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(Usus Antiquior) Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 20 July 2025 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Marcum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark

Mark 8 : 1-9

In illo tempore : Cum turba multa esset cum Jesu, nec haberent, quod manducarent, convocatis discipulis, ait illis : Misereor super turbam : quia ecce jam triduo sustinent me, nec habent quod manducent : et si dimisero eos jejunos in domum suam, deficient in via : quidam enim ex eis de longe venerunt.

Et responderunt ei discipuli sui : Unde illos quis poterit hic saturare panibus in solitudine? Et interrogavit eos : Quot panes habetis? Qui dixerunt : Septem. Et praecepit turbae discumbere super terram. Et accipiens septem panes, gratias agens fregit, et dabat discipulis suis, ut apponerent, et apposuerunt turbae.

Et habebant pisciculos paucos : et ipsos benedixit, et jussit apponi. Et manducaverunt, et saturati sunt, et sistulerunt quod superaverat de fragmentis, septem sportas. Erant autem qui manducaverant, quasi quatuor milia : et dimisit eos.

English translation

At that time, when there was a great multitude with Jesus, and they had nothing to eat, calling His disciples together, He said to them, “I have compassion on the multitude, for behold they have now been with Me for three days, and have nothing to eat, and if I shall send them away fasting to their home they will faint in the way, for some of them came from afar off.”

And His disciples answered Him, “From where can any one fill those who are here with bread in the wilderness?” And He asked them, “How many loaves do you have,” and they answered, “Seven.” And He commanded the people to sit down on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks He broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they set them before the people.

And they had a few little fishes, and He blessed them, and commanded them to be set before them. And they did eat, and were filled, and they took up those that were left of the fragments and filled seven baskets, and those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away.

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(Usus Antiquior) Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 20 July 2025 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 89 : 13, 1 and Psalm 30 : 2-3

Convertere, Domine, aliquantulum, et deprecare super servos Tuos.

Response : Domine, refugium factus es nobis, a generatione et progenie.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : In Te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in aeternum : in justitia Tua libera me et eripe me : inclina ad me aurem Tuam, accelera, ut eripias me. Alleluja.

English translation

Return, o Lord, a little, and be entreated in favour of Your servants.

Response : Lord, You have been our refuge from generation to generation.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : In You, o Lord, I have hoped, let me never be confounded, deliver me in Your justice, and release me. Bow down Your ear to me, make haste to deliver me. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 20 July 2025 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Romans 6 : 3-11

Fratres : Quicumque baptizati sumus in Christo Jesu, in morte ipsius baptizati sumus. Consepulti enim sumus cum illo per baptismum in mortem : ut, quomodo Christus surrexit a mortuis per gloriam Patris, ita et nos in novitate vitae ambulemus. Si enim complantati facti sumus similitudini mortis ejus : simul et resurrectionis erimus.

Hoc scientes, quia vetus homo noster simul crucifixus est : ut destruatur corpus peccati, et ultra non serviamus peccato. Qui enim mortuus est, justificatus est a peccato. Si autem mortui sumus cum Christo : credimus, quia simul etiam vivemus cum Christo : scientes, quod Christus resurgens ex mortuis, jam non moritur, mors illi ultra non dominabitur.

Quod enim mortuus est peccato, mortuus est semel : quod autem vivit, vivit Deo. Ita et vos existimate, vos mortuos quidem esse peccato, viventes autem Deo, in Christo Jesu, Domino nostro.

English translation

Brethren, all of us who are baptised in Christ Jesus are baptised into His death. For we are buried together with Him by baptism unto death, that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, and that we may serve sin no longer. For he who is dead is justified from sin. Now if we are dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live together with Christ. Knowing that Christ, rising again from the dead, dies no more, death shall no longer have dominion over Him.

For in that He died to sin, He died once, but in that He lives, He lives unto God. So if you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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(Usus Antiquior) Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 20 July 2025 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 27 : 8-9, 1

Dominus fortitudo plebis suae, et protector salutarium Christi sui est : salvum fac populum Tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati Tuae, et rege eos usque in saeculum.

Ad Te, Domine, clamabo, Deus meus, ne sileas a me : ne quando taceas a me, et assimilabor descendentibus in lacum.

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

English translation

The Lord is the strength of His people, and the protector of the salvation of His anointed. Save, o Lord, Your people, and bless Your inheritance, and rule them forever.

Unto You I will cry, o Lord, o my God, may You be not silent to me, lest if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down into the pit.

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

Deus virtutum, cujus est totum quod est optimum : insere pectoribus nostris amorem Tui Nominis, et praesta in nobis religionis augmentum; ut, quae sunt bona, nutrias, ac pietatis studio, quae sunt nutrita, custodias. 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 God of virtues, to Whom belongs every excellent things, implant in our hearts the love of Your Name, and bestow upon us the increase of religion, fostering what things are good, and, by Your loving care, guarding what You have fostered. 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, 19 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures we have received, of the great love and providence which God has given to all of us His beloved and holy people. He does not leave us without any providence and help, but He always acts in the way that leads us all into the ultimate happiness and true satisfaction in Him, even when we may have to face a lot of trials and struggles in our paths. That is why we must always keep in mind this even when we go through hardships and when things and prospects are dark and not really promising for us, remembering that we always have God with us even when everything else, all of our worldly matters, things that we usually rely on, and other means fail us.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Book of Exodus regarding the moment when the people of Israel, God’s first chosen people finally set off on their journey from the land of Egypt, exactly four hundred and thirty years after they had first set onto that land during the days of Jacob and his sons, Joseph and his brothers. Initially, Jacob and his family had relocated to Egypt upon the invitation of Joseph, who was sent by God ahead of his family and became the Regent of Egypt. And in time, over the next few centuries, God’s guidance and blessings were with their descendants, and they became a great nation living in the bounty of the wealth and prosperity of Egypt, up to the time when new generation of Pharaohs came to power and feared the Israelites and their numbers and might.

That was how the Israelites came to be oppressed and enslaved by the Egyptians as all of us are surely aware of, and for many years and even decades they suffered greatly at the hands of their slavemasters, and yet, God’s reassurance and faithfulness to the Covenant which He had made with their forefathers remained strong in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel. They all hoped for the coming of a deliverer, the one who would lead them out of the land of their misery and return them to the land of overflowing milk and honey, the Promised Land of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their ancestors. And God did fulfil all these, sending Moses, His servant, whom He entrusted with the power and authority, delivering Ten Great Plagues against Egypt, the Egyptians and their Pharaoh.

And after all those things had happened and passed, as we heard, the Israelites were finally let free to go as they wished, as the Pharaoh gave in to the pressure and all the devastations that he and the other Egyptians had faced for him having disobeyed God and hardened his heart throughout the plagues that happened earlier. And we heard the great joy that the people of God experienced, after tasting freedom and true joy once again after being enslaved for a long time. They went forth with great joy and jubilation, thanking God for everything that He had done for them, and all these served as reminders for each and every one of us of all the great things that God Himself had done for us.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, the works of the Lord Jesus Christ, the One Whom God had promised to His people as the Saviour of all, and how His works and ministry in this world fulfilled everything that God had revealed and promised through the prophets particularly the prophet Isaiah, who spoke in detail and at length regarding the coming of the salvation of God. And we also heard at the same time the challenges and trials which the Lord faced from those who disagreed with Him and bitterly opposed Him because they refused to accept the truth and embrace what the Lord Himself had actually clearly revealed and shown to them through the many wonders and miracles that He had performed.

But the Lord continued with His works and ministry nonetheless regardless of those oppositions and challenges that He and His disciples had faced. He did not let all those things to deter or dissuade Him from reaching out to those whom He had been sent to, the lost sheep of the people of God, calling and gathering them all back towards God’s loving embrace and showing unto them the perfect manifestation of God’s love, giving them renewed hope and strength amidst the struggles and challenges of the world, and in fulfilling everything that the prophet Isaiah and the other prophets had said, in all the miracles, signs and wonders that this Messiah or Saviour would be performing, He reminded the people that God has always been with them just as He had been with their ancestors as He led them out of their slavery in Egypt.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, in fact what happened during the time of the Exodus from Egypt to the Israelites was indeed a precursor and prefigurement of everything that God Himself would also do for everyone, for all of His beloved ones, all of us mankind, in delivering us all from the slavery and bondage to sin and darkness of evil, just as He has delivered the Israelites from their bondage and slavery to the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. And He did all these through His own mighty hands, delivering unto us His sure deliverance, promises and providence, which He did first of all through Moses to the Israelites, and then in a far greater way through His own Begotten Son to the whole entire world, in manifesting His perfect Love in the flesh.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be thankful of everything that the Lord our most loving and compassionate God had done for us, in loving us all so consistently and persistently despite our waywardness and our lack of commitment to Him. Let us be inspired by His great and ever enduring love so that we ourselves may love Him in the same way as well, and strive to love one another in the same manner too. Let us all follow Him wholeheartedly from now on, dedicating our time and efforts to proclaim Him and His truth, His Good News and love to all those whom we encounter in our daily lives, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 19 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 12 : 14-21

At that time, the Pharisees went out, and made plans to get rid of Jesus. As Jesus was aware of their plans, He left that place. Many people followed Him, and He cured all who were sick. But He gave them strict orders not to make Him known.

In this way, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled : Here is My Servant, Whom I have chosen; the One I love, and with Whom I am pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him; and He will announce My judgment to the nations. He will not argue or shout, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush, nor snuff out the smouldering wick until He brings justice to victory, and in Him, all the nations will put their hope.

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Saturday, 19 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 135 : 1, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24

Alleluia! Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good, His kindness endures forever.

He slew the firstborn of Egypt, His kindness endures forever.

And brought Israel out, His kindness endures forever.

With strong hand and outstretched arm, His kindness endures forever.

He splits the Sea of Reeds, His kindness endures forever.

And made Israel pass through it, His kindness endures forever.

Drowning Pharaoh and his army, His kindness endures forever.

He remembered us in our humiliation, His kindness endures forever.

And freed us from our oppressors, His kindness endures forever.

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Saturday, 19 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Exodus 12 : 37-42

The Israelites left Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand of them on the march, counting the men only, and not the children. A great number of other people of all descriptions went with them, as well as sheep and cattle in droves.

With the dough they had brought with them from Egypt, they made cakes of unleavened bread. It had not risen, for when they were driven from Egypt they could not delay and had not even provided themselves with food. The Israelites had been in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. It was at the end of these four hundred and thirty years to the very day that the armies of YHVH left Egypt.

This is the watch for YHVH Who brought Israel out of Egypt. This night is for YHVH, and all the Israelites are also to keep vigil on this night, year after year, for all time.

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Friday, 18 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that the Lord our God is truly a most loving, compassionate and kind God, Who has always been concerned about our well-being and our journey in life, in each and every moments, in good times and in bad times. He does not forget about us or abandon us when times goes bad for us, but He helps us all the more, guiding and strengthening us even through those darkest moments, providing us with what we need and giving us all the means to endure and survive the many challenges in life. 

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Exodus in which the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron on what they ought to do in preparing for the very first Passover in the land of Egypt. It was at that moment when the Israelites were on the verge of being freed from the bondage of their slavery in Egypt, after a long and grueling many years suffered because of the persecution and oppression by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh who exploited them, made them to work very hard to build their cities, temples and monuments, while even trying to eradicate them as a nation through genocidal policies. God remembered His people and sent His deliverance upon them through Moses, who challenged the Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and brought God’s Ten Great Plagues upon Egypt.

And this Passover happened just right about the time when the Tenth and the Last of all the Ten Great Plagues, by which God would send against Egypt to finally liberate His beloved people after the earlier nine plagues had struck Egypt, the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, but the latter still hardened his heart and refused to let them all go. The Pharaoh had intended destruction for all the Israelites, to continue to persecute and oppress them, and hence, God would send death against all the firstborn of the Egyptians, and this Passover from the words being ‘passed over’ or in the ancient Hebrew, Peshach or Pesach, which is translated to Pascha and Easter in our later celebration of the Christian Passover, became the most important of all the celebrations of the Israelites, the people of God.

That is because it marked the moment when the Lord Himself intervened and came to help His people, giving them the exact instructions so that His Angels of Death would pass over them all, by the blood of the Passover lamb, slaughtered for that very Passover, marking their doorposts, to distinguish them all from the Egyptians. The Passover marked the moment when a people who had been enslaved, suffering and without hope, finally met the moment of their breakthrough and reckoning, shown the saving hands and works of the Lord, Who struck the Egyptians and their Pharaoh so terribly that they were finally brought to their long-awaited freedom. And even more importantly for all of us as Christians, this Passover is a prefigurement of the New and Eternal Passover, the Sacrifice of Christ Our Lord and Saviour as our Paschal Lamb, in Him delivering us all from the slavery to our sins and bringing us to freedom and eternal life in God.upt

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Pharisees who were following and observing the Lord Jesus and His disciples criticised those disciples because they were picking on the grains of wheat in the field as they were hungry during their missions and trips. It happened that it was the Sabbath day and contextually we must understand that back then, and as it still is today, in the Jewish community, the Law of the Sabbath dictated that everyone ought to abstain from any forms of labour or work, and dedicate that day for the worship and glorification of God. And the Pharisees were very particular about enforcing this Law just as any other laws and rules in the Law of Moses.

That was why they were very critical at the Lord and His disciples because to them, those disciples were breaking the Law of the Sabbath and therefore committing sin against God. But the Lord Himself quickly rebuked those Pharisees and their hypocritical attitude, in criticising others simply because they did not align to their preferences and ideals, and thinking that they were better spiritually and more worthy than everyone else, especially those whom they deemed to be unworthy and sinful. But they themselves had not been truly faithful to the Lord, and had been vain, seeking for worldly glory and ambitions, for human praise and adoration rather than truly being focused and centred on God, and truly fulfilling the Law of God in the manner that the Lord had told them all to do.

And the Lord Jesus told those Pharisees that there were circumstances in the past where the Law had been bent and adjusted before to accommodate certain circumstances, as He highlighted the example of King David and his followers, who at that time was fleeing from the persecution by King Saul and his supporters. At that time they took shelter in God’s Temple, and they were very hungry, just as the disciples were very hungry at that time. And King David with his followers took the showbread which according to the Law was reserved only for the priests, and the High Priest, Abiathar at that time, allowed King David and his followers to partake of those showbread. That is because the alternative to this, if they did not eat the bread was that they might die of starvation, and that was clearly not what God intended to happen.

Which is why we are all reminded to put our faith and trust in the Lord, to follow Him in all things and to love Him wholeheartedly through the Law that He has put before us, which we ought to follow with true understanding of His intentions, which is to teach us all how to love Him and to love one another most generously as He Himself has loved us all. We must not be like those Pharisees who were hypocrites in their way of life, and in their sense of superiority, in their rigidity and constant criticism of others simply because they thought themselves as better than everyone else in the matter of the faith and their way of life. Instead, we should continue to put the Lord as the focus of our attention in life, remembering all the generous love and patience we have received from Him all these while.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us in our endeavours and good efforts to glorify Him by our lives. May He empower and strengthen us to remain strong and steadfast in our faith despite the many trials and challenges that we may encounter in our journey and path going forward in life. Amen.

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Friday, 18 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 12 : 1-8

At that time, it happened that, Jesus walking through the wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry; and they began to pick some heads of wheat, to crush and to eat the grain. When the Pharisees noticed this, they said to Jesus, “Look at Your disciples! They are doing what is prohibited on the Sabbath!”

Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did, when he and his men were hungry? He went into the House of God, and they ate the bread offered to God, though neither he nor his men had the right to eat it, but only the priests. And have you not read in the law, how, on the Sabbath, the priests in the Temple desecrate the Sabbath, yet they are not guilty?”

“I tell you, there is greater than the Temple here. If you really knew the meaning of the words : It is mercy I want, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. Besides, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”