Day: August 22, 2015

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Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are faced with the reality and the truth in the Scripture readings which we have heard today. In the first reading we heard about how Joshua, the leader who succeeded Moses in bringing Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land, exhorted to them to remain faithful in the Lord, and then in the second reading, St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians urged people in the family to remain faithful to each other and to remain committed to their vow of marriage, having been united by God.

And then in the Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of how there will be those who refuse to listen to His words, and refuse to believe in His teachings, because of the doubts in their hearts, and their inability to grasp what the truth of the Lord is all about. He knew that there would be those who went astray and be lost because they refused to believe in the truth.

And yet of course, the Apostles, all save the one who had planned to betray Jesus, all remained faithful to the Lord Jesus, and continued to follow Him even though many others have left Him, and even though these have ridiculed the Lord they followed and served, and even though they must have been pressured and urged to leave behind their Master as well.

All of these would bring us to ask ourselves, about our faith in this ever-changing and ever more difficult world to live in. We know how this world follows its own ways. And often these ways are not in accordance to the ways of the Lord. This we should be aware of, that the world has been under the dominion and power of Satan, the evil and fallen one, ever since he brought sin into the world, and not until the day of judgment that he would be overthrown and the world made anew.

As we heard in the first reading today about Joshua and the people of Israel, Joshua gave a passionate exhortation and reminder to the people of Israel to remain faithful to the Lord, who had done so much wonders for them, and who had brought them and their fathers out of Egypt with might and power, crushing those who have enslaved them and liberated them to bring them to the lands and the bountiful gifts promised to their ancestors.

And yet, if we would read on, and which we should know, we should realise that the people of Israel did not remain faithful. They would revert to their ways of rebellion and disobedience, as they had often exhibited throughout their journey in the desert, beginning with their worship of the golden calf, betraying the Lord for the pagan idols of their neighbours, for statues and idols made of gold, silver and worldly goods.

They would sell their souls and their bodies to the vileness of the world many, many times, and they often became lost in the many temptations of the flesh coming their way. They worshipped the pagan gods of their neighbours and forgot entirely about the Lord who had led them to the lands they occupied then in prosperity. Therefore the Lord reminded them by allowing their neighbours to harass them and oppress them, so that they might know that human power is feeble, and the joy they have in the world is temporary. And everything means nothing if all are not bound to the Lord, the one true God.

Therefore, then we too should reflect on our own lives. Have we been truly faithful to the Lord? And if we say that we are faithful, then do our actions and our words, all the things we do and say, do they all show concretely and firmly that all of us truly belong to the Lord? Or did we instead do things contrary to what the Lord had taught and shown to us? Have we created scandal of our faith by not doing what we profess to believe?

Brethren, there are so many pressures and temptations from all sources and directions around us, from our own communities and societies, for us to abandon what we have believed in the Lord, and for us to betray the Lord, for other pagan and ungodly idols, just as the Israelites had done in the past, and just as they had done again at the time of Jesus, rejecting and refusing to believe in the Saviour who had come upon them in order to save them.

And if last time, they were tempted to worship the pagan gods and idols of wood, silver, gold and other earthly wares, and pushed to give sacrifices to these idols, we may think that in this modern world we no longer have such idols and hence we should be safe from such depredations and corrupted ways of our predecessors. However, many of us did not realise that we live in a world that is filled with idols, that is the new idol of wealth, of injustice, of selfishness and many others.

If we look around us, we would certainly realise how we live in such a commercialised and materialistic world, where money and possessions matter a great deal for many of us, where prestige and position, where fame and acceptance by others matter a great deal for us. If we lack any of these, it is our nature to go forth and seek ways to get more of them, to have more of what we do not have, be it money, or recognition from others.

These are the new idols that can tear us away from the true path and way of the Lord. And this path is the path of selfishness, where all of these lead to the pampering and the glorification of the self, the satisfaction of our ego and selfishness, where we end up closing ourselves up from knowing what others around us need and what we can do to help them.

It is in our human nature to think of ourselves first and even at the expense of others if necessary. And this is why St. Paul in his letter to the faithful in the city of Ephesus reminded them of the importance of the family and its unity, when every member of the family are devoted to each other, and obey one another. When each member of the family give in to their selfishness and the desire to satisfy themselves ahead of others, then it is where the very fabric of the family itself will fall apart.

The institution of the family is the anchor of faith for us all. The family is the basic unit of the Church and the faithful, where faith is disseminated and transferred from one generation to the next, and Satan knows this. This is why Satan is so particular in his efforts to destroy the family and its unity, by playing on mankind’s selfishness and self-satisfying attitudes.

We have to take note of this, brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, as we reflect on the readings from the Scripture which we have heard today, let us all keep in mind our own families, and reflect on whether in our families, we have practiced our faith together as one, and put the family ahead of our own selves. Have we put God at the centre of our family? Have we prayed together and worked together as one?

These are important questions we have to ask ourselves, if we are to help ourselves in resisting the temptations of the world through which Satan is trying to pull us away from the path towards salvation. Let us all work together as one, through our own families, by keeping the sanctity and holiness in our own families, placing God at the centre of our lives, and then working together as the whole Church to help one another in finding our way to the Lord and reaching out to Him.

May Almighty God keep our faith strong and guide us in our life’s endeavours, that in all the things we do, we will always practice what He had taught us, and remember always His mercy and love, which He generously pours upon us. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

John 6 : 60-69

At that time, after hearing Jesus, many of His followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”

Jesus was aware that His disciples were murmuring about this, and so He said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.”

From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray Him. So He added, “As I have told you, no one can come to Me unless it is granted by the Father.” After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed Him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?”

Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

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Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ephesians 5 : 21-32

Let all kinds of submission to one another become obedience to Christ. So wives to their husbands : as to the Lord. The husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the Head of the Church, His Body, of whom He is also the Saviour. And as the Church submits to Christ, so let a wife submit in everything to her husband.

As for you, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her. He washed her and made her holy by baptism in the Word. As He wanted a radiant Church without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and blameless, He Himself had to prepare and present her to Himself.

In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. And no one has ever hated his body; he feeds and takes care of it. That is just what Christ does for the Church, because we are members of His Body.

Scripture says : Because of this a man shall leave his father and mother to be united with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a very great mystery, and I refer to Christ and the Church.

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Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21, 22-23

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

The eyes of the Lord are fixed on the righteous; His ears are inclined to their cries. But His face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth.

The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught.

Many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers them from all. He keeps all their bones intact, and none of them will be broken.

Evil will slay the wicked; the enemies of the just will be doomed. But the Lord will redeem the life of His servants; none of those who trust in Him will be doomed.

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Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Joshua 24 : 1-2a, 15-17, 18b

Joshua summoned all the tribes of Israel in Shechem, and assembled the elders, leaders, judges and secretaries. And together they presented themselves before God.

Addressing the people, Joshua said to them : “YHVH, the God of Israel, commands me to say to you : But if you do not want to serve YHVH, make known this very day whom you shall serve – whether they be the gods your ancestors served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites who formerly occupied the land in which you now live. As for me, I and my household will serve YHVH.”

The people answered : “May God not permit that we ever abandon YHVH to serve other gods! For it was He who brought us and our ancestors out of Egypt, the house of slavery. It was He who did those great wonders that we have seen; He protected us on the way and through all the land where we passed. So we shall also serve YHVH : He is our God!”

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(Usus Antiquior) Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : Green

Offertory

Psalm 30 : 15-16

In Te speravi, Domine; dixi : Tu es Deus meus, in manibus Tuis tempora mea.

English translation

In You, o Lord, have I hoped. I said, “You are my God, my times are in Your hands.”

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Propitiare, Domine, populo Tuo, propitiare muneribus : ut, hac oblatione placatus, et indulgentiam nobis tribuas et postulata concedas. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Look with favour upon Your people, o Lord, look with favour upon their gifts, that being appeased by this oblation, You may give us pardon and grant us what we ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Communion

Wisdom 16 : 20

Panem de caelo dedisti nobis, Domine, habentem omne delectamentum et omnem saporem suavitatis.

English translation

You have given us, o Lord, bread from heaven, having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste.

Post-Communion Prayer

Sumptis, Domine, caelestibus sacramentis : ad redemptionis aeternae, quaesumus, proficiamus augmentum. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Having received Your heavenly sacraments, o Lord, we beseech You that we may profit unto the increase of everlasting salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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(Usus Antiquior) Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Luke 17 : 11-19

In illo tempore : Dum iret Jesus in Jerusalem, transibat per mediam Samariam et Galilaeam. Et cum ingrederetur quoddam castellum, occurrerunt ei decem viri leprosi, qui steterunt a longe; et levaverunt vocem dicentes : Jesu praeceptor, miserere nostri.

Quos ut vidit, dixit : Ite, ostendite vos sacerdotibus. Et factum est, dum irent, mundati sunt. Unus autem ex illis, ut vidit quia mundatus est, regressus est, cum magna voce magnificans Deum, et cecidit in faciem ante pedes ejus, gratias agens : et hic erat Samaritanus.

Respondens autem Jesus, dixit : Nonne decem mundati sunt? Et novem ubi sunt? Non est inventus, qui rediret et daret gloriam Deo, nisi hic alienigena. Et ait illi : Surge, vade, quia fides tua te salvum fecit.

English translation

At that time, as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee, and as He entered into a certain town, there He met ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off, and lifted up their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

Jesus Whom when He saw, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And it came to pass that, as they went, they were made clean. And one of them, when he saw that he was made clean, went back, and with a loud voice, glorifying God, and he fell on his face before His feet, giving thanks, and this was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answering, said, “Were not ten made clean? And where are the nine? There is no one found to return, and give glory to God, but this stranger.” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. For your faith had made you whole.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 73 : 20, 19, 22 and Psalm 89 : 1

Respice, Domine, in testamentum Tuum : et animas pauperum Tuorum ne obliviscaris in finem.

Priest : Exsurge, Domine, et judica causam Tuam : memor esto oprobrii servorum Tuorum.

Alelluja, Alleluja.

Priest : Domine, refugium factus es nobis a generatione et progenie. Alleluja.

English translation

Have regard, o Lord, to Your covenant, and do not forsake to the end the souls of Your poor.

Priest : Arise, o Lord, and judge Your cause, remember the reproach of Your servants.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Priest : Lord, You had been our refuge, from generation to generation. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

Lectio Epistolae Beati Pauli Apostoli ad Galatas – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Galatians

Galatians 3 : 16-22

Fratres : Abrahae dictae sunt promissiones, et semini ejus. Non dicit : Et seminibus, quasi in multis; sed quasi in uno : Et semini tuo, qui est Christus. Hoc autem dico : testamentum confirmatum a Deo, quae post quadringentos et triginta annos facta est lex, non irritum facit ad evacuandam promissionem.

Nam si ex lege hereditas, jam non ex promissione. Abrahae autem per repromissionem donavit Deus. Quid igitur lex? Propter transgressiones posita est, donec veniret semen, cui promiserat, ordinata per Angelos in manu mediatoris.

Mediator autem unius non est : Deus autem unus est. Lex ergo adversus promissa Dei? Absit. Si enim data esset lex, quae possit vivificare, vere ex lege esset justitia. Sed conclusit Scriptura omnia sub peccato, ut promissio ex fide Jesu Christi daretur credentibus.

English translation

Brethren, to Abraham were the promises made, and to his seed. He did not say, and to his seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to your seed, which is Christ. Now this I say, that the testament which was confirmed by God, the law which was made after four hundred and thirty years, had not been disannulled, to make the promise of no effect.

For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise. Why then was the law? It was set because of transgressions, until the seed should come, to whom He made the promise, being ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator.

Now a mediator is not of one, but God is one. Was the Law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given, which could give life, verily justice should have been by the Law. But the Scripture had concluded all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

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(Usus Antiquior) Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 23 August 2015 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 73 : 20, 19, 23, 1

Respice, Domine, in testamentum Tuum, et animas pauperum Tuorum ne derelinquas in finem : exsurge, Domine, et judica causam Tuam, et ne obliviscaris voces quaerentium Te.

Ut quid, Deus, repulisti in finem : iratus est furor Tuus super oves pascuae Tuae?

Priest : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Have regard, o Lord, to Your covenant, and do not forsake to the end the souls of Your poor. Arise, o Lord and judge Your cause, and do not forget the voices of those who seek You.

O God, why have You cast us off unto the end. Why is Your wrath enkindled against the sheep of Your pasture?

Priest : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Collect

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, da nobis fidei, spei et caritatis augmentum : et, ut mereamur assequi quod promittis, fac nos amare quod praecipis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Almighty, eternal God, grant us the increase of faith, hope and charity, and that we may deserve to attain what You had promised, make us to love what You had commanded. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.