Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5
Blessed are you who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.
Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots will stand around your table.
Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.
Liturgical Colour : Green
2 Thessalonians 3 : 6-10, 16-18
We command you, beloved, to stay away from believers who are living in idleness, contrary to the traditions we passed on to you. You know, how you ought to follow our example : we worked while we were with you. Day and night, we laboured and toiled so as not to be a burden to any of you.
We had the right to act otherwise, but we wanted to give you an example. Besides, while we were with you, we said clearly : if anyone is not willing to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace give you His peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with you all. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is my signature in all my letters. This is how I write. May the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord be with you.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through the Scripture passages all of us are reminded to keep our hope and focus on the faithfulness and the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the eternal glory and new life He has promised us, and to remain firm in our path, called as Christians to walk in God’s path, not to be deterred by fear and uncertainty, or by false teachings and erroneous ideas.
Instead, we must adhere closely to what the Lord had taught us through His Church, obeying the Law with our hearts and minds, with sincerity and honesty, that we are truly faithful in all things according to God’s will. And through our Gospel passage today, we have also been reminded not to be like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in how they acted and in how they practiced their faith.
Contextually, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were those that were very particular on the way the Law of God was practiced by the people, and many of them were mostly concerned with the way the Law was obeyed, as they held a very strict way of interpreting the Law and followed the Law to the letter, enforcing others to follow the Law and obey its tenets in the manner that they prescribed.
But the Lord criticised and rebuked these among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law with the woes He pronounced to them, reminding all of us that this is not the way that we ought to follow or practice the Law of God in our lives. The Law of God is not to be practiced by the letter only, but by both the letter and the spirit of the Law. And what does this exactly mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means we do not just pay lip service and blindly obey the Law without even understanding the meaning, purpose and significance of the Law of God.
For example, many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law enforced a very strict interpretation and obedience to the Law, to the smallest details in how they were to be obeyed, but in their obsession with the way how the Law is to be lived and observed, they forgot and misunderstood the Law’s true purpose and meaning. The observance became for many, mostly a formality and even a chore, as they were focused on the petty details of the Law rather than why they ought to be faithful and obey the Law.
That is exactly what happened if we just focus on the ‘letter’ of the Law and not understanding or appreciating the ‘spirit’ of the Law. And in the end, such observance of the Law and actions are meaningless if not accompanied properly with the desire and understanding from the heart, mind and soul. What it means is that, for us to be truly obedient to God and to be faithful, is to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and to love Him with all of our heart, such as is the purpose and intention of the Law of God.
In our first reading today, St. Paul told the faithful in Thessalonica exactly this point, that every one of us should remain firm in our faith in God, and not be swayed by worldly temptations and false leads from those who wanted to achieve their own ambitions and mislead us from the path of truth. That is why, we must not follow the misguided path of many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom used the Law as means to promote themselves and their own agenda rather than genuine dedication to God.
How do we then live our lives with faith, brothers and sisters in Christ? This is where then we should look at the examples set by our predecessors, those who have been deemed authoritatively by the Church as being worthy of praise and veneration as saints and blesseds. And today in particular, we remember the memory of two saints, in their lives and dedication to the Lord, namely St. Louis, King of France, and St. Joseph Calasanz, a holy priest of God.
St. Louis, also known as King Louis IX of France, was one of the greatest Medieval kings of France, remembered for his great piety and dedication to God, his righteous and good rule over his people. St. Louis was committed to the betterment of his people’s livelihood, exercising justice and prudence over his rule and actions, and helped to strengthen his country in faith as well as in prosperity through his long and just reign as king.
St. Louis was pious and dedicated to God, and he showed his subjects and people true Christian leadership, leading the people down the right path, reforming the government and the Church, and making everyone closer to God through their renewed faith. St. Louis also participated in the Crusades to reclaim the Holy Land from infidels and those who persecuted Christians and pilgrims. Throughout his life, St. Louis has shown us what it means to be exemplary in faith.
Meanwhile, St. Joseph Calasanz was a renowned and dedicated pries who spent much of his ministry in reaching out to the homeless and those who were hungry and suffering, those who were without education and care. It was not easy as there were many challenges that St. Joseph Calasanz had to overcome during all of his efforts. He continued to serve the people with dedication and also spent a lot of time to rejuvenate many people in the faith.
St. Joseph Calasanz was particularly remembered for his efforts in extending education to all people, including especially the poor and those who usually had not been able to attain any education previously, as at that time in particular, education was mainly available only for the rich and privileged members of the community. To this extent, St. Joseph Calasanz taught many people on various matters, helping them to gain the important knowledge and make a difference to their lives.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, both St. Louis and St. Joseph Calasanz have shown us how we as Christians can live our lives and realising the Law of God through genuine commitment and the spending of efforts to love God, first and foremost before all else, and then to love our fellow brothers and sisters in the same manner. They have shown us what we ourselves can do in serving the Lord as good and committed Christians.
Now, are we willing and able to commit ourselves, our time and effort to do this? God has called on each and every one of us to follow Him, and therefore, let us all respond to His call with faith, and do what we can in our lives to serve Him, to glorify Him and to draw ever closer to Him through righteousness and justice, through obedience and understanding of God’s Law and commandments. May God be with us always and guide us through life. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)
Matthew 23 : 23-26
At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You do not forget the mint, anise and cumin seeds when you demand the tenth of everything; but then, you forget what is most fundamental in the Law : justice, mercy and faith! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a mosquito, but swallow a camel.”
“Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the cup, with theft and violence, and then pronounce a blessing over them. Blind Pharisee! Purify the inside first, then the outside, too, will be purified.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)
Psalm 95 : 10, 11-12a, 12b-13
Say among the nations, “YHVH reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.
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.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints and Priests)
2 Thessalonians 2 : 1-3a, 14-17
Brothers and sisters, let us speak about the coming of Christ Jesus, Our Lord, and our gathering to meet Him. Do not be easily unsettled. Do not be alarmed by what a prophet says, or by any report, or by some letter said to be ours, saying, the day of the Lord is at hand. Do not let yourselves be deceived, in any way.
To this end He called you, through the Gospel we preach, for He willed you, to share the glory of Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Because of that, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions that we taught you, by word or by letter. May Christ Jesus, Our Lord, Who has loved us, may God Our Father, Who, in His mercy, gives us everlasting comfort and true hope, strengthen you.
May He encourage your hearts and make you steadfast in every good work and word.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the great feast of one of the Twelve Apostles, namely St. Bartholomew the Apostle, also associated and known as Nathanael in the Gospels, just as we heard in our Gospel today on the encounter and interaction between the Lord Jesus and Nathanael and how God called him and made him one of His disciples after persuading him to believe in the truth.
As ‘bar’ is the word used in the Aramaic language, the language spoken at the time of Jesus’ ministry, to denote the person being the ‘son of’, just as in Simon bar Jonah, or Simon son of John, thus, St. Bartholomew’s name might have been historically Nathanael bar Talmai or the ‘son of Ptolemy’, Ptolemy being the royal name for Greeks living in Egypt then, and which therefore could have pointed out Nathanael, or St. Bartholomew as the son of a Hellenised Jew, who might have taken many Greek influences including name from the Egyptian Greeks. Later on then, Nathanael would be better remembered by his surname, and therefore, as St. Bartholomew.
And as we heard how God called him into His service, following which, Nathanael, as St. Bartholomew, dedicated his life to God, we can see how unlike many of the other Apostles, St. Bartholomew as a possible member of the Hellenised Jew tend to be better educated and likely more literate than many of the Apostles as many of the people at that time were illiterate, unable to write or read.
St. Bartholomew showed great knowledge of the Scripture, as he even knew about the fact that the Scriptures did not say that the Messiah would come from the region of Galilee, but from the city of David, Bethlehem as prophesied through the prophets. This showed that St. Bartholomew likely had a significant knowledge of the Scriptures and likely had high intelligence as well. This is something that Judas Iscariot, the traitor, also shared with him.
However, unlike Judas Iscariot, St. Bartholomew trusted in God and followed Him wholeheartedly. Ever since the Lord revealed to him that He knew all about him, and knew where he was before he met Him, St. Bartholomew knew that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, the One he had been looking for. He followed the Lord and although very little was mentioned of St. Bartholomew in the Scriptural records, he definitely took part in the important events of the early Church.
According to the Church history and tradition passed down from the Apostles, St. Bartholomew was attributed with the mission to India, preaching the faith along the coasts of what is today India, either together or separate from St. Thomas, who also preached in the same region and established the first Christian communities in that area. St. Bartholomew then would travel afterwards to the region of Armenia and continued to preach the faith there.
St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel and the truth of God in Armenia, together with St. Jude Thaddeus, and it was in Armenia that St. Bartholomew was martyred, after accounts that he managed to convert either a king or high noble of Armenia to the Christian faith, and after opposition from the pagans, St. Bartholomew was arrested, tortured, flayed alive and beheaded, enduring martyrdom for his faith in God.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have seen such courage and commitment that St. Bartholomew, as well as the other Apostles had shown in the face of persecution and trials, and they all courageously stood up for their faith even the midst of harm and threat to their own lives and safety. They showed us what true Christian faith, dedication and commitment are all about, and we should be inspired by their great examples, particularly that of St. Bartholomew the Apostle.
And in our first reading today, we heard the interesting passage from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, in which at the end of the Revelations that St. John received and recorded, he spoke of the vision of the great new city of God, coming down from Heaven, the New Jerusalem, full of God’s glory. St. John saw the New Jerusalem that will come at the end of time and after the Last Judgment, where all the faithful will live together with God, reigning gloriously in His kingdom.
And the Apostles were featured prominently in that vision, occupying thrones or seats of Judgment, as the Twelve principal servants of the Lord, as the sharers of God’s glory. For all the sufferings that the Apostles suffered, as everyone except for St. John died in martyrdom, suffering all sorts of most terrible tortures before their deaths, and for St. John’s case, he suffered a lifetime of persecution, arrest and imprisonment, exile and hard labour in his long life.
What we all can take from this passage is the hope that the Lord has given us, of the eternal life and glory to come, in His eternal kingdom. And although our lives may be difficult and we may encounter bitter repression and persecution as the Apostles like St. Bartholomew had suffered, but we must remain faithful, for in the end, God knows every single little actions we do for His sake and for His glory, and also for the good of our fellow brethren. When the time of reckoning comes, we will definitely not regret have given what we could to serve the Lord.
That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, and especially today we remember the glorious memory of St. Bartholomew, faithful and dedicated servant of God. Let us all reach out in faith to our fellow brethren, and let us show God’s love and truth via our actions in life. May the Lord bless each and every one of us, and strengthen us in our faith and resolve to live righteously in His presence. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Red
John 1 : 45-51
At that time, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets : He is Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, He said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked Him, “How do You know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.”
Nathanael answered, “Master, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 17-18
All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o Lord, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your power.
That all may know of Your mighty deeds, Your reign and its glorious splendour. Your reign is from age to age; Your dominion endures from generation to generation.
Righteous is YHVH in all His ways, His mercy shows in all His deeds. He is near those who call on Him, who call trustfully upon His Name.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Revelations 21 : 9b-14
And one of the seven Angels who were with the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues said to me, “Come, I am going to show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
He took me up, in a spiritual vision, to a very high mountain, and he showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven, from God. It shines with the glory of God, like a precious jewel, with the colour of crystal-clear jasper. Its wall, large and high, has twelve gates; stationed at them are twelve Angels.
Over the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel. Three gates face the east; three gates face the north; three gates face the south and three face the west. The city wall stands on twelve foundation stones, on which are written the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 