Weekdays of Ordinary Time

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Wednesday, 25 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, and Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests, Popes and Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called to be humble and to be committed to God, in the same way that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had been humble, loving and obedient to His Father even until the very end. The examples which Christ showed us is certainly what we too can follow in our own lives, especially considering the ways that this world have shown us.

Jesus spoke to His disciples regarding how in this world, it is common to see people oppressing each other, especially those in the positions of power and influence, using their power and authority to oppress those who are weaker than them, and those who are less powerful or influential than they are. This is the norms and the customs of this world, a world where the strongest lived on, survived and the weak perished.

And that was what James and John had done, in following the norms of the world. It was just like in our societies, where servants asked for favours from their masters, subordinates asking for more glory, wealth and power from their superiors. That is the way that men thought, and that is how we often lived our lives. It is all about getting more things for ourselves, garnering more praise and attention for our deeds.

But the Lord taught us all that His way is not the way acceptable to the world, for it is indeed different. Where the world championed and glorified those who glorify themselves and seek more power for their own, the way of our Lord is simplicity, humility and selflessness. In order to follow the Lord our God and love Him with all our heart, we must learn to let go of those corrupting desires that kept us away from being able to achieve salvation in God.

Jesus Himself showed by example, as even though He is Almighty, King of all the universe and Lord and Master of all creation, but He came into our world not as a King to be served and to be feared, and instead as a servant and a humble Man, through whose humility and work, the salvation would be brought into the world. And as He has shown us the way, we too should follow Him in His actions.

And today, we celebrate not just one but three holy saints of God, whose own lives have been exemplary, and can indeed be inspirations for us to follow their lifestyle, so that we ourselves may draw ever closer to God. St. Bede the Venerable was a holy servant of God, who was renowned for his many works with regards to the Scriptures and to the teachings of the early disciples and Church fathers.

St. Bede the Venerable was an English monk renowned for his devotion to his work, in bringing the truth of God to greater discovery and understanding by those who have read and viewed his works. He translated many Latin and Greek manuscripts of the faith into English language, and through his many dedications and works, people had therefore discovered the teachings of the Church passed down to them.

Meanwhile, Pope St. Gregory VII was a great leader of the Church, a courageous and committed defender of the Church and the faith against the forces of the world trying to undermine its authority. Pope St. Gregory VII led the Church through a turbulent time in the history of the Church, where conflict peaked between the Church and the secular authority in the person of the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry.

The conflict was precisely because of the conflicting interest between the Emperor and the Church of God, led by Pope St. Gregory VII. The Emperor claimed the power and authority over the Church, and at least in the territories he controlled, the Emperor claimed the authority to appoint bishops and the other leaders of the Church.

But the Church and its leader, Pope St. Gregory VII refused to bow down to the demands of the Emperor. The faithful resisted the influences and the coercion by the Emperor and his party of supporters. As a result, the clashes and the conflicts between the Church and the Emperor became ever more violent and resulted in great difficulties and challenges for the faithful servants of God.

Even Pope St. Gregory VII himself was suffering from the tribulations and challenges, and he suffered even from exile and incarceration. He died a lonely and broken man in body, but his spirit was never daunted by the challenges and the difficulties which he had encountered. And in the end, the Church triumphed and the world did not have its way.

And last of all, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was a holy and devoted woman who lived in the region now known as Tuscany in Italy a few hundred years ago. She was a mystic and a Carmelite nun, who has devoted almost her entire life to the Lord. Ever since a very young age, she has practiced meditation as shown by a tutor she engaged, and she received many visions from the Lord, telling her about many things on the matter of faith and about God’s will for the world.

And by her many accounts and works, she helped to rejuvenate the faith in the hearts of many people, and many believed because of her accounts of the Lord, all of her visions and her own piety. And even though she died early in her life, but her inspirational life continues to influence many even unto this very day. Many miracles also accompanied her tomb and her relics, showing the glory which God gives to all of His faithful ones.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have witnessed and heard the examples of these holy saints, let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord our God following the footsteps of the holy saints. Let us all not be discouraged and be afraid to lead a faithful life filled with true commitment and love for God and His ways. Let us all be the beacons of light for this world, so that through humility and service, we may be like Jesus our Lord, in bringing righteousness upon one another and the whole world.

May God bless us all and keep us, and may He strengthen us our faith, that we may continue to persevere despite the challenges in this life. May He guard us and protect us from harm, and may He keep us in His love forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 25 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, and Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests, Popes and Virgins)

Mark 10 : 32-45

At that time, Jesus and His disciples were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and He was walking ahead. The Twelve were anxious, and those who followed were afraid. Once more Jesus took the Twelve aside to tell them what was to happen to Him.

“You see we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn Him to death, and hand Him over to the foreigners, who will make fun of Him, spit on Him, scourge Him, and finally kill Him; but three days later He will rise.”

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to Him, “Master, we want You to grant us what we are going to ask of You.” And He said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They answered, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, when You come in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptised in the way I am baptised?” They answered, “We can.” And Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptised in the way that I am baptised; but to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant. It has been prepared for others.”

On hearing this, the other ten were angry with James and John. Jesus then called them to Him and said, “As you know, the so-called rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and their great ones oppress them. But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all.”

“Think of the Son of Man, Who has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

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Wednesday, 25 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, and Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests, Popes and Virgins)

Psalm 147 : 12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Exalt the Lord, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He grants peace on your borders and feeds you with the finest grain. He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word.

It is He Who tells Jacob His words, His laws and decrees to Israel. This He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

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Wednesday, 25 May 2016 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, and Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests, Popes and Virgins)

1 Peter 1 : 18-25

Remember that you were freed from the useless way of life of your ancestors, not with gold and silver but with the precious Blood of the Lamb without spot or blemish. God, Who has known Christ before the world began, revealed Him to you in the last days.

Through Him, you have faith in God Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him in order that you might put all your faith and hope in God. In obeying the truth, you have gained interior purification from which comes sincere mutual love. Love one another, then, with all your heart, since you are born again, not from mortal beings, but with enduring life, through the Word of God Who lives and remains forever.

It is written : All flesh is grass and its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. This Word is the Gospel which has been brought to you.

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Tuesday, 9 February 2016 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are presented with the prayer of Solomon, the king of Israel, asking God to bless His people and to forgive them from their trespasses, and to welcome them back whenever they have erred and wandered away from their path. He praised God for the love which He had shown to them, so great is that love, that it is unprecedented and nothing is like the love which God showed us.

And Solomon thus praised the Lord for His love and care for His people, even though they were sinners, delinquents and frequently disobeyed His laws and precepts. This love that God has for all of us is great and boundless, and it is why He gave us opportunities, chances, and the paths through which He could help to bring us closer to Him, by providing us with the Law and with the commandments that help us to find our way to Him.

Yet unfortunately, as we saw in the Gospel, that Jesus our Lord rebuked the Pharisees, the elders of Israel, the scribes and the teachers of the Law, because instead of understanding the need for the people to love God with sincerity from the heart, and with true devotion and commitment guided by the precepts of the Law, the leaders of the people had misguided the people of God through their own laws and commandments.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, they have become lost in the attempt to fulfil the laws and commandments that they have made themselves. Their concerns became whether they fulfilled the law in the right ways and manner, in the rites and rituals they prescribed from the law, and they punished those who have not obeyed in the way that they wanted the people to obey.

In that way, not only that they have misunderstood the intentions of the laws and ordinances which God had given to His people, but they also misled the people who have been entrusted under their care, guidance and leadership. Instead of bringing the people of God closer to Him through love and dedication, they caused these people to fear the Lord, thinking that He is an angry God Who will punish and destroy all those who did not obey the entirety of the Law.

And the Pharisees and the elders of Israel themselves were also mistaken in their approach, as they used the Law as an opportunity to showcase themselves to the other people, and to indulge in their pride and hubris, and to cultivate the desire of their human ego. They prayed in the public places, showed how faithful they were in obeying God’s ordinances and commandments in everything, and criticising and persecuting those that did not do so, all for the sake of being seen and praised, and not for the sake of the glory of God, save for some of the Pharisees.

Therefore, today, what Jesus said to the Pharisees, to the people and to His disciples should be a reminder to all of us, that we all should not have faith without understanding, or obey without true conscience and knowledge of the will of God, which He made clear through the Law He gave to us mankind. We have to discern the will of God, that is His love, and not to think that obeying the Law merely means just fulfilling what the Law requires of us.

In the same manner therefore, as we live our lives and in obeying the teachings of the Lord through the Church. We cannot go through it with just blind obedience or by merely trying to fulfil them as an obligation and stop at that. If we stop at that, then we are not doing anything truly beneficial for ourselves, and we are no closer to salvation as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

Instead, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us devote ourselves, our time and attention, our effort and our focus on the Lord our God, and let us all realise the love which He has for us all, that He was willing to show us the way to reach Him, and to guide us step by step on this path, littered with difficulties and challenges. Let us all renew today our commitment to the Lord.

And tomorrow we shall begin the season of Lent, the season of penitential and repentance, the season of mercy and forgiveness. Thus, let us all draw ever closer to God’s mercy and love, and let us all be ever more devoted and committed to Him in all our lives. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 February 2016 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 7 : 1-13

At that time, one day the Pharisees gathered around Jesus, and with them were some teachers of the Law who had just come from Jerusalem. They noticed that some of His disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them.

Now the Pharisees, and in fact all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands, for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors. Nor do they eat anything, when they come from the market, without first washing themselves. And there are many other traditions they observe; for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots and plates.

So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?” Jesus answered, “You shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote : ‘This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. The worship they offer Me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules.’ You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”

And Jesus commented, “You have a fine way of disregarding the commandments of God in order to enforce your own traditions! For example, Moses said : Do your duty to your father and your mother, and : Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death.”

“But according to you, someone could say to his father or mother, ‘I already declared Corban (which means “offered to God”) what you could have expected from me.’ In this case, you no longer require him to do anything for his father or mother, and so you nullify the word of God through the tradition you have handed on. And you do many other things like that.”

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Tuesday, 9 February 2016 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 83 : 3, 4, 5 and 10, 11

My soul yearns, pines, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, at Your altars, o Lord of hosts, my King and my God!

Happy are those who live in Your house, continually singing Your praise! Look upon our shield, o God; look upon the face of Your anointed!

One day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be left at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

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Tuesday, 9 February 2016 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 8 : 22-23, 27-30

Then Solomon stood before the altar of YHVH in the presence of all the assembly of Israel. He raised his hands towards heaven and said, “O YHVH, God of Israel, there is no god like You either in heaven or on earth! You keep Your covenant and show loving kindness to Your servants who walk before You wholeheartedly.”

“But will God really live among people on earth? If neither heavens nor the highest heavens can contain You, how much less can this House which I have built! Yet, listen to the prayer and supplication of Your servant, o YHVH my God; hearken to the cries and pleas which Your servant directs to You this day.”

“Watch over this House of which You have said, ‘My Name shall rest there.’ Hear the prayer of Your servant in this place. Listen to the supplication of Your servant and Your people Israel when they pray in this direction; listen from Your dwelling place in heaven and, on listening, forgive.”

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Monday, 8 February 2016 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard firstly the story of how Solomon, the king of Israel, the son and heir of David, God’s faithful servant, finally established and built the house which his father had wanted to build for the Lord. And today we heard in our first reading, how that great Temple in Jerusalem, also known as Solomon’s Temple, was inaugurated, dedicated and consecrated to God.

We heard how Solomon dedicated the Temple to God, bringing the Ark of the Covenant which was filled with the two stones on which were written the Lord’s Ten Commandments, and also the manna, the bread from heaven, and the staff of Aaron, the proofs of God’s loving works on His people, and as the sign of the Covenant which He had established with them. And therefore, with the entry of the Ark, the glory of God filled His Temple and He was therefore present there.

How is this relevant to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? Surely it was some historical event that had happened a long time ago in the past, but which has little to no significance for us. Well, if we look deeper into what had happened, we should realise that what we heard about the dedication of the Temple of God in Jerusalem is indeed linked to what we heard in the Gospel today, and therefore to ourselves.

How is this so? In the Gospel today, we heard about our Lord Jesus Christ, Who went about from places to places, ministering to the sick and dying, to all those who are afflicted in their bodies and in their souls, healing them from their afflictions and restoring to them the health either in their bodies, their souls, or both at the same time.

In it, we saw how God made Himself manifest even more so than what He had done at the time of king Solomon. If God had descended to dwell in an earthly Temple built by Solomon and dwelled there for a time, but in Jesus Himself, God Who was once invisible had made Himself tangible and visible to all of us. He had made Himself to assume the flesh of a Man, so that by that action, and by His offering of the perfect sacrifice of Himself, He might dwell among us forever, and reunite all of us with Him in love.

What does this mean? It means that as Christ had given Himself in His Body and in His Blood to all of His disciples, and from them to all of us, thus, all of us who share in the Body and the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, have received the Lord Himself Who comes to dwell among us, and inside each and every one of us, the faithful ones of God.

And therefore, as St. Paul also iterated in one of his letters to the faithful, we are all, our bodies, our minds, our hearts and our souls are the Temple of the Lord’s Holy Presence, and in each and every one of us, God is dwelling within us, and this body we have, is His Temple and His House. And if king Solomon had gone such a great length and put so much effort to make sure that the Temple he had built for his God was properly inaugurated and started, thus we too have to make the same effort.

This means that if we commit things that are not in accordance with what He had taught us, committing things vile and wicked in the sight of God and men alike, then it is a scandal for us, for the Lord Himself dwell within us, and yet we did not make the conscious effort to make sure that this Temple that is our body, our minds, hearts and souls are worthy to receive Him in us.

Today, we commemorate the feast of two saints, whose examples hopefully can become a source of inspiration for all of us, on how to live our faith and our lives meaningfully, so as to be faithful and be true to the Lord and His will in all the things we do and act. They are St. Jerome Emiliani, a famous preacher and servant of God, and St. Josephine Bakhita, a freed former slave who became a convert to the faith and a devout religious.

St. Jerome Emiliani was an Italian man who was also known as Gerolamo Emiliani, who often showed mercy and compassion on many people who were destitute, suffering and dying, especially at times when there were famines and diseases raging amongst the people. He served the poor and cared for them, and together with other faithful laymen and religious, he founded hospitals and places where these people could be cared for.

Meanwhile, St. Josephine Bakhita was a former slave originating from a region now known as Sudan. After having learnt of the faith, and after experiencing the call of the Lord, she was converted to the faith, and vowed to follow the Lord for the rest of her life. She even managed to convert and helped her former employer to return to the Lord after leading a wayward life for a long time.

She eventually joined the religious order, and from then on, devoted herself to a life of work and prayer, committing herself also to the people of God, through prayer and charity. Eventually her examples inspired many others to also follow in her footsteps, growing ever closer to God and dedicating themselves to serve others just as she and many other saints had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all also follow in the footsteps of the saints and do what we can to help others who are in need, dedicating ourselves in faith to the Lord our God, and also to our brethren. So that, by our actions made through our faith, we may be found worthy, and that the Temple of our bodies, minds and souls will always be pure and worthy of the Lord our God, as the place of His dwelling.

May God sanctify us and may He purify our bodies, minds, hearts and souls, so that we may be ever worthy of Him and be reunited with Him in love. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Monday, 8 February 2016 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Virgins)

Mark 6 : 53-56

At that time, having crossed the lake, Jesus and His disciples came ashore at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat. As soon as they landed, people recognised Jesus, and ran to spread the news throughout the countryside.

Wherever He was, they brought to Him the sick lying on their mats; and wherever He went, to villages, towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace, and begged Him to let them touch just the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were cured.