Day: October 9, 2015

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(Usus Antiquior) Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Double II Classis) – Sunday, 11 October 2015 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 144 : 15-16 and Psalm 107 : 2

Oculi omnium in Te sperant, Domine : et Tu das illis escam in tempore opportuno.

Priest : Aperis Tu manum Tuam : et imples omne animal benedictione.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Priest : Paratum cor meum, Deus, paratum cor meum : cantabo, et psallam Tibi, gloria mea. Alleluja.

English translation

The eyes of all hope in You, o Lord, and You give them meat in due season.

Priest : You opened Your hand, and filled every living creature with Your blessing.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Priest : My heart is ready, o God, my heart is ready. I will sing, and I will give praise to You, my Glory. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Double II Classis) – Sunday, 11 October 2015 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

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

Ephesians 5 : 15-21

Fratres : Videte, quomodo caute ambuletis : non quasi insipientes, sed ut sapientes, redimentes tempus, quoniam dies mali sunt. Propterea nolite fieri imprudentes, sed intellegentes, quae sit voluntas Dei.

Et nolite inebriari vino, in quo est luxuria : sed implemini Spiritu Sancto, loquentes vobismetipsis in psalmis et hymnis et canticis spiritualibus, cantantes et psallentes in cordibus vestris Domino : gratias agentes semper pro omnibus, in Nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi, Deo et Patri. Subjecti invicem in timore Christi.

English translation

Brethren, see how you walk circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, do not become unwise, but understand what is the will of God.

And do not be drunk with wine, wherein is luxury, but may you be filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father, being subject one to another in the fear of Christ.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Double II Classis) – Sunday, 11 October 2015 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Daniel 3 : 31, 29, 35 and Psalm 118 : 1

Omnia, quae fecisti nobis, Domine, in vero judicio fecisti, quia peccavimus Tibi et mandatis Tuis non obedivimus : sed da gloriam Nomini Tuo, et fac nobiscum secundum multitudinem misericordiae Tuae.

Beati immaculati in via : qui ambulant in lege Domini.

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

English translation

All that You have done to us, o Lord, You have done in true judgment, because we have sinned against You, and we have not obeyed Your commandments, but give glory to Your Name, and deal with us according to the multitude of Your mercy.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the Law of the Lord.

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

Largire, quaesumus, Domine, fidelibus Tuis indulgentiam placatus et pacem : ut pariter ab omnibus mundentur offensis, et secura Tibi mente deserviant. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Being appeased, o Lord, grant to Your faithful in abundance, we beseech You, both forgiveness and peace, that they may both be cleansed from all offences and with a quiet mind give themselves to Your service. 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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Saturday, 10 October 2015 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard clearly the words of the Scriptures which spoke to us about the virtue of being righteous and obedient to the will of God, and to walk in His path in obedience to the Laws and the Commandments which He had given us all, as the righteous and the just shall enjoy forever the grace of the Lord and be blessed forever.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what I have mentioned is the fact that in the first reading taken from the Book of the prophet Joel spoke about God who will bless and grant much goodness to all His faithful ones, giving them eternal inheritance and true happiness that can only be truly found in Him, and not in the world. The world gave us just temporary and illusory pleasures and happiness, that focus on satisfying our hearts’ selfish wants and wishes.

For the pleasures and the joys of this world are truly temporary and not lasting, and in a moment of time, everything we have in this world can be wiped out, but not that of the true happiness that one can find in the Lord. The treasure and happiness that God will give us surpass everything and anything that the world can heap upon us, and these will last forever and cannot be destroyed by fire, or by any forces of nature.

Yet, there are so many of us who have lost our path, and instead, we walk the path of worldliness, of selfishness and of sin. This is because, the temptations of the world can truly be very great indeed, and we know how much the world is trying to tempt us with many good things, and unfortunately, in our world today, it is growing ever more and more obsessed with commercial and materialistic attitudes.

What the Lord wanted to let us know is that, the world and all of its ways are the path of Satan and his fallen angels, who tried to bring us all down together with him into condemnation and eternal suffering, and they are trying to paint this path as one that is a more pleasurable, better, less hazardous, easier and has less obstacles as compared to the path that our Lord had shown us.

Indeed, by our human nature, it is natural for all of us to seek an easier path, and a path which seems to be better and filled with good things. It is in our nature to be lazy and slothful, and to desire things that satisfy us and make us happy, even though if that happiness is not the kind of joy that will last. But we have to realise that it is truly not worth giving up an everlasting and true inheritance and eternal and true joy in exchange for something that is illusory and temporal.

The devil is always trying to persuade us and tempt us to give in to our mortal and bodily desires, peddling before us all the goods and wonders of the earth to corrupt our minds, our hearts and upset our priorities, that we should truly not be mastered by our desires and greed, but instead cast them aside and destroy our own ego and selfishness.

The path that the Lord has shown us indeed is littered with challenges and obstacles, and if we commit ourselves to walk in this path, certainly it will not be easy for us. But we can rest assured knowing that because of our faith and by our dedication in following the Lord and His ways, we will be deemed worthy of the eternal life, the true joy and happiness, the blessings and graces God had promised us all.

Let us all therefore not give in easily to the temptations of the world, the temptations of the devil and his fellow fallen angels. Let us instead strengthen ourselves and our defences through prayer and devoted life filled with zeal and love for the Lord, as well as for our fellow men. May Almighty God bless us all in all these endeavours. God be with us all. Amen.