Day: May 25, 2022

by

(Usus Antiquior) Sunday after the Ascension (II Classis) – Sunday, 29 May 2022 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

Lectio Epistolae Beati Petri Apostoli – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Peter the Apostle

1 Peter 4 : 7-11

Carissimi : Estote prudentes et vigilate in orationibus. Ante omnia autem mutuam in vobismetipsis caritatem continuam habentes : quia caritas operit multitudinem peccatorum. Hospitales invicem sine murmuratione : unusquisque, sicut accepit gratiam, in alterutrum illam administrantes, sicut boni dispensatores multiformis gratiae Dei.

Si quis loquitur, quasi sermones Dei : si quis ministrat, tamquam ex virtute, quam administrat Deus : ut in omnibus honorificetur Deus per Jesum Christum, Dominum nostrum.

English translation

Dearly beloved, be prudent, and watch in prayers. But before all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves; for charity covered a multitude of sins. Using hospitality one toward another without murmuring. As every man had received grace, ministering the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak as the words of God. If any man ministers, let him do it as of the power which God administers, that in all things God may be honoured through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

by

(Usus Antiquior) Sunday after the Ascension (II Classis) – Sunday, 29 May 2022 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Psalm 26 : 7-9, 1

Exaudi, Domine, vocem meam, qua clamavi ad Te, Alleluja : Tibi dixit cor meum, quaesivi vultum Tuum, vultum Tuum, Domine, requiram : ne avertas faciem Tuam a me, Alleluja, Alleluja.

Dominus illuminatio mea et salus mea : quem timebo?

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

English translation

Hear, o Lord, my voice with which I have cried to You, Alleluia. My heart had said to You, I have sought Your face, Your face, o Lord, I will seek. Do not turn away Your face from me, Alleluia, Alleluia.

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

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

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus : fac nos Tibi semper et devotam gerere voluntatem; et majestati Tuae sincero corde servire. 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 and eternal God, make us ever bear a devout affection towards You, and with sincere heart to serve Your majesty. 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.

by

Saturday, 28 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scriptures which spoke to us about the revelation of truth that has come to us from God, and how each one of us as Christians are all called to be His witnesses and to proclaim His same truth and love to all the people, as we believe that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, has come into our midst from the Father in order to reveal the love of God to all of us. Just as we have received these from Christ, our Lord and Saviour, hence, each one of us have been called to pass them on to many others who have not yet known Him.

In our first reading today, as we continued to listen from the passage from the Acts of the Apostles as is the case for this entire season of Easter, we heard the continuation of the works of the Apostles and today we heard in particular the story of Apollos, also known as St. Apollos, who was a Jewish convert to the Christian faith that came from the region of Egypt. He came from Alexandria in Egypt to Ephesus, where there had been a growing community of early Christians like in Alexandria. He came to Ephesus and began to preach to the people, based on his understanding of the faith. He was known to be very eloquent and wise, but at the same time, according to the Acts of the Apostles, he was still lacking the full knowledge of the teachings of Christ.

It was likely that Apollos received the teachings of Christ through the Jewish community in Alexandria in Egypt, as well as from the earlier knowledge passed on from St. John the Baptist and his disciples. However, he had not yet received the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and had not yet fully known the fullness of the Christian truth and faith. And hence, some of the faithful who were there in Ephesus helped to get Apollos up to date and henceforth, this courageous Jewish preacher continued to proclaim the Word of God, endowed with the Christian truth and teachings, as he travelled all around the Mediterranean much as St. Paul had also done.

St. Paul, Apollos and the many other disciples of the Lord went to do many wonderful works for the sake of the Lord and His people, spreading the Good News and the Christian faith to more and more people all around the whole Mediterranean and beyond, building up firm foundations of the Church and helping the nascent Christian communities to flourish and grow beyond anyone’s imaginations. They spoke the same truth that they had received from the Lord Himself, in all that He had delivered to them, and through the guidance and wisdom given to them by the Holy Spirit, Whom they have all received and passed on to one another, the gifts of faith, hope and love, the fruits of the Holy Spirit of God.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord spoke to His disciples in continuation of what we heard yesterday, as He continued to encourage them and showing them of all the truth that He had brought into their midst, and how He called on them all to continue His good works, and to put their trust in Him. They shall be blessed and strengthened by God, and they will not need to worry for the Lord Himself will guide them in the path of truth. They are the servants of the truth of God, the witnesses of all that He had done, and of everything that He had proclaimed, and they are to bring all of these into the world so that more and more people may come to know of this same knowledge and be saved as well through faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us as Christians are the successors and as the ones who are expected to continue the good works begun by the Apostles and all those who had first answered the Lord’s call. There are still a lot of areas where the works of the Church and the Lord are still yet incomplete, and there are still plenty of opportunities that have been given to us, for us to embark on this journey of evangelisation, to proclaim to more and more people the light of God’s truth, His love and kindness, His compassionate mercy and care for each and every one of us, the children of mankind.

All of us should therefore do our best to commit our time, effort and attention, following in the footsteps of the Apostles and the saints, like St. Paul, Apollos, and the innumerable other servants of God who had served Him faithfully at all different periods of time, in different and various places all over the world, all proclaiming the same Gospels of God’s truth and love, proclaiming His Good News and salvation, the joy of the light of Christ’s promised eternal life that will overcome even the deepest darkness that is present all around in this world. We are all called to be the disciples and witnesses to go forth to the nations and proclaim God’s truth, now and always.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Saviour, be with us always, and may the Holy Spirit give us the strength and encouragement so that all of us may devote ourselves, our time and energy, courageously in the path of evangelisation, and commit ourselves in our everyday living, in our every words, actions and deeds to glorify the Lord always, so that more and more people may come to believe in the Lord as well, and be saved together with us. May God bless all of us and our every good endeavours and works, for His greater glory. Amen.

by

Saturday, 28 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 16 : 23b-28

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name, He will give you. So far you have not asked in My Name; ask, and receive, that your joy may be full.”

“I taught you all this in veiled language, but the time is coming when I shall no longer speak in veiled language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. When that day comes, you will ask in My Name; and it will not be for Me to ask the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and you believe that I came from the Father.”

“As I came from the Father, and have come into the world, so I am leaving the world, and going to the Father.”

by

Saturday, 28 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 46 : 2-3, 8-9, 10

Clap your hands, all you peoples; acclaim God with shouts of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared; He is a great King all over the earth.

God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a hymn of praise. For God now rules over the nations, God reigns from His holy throne.

The leaders of the nations rally together with the people of the God of Abraham. For in His hands are the great of the earth, God reigns far above.

by

Saturday, 28 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 18 : 23-28

After spending some time at Antioch, Paul left and travelled from place to place through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples. A certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived at Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker and an authority on the Scriptures, and he had some knowledge of the way of the Lord.

With great enthusiasm he preached and taught correctly about Jesus, although he knew only of John’s baptism. As he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila heard him; so they took him home with them and explained to him the way more accurately.

As Apollos wished to go to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly strengthened those who, by God’s grace, had become believers, for he vigorously refuted the Jews, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.

by

Friday, 27 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the joy that will come to us as disciples and followers of our Lord, even if we may have to encounter hardships, trials and challenges along the way. We must realise that as we walk along this path shown to us by God, we are never alone, and God will always be with us, guiding us and strengthening us on our way, helping to get through whatever persecutions and oppositions that we may have to endure as we continue to be faithful and dedicated Christians, in each and every days of our lives.

In our first reading today, as we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, the story of St. Paul and his continued ministry and journey is recounted to us, as he went on to the region of Achaia in what is now modern day Greece. Back then, he had encountered significant persecutions and hardships, had been plotted on and arrested on several occasions, attacked by his opponents and enemies, and was left almost dead in some of those instances. But God was with St. Paul and his companions, and we heard in our reading today that the Lord continued to encourage and strengthen St. Paul as he continued his missionary work.

In Achaia, St. Paul would encounter even more opposition and challenges to his mission, as the local Jewish community, likely siding with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin against St. Paul and the Christian missionaries, plotted to have him arrested and punished. They made all sorts of false accusations against him, much like how the Lord himself was treated when He was rejected, persecuted, arrested and eventually condemned to death. St. Paul suffered similar persecution, but fortunately the Roman governor was not convinced by the Jewish community and did not arrest St. Paul. St. Paul was free then to continue with his mission there and elsewhere.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus encouraging His disciples as He told them that while they would have to face persecutions, sufferings and challenges but there would be time when they would enjoy a reprieve and time of gladness in the end, when their sufferings will end and everything will be good once again, and the Lord will never abandon His faithful ones, as they will always be precious to Him, no matter what. Hence, the disciples should continue to put their trust in the Lord and allow Him to guide them wherever He would send them to, just as how St. Paul followed the Lord and continued his missions regardless of the challenges that he faced.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we have heard in our Scripture passages today should remind us all as Christians that we have been called to follow the Lord and to do His will, to carry out the mission of evangelising to the people. We often have doubts and reservations in doing so, or are ignorant of the calling and the vocations that we have been called to by the Lord. Many of us as Christians have been idle and passive, not living our faith in the way that we should live them. Hence, that is why we should herd these callings and also the examples as shown by St. Paul and the other faithful servants of God.

Today, we also mark the occasion of the Feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, a dedicated servant of God, a courageous missionary and bishop who has spent many years as missionary in England to establish the Church and its structure and foundation there. His examples and good works should and can inspire us all to follow the Lord in the same sense. St. Augustine of Canterbury was sent from mainland Europe by Pope St. Gregory the Great, another great saint of the Church, to reestablish the Church in England after over two centuries that it was ravaged by the Anglo-Saxon invasions, and the Church there was isolated from the rest of Christendom.

St. Augustine of Canterbury laboured for many years in England, establishing a firm foothold for Christianity in southern and eastern parts of England, becoming the first bishop of the See of Canterbury. He converted many of the pagans and even their kings to the Christian faith. St. Augustine spent all those years ministering to the faithful and many others, despite the hardships and challenges that he had to face from those who refused to believe in the Lord. His good works and all that he had done for the sake of God and His Church should inspire each one of us to do the same as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we remember the glorious memory of St. Augustine of Canterbury, his actions and works, and St. Paul and the other servants of God, let us all continue to commit ourselves to the Lord in our own ways, and endeavour to live actively our Christian faith from now on. We should no longer be just idle onlookers or to be on standby mode anymore. As Christians we are all expected to follow the Lord faithfully and to spend our effort and time to glorify Him more and more each days, now and always. May God bless us all and strengthen us that we too may do great things like what the saints had done, for the glory of God and the salvation of all people. Amen.

by

Friday, 27 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 16 : 20-23a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. A woman in childbirth is in distress because her time is at hand. But after the child is born, she no longer remembers her suffering because of such great joy : a human being is born into the world.”

“You feel sorrowful now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice; and no one will take your joy from you. When that day comes you will not ask Me anything.”

by

Friday, 27 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 46 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Clap your hands, all you peoples; acclaim God with shouts of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared; He is a great King all over the earth.

He brings peoples under our dominion and puts nations under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us – the pride of Jacob whom He loves!

God ascends amid joyful shouts, the Lord amid trumpet blasts. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

by

Friday, 27 May 2022 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 18 : 9-18

One night, in a vision, the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid, but continue speaking and do not be silent, for many people in this city are Mine. I am with you, so no one will harm you.” So Paul stayed a year and a half in that place, teaching the word of God among them.

When Gallio was governor of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the court. And they accused him, “This man tries to persuade us to worship God in ways that are against the Law.”

Paul was about to speak in his own defence when Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of misdeed or vicious crime, I would have to consider your complaint. But since this is a quarrel about teachings and divine names that are proper to your own law, see to it yourselves : I refuse to judge such matters.”

Then the people seized Sosthenes, a leading man of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal; but Gallio paid no attention to it. Paul stayed on with the disciples in Corinth for many days; he then left them and sailed off with Priscilla and Aquila for Syria. And as he was no longer under a vow he had taken, he shaved his head before sailing from Cenchreae.