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 1 : 16-25
For I am not ashamed at all, of this Good News; it is God’s power, saving those who believe, first, the Jews, and then, the Greeks. This Good News shows us the saving justice of God; a justice that saves, exclusively by faith, as the Scripture says : The upright one shall live by faith.
For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness, and injustice, of those who have silenced the truth by their wicked ways. For everything that could have been known about God, was clear to them : God Himself made it plain. Because His invisible attributes – His everlasting power and divinity – are made visible to reason, by means of His works, since the creation of the world.
So they have no excuse, for they knew God, and did not glorify Him, as was fitting; nor did they give thanks to Him. On the contrary, they lost themselves in their reasoning, and darkness filled their minds. Believing themselves wise, they became foolish : they exchanged the glory of the Immortal God, for the likes of mortal human beings, birds, animals and reptiles. Because of this, God gave them up to their inner cravings; they did shameful things and dishonoured their bodies.
They exchanged God’s truth for a lie; they honoured and worshipped created things, instead of the Creator, to Whom be praise forever. Amen!
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord being spoken through the promises of God’s servants and His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom, salvation has come into this world, and God’s promises have all come true, and been perfectly fulfilled just as He has promised to us. God has never abandoned us, and He has always provided for us in His own mysterious ways. He showed us all the path to Himself, and opened for us the gates of Heaven, ever graciously offering to us the richness of His mercy, compassion and love, that He has always given us all these while.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Rome, we heard of the reminders from St. Paul the Apostle to the faithful there that all of them have received salvation and grace through none other than Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, Who is also the Son of God and Heir of David, Who has come into this world in the flesh, Incarnate through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the fulfilment of all of God’s promises to us mankind. Through His Son, God has reaffirmed everything that He has promised to us and our forefathers from the very beginning, and reaffirmed to us His love and compassion, to each and every one of us.
Through Christ, God has revealed to us all that He has planned for us, and has reminded us that we truly belong to Him, and therefore we all should embrace Him wholeheartedly, in His Law and commandments, and we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the many worldly temptations and the evils all around us, and we must always put our trust and faith in Him, at all times. God has never abandoned us, and He has always renewed and made true of everything that He has promised us, making a Covenant with us, that is everlasting and generous. However, it is us mankind who often reneged on our commitments to God and His Covenant, betraying and abandoning Him.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord telling to His people, mentioning those of Jonah and the Queen of the South, and highlighted His frustrations at them, at how many of them still refused to believe despite having received and witnessed many proofs and signs of His truth, wisdom and greatness. The Lord Jesus has performed many miracles and wonders, and despite those people having seen those wonders and signs being done before their very own eyes, and despite having heard of the words of wisdom and truth being spoken right before their very own selves, they still failed to believe and even doubting Him, demanding that He gave them signs and proofs of His authenticity and authority.
The Lord mentioned first of the sign of Jonah, because He was comparing of the sign which He Himself would perform to them, as He would lay down in the underworld for three days, just as the prophet Jonah ended up being in the belly of a whale for three days, when the Lord Jesus would face His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross. And then, the mention of the Queen of the South was meant as a rebuke to those people who refused to believe in Him, because this Queen of the South, also known as the Queen of Sheba, went on a long journey from her land to come and listen to King Solomon’s wisdom, and the Lord Himself said that, what the people all beheld before them was One far greater than Solomon himself, in all of his wisdom and power, the Wisdom of God as revealed through Christ, His Son.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two holy and great women, whose lives and great examples in faith and in their way of life should inspire each and every one of us in how we should be living our lives, and in how we can be good and devout Christians in all things, in putting our faith and trust in God, rather than in worldly matters and temptations. St. Hedwig, also known as St. Hedwig of Silesia was the Duchess of Silesia as the consort of the Silesian Duke, and was renowned for her great piety and dedication to God, while St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French religious nun, who was also renowned for her faith in God, as well as for having received visions and revelation from the Lord, which has shown His Most Sacred Heart to her.
St. Hedwig of Silesia was married to the heir of the Duke of Silesia when she was barely just twelve years old, and she was involved for many years in the great intrigue and court politics involving her husband, who struggled to maintain the ducal authority while at the same time expanding his rule and influence, against rival duchies and other rulers. In one occasion, St. Hedwig interceded on behalf of her husband, when the latter was in captivity, and her husband was released by her efforts. The virtues and good actions of St. Hedwig helped her husband in his rule, and also became great inspiration for many people of her time, and both St. Hedwig and her husband, Duke Henry of Silesia, were very pious and faithful to God. And when she was widowed after many decades of marriage, she moved into a monastery and dedicated the rest of her life in commitment to God.
Meanwhile, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a very devout servant of God who had great and intense love for the Lord even from her early childhood. She dedicated herself to the Blessed Sacrament and the Lord, as well as to His Blessed Mother Mary, since early on, especially after recovering from a bout of serious illness, and eventually became a religious nun after having received a vision of Christ, reminding her of her love for Him. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received several private revelations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus over a period of eighteen months, in which the Lord Jesus revealed to her the intense love that God has for each and every one of us, as manifested through His Most Sacred Heart, injured and wounded because of our many sins and transgressions.
Eventually, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque revealed her visions to her superior, after a period of struggle and discernment, and the messages she received from the Lord were made known, writing testaments and other works to make the Lord’s intentions known better, for the state, the society and all the people of God. Ever since then, and after having her visions and revelations certified as genuine, the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had actually begun centuries earlier, came to take form in the manner that we are familiar with today, and became widespread among the people throughout Christendom, which continues to this very day, all thanks to the faith, devotion and commitment shown by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, having reflected upon the Scripture readings we have heard today, and having listened to the lives and examples of both St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and strive so that we will always be ever more virtuous, worthy and good in all of our works, actions and way of life, in our every interactions with one another. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)
Luke 11 : 29-32
At that time, as the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words : “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.”
“The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)
Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.
YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.
The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)
Romans 1 : 1-7
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle, called and set apart for God’s Good News, the very promises He foretold through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures, regarding His Son, Who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and has been recognised as the Son of God, endowed with Power, upon rising from the dead, through the Holy Spirit.
Through Him, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and for the sake of His Name, we received grace, and mission in all the nations, for them to accept the faith. All of you, the elected of Christ, are part of them, you, the beloved God in Rome, called to be holy : May God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday through the Scripture readings which we have just heard, all of us are reminded that as God’s beloved and holy people, each and every one of us are partakers of His Covenant and members of His One Church, the one united Body of Christ. Therefore, as we are all parts of this same Church of God, all of us are reminded that all of us should always put our trust and faith in the Lord, and know that it is in Him alone that we can gain true joy and happiness in life, both in this one and the one that is to come. We must also be careful lest we are swayed and tempted to seek for other things and desires which are not in accordance to God’s path, and which may end up leading us into damnation instead of eternal life.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord reassured His people through Isaiah, of the coming of the days of true joy and happiness with Him, reminding all of them of the love and all the kindness that He has shown to them and their ancestors in the days past, even as they themselves then were suffering and facing humiliation and indignation due to their own sins and wickedness. Contextually, we have to understand that the prophet Isaiah was delivering the words of the Lord to a people that had been beset by many troubles, difficulties and challenges, as they were faced with many enemies and all those who oppressed them, which also happened because they had abandoned their Lord and God, and chose to follow the worship of the pagan and false gods, over the worship of God.
That was why the Israelites had been divided, fell into hard times and challenges, and by the time of the prophet Isaiah’s ministry, the northern half of the kingdom and the people had been crushed and destroyed by the Assyrians, who have come and conquered the northern kingdom, destroyed and razed its capital of Samaria, and brought off many of the people of God living in that place far away into exile in the lands of Assyria and Mesopotamia, while putting foreigners and other people to dwell in the lands once occupied and dwelled by the Israelites. The southern kingdom of Judah itself had not been spared, and had also faced similar challenges, being subjected to the might of the Assyrians, who almost conquered and destroyed Jerusalem and Judah when King Sennacherib of Assyria came with a mighty army to conquer them. It was only by God’s timely intervention and humiliation of Sennacherib that the people of God were saved.
Thus, the people of God in Judah had received a preview and a foretaste of what God’s salvation will be like, as they are all reminded of just how faithful God has always ever been to His Covenant and promises. After all, the people of Israel are all God’s beloved people and children, and He has made His Covenant with them and their ancestors, renewing them again and again, despite of the people’s lack of faith and frequent rebellions and disobedience against their Lord and Master. God still loved all of them despite of their many transgressions and stubborn attitudes, giving them many opportunities, time and again so that they might find their way back towards Him, opening the way towards His salvation and grace. He has always ever been so generous with His love, mercy and kindness, as He has always done from the very beginning. He could have easily destroyed and wiped us out by the power of His will alone, but instead, He chose to care for us, to heal us from our sins and troubles. We are shown just how beloved we are all to God, from the beginning, now and forevermore.
In our Gospel passage today, we are all reminded that we have all been invited to a life full of joy and happiness, as the Lord Himself has prepared a celebration and banquet for us. He has generously done all these for us, so that by His grace all of us may indeed enjoy forever the fullness of His love and generosity. However, as we heard in that Gospel passage today, many of us often rejected and refused to embrace God’s ever generous offer of love and kindness, as we were often swayed and tempted, distracted and confused because of our many temptations, desires and coercions of this world. In that parable of the wedding banquet, the people and guests whom the king had invited to the banquet, all of them refused to come to the celebration, and they were all busy with their own businesses and preoccupations, and there were even those who killed the ones sent to remind them.
This is a reminder for us that we can be like those who have rejected God’s love and grace, like those wayward guests whom the king had invited to his banquet and yet they all allowed their many distractions and the temptations all around them to get their priorities all wrong. As we heard, they were all punished and destroyed, and they had no part in the king’s banquet and inheritance. Thus, if we also do the same with our own lives, in not heeding God’s words and His call, in rejecting His love and kindness, mercy and compassion, then we will also be rejected in the same manner as well. We are all called to embrace God’s call, His love and mercy, His reminders that we should no longer be ignorant of His love and mercy, and we should not reject His compassion and generous offer of forgiveness. We should answer God’s call with faith and commitment.
And then, we also heard in the end of the same parable in our Gospel today, about how the king invited others who were called to fill up the seats and places vacated by those who have refused to come to the banquet. We heard of how a man, one of the guests, turned up without a wedding garment or a garment suitable for the celebration. As was the custom of that time, and as is also common elsewhere in our world, one ought to turn up in one’s best possible garments, and even the poor people often had their best reserved for the important celebrations in their lives and communities. Therefore, the point that the Lord wanted to make in making that part of the parable is that, in order for us to follow the Lord and to come into His banquet, celebration and into His Holy Presence, all of us need to take up that new garment of faith, and cast off the old garment of wickedness of sin. This is the hidden symbolism that we may often miss out as we read through this parable.
That means all of us must turn away from the temptations of the world, all the things, desires, attachments, all of which had kept us from truly being able to follow the Lord. This had been implied in the earlier part of the same parable, when the earlier invited guests of the king refused to heed the king’s call and invitation because they were all busy and preoccupied with their works and with whatever it is that busied them in their respective lives, their various concerns and attachments. This is why, in the same manner, unless we learn to restrain ourselves, our desires and various attachments, and also unless we strive to resist the temptations to disobey God and sin, it will likely be very difficult for us to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and faithfully as we should have done. In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Philippians reminded the faithful there of the need for all of them, and hence, all of us to trust in the Lord fully, and to heed these words of St. Paul himself, ‘I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.’
Those words remind us all that the Lord and His Presence in our lives will strengthen us and give us the necessary ability, courage and power to do our part in living a most worthy and virtuous life, in becoming good, faithful and committed Christians, as God’s beloved children and people at all times and in all opportunities. We must always keep in mind that we are all, and we should indeed be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters, all around us. We should embrace God’s path, His ways and teachings wholeheartedly, and do whatever we can so that we truly wear the worthy garments of our faith, as we come to the Lord, to be part of His heavenly banquet, to enter into the glorious kingdom that He has prepared for each and every one of us. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all, and may He continue to lead us down the path of righteousness and virtue towards Him, free from wickedness, sin, desire and evil, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Matthew 22 : 1-14
At that time, Jesus continued speaking to the people in parables : “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A king gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the banquet, but the guests refused to come.”
“Again, He sent other servants, instructing them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now, everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’ But they paid no attention and went away, some to their farms, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.”
“The king was furious. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'”
“The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see the wedding guests, and he noticed a man not wearing a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in without the wedding clothes?'”
“But the man remained silent. So the king said to his servants, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Alternative reading (shorter version)
Matthew 22 : 1-10
At that time, Jesus continued speaking to the people in parables : “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A king gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the banquet, but the guests refused to come.”
“Again, He sent other servants, instructing them to say to the invited guests, ‘I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now, everything is ready. Come to the wedding!’ But they paid no attention and went away, some to their farms, and some to their work. Others seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.”
“The king was furious. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go instead to the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'”
“The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Philippians 4 : 12-14, 19-20
I know what it is to be in want and what it is to have plenty. I am trained for both : to be hungry or satisfied, to have much or little. I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me. However, you did right in sharing my trials.
God, Himself, will provide you with everything you need, according to His riches, and show you His generosity in Christ Jesus. Glory to God, our Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 22 : 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.
He guides me through the right paths for His Name’s sake. Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me : Your rod and Your staff comfort me.
You spread a table before me in the presence of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.
Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 