Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 32 : 12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22
Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance. YHVH looks down from heaven and sees the whole race of mortals.
But YHVH’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving-kindness; to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.
In hope, we wait for YHVH, for He is our help and our shield. O YHVH, let Your love rest upon us, even as our hope rests in You.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Genesis 12 : 1-9
YHVH said to Abram, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you, I will curse, and in you all people of the earth will be blessed.”
So Abram went as YHVH had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took Sarai, his wife, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran. They set out for the land of Canaan.
They arrived at Canaan. Abram travelled through the country as far as Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. YHVH appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” There he built an altar to YHVH Who had appeared to him.
From there he went on to the mountains east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There also he built an altar to YHVH and called on the Name of YHVH. Then Abram set out in the direction of Negeb.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we heard about the opposition which the people of God faced from the world, and from all those who were opposed to the faithful. We heard about how there are those who plotted against the servants of God, as we heard in our first reading today, the opposition against the prophet Jeremiah, who was opposed throughout his ministry in the kingdom of Judah.
Let me relate to you what actually happened at that time, so that we can have a greater understanding of how it was to be one who is faithful to the Lord, in case we did not have the experience. Jeremiah was called by God to become His mouthpiece among the people of the kingdom of Judah, which at the time was at the last years of its existence, all of the people were not following the way of the Lord and living in wickedness.
Thus, Jeremiah spoke up against the sins of the people and called them to repentance and to be forgiven for their sins through genuine turning away from their old ways of sin. Yet, the people resisted and refused to listen to him. They ridiculed him and even plotted against him and threatened his life. Jeremiah had to hide and run away from his enemies in many occasions.
It was indeed so much opposition and difficulties, that if we read throughout the whole book of the prophet Jeremiah, we will be able to see sometimes the frustrations which Jeremiah even highlighted to God, complaining about the persecutions and treatments he received just because he was speaking the truth to them, and calling them to repentance, which the people refused to do.
In the same manner, many other saints and disciples of the Lord had encountered the same issue as they had also spoke the truth of God and called on their brethren to turn away from their sins. But they remained true to the Lord, and obeyed Him, trusting in His providence, as the prophet Jeremiah also said in our first reading today. God was his strength and source of support, and through Him, he was able to do all that he had been commanded to do.
Through all these, all of us ought to learn how to place our trust in God, for if we only trust in ourselves, it is easy for us to lose our way to temptations and pressures, and we mankind have that tendency to be rebellious and to be disobedient, as a result of our failure to conform to the will of God, ever since our first ancestors, Adam and Eve sinned by their disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
St. Paul had mentioned in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, that because of the sins of one man, all have sinned, referring to the original sin of Adam and Eve, which led all men and women to be corrupted by sin. St. Paul then mention how through the obedience of another Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, all have gained absolution and forgiveness for their sins.
Through the disobedience of one man, Adam, all of mankind have received death as a punishment for their sins. But through another Man, Jesus Christ, all have received a new hope of life, for those who believe in Christ have the assurance of life given to them, by He Who is the Master of life and death. Sin has the power to cause suffering and death, but it has no power over our soul. Sin can harm us in our body and mind, but our soul belongs to the Lord alone.
That is essentially what the Lord Jesus told His disciples in what we have as the Gospel today. He told them that we should not fear sin, or persecution or whatever it is that can harm us bodily or in our physical existence. Rather, we should fear the Lord Who will be the Judge over all of our actions and deeds, over all the sins we have committed which we have not confessed or regretted.
It comes then to the reality of our faith. As mentioned earlier, as those who follow the Lord and obey His ways, there will be opposition and challenges that we will face in our path. But should that deter us from following the Lord? Should we be intimidated by the opposition we are to face because we are the Lord’s people? Remember, brothers and sisters in Christ, that we will be tempted to take the easier path, the path of wickedness and faithlessness, which will appear easier and more convenient for us.
But at the end of that path, lies only condemnation and destruction, as those who separate themselves from God and His love will have no part in Him. He will reject them just as He had rejected all those who have refused to listen to Him, and just as He punished the kingdom of Judah, for refusing to listen to the words of the prophet Jeremiah. Those who follow the path of wickedness may seem to enjoy the world, but that is all that they are going to get.
For all of us who remain true to the Lord, despite all the challenges and difficulties, despite all the oppositions and persecutions, a great reward has been prepared for us in the Lord, for He is always ever faithful. He will never forget His love, nor will He abandon all those whom He loved since the day He created all of us. This is what all of us need to remember, the fact that God loves us, and His love for us is so great that He even went so far as to lie down His life for us on the cross.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, shall we all be role models for our fellow brethren, for one another, that we may lead one another to a life blessed by God, that we will persevere on despite the challenges and persecutions in life? Let us not be afraid to show that we are truly Christians, not just by word alone, but through real and genuine actions in life, by our loving actions to our brethren, even to those who slandered us and persecuted us.
Let us be loving to one another, even to strangers and to our enemies. Let us show mercy and forgiveness to those who have hurt us and cause us to suffer, for if we respond to violence with violence, and hatred with hatred, eventually all things will never end, and there will be endless cycle of hatred, misery and evil. Let us be those who would stand by our Christian faith and values, and become beacons of God’s love and light amidst this darkened world. Let us always put our trust in the Lord.
May the Lord be with us all, and may He guide us through all of our actions, so that in all that we do, act and say, we will always grow ever closer to Him, and be ever more worthy of being called His children and His people. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Matthew 10 : 26-33
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered. There is nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops.”
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of Him Who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For a few cents you can buy two sparrows. Yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. Do not be afraid : you are worthy more than many sparrows!”
“Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven. Whoever rejects Me before others, I will reject before My Father in heaven.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Romans 5 : 12-15
Therefore, sin entered the world through one man; and through sin, death; and later on, death spread to all humankind, because all sinned. As long as there was no law, they could not speak of disobedience, but sin was already in the world. This is why, from Adam to Moses, death reigned among them, although their sin was not disobedience, as in Adam’s case – this was not the true Adam, but foretold the Other, Who was to come.
Such has been the fall, but God’s gift goes far beyond. All died, because of the fault of one man, but how much more does the grace of God spread, when the gift He granted, reaches all, from this unique Man, Jesus Christ.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 68 : 8-10, 14 and 17, 33-35
Since I am held in contempt for Your sake, and shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s sons. Zeal for Your house consumes me, as fire, and those who insult You, insult me as well.
But I pray to You, o YHVH. At a time most favourable to You, in Your great love, o God, answer me, with Your unfailing help. In Your mercy, o YHVH, give me a good answer; in Your great compassion, turn to me.
Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity. Let the heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and whatever moves in them.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Jeremiah 20 : 10-13
I hear many people whispering, “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Yes, denounce him!” All my friends watch me to see if I will slip : “Perhaps he can be deceived,” they say; “then we can get the better of him and have our revenge.”
But YHVH, a mighty Warrior, is with me. My persecutors will stumble and not prevail; that failure will be their shame and their disgrace will never be forgotten. YHVH, God of Hosts, You test the just and probe the heart and mind. Let me see Your revenge on them, for to You I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to YHVH! Praise YHVH and say : He has rescued the poor from the clutches of the wicked!
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard firstly from the Book of Lamentations of the sorrows of Israel, the people of God, whom God had rejected because they had disobeyed Him and persistently refused to walk in His ways, preferring the company and worship of the pagan idols and gods. God had given them up to the hands of their enemies, and they looked for Him without avail, for they had been left behind.
But God Who loved all of His people would not abandon them forever. He extended His mercy and love to them, and called them back to Him. But their salvation and liberation required their repentance and their genuine faith, that is the genuine desire to seek Him and to change their ways wholeheartedly so that in all that they do, they would no longer do what displeased God but instead be faithful to Him from then on.
Yet, there were many obstacles for that path, as the people of God, as men are, are very susceptible for their desires and greed, and they were also renowned for their pride. It is not easy for sinners to come to terms with their sins and regret them, as their pride often came in the way. Pride caused men to refuse God’s mercy, love and forgiveness, and it made them to persevere and continue in their sinfulness.
And this is where Jesus came in with His experience with the captain of the guard, which we heard in our Gospel today. The captain of the guard had a servant who was ill with paralysis and suffered from it terribly, and he wanted Jesus to heal his servant that he might be whole once again and be freed from his sufferings. Here it may be just seen as another of Jesus’ healing miracles where He touched the person and that person was healed, but yet, there is something very important there which all of us should take note of.
And that is regarding what the captain had said to Jesus as He went on His way to the house. The captain said politely that he was not worthy to receive Jesus under his roof, for he was a sinner. And for us to be able to understand the meaning of these words fully, we have to understand the context and the situation facing that captain and then we will be able to know more what we ourselves are to do in our own lives.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the captain of the guard was not specified in the Gospel whether he was a Jew or a Roman, but firstly, if he was a Roman, then at that time, the custom of the Jews was that for a non-Jew like a Roman, and after all, a pagan, it was a taboo for a Jew to come and visit the house of a Gentile. And even if he was a Jew, being a soldier, his lifestyle and work which dealt with killing people and violence must have made him felt uneasy to welcome such a great Master to his place.
But he threw away all of his pride and fear, and he also overcame all of his anxieties and uncertainties, and came humbly begging for Jesus with complete faith in Him, that He would be able to heal his servant. And he bared it before all the people who followed Jesus, that he was unworthy, sinner, unclean and his conscience told him that he should not let the Lord to be besmirched by his unworthiness.
What does this tell us brethren? The captain of the guard showed us all how we should act as Christians before the Lord our God. God saw his great faith and praised him, and He listened to his petitions and fulfilled them. He healed the servant and showed the example of his faith to those who followed Him. That captain was an example of how we should live our lives faithfully before God, and most importantly that we must seek our God with great humility, owning up all of our sins and asking Him for forgiveness.
We may think that this is something trivial and easy to be done, but in fact, it is not. All of us must have experienced and knew how difficult it is for us to own up our mistakes, and we tend to hide them or to conceal them with lies and sweet words, so as not to ask for forgiveness and destroy our ego. But this is where our downfall comes from, and if we do not act, then I am afraid that it may drag us deeper into the darkness and from there into eternal damnation.
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reflect on today’s Scripture readings, and let us all commit ourselves anew to God, promising to live our lives more faithfully from now on, and no longer be afraid to seek Him and to confess our sins before Him. If we have not gone to confession for a while, then it may be the time right now for us to do so. Remember, we must not wait until it is too late, as we do not know when the time is up for us.
May God strengthen our faith in us, and may He empower us to live our lives faithfully and devote ourselves ever more strongly to Him. May He forgive us our sins and help us to walk more faithfully in His presence, that we may find our way to Him and receive the grace of salvation and eternal life. God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)
Matthew 8 : 5-17
At that time, when Jesus entered Capernaum, an army captain approached Him to ask His help, “Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralysed and suffers terribly.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
The captain answered, “I am not worthy to have You under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ he does it.”
When Jesus heard this He was astonished, and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven; but the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown out into the darkness; where they will wail and grind their teeth.”
Then Jesus said to the captain, “Go home now. As you believed, so let it be.” And at that moment, his servant was healed. Jesus went to Peter’s house and found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with fever. He took her by the hand and the fever left her; she got up and began to wait on Him.
Towards evening they brought to Jesus many possessed by evil spirits, and with a word He drove out the spirits. He also healed all who were sick. In doing this He fulfilled what was said by the prophet Isaiah : He bore our infirmities and took on Himself our diseases.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)
Psalm 73 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-7, 20-21
O God, have You rejected us forever? Why vent Your anger on the sheep of Your own fold? Remember the people You have formed of old, the tribe You have redeemed as Your inheritance. Remember Mount Zion where You once lived.
Climb and visit these hopeless ruins, the enemy has ravaged everything in the sanctuary. Your foes have roared triumphantly in the holy place, and set up their banner of victory.
Like lumberman felling trees, they smashed the carved panelling with hatchets, hammers and axes. They defiled Your sanctuary and set aflame the dwelling place of Your Name.
See how they keep Your covenant in the dark caves of the land. Do not let the oppressed be put to shame; may the poor and needy praise Your Name.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 