, our fellow brothers and sisters with great and unconditional love. May the Lord continue to bless us in our every good works and endeavours, that we may ever grow stronger in our faith and commitment, to follow Him at all times. May God be with us all and be with Church, now and always, forevermore. Amen.