Liturgical Colour : Red
Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5
The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.
No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Romans 10 : 9-18
You are saved, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and, in your heart, you believe that God raised Him from the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips, you are saved.
For Scripture says : No one who believes in Him will be ashamed. Here, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, Who is very generous with whoever calls on Him. Truly, all who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.
But how can they call upon the Name of the Lord without having believed in Him? And how can they believe in Him, without having first heard about Him? And how will they hear about Him, if no one preaches about Him? And how will they preach about Him, if no one sends them?
As Scripture says : How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of Good News. Although, not everyone obeyed the Good News, as Isaiah said : Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ.
I ask : Have the Jews not heard? But, of course, they have. Because the voice of those preaching resounded all over the earth, and their voice was heard, to the ends of the world.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all reminded by our reading passages from the Sacred Scriptures that each and every one of us must always hold fast to our faith in the Lord, and we must not be easily swayed and tempted to do otherwise just because it seemed that things are going against us, or that we may have to suffer in the midst of our obedience and following of the Lord. It is a fact and reality that to be true and genuine Christians, often times we may have to encounter difficulties and challenges, trials and tribulations in life. There are many things that we may have to suffer from in life as we continue to walk faithfully in God’s path, but as long as we remain firmly faithful in Him, we will be strengthened and empowered in our efforts and works, and in our perseverance in faith.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel of the account of what happened during the end of the kingdom of Babylon, which was then under the rule of Belshazzar, few decades after the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. And we heard how at that time, the king was having a grand banquet with his nobles and officials, where he disrespected the Lord and did great profanity by using the golden and silver vessels that had been taken from the Temple of Jerusalem, consecrated and sanctified for divine worship, for his hedonistic banquet and worldly pleasures. According to history, this same King Belshazzar was also hated by the people because he often disrespected local customs and even his own Babylonian deities.
Therefore, we then heard how there appeared writings on the wall, ‘Mene’, ‘Tekel’ and ‘Pharsin’, which were in fact God’s warnings and reminders to Belshazzar of the imminent end of his reign because of his wickedness and evils. His attitudes and wickedness had sealed his fate because not only that he had not glorified the Lord but he also even profaned what the Lord and His people had held to be sacred. His pride and ego became his downfall and doom, his pride and ego becoming his defeat. Everything that the Lord proclaimed and predicted would happen did indeed happen, as the forces of the Persians under King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and overthrew Belshazzar, who was defeated and killed.
This was the moment when the sufferings and humiliations of the people of God came to an end, as the coming to power of Cyrus the Great over the land of Babylon brought with it the emancipation and liberation of the people of God from the tyranny and dominion of the Babylonians. The Israelites have been brought low and punished for their disobedience against God, and they had been scattered among the nations by first the Assyrians and then the Babylonians, who have destroyed their cities and uprooted many of the people from the lands that they had possessed from the time of their ancestors. They had been humbled and brought low by the Lord, Who has therefore also brought low the pride of king Belshazzar and the Babylonians, who had also committed great sins against God.
This is a reminder for all of us that God is always good and just in all of His actions, and He always remembers those who are dear and beloved to Him. Those who have committed evils and wickedness, acted with pride, arrogance and ego shall be punished and put down, while those who have persevered in faith like the Israelites and their descendants during their exile in Babylon, like that of Daniel and his friends, would be rewarded and blessed for their faith and commitment to God. The Lord never forgets and never abandons those who have kept His Law and commandments, even when we have often been delinquent and ignorant of His Law and commandments, and even when we have fallen again and again into sin.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord telling His disciples about the coming of hardships and persecutions which they would have to face amidst their lives as they lived their lives with faith in Him. The Lord reminded and warned them of the challenges, trials and difficulties which they might have to endure amidst all the persecutions, oppressions and rejections from the world. But the Lord encouraged His disciples and followers, reminding them and reassuring them of the guidance, strength and the Wisdom that He would grant them, and bestow upon them through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Who would come down upon the Church and all the faithful people of God. That is why we really have to put our faith and trust in God, at all times.
The faithful people of God have indeed faced a lot of challenges and trials just as the Lord Himself had forewarned and predicted. They had to face a lot of persecutions and oppressions, especially in the early Church where first of all the Jewish authorities, and then later on the Roman state, were against the propagation of the faith and the growth of the Church. Yet, many of them persevered firmly in their faith despite all those difficulties and challenges. They did not let their fears from affecting them or allow those obstacles and distractions from dissuading them in walking down the path of virtue, the path of obedience and faith in God. Many saints and martyrs of the Church throughout history have shown us examples of great courage and faith, and have become great role models to us.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best so that in our daily lives and at every moments, we will always strive to do what is right, just and worthy in the presence of God. Let us all keep our faith in the Lord strong and alive, encouraging one another, supporting our fellow brothers and sisters, so that despite the trials and challenges that we may face in life, we may always be resolute in our commitment and dedication to follow the Lord at all times throughout our lives. May God bless us all, our every good efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 21 : 12-19
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for My sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”
“So keep this in mind : do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though, because of My Name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 3 : 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67
Sun and moon, praise and exalt Him forever.
Stars of heaven, praise and exalt Him forever.
Rain and dew, praise and exalt Him forever.
All winds, praise and exalt Him forever.
Fire and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.
Cold and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 5 : 1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles; a thousand of them attended; and he drank wine with them. Under the influence of wine, he ordered that the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in, so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them.
The gold and silver vessels taken from God’s Temple were brought in; and the king and his nobles, his wives and concubines drank from them. While they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. Suddenly a man’s fingers appeared opposite the lamp stand and wrote on the plastered wall of the king’s palace.
Watching the hand as it wrote, the king turned pale. So terrified was he that his knees knocked and his legs gave way. Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father brought from Judah? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods, that you have insight and extraordinary wisdom. I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and be appointed third in rank in my kingdom.”
Daniel replied, “You may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. Just the same, I will read and interpret the writing for you. You have defied the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels from His Temple brought to you, and, together with your nobles, your wives and concubines, you drank wine from them. You praised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron and stones, which neither see, nor hear, nor understand; but you never glorified God Who has power over your life and all your fortunes.”
“So He sent the hand that wrote the inscription which read MENE, TEKEL, PHARSIN. And these words mean : MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PHARSIN, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today after we have listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded that all kinds of worldly glory and earthly fame, possessions and all the attachments we have to this world’s bounties and good things, all those things are temporary. We should always keep our faith and trust in the Lord, and be always careful and vigilant, not to allow ourselves to be easily swayed and tempted to follow the many temptations and distractions present all around us in this world. We have to avoid the temptations of following the false paths provided by the false prophets and others who may try to subvert the messages of God’s truth and Good News for their own personal benefits.
In our first reading today, we heard of the interactions between king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and Daniel, the servant of God hailing from the land of Judea, who was brought to Babylon with many other young men, and made to be one of the servants of the king of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar, who had conquered much of the old empire of the Assyrians, subjugated many kingdoms and countries, and having made Babylon to be the greatest among the regional powers back then, received a dream from the Lord, in which he saw a great statue made of several different parts and materials. No one could interpret the king’s dream save for that of Daniel, to whom the Lord has bestowed great knowledge and wisdom, and we heard today of both the dream and the interpretation by Daniel.
Daniel’s explanation of the details of the dream to king Nebuchadnezzar essentially highlighted the fact that no matter how great his kingdom and dominion were, the glory and power of Nebuchadnezzar were things that would be merely a footnote in the history of the world, as kingdoms would come and go, rise and fall. He also predicted the kingdoms that would come after the kingdom of Babylon, namely that of Persia, the kingdom of Alexander the Great, and potentially that of Rome, which came to power around the same time as the time of the coming of Christ. Then, as we heard in the explanation of the dream, Daniel was actually also predicting the coming of God’s Kingdom, which had been foretold by the prophets, and which would overturn the order of the world.
This is why, we are all reminded that regardless of all the glory and the wonders of the world, all those things are fleeting and not permanent. Eventually, kingdoms that rise will fall and new kingdoms and states would rise in their place. However, just as the Lord Himself had said, the kingdom of God is something that will last forever, and He will reign over all of us, for all eternity, just as He has always intended. We should always focus our attention and focus on the Lord, and strive to do what we can in order to follow HIs ways, His Law and commandments. The Lord has taught us and revealed to us His intentions, teachings and love, His kindness and grace. We are truly very blessed to have been beloved as such by the Lord, but unfortunately, more often than not, we allow ourselves to be distracted by the many temptations of the world.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord telling the people of the folly of admiring earthly beauty and wonders, as He foretold the downfall and destruction of the great and amazing Temple which king Herod the Great had built in Jerusalem, in vastly expanding and rebuilding the Second Temple into a large worship complex and establishment, which unfortunately became the epicentre of the religious elitism that was prevalent at that time. The Sadducees and the Pharisees, two main powerful groups of religious and societal elites at the time were centred upon the great Temple, and they were swayed by the worldly power, glory, fame and the influence that they held over the people. Unfortunately, this made them to be corrupt and proud, arrogant and failing to carry out their duties and obligations.
They placed themselves above that of their mission, and made it difficult for many people to return to the Lord. They imposed rules and ways that made it tough for many of the people to come and approach the Lord, while they paraded their piety and way of living their faith, to gain fame and praise from the people of God. All of these made it difficult for all those who have been separated from God to return to Him, as they ended up being ostracised and persecuted against. But the Lord made it clear through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, that this is not the way that things should be like. He called all of His people, all of us to turn away from our various worldly attachments and to restore our focus and attention towards the Lord.
That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us should keep in mind that our lives are meant to glorify God and we ought to do His will, and not be swayed by the temptations of our worldly desires, our attachments to worldly matters and our desires for comfort and pleasures present all around us. We should not allow all those things from preventing us in our path towards the Lord, in our striving towards sanctification and salvation in the Lord. We should always do our best in rejecting and resisting those temptations and desires, and instead, help one another in remaining faithful to the Lord and everything that He has shown and taught us to do. As Christians, it is imperative for all of us to be good examples, role models and inspirations to everyone around us, in showing God’s truth to all.
May the Lord continue to empower and strengthen each and every one of us, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always be truly worthy and good, in being inspirational and exemplary in our Christian living, being constantly reminded that we live for the Lord and everything we say and do, are for His greater glory. May all of us be ever more committed and dedicated to the Lord in all things, and may He bless us all in our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 21 : 5-11
At that time, while some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” And they asked Him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”
Jesus said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am He; the time is near at hand!’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, do not be frightened; for all these things must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”
And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 3 : 57, 58, 59, 60, 61
All the works of the Lord, bless Him, praise Him, exalt Him forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless Him, praise and glorify Him forever.
Heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him forever.
All the waters above the heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him forever.
All the powers of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him forever.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 2 : 31-45
Daniel said to king Nebuchadnezzar, “In your vision you saw a statue – very large, very bright; terrible to look at. Its head was of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. As you watched, a rock cut from a mountain, but not by human hands, struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay; smashing them.”
“All at once the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold crumbled into pieces, as fine as chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind swept them off and not a trace was left. But the rock that struck the statue became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.”
“That was the dream. Now the interpretation. You, o king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given dominion, strength, power and glory, and into whose hand He has placed humankind, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, making you ruler over them. You are that head of gold.”
“After you, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise. Then a third kingdom, of bronze, will rule the whole world. Last shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; and just as iron breaks and crushes everything else, so will it break and smash all the others.”
“The partly-clay and partly-iron feet and toes mean that it will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of the iron, just as you saw iron mixed with clay. And as the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. Just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, the people will be a mixture but will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.”
“In the time of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, never to be destroyed or delivered up to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and put an end to them; and it will endure forever. This is the meaning of your vision of a rock cut from a mountain not by human hands; the rock, which struck the statue and broke into pieces the iron, bronze, clay, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation reliable.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 