Month: September 2023

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(Usus Antiquior) Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 10 September 2023 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Galatians 5 : 25-26 and Galatians 6 : 1-10

Fratres : Si spiritu vivimus, spiritu et ambulemus. Non efficiamur inanis gloriae cupidi, invicem provocantes, invicem invidentes. Fratres, et si praeoccupatus fuerit homo in aliquo delicto, vos, qui spirituales estis, hujusmodi instruite in spiritu lenitatis, considerans teipsum, ne et tu tenteris.

Alter alterius onera portate, et sic adimplebitis legem Christi. Nam si quis existimat se aliquid esse, cum nihil sit, ipse se seducit. Opus autem suum probet unusquisque, et sic in semetipso tantum gloriam habebit, et non in altero.

Unusquisque enim onus suum portabit. Communicet autem is, qui catechizatur verbo, ei, qui se catechizat, in omnibus bonis. Nolite errare : Deus non irridetur. Qui enim seminaverit homo, haec et metet. Quoniam qui seminat in carne sua, de carne et metet corruptionem : qui autem seminat in spiritu, de spiritu metet vitam aeternam.

Bonum autem facientes, non deficiamus : tempore enim suo metemus, non deficientes. Ergo, dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum ad omnes, maxime autem ad domesticos fidei.

English translation

Brethren, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, and if a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.

Bear all of you one another’s burdens, and so you shall fulfil the Law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let every one prove his own work, and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another.

For every one shall bear his own burden. And let him who is instructed in the word, communicate to him who instructed him, in all good things. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for what things a man shall sow, those he shall also reap. For he who sowed in his flesh, of the flesh he shall also reap corruption, but he who sowed in the Spirit, of the Spirit shall reap life everlasting.

And in doing good, let us not fail, for in due time we shall reap, not failing. Therefore, while we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the Faith.

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(Usus Antiquior) Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 10 September 2023 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 85 : 1, 2-3, 4

Inclina, Domine, aurem Tuam ad me, et exaudi me : salvum fac servum Tuum, Deus meus, sperantem in Te : miserere mihi, Domine, quoniam ad Te clamavi tota die.

Laetifica animam servi Tui : quia ad Te, Domine, animam meam levavi.

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

English translation

Bow down Your ear, o Lord, to me, and hear me, save Your servant, o my God, that trusted in You. Have mercy on me, o Lord, for I have cried to You all day.

Give joy to the soul of Your servant, for to You, o Lord, have I lifted up my soul.

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

Ecclesiam Tuam, Domine, miseratio continuata mundet et muniat : et quia sine Te non potest salva consistere; Tuo semper munere gubernetur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Let Your continual pity, o Lord, cleanse and fortify Your Church, and, because without You it cannot be safely established, let it ever be governed by Your grace. 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.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that the Lord has loved us so much that He wants us all to be reconciled to Him, gaining His forgiveness and mercy, to be brought once again to His Holy Presence, be loved and embraced with renewed love and kindness from God. All of us are precious and important to the Lord, that He has given us time and opportunities, again and again so that by His coming into this world, and by His works at redeeming us, all of us may indeed gain the assurance of eternal glory and true joy, in the eternal life that the Lord will grant us, in our journey towards Him. Therefore, we should seek to be truly faithful and committed to Him in all things, and be genuine in following Him, not just merely paying lip service to our faith.

In our first reading today, all of us heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, in which the Apostle reminded the faithful people of God there of everything which God had done for all of His people, in all the things He had done so that they might all be reconciled with Him, and freed from the taints and corruption of sin. Once they had lived in the shadow of sin and evil, wickedness and darkness of the world, but the Lord had brought His light and salvation into their midst, to this whole world, to all of us, by the sending of His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and His works, His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord has revealed the promise of eternal life and salvation, grace and the great love and compassion of God, manifested and shown to all of us, leading us from the darkness into the light.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord as He interacted and debated with some of the Pharisees who followed Him and His disciples. At that time, as mentioned in the Gospel passage, the disciples were all very hungry after having eaten nothing during what was likely their long hours of ministry and travel from places to places, and thus they were picking from the grains of wheat in the field and ate them as they passed by it, which happened to occur on the day of the Sabbath, a holy day of observance and with many restrictions and rules for the Jewish people. On that day, according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, and how they were interpreted by the people, no one was supposed to carry on any work or occupations, on that day which should be focused on prayer and on God.

In the context of the Pharisees at that time, many of them adopted a very strict and rigid interpretation of the Law of God, in which with regards to the Sabbath day, no one was supposed to be even carrying out any actions, even those actions that might be necessary to them and their survival, their well-being and basic needs, just as what we heard in the Gospel passage today. The Pharisees there questioned and criticised the actions of the Lord’s disciples as their actions in picking the grains of wheat were considered as breaking the Sabbath law even though it was necessary for them to survive as they were all very hungry. Back then, the disciples were accompanying the Lord on His ministry and works, and it was likely that they were all wandering through the wilderness, away from any cities and places where food was available to them.

At the same time, we must also understand that the Law of the Sabbath was given by the Lord to all of His people with the intention and purpose of helping them to remain focused and connected to God, and not be constantly and easily swayed by worldly temptations and pressures, and all the distractions and temptations present all around us. The Law of the Sabbath helped the people of God to reserve at least one day for the Lord amidst their very busy schedules and works in this world so that they do not end up forgetting Him and His Law, His commandments and precepts, in the face of the many temptations and preoccupations in the world. It helps the faithful to keep themselves centred on God, but unfortunately, for those like many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they ended up being so focused on the Law and how it was to be applied, that they enforced it, and made it difficult and harsh, which in fact kept the people away from the Lord.

Not only that by their harsh and very strict application of the Law, that the Pharisees made it difficult for the faithful people of God to come closer to Him, especially more so for those who were in great need of God’s forgiveness and love, but through their self-righteous, proud and haughty attitudes, those same Pharisees, teachers of the Law and elders ended up losing their own focus on the Lord, as they themselves ended up putting themselves, their pride and ego on the pedestal, that even the Lord Himself did not have any place in their hearts and minds. That is not what the Lord intended to do for His people, as His Law and commandments were meant to help and guide them all to find their way to Him, and not to oppress and make their lives difficult through excessive enforcement and application of the Law.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded by these Scripture readings that each and every one of us should always remember the love and kindness that God has always generously provided for us, and that we should do whatever we can, so that we may indeed be truly worthy, righteous and just in all of our actions, words, and in our every way of life. If we have not been truly faithful and committed to God, how can we then say that we belong to Him, or that we are Christians? All of us should do our part and continue to live well and worthily, so that our lives may inspire all those who encounter us and who interact with us, those who witness our lives and works, that we may truly be faithful and worthy of God. One very good way is for us to look upon the good examples of our holy predecessors, that is the saints.

Today, we celebrate the feast of one of these glorious saints, namely that of St. Peter Claver. St. Peter Claver was a great priest and missionary, a faithful servant of God who dedicated himself to a great ministry among the slaves in the then New World, in what is now part of the area of Colombia in South America. St. Peter Claver was born in Spain and grew up to be a great intellectual who was noted for his intellectual capacity and ability, after which he became a member of the Society of Jesus, and was eventually ordained as a priest. St. Peter Claver went on to become a missionary in the New World as mentioned, ministering among the slaves in the city of Cartagena, the principal slave trade centre in the then part of the Spanish Empire. Many of those slaves were treated poorly and faced intense discrimination at that time.

It was there that St. Peter Claver devoted himself to the well-being and the protection of the rights of those slaves, striving to care for their needs, especially spiritually, ministering to them tirelessly and dedicating his time to provide for them, and also getting help for them to gain basic access to food, medicine and other essential things they needed. He catechised many of them and as a result, many of those slaves chose to become Christians, having experienced the love of God manifested and made evident to all of them through St. Peter Claver and everything that he had done for their sake. According to historical records, as many as three hundred thousand slaves were baptised by the efforts of St. Peter Claver alone. He continued to devote his efforts to the very end of his life, and upon his passing immediately many extolled his holiness and called for him to be made a saint.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today, after having heard the words of the Scriptures and after we have heard of the life of St. Peter Claver, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples and the dedication which St. Peter Claver, as a committed servant of God and holy man of God, had done in his life. Let us all be holy, just as the Lord our God is Holy, and let us all commit ourselves in our own way, and in our own capacity, to serve the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously in all things. May God bless us all and empower each one of us, in our daily lives, to be His ever more dedicated disciples, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Luke 6 : 1-5

At that time, one Sabbath Jesus was going through a field of grain, and His disciples began to pick heads of grain, crushing them in their hands for food. Some of the Pharisees asked them, “Why do you do what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”

Then Jesus spoke up and asked them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his men were hungry? He entered the house of God, took and ate the bread of the offering, and even gave some to his men, though only priests are allowed to eat that bread.”

And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord and rules over the Sabbath.”

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 53 : 3-4, 6 and 8

By Your Name, o God, save me; You, the Valiant, uphold my cause. Hear my prayer, o God; listen to the words of my mouth.

See, God is my Helper; the Lord upholds my life. Freely will I offer sacrifice to You, and praise Your Name, o YHVH, for it is good.

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Saturday, 9 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Colossians 1 : 21-23

You, yourselves, were once estranged, and opposed to God, because of your evil deeds, but now, God has reconciled you, in the human body of His Son, through His death, so that you may be without fault, holy and blameless before Him.

Only stand firm upon the foundation of your faith, and be steadfast in hope. Keep in mind the Gospel you have heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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Friday, 8 September 2023 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates together the occasion of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrating the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, was born. This Feast is celebrated exactly nine months after Mary’s Immaculate Conception on the eighth day of December, just like how the celebration of Christmas, the Nativity of Our Lord, is celebrated nine months after the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, when the Lord was conceived in the holy womb of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate Mary’s birth and rejoice in her because through her, her exemplary life and obedience to God, her commitment to her mission and the desire she had in serving the Lord and in loving her Son, we have received the assurance of God’s salvation through her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Mary has been specially prepared by God’s grace and power, to be spared and made immaculate, free from the taint and corruption of original sin, as highlighted in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Hence, when she was conceived, unlike others among mankind, Mary was pure and immaculate, and after nine months, was born of her mother, St. Anne. Both St. Anne and St. Joachim, Mary’s parents, according to Apostolic and Church traditions, were faithful to God and upright, and they were living near the Temple of God, and that was when, according to the Law of Moses, Mary was presented as their firstborn, at the Temple, dedicated and consecrated to God, which gave an indication of the great and very important role that she was to do in the history of the salvation of mankind as the one to be the New Ark of the New Covenant of God.

Mary grew up faithfully and was brought up well by her parents, and remained full of God’s grace, throughout her whole life. She obeyed the Law and the commandments of God, and lived a truly holy and exemplary life, and the Lord sent His salvation to this world through her, just as we have heard in our first reading today of the assurance which God has spoken to His people through the prophet Micah. God reassured the people that His salvation would come through a Woman, that was to be Mary, who would give birth and bring unto this world its salvation, with the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, through her. Mary became the New Ark of the New Covenant of God, the Ark crafted in perfection and grace by God Himself so that she would be truly worthy to bear the Divine Word of God, Incarnate in the flesh within her.

It was also through Mary, as well as Joseph, her husband, that the Lord Jesus, Son of God and Saviour of the world, was born into the House of David and to the race of Israel, as according to tradition, Mary herself, just like Joseph, belonged to the tribe of Judah and was also descended from King David of Israel. In today’s Gospel passage, we heard of the lineage and genealogy of the Lord being presented to us, highlighting His descent from Abraham all the way to David and from David to Himself, through the lineage of kings and the rightful heirs of the Kingdom of Israel through His foster and legal father, St. Joseph, making Him the Heir of David, the One promised by God to His people and to David himself, that the rule of his house and the Kingdom his house will remain forever, because it is God Himself Who has come to us in the flesh, to take up the Throne and rule over all of His people.

Thus, today as we celebrate this Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are all reminded of the important role that Mary has in the story of salvation. Not only that through her, the Lord has manifested Himself in the flesh, and dwelling amongst us, but it was also her faith and total commitment to God that allowed all of that to happen. When the Archangel Gabriel came to her at the moment of the Annunciation, to proclaim to her and through that, to all of us, the Good News of God and the long awaited coming of the Messiah, it was Mary’s total obedience to God, her full trust in Him and His power, His plans and all which allowed the Lord’s plans and works to become manifest in this world. It was Mary’s resounding ‘Yes’ to God which brought unto us the salvation of God, in the person of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Now, besides Mary having accepted her role in the plan of God’s salvation, it was also her righteousness, virtues and fullness of grace, as mentioned, which made her to be truly worthy of honour and praise, and why we really rejoice together at the occasion today in memory of her Nativity or birth into this world. With her examples and inspirational life, all of us as Christians, as God’s beloved and holy people should also be inspired and encouraged to follow the Lord and obey His commandments as best as possible, so that we may indeed be truly worthy of God and His grace. We honour Mary because she is the Mother of God, our Lord and Saviour, and also because through her, we can indeed find the clearest, best and surest path to God’s salvation and grace. Through Mary, we can find the best and easiest, most direct path to her Son.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we rejoice today in honour of Mary’s Nativity, let us all once again renew our commitment to God through His mother, the Blessed ever Virgin Mary, whose faith and devotion to her Son, her love for Him and also for all of us, have touched and inspired us to be God’s faithful disciples and followers as well. Let us all be reminded that God has entrusted Mary to us, to be our own Mother, and at the same time, also entrusted us all to her, to be her own children, so that she may guide us all to the right path towards her Son, to the salvation and eternal life promised to all those who are faithful to Him. Let us all not be ignorant anymore of our calling in life, to follow the Lord ever more faithfully in our way of life, and to dedicate ourselves to Him much as Mary herself has loved the Lord and dedicated herself wholly to Him.

May the Lord, our most loving God, Creator and Master, continue to help and guide us in our journey throughout life, and may He empower each and every one of us so that all of us may indeed be ever more faithful in everything we say and do. May all of us commit ourselves to God and His cause, with ever greater desire to love Him wholeheartedly as Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother had done. Holy Mary, Mother of God, whose birth we commemorate and rejoice in today, pray for all of us, your beloved children, that we may continue to live our lives worthy of your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Friday, 8 September 2023 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 1-16, 18-23

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. 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.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Matthew 1 : 18-23

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.

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Friday, 8 September 2023 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 12 : 6ab, 6cd

But I put my trust in Your unfailing love, my heart will rejoice on seeing Your salvation.

I will sing to YHVH, for He has been good to me!

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Friday, 8 September 2023 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Micah 5 : 1-4a

But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, so small that you are hardly named among the clans of Judah; from you shall I raise the One Who is to rule over Israel. For He comes forth from of old, from the ancient times.

YHVH, therefore, will abandon Israel until such time as she, who is to give birth, has given birth. Then the rest of His deported brothers will return to the people of Israel. He will stand, and shepherd His flock with the strength of YHVH, in the glorious Name of YHVH, His God.

They will live safely, while He wins renown to the ends of the earth. He shall be peace.

Alternative reading

Romans 8 : 28-30

We know that in everything, God works for the good of those who love Him, whom He has called, according to His plan. Those whom He knew beforehand, He has also predestined, to be like His Son, similar to Him, so, that, He may be the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

And so, those whom God predestined, He called, and those whom He called, He makes righteous, and to those whom He makes righteous, He will give His glory.