Month: December 2018

by

(Usus Antiquior) Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Double I Classis) – Tuesday, 25 December 2018 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Gradual and Alleluia (Christmas Midnight Mass)

Psalm 109 : 3, 1 and Psalm 2 : 7

Tecum principium in die virtutis Tuae : in splendoribus Sanctorum, ex utero ante luciferum genui Te.

Response : Dixit Dominus Domino meo : Sede a dextris Meis : donec ponam inimicos Tuos, scabellum pedum Tuorum.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Dominus dixit ad Me : Filius Meus es Tu, Ergo hodie genui Te. Alleluja.

English translation

With You is the principality in the day of Your strength in the brightness of the saints, from the womb before the day-star I have begotten You.

Response : The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : The Lord had said to Me, You are My Son, this day I have begotten You. Alleluia.

Gradual and Alleluia (Christmas Mass at Dawn)

Psalm 117 : 26-27, 23 and Psalm 92 : 1

Benedictus, qui venit in Nomine Domini : Deus Dominus, et illuxit nobis.

Response : A Domino factum est istud : et est mirabile in oculis nostris.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Dominus regnavit, decorem induit : induit Dominus fortitudinem, et praecinxit se virtute. Alleluja.

English translation

Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord, the Lord is God, and He had shone upon us.

Response : This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : The Lord had reigned, He is clothed with beauty, the Lord is clothed with strength, and had girded Himself with power. Alleluia.

Gradual and Alleluia (Christmas Daytime Mass)

Psalm 97 : 3, 2 and Tradition of the Faith

Viderunt omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri : jubilate Deo, omnis terra.

Response : Notum fecit Dominus salutare suum : ante conspectum gentium revelavit justitiam suam.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Dies sanctificatus illuxit nobis : venite, gentes, et adorate Dominum : quia hodie descendit lux magna super terram. Alleluja.

English translation

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing joyfully to God all the earth.

Response : The Lord had made known His salvation, He had revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : A hallowed day had dawned for us, come all of you, Gentiles, and adore the Lord, for this day a great light had descended upon the earth. Alleluia.

by

(Usus Antiquior) Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Double I Classis) – Tuesday, 25 December 2018 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

Epistle (Christmas Midnight Mass)

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

Titus 2 : 11-15

Carissime : Apparuit gratia Dei Salvatoris nostri omnibus hominibus, erudiens nos, ut, abnegantes impietatem et saecularia desideria, sobrie et juste et pie vivamus in hoc saeculo, exspectantes beatam spem et adventum gloriae magni Dei et Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi : qui dedit semetipsum pro nobis : ut nos redimeret ab omni iniquitate, et mundaret sibi populum acceptabilem, sectatorem bonorum operum. Haec loquere et exhortare : in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.

English translation

Dearly beloved, the grace of God our Saviour had appeared to all men, instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and the coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. He Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to Himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works. These things speak, and exhort, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Epistle (Christmas Mass at Dawn)

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

Titus 3 : 4-7

Carissime : Apparuit benignitas et humanitas Salvatoris nostri Dei : non ex operibus justitiae, quae fecimus nos, sed secundum suam misericordiam salvos nos fecit per lavacrum regenerationis et renovationis Spiritus Sancti, quem effudit in nos abunde per Jesum Christum, Salvatorem nostrum : ut, justificati gratia ipsius, heredes simus secundum spem vitae aeternae : in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.

English translation

Dearly beloved, the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour had appeared, not by the works of justice, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Spirit, Whom He had poured forth upon us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that, being justified by His grace, we may be heirs according to hope of life everlasting in Christ Jesus, our Lord

Epistle (Christmas Daytime Mass)

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

Hebrews 1 : 1-12
Multifariam, multisque modis olim Deus loquens patribus in Prophetis : novissime diebus istis locutus est nobis in Filio, quem constituit heredem universorum, per quem fecit et saecula : qui cum sit splendor gloriae, et figura substantiae Ejus, portansque omnia verbo virtutis suae, purgationem peccatorum faciens, sedet ad dexteram majestatis in excelsis : tanto melior Angelis effectus, quanto differentius prae illis Nomen hereditavit.

Cui enim dixit aliquando Angelorum : Filius Meus es Tu, Ego hodie genui Te? Et rursum : Ego ero illi in patrem, et ipse erit mihi in filium? Et cum iterum introducit Primogenitum in orbem terrae, dicit : Et adorent eum omnes Angeli Dei. Et ad Angelos quidem dicit : Qui facit Angelos suos spiritus, et ministros suos flammam ignis.

Ad Filium autem : Thronus Tuus, Deus, in saeculum saeculi : virga aequitatis, virga regni Tui. Dilexisti justitiam et odisti iniquitatem : propterea unxit Te Deus, Deus tuus, oleo exsultationis prae participibus tuis. Et : Tu in principio, Domine, terram fundasti : et opera manuum Tuarum sunt caeli.

Ipsi peribunt, Tu autem permanebis; et omnes ut vestimentum veterascent : et velut amictum mutabis eos, et mutabuntur : Tu autem idem ipse es, et anni Tui non deficient.

English translation

God, Who diversely and in many ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, in these days had spoken to us, by His Son, Whom He had appointed Heir of all things, by Whom He had also made the world. He Who being the brightness of His glory, and the figure of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, making purgation of sins, sits on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the Angels, as He had inherited a more excellent Name than theirs.

For to which of the Angels had He said at any time, “You are My Son, today I have begotten You?” And again, “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son?” And again, when He brings in the first begotten into the world, He said, “And let all the Angels of God adore Him.” And to the Angels indeed He said, He Who made His Angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.

But to the Son, “Your throne, o God, is forever and ever, a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of Your kingdom. You have loved justice, and hated iniquity, therefore God, Your God, had anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows.” And, “You in the beginning, o Lord, had founded the earth. And the works of Your hands are the heavens.”

“They shall perish, but You shall continue, and they shall all grow old as a garment, and as a vesture shall You change them, and they shall be changed, and You are the self same, and Your years shall not fail.”

by

(Usus Antiquior) Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (Double I Classis) – Tuesday, 25 December 2018 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Introit (Christmas Midnight Mass)

Psalm 2 : 7 and 1

Dominus dixit ad me : Filius Meus es Tu, ego hodie genui Te.

Quare fremuerunt gentes : et populi meditati sunt inania?

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

English translation

The Lord had said to Me, “You are My Son, and this day I have begotten You.”

Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?

Response : 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.

Introit (Christmas Mass at Dawn)

Isaiah 9 : 2, 6 and Psalm 92 : 1

Lux fulgebit hodie super nos quia natus est nobis Dominus : et vocabitur Admirabilis, Deus, Princeps pacis, Pater futuri saeculi : cujus regni non erit finis.

Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est : indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, et praecinxit se.

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

English translation

A light shall shine upon us this day, for the Lord is born to us and He shall be called wonderful, God, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come, of Whose reign there shall be no end.

The Lord had reigned, He is clothed with beauty, the Lord is clothed with strength, and had girded Himself.

Response : 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.

Introit (Christmas Daytime Mass)

Isaiah 9 : 6 and Psalm 97 : 1

Puer natus est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis cujus imperium super humerum Ejus : et vocabitur Nomen Ejus magni consilii Angelus.

Cantate Domino canticum novum, quia mirabilia fecit.

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

English translation

A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, Whose government is upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called, the Angel of great counsel.

Sing all of you to the Lord a new canticle, because He had done wonderful things.

Response : 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

Collect (Christmas Midnight Mass)
Deus, qui hanc sacratissimam noctem veri luminis fecisti illustratione clarescere : da, quaesumus; ut, cujus lucis mysteria in terra cognovimus, ejus quoque gaudiis in caelo perfruamur : Qui Tecum vivis et regnas in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

O God, Who has brightened this most holy night with the shining of the true light, grant, we beseech You, that we may enjoy in heaven the delights of Him Whose mystical light we have known on earth. Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Collect (Christmas Mass at Dawn)
Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut, qui nova incarnati Verbi Tui luce perfundimur; hoc in nostro resplendeat opere, quod per fidem fulget in mente. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, o Almighty God, that we who are filled with the new light of Your incarnate Word, may show forth in our deeds that which by faith shone in our minds. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Collect (Christmas Daytime Mass)
Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut nos Unigeniti Tui nova per carnem Nativitas liberet; quos sub peccati jugo vetusta servitus tenet. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation
Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God, that the new birth in the flesh of Your only begotten Son may set us free, whom the old bondage had hold under the yoke of sin. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 1-25

This is the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah’s wife. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings : Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah.

Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus Who is called the Christ – the Messiah. There were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ.

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet : The Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel, which means God-with-us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the Angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home.

So she gave birth to a Son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave Him the Name Jesus.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Matthew 1 : 18-25

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet : The Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel, which means God-with-us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the Angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home.

So she gave birth to a Son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave Him the Name Jesus.

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 16-17, 22-25

So Paul arose, motioned to them for silence and began, “Fellow Israelites and also all you who fear God, listen. The God of our people Israel chose our ancestors, and after He had made them increase during their stay in Egypt, He led them out by powerful deeds.

After that time, God removed Saul and raised up David as king, to whom He bore witness saying : I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all I want him to do.

It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Saviour of Israel, Jesus. Before He appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel. As John was ending his life’s work, he said : ‘I am not what you think I am, for after me another One is coming Whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.'”

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 88 : 4-5, 16-17, 27 and 29

You said, “I have made a covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.”

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

He will call on Me, “You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.” I will keep My covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure.

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 62 : 1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, for Jerusalem I will not keep silent, until her holiness shines like the dawn and her salvation flames like a burning torch. The nations will see your holiness and all the kings your glory. You will be called by a new name which the mouth of YHVH will reveal.

You will be a crown of glory in the hand of YHVH, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will you be named Forsaken; no longer will your land be called Abandoned; but you will be called My Delight and your land Espoused. For YHVH delights in you and will make your land His spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin, so will your Builder marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : 4th Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the joy of the expectation of God’s coming glory and salvation for His people, as we are about to celebrate the vigil of Christmas tonight. Today, the Scripture readings help us to reflect on the true joy of Christmas, that is the expectation of the coming of the salvation in our God, Who has come into the world, in the person of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Heir of David and Messiah or Saviour of all.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the conversation between the prophet Nathan and king David of Israel, during the latter years of his reign, after God has helped him to defeat all of his enemies and conquered the neighbouring peoples who once were threats to the Israelites. David wondered why he was housed in a magnificent palace, and yet, God’s Ark of the Covenant, remained in a tent, the Holy Tent of Meeting.

So David wanted to build a house for God, a Temple, for the Ark to be placed inside, as the sign of God’s presence among His people. He presented his plans before the prophet Nathan, but God had a different plan in His will, which He revealed through Nathan to David. David would not be the one to build a house for Him, but rather a son of his, who would reign after him, would be the one to build a house for Him.

This seems to be fulfilled by the son of David, king Solomon, who built for God a great Temple, known in history as the Temple of Solomon, built from the finest material and consecrated with a great ceremony, as written in the Book of Kings. The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Temple, and God’s glory and presence entered into the Temple, filling it, and ever since then, until the destruction of the Temple in the year 586 BC by the Babylonians, God was present among His people Israel.

But the Lord in fact also alluded to the promise which He has made to David, that his house and descendants will reign forever, and his kingdom will never end. This was fulfilled because one of the descendants of David, through Joseph, his direct descendant and heir after many generations, was none other than the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, Heir of David and his kingdom.

Jesus Himself mentioned before the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, how He would destroy the Temple in three days and then rebuild it again, alluding to Himself as the true Temple of God’s glory and presence. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law did not understand this, and thought that it would have been impossible for Jesus to tear down the physical Temple of Jerusalem, the second temple built at the site, by the priest and prophet Ezra and later enlarged by king Herod.

The Lord Jesus Himself is the one and only Temple of God, for by His incarnation, He took up for Himself a human existence in the flesh, that in His person, is united two distinct and yet indivisible persona of the divine and the man, His divinity and His humanity, perfectly united in His person, Our Lord Jesus Christ, both Son of God and Son of Man. He is the Heir of David, and as God said to David through Nathan, his heir would be the one to build the Temple for God, and this was fulfilled completely in Christ.

Thus, at that time, king David could only anticipate and look forward for the coming of the Lord, which he could not witness during his own time, and yet, through the Holy Spirit, was told to him. The Messiah, God’s Saviour would be born into his house, among his descendants. And that coming of the Messiah was awaited by all those who have been enthralled by sin, that is all of us mankind.

Then, Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist was the one whom we heard from in the Gospel passage today, in his song, inspired and filled by the Holy Spirit, also known as the Canticle of Zechariah. It was a song expressing a great joy, of knowing that the Messiah Who has been long expected and awaited by God’s people, was finally about to come, and how great Zechariah’s joy, of being able to witness that glorious event, and having his own son as the herald for the coming of the Messiah.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what the Scripture readings today presented us, is the great joy that accompanies our celebration of Christmas, not because of all the parties, shopping and goods, all of the merchandises and Santa Claus, as well as any other secular and materialistic celebrations of Christmas, but instead that hope and light that had come with the coming of Christ into this world, that through Him, all of us who believe in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

Let us all today, as we finish our preparation to welcome Christ into our midst this Christmas, turn towards God with all of our strength and with all of our hearts and minds focused on Him. Let us celebrate this Christmas with Christ Himself at the centre of our celebrations and as the source of our great joy. Let us all have a meaningful Christmas, knowing that through Him, we can hope again and receive eternal life and glory from Him Who loves us all.

May the Lord bless us and our Christmas joy, and may all of us come to greater realisation of the true meaning and importance of Christmas for each and every one of us. Amen.

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : 4th Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 67-79

Zechariah, filled with Holy Spirit, sang this canticle, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has come and redeemed His people. In the house of David His servant, He has raised up for us a victorious Saviour; as He promised through His prophets of old, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of our foes.”

“He has shown mercy to our fathers; and remembered His holy covenant, the oath He swore to Abraham, our father, to deliver us from the enemy, that we might serve Him fearlessly, as a holy and righteous people, all the days of our lives.”

“And you, my child, shall be called prophet of the Most High, for you shall go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, and to enable His people to know of their salvation, when He comes to forgive their sins. This is the work of the mercy of our God, Who comes from on high as a rising sun, shining on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guiding our feet into the way of peace.”

by

Monday, 24 December 2018 : 4th Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

I will sing forever, o YHVH, of Your love, and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

You said, “I have made a Covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.”

He will call on Me, “You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.” I will keep My Covenant firm forever, and my love for Him will endure.