World Day of the Poor

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Sunday, 17 November 2024 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures about the coming of the end of times which we all should be well prepared for in our journey of faith and life as Christians, as we are all reminded that the Lord is sure to come again just as He Himself said that He will, and at that time, all of us shall have to give an account of everything that we have done, as well as whatever it is that we have not yet done, or failed to do in whatever opportunities and chances that the Lord has provided to us. We must always remember that as Christians we have to embody our faith in God and follow Him wholeheartedly through our every actions and deeds, in our every interactions and relationship with one another.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel the prophecy of the coming of the end times which was one of the apocalyptic prophecies mentioned by Daniel, predicting the time of struggle and strife for God’s holy people, and how despite all the challenges and trials they will have to face, God will lead them all to victory, and the figure of the great Archangel, St. Michael, the leader and prince of the Heavenly Host features prominently in this vision, being echoed in the later Revelations according to St. John the Apostle. It is a reminder that the end of times and the time of reckoning and the Last Judgment is something that is real and certainly will come for us, although none of us will know when exactly this will happen for sure, as only the Lord Himself knows the time and occasion of His coming.

But we must always have faith in Him and have trust and complete faith in His compassion and love for each and every one of us, much as He has shown it to us through His beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God has brought His salvation and redemption, making His love manifested and real to us, tangible and approachable to us, that has been the focus of our second reading this Sunday from the Epistle to the Hebrews. The author of this Epistle spoke at length about the role that Christ our Lord, as the Son of God and Son of Man both, had in becoming the one true Eternal High Priest for all of us mankind, offering on our behalf the perfect and most worthy offering for the atonement of all of our sins, and to redeem us into eternal life.

In our Gospel passage, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark we heard of the Lord Himself telling the disciples of the sign of times and everything that will happen for sure at the time of the Lord’s own knowing. He told them there will be signs accompanying His coming, but no one can surely know of the exact time that He will come. The Lord then highlighted to them of the lesson from the fig tree, which bears fruit at the appropriate time and with signs accompanying them. Therefore if the Lord Himself has already affirmed the fact and has repeatedly reminded His disciples of the coming of this time of judgment and reckoning then we have to keep in mind our way of life and faith in this world, so that we will not be found unworthy at the appropriate time.

Each and every one of us as Christians have received from God and through His Church the revelation of God’s truth, His Good News and of everything that will happen, as contained within the Scriptures and as the Lord has revealed to His Church through the Holy Spirit, bestowed upon the Apostles and through them to all of us. And because of that, it is important that we should be ever ready to welcome the Lord by doing our very best in every opportunities and moments, to be exemplary in all the things that we say and do so that we may be growing ever stronger in our faith and commitment to God, and be the shining examples and the worthy beacons of God’s light and truth in our world today, bearing His love and Good News to all the people whom we encounter daily in our lives.

This Sunday, being the last Sunday before the Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King, the Church also celebrates the World Day of the Poor, which was instituted by our current Pope, Pope Francis who wanted us all to remember the poor around us, those who need our care and compassionate love as we must realise that there are many around us who are struggling to make ends meet, and there are many of those all around the world who are suffering various ailments and troubles, from the effects of poverty and from injustice and oppression, those who have been marginalised and ostracised because of their background and origins, and all those who have no one to love and care for them. Each and every one of us are challenged today therefore to be the ones to bear the love of God to them all, and to truly embody our faith in God by our actions, especially our help and care to the poor and those less fortunate around us.

That is why we have to be ever active and be aware of our calling in life, our mission and commitment which the Lord has entrusted to all of us, the commission which God has given us to do in our respective lives and capacities, in the many opportunities and chances He has provided to us. We have been given the freedom to choose our course of action and path in life, and hence, as we have discussed about the end of times and the coming reckoning of our lives and worthiness, which will surely come at the end of time, let us all therefore remind one another and be ever more committed to live our lives in a most Christian manner, following the inspiration and example from the Lord Himself, Who has loved us all so much that as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews mentioned that He has given Himself to be the perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of the coming of the Lord and the moment of the reckoning of our lives, let us all therefore renew our commitment to follow the Lord ever more faithfully from now on. Let our every efforts and endeavours, our words, actions and deeds from now on continue to bring glory to God and proclaim His goodness before the people whom we meet and encounter in life. Let us all do our part to contribute to the good works and efforts of the Church, and to follow the Lord in all the things He has entrusted to us to do. May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, and may He empower and encourage us all to remain ever more committed and faithful to Him, particularly in our show of love and care for those around us who are in need and suffering from poverty and hardships in life. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 November 2024 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 13 : 24-32

At that time, Jesus was speaking to His disciples, “Later on in those days, after that disastrous time, the sun will grow dark, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall out of the sky, and the whole universe will be shaken. Then people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And He will send the Angels to gather His chosen people from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.”

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree : as soon as its branches become tender and it begins to sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the time is near, even at the door. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all this has happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

“But, regarding that day and that hour, no one knows when it will come, not even the Angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.”

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Sunday, 17 November 2024 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 10 : 11-14, 18

So, whereas every priest stands, daily, by the Altar, offering, repeatedly, the same sacrifices, that can never take away sins, Christ has offered, for all times, a single sacrifice for sins, and has taken His seat at the right hand of God, waiting, until God puts His enemies as a footstool under His feet.

By a single sacrifice He has brought those who are sanctified to what is perfect forever. So, if sins are forgiven, there is no longer need of any sacrifice for sin.

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Sunday, 17 November 2024 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 15 : 5 and 8, 9-10, 11

O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.

I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices; my body too will rest assured.

For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will You suffer Your Holy One to see decay in the land of the dead.

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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Sunday, 17 November 2024 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 12 : 1-3

At that time, Michael will rise, the Great Commander who defends your people. It shall be a time of anguish as never before, since the nations first existed until this very day. Then, all those, whose names are written in the book, will be saved.

Many of those who sleep in the Region of the Dust will awake, some to everlasting life but others to eternal horror and shame. Those who acquired knowledge will shine, like the brilliance of the firmament; those who taught people to be just will shine, like the stars, for all eternity.

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Sunday, 19 November 2023 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded on this second last Sunday before the end of the current liturgical year, of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly faithful to God and to do what the Lord has taught, shown and commanded us all to do in our lives. All of us as Christians are encouraged and reminded of everything that we should carry out in our current livelihood, in reaching out to our fellow men, brothers and sisters, in caring and loving them, so that by our lives, actions and everything we say and do, we may truly proclaim the Lord in all of His love, truth and wonders to all the whole world. This is what we are all expected to do, brothers and sisters, in living our lives at the moment, in whatever opportunities that we have been given, to be ever more faithful and worthy of God in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Proverbs, we heard from the author of this Book, the description of a righteous, virtuous and good woman, who is truly good and just in all of her works, actions and deeds. This description of a virtuous and righteous woman, who is respected and honoured by everyone is actually not just limited to that of a woman, but is a way for the Lord to tell all of us that the same attitude and behaviours are also expected of every one of us, regardless of gender, age or by whatever other parameters we tended to categorise ourselves into. Each and every one of us as Christians are expected to do what is right, virtuous, good and just in the eyes of the Lord, in doing His will and obeying every one of His Law and commandments, which He has revealed, taught and passed down to us.

This is especially important in our world today, where these virtues for either men and women had become diluted and even lost, amidst the many competing ideologies and distractions, from the secular and godless world, where many of us are accustomed to so many kinds of wickedness, evils, temptations and other attitudes that put emphasis on our own selfish wants and desires, and in all the exposure to the various paths and behaviours that directly contradict the Lord and His teachings and truth. We all live in a world where we are accustomed to these kind of thinking, behaviours and attitudes from early on in our lives. That is why we must always remind ourselves that we should not allow these corruptions and wrong ideas to distract and mislead us from the right path that God has shown and taught us.

In our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians in which the Apostle spoke about how the Lord’s second coming or parousia will happen at the time when we least expect it, and hence, we have to be always prepared and ready to welcome the Lord when He comes again, with a worthy attitude and life. We must not be complacent or ignorant of what is expected of us as Christians, in how we all should live our lives. That is because every one of us will be held accountable for whatever we have said, done and acted in our lives, and also for whatever it is that we have not done and acted, when we have been given the opportunities and the abilities to do so, in caring for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us, and in living our lives worthily as Christians.

In our Gospel passage today, the same theme appears again as we heard of the parable which the Lord told to His disciples and followers, on the parable of the silver talents. In that parable, we heard of the actions of the three servants to whom their master bestowed each of them with five, two and one silver talents respectively. In that parable, we heard how the ones who were entrusted with five and two silver talents made good use of their silver talents when the master was away, invested them properly and did good with them such that when the master returned, their silver talents had doubled in amount. Meanwhile, the one who had been entrusted with one silver talent hid his silver talent until his master returned, and returned the silver talent to his master as it was.

We heard how the two servants who have done well in investing their silver talents were greatly rewarded by the master, while the servant who was lazy and did nothing to the silver talent was punished. This parable is a classic reminder for all of us that we cannot be idle in living our Christian lives, in doing what we can to follow God and His will, in obeying His Law and commandments to the best of our abilities. Those silver talents, regardless of the amounts, represent the talents, blessings, abilities, opportunities and other things that we have received from God, and which we are therefore expected to make good use of, in each and every one of our actions and deeds, in all of our interactions and dealings with one another. We should always do our part to glorify God by our lives, and to show His love and kindness to everyone, through our own lives and actions.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that as Christians, we have to be always prepared for all things, and we must always strive to be exemplary and virtuous in all of our words, actions and deeds, so that we truly become responsible, good and faithful stewards of God’s Creation, and over whatever it is that God has entrusted to us, be it opportunities and talents, abilities and other things in life. We must always strive to do God’s will in all things and at all times because in the end, we shall be asked to account for our lives and how we have lived them. If we have neglected our responsibilities and all that we have been entrusted to do, then we may end up like the lazy servant, who failed to utilise his entrusted silver talent for good use, and we may have to answer for that with condemnation for eternity.

Today, the Church also commemorates the occasion of the World Day of the Poor, instituted by our current reigning Pope, Pope Francis, in reminding us that all of us have responsibilities and obligations to care for one another, especially for the less fortunate among us. We have been given different blessings, opportunities and talents, and for those who have been given more, as the Lord highlighted in that same parable, more would have been expected. Those of us who have been blessed with more good things in life, let us all spare some of these with love, with those who have little or none, those who struggle to make ends meet, and those who have been ostracised, rejected and shunned by the community. The poor are parts of the Church as well, and they are our brothers and sisters, all the same.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to live our lives ever more faithfully as Christians, in doing what God has commanded us all to do. Let us all turn towards God with our whole heart and mind, in devoting ourselves as God’s beloved people, His faithful followers and disciples, now and always. Let our lives be truly filled with God’s grace and love, and let us all follow Him from now on with ever greater commitment, dedication and love, in being generous with our love and attention especially for the less fortunate ones around us. May God bless us all and may He empower each and every one of us to live our lives in His path, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 19 November 2023 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 25 : 14-30

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away.”

“He who received five talents went at once to do business with the talents, and gained another five. The one who received two talents did the same, and gained another two. But the one who received one talent dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.”

“After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.’ The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

“Then the one who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with two talents; with them I have gained two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in little things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

“Finally, the one who had received one talent came and said, ‘Master, I know that you are a hard man. You reap what you have not sown, and gather what you have not scattered. I was afraid, so I hid your money in the ground. Here, take what is yours!’ But his master replied, ‘Wicked and worthless servant, you know that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered. You should have deposited my money in the bank, and given it back to me with interest on my return.'”

“Therefore, take the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who are unproductive, even what they have will be taken from them. As for that useless servant, thrown him out into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Matthew 25 : 14-15, 19-21

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each, according to his ability; and he went away.”

“After a long time, the master of those servants returned and asked for a reckoning. The one who had received five talents came with another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you entrusted me with five talents, but see, I have gained five more.’ The master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, since you have been faithful in a few things, I will entrust you in charge of many things. Come and share the joy of your master.'”

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Sunday, 19 November 2023 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 5 : 1-6

You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay, and the appointed time for these events. You know, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people feel secure, and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them, as the birth pangs of a woman in labour, and they will not escape.

But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief. All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.

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Sunday, 19 November 2023 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5

Blessed are you who fear YHVH and walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.

Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots, will stand around your table.

Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears YHVH. May YHVH praise you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.

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Sunday, 19 November 2023 : Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of the Poor (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Proverbs 31 : 10-13, 19-20, 30-31

The woman of character, where is she to be found? She is more precious than any jewel. Her husband has complete confidence in her; she will be of great benefit to him. She brings him only good and not evil, all the days of her life. She has obtained wool and flax, and works them with skilful hands.

She puts her hand to the distaff and her fingers hold the spindle. She reaches out her hand to the helpless and gives to the poor. Charm is deceptive and beauty useless; the woman who is wise is the one to praise. May she enjoy the fruits of her labour and may all praise her for her works.