Day: February 1, 2016

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Tuesday, 2 February 2016 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life and Closing of the Year of Consecrated Life (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 2 : 22-40

At that time, when the day came for the purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord : Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the Law of the Lord : a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord.

So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law. Simeon took the Child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, o Lord, You can dismiss Your servant in peace, for You have fulfilled Your word and my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You display for all the people to see. Here is the light You will reveal to the nations, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

His father and mother wondered at what was said about the Child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, His mother, “Know this : your Son is a sign, a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s home, she had been seven years with her husband, and since then she had been continually about the Temple, serving God as a widow night and day in fasting and prayer. She was now eighty-four.

Coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, and spoke of the Child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There the Child grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom : the grace of God was upon Him.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Luke 2 : 22-32

At that time, when the day came for the purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord : Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the Law of the Lord : a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord.

So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law. Simeon took the Child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, o Lord, You can dismiss Your servant in peace, for You have fulfilled Your word and my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You display for all the people to see. Here is the light You will reveal to the nations, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

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Tuesday, 2 February 2016 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life and Closing of the Year of Consecrated Life (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 23 : 7, 8, 9, 10

Lift up, o gateways, your lintels, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? The Lord, the Strong, the Mighty, the Lord, valiant in battle.

Lift up your lintels, o gateways, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory!

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Tuesday, 2 February 2016 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life and Closing of the Year of Consecrated Life (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Malachi 3 : 1-4

Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

He will be as a refiner of a fuller, He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

Alternative reading

Hebrews 2 : 14-18

And because all those children share one same nature of flesh and blood, Jesus likewise had to share this nature. This is why His death destroyed the one holding the power of death, that is the devil, and freed those who remained in bondage all their lifetime because of the fear of death.

Jesus came to take by the hand not the angels but the human race. So He had to be like His brothers and sisters in every respect, in order to be the High Priest faithful to God and merciful to them, a Priest able to ask pardon and atone for their sins. Having been tested through suffering, He is able to help those who are tested.

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Monday, 1 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings tell us all about one thing, a very important thing indeed, of the fact that we can put our trust in the Lord our God, in Whom alone lies our salvation and redemption from evil. In Him alone lies the salvation and liberation from our troubles, and from all the allures and chains of sin that had held us back all these while.

In the first reading today, we heard about David and his entourage fleeing the city of Jerusalem at the time when his son, Absalom, was attempting a coup and trying to overthrow David to be the king over Israel. Absalom grew proud and haughty over his power and abilities, and he tried to usurp the kingship which God had rightfully given to David his father.

With most of the kingdom siding with Absalom, David had no choice but to flee from Jerusalem or else he and the rest of his entourage would be killed. And this was the opportunity for his old enemies and for those who resented him to come up and strike against him, thinking that David’s time and life is coming to an end, now that he became a fugitive, running away from his own son the usurper.

In the Gospel today, we heard about the man who was possessed by evil spirits in the region of the Gerasenes, where he lived among the tombs, rejected and cast out from the society. He was cursed, feared and persecuted for his condition, and there are many things that the people would badmouth him for. In this, can we see the link and the parallel between the case of king David and that of this possessed man?

Both of them were rejected by the people, living through a difficult period in their lives, and it seemed that everything had failed for them. It seemed that they were abandoned, rejected and cast out, but yet, we should see and realise what God had done for them both! Indeed, God rescued them from the depths of their misery and from the midst of their bad times.

God cast out the demons from within the man, and He also gave back David his kingdom, after He dealt a blow to Absalom, who was defeated and crushed in his path towards power. In this manner therefore, God brought them out of the great danger and placed them on the path towards salvation. God led them into a new hope and a new light through which He exercised His grace and blessings upon a people whom He had rescued from certain death and destruction.

Through this, God would let us all know that He will not abandon us to the darkness willingly or purposefully. He does not abandon us, but it was us who have abandoned Him. God will not lose anyone or anything unless we ourselves are the ones who wished to be lost. If we attach ourselves to Him strongly in faith and love, then surely by our devotion and commitment we shall receive the everlasting reward of eternal joy and life in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore today devote ourselves anew to the Lord, and renew our faith in Him. He has poured out so much of His love and grace to us, and thus it is only natural that we respond in the same manner, that is with love and with fullness of faith and genuine commitment to Him. Let this day onwards be a time of grace, a time of mercy and forgiveness, and let us all draw ever closer to the love of God. God bless us all. Amen.