1st Sunday of Advent

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gathered together and listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures and as we all continue to progress through this sacred time and season of Advent, each and every one of us are called to trust in God and in everything that He will provide for us in our respective journeys, in whatever calling, missions and vocations that He has entrusted to us, His most beloved people. We should always strive to do our best in glorifying the Lord through our every actions, words and deeds, in everything that we carry out in our lives, even in the smallest and even in what we may think as the least significant parts of our actions and works. This Advent season we should focus on renewing our faith in the Lord, to put our trust and faith constantly in God, and draw ever closer to Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard the continuation of the passage from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord continued to show His reassurances to His people in Zion, a manifestation of Jerusalem, where the people of God lived in at that time, in the kingdom of Judah centred in Jerusalem. As mentioned in the past week of readings and the prophecies through the earlier parts of this Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of how the people of God had been beset by many troubles, challenges and difficulties which have all been caused by their own doing and that of their ancestors, who had disobeyed the Lord, His Law and commandments, and yet, the Lord kept on reassuring them at the same time, that if they put their faith and trust in Him, He would eventually vindicate and rescue them.

And this is because they were His chosen people, the people whom He truly cared for and loved. He did not want any of them to suffer and be lost to Him. They have all faced sufferings, challenges, difficulties and humiliations all because of their own disobedience and sins, but God had called them all and showed great patience towards them, in gathering and leading them all back towards Him, in showing them His great compassion, mercy and love. And He has also promised them all that all those who remain truly faithful to Him, they shall all enjoy the fullness of God’s love and guidance, and they shall not be found wanting, with their misfortunes to be replaced by good things and wonders, in God’s good time. Therefore, it’s the same with all of us as well, that eventually we shall all share in the great joy that the Lord alone can provide us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we are reminded that each and every one of us are partakers and parts of those working for the Lord at His vineyard, His field, that is none other than this world. We heard how the Lord and His disciples went from places to places, ministering to the people, to those who were sick and beset by troubles and problems, and in doing so, He has fulfilled the many prophecies that were spoken and revealed about Him by the prophets including that of the prophet Isaiah. And then, He also added on with the sobering words on the reality of how the ‘harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few’, highlighting the vast opportunities for many more people to come to know the Lord, His Good News and salvation, but this is usually hampered by the lack of those who carry on works for this purpose.

That is why we are reminded of this reality today so that each and every one of us in our every moments in life, in everything that we say and do, in all that we constantly carry out in our lives, we will always do our parts as faithful members of our Christian community, in whatever areas and vocations that God had called us to do in our respective lives. We do not need to do great and wonderful things, and we should indeed never compare our efforts and works with one another. First of all, everything that we do, even in the smallest things do matter, and even the smallest things we do, when we do them with genuine and sincere hearts, and with the true understanding of what our Christian faith has shown, taught and called us to do, they will all assemble into a much greater impact, far greater than what we perhaps have imagined.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Nicholas, also known as St. Nicholas of Myra. This saint and great man of God is also perhaps better known as Santa Claus by much of the world, as the corruption of the word Sinterklaas, which is the Dutch name and pronunciation of St. Nicholas’ name. Santa Claus is often associated with Christmas celebrations and season, and is ubiquitous and present everywhere there are Christmas celebrations and festivities. However, do we truly know who St. Nicholas of Myra actually was? Santa Claus is often depicted as an elderly man who is wearing a thick and fluffy red coat and overalls, hats and having a long and thick white beard, bringing lots of gifts in a large bag or sack, to be given to children. This is likely from the tradition and beliefs that St. Nicholas of Myra did so during his time and ministry as Bishop of Myra, in showing kindness to the children in his diocese.

However, St. Nicholas of Myra did more than just all that, and he should be remembered much more than merely just in the popular memory and celebration of being a generous old man who brought forth gifts to children. St. Nicholas of Myra was a great and holy man of God, who was a devotee shepherd to the flock that God had entrusted to him. He was known for his great care for the people, both in their spiritual needs as well as their worldly and physical matters, which is why the legend of Santa Claus began in the first place, as St. Nicholas was also known for his great generosity. St. Nicholas of Myra also lived and ministered to the people of God through the time of great division in the Church, as there were many heresies and false teachings running rampant at that time, and he worked hard to keep his people from being misled and misguided.

St. Nicholas of Myra was also a participant at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where he was one of the bishops and Church fathers involved in the proceedings in formalising the expressions and tenets of the Christian faith. At that Ecumenical Council, the great and harmful heresy of Arianism was outlawed and condemned by the Church. Arianism was a heresy based on the teachings of the popular priest named Arius who rejected the consubstantial and co-eternal nature of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and instead teaching falsely that the Son was the first among those whom God had created. The truth as we uphold it, is that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Most Holy Trinity and Triune God, are co-equal and co-eternal, having existed from before time, and that the Son was begotten from the Father, not created. St. Nicholas was one of the bishops who fervently championed the true faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we continue to prepare ourselves as we progress through this time and season of Advent, let us all continue to show our faith courageously and sincerely not merely through words but also through genuine actions, in each and every moments of our lives. Let us all be good role models, inspirations and examples for one another, touching the lives of those whom God had placed into our paths, so that many more people may come to believe in Him through us, and we truly become good labourers of His field that is this world. May God bless our every efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Matthew 9 : 35 – Matthew 10 : 1, 5a, 6-8

At that time, Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom; and He cured every sickness and disease. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with pity; for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only few. Ask the Master of the harvest to send workers to gather His harvest.”

Jesus called His Twelve disciples to Him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and sickness. Jesus sent these Twelve on mission, with the instruction : “Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give.”

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Psalm 146 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia! How good it is to sing to our God, how sweet and befitting, to praise Him! YHVH rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals their broken hearts and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars; He calls each of them by name.

The Lord is great, and mighty in power; His wisdom is beyond measure. YHVH lifts up the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Isaiah 30 : 19-21, 23-26

O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. When you cry, He will listen; when He hears, He will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of anguish and the water of distress, He, your Teacher will hide no longer. Your own eyes will see Him, and your ear will listen to His words behind you : “This is the way, walk in it.”

He will then give rain for the seed you sow and make the harvest abundant from the crops you grow. On that day your cattle will graze in wide pastures. Your beasts of burden will eat silage tossed to them with pitchfork and shovel. For on the day of the great slaughter, when fortresses fall, streams of water will flow on every mountain and lofty hill.

The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven times greater, like the light of seven days, when YHVH binds up the wounds of His people and heals the bruises inflicted by His blows.

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Friday, 5 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this season of Advent and as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we are all presented with, of the hope that will be restored upon us all if we continue to hold on to the hope which we have in God, if we continue to be faithful to Him and putting our trust as always in His Providence and grace. If we truly believe in God and all that He has constantly reassured and promised us with, then surely, in the end, we will be truly joyful knowing that God has triumphed in all that He has said that He will lead us to victory through, in our victory against the tyranny of evil and sin around us, which had kept us in fear and enslaved all these while.

In our first reading today, once again from the continuation of the Book of the prophet Isaiah, as is common during this time of the Advent season, we heard the very encouraging and hopeful message which the Lord had presented to His people, the story of encouragement which the Lord presented to His people, of the promises of better times and conditions which would be heralded by the coming of the miraculous signs and wonders, all of which would indeed come true and to its full completion in the coming of the Messiah, the same Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God made Man. This Advent, we are presented with these words of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, reminding us all that we have indeed received such great graces and blessings from God, as we have experienced through the coming of Christ.

Those who lived back then during the time of the prophet Isaiah would not have seen the fullness of the completion of God’s promises and everything that He has reassured them, but they did see the glimpses of these through the miracles that God performed via Isaiah and His other means, like how He extended the life of King Hezekiah of Judah when the king begged the Lord to heal him from his terrible affliction which almost brought him to his early death, and also the moment when the Lord struck down the armies of the King of Assyria, Sennacherib, who came up to Judah and Jerusalem bearing massive force of arms, over a hundred thousand strong to besiege and destroy the city of God and its people, blaspheming against God with proud and arrogant words.

God humbled the king of Assyria by sending forth His might, His Angels that struck down most of the forces of the Assyrians, that the proud and haughty Assyrian king had to flee back towards his homeland being utterly humiliated, as God wiped out almost all of his army with a single mighty stroke of His hand. This is a very powerful testimony of God’s providence and His faithfulness to the Covenant that He had made, established and renewed with His people, the people of Israel, guarding and protecting them from the forces of their enemies, rescuing and helping them to get out of their predicament. And not only that, but those were just precursor and premonition of what God would eventually do, in even greater way through His Son, Whom He would send in time to rescue not just the Israelites in Judah, but the whole entire world.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was going away from the place where He resurrected the dead daughter of a synagogue official, two blind men were following Him and begged Him to have pity on them, that He might heal them of their condition. They spoke courageously and truthfully when the Lord asked them if they believed that He could heal them and make them whole again, and they responded with truly great faith, and by that faith which they had in the Lord, they were healed by the power of God and were made whole again, just as the prophet Isaiah had once prophesied as the sign of the coming of the Messiah.

Then, curiously we heard right afterwards that the Lord immediately told the two blind men that He had just healed, that they should keep the matter quiet and not to proclaim it publicly. Yet, the two blind men, perhaps being overjoyed, went forth and spread the words nonetheless. What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? Why is it that the Lord did not want His exploits and works to be proclaimed loudly among the people? Then we must understand the context of the situation of that time, when the Lord and His disciples were facing tough challenges and obstacles from the members of the Jewish Sanhedrin or High Council, composed of the chief priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and others who opposed Him. The more people that came to know of the miraculous healings the Lord did, the more complicated the situation became, and the more vigorous the opposition against the Lord became.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore continue to reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received today, so that by the words of the hope and reassurances from the Lord, we can continue to grow ever stronger in faith, courage and the dedication to walk in the path that the Lord Himself has placed before us. We are all called to put our faith and trust in God at all times, even in the challenging and difficult moments in life. We should be strengthened by the hope in the Lord, in what He had done for His beloved ones, which we are all as well, so that through our good examples and inspirations, we may be the bearers of hope and the light of God to all the people we encounter in our everyday living.

May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith within us, and may He continue to give us the courage and empowerment so that in everything that we do, we will continue to glorify the Lord by our lives, by our every efforts and endeavours, in continuing to walk ever more faithfully in the path that He has set before us. Let us all continue to strive to be good role models and examples for one another, in proclaiming the Lord’s Good News to everyone we encounter in our paths in life. May God bless us all, now and always, forevermore. Amen. 

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Friday, 5 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 9 : 27-31

At that time, as Jesus moved on from the place where He resurrected the daughter of the official, two blind men followed Him, shouting, “Son of David, help us!” When He was about to enter the house, the blind men caught up with Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do what you want?” They answered, “Yes, Sir!”

Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “As you have believed, so let it be.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus gave them a stern warning, “Be careful that no one knows about this.” But as soon as they went away, they spread the news about Him through the whole area.

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Friday, 5 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His sanctuary.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!

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Friday, 5 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 29 : 17-24

In a very short time, Lebanon will become a fruitful field and the fruitful field will be as a forest. On that day the deaf will hear the words of the book, and out of the dark and obscurity the eyes of the blind will see. The meek will find joy and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

For the tyrant will be no more and the scoffers gone forever, and all who plan to do evil will be cut down – those who by a word make you guilty, those who for a bribe can lay a snare and send home the just empty-handed.

Therefore YHVH, Abraham’s Redeemer, speaks concerning the people of Jacob : No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will his face grow pale. When he sees the work of My hands, his children again in his midst, they will sanctify My Name, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Those who err in spirit will understand; those who murmur will learn.

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded through the words of the Lord as we continue to progress through this season of Advent, the time of spiritual renewal and preparation for the upcoming joyous celebration that we usually have in the upcoming Christmas time and season, that each and every one of us may be truly ready to celebrate it worthily and properly in the manner that we should do it. We should always strive to centre our lives on the Lord, on His truth and love, doing our very best to embody our faith in everything that we say and do. Let this time of Advent be a truly fruitful one, filled with moments that we spend preparing ourselves well in all aspects so that we can indeed celebrate Christmas with the right spirit and joy.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord continued to reassure His beloved people, the Israelites in the southern kingdom of Judah where Isaiah had been sent to minister in, who had been beset by many troubles and challenges, and yet, the Lord would be with them always, and they would not be abandoned even when the people themselves had often abandoned and ignored God and His constant reminders of love and compassion for all of His people. The Lord has always been a source of hope and recourse for the people whenever they faced challenges and trials, and He has sent them help and guidance repeatedly over many years and circumstances. And the Lord reassured His people that He would stand with them even through the most difficult moments.

This would come true very soon indeed in the perspective of the sequence of events that were depicted in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, as a few chapters after what we heard in today’s first reading, where the story of the events surrounding the invasion of Judah by the forces of King Sennacherib of Assyria were recorded, detailing how the Assyrians led by their king came in vast numbers, over a hundred thousand strong to raze and conquer the whole of Judah and besieging its capital city Jerusalem. And if we recall what we have just heard in our first reading today, that was precisely what the Lord had told His people through the prophet Isaiah, and just as He has reassured them, that He would protect them and laid low those who were haughty and proud, the Lord smote down the Assyrians and their king, the latter which had in his great pride and hubris claiming that he would conquer Jerusalem and not even God could stop him.

God sent His mighty Angels to strike upon the armies of the Assyrians, killing most of them through unknown means, but leaving the Assyrian king completely humiliated and shattered, and he had to flee back to his homeland in great shame. Meanwhile, Judah and Jerusalem were rescued and restored, and peace returned to the people of God and their homeland. Hence, we can see clearly here how God had intervened for the sake of those who had been faithful to Him, and that those who have been faithful and committed to God, putting their trust and hope in Him will be vindicated in the end, and no hope in the Lord will come to disappointment, as God is always ever faithful to His Covenant and everything that He has promised to us and reassured us with. This is why we are reminded of this during this time of Advent so that we can continue to grow in faith in the Lord.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus Himself using a parable to highlight to His disciples what it truly means to be HIs disciples and followers, and that is to put themselves in the firm foundation of faith in God and not in all sorts of worldly means and powers, by which many often put their foundations on. He used the comparison between the strong foundation of solid rock upon which if a house were to be built, it can withstand all kind of storms and waves battering it, while those who built up upon the weak foundation of sand would easily have their houses being destroyed and torn down by the forces of nature assailing it because of the lack of that solid foundation.

In the same way therefore, if we all put our trust in our worldly means, matters and our plans and machinations, more than we put our trust and faith in God, then sooner or later we will find ourselves utterly disappointed because in the end, no matter how firm or secure they may be, none of them can truly satisfy us or support us in the manner that God can. Even if we are to face challenges and trials, but with the Lord by our side, even the greatest and hardest challenges can be overcome if we continue to hold strongly and firmly upon the faith that we have in Him. This of course does not mean that we do not do anything and solely trust in God only, but instead, in all that we do, in our every actions, words and deeds, in every moments, everything that we do must always be firmly anchored in our faith and hope in the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Damascene, also known as St. John of Damascus, a renowned monk, priest and theologian, who is honoured as one of the esteemed Doctors of the Church for his may works and contributions. St. John of Damascus was born in a prominent Christian Arab family in part of what is Syria today, which then was under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. As he came from a family of officials who were involved in the earlier Byzantine bureaucracy, and then later on the Arabic Umayyad government, St. John was raised up and educated well, and became a well-educated man, serving in the court of the Umayyad Caliph before he became a priest and monk.

St. John of Damascus dedicated his life thereafter to the study of the Christian faith, its theology and mysteries, which he discussed and touched upon in his many writings and works. St. John was also notedly involved in the controversies surrounding the matter of iconoclasm that was then widespread through the Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire and the other parts of Christendom. At that time, there were parties and members of the Church and the clergy, with support even from some of the Emperors, who wished to ban the veneration of icons and images, considering them to be un-Christian in nature. This iconoclastic practices were opposed by the Pope and many other members of the clergy and the Church, including that of St. John of Damascus.

St. John of Damascus worked hard against all those who took part and sided in the iconoclastic heresy, and he had to face a lot of hardships in doing so, even to the point of being persecuted, falsely implicated in crimes and suffering from plots against him, that he even had his hand cut off. Miraculously, before the icon of the Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God through his fervent prayers, his hand was restored. St. John remained firm and courageous in his defence of the true faith, despite the trials and challenges against him, and he persevered throughout his life, finally being vindicated and exonerated from all the false accusations against him when the iconoclast heresy was finally overthrown and defeated.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just discussed from the messages of the Sacred Scriptures and also from the life and experiences of St. John of Damascus. Let us all see in what way that we can continue to move forward in life with strong and genuine faith which we all ought to have, doing our very best to care for those whom the Lord has entrusted to us, our beloved and precious ones and all those whom we encounter in our daily and every moments in life. May God be with us always and may He continue to strengthen our faith during this journey throughout this Advent season, that we may continue to grow ever closer to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Matthew 7 : 21, 24-27

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My heavenly Father. Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.”

“But anyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”