05 July 2025 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Sunset Mass)

by Rev Fr Cosmas Francis, OFM

Good evening, my dear sisters and brothers.

I heard this question a few times like the young adult or young they ask me, “Father, you are so nice. You have a calling. I don’t have a calling.”

Like “What do you mean?”

I thought every one is called right? All of us are called to be the disciples right? We have a mission. That is why we exist. Each one of us has a great purpose. But sometimes we don’t realise it. But all of us are called to continue the mission of Christ, to bring the Good News and to bring peace with one another.

And for you, where do you find comfort when you are facing tribulation, problems in life? Where? How do you manage all the stress, all the problems? Where do you find comfort?

Yeah and many of you says that you find comfort in Jesus. And it is true.

In the First Reading today, it tells us that Jerusalem is like a mother, consoling. We can suck from her breast, from the mother. And that is how mother feeds the children. How mother cares for the children, for the baby.

And Jesus, God, loves us very much. He never leaves us no matter how big is our problem. But God, Jesus, is always near us. 

And sometimes we feel we pray and pray and pray but we feel like God is very far away. We cannot feel God.

“I don’t feel God. I pray many times, even though I say the rosary, I attend Mass every Sunday, almost every day but I feel empty.”

Why is that? Doesn’t God says here that “I’m like a mother? Consoling you, holding you? You can find comfort and refuge in me, trust in me.”

And that is what the First Reading tells us.

And in the Second Reading, Paul also reminds us, “You have come this far. You have done. You have everything.”

And how should you go about it?”

Sometimes we fell that we are great, we are doing great. But who is behind all those things? It is God who is behind all those things, who are supporting us without us realising it.

And sometimes we might think that “Oh, I am very active in the church. I go to Sunday Mass, I attend weekday Mass, Sunday Mass and then I serve in the church. I do this, I do that. I have been serving the church like more than 20 years or may be.”

What is it that our boasting? If so, then where is the fruit? Where is the fruit? Jesus is asking us:
Where is the fruit of your ministry?
Where is the fruit of your work? 
Did you bring peace to one another?

So if we are boasting with all our ministry, with all our work and it is by God’s grace, it is by God’s grace of who we are today and where we are today.

So in the Gospel today tells us that Jesus sends His disciples, 72 disciples, two by two. Why two by two?

It is always good to go two by two right? So that whenever we feel discouraged, we have someone to support us. We have someone to pray for us, to keep us keep going, to make us keep going.

And the same things in our life. We need someone. We cannot live alone but we need someone to continue to encourage us, to support us.

And first and foremost, we need God in our life.

And here, He sends them like lambs among wolves with no money, no bag, no sandals. But I think, for us now we have everything. Even us religious, as a religious, I am a religious, a Franciscan religious, we profess the vow of poverty.

And sometimes people ask me, “Father, you profess the vow of poverty but you have a nice car, you have a nice house, a bungalow house, you have a good handphone, you have a good life. Where is the poverty? How do you live the poverty?”

I think it is not relevant anymore, right? It is not relevant because we are moving with time.

I think last year, I lost my IC.

I went to Macalister Road. So I went to Macalister Road to have dinner with some of my brothers. So I dropped my wallet, I lost my IC, my everything. And I don’t have a visa card.

So I went to UTC in Komtar. So I went to pay the fee for processing for my new IC. But they don’t accept cash. They said, “We don’t accept cash.”

So how? I don’t have card.

So the officer said, “Go and find someone to pay for you.”

So I went to find someone to pay for my IC for my processing fee. And I asked two people, they said they cannot help. And the third person, a Chinese lady with a young daughter.

So I asked the lady, “Can you help me to pay my fee for my IC?”

And she did not question. “Okay,” she said. She just said, “Okay” and she just followed me and she paid. And then I pay her in cash.

So I think poverty nowadays, how do we look at poverty nowadays? I mean even us a religious, we cannot be without card because even if I go to Klinik Malaysia also RM1 also need to pay by card. Is it true? Yes. Everything now is online, digital and then all just QR.

So is it still relevant, the Gospel today with no sandal, no bag, whatever?

And actually, Jesus is trying to remind us “If you want to give, give with all your heart, with love. Do not hold back. Give with love.”

It might seem small but give with love. Like Mother Teresa always reminds us – Give with love.

So there is a saying that says:

You don’t need a title or a microphone to be a missionary.
You just need to be open, to be faithful and available.
Your presence, your kindness, your honesty and love can be a light in dark places, can be a great hope for someone.

So all of us are called to carry the mission of Christ. And how can we carry the mission in nowadays, in our modern time?

Maybe in our family, we can be a model of love and forgiveness. Many of us now, family cannot talk to each other. Even we go makan at the restaurant, at the food court, everyone is busy with handphone. We don’t talk to each other. Is it true? Yeah.

So it is very sad. It is very sad but Jesus reminds us we are to continue the mission of love. And we shall start with our own family.

And we should be the first to say “I am sorry.” We should be the first. “No I don’t want to say sorry. He started first the fight. He picked the fight first. I don’t want to say sorry.” and many times like that. Let us be the first to say “I am sorry.”

You know sometimes people say that the religious living a very holy life. No. Me and my brothers we fought many times. Many times. But I always remember my vow and I always try to start to ask for forgiveness. I will approach my brother and then I will ask him “Brother do you have some time? Can I talk to you?”

Then he says “Yes” and then we went to a meeting room. And then I will say sorry to him. It is not easy. It is not easy to say sorry, to acknowledge our wrongdoings. It is not easy. It needs a lot of courage. It is not easy but we can continue trying. We can keep trying. And that brother who always fought with me, now we become good friends. Now he is serving in Sabah. I am in Penang.

So sometimes when you fought, you can understand each other even better. And that is the good things about it.

And we can also teach by example. And that is our mission – to teach by example.

And in our work place, we can work with integrity. We can do our job well with honesty and fairly even when no one is watching. And we can support our co-workers in many things. And that is our mission. We don’t have to go out like those days but we can continue the mission of Christ in our workplace, in our circle.

In our community, we can volunteer and share our skills, offer help to the poor, elderly and lonely in our neighbourhood.

And in our circle of friends, we can offer emotional and spiritual support. We can be someone who listens with compassion, without judging. And there are many more that we can do.

And today, Christ reminds us to continue to bring peace to one another.

So let us continue to ask the Holy Spirit to continue to strengthen us and guide us. Guiding us in our way of life, in our work, in our family, in whatever we do that we may always bring peace to one another. That others may also see Christ in ourselves.

Amen.

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