Ordinary Time

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(Usus Antiquior) Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 8 October 2023 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Matthew 22 : 1-14

In illo tempore : Loquebatur Jesus principibus sacerdotum et pharisaeis in parabolis, dicens : Simile factum est regnum caelorum homini regi, qui fecit nuptias filio suo. Et misit servos suos vocare invitatos ad nuptias, et nolebant venire.

Iterum misit alios servos, dicens : Dicite invitatis : Ecce, prandium meum paravi, tauri mei et altilia occisa sunt, et omnia parata : venite ad nuptias. Illi autem neglexerunt : et abierunt, alius in villam suam, alius vero ad negotiationem suam : reliqui vero tenuerunt servos ejus, et contumeliis affectos occiderunt.

Rex autem cum audisset, iratus est : et, missis exercitibus suis, perdidit homicidas illos et civitatem illorum succendit. Tunc ait servis suis : Nuptiae quidem paratae sunt, sed, qui invitati erant, non fuerunt digni. Ite ergo ad exitus viarum et, quoscumque inveneritis, vocate ad nuptias. Et egressi servi ejus in vias, congregaverunt omnes, quos invenerunt, malos et bonos : et impletae sunt nuptiae discumbentum.

Intravit autem rex, ut videret discumbentes, et vidit ibi hominem non vestitum veste nuptiali. Et ait illi : Amice, quomodo huc intrasti non habens vestem nuptialem? At ille obmutuit. Tunc dixit rex ministris : Ligatis manibus et pedibus ejus, mittite eum in tenebras exteriores : ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium. Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi.

English translation

At that time, Jesus spoke to the chief priests and the Pharisees in parables, saying, “The kingdom of Heaven is likened to a king, who made a marriage for his son, and he sent his servants, to call those who were invited to the marriage, and they would not come.

Again he sent other servants, saying, “Tell those who were invited, ‘Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my beeves and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come all of you to the marriage.” But they neglected, and went their ways, one to his farm, and another to his merchandise, and the rest laid hands on his servants, and having treated them contumeliously, put them to death.

But when the king had heard of it, he was angry, and sending his armies, he destroyed those murderers, and burnt their city. Then he said to his servants, “The marriage indeed is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Go all of you therefore into the highways, and call as many as you shall find to the marriage.” And his servants going forth into the ways, gathered together all that they found, both bad and good, and the marriage was filled with guests.

And the king went in to see the guests, and he saw there a man who did not put on a wedding garment, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you enter here, not having a wedding garment?” But he was silent. Then the king said to the waiters, “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 8 October 2023 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 140 : 2 and Psalm 104 : 1

Dirigatur oratio mea, sicut incensum in conspectu Tuo, Domine.

Response : Elevatio manuum mearum sacrificium vespertinum.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Confitemini Domino, et invocate Nomen Ejus : annuntiate inter gentes opera Ejus. Alleluja.

English translation

Let my prayer be directed as incense in Your sight, o Lord.

Response : The lifting up of my hands as evening sacrifice.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : Give glory to the Lord, and call upon His Name : declare His deeds among the Gentiles. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 8 October 2023 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Ephesians 4 : 23-28

Fratres : Renovamini spiritu mentis vestrae, et induite novum hominem, qui secundum Deum creatus est in justitia et sanctitate veritatis. Propter quod deponentes mendacium, loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo : quoniam sumus invicem membra.

Irascimini, et nolite peccare : sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram. Nolite locum dare diabolo : qui furabatur, jam non furetur; magis autem laboret, operando manibus suis, quod bonum est, ut habeat, unde tribuat necessitatem patienti.

English translation

Brethren, may you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth. Wherefore, putting away lying, speak all of you the truth every man with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.

Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down upon your anger. Do not give place to the devil. He who stole, let him now steal no more, bur rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him who suffered need.

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(Usus Antiquior) Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 8 October 2023 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 77 : 1

Salus populi ego sum, dicit Dominus : de quacumque tribulatione clamaverint ad Me, exaudiam eos : et ero illorum Dominus in perpetuum.

Attendite, popule Meus, legem Meam : inclinate aurem vestram in verba oris Mei.

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

English translation

“I am the salvation of the people,” says the Lord, “In whatever tribulation they shall cry to Me I will hear them, and I will be their Lord forever.”

Attend, o My people, to My Law, incline your ears to the words of My mouth.

Response : 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 et misericors Deus, universa nobis adversantia propitiatus exclude : ut mente et corpore pariter expediti, quae Tua sunt, liberis mentibus exsequamur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Almighty and merciful God, in Your loving kindness You do keep us from all things that wage war against us, that, being unhampered alike in soul and in body, we may with free minds perform the works that are Yours. 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, 7 October 2023 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, in which we remember Mary, the Holy Mother of God, in her aspect of her gift to us in the rosary, the beads that we usually use in our prayers, composed usually of fifty beads that are interconnected together, and represent the chain of prayers that all of us have been given so that we may be able to find our path towards the Lord. Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary has always shown us God’s wonderful love, through her own compassionate and loving attention towards each and every one of us, God’s beloved people. God entrusted to His beloved mother, all of us to be His own children, so that we may be under her care and protection.

This event of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary had its roots in the victory of the forces of the Lord at the great Battle of Lepanto, in which the combined forces of Christendom stood its ground against the mighty forces of the Ottoman Empire, which at that time, was greatly expansionist and aggressive, in trying to subjugate Christian realms and God’s people. Hence, after having suffered from many important setbacks, the forces of the Christian rulers were gathered and assembled under the leadership of the Pope, then Pope St. Pius V, who urged Christian rulers to gather their forces and stop the forces of the Ottomans, and hence, a mighty fleet came to meet the Ottoman fleet at the bay of Lepanto in what is today part of Greece.

Pope St. Pius V commanded all of Christendom and urged all Christians everywhere to pray for the success of the forces of the Christian nations, and advised everyone to pray the rosary, asking for the intercession of the Blessed Mother of God, the Angels and the saints, to help the forces of the Lord’s faithful against those of their enemies. In the end, during the great battle, which went miraculously for the forces of Christendom, ended up in a great and triumphant victory against the forces of the enemies of the people of God, their oppressors and all those who have refused to believe in the Lord. It was told according to tradition and eyewitnesses on both sides of the battle that during the battle, a heavenly vision of great army of Heaven, led by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, the Angels and saints were fighting on the side of the faithful against the Ottomans.

Thus, upon the great victory, the Pope declared a great celebration and dedicated this victory to the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the title of Our Lady of Victory. However, soon after, this celebration and dedication was renamed after the title of Our Lady of the Rosary which we celebrate up to this day. This is also a reminder of the powerful nature of the rosary prayer, in invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, in helping us all to find our way towards the Lord and His salvation and grace. We must not underestimate the use and the power of the rosary, which had indeed helped countless souls in finding their way back towards God. The rosary has been instrumental in helping so many people to rediscover their faith and also prayer habits, and reconnecting many of them back to God, through His Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary.

The rosary itself, also sometimes known as the Dominican rosary, came to be in its present form from the practices of the Church fathers in praying over knotted prayer ropes, which our brethren in the Eastern Churches still used till this day. Initially, those ropes were used to say the Jesus prayer, or the entire a hundred and fifty chapters of the Book of Psalms, which then evolved into the rosary in its present form, in the prayers offered to God through His Blessed Mother, the Pater Noster or the Lord’s Prayer, the Ave Maria or Hail Mary, and the Gloria Patri or the Glory Be prayer. These were presented to St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, in a vision which the saint received from the Mother of God, who passed on to St. Dominic, the gift of the rosary.

Ever since then, the rosary has become a truly powerful spiritual weapon and sacramental, helping many of the people of God to remain firmly rooted in their faith in God. Back then, the practice of saying prayers like Ave Maria or Hail Mary had been commonplace, and the rosary helped to give this popular practice an anchor through which more and more people could practice this devotion and deepen their relationship with God through His Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary. Therefore, today, as we celebrate this great Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, let us all renew our devotion and commitment to God which we made through spending meaningful and good time in praying, in deepening our relationship with Him and in honouring His Blessed Mother at all times.

This is why today, we should renew our practice and make the good habit of praying to God, and especially through the use of the holy rosary. Through the rosary, each and every one of us have been led to the Lord via the patient and loving hands of our blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. The rosary has helped us to redirect our attention and focus back towards the Lord, and away from all the distractions, evils and the temptations of the world, all of which threatened to lead us down the wrong path into our downfall and destruction. We should always strive to fulfil God’s will, as well as obeying His Law and commandments at all times. Through the faithful devotion and genuine prayer of the rosary, all of us should grow ever stronger in our faith and love for God. At the same time, we should also pray the rosary and other prayers with genuine attention and focus on the Lord, and not merely reciting the prayers without meaning or proper intention.

May Our Lady of the Rosary, the Most Holy Mother of God, our protectress, guide and inspiration continue to pray for all of us sinners, and may she, our loving Mother, continue to intercede for us, that we may be strengthened in our faith and lives by the Lord. May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, in all of our every efforts and endeavours, and in our every actions, so that we may indeed be good role models and inspirations to one another, and to all those whom we encounter in our daily lives. May God be with us always, now and forevermore, together with His Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary. Amen.

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Saturday, 7 October 2023 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.

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Saturday, 7 October 2023 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Saturday, 7 October 2023 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 1 : 12-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen minute walk away. On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

All of these, together, gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women, and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

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Friday, 6 October 2023 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Scripture passages, we are all reminded that our sins and disobedience had caused us to be sundered and separated from God, and because of that, like our forefathers before us, we have fallen into the path of sin and evil, and became wayward. Yet, God has always been very patient and kind towards us, in reminding us and helping us in our journey and path. He has always been persistent in reaching out to us and helping us to find the right path, despite our disobedience and refusal to follow Him, and our refusal to follow His Law and commandments. Yet, there is indeed a limit to His patience and love, as, if we continue to disobey and refuse to believe in Him, then it is by our own choice that we will have condemned ourselves to eternal damnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Baruch, we heard of the words of Baruch, a prophet who ministered to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah at the time of the end and final days of that kingdom, as a contemporary and friend of the prophet Jeremiah, who also spoke of God’s words and revelations to the people of God in that kingdom. Baruch was the scribe of Jeremiah, who helped him to record God’s words and the various proclamations and prophecies received from God, helping the man of God to carry out his works among the people, which was truly a difficult work to be done. Baruch assisted Jeremiah during the challenging and difficult times, and according to tradition, when Jeremiah had to hide from his enemies, Baruch was the one who carried out his works.

We heard of how the Lord reminded His people through the prophet Baruch, of their waywardness and sins, their wickedness and evils, all the things that they had done which prevented them from truly obeying and following God’s will, His Law and commandments, and which had led them into their downfall and destruction. The prophet Baruch in today’s first reading highlighted the faults and disobedience of the people, which therefore had led to the consequences, the failures and the downfall that they experienced, that Moses and the other prophets had warned them. As long as they kept themselves away from the Lord and His path, and trusted in their own power and ways, then they would likely face tribulations and failures, sufferings and lack of true satisfaction, which can be found in the Lord alone.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the passage from the Gospel of St. Luke in which the Lord rebuked the cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum, the cities in which He had often performed His works and miracles, taught and preached in their synagogues, and where there were frequently many signs and wonders that God had done for the people, revealing the truth about Himself and proclaiming the Good News and the truth which God has always desired to reveal to all of us. The Lord spoke in such a way because they had seen everything which the Lord Himself had done, repeatedly, again and again, and yet, many of them still failed to believe, hardened their hearts and minds, refusing to trust in Him, and continuing to doubt Him despite having been reassured and shown the truth.

This also showed us the need for us all to turn away from worldly temptations and desires, so that in our way of life and in our every actions and deeds, we may always strive to do what the Lord has commanded us to do, and not to be easily misled and misguided by the falsehoods present and found all around us. Each and every one of us must keep an open mind and welcome the Lord into our hearts and minds, so that through Him, we may truly gain understanding and appreciation of what it really means for us to have faith in the Lord, and to walk in His path. Through this, we may also have better understanding and appreciation of what we have been taught and shown by the Lord, our loving God and Saviour.

This means that, each and every one of us as Christians, we should heed God’s words always, and remember His love and kindness, appreciating how His love and mercy has done so much amazing things for us, all these while. We should not take any of these for granted any longer, and we should begin to appreciate just how fortunate we truly are, for having been so beloved and cared by the Lord, our most loving God, at all times and circumstances. We should be thankful to Him and we should strive to do whatever we can, so that we may indeed be obedient to Him, His Law and commandments, ever more, in all things, and so that we may grow ever stronger in our love and commitment towards Him, as we carry on living our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bruno, a holy man of God, whose life and actions can serve as a great example and inspiration for each and every one of us, in how we can and should live up to our faith in the Lord. St. Bruno, also known as St. Bruno of Cologne, was the founder of the Carthusian Order, and was a dedicated servant of God, in his many missions and contributions to the Church and the Christian community, in all of his works, as a great teacher of the faith and as a guide for many younger men and women of God, some of whom later on became great disciples of the Lord in their own way. He carried out many good works, and in his humility, he refused to become a bishop when he was about to be made one, as he renounced all the glory of the world, and all secular concerns and worldly attachments.

Instead, he continued to devote himself to his missions and works, and eventually gathering many followers who would become the foundation of the Carthusians, a group of faithful Christians and servants of God, dedicated to the life in service of God, in prayer and ministry among the people of God, living a worthy and good life, in accordance with God’s Law and commandments. The Lord has inspired many to follow in the footsteps of St. Bruno, and many were touched by the faith and commitment that this holy man of God had done. All of us should also therefore commit ourselves in the same way as St. Bruno had done, and do our part, in ensuring that our own actions and deeds may become truly worthy of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be committed anew to the Lord, living our lives ever more worthily in each and every moments, and let us all be exemplary in our whole actions, words and deeds, so that we may indeed be the good role models and examples for one another. May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us so that we may be the shining examples and role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow men and women, all around us, just as St. Bruno and other innumerable saints, holy men and women of God, had inspired us by their lives. Amen.

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Friday, 6 October 2023 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 10 : 13-16

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Alas for you, Chorazin! Alas for you, Bethsaida! So many miracles have been worked in you! If the same miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would already be sitting in ashes and wearing the sackcloth of repentance.”

“Surely for Tyre and Sidon it will be better on the Day of Judgment than for you. And what of you, city of Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead. Whoever listens to you listens to Me, and whoever rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me, rejects the One Who sent Me.”