Month: November 2019

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Thursday, 28 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 20-28

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that the time has come when it will be reduced to a wasteland. If you are in Judea, flee to the mountains! If you are in Jerusalem, leave! If you are outside the city, do not enter it!”

“For these will be the days of its punishment, and all that was announced in the Scriptures will be fulfilled. How hard will it be for pregnant women, and for mothers with babies at the breast! For a great calamity will come upon the land, and wrath upon this people. They will be put to death by the sword, or taken as slaves to other nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled upon by the pagans, until the time of the pagans is fulfilled.”

“Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, perplexed when they hear the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken. Then, at that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

“So, when you see things begin to happen, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near.”

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Thursday, 28 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 3 : 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74

Dew and frost, praise and exalt Him forever.

Ice and cold, praise and exalt Him forever.

Frost and snow, praise and exalt Him forever.

Days and nights, praise and exalt Him forever.

Light and darkness, praise and exalt Him forever.

Lightning and clouds, praise and exalt Him forever.

Earth, praise and exalt Him forever.

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Thursday, 28 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 6 : 12-28

So the administrators and satraps went to the king and reminded him about the prohibition, “O king, did you not publish a decree that anyone who prays or makes petition to any god or man except to you would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “Yes, and the decree stands, in accordance with Medo-Persian laws which cannot be altered or annulled.” Then they said, “But the Jewish exile Daniel pays no attention to you and to your decree. Three times a day he still prays to some God other than you.”

Greatly aggrieved at what he heard, the king decided to help Daniel. He made every effort till sundown to save him. But the men kept coming to him and insisting, “Remember, o king, that under the Medo-Persian laws every decree or prohibition issued by the king is irrevocable.” The king, therefore, could not help giving the order that Daniel be brought and thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, Whom you serve faithfully, save you.”

A stone was placed at the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with that of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might remain unchanged. Then the king returned to his palace and spent a sleepless night, refusing food and entertainment. Very early next morning, he rose and hurried to the lions’ den. As he came near, he called in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the Living God, did your God, Whom you serve faithfully, save you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “Live forever, o king! My God sent His Angel, who closed the lions’ mouths, so that they did not hurt me. God did that because I am innocent in His sight. Neither have I wronged you, o king.”

The king felt very glad and ordered Daniel released from the lions’ den. No wound was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. At the king’s order, the men who had accused Daniel were thrown into the lions’ den, together with their wives and children. No sooner had they reached the floor of the den than the lions lunged at them and tore them to pieces.

King Darius wrote to the nations, to peoples of every language, “Peace to you all! I decree that throughout my kingdom people should reverence and fear the God of Daniel. For He is the Living God, and forever He endures; His Kingdom will not be crushed, His dominion will never cease. He rescues and He delivers; He performs signs and wonders both in heaven and on earth. And He came to Daniel’s rescue saving him from the lions’ tooth and claw.”

Daniel greatly prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the messages from the Scriptures reminding us all of the reality that being a follower of the Lord will often mean that we will encounter challenges, trials, upset, humiliation and persecution while we walk in the path of God, and we will likely face pressures and temptations to abandon our path and to walk away from the way of the Lord.

Yet, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we heard of the Lord reassurance that He would be with those who are ever faithful to Him. He will not abandon them to the darkness and neither will He allow us to face destruction. Yes, there will be challenges in our path and throughout our journey, but as long as we remain true to our faith and persevere strongly in our commitment to God, He will be faithful to us and to the Covenant He has made with us all.

In our Gospel passage today, we are reminded of the fact that God will always be by our side even though things may be difficult for us. God has always provided for us in everything that we need, giving us strength and encouragement in our most difficult moments, as He promised us the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit as He reiterated in our Gospel passage today, that His disciples do not need to worry about what they were to say or do, as the Lord Himself will guide them.

Ultimately, all these are reminders to us all that God will always triumph in the end, no matter what we the faithful had to endure in part of our daily struggles in life, as being faithful disciples of the Lord. If we keep up our hope in the Lord and remain true to Him, we will certainly not be disappointed as God Himself will be by our side, vouching for us and keeping for us the inheritance that He has kept for us.

In our first reading today, we heard yet another occasion of how God remained true to His promises and care for His faithful ones, as we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel the story of how God eventually delivered His people Israel from the hands of their oppressors, as the last Babylonian king, Belshazzar met his end and the end of his kingdom. King Belshazzar was being very disrespectful to God, as he and his nobles made use of the sacred vessels seized from the Temple of God as drinking vessels as a mockery to God.

At that very occasion, the Lord showed a great sign that would usher in the end of the great and proud kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, as God’s own hands traced the words on the wall of the palace in plain view of the king and all of his nobles, proclaiming the end of Babylon and its imminent takeover by the Persians under king Cyrus who would be the one to emancipate and free the exiles of Israel in Babylon and allowed them to return to their homeland.

And what God said through the prophet Daniel came true that very night as the Persians overthrew the rule of Belshazzar and crushed forever the ones who insulted the honour and glory of God by their wicked acts. And God was faithful to His people having atoned for their sins, remembering them at all times and brought them back to the lands which once belonged to them and their forefathers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all therefore reminded that as Christians all of us must not be afraid to follow the Lord and to commit ourselves to Him because ultimately, God is forever faithful to the Covenant which He has established with us. He will not forget about us, but He will reward us all who remain truly faithful to Him, enduring and persevering through various trials and challenges in our journey towards Him.

Now, we are all challenged to remain truly faithful to the Lord, to take up our crosses in life and follow the Lord. Are we able to dedicate ourselves with zeal and be committed to serve the Lord’s greater glory from now on? Are we willing and able to stand up for our faith when the situation demands of it? Are we able to live our lives from now on with genuine love for God and to be witnesses of His truth at every moments of our lives?

These are the questions that we should have with us, to remind us and to strengthen us in our resolve to be faithful Christians from now on. May God be with us always and may He strengthen us and empower us in our journey, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 12-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for My sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”

“So keep this in mind : do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though, because of My Name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”

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Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 3 : 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67

Sun and moon, praise and exalt Him forever.

Stars of heaven, praise and exalt Him forever.

Rain and dew, praise and exalt Him forever.

All winds, praise and exalt Him forever.

Fire and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.

Cold and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.

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Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 5 : 1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles; a thousand of them attended; and he drank wine with them. Under the influence of wine, he ordered that the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in, so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them.

The gold and silver vessels taken from God’s Temple were brought in; and the king and his nobles, his wives and concubines drank from them. While they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. Suddenly a man’s fingers appeared opposite the lamp stand and wrote on the plastered wall of the king’s palace.

Watching the hand as it wrote, the king turned pale. So terrified was he that his knees knocked and his legs gave way. Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father brought from Judah? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods, that you have insight and extraordinary wisdom. I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and be appointed third in rank in my kingdom.”

Daniel replied, “You may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. Just the same, I will read and interpret the writing for you. You have defied the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels from His Temple brought to you, and, together with your nobles, your wives and concubines, you drank wine from them. You praised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron and stones, which neither see, nor hear, nor understand; but you never glorified God Who has power over your life and all your fortunes.”

“So He sent the hand that wrote the inscription which read MENE, TEKEL, PHARSIN. And these words mean : MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PHARSIN, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”

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Official Theme Song – Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Japan – ‘Protect All Life’

His Holiness, Pope Francis, Vicar of Christ and Bishop of Rome is now currently visiting Japan as part of his trip to Asia. This visit to Japan is a great boost to Japan’s approximately 500,000 Catholics. The Pope will be visiting the Martyrs’ Shrine in Nagasaki as well as the Atomic Bomb memorials in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and meeting the newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito of Japan in the Tokyo Imperial Palace and celebrating the Mass in Tokyo Cathedral and Tokyo Dome.

The Catholic Church in Japan has collaborated to produce this wonderful song titled ‘Protect All Life’ as the main theme song for this Apostolic Visit, the second time the Pope visits Japan after Pope St. John Paul II’s visit in 1981.

This song is a reminder that all life are precious and sacred, especially in the context of the massive loss of life during the Pacific War and the horrors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Let us all keep all life as precious and always strive to love one another, bring peace and harmony to this world.

The above images are the romaji transliteration of the official lyrics of the song ‘Protect All Life’. All English translations are by the official Pope Visit to Japan team. No copyright infringement intended.

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Tuesday, 26 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Scripture readings a rather apocalyptic warning of what is to come in the future, as towards the end of this current liturgical year we are constantly reminded of the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and King which is certain to come at the end of time just as He has promised to us all. That is why today’s readings are focused on signs of times and premonitions to remind us of this fact.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story of how Daniel the prophet interpreted the dream of the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, who was perturbed by the strange dream that he had received in his sleep. The king saw a great statue made up of many parts and then suddenly a great rock came to destroy the entire great statue and demolished the whole statue until nothing was left behind.

As Daniel explained it to the king, the great statue represented the great realms and kingdoms of the world, including that of the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors. They would come one after another, as the Persian Empire, Alexander’s Empire and its successors, and the Roman Empire would show us over the thousand years and more after the time when Daniel explained the dream to the king.

But what is constant is the fact that each of those great and powerful realms of the world did not last, but eventually were overthrown and destroyed, replaced and overcame, but the reign of God in truth cannot be overcome. And it is what was represented by the great big rock that came to destroy all of the great statue, that actually represents the kingdom of God in this world that is none other than His very own Church.

Do we all remember that the Church was established by the Lord on the foundation of Rock, the Rock of St. Peter? The Lord Himself bestowed a new name to Simon, His principal and leader of all the Apostles, the name Peter which is the Greek equivalent of the original Aramaic, ‘Kephas’ which is truly symbolic and related to what we have just heard in the story of king Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, of the great Rock of the Church that overcomes all the kingdoms and powers of the world.

This is related to what the Lord Jesus has told His disciples in our Gospel passage today, as we all heard of the warning which the Lord Jesus spoke of, as He spoke of the coming of difficult and challenging times, of the time when the Temple and city of Jerusalem would be destroyed and overturned, a premonition of what was to come just about four decades after when the city of Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed after the failed insurrection of the Jews.

He also spoke of the coming of difficult times, of persecutions and troubles that the Church and the faithful would have to endure plenty of sufferings and pains, oppositions and obstacles even from those who were close and dear to them. They would have to bear and persevere through those times, facing false guides and leaders who would try to lead them astray to the wrong paths, amidst the pressures of the world to conform to the ways of sins among many others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, yet despite all these trials and challenges that the faithful would have to face and endure, but as we have just discussed earlier, linking to what we have talked about the vision of king Nebuchadnezzar and the prophet Daniel’s explanations, we can see how the Church of God has been built and affirmed by God Himself on firm and strong foundation in Him and in the faith of the Apostles.

Therefore, we should not worry or be afraid, for none of those challenges will ever be great or difficult enough to overcome the Church. The Church has persevered through many trials and persecutions and it will certainly be able to bear through many more in the years to come. We must not lose faith but instead be ever hopeful and put our trust in the Lord at all times. For God will surely always be with us and He will continue to love us all the time.

Let us all put our complete faith and trust in God, devoting ourselves at all times in the service of God and loving Him with all of our hearts from now on. Let us all dedicate ourselves to the greater glory of God by our words, actions and deeds at all times. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 26 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 5-11

At that time, while some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” And they asked Him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”

Jesus said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am He; the time is near at hand!’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, do not be frightened; for all these things must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”

And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.”