15 December 2016

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Thursday, 15 December 2016 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s readings we heard of the great joy that had been given by God to His faithful servants, two women who had been barren from having a child, one who have not been given a child despite the other wife of her husband having many children, and the other one who was barren until her old age.

But God heard their prayers and gave them His blessings, and both of the children born of them became great servants of God, one is the prophet and Judge of Israel, Samuel, who went on to lead and guide the people of Israel and anointed both king Saul and David of Israel, and the other one is John the Baptist, the herald of the Messiah and the one who came ahead of Him to prepare the way for His coming into the world.

And God did not just bless the two women with children, but also His entire people. Samuel came at a time when the people of God had become complacent in their faith, where even the leaders became corrupt and wicked in their ways. The sons of the then judge, Eli were corrupt and they led the people into sin and disobedience before God by their own actions.

In the same manner, at the time of the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, the people of God, while outwardly seemed to be faithful and good, but they have also gone wayward in their faith, and their leaders, the elders, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had become corrupt and wicked in their ways, and as a result, they too have misled the people of God into sin.

God therefore sent His deliverance to His people, as He had done many times throughout history, and all of these were a buildup towards the eventual salvation and deliverance through the sending of His own Son, the Saviour of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose coming into the world we celebrate as Christmas. Through Him, a new hope has dawned on the human race, on all the people of God who now have hope in Him.

This is the essence of today’s Scripture readings, that is about a new hope that God gives to all those who despair and are in need for His help. God blesses all of His people and will not forget them. That is what we all ought to remember as we prepare for the coming of the season of Christmas during this Advent season. We should prepare ourselves in our hearts and minds, so that we may be able to celebrate Christmas with proper and good understanding of what is it that we are celebrating about.

Let us ask ourselves, brothers and sisters in Christ, how many of us make the Lord as the most important Person in our life? How many of us actually place Him at the centre of our livelihoods? Many of us celebrate Christmas year after year without proper understanding what it is that we are celebrating. We should be spending this season of Advent trying to reflect on our own lives and prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually to welcome the Lord Who comes to save us.

We should seek the Lord and His grace at all times, and rather than seeking for worldly comfort and other sources of satisfaction, let us look to the Lord. Nothing else, and no one else other than the Lord will be able to provide us with true and complete satisfaction found in Him alone. The things and goods of this world can fail us, but the Lord will not fail us, just as He had helped those who were in need and prayed to Him.

Let us all put the Lord back at the centre of our lives, and let us all put Him at the centre of our Christmas preparations and celebrations. Jesus is the Lord and Master of our lives, and therefore, let us all open ourselves to Him and welcome Him with an open heart, that He may come into us and transform us from a people living in despair and darkness, into children of the light. May God bless us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 December 2016 : 3rd Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 7 : 24-30

At that time, when John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began speaking to the people about John. And He said, “What did you want to see, when you went to the desert? A reed blowing in the wind? What was there to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? But people who wear fine clothes and enjoy delicate food are found in palaces.

What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. For John is the one foretold in Scripture in these words : I am sending My messenger ahead of You to prepare Your way. No one may be found greater than John among those born of women, but, I tell you, the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

All the people listening to Him, even the tax collectors, had acknowledged the will of God in receiving the baptism of John, whereas the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, in not letting themselves be baptised by him, ignored the will of God.

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Thursday, 15 December 2016 : 3rd Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 29 : 2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

I extol You, o Lord, for You have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me. O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave, You gave me life when I was going to the pit.

Sing to the Lord, o you His saints, give thanks and praise to His holy Name. For His anger lasts but a little while, and His kindness all through life. Weeping may tarry for the night, but rejoicing comes with the dawn.

Hear, o Lord, and have mercy on me; o Lord, be my Protector. But now, You have turned my mourning into rejoicing. O Lord my God, forever will I give You thanks.

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Thursday, 15 December 2016 : 3rd Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Isaiah 54 : 1-10

Rejoice, o barren woman who has not given birth; sing and shout for joy, you who never had children, for more are the children of the rejected woman than the children of the married wife, says YHVH.

Enlarge the space for your tent, stretch out your hangings, lengthen your ropes and strengthen your stakes, for you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will take possession of the nations and inhabit cities that have been abandoned.

Do not be afraid for you will not be deceived, do not be ashamed for you will not be disgraced. You will forget the shame of your youth; no longer will you remember the disgrace of your widowhood. For your Maker is to marry you : YHVH Sabaoth is His Name. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel : He is called God of all the earth.

For YHVH has called you back as one forsaken and grieved in spirit. Who could abandon His first beloved? says your God. For a brief moment I have abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will gather My people. For a moment, in an outburst of anger, I hid My face from you, but with everlasting love I have had mercy on you, says YHVH, your Redeemer.

This is for me like Noah’s waters, when I swore that they would no more flood the earth; so now I swear not to be angry with you and never again to rebuke you. The mountains may depart and the hills be moved, but never will My love depart from you nor My covenant of peace be removed, says YHVH Whose compassion is for you.