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Monday, 4 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 16-30

At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”

So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal yourself! Do here, in Your town, what they say You did in Capernaum.” Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country.” Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land.”

“Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.

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Monday, 4 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 95 : 1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12a, 12b-13

Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

How great is YHVH and worthy of praise! Above all gods, He is to be feared. For all other gods are worthless idols, but YHVH is the One Who made the heavens.

Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.

Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before YHVH Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.

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Monday, 4 September 2023 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together, with Jesus, and for His sake.

By the same word of the Lord, we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming, will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the Archangel’s voice is given, the Lord, Himself, will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.

Then, those who have died in the Lord, will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them, in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever. So then, comfort one another with these words.

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Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to resist the temptations and the pressures all around us, that we do not end up allowing ourselves to be swayed by worldly glory, fame, temptations, and the pleasures of the world, that we fall into the path of sin and evil. Unless we make that conscious effort and have the strong determination to keep ourselves committed to the path that the Lord has shown us, and unless we do whatever we can so that our every actions, words and works proclaim the glory of God, His truth and love in our society today, we cannot truly consider ourselves as faithful and devout Christians. Each one of us are God’s holy people, and we have been called and chosen to follow Him, and to entrust ourselves to His cause.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, in which we heard the struggle of Jeremiah in carrying out the will of God, in his predicament in facing challenges and hardships throughout his ministry, as he encountered stiff opposition and rejection from many of those whom he had been sent to minister to, that was the people of the kingdom of Judah. Back then, the kingdom of Judah was in its final days, torn between the great powers of the Neo-Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar and the Kingdom of Egypt under Pharaoh Necho II and his successor. The kingdom of Judah was therefore in a very precarious situation where the king and the nobles were swayed by the temptations of power and glory, and the assurance of worldly powers and politics, and trusted in all those rather than to trust in the Lord, their God.

Instead, they doubled down on their disobedience and sins, in their worship of pagan idols and false gods. They refused to listen to the Lord, and they persecuted all the prophets and messengers that God had sent to them to remind them of their allegiance and obligation in following God and His Law, His commandments and ways. This included that of the prophet Jeremiah, whom the Lord sent to the people of Judah on the last days of the existence of their kingdom. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of everything that would happen to the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem, how destruction would come upon everything because of the constant sins and wickedness of the people, who have not truly obeyed the Lord as they should and who have allowed their desires, greed and evils to corrupt them and to lead them away from the path of righteousness and virtue. They allowed the devil to tempt them and to sway them away from the path of God into the path of sin.

The prophet Jeremiah himself was also persecuted greatly, and he suffered for all that he had done for the Lord, so much so that as we heard in the same first reading passage, he was also likely tempted by the devil, who persuaded him to stop for a while in his mission and work for the Lord. Yet, the Lord kept on calling and reminding Jeremiah, who therefore heeded the Lord’s call and embrace once again the missions and works that he has been called to do. He was tempted and the devil prevailed for a short while, but eventually Jeremiah came by and remained firm in his efforts and conviction to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, and to continue to speak the truth of God, His words of warning to the people and kingdom of Judah, even if that meant hardships and challenges would come to him, and he was persecuted greatly for his courage and commitment to his calling and mission.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples, in which the Lord told them that He would eventually have to face His enemies and those who would oppress Him, and how He would suffer in Jerusalem, and faced in His Passion and death. This brought about consternation and unrest among the disciples who heard that, and St. Peter in particular, pulled the Lord and tried to dissuade Him from allowing such a thing to happen. This was then met with immediate rebuke by the Lord, not on St. Peter personally, but Satan who was manipulating St. Peter and others, so that the Lord would doubt His mission and works. Hence, He told Satan off through St. Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!” to highlight just how susceptible any one of us are to the temptations and to the falsehoods and persuasions of the evil one, and how he has always been busy at work in trying to subvert and destroy us all.

In essence, as we compare what we heard from the prophet Jeremiah and the Lord’s stories, we can see how the works of God met the opposition and challenges from the evil one, and all those who do not desire our salvation and liberation from the tyranny and power of sin and death. Just as Jeremiah had been persecuted for speaking the truth, and how he has suffered greatly for that, like the other prophets and messengers of God, thus the Lord Himself was not spared such a fate. He also encountered stubborn attitude and hardships from those same ones that He had tried to save, and those to whom He had been sent to, in order to reveal and proclaim the salvation and Good News of God. Yet, the Lord persisted and resisted those temptations, much as how He has rejected the advances of Satan during the time when He was tempted in the desert. The Lord’s dedication and obedience to His heavenly Father’s will, and His love for us all mankind allowed Him to keep on going regardless of the hardships and trials that He would have to face.

In our second reading today, St. Paul in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, the Apostle told and reminded the faithful there to lead lives that were truly faithful and committed to God, resisting the worldly and pagan ways of life around them, to be always ever righteous and committed to the Law and commandments of God, in not doing things that were contrary to their faith, in embracing the pagan ways and the worship of false idols. Like that of the prophet Jeremiah, and the many other prophets, and the Lord Himself and His disciples, all of them have been called to proclaim God’s truth, as God’s holy and faithful people, that they may inspire and show everyone else, what it truly means to be followers and disciples of God. To be Christians means that we have to do what the Lord Himself had told us, that we have to carry our crosses just as He has carried His Cross.

It means that we may have to suffer injustice, oppression and rejection from the world, and challenges as well as trials throughout our lives here in this world. We may be tempted to give up our faith and struggle for the truth, just as Satan had done to Jeremiah, St. Peter, and undoubtedly many others of even our great and holy predecessors, and definitely for many others. Are we going to listen to his words of deceit and lies, the falsehoods and the wicked things that he suggested to us? Or are we going to heed instead the Lord’s persistent calling and reminders in our hearts and minds, that like Jeremiah, we may turn once again wholeheartedly towards the Lord, and dedicate ourselves once again to His cause. Each and every one of us are all the examples and the tangible signs of God’s works, in proclaiming His truth and Good News, His love and kindness in our world today.

Let us all therefore do whatever we can so that we may always be committed and focused on the Lord at all times, in living our lives well and worthily as Christians, to be holy and worthy of God, in all of the things we say and do, and in our every interactions and works. May God be with us always and may He strengthened and encouraged us in our resolve to walk ever more faithfully in His path, so that in all things and at all opportunities, we will always do what we can for the greater glory of God and for the well-being and salvation of more souls, of our fellow brothers and sisters. May God bless our every works and efforts, our every good endeavours, at all times, and may He continue to inspire us all to follow Him so that we may always do what we can to seek Him, and not for the glory of the world. Amen.

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Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 16 : 21-27

At that time, from that day, Jesus began to make it clear to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem; that He would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law; and that He would be killed and be raised on the third day.

Then Peter took Him aside and began to reproach Him, “Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an obstacle in My path. You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If you want to follow Me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life, for My sake, will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world, if he destroys his soul? Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life?”

“Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds.”

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Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 12 : 1-2

I beg you, dearly beloved, by the mercy of God, to give yourselves, as a living and holy sacrifice, pleasing to God; that is the kind of worship for you, as sensible people.

Do not let yourselves be shaped by the world where you live, but, rather, be transformed, through the renewal of your mind. You must discern the will of God : what is good, what pleases, what is perfect.

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Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 62 : 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

O God, You are my God, it is You I seek; for You, my body longs and my soul thirsts, as a dry and weary land without water.

Thus have I gazed upon You in the Sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

I will praise You as long as I live, lift up my hands and call on Your Name. As with the richest food, my soul will feast; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

For You have been my help; I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

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Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Jeremiah 20 : 7-9

YHVH, You have seduced me and I let myself be seduced. You have taken me by force and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; they all make fun of me, for every time I speak I have to shout, “Violence! Devastation!” YHVH’s word has brought me insult and derision all day long.

So I decided to forget about Him and speak no more in His Name. But His word in my heart becomes like a fire burning deep within my bones. I try so hard to hold it in, but I cannot do it.

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(Usus Antiquior) Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : Green

Offertory

Psalm 33 : 8-9

Immittet Angelus Domini in circuitu timentium eum, et eripiet eos : gustate et videte, quoniam suavis est Dominus.

English translation

The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about those who fear Him, and shall deliver them. O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet!

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Concede nobis, Domine, quaesumus, ut haec hostia salutaris et nostrorum fiat purgatio delictorum, et Tuae propitiatio potestatis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Grant us, we beseech You, o Lord, that this saving Victim may become both the cleansing of our sins, and the propitiation of Your might. 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

Matthew 6 : 33

Primum quaerite regnum Dei, et omnia adjicientur vobis, dicit Dominus.

English translation

Seek first the kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you, says the Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Purificent semper et muniant Tua sacramenta nos, Deus : et ad perpetuae ducant salvationis effectum. 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 Your Sacraments, o God, ever purify and fortify us, and bring us to the effect of everlasting salvation. 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) Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 3 September 2023 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

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

Matthew 6 : 24-33

In illo tempore : Dixit Jesus discipulis Suis : Nemo potest duobus dominis servire : aut enim unum odio habebit, et alterum diliget : aut unum sustinebit, et alterum contemnet. Non potestis Deo servire et mammonae.

Ideo dico vobis, ne solliciti sitis animae vestrae, quid manducetis, neque corpori vestro, quid induamini. Nonne anima plus est quam esca : et corpus plus quam vestimentum? Respicite volatilia caeli, quoniam non serunt neque metunt neque congregant in horrea : et Pater vester caelestis pascit illa. Nonne vos magis pluris estis illis?

Quis autem vestrum cogitans potest adjicere ad staturam suam cubitum unum? Et de vestimento quid solliciti estis? Considerate lilia agri, quomodo crescunt : non laborant neque nent. Dico autem vobis, quoniam nec Salomon in omni gloria sua coopertus est sicut unum ex istis.

Si autem foenum agri, quod hodie est et cras in clibanum mittitur, Deus sic vestit : quanto magis vos, modicae fidei? Nolite ergo soliciti esse, dicentes : Quid manducabimus aut quid bibemus aut quo operimur? Haec enim omnia gentes inquirunt. Scit enim Pater vester, quia his omnibus indigetis. Quaerite ergo primum regnum Dei et justitiam ejus : et haec omnia adjicientur vobis.

English translation

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

“Therefore I say to you, do not be solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more than that of the raiment? Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much more value than them?”

“And which of you, by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? And for raiment why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not labour, and neither do they spin, but I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.”

“Now if God so clothe the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more you, o you of little faith! Do not be solicitous therefore, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathen seek. For your Father knows that you have need of all these things. Seek all of you therefore first the kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.”