Month: July 2024

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(Usus Antiquior) Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 28 July 2024 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Luke 18 : 9-14

In illo tempore : Dixit Jesus ad quosdam, qui in se confidebant tamquam justi et aspernabantur ceteros, parabolam istam : Duo homines ascenderunt in templum, ut orarent : unus pharisaeus, et alter publicanus.

Pharisaeus stans, haec apud se orabat : Deus, gratias ago Tibi, quia non sum sicut ceteri hominum : raptores, injusti, adulteri : velut etiam hic publicanus. Jejuno bis in sabbato : decimas do omnium, quae possideo.

Et publicanus a longe stans nolebat nec oculos ad caelum levare : sed percutiebat pectus suum, dicens : Deus, propitius esto mihi peccatori. Dico vobis : descendit hic justificatus in domum suam ab illo : quia omnis qui se exaltat, humiliabitur : et qui se humiliat, exaltabitur.

English translation

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, “Two men went up into the Temple to pray, the one was a Pharisee, and the other a publican.”

“The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself, ‘O God, I give You thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.'”

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven, but struck his breast saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I say to you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, because every one who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 28 July 2024 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 16 : 8, 2 and Psalm 64 : 2

Custodi me, Domine, it pupillam oculi : sub umbra alarum Tuarum protege me.

Response : De vultu Tuo judicium meum prodeat : oculi Tui videant aequitatem.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Te decet hymnus, Deus, in Sion : et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem. Alleluja.

English translation

Keep me, o Lord, as the apple of Your eye. Protect me under the shadow of Your wings.

Response : Let my judgment come forth from Your countenance, let Your eyes behold the things that are equitable.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : A hymn, o God, becomes Yours in Zion, and a vow shall be paid to You in Jerusalem. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 28 July 2024 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

1 Corinthians 12 : 2-11

Fratres : Scitis, quoniam, cum gentes essetis, ad simulacra muta prout ducebamini euntes. Ideo notum vobis facio, quod nemo in Spiritu Dei loquens, dicit anathema Jesu. Et nemo potest dicere, Dominus Jesus, nisi in Spiritu Sancto.

Divisiones vero gratiarum sunt, idem autem Spiritus. Et divisiones ministrationum sunt, idem autem Dominus. Et divisiones operationum sunt, idem vero Deus, qui operatur omnia in omnibus. Unicuique autem datur manifestatio Spiritus ad utilitatem.

Alii quidem per Spiritum datur sermo sapientiae, alii autem sermo scientiae secundum eumdem Spiritum : alteri fides in eodem Spiritu : alii gratia sanitatum in uno Spiritu : alii operatio virtutum, alii prophetia, alii discretio spirituum, alii genera linguarum, alii interpretatio sermonum.

Haec autem omnia operatur unus atque idem Spiritus, dividens singulis, prout vult.

English translation

Brethren, you know that when you were heathens, you went to dumb idols, according as you were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, said Anathema to Jesus, and no man can say, the Lord Jesus, but by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit, and there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord, and and there are diversities of operations, but the same God, He Who works all in all. And the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man unto profit.

To one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom, and to another, the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit. To another, the grace of healing in one Spirit, to another, the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits, to another, divers kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of speeches.

But all these things one and the same Spirit works, dividing to every one according as He will.

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(Usus Antiquior) Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 28 July 2024 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 54 : 17, 18, 20, 23, 2

Dum clamarem ad Dominum, exaudivit vocem meam, ab his, qui appropinquant mihi : et humiliavit eos, qui est ante saecula et manet in aeternum : jacta cogitatum tuum in Domino, et ipse te enutriet.

Exaudi, Deus, orationem meam, et ne despexeris deprecationem meam : intende mihi et exaudi me.

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

English translation

When I cried to the Lord He heard my voice, from those who draw near to me, and He humbled them, He Who is before all ages, and remains forever, cast your care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you.

Hear o God, my prayer, and do not despise my supplication. Be attentive to me and hear me.

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

Deus, qui omnipotentiam Tuam parcendo maxime et miserando manifestas : multiplica super nos misericordiam Tuam; ut, ad Tua promissa currentes, caelestium bonorum facias esse consortes. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

O God, You Who had chiefly manifested Your power in forbearance and mercy, multiply upon us Your pity, that, hastening on to Your promises, we may be made partakers of the blessings of heaven. 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, 27 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us as those who believe in the Lord to contemplate our path in life, our actions and whatever it is that we have done, in all that we carry out in our lives so that our whole lives may always be truly exemplary and be faithful to God, and that we will strive to avoid falling into the temptations to sin, to disobey God and His Law and commandments. We must not allow the evil ones to persuade us otherwise and to mislead us down the path of darkness and ruin, by strengthening our own relationships with God, our Lord and Master, He Who has always loved us all these while.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the prophet of God told the people the words of the Lord at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, which had long been profaned and corrupted by the wicked practices and actions of the people of the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. As the Lord Himself said to His people, telling them through Jeremiah how wicked their actions and deeds had been, in their lack of genuine faith in Him and in their many hypocritical actions and deeds, which angered the Lord and would lead them to their doom and downfall. They were to suffer the consequences of their actions, all their deeds in manipulating and persecuting their fellow brothers and sisters for their own selfish ambitions and desires.

God wanted His people at that time in the kingdom of Judah and hence all of us to realise that as His disciples and followers, all of us must realise that each and every one of our actions, words and deeds in life, our interactions and all our dealings with one another have to be accounted for, and we must understand that while God loves us all and does not despise us, all kinds of sins and wickedness are abhorrent to Him, and no sin and evil can stand before God’s Presence, or else we will be condemned and judged by those same sins which we have committed in our lives. That is why we need to turn away from all the wickedness that we ourselves had done in our lives, and embrace once again God’s love and mercy, seeking His forgiveness for our many sins.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples and the people using the parable of the good seeds and the weeds, in which the Lord spoke of the sower of the seeds, representing God Himself, and the enemy who sowed the seeds of weeds, which represents the devil, the evil one. In that parable, we heard how the seeds of the good seeds grew into good and fruitful plants that grew along the weeds that were competing with them for the nutrients, the space and all the resources needed for them to grow well. Weeds here often refer to those plants that are not useful or beneficial to us, and as competitors to the crop plants are therefore undesirable as they can make the good plants and crops unhealthy and lacking the resources they need to grow well.

However, as we heard, the master and sower of the seeds told his workers not to pluck out the weeds from the field as they were intertwined with the crops and good plants, and if they were to be plucked out, it might kill the good plants as well. This is related to what we have heard in our first reading passage today from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, reminding all of us that God has always been patient in loving and caring for us, and within each and every one of us God has sowed the seeds of faith and love, all the blessings and graces He has bestowed upon us. However, at the same time, the devil and the other evil ones have also sowed in us the seeds of disobedience, doubt and evil, trying to compete with the love and truth that God has planted in each and every one of us.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, with regards to which among these seeds will grow and prosper within us, it depends on what kind of condition we are giving to them. If we live our lives in a manner that is truly worthy and committed to God, then within us the seeds that the Lord had sown in us will grow and prosper most bountifully. How can we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is by doing what the Lord has taught us to do, by living our lives centred on Him and loving Him above all else, and ever growing deeper in our relationship with Him, as well as in our love for our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow men around us. It is by truly embodying and living up to our faith in God that we can be truly worthy of God’s grace and salvation, and be brought into eternal glory and happiness that have been prepared for us.

On the other hand, if we allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by the evil one and if we live our lives without following and obeying what God has commanded us all to do, and if we show injustice and selfish behaviours to others, causing hurt and sufferings for others in order to fuel and satisfy our own desires and personal ambitions, then all these will cause the seeds of disobedience, doubt and evil to grow within us, bringing us ever more distant and further away from God and His grace. We must realise that in the end, if we continue to walk down this path, although we may enjoy and find it more pleasurable and easier in life, but we will be judged and condemned by all the sins we committed, and in the end, what we may have is nothing less than eternal damnation.

Let us all therefore no longer be ignorant of what we need to urgently do in order to seek God’s forgiveness for our many sins, and for us to reorientate our lives so that we may once again live them in accordance with God’s will. Let us all be good role models, examples and inspiration for our fellow brothers and sisters, that in all the things we do and carry out in each and every moments, we will always strive to cultivate a life that is truly holy and worthy of God. May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all so that we may always be faithful to Him at all times, and may He grant us the strength and the courage to carry on living our lives ever more courageously and worthily as good and devout Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 27 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 13 : 24-30

At that time, Jesus told the people another parable, “The kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a man, who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came, and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared. Then, the servants of the owner came, and said to him, ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?'”

“He answered them, ‘This is the work of an enemy.’ They asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ He told them, ‘No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let them grow together, until harvest; and, at harvest time, I will say to the workers : Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.'”

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Saturday, 27 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 83 : 3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

My soul yearns; pines, for the courts of YHVH. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, at Your altars, o YHVH of hosts, my King and my God!

Happy are those who live in Your house, continually singing Your praise! Happy, the pilgrims whom You strengthen, they go from strength to strength.

One day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be left at the threshold in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.

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Saturday, 27 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Jeremiah 7 : 1-11

These words were spoken by YHVH to Jeremiah, “Stand at the gate of YHVH’s House and proclaim this in a loud voice : Listen to what YHVH says, all you people of Judah (who enter these gates to worship YHVH). YHVH the God of Israel says this : Amend your ways and your deeds and I will stay with you in this place. Rely not on empty words such as : ‘Look, Temple of YHVH! Temple of YHVH! This is the Temple of YHVH!’”

“It is far better for you to amend your ways and act justly with all. Do not abuse the stranger, orphan or widow or shed innocent blood in this place or follow false gods to your own ruin. Then I will stay with you in this place, in the land I gave to your ancestors in times past and forever.”

“But you trust in deceptive and useless words. You steal, kill, take the wife of your neighbour; you swear falsely, worship Baal and follow foreign gods who are not yours. Then, after doing all these horrible things, you come and stand before Me in this Temple that bears My Name and say, ‘Now we are safe.’ Is this House on which rests My Name a den of thieves? I have seen this Myself – it is YHVH Who speaks.”

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Friday, 26 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Joachim and St. Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of how beloved we all have been by God, and how great is the love and compassion which our loving Father and Creator for each and every one of us. That is why we should always strive to nurture our love for God and also our faith in Him, as if we do not nurture this love and faith we ought to have in us, they will wither and we will not get close to the Lord and we may even find ourselves shutting ourselves off from His love and kindness, from His grace and blessings. Each and every one of us should always strive to be ever closer to the Lord, and we have to begin it by living our lives from now on ever more faithfully in the Lord’s path.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the prophet of God spoke of the words of the Lord to His people, telling them all of the love which He has always had for them, and how He called upon them all to return to Him once again. He would lead them all once again back to their lands and take care of them as He had always done, after all that the people had to endure came to pass, all the punishments and hardships that they would have to endure because of all of their sins and wickedness. The Lord did not despise or hate His people, and He still loved them all after everything that they had done to them, their disobedience and wickedness which were truly abhorrent. But God wished to reconcile them to Himself, and thus made the way for them to return to Him.

That was why He sent them His many prophets and messengers to help and guide them down the right path, turning away from all the wickedness which they had committed in life. He sent them the prophet Jeremiah as a sort of final warning, telling them of all the punishments and hardships that they would very soon had to face and endure for their disobedience and sins against God, the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem, and the deportation of many of the people of God to distant places in Mesopotamia, in Assyria and Babylon, as what had also happened to the northern half of the kingdom of Israel, destroyed by the Assyrians a century or so earlier on. He wanted them all to realise the errors of their ways and to return once again towards His light and love.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and the ones assembled to listen to Him as He used the famous parable of the sower to teach them about what He intended to tell them, which we have also heard in our Gospel passage yesterday. This parable of the sower highlighted the importance of us allowing the seeds of faith that the Lord has sown and planted in us to grow well and wonderfully in our hearts and minds, just as He has explained to the people then, how those seeds that landed in the places that were inhospitable and improper for the growth, germination and development of seeds either did not even manage to germinate, or were destroyed soon after because of the inhospitable conditions.

It is only those seeds that landed on rich and fertile soil which managed to germinate, grow and prosper wonderfully into plants that grew well and bear a lot of rich fruits, with products in thirty, sixty and hundredfold of what was planted earlier on. This is a reminder therefore for all of us tonight that we must always strive to provide this fertile environment for our faith and love for God to grow and develop, as the people of Israel and Judah failed to do so mainly because they allowed themselves to be swayed by the path of sin and wickedness, by the temptations of worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions which made them to abandon God’s path and His Law, His righteous ways and commandments, and instead seeking to satisfy their own selfish and worldly desires in life, and hence, fell into the trap of sin.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, who are the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and hence, they are the grandparents of the Lord. Accordingly, our current Pope, Pope Francis proclaimed earlier a few years ago that this celebration of the Feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne would also be the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, remembering all of our own grandparents and senior members of our family, and of all the elderly people in our midst. Not much was known about the life and actions of St. Joachim and St. Anne, but what is certain is that they were upright and devout people, who raised up Mary to be an obedient and a holy person in her own right.

We are reminded today to be appreciative and grateful for our grandparents and our elders who have shown us their love, care and concern. In our world today, due to changing nature of the family and relationships, many families tend to neglect their elders and forget about them, and many people do not even live with their own grandparents and the elders anymore, and this led to many of the latter facing hardships, challenges and loneliness in the conduct of their daily living and actions. We must not forget all the love that they had shown to us, much as how the Lord our God Himself has loved us all patiently. Our elderly and grandparents often made many sacrifices and went the extra mile for us without us realising it, and we often realised it only when it is already too late for us to do so, when they are no longer by our side.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore as we have been reminded to develop that strong and genuine relationship with God, let us also remember those around us especially our elders and grandparents, all those who have loved us and are now living through their twilight years. We should continue to love them all and develop a strong, genuine and loving relationship with our elders and grandparents, in all that we do in our lives. Let our love for our elders and grandparents be good examples and inspirations for everyone that more and more people will continue to grow in love for their family members particularly their elders, and grow ever stronger in their faith in God. May God bless each and every one of us, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 26 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Joachim and St. Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 13 : 18-23

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the kingdom, but does not take it seriously, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.”

“The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word, and accepts it at once with joy. But such a person has no roots, and endures only for a while. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.”

“The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then, the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word; and it does not bear fruit. As for the seed that fell on good soil, it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”