Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 136 : 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
By the streams of Babylon, we sat; and then wept, as we remembered Zion. When, on the poplars, we hung our harps.
Our captors asked for song. Our tormentors wanted songs of joy : “Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!”
How could we sing YHVH’s song in a strange and alien land? If I forget you, o Jerusalem, may my right hand fall useless!
May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if Jerusalem is not the first of my joys.
Liturgical Colour : White
Nehemiah 2 : 1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, I was doing my duty as cupbearer. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad before the king in the past. So, the king said to me, “Why do you look sad? You do not look sick. Is there something that bothers you?”
I became hesitant. And I said, “May the king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burnt down?” The king said to me, “What do you want, then?” I asked help of God from heaven and said to the king, “If it seems good to the king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.”
The queen was sitting beside the king, and the king asked me, “How long will you be gone? When will you be back?” I told him the date and he allowed me to leave. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the province of the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah; and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king’s forest, for I will need wood for the gates of the citadel near the Temple, for the walls of the city and for the house where I shall live.”
The good hand of God was supporting me, so that the king gave me what I asked.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we should always listen to the Lord and obey His words and commandments, His Law and walk always in His path at all times. All of us should always strive to follow the Lord in everything we say and do, so that in our every actions, words and deeds, we will always be exemplary and be truly filled with faith, with inspirational examples and grace of God. Each and every one of us as Christians should be truly faithful not just in mere formality and appearances only, but we must also embody our faith truly in every aspects of our lives. We must not be idle in how we live our faith, and definitely, we cannot act in ways that are contrary to our faith and beliefs in God.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the words of the Lord being spoken to His people, the Israelites, who had earlier on been exiled by their defeat at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. The prophet Zechariah came to the people of God after they had been allowed to return to their homeland, and when they had begun to rebuild their livelihood and towns. And we heard how the prophet mentioned God’s words to His people, reminding them that He is calling on all the people, of all the whole world to come to Him, and that they, the Jewish people, was to become the examples and role models for all the others to follow, as the ones whom God had first chosen and called from among the nations.
This highlighted the fact that God does not just exclusively give His love, attention and grace upon the Israelites alone, contrary to the belief of some who thought that the Israelites and their descendants, the chosen people of God, were the only ones worthy of God and His salvation. On the contrary, God Himself had made it clear that everyone in this world who desire to seek Him and follow Him, all those who are willing to obey Him, His Law and commandments, will also be His people, and become part of the one flock and body of the believers that God would assemble, and all these had come to fruition and fulfilment through Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole world, through Whom everyone has been called, gathered and united as one people, as part of His one Body, the Church.
In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus and how He was not welcomed by a village of the Samaritans, who refused to allow Him to enter because they knew that He was on His way to Jerusalem. In order to understand and appreciate the significance of this event better, we must first understand the dynamics of the often complicated relationship and interactions between the Samaritans and the Jewish people at that time. The Samaritans were the descendants of the Israelites who once lived in the territories of the northern kingdom of Israel, and who had intermingled with the other peoples that settled in the region after the destruction of that kingdom by the Assyrians. They still practiced the belief in God, and had their own Scriptures similar to the Jewish Scriptures, but with some differences emphasising that their version of belief and faith was superior than that of the Jews.
Meanwhile, the Jewish people, who were descended from the Israelites who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, and were exiled in Babylon, and who have always centred their worship and community in Jerusalem, their Holy City and capital, contended that their faith and belief are the ones that are true, while the Samaritans were heretics, or even worse still, pagans and unbelievers. All of these differences, disagreements and misunderstandings eventually led to bitter discord and unresolved hatred between the two peoples. While the Samaritans were often welcoming and open to listening to the Lord, as shown in other parts of the Gospels, on this regard and example, when they found that the Lord was on His way to Jerusalem, they too hardened their hearts and minds like those of the Jews, in refusing to listen to the Lord and in refusing to welcome Him.
This is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard these Scripture readings today, all of us are reminded that we should not allow ourselves to be easily misled and misguided by our prejudices, biases and all the other things which often kept us away from the truth of God and His love. We should not allow the devil and all those who have often tempted us with falsehoods and lies to bring us to the wrong path in life, and we certainly should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by those temptations and evils, that we end up being prejudiced and held up grudge or hatred against others, or comparing ourselves and looking down upon others simply because we think that we are somehow better than them or more worthy than they are.
Let us all instead heed God’s call faithfully once again in our hearts and minds, and be touched by His love and truth, His grace and goodness in all things. Let us all remind ourselves what it truly means for us to be Christians, that is to love the Lord our God with all of our strength, with all of our capacity and abilities, and to love in the same way to our neighbours and fellow brothers and sisters around us, not looking or focusing on our differences and disagreements, but instead striving to overcome them, and to rebuild genuine connections and fill ourselves once again with God’s generous love and kindness, with His goodness and grace. Each and every one of us as Christians should indeed be great role models of love and faith for our fellow mankind, in all of our works, actions, words and deeds.
May the Lord, our most loving God and Master continue to guide us in our journey of faith and live, and may He continue to empower and strengthen each and every one of us so that we may truly indeed glorify Him by our every efforts and actions, in all the things we do and act in our daily living. May God bless our efforts and works, and guide us all so that we may truly be worthy and good role models, and as shining beacons of His light and truth, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 9 : 51-56
At that time, as the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, He made up His mind to go to Jerusalem. He sent ahead of Him some messengers, who entered a Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for Him. But the people would not receive Him, because He was on His way to Jerusalem.
Seeing this, James and John, His disciples, said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 86 : 1-3, 4-5, 6-7
He Himself has built in in His holy mountain; YHVH prefers the gates of Zion to all of Jacob’s towns. Great things have been foretold of you, o City of God.
Between friends, we speak of Egypt and Babylon; and also Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia : “Here so-and-so was born.” But of Zion, it shall be said, “More and more are being born in her.” For the Most High Himself has founded her.
And YHVH notes in the people’s register : “All these were also born in Zion.” And all will dance and sing joyfully for You.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Zechariah 8 : 20-23
YHVH, the God of hosts speaks, “Peoples will come from other nations, people from great cities. The inhabitants of one town will talk with those of another, and, say : ‘Come, let us go and implore the favour of YHVH, and I, too, will seek YHVH.’ Many great peoples and powerful nations will come, seeking YHVH, God of hosts, in Jerusalem and pray to Him.”
YHVH, the God of hosts assures you. “In those days, ten men of different languages spoken in various lands, will take hold of a Jew by the hem of his garment and say : We, too, want to go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, commemorating all the Angels that God has placed in our midst, guarding each and every one of us. The Holy Guardian Angels protected all of us from the constant attacks and assaults by the forces of evil, from Satan and all of his fellow fallen angels, demons and evil spirits, who are all hell-bent on bringing about our destruction and downfall. They watched over us and kept us on the right path of God, whispering to us God’s words and reminders, whenever temptations come to our way, and whenever the devil and his forces came to tempt and mislead us down the wrong paths in life. They truly guarded us and kept us safe each day and every moments of our lives.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus in which the Lord reassured all of His people of His continued guidance and protection as they journeyed towards the land that He has promised to them and to their ancestors. Back then, the people of Israel had been taken out of the land of Egypt by the Lord Himself, Who sent Moses, His servant to carry out His will and to help lead His people out of their slavery in Egypt. He showed all of them His power and providence, having smittened Egypt and its Pharaoh, its armies and chariots under His might, crushing them with the Ten Great Plagues and other signs, and with a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud leading the people on their journey towards the Promised Land.
This supernatural presence of the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud at day represents God having been ever present among His people, and how He has set and sent His Angel to be with them, to guard them and to go ahead of them on their journey, clearing their path and way before them. This is what the Lord assured them all as we heard in our first reading passage today from the Book of Exodus. The Lord reassured the people that His Guardian Angels are always ever ready to stand by them, to guard and protect them, showing the protection, love and grace of God, ever generously shown and manifested to His beloved ones, and the Lord would go on to send His Angels to help guard and protect the Israelites throughout their long journey and detour in the desert for the whole forty years and afterwards, during the time when they conquered the Promised Land for themselves.
In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples and all the people assembled, while He was speaking and interacting with the young children who came to Him, seeking Him and loving Him. He told each and every one of them that He welcomed and desired children to be in His Presence and to come towards Him, telling them all that their faith and love for Him should indeed be like those children, or else, they cannot come close to the Lord. Why is that so? That is because the faith of those young children are indeed genuine and pure, being innocent and untainted they still are, by the vile things and wickedness of the world. When such a young child believes in something, he or she will truly believe it with all of his or her heart.
That is why, all of us should also heed the Lord’s words and reminders, for us to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and with great and genuine faith. Each and every one of us should do our best so that we may indeed live in the path that the Lord has set before us, striving to be true and committed Christians, in all things and at all opportunities. All of us should do our best to inspire all around us with our actions and way of life, that our lives, actions and works should be truly devout and committed to God, and that we may show the love and truth of God through each and every small little things that we do, and in whatever we say and how we interact with each other. We should always strive to do God’s will in all opportunities and to obey Him wholeheartedly in all our hearts.
In relation to our Holy Guardian Angels, let us all heed their reminders and words in our hearts and minds, as they ceaselessly protected us against all the harm coming from the devil and all of his wicked forces, desiring our downfall and destruction. Let us all be reminded and be turned from our evil, wicked and disobedient ways, heeding our Guardian Angels instead of the lies and the falsehoods spread by the ones who tried to tempt us away from the path of God and His salvation and grace. Let us all strive to keep ourselves blameless and free from those evil and wicked things, and resist the many temptations that may undermine our faith and distract or prevent us from truly being able to be faithful to the Lord in all of our ways.
Let us all be thankful to our Holy Guardian Angels, and let us all remember how they constantly and ceaselessly stood guard by our side, at all times, be it when we are awake or when we are asleep, or be it when we are happy or when we are sad and sorrowful. Let us remember the care and love which each and every one of our Guardian Angels have shown us, and be touched by their dedication and love, so that we ourselves may also strive to be truly faithful and loving towards the Lord, our God, Who has sent us these Holy Angels to be with us, to protect us and care for us, in their own way, from the invisible harm by those who sought our destruction and downfall. Let us all deepen our love for the Lord and be ever more faithful to Him.
Let us now pray the prayer to our Holy Guardian Angels, asking them to intercede for us always in our daily struggles in life. Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 18 : 1-5, 10
At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you, that, unless you change, and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child, in My Name, receives Me.”
“See that you do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you, their Angels in heaven continually see the face of My heavenly Father.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 90 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 10-11
You, who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who rest in the shadow of the Almighty, say to YHVH, “My Stronghold, my Refuge, my God in Whom I trust!”
He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions and give you refuge under His wings.
You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrows that fly by day, nor the pestilence that stalks by night, and the plague that destroys at noonday.
No harm will come upon you; no disaster will draw near your home. For He will command His Angels to guard you in all your ways.
Liturgical Colour : White
Exodus 23 : 20-23
See, I am sending an Angel before you to keep you safe on the way and bring you to the place I have made ready. Be on your guard in his presence and listen to him; do not resist him for he will not pardon your wrongdoing, for My Name is in him.
If you listen to him and do what I say, I will be the enemy to your enemies and the opponent of your opponents. My Angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; all these I will destroy.
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