Day: January 21, 2016

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : White

Offertory

Dextera Domini fecit virtutem, dextera Domini exaltavit me : non moriar, sed vivam, et narrabo opera Domini.

English translation

The right hand of the Lord had wrought strength, the right hand of the Lord had exalted me. I shall not die, but live, and shall declare the works of the Lord.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Haec hostia, Domine, quaesumus, emundet nostra delicta : et, ad sacrificium celebrandum, subditorum Tibi corpora mentesque sanctificet. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

May this offering, we beseech You, o Lord, wipe out our sins, and sanctify the bodies and minds of Your servants for the celebration of the sacrifice. 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

Luke 4 : 22

Mirabantur omnes de his, quae procedebant de ore Dei.

English translation

They all wondered at these things, which proceeded from the mouth of God.

Post-Communion Prayer

Quos tantis, Domine, largiris uti mysteriis : quaesumus; ut effectibus nos eorum veraciter aptare digneris. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

O Lord, Who had given freely the enjoyment of so great mysteries, we beseech You that You would vouchsafe to render us truly worthy to receive their effects. 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) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : White

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 8 : 1-13

In illo tempore : Cum descendisset Jesus de monte, secutae sunt eum turbae multae : et ecce, leprosus veniens adorabat eum, dicens : Domine, si vis, potes me mundare. Et extendens Jesus manum, tetigit eum, dicens : Volo. Mundare.

Et confestim mundata est lepra ejus. Et ait illi Jesus : Vide, nemini dixeris : sed vade, ostende te sacerdoti, et offer munus, quod praecepit Moyses, in testimonium illis.

Cum autem introisset Capharnaum, accessit ad eum centurio, rogans eum et dicens : Domine, puer meus jacet in domo paralyticus, et male torquetur. Et ait illi Jesus : Ego veniam, et curabo eum.

Et respondens centurio, ait : Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum Meum : sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur puer Meus. Nam et ego homo sum sub potestate constituitus, habens sub me milites, et dico huic : Vade, et vadit; et alii : Veni, et venit; et servo meo : Fac hoc, et facit.

Audiens autem Jesus, miratus est, et sequentibus se dixit : Amen, dico vobis, non inveni tantam fidem in Israel. Dico autem vobis, quod multi ab Oriente et Occidente venient, et recumbent cum Abraham et Isaac et Jacob in regno caelorum : filii autem regni ejicientur in tenebras exteriores : ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium.

Et dixit Jesus centurioni : Vade et, sicut credidisti, fiat tibi. Et sanatus est puer in illa hora.

English translation

At that time, when Jesus has come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him; and behold a leper came and adored Him, saying, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” And Jesus stretching forth His hand, touched him, saying, “I will, may you be clean.”

And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell this to any man, but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.”

And when He had entered into Capernaum, there came to Him a centurion beseeching Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant lie at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

And the centurion making answer, said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to this man, ‘Go’, and he goes, and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this’ and he does it.”

And Jesus hearing this, marvelled, and said to those who followed Him, “Amen I say to you, I have not found so great a faith in Israel. And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast into the exterior darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, and as you have believed, so be it done to you.” And the servant was healed at the same hour.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 101 : 16-17 and Psalm 96 : 1

Timebunt gentes Nomen Tuum, Domine, et omnes reges terrae gloriam Tuam.

Priest : Quoniam aedificavit Dominus Sion, et videbitur in majestate Sua.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Priest : Dominus regnavit, exsultet terra : laetentur insulae multae. Alleluja.

English translation

The Gentiles shall fear Your Name, o Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

Priest : For the Lord had built up Zion, and He shall be seen in His majesty.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Priest : The Lord had reigned, let the earth rejoice. Let many islands be glad. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

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

Romans 12 : 16-21

Fratres : Nolite esse prudentes apud vosmetipsos : nulli malum pro malo reddentes : providentes bona non tantum coram Deo, sed etiam coram omnibus hominibus.

Si fieri potest, quod ex vobis est, cum omnibus hominibus pacem habentes : Non vosmetipsos defendentes, carissimi, sed date locum irae. Scriptum est enim : Mihi vindicta : Ego retribuam, dicit Dominus.

Sed si esurierit inimicus Tuus, ciba illum : si sitit, potum da illi : hoc enim faciens, carbones ignis congeres super caput Ejus. Noli vinci a malo, sed vince in bono malum.

English translation

Brethren, do not be wise in your own conceits. To no man rendering evil for evil, providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of men.

If it be possible, as much as it is in you, having peace with all men. Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved, but give place unto wrath, for it is written, ‘Revenge is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.

But if your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for in doing this, you shall heap coals of fire upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2016 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Psalm 96 : 7-8 and 1

Adorate Deum, omnes Angeli Ejus : audivit, et laetata est Sion : et exsultaverunt filiae Judae.

Dominus regnavit, exsultet terra : laetentur insulae multae.

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

English translation

Adore God, all you His Angels. Zion heard, and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced.

The Lord had reigned, let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad.

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, infirmitatem nostram propitius respice : atque, ad protegendum nos, dexteram Tuae majestatis extende. 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, look with mercy upon our infirmities, and stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty to protect us. 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, 23 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (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 of the sorrowful mention of the death of the king of Israel, Saul and his son Jonathan in a battle between the Israelites and their Philistine enemies at Mount Gilboa. And David was particularly devastated to hear such a horrible news, and he mourned for them with the people who were with him.

Even though Saul and David were rivals for the throne of Israel, both of them having been anointed as the king of Israel, but David did not let the jealousy and rivalry of power between them to make him bitter and filled with anger as what had happened with Saul. He continued to be loyal to Saul and treated him as his king, even though the Lord had made it known to him that he was to be the one to replace Saul as the king of Israel.

In our thoughts, we would have thought of David as someone who was foolish and out of his mind, as in the eyes of the world, and in our common understanding, it would be difficult to imagine how someone with such an opportunity and with such situation would have done as what David had done. When he was given the golden opportunity to kill Saul, as he was fast asleep in one occasion without knowing that David and his men were around, David declined to seize the opportunity and instead he even chose the opportunity to renew his loyalty to the king.

People would have indeed thought that this man had lost his mind or was a fool who acted in ways contrary to the norms of this world. But indeed, it was precisely because he acted in this manner that he was great in the sight and in the presence of God. God chose David as king because He knew that in David’s heart, he was much like Him, and even with his imperfections and faults, he would try to love the Lord with all of his strength and might.

In the same way therefore, as we see in the Gospel today, how people ridiculed Jesus, even those who were His own relatives. They thought that He was out of His mind, doing things as He had done, which seemed to go against every norms and all notions of what were expected in the society at that time. After all, Who in the right mind would have abandoned everything, going up the mountains and from cities to cities to preach the word of God?

But all these serve to show all of us, that the ways of this world are often fundamentally different from the ways of our Lord. While this world praise and worship individualism, freedom of self, selfishness, desire and affluence, in the presence of God, all of our human and worldly might and power truly seem very insignificant and meaningless.

Let us all spend some time to think and reflect about this matter. There are many people who have devoted themselves, their lives and their time in order to pursue greater things for themselves, be it in money, possessions, fame or influence in the society. And yet, how many of them ever stopped to think what would happen to all of these when they pass away? They will not carry all of these things with them.

Therefore, let us all also examine our own lives and see how we have lived this life. Have we also been preoccupied with such pursuits? Have we been to busy to look at ourselves and in trying to make ourselves look better in the eyes and perception of others that we forget about the many things that we are able to do to to benefit others around us? As Christians it is our responsibility to take care and love one another, and if we profess to be the Lord’s disciple, then I think it is time that we show it with concrete action.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us renew our efforts and strengthen our resolve, so that our lives will be filled with the love of God, and faith will become the foundation of our lives. May God bless us and keep us within His love and grace forever, and may His light shine forth upon our path. Amen.

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Saturday, 23 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

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

Mark 3 : 20-21

At that time, Jesus and His disciples went home. The crowd began to gather again and they could not even have a meal. Knowing what was happening, His relatives came to take charge of Him, “He is out of His mind,” they said.

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Saturday, 23 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

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

Psalm 79 : 2-3, 5-7

Listen, o Shepherd of Israel, You Who lead Joseph like a flock, You Who sit enthroned between the Cherubim. Shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up Your might and come to save us.

O Lord of hosts, how long will Your anger burn against the prayers of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of woe, and have given them tears to drink in their sorrow. You have made us the scorn of our neighbours and the laughingstock of our oppressors.

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Saturday, 23 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

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

2 Samuel 1 : 1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27

It was thus that Saul died. As for David, he returned after defeating the Amalekites. He was already two days in Ziklag when, on the third day, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dust strewn on his head. He went to David and fell to the ground in homage.

David asked him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.” David then said, “Tell me what happened.” And the man told him, “The soldiers fled from the battle but many of them fell and died. Saul and his son Jonathan – they too are dead.”

At this, David took hold of his clothes and tore them and his men did the same. And they mourned, weeping and fasting until evening, for the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, for all the people of Judah and for the nation of Israel. David sang, “Your glory, o Israel, is slain upon your mountains! How the mighty ones have fallen!”

“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, neither in life nor in death were they parted; swifter than eagles they were and stronger than lions. Women of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you in precious scarlet. How the valiant have fallen!”

“In the midst of the battle Jonathan lies slain on your mountain. I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan; how dear have you been to me! Your love for me was wonderful, even more than the love of women. How the valiant have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”

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Friday, 22 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the rivalry between Saul, the first king of Israel, and David, the one whom God had chosen to become king after Saul, after Saul had disobeyed the Lord’s commandments and refused to follow His ways. And this rivalry had quickly become bad and the relationship between the two of them quickly soured.

And Saul tried his best to kill David to remove that great threat to his legitimacy and his reign, and in many occasions, he attempted to harm him and brought him to death, but by the grace and the will of God, David managed to escape from all those attempts. And the more that David escaped and survived those attempts, the more desperate that Saul became.

But today, we saw how David reacted to all these in the first reading we have from the Book of the prophet Samuel. In it we can see the good qualities that David had, which truly marked him as one who was really worthy to become the leader and king over all of Israel. It was not his might or greater charisma or other factors that made him great, but it was his devotion to God and the goodness in his heart that made him such a great choice to be a king over all Israel.

In the Gospel we saw how our Lord Jesus Christ picked the choice for His principal disciples, those whom He called the Apostles, which numbered twelve in all. The Apostles were not chosen from among great men or great figures and personages in the world at that time. Instead, they were just ordinary people leading simple lives, having diverse backgrounds, from tax collectors, to fishermen and criminals, those who were not famous or great in the eyes of the world.

But God did not choose His servants based on how great they were in the eyes of the world, but instead, He saw deep inside the heart, looking at what are their potentials in bringing about the good works of the Lord to their completion on earth. And indeed, except for Judas Iscariot, all of the other Twelve Apostles did their best to bring the Good News of God’s salvation to all the peoples in the four corners of the world.

And out of their great love and dedication for the Lord, they gave everything for Him, leaving everything els behind them, and they went forth to proclaim the truth of God, bringing salvation to many people, but at the same time, they also suffered persecution and suffering from those who refused to believe in God and those who adamantly rejected their message.

Today, we commemorate also the feast of St. Vincent, a renowned saint of the past, whose life and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary, and indeed should have inspired all of us to be more like him in our faith. He was a deacon and a faithful servant of the Church, who lived during turbulent times in the history of the Church, when many of the faithful lived under fear from the persecution by the Roman Empire, particularly under the rule of the Emperor Diocletian.

He served the faithful with great zeal and devotion in his role as a deacon, who was particularly involved in serving the poor and the destitute and in ensuring that the loving hands of the Church’s good works reached out to those who need help the most. He was therefore among those who were first to be captured and tortured by those who sought the destruction of the Church and the Faith during the great persecution of the Emperor Diocletian against the Christians.

He was outspoken in his defence of the faith and of the Church, and not only that he showed no fear of death or any hesitation, but he also refused any offer for release and good conduct if he would just abandon his faith and burn the Holy Scriptures. He was thus tortured and made to suffer grievously, but to the very end, he never gave up and continued to persevere, inspiring so many other people with his dedication and exemplary faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we have all heard the amazing stories of God’s good works through His servants and therefore, all of us should also be inspired to do the same as well. All of us should seek to follow our Lord ever more diligently and faithfully, and in all of our words, deeds and actions, we should conform to the Lord more and more, and dedicate ourselves ever more to His teachings.

May Almighty God, our Lord, bless us and keep us in His love. And may His grace continue to shine upon us that we who are sinners may draw closer to the fountain of His mercy. May God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.