feast of the Lord

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King (Double I Classis) – Sunday, 27 October 2024 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 71 : 8, 11 and Daniel 7 : 14

Dominabitur a mari usque ad mare, et a flumine usque ad terminos orbis terrarum.

Priest : Et adorabunt eum omnes reges terrae : omnes gentes servient ei.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Priest : Potestas ejus, potestas aeterna, quae non auferetur : et regnum ejus, quod non corrumpetur. Alleluja.

English translation

He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Priest : And all kings of the earth shall adore Him, all nations shall serve Him.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Priest : His power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away, and His kingdom that shall not be destroyed. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King (Double I Classis) – Sunday, 27 October 2024 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

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

Colossians 1 : 12-20

Fratres : Gratias agimus Deo Patri, qui dignos nos fecit in partem sortis sanctorum in lumine : qui eripuit nos de potestate tenebrarum, et transtulit in regnum Filii dilectionis suae, in quo habemus redemptionem per sanguinem ejus, remissionem peccatorum : qui est imago Dei invisibilis, primogenitus omnis creatura : quoniam in ipso condita sunt universa in caelis et in terra, visibilia et invisibilia, sive Throni, sive Dominationes, sive Principatus, sive Potestates : omnia per ipsum, et in ipso creata sunt : et ipse est ante omnes, et omnia in ipso constant.

Et ipse est caput corporis Ecclesiae, qui est principium, primogenitus ex mortuis : ut sit in omnibus ipse primatum tenens; quia in ipso complacuit omnem plenitudinem inhabitare; et per eum reconciliare omnia in ipsum, pacificans per sanguinem crucis ejus, sive quae in terris, sive quae in caelis sunt, in Christo Jesu Domino nostro.

English translation

Brethren, we give thanks to God the Father, Who had made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light, Who had delivered us from the power of darkness, and had translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. In Whom we have redemption through His Blood, the remission of sins, Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature for in Him were all things created in Heaven and on earth visible and invisible, whether Thrones, or Dominations, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by Him and in Him. And He is before all, and by Him all things consist.

And He is the Head of the Body, the Church. Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may hold the primacy, because in Him it had well pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, and through Him to reconcile all things unto Himself, making peace through the Blood of His cross, both as to the things that are on earth, and the things that are in Heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost, Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King (Double I Classis) – Sunday, 27 October 2024 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Apocalypse 5 : 12, 1, 6 and Psalm 71 : 1

Dignus est Agnus, qui occisus est, accipere virtutem, et divinitatem, et sapientiam, et fortitudinem, et honorem. Ipsi gloria et imperium in saecula saeculorum.

Deus, judicium Tuum Regi da : et justitiam Tuam Filio Regis.

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

English translation

The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive the power and divinity and wisdom and strength and honour to Him be glory and empire forever and ever.

Give to the King Your Judgment, o God, and to the King’s Son Your justice.

Priest : 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

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui in dilecto Filio Tuo, universorum Rege, omnia instaurare voluisti : concede propitius; ut cunctae familiae gentium, peccati vulnere disgregatae, ejus suavissimo subdantur imperio : Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Almighty and Eternal God, Who has wished to restore all things through Your beloved Son, the King of the Universe, graciously grant that all the families of the Gentiles separated by the wound of sin, may be subjected to His most loving dominion, Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all reminded clearly by the Lord that as Christians each and every one of us must not allow ourselves to be tempted and swayed by the various worldly desires, ambitions and temptations which can lead one astray in the journey towards the Lord. All of us must instead continue to focus ourselves upon the Lord, our God and Saviour, and upon all the love, attention, care and compassion which He has always lavished on us. We must always hold strongly to this assurance of the Lord’s promises and all that He had reminded us through His Son, in how He has made His love and compassion tangible for us, making Himself approachable and accessible to us, so that we may come to seek His ever patient love and mercy, and be truly reconciled with Him.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the passage taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet spoke about the prophecy of the Suffering Servant or Suffering Messiah, which was a premonition of what the Messiah or Saviour sent by God to His people would have to endure. This revelation of what the Lord would be doing through His Messiah or Saviour is a reminder for us that each one of us as Christians are not immune to sufferings, hardships and difficulties. If the Lord, our God Himself has suffered great challenges, been rejected, humiliated and persecuted greatly for speaking and delivering the truth that He Himself has brought into our midst, then who among us can say that we may not face the same challenges and difficulties as well?

We are reminded that sufferings, trials, persecutions, obstacles and difficulties are all parts of our ministry and journey as Christians. We may encounter moments when we may end up being in difficult position and we may have to struggle in deciding how to progress forward in life, and whether we want to continue to follow the Lord or not, or whether we follow the path of the world and what is comfortable for us instead. And this is where we need to make a strong and firm stand of our faith, to continue to hold strongly to our faith and commitment to God, despite all the various difficulties and obstacles we may encounter in our path. The Lord has always been with us, by our side, no matter what, and He has always guided us throughout all of our journey.

Then, from the second reading passage today, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard about the role of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the whole world as the High Priest of all mankind and all of creation, by all that He had done in offering Himself as the perfect and most worthy sacrifice for the atonement and forgiveness of our many sins and wickedness, all the things that had prevented us from coming closer to God and His salvation. The author of that Epistle also highlighted how this same High Priest, Who has offered Himself as the perfect and worthy sacrifice, also knew our sufferings and trials, Himself having been subjected to the same temptations and coercions we ourselves faced, but He did not give in to those temptations.

And in solidarity with us, by sharing in our humanity and our nature, He has united each one of us to Himself, and helping us all to realise what God has wanted from us, that is for us to embrace the salvation and love that He has shown to us so generously through His Son, that by following the example and having faith in the same Son of God, our one and true High Priest, Jesus Christ, all of us may receive and attain the fullness of God’s promise and assurance of eternal life, of true joy and happiness which He has always intended for us from the very beginning. We might have been separated from Him because of our disobedience and sins, but God’s love is far greater than any of those obstacles, temptations, pressures and all the other distractions and things that we may encounter in our path towards our salvation in God.

From the Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the time when the Lord was confronted with two of His disciples, the sons of Zebedee, namely St. James and St. John, who came with their mother to Him, asking for special favours and position from Him, to sit on His right and left. If we do not understand the significance of this request, we should know that it is a great honour to sit by the side of the King, and those two disciples sought to be honoured above the rest through such a request. Indeed, the Lord did show His favour to the two of them as He usually often brought the two sons of Zebedee, St. James and St. John together with St. Peter on the several important occasions throughout His ministry, but this did not mean that they should seek personal glory and ambition in their ministry as the disciples and followers of Christ.

The Lord told the two disciples that there are sufferings, challenges and sufferings that they would have to endure, and they would have to drink from the same cup of suffering which He Himself had to drink. What He wanted to tell them is that, following Him as a disciple is not about seeking the glory and satisfaction of the world but about service, to serve God wholeheartedly and to follow Him ever more faithfully and courageously despite the many challenges and trials we may encounter in life. All of us must not think that we will be rewarded with status, power and glory as many of us might have thought that we deserve for having followed the Lord and obeyed Him. Many of the disciples had the ambition and desires in their heart for all those things, and that was why they were unhappy at the actions of the two sons of Zebedee, and why they often bickered and quarrelled with one another over this matter.

As we have heard from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures and discerned from the earlier discussions and discourses we had, all of us are reminded that as Christians we must not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations and pressures of the world around us, and by the allure of desire and worldly glory. We are all called to be more humble and focused on the Lord, to distance ourselves from the trap of ambition, hubris and pride, all the things which can lead us astray and distracted in life, to walk down the path of disobedience and rebellion against God because we may be swayed by those temptations and desires, and all the falsehoods of the evil one, who would likely tempt us to think that we cannot be wrong in our ways and ideals, and end up getting further and more distant from the true path towards God. We should instead follow the examples of the Lord Himself, Who has humbled Himself, to be offered as a worthy sacrifice and offering for our salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind one another that as Christians, as the disciples and followers of our Lord and God, we must always strive to be humble in all things, and to be ready and willing to listen to the Lord speaking to us, reminding and helping us to remain truly faithful to Him, and to restrain ourselves from all the pride, ego, ambition, hubris, greed, desires and all the things which may bring us away from the Lord and His grace. May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to help us to stay true to our faith and commitment in Him, and may He encourage and strengthen us to remain firm in our faith and devotion despite all the challenges that we may have to face in our journey and life, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 35-45

At that time, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to Him, “Master, we want You to grant us what we are going to ask of You.” And He said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They answered, “Grant us to sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, when You come in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink, or be baptised in the way I am baptised?” They answered, “We can.” And Jesus told them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink; and you will be baptised in the way that I am baptised; but to sit at My right or at My left is not Mine to grant. It has been prepared for others.”

On hearing this, the other ten were angry with James and John. Jesus then called them to Him and said, “As you know, the so-called rulers of the nations behave like tyrants, and those in authority oppress the people. But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all.”

“Think of the Son of Man, Who has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Mark 10 : 42-45

At that time, Jesus then called His disciples to Him and said, “As you know, the so-called rulers of the nations behave like tyrants, and those in authority oppress the people. But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all.”

“Think of the Son of Man, Who has not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

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Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 4 : 14-16

We have a great High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God, Who has entered heaven. Let us, then, hold fast to the faith we profess. Our High Priest is not indifferent to our weaknesses, for He was tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sinning.

Let us, then, with confidence approach the throne of grace; we will obtain mercy and, through His favour, help in due time.

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Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 32 : 4-5, 18-19, 20 and 22

For upright is the Lord’s word and worthy of trust is His work. The Lord loves justice and righteousness; the earth is full of His kindness.

But the Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving-kindness to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.

In hope we wait for the Lord for He is our help and our shield. O Lord, let Your love rest upon us, even as our hope rests in You.

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Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Isaiah 53 : 10-11

Yet it was the will of YHVH to crush Him with grief. When He makes Himself an offering for sin, He will have a long life and see His descendants. Through Him the will of YHVH is done. For the anguish He suffered, He will see the light and obtain perfect knowledge. My just Servant will justify the multitude; He will bear and take away their guilt.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : Green

Offertory

Esther 14 : 12, 13

Recordare mei, Domine, omni potentatui dominans : et da sermonem rectum in os meum, ut placeant verba mea in conspectu principis.

English translation

Remember me, o Lord, You Who rule above all power, and give a well-ordered speech in my mouth, that my words may be pleasing in the sight of the prince.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Da, misericors Deus : ut haec salutaris oblatio et a propriis nos reatibus indesinenter expediat, et ab omnibus tueatur adversis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Dei, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Grant, o merciful God, that this saving oblation may forever rid us of our own guilt and defend us from all adversities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Communion

Psalm 16 : 6

Ego clamavi, quoniam exaudisti me, Deus : inclina aurem Tuam et exaudi verba mea.

English translation

I have cried for You, o God, have heard me. O, incline Your ear unto me, and hear my words.

Post-Communion Prayer

Sumpsimus, Domine, sacri dona mysterii, humiliter deprecantes : ut, quae in Tui commemorationem nos facere praecepisti, in nostrae proficiant infirmitatis auxilium. Qui vivis et regnas in unitate Spiritus Sanctus Dei, per omnia in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

We have taken the gifts of the sacred mystery, o Lord, humbly imploring that what You have bidden us to do in commemoration of You may avail unto the help of our infirmity. You Who lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 20 October 2024 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 22 : 15-21

In illo tempore : Abeuntes Pharisaei consilium inierunt, ut caperunt Jesum in sermone. Et mittunt ei discipulos Suos cum Herodianis, dicentes : Magister, scimus, quia verax es et viam Dei in veritate doces, et non est Tibi cura de aliquo : non enim respicis personam hominum : dic ergo nobis, quid Tibi videtur, licet censum dare Caesari, an non?

Cognita autem Jesus nequitia eorum, ait : Quid me tentatis hypocritae? Ostendite mihi numisma census. At illi obtulerunt ei denarium. Et ait illis Jesus : Cujus est imago haec et superscriptio? Dicunt Ei : Caesaris. Tunc ait illis : Reddite ergo, quae sunt Caesaris, Caesari; et, quae sunt Dei, Deo.

English translation

At that time, the Pharisees went and consulted among themselves, how to ensnare Jesus in His speech. And they send to Him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, “Master, we know that You are a true speaker, and teach the way of God in truth, neither do You care for any man, for You have no regard for the person of men. Tell us therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

But Jesus knowing their wickedness, said, “Why do you tempt Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin of the tribute.” And they offered Him a penny. And Jesus said to them, “Whose image and superscription is this?” They say to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s, and to God, the things that are God’s.”