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Sunday, 24 January 2021 : Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sunday of the Word of God, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Jonah 3 : 1-5, 10

The word of YHVH came to Jonah a second time : “Go to Nineveh, the great city, and announce to them the message I give you.”

In obedience to the word of YHVH, Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a very large city, and it took three days just to cross it. So Jonah walked a single day’s journey and began proclaiming, “Forty days more and Nineveh will be destroyed.”

The people of the city believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened upon them.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2021 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : Green

Offertory

Dextera Domini fecit virtutem, dextera Domini exaltavit me : non moriar, sed vivam, et narrabo opera Domini.

English translation

The right hand of the Lord had wrought strength, the right hand of the Lord had exalted me. I shall not die, but live, and shall declare the works of the Lord.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Haec hostia, Domine, quaesumus, emundet nostra delicta : et, ad sacrificium celebrandum, subditorum Tibi corpora mentesque sanctificet. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

May this offering, we beseech You, o Lord, wipe out our sins, and sanctify the bodies and minds of Your servants for the celebration of the sacrifice. 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.

Communion

Luke 4 : 22

Mirabantur omnes de his, quae procedebant de ore Dei.

English translation

They all wondered at these things, which proceeded from the mouth of God.

Post-Communion Prayer

Quos tantis, Domine, largiris uti mysteriis : quaesumus; ut effectibus nos eorum veraciter aptare digneris. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

O Lord, Who had given freely the enjoyment of so great mysteries, we beseech You that You would vouchsafe to render us truly worthy to receive their effects. 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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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2021 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Matthew 8 : 1-13

In illo tempore : Cum descendisset Jesus de monte, secutae sunt eum turbae multae : et ecce, leprosus veniens adorabat eum, dicens : Domine, si vis, potes me mundare. Et extendens Jesus manum, tetigit eum, dicens : Volo. Mundare.

Et confestim mundata est lepra ejus. Et ait illi Jesus : Vide, nemini dixeris : sed vade, ostende te sacerdoti, et offer munus, quod praecepit Moyses, in testimonium illis.

Cum autem introisset Capharnaum, accessit ad eum centurio, rogans eum et dicens : Domine, puer meus jacet in domo paralyticus, et male torquetur. Et ait illi Jesus : Ego veniam, et curabo eum.

Et respondens centurio, ait : Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum Meum : sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur puer Meus. Nam et ego homo sum sub potestate constituitus, habens sub me milites, et dico huic : Vade, et vadit; et alii : Veni, et venit; et servo meo : Fac hoc, et facit.

Audiens autem Jesus, miratus est, et sequentibus se dixit : Amen, dico vobis, non inveni tantam fidem in Israel. Dico autem vobis, quod multi ab Oriente et Occidente venient, et recumbent cum Abraham et Isaac et Jacob in regno caelorum : filii autem regni ejicientur in tenebras exteriores : ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium.

Et dixit Jesus centurioni : Vade et, sicut credidisti, fiat tibi. Et sanatus est puer in illa hora.

English translation

At that time, when Jesus has come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him; and behold a leper came and adored Him, saying, “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” And Jesus stretching forth His hand, touched him, saying, “I will, may you be clean.”

And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell this to any man, but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them.”

And when He had entered into Capernaum, there came to Him a centurion beseeching Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant lie at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

And the centurion making answer, said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to this man, ‘Go’, and he goes, and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this’ and he does it.”

And Jesus hearing this, marvelled, and said to those who followed Him, “Amen I say to you, I have not found so great a faith in Israel. And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast into the exterior darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, and as you have believed, so be it done to you.” And the servant was healed at the same hour.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2021 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 101 : 16-17 and Psalm 96 : 1

Timebunt gentes Nomen Tuum, Domine, et omnes reges terrae gloriam Tuam.

Response : Quoniam aedificavit Dominus Sion, et videbitur in majestate Sua.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Dominus regnavit, exsultet terra : laetentur insulae multae. Alleluja.

English translation

The Gentiles shall fear Your Name, o Lord, and all the kings of the earth Your glory.

Response : For the Lord had built up Zion, and He shall be seen in His majesty.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : The Lord had reigned, let the earth rejoice. Let many islands be glad. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2021 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Romans 12 : 16-21

Fratres : Nolite esse prudentes apud vosmetipsos : nulli malum pro malo reddentes : providentes bona non tantum coram Deo, sed etiam coram omnibus hominibus.

Si fieri potest, quod ex vobis est, cum omnibus hominibus pacem habentes : Non vosmetipsos defendentes, carissimi, sed date locum irae. Scriptum est enim : Mihi vindicta : Ego retribuam, dicit Dominus.

Sed si esurierit inimicus Tuus, ciba illum : si sitit, potum da illi : hoc enim faciens, carbones ignis congeres super caput Ejus. Noli vinci a malo, sed vince in bono malum.

English translation

Brethren, do not be wise in your own conceits. To no man rendering evil for evil, providing good things not only in the sight of God, but also in the sight of men.

If it be possible, as much as it is in you, having peace with all men. Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved, but give place unto wrath, for it is written, ‘Revenge is mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.

But if your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for in doing this, you shall heap coals of fire upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany (II Classis) – Sunday, 24 January 2021 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 96 : 7-8 and 1

Adorate Deum, omnes Angeli Ejus : audivit, et laetata est Sion : et exsultaverunt filiae Judae.

Dominus regnavit, exsultet terra : laetentur insulae multae.

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

English translation

Adore God, all you His Angels. Zion heard, and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced.

The Lord had reigned, let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad.

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 sempiterne Deus, infirmitatem nostram propitius respice : atque, ad protegendum nos, dexteram Tuae majestatis extende. 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, Eternal God, look with mercy upon our infirmities, and stretch forth the right hand of Your majesty to protect us. 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, 23 January 2021 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures all of us are again reminded of the redemptive work that Our Lord Himself had done for our sake on the Cross, and that by offering Himself as a worthy sacrifice for our sake and for our sins He has delivered us and led us into a new hope and a new life through Him. By His perfect obedience He has overcome the disobedience of man, and revealed to us the depths of God’s love.

And again we are also presented with the Lord as our High Priest Who has overcome the sins of mankind by His singular act of supreme love on the Cross, that for once and for all He has accomplished the offering for the atonement for our sins, by the outpouring of His own Most Precious Blood, the Blood of the Lamb of God. This Blood is far more precious than the blood of any lamb or sacrificial animals that had been prescribed by the old laws of Moses.

Then Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the High Priest Himself is truly superior to the other priests, as while those priests of the Lord needed to offer for the sake of themselves and their own sins first, before they were to offer for the sake of the people, here is the Sinless One, Who had willingly embraced our humanity so that He could unite all of us and our every intentions, our cries for mercy and forgiveness, and offer them all through Himself to God, His heavenly Father.

Thus, there was no longer need for any sacrifices as prescribed by the old laws and the Covenant of Moses, and the Lord has promised all of us that if we believe in Him, and put our faith and trust in Him, we shall no longer need to be afraid, for He Himself will stand by us and through Him we have been healed. And then, if we are curious why is it that in the Church we are still celebrating the Eucharist during every single celebration of the Holy Mass, that is because the Holy Mass is not a repeat or a mere reminder of the Sacrifice of Christ, Our High Priest at Calvary.

On the contrary, the Holy Mass is the eternal celebration of the Sacrifice at Calvary itself, the very same Sacrifice that the Lord made at that day, when He shed His Blood and cast His Body onto the Cross, to bear our sins and all the multitudes of the weight and burden of the whole entire consequences and punishments due for those sins. By His power and authority, He has entrusted to His Church and to all of His priests, the power to turn the bread and wine at the Holy Mass to be the very substance and real existence of His own Precious Body and Blood.

And just as He has said, that He is the Bread of Life, and that all who partake and eat of this Bread of Life shall live forever and not perish, thus all of us who partake and receive the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Our Lord, the Lord Crucified at Calvary, shall have eternal life and a new life and existence through Him. As long as we put our trust and faith in Him, we shall not perish and will not be shaken by the evil forces arrayed against us.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to these words of the Scriptures, let us all turn towards the Lord with a new heart and with a new spirit, that all of us may grow to love Him with ever greater zeal and commitment, going forward in life. Let us all be ever grateful for the love, kindness and compassion that God has shown us ever so generously all these while, by giving us the best and the most perfect manifestation of His love through Christ, His Son.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen each and every one of us with the courage to live our lives with passion and the desire to follow Him and to serve Him in each and every moments of our living existence. May God bless us always in our every good endeavours and may He remain with us always, all the times. Amen.

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Saturday, 23 January 2021 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Mark 3 : 20-21

At that time, Jesus and His disciples went home. The crowd began to gather again and they could not even have a meal. Knowing what was happening, His relatives came to take charge of Him, “He is out of His mind,” they said.

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Saturday, 23 January 2021 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 46 : 2-3, 6-7, 8-9

Clap your hands, all you peoples; acclaim God with shouts of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared; He is a great King all over the earth.

God ascends amid joyful shouts, the Lord amid trumpet blasts. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a hymn of praise. For God now rules over the nations. God reigns from His holy throne.

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Saturday, 23 January 2021 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Hebrews 9 : 2-3, 11-14

A first tent was prepared with the lampstand, the table and the bread of the Presence, this is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain, there is a second sanctuary called the Most Holy Place.

But now Christ has appeared as the High Priest with regard to the good things of these new times. He passed through a sanctuary more noble and perfect, not made by hands, that is, not created. He did not take with Himself the blood of goats and bulls but His own Blood, when He entered once and for all into the sanctuary after obtaining definitive redemption.

If the sprinkling of people defiled by sin with the blood of goats and bulls or with the ashes of a heifer provided them with exterior cleanliness and holiness, how much more will it be with the Blood of Christ? He, moved by the eternal Spirit, offered Himself as an unblemished victim to God and His Blood cleanses us from dead works, so that we may serve the living God.