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Friday, 2 February 2024 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 2 : 22-40

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord : Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord : a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law.

Simeon took the Child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, o Lord, You can dismiss Your servant in peace, for You have fulfilled Your word and my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You display for all the people to see. Here is the Light You will reveal to the nations, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

His father and mother wondered at what was said about the Child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, His mother, “Know this : your Son is a Sign, a Sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a Sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s home, she had been seven years with her husband, and since then she had been continually about the Temple, serving God as a widow night and day in fasting and prayer. She was now eighty-four. Coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, and spoke of the Child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There the Child grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon Him.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Luke 2 : 22-32

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord : Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord : a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law.

Simeon took the Child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, o Lord, You can dismiss Your servant in peace, for You have fulfilled Your word and my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You display for all the people to see. Here is the Light You will reveal to the nations, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

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Friday, 2 February 2024 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 23 : 7, 8, 9, 10

Lift up, o gateways, your lintels, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? YHVH, the Strong, the Mighty, YHVH, valiant in battle.

Lift up your lintels, o gateways, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? YHVH of Hosts, He is the King of glory!

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Friday, 2 February 2024 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, World Day for Consecrated Life (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Malachi 3 : 1-4

Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The Envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

Hebrews 2 : 14-18

And because all those children share one same nature of flesh and blood, Jesus, likewise, had to share this nature. This is why His death destroyed the one holding the power of death, that is the devil, and freed those who remained in bondage all their lifetime, because of the fear of death.

Jesus came, to take by the hand, not the Angels but the human race. So, He had to be like His brothers and sisters, in every respect, in order to be the High Priest, faithful to God and merciful to them, a Priest, able to ask pardon, and atone for their sins. Having been tested through suffering, He is able to help those who are tested.

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Candlemas (Double II Classis) – Friday, 2 February 2024 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : White

Offertory

Psalm 44 : 3

Diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis : propterea benedixit te Deus in aeternum, et in saeculum saeculi.

English translation

Grace is poured abroad in your lips. Therefore, God had blessed you forever, and for ages of ages.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Exaudi, Domine, preces nostras : et, ut digna sint munera, quae oculis Tuae majestatis offerimus, subsidium nobis Tuae pietatis impende. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Hear our prayers, o Lord, and, in Your loving kindness, help us, so that the gifts we offer may be found worthy in the eyes of Your majesty. 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 2 : 26

Responsum accepit Simeon a Spiritu Sancto, non visurum se mortem, nisi videret Christum Domini.

English translation

Simeon received an answer from the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death until he had seen the Christ of the Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Quaesumus, Domine, Deus noster : ut sacrosancta mysteria, quae pro reparationis nostrae munimine contulisti, intercedente Beata Maria semper Virgine, et praesens nobis remedium esse facias et futurum. 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 our God, we beseech You, by the intercession of Blessed Mary ever Virgin, make the sacred mysteries, which You have given for the preservation of our spiritual life, a healing remedy for us, both for the present and for the future. 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) Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Candlemas (Double II Classis) – Friday, 2 February 2024 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : White

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Luke 22 : 22-32

In illo tempore : Postquam impleti sunt dies purgationis Mariae, secundum legem Moysi, tulerunt Jesum in Jerusalem, ut sisterent eum Domino, sicut scriptum est in lege Domini : Quia omne masculinum adaperiens vulvam sanctum Domino vocabitur. Et ut darent hostiam, secundum quod dictum est in lege Domini, par turturum aut duos pullos columbarum.

Et ecce, homo erat in Jerusalem, cui nomen Simeon, et homo iste justus et timoratus, exspectans consolationem Israel, et Spiritus Sanctus erat in eo. Et responsum acceperat a Spiritu Sancto, non visurum se mortem, nisi prius videret Christum Domini. Et venit in Spiritu in templum.

Et cum inducerent Puerum Jesum parentes Ejus, ut facerent secundum consuetudinem legis pro eo : et ipse accepit Eum in ulnas suas, et benedixit Deum, et dixit : Nunc dimittis servum Tuum, Domine, secundum verbum Tuum in pace : Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare Tuum : Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum : Lumen ad revelationem gentium et gloriam plebis Tuae Israel.

English translation

At that time, after the days of Mary’s purification, according to the Law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried Jesus to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice, according as how it is written in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’

And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was in him, and he had received an answer from the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the Temple.

And when His parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, he also took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now You may dismiss Your servant, o Lord, according to Your word in peace, because my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Candlemas (Double II Classis) – Friday, 2 February 2024 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 47 : 10-11, 9 and Tradition of the Faith

Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam Tuam in medio templi Tui : secundum Nomen Tuum, Deus, ita et laus Tua in fines terrae.

Response : Sicut audivimus, ita et vidimus in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto Ejus.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Senex Puerum portabat : Puer autem senem regebat. Alleluja.

English translation

We have received Your mercy, o God, in the midst of Your Temple, according to Your Name, o God, so also is Your praise unto the ends of the earth.

Response : As we have heard, so have we seen, in the city of our God, and in His holy mountain.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : The old man carried the Child, but the Child ruled the old man. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Candlemas (Double II Classis) – Friday, 2 February 2024 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

Lectio Malachiae Prophetae – Lesson from Malachy the Prophet

Malachi 3 : 1-4

Haec dicit Dominus Deus : Ecce, Ego mitto Angelum Meum, et praeparabit viam ante faciem Meam. Et statim veniet ad templum Suum Dominator, quem vos quaeritis, et Angelus testamenti, quem vos vultis. Ecce, venit, dicit Dominus exercituum : et quis poterit cogitare diem adventus Ejus, et quis stabit ad videndum Eum?

Ipse enim quasi ignis conflans et quasi herba fullonum : et sedebit conflans et emundans argentum, et purgabit filios Levi et colabit eos quasi aurum et quasi argentum : et erunt Domino offerentes sacrificia in justitia. Et placebit Domino sacrificium Juda et Jerusalem, sicut dies saeculi et sicut anni antiqui : dicit Dominus omnipotens.

English translation

Thus says the Lord, “Behold I send My Angel, and he shall prepare the way before My face, and presently the Lord, Whom you seek, and the Angel of the Testament, whom you desire, shall come to His Temple. Behold He comes,” says the Lord of Hosts, “and who shall be able to think of the day of His coming? and who shall stand to see Him?”

“For He is like a refining fire, and like the fuller’s herb, and He shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice. And the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as in the days of old, and in the ancient years,” says the Lord Almighty.

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Candlemas (Double II Classis) – Friday, 2 February 2024 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Psalm 47 : 10-11

Suscepimus, Deus, misericordiam Tuam in medio templi Tui : secundum Nomen Tuum, Deus, ita et laus Tua in fines terrae : justitia plena est dextera Tua.

Magnus Dominus, et laudabilis nimis : in civitate Dei nostri, in monte sancto Ejus.

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

English translation

We have received Your mercy, o God, in the midst of Your Temple, according to Your Name, o God, so also is Your praise unto the ends of the earth. Your right hand is full of justice.

Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised, in the city of our God, in His holy mountain.

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, majestatem Tuam supplices exoramus : ut, sicut unigenitus Filius Tuus hodierna die cum nostrae carnis substantia in templo est praesentatus; ita nos facias purificatis Tibi mentibus praesentari. Per eumdem 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, we humbly beseech Your majesty that, as Your only begotten Son was this day presented in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so You may cause us to be presented to You with minds purified. Through the same 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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Thursday, 1 February 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded that the Lord has entrusted to us many things and responsibilities which He has passed down unto us, giving us the means and the opportunities for all of us to do what He has called us to do, in doing our responsibilities and works for His greater glory. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with various missions in our respective lives, which God has given to us through His Church. Now, the choice is ours to make whether we want to follow His path and whether we want to commit ourselves to the missions and works which He has given to us. All of us have been called to embrace this calling and path, and be truly worthy and faithful in all of our actions and ways as Christians, as God’s beloved people.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings in which the moment when King David of Israel was about to die, and we heard how he passed over the kingship to his son, Solomon, who would become the King of Israel after him. King David reminded Solomon of what he should be doing as the king and ruler over the whole people of God, in doing what God has commanded him to do and in the responsibilities that he would be having as king. David reminded Solomon that he should always firmly hold onto the Law and commandments which God had entrusted to His people, and if he did so, then the Lord would continue to bless him and his descendants, and keep their reigns secure and strong as how it has been during the days of David’s reign.

Solomon took over from David as King of Israel and as we all should be familiar with, he was a truly mighty and wise king, whose reign was blessed by God in all things, and he was abundant in wealth and glory, and all of his works and designs were successful. Early in his reign, Solomon was faithful and obedient in following God’s commands and laws, and in doing what he has been entrusted to do. But, as the years gone by, and he grew ever more in wealth and power, gradually, he began to be swayed and tempted by power and corruptions, and he began to listen to his many wives and concubines instead of obeying God’s words, Law and commandments. That was how eventually Solomon fell into disobedience and sin against God, as he allowed pagan and idol worship to happen throughout the kingdom.

All of those things happened because Solomon became enamoured and misguided by all the power, glory and wealth which he had gained and accumulated, and he ended up falling deeper and deeper into the trap of the worldly desires and temptations, which led him and many others from the path of God’s righteousness and grace. And as a result, eventually after Solomon passed away, the kingdom of Israel was torn apart into two, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, which reminds us all that what God had told Solomon through David, were not just merely instructions, but they are reminders that God is always true to His words, and He also expects each and every one of us to do what we are supposed to do as His followers and people, or otherwise, we will have to suffer the consequences of our disobedience and sins, just as King Solomon and the Israelites had experienced.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus sent out the Twelve disciples ahead of Him, for them to carry out their missions and works, in caring for the need of the people of God. They were told not to bring anything extra with them beyond just the minimum of what was necessary, except for a staff and the clothes that were on their bodies, with no food or money or bag on themselves. What this means is that, the disciples were told to trust in the Lord and in His providence, guiding them through the goodwill of all those to whom the disciples were sent to. There were bound to be those who would refuse to welcome them and rejected them, but there were also bound to be those who would accept them and embrace the truth and Good News which they brought with them.

Then, at the same time, the Lord wanted them all not to depend on their own strength and the worldly means to settle their troubles and issues. If the disciples had brought their money and possessions with them, then upon their success and moments of glory, they might instead put their trust in their own power, attributing their success to their own might, intellect and abilities. Like that of King Solomon mentioned in our first reading today, when one began to allow the temptations of worldly possessions, desires and attachments to overcome them, then, in the end, we will likely end up following the wrong path in life, and falling into the temptations to sin. This is why each and every one of us should also remind ourselves, that in all that we do, we must not allow worldly matters and means to mislead and corrupt us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own beloved sons and daughters, we are all called to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and while carrying out what He has entrusted to us to do, like how He sent out His disciples, we should not depend on our own strength and might alone, but we must always have faith in the Lord, in all the things that we say and do, so that by our commitment and great efforts, works and actions, we will always glorify the Lord in all things, and remain firmly focused on Him. We should not allow ourselves to be so easily turned into the path of greed and desire, of ambition and vainglory. We have to resist these temptations that we will not end up being dragged down ever further into damnation and destruction.

May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to help and guide us in our journey, so that in all the things that we do in this life, we will always strive to keep our faith in Him. May He empower each and every one of us and give us all the courage so that by our every commitment, works and deeds, by all of our whole lives and in each and every moments of our existence, we will continue to proclaim the truth and Good News of God, and remain truly in His grace and love, and continue to be faithful to Him, despite the many challenges and temptations present all around us. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 1 February 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 6 : 7-13

At that time, Jesus called the Twelve to Him, and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits, and He ordered them to take nothing for the journey, except a staff : no food, no bag, no money on their belts. They were to wear sandals and were not to take an extra tunic.

And He added, “In whatever house you are welcomed, stay there until you leave the place. If any place does not receive you, and the people refuse to listen to you, leave after shaking the dust off your feet. It will be a testimony against them.”

So they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent. They drove out many demons and healed many sick people by anointing them.