- Matt 24:42-51
- The Unknown Day and Hour
OTHER HOMILY SOURCES from Fr. Stephen Yim
2020 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 27-08-2020
1 Cor 1:1-9 / Matthew 24:42-51
Once in a while, we may have entertained the thought of being our own boss.
Maybe it is because we get tired and frustrated of being bossed around and being told to get more and more work done.
So it might be nice to dream that we can be our own boss and order people around and make them work while we just give orders.
But for those of us who are our own boss, whether we run our own business or self-employed, we will know how much harder it is than to be just an employee.
We must be really disciplined and work much harder and because there is practically no one to report to, we can give in to laziness and begin to slack.
But whether we are an employer or an employee, there must be a sense of responsibility and accountability.
If such is required in the secular life, then no less is expected in the spiritual life.
We know that God is our Master and that we are His servants and we are called to serve God in the ministry of love.
We are to serve our neighbours with love and to do it at all times and to do it willing and graciously.
Let us be responsible to our Christian duty and God will keep us steady and without blame for God has called us to serve with love and He will help us to be faithful
Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim
frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2020/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-27-08.html
2021 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2021
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 26-08-2021
1 Thess 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51
There is a phrase that goes like this: “absence makes the heart grow fonder”.
It is a proverb to mean that you feel more affection for those you love when parted from them.
But does absence really make the heart grow fonder?
Or is it “out of sight, out of mind”?
Well, absence truly does make the heart grow fonder, particularly when it comes to love and intimacy.
St. Paul expressed this sentiment in the 1st reading when he said that he was earnestly praying night and day to be able to see the Thessalonians face to face again.
Obviously, he felt deeply for the Thessalonians and it really made his heart grew fonder.
But in the gospel parable, when the master was away, it was for the dishonest servant “out of sight, out of mind”.
In this particular time when we are slowly getting back to our spiritual routine of coming for Mass as often as we could, we are certainly aware that there are those whom we have not met for some time already, and it is more than a year.
They may be out of sight but they must not be out of our minds.
As the Body of Christ, we keep them in our prayers that God will also bless them and answer their prayers and our hope is that we will meet them again one day. Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim
frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2021/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-26-08.html
2022 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 25-08-2022
1 Cor 1:1-9 / Matthew 24:42-51
Just as no one can say that he has never made a mistake, similarly no one can ever say that they had not lost focus or got distracted before.
The reality is that human beings are not machines.
We don’t run on a program or like clock-work.
But even on that point, the fact is that machines do break down due to wear and tear and other issues.
When we profess our faith in God, we certainly want to be faithful and committed to Him with all our heart.
But there is also the human weakness, frailty and failings to reckon with.
In the gospel parable, we hear of the dishonest servant giving in to his own desires and being caught unexpectedly by his master.
But in the 1st reading, St. Paul tells us that Jesus will keep us steady and without blame.
We only need to have faith in God who is faithful to us.
Let us keep praying that we will always stay close to God and be faithful to Him, especially in times of trials and temptations Posted by Rev Fr Stephen Yim
frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2022/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-25-08.html
2023 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2023
21st Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 31-08-2023
1 Thess 3:7-13 / Matthew 24:42-51
When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. (Ecclesiastes 11:3). Similarly when the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.
The earth has received many tears from humanity since time began and the tears have yet to cease.
We shed tears when in pain; we shed tears when in grief and sorrow; we shed tears when overcome by emotions. When the heart is heavy, the tears will fall.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul mentioned a little about his own troubles and sorrows but with not much details.
But in other letters to the other early Christian communities, he did mention about shedding tears for them.
To shed tears over our own trials and tribulations is understandable; but to shed tears for someone would mean that the person(s) really matter to us.
It may not be tears literally, but those times when we pour out our life and time looking out for those whom we care about, but have gone astray.
Our worry and anxiety for them, the pain that we feel in our heart for them, those are like invisible tears that only we ourselves will know.
But still, may we stay awake at all times, praying and making sacrifices for them, so that their tears will cease, and so that there will be no more weeping and grinding of teeth. Posted by Rev Msgr Stephen Yim
frstephenyim-weekdays.blogspot.com/2023/08/21st-week-ordinary-time-thursday-31-08.html
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