Month: December 2025

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Tuesday, 16 December 2025 : 3rd Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 6-7, 17-19, 23

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress.

But His face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught. But the Lord will redeem the life of His servants; none of those who trust in Him will be doomed.

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Tuesday, 16 December 2025 : 3rd Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Zephaniah 3 : 1-2, 9-13

Woe to the rebellious, the defiled, the city that oppresses. She did not pay attention to the call nor accept the correction; she did not trust YHVH nor did she approach her God.

At that time I will give truthful lips to the pagan nations that all of them may call on the Name of YHVH and serve Him with the same zeal. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring offerings to Me. On that day you will no longer be ashamed of all your deeds when you were unfaithful to Me; I will have removed from your midst the conceited and arrogant and My holy mountain will no longer be for you a pretext for boasting.

I will leave within you a poor and meek people who seek refuge in God. The remnant of Israel will not act unjustly nor will they speak falsely, nor will deceitful words be found in their mouths. They will eat and rest with none to threaten them.

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Monday, 15 December 2025 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, we are reminded that each and every one of us as God’s people, His followers and disciples, as Christians, we ought to continue to have hope in the Lord our God, our Father, our Master and Creator, Who will always be with us, blessing us all and protecting us from harm’s way and from those who hate and despise us. He will shield us even from those who seek to curse and destroy us, and even when we have to suffer and endure tribulations, we must not forget that God is always there with us, by our side, supporting us all just as He has once suffered the worst of persecutions, rejections and humiliations for our sake.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Numbers, we heard of the occasion when the prophet and seer Balaam was tasked by a king who was the enemy of the Israelites, king Balak, to utter a curse against the people of Israel. He must have been quite a well-known seer and whose prayers and utterings had the power, such that the king of Israel’s enemy, desperate in trying to seek for a way to stop the seemingly unstoppable might and advance of the Israelites on their way to their Promised Land, sought this seer’s help to assist him in defeating the people of God. And yet, as we all heard in what Balaam actually spoke in song to the Israelites were in fact words and songs of blessing, which God had inspired him to say and sing for His people.

We heard the song of praise and blessings which Balaam spoke and sung for the Israelites, praising the glory and the joy of the children of Jacob, and how God had richly blessed them all and how they were guided, protected and led to the right paths by their loving God and Master. And at the same time, this reading was chosen for us on this occasion also because Balaam also received a vision of the distant future, as he saw glimpses of the fulfilment of God’s plan of salvation, as he saw a Star rising from Jacob, the coming of the Light of the nations, referring to the future coming of the Messiah long before other prophets even spoke of this coming Saviour. This is what we have also been hearing throughout this time and season of Advent, of the coming of God’s salvation, which He has indeed fully accomplished through Christ, His Son.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and the authorities of the Temple of Jerusalem, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, the latter of whom questioned the Lord on the authenticity and the basis of His authority in everything that He had done and performed, just as they themselves had also done against St. John the Baptist, the one whom God had sent to prepare the path for His Saviour. It must have indeed been very frustrating for the Lord to keep on encountering the repeated challenges, trials and oppositions as such that He had faced against those stubborn chief priests, Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom kept on interfering with His works and ministry in many occasions.

Then it was at that time that the Lord then questioned them with another question on what they thought of the works of St. John the Baptist, the one whom they themselves had opposed and questioned in the similar manner as they had done against Him. This was indeed a very smart move, as highlighted by what those members of the Sanhedrin, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law immediately discussed afterwards. They could not agree on whether they should tell the Lord that they believed that the works of St. John the Baptist were the works of man, or whether they were Divinely ordained and appointed. They were in a dilemma because both responses would have led them into great trouble either way, as mentioned, that if they said that the works of St. John the Baptist were worldly in origin they risked the wrath of the people who mostly and widely believed that St. John the Baptist is a man of God.

On the other hand, if they responded with the works of St. John the Baptist as Divinely ordained, then not only that this would affirm whatever the Lord Jesus Himself had done, but that would also undermine their own position considering that they themselves had earlier on criticised St. John the Baptist and doubted him. In that way, their answer would be a slap to their own faces. Hence, we heard how they all eventually agreed to tell the Lord that they did not know, and this led to a stalemate where the Lord therefore said that He was not obliged to share either where He had His authority from. It is sad indeed to see all these oppositions that happened against the Lord, against all the efforts and good works that He had carried out for the people of God because of the pride, arrogance and greed of those who were the leaders of the people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we have discussed and discerned through these readings of the Sacred Scriptures today, let us all continue to do our best in living our lives faithfully in the Lord, following His path thoroughly despite the many challenges and trials that we may encounter and face in our lives. We should always put our faith and trust in the Lord, knowing that whatever challenges and hardships we face, we will always be steadfast in staying firm in our course towards the Lord, and not be easily tempted or swayed to turn away or seek alternatives that lead us further from the Lord and His salvation. Let us be courageous and strong so that by our faith and our hope in God, we will inspire many others we encounter to continue to be strong and faithful in everything that they do, and become ever closer to the Lord.

May the Lord, our most loving God continue to inspire and strengthen all of us so that by His guidance, strength and wisdom, we may continue to do our best in glorifying Him at all times through our every efforts, endeavours and all the things we do in our interactions with everyone we encounter in life. And especially during this time and season of Advent, let us all continue to prepare ourselves thoroughly so that in our every daily endeavours, efforts and all of our preparation for the upcoming Christmas season, we will always put the Lord at the centre of all things. Amen.

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Monday, 15 December 2025 : 3rd Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 21 : 23-27

At that time, Jesus had entered the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities came to Him, and asked, “What authority have You to act like this? Who gave You authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “I will also ask You a question, only one. And if you give me an answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. When John began to baptise, was it a work of God, or was it merely something human?”

They reasoned out among themselves, “If we reply that it was a work of God, He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ And if we say, ‘The baptism of John is merely something human’, we have got to beware of the people, for all hold John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”

And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things.”

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Monday, 15 December 2025 : 3rd Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 24 : 4bc-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, but in Your love remember me.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

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Monday, 15 December 2025 : 3rd Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Numbers 24 : 2-7, 15-17a

Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping, tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered this song : “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, and beholds the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled.”

“How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your encampments, Israel! Like valleys stretching far, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes planted by YHVH, like cedars beside the waters. His buckets are overflowing and His seeds are always watered. His king becomes stronger than Agag, and His kingdom grows.

Then Balaam pronounced his oracle : “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, who has the knowledge from the Most High, and sees the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. I see a Figure, but not really. I behold Him but not near. A Star shall come forth from Jacob, He rises with a staff in His hand.”

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Sunday, 14 December 2025 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we mark the occasion of the Third Sunday of Advent, also commonly known as the Gaudete Sunday. The name Gaudete means ‘Joy’ and it highlights the theme that we focus on in this Sunday during this time of Advent preparation for the coming joy and celebration at Christmas, among the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. This name Gaudete came from the Introit of this Gaudete Sunday, which goes by like this: ‘Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete’, which means ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice’. And this invites us all to remember of the upcoming great joy that we are going to celebrate together at Christmas, and which is why as we focus on the expectation of the upcoming Joy of Christmas, this Sunday marks a relaxation of the usually more sombre Advent tone.

In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the reassuring words of the Lord reminding all of His people of the upcoming great joy that they all shall share through and with Him, when He would one day show unto them the joy of His coming, as He has promised to all of them, that He would come into their midst, bringing upon them the deliverance and salvation that had been long expected and awaited for by everyone. This came at the appropriate time because by the time the Lord spoke these words through Isaiah, the people of God, the Israelites had been facing lots of struggles, hardships and difficulties. Those who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel had very recently suffered great humiliation and trial, of having their country, cities and livelihood turned upside down by the Assyrians who came to conquer their lands.

Many of the people of God, parts of the tribes of Israel were brought into exile in distant lands and their own homeland became parcelled off and divided amongst foreigners and pagans. And those who lived in the southern kingdom of Judah did not have it better either, as they also faced difficulties and hardships from those enemies all around them as well, and the looming threat of the Assyrians that could overwhelm their kingdom and cities at that time just as how it happened to their northern neighbours earlier on. But the Lord reassured His people through His prophets including Isaiah that He would always be with them, protecting and guiding them through those difficult days and moments.

Eventually, He would send them His deliverance and hope through the Saviour that He would send into their midst, and all of these were fulfilled when Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, born into the House of David, the Son of God Himself, incarnate in the flesh, came into this world. And it is this great Joy which we have been preparing ourselves throughout this time of the Advent season, preparing ourselves wholeheartedly so that we may indeed celebrate this Christmas with true and great Joy, and focus ourselves on what we truly ought to rejoice about in this most joyful and wonderful season and time. We should not forget that Christmas is ultimately about celebrating what the Lord had done for us most generously through His Beloved Son, and not about comparing who among ourselves can hold a more extravagant and lavish celebrations. We must not lose sight on the true purpose and meaning of Christmas.

Then, from our second reading, taken from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle, we heard of the words of the Apostle telling all the faithful people of God to be patient in waiting for the Lord, with two main contexts here to help us understand better why patience is important in this case. First of all, back at that time during the earliest days of the Church, there was a rather wide expectation by quite a number within the Church, even by St. Paul the Apostle as was evident within some of his Epistles that the second coming of the Lord and His return would be imminent, that it would happen within their lifetime. St. James essentially reminded the people of God of the reality that the Lord Jesus Himself said in the Gospels, that besides Him alone and the Father, no one else would know the exact time and moment of His coming.

In addition, the Lord Himself has also mentioned that although His coming is certain to come, but it will also not happen very soon or very immediate, lest His disciples think that it will happen immediately after He has ascended into Heaven, or that they become impatient in waiting for the Lord’s return. And this is important because the people of God at the time of the ministry of the Apostles, to whom St. James and the other Apostles had been ministering to, they were often facing lots of hardships, trials and challenges, rejections and persecutions from the authorities and the people around them, from the Jewish authorities and High Council, as well as from the pagans opposed to the inroads and efforts made by the Christian missionaries, and the Roman state itself, which began to carry out official persecutions against Christians at the time.

St. James the Apostle wants to remind us all the faithful people of God that while we may have to suffer in remaining faithful to God, but in the end, the Lord is always with us and we can expect joyfully and hopefully towards His coming and return into this world, which is sure to happen, and we ought to have faith and trust in Him, no matter what. This time and season of Advent we are constantly being reminded of this great Joy and all the Hope that we have in our Lord and Saviour, knowing that surely everything will happen as He has foretold and assured to us repeatedly again and again, and each and every one of us as Christians ought to always embody this Joy within us, the true Joy of Christmas that we can find in Christ alone.

Finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard about the moment when the Lord Jesus was confronted with some of the disciples of St. John the Baptist who brought upon Him a message from the man of God himself. This was some time after St. John the Baptist had baptised the Lord at the River Jordan at the beginning of His earthly ministry. In that occasion, we heard of how St. John the Baptist was also seeking reassurance from the Lord Himself, whether He was truly the One that he had been preparing the people for, the Messiah or Saviour of God. Back then, we must understand that St. John the Baptist had been facing rather intense challenges and persecutions from both the Jewish religious authorities as well as from the secular rulers like King Herod.

Therefore, it was kind of understandable that while St. John the Baptist was firm in his conviction and his efforts, he was having some doubts himself, while having that joyful expectation of having seen and witnessed the coming of God’s Saviour, the One Whom he himself had encountered and baptised at the River Jordan. Hence, the Lord reassured him through his disciples that He was indeed the One that he and the others had been long expecting, and this was followed by the Lord praising St. John the Baptist before His own disciples and followers, stating how he was indeed the greatest among all the children of mankind, although compared to the One Who came from the Kingdom of Heaven, the least of those who came from the Kingdom of Heaven was greater than St. John the Baptist.

St. John the Baptist was indeed the greatest of those born under the Old Testament and the old Law as the last and ‘seal of the Prophets’, because he alone among all of the Prophets came to witness the Lord and Saviour Himself, and actively worked to prepare His coming into this world. But with the coming of Christ, all of us have been made partakers of His truth and Good News, and we are reminded therefore of just fortunate and blessed all of us are because we have received the assurance and sure evidence of God’s ever enduring love and compassion, all of His kindness, grace and blessings which He has manifested to all of us through none other than Christ, His Beloved and only Begotten Son, born into this world to lead us all into salvation through Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect further from what we have heard and received from our Scripture passages today, we ought to remember again why we are preparing so thoroughly and carefully for the joyful celebration of Christmas. Let us ask ourselves once again why is it that we want to celebrate Christmas? What is it that we really want to celebrate in this festive season? Are we celebrating it for the merrymaking and all the worldly joy and pleasures? Or are we focusing on what is the true Joy of Christmas, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour and His coming into this world, as He manifested God’s ever enduring and most wonderful love for each and every one of us, making God’s Love tangible and accessible for all of us.

May the Lord, our Christmas Joy continue to bless us all and may He continue to guide each and every one of us so that we may continue to progress through this time and season of Advent with ever better appreciation and understanding of what it is that we really rejoice for in this upcoming time of Christmas. May God be with us always and may He empower us all in our respective journeys so that we will always be faithful and committed to live our lives most worthily as good and exemplary Christians, in showing the true Joy and spirit of Christmas to everyone we encounter during this time of Advent and the upcoming Christmas season. Amen.

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Sunday, 14 December 2025 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Matthew 11 : 2-11

At that time, when John the Baptist heard in prison about the activities of Christ, he sent a message by his disciples, asking Him, “Are You the One Who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Jesus answered them, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see : the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead are brought back to life, and Good News is reaching the poor; and how fortunate is the one who does not take offence at Me!”

As the messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John : “When you went out to the desert, what did you expect to see? A reed swept by the wind? What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? People who wear fine clothes live in palaces. What did you really go out to see? A prophet?”

“Yes, indeed, and even more than a prophet. He is the man of whom Scripture says : I send My messenger ahead of You to prepare the way before You. I tell you this : no one greater than John the Baptist has come forward from among the sons of women, and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

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Sunday, 14 December 2025 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

James 5 : 7-10

Be patient then, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. See how the sower waits for the precious fruits of the earth, looking forward patiently to the autumn and spring rains. You also be patient and do not lose heart, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Beloved, do not fight among yourselves and you will not be judged. See, the judge is already at the door. Take for yourselves, as an example of patience, the suffering of the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s Name.

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Sunday, 14 December 2025 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Psalm 145 : 7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

He gives justice to the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.

The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord straightens the bent. The Lord loves the virtuous, but He brings to ruin the way of the wicked. The Lord protects the stranger.

He sustains the widow and the orphan. The Lord will reign forever, your God, o Zion, from generation to generation. Alleluia!