Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14
YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.
One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.
I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in YHVH!
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Thessalonians 5 : 1-6, 9-11
You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay, and the appointed time for these events. You know, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people feel secure, and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them, as the birth pangs of a woman in labour, and they will not escape.
But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief. All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.
For God has not willed us to be condemned, but to win salvation, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. He died for us, so that, we might enter into life, with Him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and reflecting upon the event that we celebrate today, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to be faithful stewards of the Lord’s creation, in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions in life, with all those whom we encounter, in our every responsibilities in this life. At the time of reckoning of our lives, we have to give an account of what we have done and also account for what we have not done or failed to do. All these things are expected of us all, and we have been reminded of them by the Lord Himself Who wants us all to be reconciled and reunited with Him.
In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Thessalonica. In that passage we heard, the Apostle spoke to the faithful reminding them of what they would experience at the time of reckoning in the end of days and end of time. Contextually, the faithful Christians of Thessalonica had been quite exemplary and good in their way of life and in their attitudes and actions. That was why St. Paul wanted to encourage them all to continue to live in the way of their Christian faith so that they would continue to be worthy of the Lord and His salvation, for all that He has promised to each and every one of them, even amidst all the challenges and trials that they might be facing in their lives as Christians.
The reality at that time was such that many were opposed to the Christian teachings and the manner in which the people of God lived their way of life. The Christians across the various parts of the Roman Empire encountered difficulties and challenges firstly from the Jewish authorities and the communities of the Jewish diaspora where the Apostles and missionaries initially also worked amongst to spread the Good News of God’s salvation, because not all of them were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, with some siding with the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin, who sought to silence and stop the works of the Christian missionaries and disciples. Then, in addition, they also encountered opposition from the local pagan who often opposed the evangelisation efforts, and also the Roman state and slavemasters that were opposed to the egalitarian message of the Christian faith, of equality between everyone.
That is why St. Paul reminded the faithful in Thessalonica to continue to be faithful to what they had believed and to continue living in the manner that is worthy and expected of them all as Christians. He reminded them that in the end, all that they have done in faith would be vindicated and rewarded by the Lord when He is to come again into the world, at the end of time and the time of reckoning of all things, just as He has promised. And in the end, everyone who has been faithful to God shall be raised again in body and soul, united in perfection and made perfect and glorious once again, when God will restore all things to perfection and wonder, ridding all sorts of wickedness and evil, darkness and sins that have been all around us. And all of us shall share in the eternity of true joy and happiness with God.
In our Gospel passage today then we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which the Lord Jesus went back to His hometown of Nazareth in Galilee. In that occasion, the Lord was preaching in their local synagogue, speaking about the fulfilment of all that God had promised to them all through His coming into this world, as He read to them the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah. But as the Lord told them everything that He Himself had done, and no doubt the people of Nazareth had heard from the people of their surrounding regions, they were still gripped by that disbelief and lack of faith in Him, refusing to admit that one of their own townspeople could have been the Messiah or the Saviour that would be sent by God.
And if we compare what we heard in the treatment of the Lord’s own townspeople and neighbours against Him, with how the people of Thessalonica welcomed warmly St. Paul the Apostle and the other disciples and missionaries, we are reminded of the Lord’s words, as He spoke of how prophets and messengers of God were often reviled and hated in their own lands. Of course this does not mean that all the foreigners and pagans, the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people were more welcoming and kind towards the Lord and His disciples and missionaries, and even among the Jewish people there were those who strongly believed in the Lord and in His truth and Good News, as the Apostles themselves were mostly Jewish in origin. However, what lies at the crux of the matter and issue is the tendency that all of us as humans have in having preconceived judgments and bias against others.
In this case, for the townspeople of Nazareth, they had seen the Lord Jesus growing up in their midst, seeing Him from His childhood days. As such, many among them must have had prejudice and bias being built into their minds, thinking that it was impossible for this Son of a mere town carpenter, namely that of the Lord’s foster-father, St. Joseph, to be the One that the prophets had been proclaiming and speaking about. At that time, carpentry, while it was being a noble and important field of work, doing job that not many would want to do, was often looked down upon, and many carpenters were considered as inferior, uneducated and therefore did not belong to the religious and societal elite at the time, dominated by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
It was likely all these attitudes, biases and all the other factors that we had mentioned which resulted in how they treated the Lord badly, refusing to believe in Him or listen to Him, and instead preferring to believe in their own prejudices and biases, and because they thought that they were also superior and better than the Lord because He was merely the Son of a carpenter. This attitude is what likely prevented them from seeing reason and believing in the Lord as they should have done. And yes, this is despite them having definitely heard all the wonders that the Lord had done in the whole of Galilee, in the nearby Capernaum and Bethsaida among other places, because their pride, ego and stubbornness had gotten the better of them, and this is what we ourselves should not be doing, brothers and sisters in Christ.
As mentioned earlier, today we also commemorate the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. On this day, all of us are reminded that The late Pope Francis, our previous Pope instituted this important occasion to remind all of us of the role which each and every one of us as Christians are called to take up in our way of living each and every moments of this life we have. In his Papal Encyclical Laudato Si, released in conjunction with this renewed emphasis for the care of the environment and the world all around us, we are reminded that we must be responsible and careful in how we live in this world that God has created and made for all of us to dwell in. Yes, God created this world for us to enjoy living in and to prosper, but also to teach us all to be responsible and to be good in our way of caring for what God had kindly created for us to share in this common world we have.
In the same manner, all of us are also called to be good and faithful stewards for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, in each and every actions and interactions that we carry out each day and at every moments. We have been entrusted not just with this world but also with the care of our fellow brothers and sisters around us. Unfortunately, the same attitude which the people of Nazareth had shown to the Lord Jesus, stemming from their pride and prejudices, their ego and sense of superiority, all these are attitudes that we should avoid and not have in our own lives. As Christians we should indeed do our best to show love, care and concern for one another, and realise that all of us are truly equal before the Lord, all equally sons and daughters of His, having been entrusted with this world to care together.
Let us all therefore strive to do our best to glorify the Lord by our exemplary lives, to do our part as faithful disciples and followers of the Lord in all things. May the Lord continue to help and strengthen us always so that by our every contributions and efforts, we will always show what it truly means to be good and worthy disciples of the Lord, and to be good and responsible stewards of His Creation. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 4 : 16-30
At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”
Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”
So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal yourself! Do here, in Your town, what they say You did in Capernaum.” Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country.” Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land.”
“Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”
On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 95 : 1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12a, 12b-13
Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.
How great is YHVH and worthy of praise! Above all gods, He is to be feared. For all other gods are worthless idols, but YHVH is the One Who made the heavens.
Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.
Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before YHVH Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18
Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together, with Jesus, and for His sake.
By the same word of the Lord, we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming, will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the Archangel’s voice is given, the Lord, Himself, will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.
Then, those who have died in the Lord, will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them, in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever. So then, comfort one another with these words.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, all of us are reminded clearly from the messages passed onto us through the words of the Sacred Scriptures, reminding us all that each and every one of us as Christians must always be humble in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions and works with one another, to all those whom we encounter in life, even strangers and everyone we meet in our path. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by our pride and desires, our ambitions and all the worldly attachments that we have all around us, then we may end up losing sight of what is truly important for us in our lives as Christians, that is our focus on God and His salvation. This is because we may likely end up being obsessed in shoring up our own worldly desires and ambitions, our pursuits for the satisfaction of this world.
In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the prophet of God mentioned clearly in his words that the greater we all are, then the humbler each and every one of us should become, instead of us being prouder and more haughty, ambitious and greedy as how many in this world often behaved. The prophet reminded the people of God that they should continue to good in life, showing good virtues, obeying and following God in everything that He has taught and shown them all, and they should not seek or desire things that were beyond their reach, as what many often aspired to do at that time, and similarly even in our present day world. This is because many of us, by our unbridled desires, ambitions and all the other things which we seek in life, we may cause great sufferings and hardships for others around us.
In many occasions in this world, it was our pride and ego that often became the source of our undoing, as we do not want to give in to others and we tend to think that we are better than everyone else, or that we cannot be wrong or mistaken in our thoughts and ways. Unfortunately, this often led to clashes between us and others, and in our pursuit of things to satisfy our wants and desires, we may even cause sufferings to others around us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Many people suffer because of the greed and desires of those who seek more glory and worldly satisfaction for themselves, be it for material goods, wealth and possessions, or be it for fame, renown and ambitions, for power, prestige and glory in this world.
As Christians, that is as those who believe in God and have Him as our Lord and Master, then it is only right and just for each and every one of us to shun all these worldly glory and ambitions, and to embrace true humility as an important virtue in our lives as Christians. And the best example for us all to follow is none other than the Lord Himself, Who has indeed humbled Himself and filled Himself with true and genuine humility before all. That was what He had done for our sake as He emptied Himself of His majesty and glory as the Lord and Master of the whole Universe. He chose to take upon Himself the form and nature of Man, to be one like us and to be tangible and approachable to us, His creations, by being incarnate and then born of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Throughout history, many people had aspired to be great and mighty, to aspire to great glory and not few want to be treated like the divine. In many civilisations, we saw how many people aspired to be honoured and even worshipped akin to that of the gods and the divines, and some of them even demanded this while they were still living, and meanwhile some others were honoured after their death with great tombs, monuments and other means to celebrate their glory and memories. But among all these, truly there is none like our God Himself, Who chose to do the exact opposite, that is to humble Himself, that while He is already full of majesty, power and glory, He chose to lower Himself, to assume the status of a servant, to be dwelling in our midst, He Who is the Almighty Lord and Master of all the Universe, born of His Mother as a small and frail Child in Bethlehem.
And through what He has done next after this incarnation and appearance in this world was even more mind-boggling in the perfect example of true humility, as Christ obeyed perfectly the will of His heavenly Father, choosing willingly to suffer and die for the sake of all of our sins, to endure the punishments that had been due for all of us so that we may not perish and face eternal damnation, but through Him, receive the sure promise and assurance of eternal life. This is also what the author of the second reading today, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, wrote about, detailing the call that the Lord, God of Israel and Master of the whole Universe, had made to all those whom He loves, that is all of us mankind, to be gathered in Him and to share in the love and inheritance that He has meant for us.
Through that, the author of this Epistle to the Hebrews wanted to highlight firstly to his audience, the faithful among the Jewish people, the descendants of those who were first called by God, the Israelites, that God has always loved them and shown them His care and concern, and He has shown them His most amazing love, manifested in all of its perfection in none other than His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the One Whom He sent into this world to bring about its salvation, to gather each and every one of us to Himself, and to manifest His love in all of its most wonderful and perfect form, and He did all these through the ultimate show of humility, one that is truly genuine and full of love. And through the same Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, God would bring us all into a New and Eternal Covenant which Christ is the Mediator of.
Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard yet another reminder of the importance of humility in our lives, which the Lord Jesus Himself had spoken to His disciples and followers, and all those who have listened to Him and followed Him. He was bringing up the examples of the Pharisees and the religious and intellectual elites of the community, many of whom often had elitist attitudes and behaviours, seeking their own personal glory and ambitions, desiring for more worldly grandeur, glory and greatness, all of which brought them ever further away from the path that the Lord has asked them to walk through, as they indulged in human praise and adulation, seeking the most important places in banquets and other events, while looking down on those whom they deemed to be inferior to them.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded that all these temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, all the pursuits of worldly desires and all these attachments we often have to worldly things, greed and ego, all these can lead us all easily astray from the path which God has shown and taught us all to walk through. If we allow those temporary treasures of this world, those treasures that are passing and transitory in nature, impermanent and are easily destroyed, to tempt and keep us away from following the path towards the Lord and His salvation, then we will end up losing sight on what is truly important for us, and we will not be able to find our way towards the Lord. In the end, if we choose to follow the path of worldliness and pride, greed and ambition, we will only regret it at the end. Let us all seek instead the path of true Christian humility in all things.
Let us all therefore heed the Lord’s words which we have heard through the readings and passages of the Sacred Scriptures this Sunday, in which we have been reminded of the importance of the virtue of humility for all of us as Christians. Humility is a very important thing that we need to have in our everyday living and action, and humility is indeed the greatest means by which we can rid ourselves of worldly glory, ambitions, ego and pride, all of which are obstacles preventing us all from coming closer towards God. Let us all seek to be more humble in everything, and strive to put God ever first and foremost, and at the very centre of our lives. May God be with us always, and may He bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 14 : 1, 7-14
At that time, one Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and He was carefully watched.
Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for He had noticed how they tried to take the places of honour. And He said, “When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you had been invited; and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you, ‘Please give this person your place.’ What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!”
“Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you, ‘Friend, you must come up higher.’ And this will be a great honour for you in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised.”
Jesus also addressed the man who had invited Him, and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives, or your wealthy neighbours. For surely they will also invite you in return, and you will be repaid.”
“When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they cannot repay you; you will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Hebrews 12 : 18-19, 22-24a
What you have come to, is nothing known to the senses : nor heat of a blazing fire, darkness and gloom and storms, blasts of trumpet or such a voice that the people pleaded, that no further word be spoken.
But you came near to Mount Zion, to the City of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, with its innumerable Angels. You have come to the solemn feast, the assembly of the firstborn of God, whose names are written in heaven.
There is God, Judge of all, with the spirits of the upright, brought to perfection. There is Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant, with the sprinkled Blood that cries out more effectively than Abel’s.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 67 : 4-5ac, 6-7ab, 10-11
But let the righteous be glad and exult before God; let them sing to God and shout for joy. Sing to God, sing praises to His Name; YHVH is His Name. Rejoice in His presence.
Father of orphans and Protector of widows – such is our God in His holy dwelling. He gives shelter to the homeless, sets the prisoners free.
Then You gave a rain of blessings, to comfort Your weary children. Your people found a dwelling, and, in Your mercy, o God, You provided for the needy.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 