Lent

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 17 March 2024 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. John

John 8 : 46-59

In illo tempore : Dicebat Jesus turbis Judaeorum : Quis ex vobis arguet me de peccato? Si veritatem dico vobis, quare non creditis mihi? Qui ex Deo est, verba Dei audit. Propterea vos non auditis, quia ex Deo non estis.

Responderunt ergo Judaei et dixerunt ei : Nonne bene dicimus nos, quia Samaritanus es tu, et daemonium habes? Respondit Jesus : Ego daemonium non habeo, sed honorifico Patrem Meum, et vos inhonorastis Me. Ego autem non quaero gloriam Meam : est, qui quaerat et judicet.

Amen, amen, dico vobis : si quis sermonem Meum servaverit, mortem non videbit in aeternum. Dixerunt ergo Judaei : Nunc cognovimus, quia daemonium habes. Abraham mortuus est et Prophetae; et Tu dicis : Si quis sermonem Meum servaverit, non gustabit mortem in aeternum. Numquid Tu major es patre nostro Abraham, qui mortuus est? Et Prophetae mortui sunt. Quem teipsum facis?

Respondit Jesus : Si Ego glorifico meipsum, gloria Mea nihil est : est Pater Meus, qui glorificat Me, quem vos dicitis, quia Deus vester est, et non cognovistis eum : Ego autem novi eum : et si dixero, quia non scio eum, ero similis vobis, mendax. Sed scio eum et sermonem ejus servo. Abraham pater vester exsultavit, ut videret diem meum : vidit, et gavisus est.

Dixerunt ergo Judaei ad Eum : Quinquaginta annos nondum habes, et Abraham vidisti? Dixit eis Jesus : Amen, amen, dico vobis, antequam Abraham fieret, Ego sum. Tulerunt ergo lapides, ut jacerent in Eum : Jesus autem abscondit se, et exivit de Templo.

English translation

At that time, Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews, “Which of you shall convince Me of sin? If I say truth to you, why do you not believe Me? He Who is of God, hears the words of God. Therefore you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, “Do we not say well, that You are a Samaritan, and had a devil?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a devil, but I honour My Father, and you have dishonoured Me. But I do not seek My own glory, there is one who seeks and judges.”

“Amen, Amen, I say to you, if any man keeps My word, he shall not see death forever.” The Jews therefore said, “Now we know that You have a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets, and You said, ‘If any man keeps My word, he shall not taste death forever. Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself?”

Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father Who glorified Me, of Whom you say that He is your God. And you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I shall say that I do not know Him, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know Him, and do keep His word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see My day. He saw it, and was glad.”

The Jews therefore said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, before Abraham was made, I AM.” They took up stones therefore to cast at Him, but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the Temple.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 17 March 2024 : Gradual and Tract

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Gradual

Psalm 142 : 9, 10 and Psalm 17 : 48-49

Eripe me, Domine, de inimicis meis : doce me facere voluntatem Tuam.

Response : Liberator meus, Domine, de gentibus iracundis : ab insurgentibus in me exaltabis me : a viro iniquo eripies me.

English translation

Deliver me from my enemies, o Lord, teach me to do Your will.

Response : My Deliverer, o Lord, from the angry nations, You will lift me up above those who rise up against me, from the unjust man You will deliver me.

Tract

Psalm 128 : 1-4

Saepe expugnaverunt me a juventute mea.

Response : Dicat nunc Israel : saepe expugnaverunt me a juventute mea.

Response : Etenim non potuerunt mihi : supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores.

Response : Prolongaverunt iniquitates suas : Dominus justus concidit cervices peccatorum.

English translation

Often have they fought against me from my youth.

Response : Let Israel now say, often have they fought against me from my youth.

Response : But they could not prevail over me, the wicked have wrought upon my back.

Response : They have lengthened their iniquities, the Lord Who is just will cut the neck of sinners.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 17 March 2024 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Violet

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

Hebrews 9 : 11-15

Fratres : Christus assistens Pontifex futurorum bonorum, per amplius et perfectius tabernaculum non manufactum, id est, non hujus creationis : neque per sanguinem hircorum aut vitulorum, sed per proprium sanguinem introivit semel in Sancta, aeterna redemptione inventa.

Si enim sanguis hircorum et taurorum, et cinis vitulae aspersus, inquinatos sanctificat ad emundationem carnis : quanto magis sanguis Christi, qui per Spiritum Sanctum semetipsum obtulit immaculatam Deo, emundabit conscientiam nostram ab operibus mortuis, ad serviendum Deo viventi?

Et ideo novi Testamenti mediator est : ut, morte intercedente, in redemptionem earum, praevaricationum, quae erant sub priori Testamento, repromissionem accipiant, qui vocati sunt aeternae hereditatis, in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.

English translation

Brethren, Christ having come, a High Priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, neither by the blood of goats or of calves, but by His own Blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and of oxen, and the ashes of an heifer being sprinkled sanctify such as are defiled, to the cleansing of the flesh, how much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who, through the Holy Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works, to serve the Living God?

And therefore He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of His death, for the redemption of those transgressions which were under the former testament, they who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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(Usus Antiquior) Passion Sunday (I Classis) – Sunday, 17 March 2024 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Violet

Introit

Psalm 42 : 1-2 and 3

Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta : ab homine iniquo et doloso eripe me : quia Tu es Deus meus et fortitudo mea.

Emitte lucem Tuam et veritatem Tuam : ipsa me deduxerunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum Tuum et in tabernacula Tua.

Response : Judica me, Deus, et discerne causam meam de gente non sancta : ab homine iniquo et doloso eripe me : quia Tu es Deus meus et fortitudo mea.

English translation

Judge me, o God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy. Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. For You are my God and my Strength.

Send forth Your light and Your truth, they have conducted me, and brought me unto Your holy hill, and into Your tabernacles.

Response : Judge me, o God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy. Deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. For You are my God and my Strength.

Collect

Quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, familiam Tuam propitius respice : ut, Te largiente, regatur in corpore : et, Te servante, custodiantur in mente. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Look with favour upon Your household, we beseech You, o Almighty God, that, by Your gift, it may be governed in body and, by Your preservation, may be guarded in Spirit. 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, 16 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we are drawing ever nearer to the end of the season of Lent, as we are about to enter into Holy Week in just over a week’s time. That is why we have heard of the words of the Scriptures speaking to us all about the coming of tribulation for the One Whom the Lord had sent into our midst for our salvation, namely Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the Son of God, Who would suffer and die for our sake, enduring bitter punishments and struggles, persecutions and hardships for the sake of us sinners. Through all these, God has opened the path and sure way for us leading to His salvation and the eternal life which He has promised to us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which Jeremiah spoke with the Lord regarding the persecutions and hardships that he had endured during his ministry among the people of the kingdom of Judah. At that time, it was during the final years of the existence of Judah as a kingdom and entity, and the people there continued to live in sin and rebellion against God despite all the efforts which the Lord had done in sending His many messengers and prophets to them to remind and guide them in their path. They chose rather to believe in the false prophets and the falsehoods propagated by their leaders rather than to believe in the prophets like Jeremiah, who were oppressed and even killed on occasion.

But Jeremiah remained firm in his conviction to continue serving the Lord despite having faced such struggles and difficulties. He did grumble and complained to the Lord on occasions because of the hardships and trials that he had to face, and because of the stubborn attitude and the lack of faith among the people who continued to resist his efforts and rejected God’s generous offer of love and mercy to them. Jeremiah nonetheless kept his faith and obeyed the Lord, doing whatever he had been told to do, to proclaim God’s messages and will to the people even if it would mean suffering and hardships for him. He also brought to the people of Judah, the reassurance that while they would have to suffer the consequences for their sins against God, but God’s love for them endured nonetheless, and one day, God would lead them all towards His Presence and reconcile them with Him.

That same passage from the Book of Jeremiah also contained the prophecy of what would happen to the Saviour Whom God would send to His people, in the words that the prophet Jeremiah himself said, that ‘he is like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter’ and how the people treated him badly, and ‘would plot to remove him from the land of the living’. While this firstly referred directly to what Jeremiah had himself experienced, but it was in fact also a prediction of what the Messiah, Our Lord Himself would experience during His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross. The Lord Jesus would endure all these challenges, trials and hardships, and eventually be slaughtered and killed, as the Paschal Lamb, sacrificed for us all, for our redemption and salvation.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the discord and disagreements between the members of the Sanhedrin, or the Jewish High Council with regards to the Lord Jesus, in what they were trying to decide to do about Him. Many of them were against the Lord and were skeptical about His teachings and works, while some were outright hostile in their opposition against Him, seeing Him as a great threat to the order and the influence that the members of the Sanhedrin, be it Sadducees or Pharisees, had over the community. And yet, there were also those like Nicodemus, who were sympathetic and supportive of the Lord, believing in Him.

The disagreements arose because those who supported the Lord tried to defend Him and His actions, while the majority who refused to believe in Him used arguments such as the fact that the Lord Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to disprove the authenticity and the authority of the Lord as the Messiah promised by God, not knowing that the Lord Himself was born in Bethlehem, in the city of David, just as prophesied by the prophets, and all that He had done, essentially had affirmed and manifested that Jesus is truly the One Whom God had sent. He was opposed and persecuted because those religious leaders and societal elites could not bring it to humble themselves before God and listen to reason and truth.

Therefore, just as we listened from the Scripture readings today, let us all be reminded of everything that God had done for us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, as we come ever closer to the beginning of the Holy Week, so that first of all we can be reminded of His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy for each and every one of us, and then, that we may be able to prepare ourselves well so that we can celebrate the Holy Week and the most wonderful mysteries and events surrounding the Easter Triduum with hearts and minds that are truly attuned to the Lord, and to be filled with the strong desire and love for God, as we all should have.

Let us all therefore do our part from now on, to live our lives worthily of the Lord, heeding His call and doing whatever He has asked us all to do, following the faithful example and perseverance of the prophet Jeremiah and the many other prophets and servants of God, and of course, ultimately, that of the Lord Himself, Who obeyed His Father’s will so perfectly, that He chose willingly to embrace His Cross, to suffer and die for us on that Cross, so that by His death and Resurrection, He may restore us all to new life with God. May all of us be blessed and guided by God, in all of our whole lives, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 16 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 7 : 40-53

At that time, many who had been listening to these words began to say, “This is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some wondered, “Would the Christ come from Galilee? Does Scripture not say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David? The crowd was divided over Him. Some wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

The officers of the Temple went back to the chief priests, who asked them, “Why did you not bring Him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this Man.” The Pharisees then said, “So you, too, have been led astray! Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in Him? Only those cursed people, who have no knowledge of the Law!”

Yet one of them, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, spoke out, “Does our law condemn people without first hearing them and knowing the facts?” They replied, “Do you, too, come from Galilee? Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.” And they all went home.

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Saturday, 16 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 7 : 2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

O Lord, my God, in You I take shelter; deliver me and save me from all my pursuers, lest lions tear me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

O Lord, my righteousness; You see that I am blameless. Bring to an end the power of the wicked, but affirm the just, o righteous God, searcher of mind and heart.

You cover me as a shield. Oh God, for You protect the upright. A righteous judge is God, His anger ever awaiting those who refuse to repent.

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Saturday, 16 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 11 : 18-20

YHVH made it known to me and so I know! And You let me see their scheming. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me that they were plotting, “Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.”

YHVH, God of hosts, You Who judge with justice and know everyone’s heart and intentions, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have entrusted my cause.

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Friday, 15 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to be aware that in our lives as Christians, in our obligation, duty and way of life in living our lives faithfully as those whom the Lord has called and chosen, we may encounter lots of challenges, trials, difficulties and obstacles in our path, depending on the situation and conditions around us, which may be different from one person to another. The reality is such that the path of the Lord is often at odds with the norms and ways of the world, and therefore, if we follow the Lord faithfully and with commitment in every moments of our lives, we may have to face the same difficulties that the Lord and His many servants and messengers, His prophets and disciples had suffered.

In our first reading today we heard from the Book of Wisdom in which the author spoke about the sufferings, persecutions, challenges and difficulties that the servants and prophets of God had to endure throughout their ministry, all because of the stubbornness that the people to whom they had been sent to, their refusal to follow the Law of God and their rebelliousness, through which they had gone ever deeper into the path of sin and evil. The Lord nonetheless still loved them all, and patiently helped and guided them back towards Himself, sending to them those servants and messengers to assist and lead them all in the right path. Yet, they often rejected His offer of love and mercy, and many of them preferred to walk down in their own rebellious path. Thus, they persecuted those servants and messengers, making a mockery of their status as God’s beloved people.

As much as it was a story of what had happened in the earlier eras, this passage from the Book of Wisdom is at the same time also a prophecy and premonition of what was to come, when the Messiah or Saviour finally came into the midst of God’s people. Why is that so? That is because the same fate and sufferings which the prophets and messengers of God had often faced during their ministry and work, would also be faced by the Messiah of God. The Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom the Father had sent into our midst, had to experience suffering and rejection from those whom He had been sent to, and what the author of the Book of Wisdom had described, was everything which the world had plotted against this same One through Whom the salvation of the world would come from. He would be faced with stubborn opposition from those who were not willing to accept the truth of God.

That is because those people were filled with pride and ego, and with the desires and attachments of the world that they could not rid themselves of, allowing themselves to be swayed and tempted by those same temptations and allures of worldly glory, that they hardened their hearts and minds against God, and persecuting even the same Messiah that they had all long expected and been awaiting for. They refused to admit that they had been wrong, mistaken and erroneous in their way of following God and observing those Law and commandments which they had been entrusted with. This led to them plotting against the Lord, turning their backs against their own Saviour, abandoning the One Who had clearly presented to them with the undeniable proofs of God’s love and providence, leading to Him being persecuted and eventually crucified and died on the Cross.

This fact was highlighted in our Gospel passage today, in which the Lord Jesus spoke and elaborated about the challenges and persecutions that He Himself would soon face in Jerusalem, as He embarked on the last part of His earthly ministry. He had to face a lot of hardships and rejection, challenges from the Temple authorities, from the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, many of whose members refused to accept the teachings and the works that the Lord had presented to them. They all believed that their way of observing the Law, their beliefs and their practices are superior than everyone else’s and that they could not have been wrong or mistaken, and hence, they treated the Lord as a great rival to them and a dangerous threat to their privileged existence and status in the community. That was why, they would eventually arrest Him and then condemned Him to death on the Cross through the means of the Romans.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have clearly heard from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, there were indeed lots of tribulations, trials and challenges that the Lord Himself and His servants and messengers had suffered. The same sufferings and trials have also been faced by our predecessors in faith, just as the history of the Church and the story of the many saints and martyrs of the Church can tell us. This is a reminder therefore, that if we want to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and completely as we should, we may have to endure those same sufferings and challenges, trials and difficulties as well. But at the same time, we should not be afraid or fearful because the Lord Himself will be with us, by our side, protecting and guiding us in our respective journeys and paths.

In this season of Lent, we are given the time, opportunity and choice, whether we want to follow the path of those who have rebelled against God, disobeyed Him and refusing to follow His will, or whether we want to stay by His side, enduring whatever obstacles and trials that may come in our path as we continue living our lives faithfully in the presence of God. We should always remain firm in our faith and conviction, as well as in the desire to continue being good and worthy followers and disciples of God. It is why we are all reminded of all the dangers of sin and evil today through the Scriptures and in our past few days of readings. We should continue to strive to reject the temptations of the world, the allures of sin and evil, and do our best that our lives may truly be worthy of God, and be good examples and inspirations for others around us.

May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith towards Him. May He empower each and every one of us so that we may always be strong and firm in our commitment to live our lives worthily of the Lord, at all times. Let us all continue to seek to glorify the Lord by our lives, by each and every one of our works, actions and deeds. Amen.

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Friday, 15 March 2024 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 7 : 1-2, 10, 25-30

At that time, Jesus went around Galilee; He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews wanted to kill Him. Now the Jewish feast of the Tents was at hand.

But after His brothers had gone to the festival, He also went up, not publicly but in secret. Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is this not the Man they want to kill? And here He is speaking freely, and they do not say a word to Him? Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ? Yet we know where this Man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where He comes from.”

So Jesus announced in a loud voice in the Temple court where He was teaching, “You say that you know Me and know where I come from! I have not come of Myself; I was sent by the One Who is true, and you do not know Him. I know Him for I come from Him and He sent Me.”

They would have arrested Him, but no one laid hands on Him because His time had not yet come.