Weekdays of Ordinary Time

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Thursday, 13 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Kings 18 : 41-46

Elijah then said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for the sound of rain is rushing in.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah, in the meantime, went to the top of Carmel, bowed to the ground and put his face between his knees.

Then he said to his servant, “Go up and look in the direction of the sea.” The man went up, looked, and said, “There is nothing.” Then Elijah said, “Go again;” and seven times he went. At the seventh time, he perceived a little cloud, the size of a man’s hand, rising out of the sea. Elijah told him, “Go, tell Ahab : Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.”

A little later the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a strong rain fell. Ahab was riding on his way to Jezreel. As for Elijah, the hand of YHVH was on him, and tucking his cloak in his belt, he ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

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Wednesday, 12 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the Sacred Scriptures the story of the confrontation between the Lord’s prophet and the many prophets of Baal at Mount Moriah, and then from the New Testament where the Lord told His disciples after He was likely confronted by the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees who often criticised Him about not following the Law and commandments of God in the manner that they had preferred and enforced among the people of God. The Lord essentially reiterated that He came not to eradicate or annul the Law, but to restore the Law’s true intention, meaning and purpose before it had been twisted and misunderstood by the people over the past many centuries of its application and practice.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah in which the continuation of the story of the ministry of the prophet Elijah in the northern kingdom of Israel was told to us. We heard how the prophet Elijah, like the other prophets of God before him had faced a lot of hardships, challenges and trials in the midst of their ministry and works among the people of God. Many of the prophets of God had been persecuted and they had to suffer amidst their work and ministry among the Israelites, many of whom had wandered off from the path of God and from His teachings, and by the reign of king Ahab, the people of God had forgotten their Lord and Master, and most of them including the king himself worshipped many pagan idols and abominations of their neighbours.

King Ahab himself was infamous for his many wicked actions and exploits, and he did not live his life or acted in the manner that the Lord had entrusted to him to do, as he sought worldly glory and pleasures, and in one of the accounts of the Book of Kings, plotted with the help and accomplices of his wife, the wicked queen Jezebel, to have an innocent man named Naboth condemned to death on false accusations and charges just because he desired Naboth’s vineyard, which stood upon the latter’s ancestral lands. All these had led to the great anger of God against Ahab and the people of Israel, and yet, at the same time, He still wanted them to come back to Him and be reconciled to Him, and hence He sent Elijah to them.

As we all heard, the prophet Elijah had to contend alone against all the many prophets and priests of Baal, one against four hundred and fifty of the latter, in front of many of the Israelites and the king himself at Mount Carmel. The prophet Elijah issued the challenges against those who worshipped and served Baal to see which among God and Baal was indeed the one and only True God, and we heard in that passage today from the Book of Kings how Baal did not even respond to the prayers and requests of his many priests and prophets. On the other hand, God responded to the prayers of Elijah, sending down a great fire from Heaven to consume all of the offerings and sacrifices that Elijah had placed on the altar he built on Mount Carmel.

Through that occasion, the people could clearly see who was indeed the one and only True God, that is the Lord Himself, and not the false god Baal. God wanted to show and remind His people that He was their Lord and Master, as the One Who had been with them throughout time and history, and Who had saved them again and again from their oppressors and from everyone who had troubled them. He rescued them from their slavery in Egypt, brought them to the Promised Land and helped them to settle down, to live in peace, harmony and prosperity, and yet, those people still disobeyed Him and betrayed Him, choosing to follow pagan idols and gods instead of obeying and worshipping the one and only True God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew and as I have mentioned earlier, in this particular passage, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples and the people, reiterating that He had come into this world to renew and to complete the Law and the words of the Lord which He had constantly passed and revealed to us all these time. However, some among the people, especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law misunderstood His intentions, and they refused to believe in Him because they perceived Him and His teachings and works as efforts to overcome and to abolish the Law of God, accusing Him therefore of blasphemy and crimes that He did not actually do, opposing Him and His efforts simply because they were jealous of Him and His successes and popularity.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is where we are all reminded that we should not easily allow ourselves to be swayed by the many temptations of the world which could lead us astray down the wrong path in life. That was how the people of Israel fell into sin and disobedience against God, how king Ahab fell into his wickedness and evils, and how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who were tempted by worldly glory and power, by their attachments to rules and traditions, that they all refused to obey the Lord and instead preferring to walk down their own paths in life, opposing God’s works and not following the path that He has shown to all of them. This is what we should not do in our own lives.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord, brothers and sisters in Christ, and let us all continue to do our part so that in whatever we do in life, in all of our words, actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with one another, in every moments of our daily lives, we will always strive to do what God has taught and commanded us to do. Let us truly obey Him and follow His path in all the things we do in our lives, and let us no longer be stubborn or hardened in our hearts, but instead, let us be humble and allow the Lord to lead us down the right path in life, to guide us into the path towards righteousness and eternal life, as we have all been expected to do. May all of us be truly holy and committed to the Lord, at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 12 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 17-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfil them. I tell you this : as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the Law will change until all is fulfilled.”

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Wednesday, 12 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 15 : 1-2a, 4, 5 and 8, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to YHVH, “You are my Lord.”

Those who run after foreign gods only have their sorrows multiplied.

Let me not shed blood for them, nor their names be heard on my lips.

O YHVH, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot. I keep YHVH always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence, the fullness of joy, at Your right hand, happiness forever.

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Wednesday, 12 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 18 : 20-39

So Ahab sent for all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah addressed the people and asked, “How long will you follow two ways at the same time? If YHVH is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God then follow him.” The people remained silent.

So Elijah continued, “I am the only prophet of YHVH left here to face Baal’s four hundred and fifty prophets. Get us two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood; and I will do the same with the other bull. But we will not set it on fire. Then you shall call on the name of your gods while I shall call on the Name of YHVH. The God Who answers with fire is the true one.” Then the people answered, “That is right.”

Then Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many. Then call on the name of your god lest you are left without fire!” So they took the bull and prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice; and no one answered them while they went on, dancing on one foot around the altar they had built.

By noontime, Elijah began to mock them, “Shout out louder. Baal is a busy god; or he may have gone out, or perhaps he has gone on a trip, or he is sleeping and must be wakened.” So they shouted louder gashing their skin with knives, as they are used to doing, until they bled. It was already past noon and they were still raving on, until the time of the evening offering. But still there was no voice. No one answered or gave a sign of life.

Then Elijah said to the people, “Draw closer to me,” and the people drew closer to him. He then repaired the altar of YHVH which had been thrown down. He took twelve stones corresponding to the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob whom YHVH had addressed saying, “Israel shall be your name.” With these stones, he built an altar to the Name of YHVH; and dug a trench around it that would contain about thirty litres.

He then arranged the firewood, cut the bull in pieces and laid them on the wood. Then, he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the firewood.” He said, “Do it again;” and they did it again; “one more time,” and they did it a third time. The water ran around the altar and filled the trench.

When the time of the evening offering came, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O YHVH, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel; and that I am Your servant, doing all these things at Your command. Answer me, o YHVH, answer me so that this people may know that You, o YHVH, are God; and that You are turning back their hearts to You.”

Then the fire of YHVH fell and consumed the burnt offering, together with the wood, the stones also, and the dust; the water also dried up in the trench. All the people witnessed this. Then they fell on their faces and said, “YHVH is God! YHVH is God!”

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Tuesday, 11 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Barnabas, Holy Apostle of the Lord, one of the close collaborators and followers of the Lord, whose commitment and dedication to the Lord is truly exemplary and should be great examples and inspiration for all of us to follow in how we ourselves obey the Lord and follow His path in our own respective lives. Each and every one of us should always do our best and commit ourselves to the missions and the works which the Lord has entrusted to each one of us as His followers and disciples, so that all of us may indeed be active contributors to the efforts and works of the Church in our world today.

According to Church and Apostolic traditions, St. Barnabas was a Jew from Cyprus that was an important member of the earliest Christian community in Jerusalem, who followed the Lord and dedicated himself thoroughly in the service of the Lord. It was told that he sold his lands and property, giving its proceeds to the community of the believers, and henceforth went on to dedicate his life fully to God. St. Barnabas was one of St. Paul’s close collaborators, and went on several missionary journeys with the latter, proclaiming the Word of God and His Good News to many people in various cities and places, enjoying both great successes as well as hardships and challenges in the midst of his mission and work.

St. Barnabas was mentioned in a few occasions throughout the Acts of the Apostles, detailing his many works both together with St. Paul as well as on his own, as he continued to carry on his missions entrusted to him by the Lord through His Church, reaching out to more and more people and proclaiming to them the salvation of God. Many people came to believe in the Lord through the words and the works of St. Barnabas and his other companions, through their dedication and zeal in proclaiming the Good News and the salvation in God. The Lord has sent them all to be the bearers of His truth, and they all devoted themselves faithfully to those missions that had been entrusted to them.

Not much was known of the life of St. Barnabas after his mentions in the Acts of the Apostles, but like that of the other Apostles, and through several indications in the other Apostolic writings and traditions, it was likely that St. Barnabas endured great sufferings and eventually martyrdom like most of the other disciples and Apostles of the Lord at that time. In one of those traditions, St. Barnabas was martyred as he ministered to the faithful and to the people in the region of Cyprus, where he hailed from, and he was persecuted and struck by the opposition of the local Jewish community, some of whom were opposed to him and were hostile to his works and efforts in proclaiming the Christian faith. Nonetheless, through his courage and efforts, St. Barnabas inspired many in faith during his time and even long afterwards.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Acts of the Apostles detailing all the various activities and works which St. Barnabas had done in the missionary journeys he had taken, to Antioch and then to Tarsus, and it was also at this occasion that St. Barnabas took St. Paul with him, then still known as Saul, to join him in the evangelising and missionary works. That was how then St. Barnabas and St. Paul were both entrusted with the important mission of proclaiming the Good News and truth of God to the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles. Both of them were sent with the mission to proclaim the Lord and His Good News to those people, and they were given the mission with the guidance and prayer of the Apostles, with the Holy Spirit leading them in their path and journey.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which He sent out His disciples and followers on missions, both to prepare His path and also to spread His works and missions to more places, by sending them two by two to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people. He entrusted them all with the responsibilities to proclaim His salvation to everyone who were willing to listen to them so that more and more people will come to believe in God and be saved through their faith and trust in Him. St. Barnabas had done what the Lord had entrusted to him to do, as well as those of the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all also be reminded then of our own calling and mission in life, to be the faithful and committed disciples of the Lord in our own various fields and areas of commitment in life. Like St. Barnabas and his companion, St. Paul, they had been entrusted with the particular mission of reaching out to the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles because of their affinity to those who did not adhere to the Jewish customs and practices, and also their open-mindedness and willingness to reach out to those who had diverse backgrounds, unlike many among the Jewish community at that time.

Each and every one of us have also been called to various missions and works in our respective lives. We have been given diverse opportunities and areas in life where we can contribute more to the spreading of the Good News of God, and where we can be the good role models and inspirations in life in whatever we have been called to be, be it as an ordained minister like bishops and priests, or as those in the religious and consecrated life, or those who have dedicated themselves in a holy life, of singlehood and all those who have built good and loving Christian families, filled with love and grace of God, with their children and all.

All of us should do our best in our various missions and callings in life to commit ourselves to all that God had entrusted to us, in all the opportunities and blessings that He had granted to us. Each and every one of us have been truly blessed that God has entrusted these missions to us, and we should strive to make good use of these opportunities so that through our works and efforts, God may truly be glorified and He may indeed lead more and more souls to salvation and eternal life through our contributions and efforts, just as what St. Barnabas had done in his life and missions.

May the Lord be with all of us in each and every moments of our lives, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us with the necessary resolve and encouragement so that we may continue to persevere in faith despite the challenges and trials we may have to face in our journey in life as Christians. Like St. Barnabas, Holy Apostle, missionary and martyr, let us always be courageous in proclaiming the Lord, His truth, Good News and love to everyone we encounter each day and every moments in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 7-13

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give. Do not carry any gold or silver or money in your purses. Do not take a travelling bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick : workers deserve to be compensated.”

“When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person, and stay there until you leave. When you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people are worthy people, your peace will rest on them; if they are not worthy people, your blessing will come back to you.”

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Tuesday, 11 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, the Lord!

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Tuesday, 11 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 11 : 21b-26 and Acts 13 : 1-3

A great number believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God’s favour, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord; for he, himself, was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus, to look for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

There were at Antioch – in the Church which was there – prophets and teachers : Barnabas, Symeon known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul. On one occasion, while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.”

So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

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Monday, 10 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of what we all need to do as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own people, to be those whom He has considered to be His children. Each and every one of us should continue to do what the Lord Himself has taught and shown us through His Church, and all the teachings and ways passed down upon us, so that by our every actions, our every words and works, our interactions with one another, all of us will continue to live ever more faithfully in the Lord, and be exemplary in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard about the moment when the Lord called His servant, the prophet Elijah from the kingdom of Israel, as he was sent to minister to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. At that time, the king of the northern kingdom was king Ahab, who was very infamous for his wickedness and all that he had done in disobeying the Lord and in refusing to follow the path of God. In fact, king Ahab brought the people ever further from the Lord by introducing more pagan worship and practices, through the support of his wife, the wicked queen Jezebel.

The prophet Elijah had a really difficult time in trying to do his mission among the Israelites, and this is because many of them were stubborn in their refusal to listen to the Lord and His prophets, including Elijah himself, and many of those prophets and messengers of God had been persecuted and even killed. Elijah himself had to evade persecutions and sufferings, and in this latest episode of his work, he told king Ahab that there would be great years of famine and drought throughout the land of Israel as a consequence and punishment for the sins and wickedness of the Israelites and their king. Elijah had to flee to the wilderness as God guided him to escape from the king and anyone who might have sought to blame and destroy him for his role in the famine and drought.

But Elijah obeyed the Lord faithfully and committed him to the missions that had been entrusted to him by the Lord. He allowed the Lord to guide him to wherever he was sent to, and he continued to devote himself thoroughly to the Lord despite the challenges and hardships that he had to encounter and endure throughout his missions. The prophet Elijah followed the Lord and went on to do many great things, despite having to move from places to places, suffering many things, but he did so gladly because he had faith and trust in the Lord. He showed us all the great examples and inspiration so that we all may also follow in his footsteps in how we should also follow the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the moment when the Lord taught the people and all of His disciples with the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’. In that occasion, the Lord Jesus presented those who listened to Him with the series of eight blessings, also known as the ‘Eight Beatitudes’, marking all those who have been truly blessed by the Lord because of their way of life and attitudes in life. These Eight Beatitudes are essentially a guide of how we all as Christians should be living our lives so that in everything that we do, in our every moments and way of life, we will truly obey the Lord and be able to commit ourselves to His cause.

In everything that the Lord had said, the blessings He pronounced to all those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are gentle, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful and those with a pure heart, those are working for peace and are peacemakers, and then those who have been persecuted because of the Lord and for their faith in Him, all these essentially characterised what we all as Christians should be like. Each and every one of us are called to be God’s faithful and beloved people, to live worthily in accordance with His Law and commandments, to do whatever we can so that we may proclaim Him in our world today through our own respective lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to renew our faith in the Lord and to commit ourselves ever more thoroughly to His cause from now on. Let us all continue to do what the Lord has entrusted to us in the various missions and things which He had given to us, so that by our every actions, works and efforts we may continue to be committed to the Lord in all the things that we say and do. Hopefully our lives and actions, our every interactions and commitments will truly be good examples and we may be good inspirations for everyone around us, for our fellow brothers and sisters in the Church of God, inspiring others to follow in our footsteps just as the prophet Elijah and many others have inspired us to follow them in their examples.

Let us all be reminded of the Eight Beatitudes and everything that we are all encouraged to do as Christians so that by our good and exemplary lives, we may indeed be blessed by God, and by our examples, we may bring forth this blessings to everyone around us as well. May our lives always be the inspiration for others and may we all continue to devote ourselves and our whole way of life, our every moments to glorify God at all times. May He continue to empower and strengthen us in our daily struggles in life, now and forevermore. Amen.