Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 136 : 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
By the streams of Babylon, we sat; and then wept, as we remembered Zion. When, on the poplars, we hung our harps.
Our captors asked for song. Our tormentors wanted songs of joy : “Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!”
How could we sing YHVH’s song in a strange and alien land? If I forget you, o Jerusalem, may my right hand fall useless!
May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if Jerusalem is not the first of my joys.
Liturgical Colour : White
Nehemiah 2 : 1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, I was doing my duty as cupbearer. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad before the king in the past. So, the king said to me, “Why do you look sad? You do not look sick. Is there something that bothers you?”
I became hesitant. And I said, “May the king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burnt down?” The king said to me, “What do you want, then?” I asked help of God from heaven and said to the king, “If it seems good to the king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.”
The queen was sitting beside the king, and the king asked me, “How long will you be gone? When will you be back?” I told him the date and he allowed me to leave. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the province of the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah; and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king’s forest, for I will need wood for the gates of the citadel near the Temple, for the walls of the city and for the house where I shall live.”
The good hand of God was supporting me, so that the king gave me what I asked.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to remain faithful to God and to entrust ourselves in His love and kindness, because it was by His ever present and enduring love for us that we have been assured of the providence and help that God has always ever constantly provided to us. God has always cared for us all and He has always thought about us, without ceasing. Because of this, we should always trust in Him and obey His Law and commandments, and we should not allow the wicked and evil temptations all around us to dissuade us and tempt us away from the path of righteousness and virtue which God had led us into, so that we may indeed be worthy of God and not be swayed into the false path towards our downfall.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians, we heard the Apostle keeping with his encouragement of the faithful people in Corinth, which if we have heard the story about them through the same sequence of readings in these past weeks, we will know that they have been faithful and devout, exemplary and great in their way of obeying God and His Law and commandments, in their love for one another and righteous way of life, in persevering for the Lord and in abandoning the wicked ways of the pagan and idol worship. As compared to many of the other communities that St. Paul had been writing and addressing his Epistles to, the Thessalonians community and Church have shown their contemporaries how one should live correctly as Christians and disciples of the Lord.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord in His works and ministry in Capernaum, a town in Galilee, where He often performed His miracles and wonders, and where He did His teachings and preachings among the people, who were often amazed and astonished by His great wisdom and teaching authority. It was also where people often brought the sick and those who suffered various maladies and sickness to Him as well. And in today’s account in particular, we heard of how someone who was possessed by evil spirits came to the Lord and shouted at Him, revealing before all that He is the Saviour, the Holy One of God sent into this world. Those evil spirits genuinely feared the Lord and at the same time they wanted to do something to try to disrupt His works, by sowing confusion among the people in revealing the Lord’s true nature.
Back then, we must understand that it was difficult for the Lord to navigate the strong opposition from the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders and the chief priests, many of whom were opposed to the Lord, to His works and teachings. That was why the Lord often kept His identity a secret and told His disciples that they should not speak of what they have heard and seen, when they received revelations and truth about the Lord Jesus being the Saviour and Son of God. Thus, in that occasion when the evil spirits threatened to make the work difficult for the Lord in Capernaum, and at the same time, in not wanting to allow those same evil spirits to torment and dominate over the man any longer, He rebuked those evil spirits and ordered them all to leave the man be.
Thus, we heard in that occasion how the Lord cast out those evil spirits from the possessed man, and showed His authority even over demons and evil spirits, which further highlighted and showed the truth of God having manifested Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, in this world, to come into our midst and to rescue us all from the depredations and attacks from the evil one. He has shown us all His merciful side and love, His generosity in always ever being ready to reach out to us and in giving us all the strength and help, so that through Him we may find the way to grace and eternal life, and liberation from the dominion of sin, evil and death, just as He had done to the possessed man. While God despises our sins and wickedness, but He has always loved us all and wants each one of us to be reconciled to Him.
With this same spirit and commitment therefore, all of us should do whatever we can so that we may also dedicate ourselves in love towards the Lord and towards our fellow brothers and sisters. All of us have been called by God to be the bearers of His truth and Good News, to be the beacons of His love and light, in the midst of all the hatred, evils and wickedness in this world. Each and every one of us should heed the great examples set by our holy predecessors, all those who have gone before us, so that we may truly be holy and worthy of God, in all of our lives, actions, works and deeds. And today, we have the examples of St. Teresa of Kolkata, also better known as Mother Teresa, as the great example, role model and inspiration that we should emulate in our lives today. St. Teresa of Kolkata and her actions in reaching out for the poor and the least fortunate should inspire us to do the same with our own lives.
St. Teresa of Kolkata was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu or Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in what is today Albania, to a family of Catholic Albanians, who was called early to her vocations when she was inspired by the story of missionaries and the works they did in the region of Bengal and India. Eventually, this led to the young Agnes joining the Sisters of Loreto, and aspiring to become a religious sister and missionary. She eventually went to India, and took up the name of Teresa upon entering the convent, living her life as a religious in caring for the needs of the community. During those years, St. Teresa was gradually more and more disturbed by the abject poverty which were rampant around her convent and school community. This eventually led to her embracing the new calling and mission of the Lord, beginning a new missionary outreach in caring for the poor, the sick and the dying, which led to the establishment of the Missionaries of Charity.
St. Teresa tirelessly worked hard for the sake of those to whom she had dedicated herself to, and inspired many others within her community with her dedication and efforts, while facing hardships, challenges and trials throughout her journey and mission. But she did not allow all those obstacles and hardships to distract or dissuade her from her commitment to her mission, or to her love for her fellow brothers and sisters, especially to the poorest, the last and the least among the people, and for all those who did not have anywhere else to go to, or anyone else to turn towards. St. Teresa established homes and care places to take care of those who were sick and dying, giving them the means to face suffering and death with dignity, caring for the least fortunate amongst us, and showing unto us the love of God manifested in our midst.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the well-known examples set by St. Teresa of Kolkata should serve to remind us to keep ourselves strongly dedicated to God, as well as to turn away from all sins and wickedness. We should instead be filled with genuine love from God, and with the desire to love our fellow brothers and sisters, much as what St. Teresa of Kolkata and all those inspired by her had done. All of us should do our part so that we may always seek to be ever more faithful and worthy of God, in all of our words and actions, in our every interactions and dealings, so that through us, and our works, we may ever be blessed and be filled with God’s grace. May God bless us always, in our every good works, efforts and endeavours. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Luke 4 : 31-37
At that time, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the Sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way He taught them, for His word was spoken with authority.
In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I recognise You : You are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm. Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!”
And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14
YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.
One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.
I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in YHVH!
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
1 Thessalonians 5 : 1-6, 9-11
You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay, and the appointed time for these events. You know, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people feel secure, and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them, as the birth pangs of a woman in labour, and they will not escape.
But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief. All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.
For God has not willed us to be condemned, but to win salvation, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. He died for us, so that, we might enter into life, with Him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to continue to be faithful in God and to trust in Him at all times. We should do whatever we can to walk faithfully in His Presence, doing His will and obeying His commandments. Each one of us as God’s people, all of us have been called to holiness and entrusted with the Law and commandments that He has given us because we have received His truth and Good News, and the teachings and explanations of those same truths through the Church, which had preserved the Good News from the Lord and His Apostles, and also through the Wisdom and the knowledge granted to us through the Holy Spirit that has been sent unto us, dwelling in us, as God Himself has come down to dwell with us and within us. How can we then, as His beloved and holy people, act in ways that are contrary to His path? Unfortunately, many of us are still lacking in strong and truly genuine faith, and have acted waywardly and away from the Lord’s true path.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, we continue to hear the reminders said by Moses to the whole assembly of the people of Israel, after the discourse that he went through with them in our first reading yesterday, telling them of the greatness of God and all the love which He has imparted upon them, all the wonderful things that He has done for their sake, in guiding and leading them through their darkest and most difficult moments. He had performed many signs and wonders, crushing all the enemies and opponents of His people, protecting them all from hardships and challenges, persecutions and oppressions, providing them with food and sustenance, drink and help throughout the entire journey in the desert, providing and loving them even as He chastised and punished them for their disobedience, rebellions and stubborn attitude, in refusing to obey Him and in disobeying His Law and in their betrayals against Him.
Today, we then heard from Moses reminding the people that the Lord, YHVH, alone is their God, and they should only worship and follow Him alone, and remember the Law and commandments that He had given all of them. He reminded the people of everything that God had promised to their ancestors, the Covenant that He has established with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and which He had remembered and was fulfilling at that very moment, through His guidance and deliverance of all of the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt, leading them each day by hand, to the land that He has promised to the same Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to their descendants. Moses reminded all of them that even in the good times that they would be having in the future, when they were well-fed and taken care of, in the blessed new lands they would live in, they must never forget about God and continue to follow Him faithfully as they should always do.
Each and every one of them should have strong and enduring faith in Him, as faith is something that anchors us to God and to His truth, His path and His love. As we all heard from our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus chastised some of His disciples for not having enough faith in Him, and therefore failed to cast out evil spirits and demons that had possessed a young boy. The disciples had been entrusted and given the power and authority to heal, perform miracles and other great works, including casting out demons and evil spirits, and yet, it was likely that at that moment, they had grown proud and forgot about whose power and authority by which they had performed all those miracles, and perhaps, they thought that it came from their own power and strength, or that when the evil spirits proved to be resilient and strong, they faltered and gave in to fear, and that was likely why they could not cast those out from the young boy.
Therefore, that was why the Lord chastised and reminded the disciples that they must first have strong faith and trust in Him, so that they may indeed do what God has commanded and entrusted for them to do. The same therefore applies to each and every one of us, the members of His Church as well. All of us as Christians have been called to remember our Lord and all that He had done for us, the Covenant and the enduring love that He has always ever shown unto us, from the very beginning, and how He even sent us His deliverance through His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour and Guide. Through Him, His works, and ultimately His suffering and death on the Cross, the Lord has led us all from the darkness and tyranny of sin and death, into a new life and existence blessed and full of His grace, free from evil, and free to live once again as children of God’s light and truth.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us are called and challenged to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, and we are all called to be great role models, inspirations and examples for each other, in how we live our lives, so that others may see God’s light and know His truth, through our every actions, words and deeds. And today, all of us should be inspired by the great examples set before us by our holy predecessors, particularly that of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, a holy woman of God whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Jane Frances de Chantal was born into a noble family in what is now France, and was a woman of high standing and reputation, who married another noble, Baron de Chantal who was killed early on, which left St. Jane Frances de Chantal as a widow at a young age with several children.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal took good care of her family, while at the same time establishing a new order for women who had been rejected because of them being in poor health or by being advanced in age by the order religious orders. The sanctity and great examples showed by St. Jane Frances de Chantal who dedicated herself to the cause of the Lord, inspired many others to follow her and her good examples, in serving God and in doing His commandments and Law. Many came to be convinced to be followers of Christ, and many still came to join the order that St. Jane Frances de Chantal had established, and performed so many wonderful things to the people of God. She also showed us all what it truly means for us to be faithful as Christians, in doing God’s will at all times, and in following God’s commandments and Law, living a life truly holy and worthy of God.
May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all as He has always ever done, all these while. May God be with us always and may He empower and help each one of us in our journey of faith and life, now and always, inspired as always by the saints and the holy men and women who came before us. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Matthew 17 : 14-20
At that time, when Jesus and His disciples came to the crowd, a man approached Him, knelt before Him and said, “Sir, have pity on my son, who is an epileptic and suffers terribly. He has often fallen into the fire, and at other times into the water. I brought him to Your disciples but they could not heal him.”
Jesus replied, “O you people, faithless and misled! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed. Later, the disciples approached Jesus and asked Him privately, “Why could we not drive out the spirit?”
Jesus said to them, “Because you have little faith. I say to you : if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey. Nothing would be impossible for you.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Psalm 17 : 2-3a, 3bc-4, 47 and 51ab
I love You, o YHVH, my strength. YHVH is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer and my God.
He is the Rock in Whom I take refuge. He is my Shield, my powerful Saviour, my Stronghold. I call on YHVH, Who is worthy of praise : He saves me from my enemies!
YHVH lives! Praised be my Rock! Exalted be my Saviour God. He has given victories to His king; He has shown His love to His anointed ones.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Deuteronomy 6 : 4-13
Listen, Israel : YHVH, our God, is One YHVH. And you shall love YHVH, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. Engrave on your heart the commandments that I pass on to you today.
Repeat them over and over to your children, speak to them when you are at home and when you travel, when you lie down and when you rise. Brand them on your hand as a sign and keep them always before your eyes. Engrave them on your doorposts and on your city gates.
Do not forget YHVH when He has led you into the land which He promised to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; for He will give you great and prosperous cities which you did not build, houses filled with everything good which you did not provide, wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.
So when you have eaten and have been satisfied, do not forget YHVH Who brought you out from Egypt where you were enslaved. Fear YHVH, your God, serve Him and call on His Name when you have to swear an oath.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 