27 November 2019

by

Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the messages from the Scriptures reminding us all of the reality that being a follower of the Lord will often mean that we will encounter challenges, trials, upset, humiliation and persecution while we walk in the path of God, and we will likely face pressures and temptations to abandon our path and to walk away from the way of the Lord.

Yet, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we heard of the Lord reassurance that He would be with those who are ever faithful to Him. He will not abandon them to the darkness and neither will He allow us to face destruction. Yes, there will be challenges in our path and throughout our journey, but as long as we remain true to our faith and persevere strongly in our commitment to God, He will be faithful to us and to the Covenant He has made with us all.

In our Gospel passage today, we are reminded of the fact that God will always be by our side even though things may be difficult for us. God has always provided for us in everything that we need, giving us strength and encouragement in our most difficult moments, as He promised us the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit as He reiterated in our Gospel passage today, that His disciples do not need to worry about what they were to say or do, as the Lord Himself will guide them.

Ultimately, all these are reminders to us all that God will always triumph in the end, no matter what we the faithful had to endure in part of our daily struggles in life, as being faithful disciples of the Lord. If we keep up our hope in the Lord and remain true to Him, we will certainly not be disappointed as God Himself will be by our side, vouching for us and keeping for us the inheritance that He has kept for us.

In our first reading today, we heard yet another occasion of how God remained true to His promises and care for His faithful ones, as we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel the story of how God eventually delivered His people Israel from the hands of their oppressors, as the last Babylonian king, Belshazzar met his end and the end of his kingdom. King Belshazzar was being very disrespectful to God, as he and his nobles made use of the sacred vessels seized from the Temple of God as drinking vessels as a mockery to God.

At that very occasion, the Lord showed a great sign that would usher in the end of the great and proud kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, as God’s own hands traced the words on the wall of the palace in plain view of the king and all of his nobles, proclaiming the end of Babylon and its imminent takeover by the Persians under king Cyrus who would be the one to emancipate and free the exiles of Israel in Babylon and allowed them to return to their homeland.

And what God said through the prophet Daniel came true that very night as the Persians overthrew the rule of Belshazzar and crushed forever the ones who insulted the honour and glory of God by their wicked acts. And God was faithful to His people having atoned for their sins, remembering them at all times and brought them back to the lands which once belonged to them and their forefathers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all therefore reminded that as Christians all of us must not be afraid to follow the Lord and to commit ourselves to Him because ultimately, God is forever faithful to the Covenant which He has established with us. He will not forget about us, but He will reward us all who remain truly faithful to Him, enduring and persevering through various trials and challenges in our journey towards Him.

Now, we are all challenged to remain truly faithful to the Lord, to take up our crosses in life and follow the Lord. Are we able to dedicate ourselves with zeal and be committed to serve the Lord’s greater glory from now on? Are we willing and able to stand up for our faith when the situation demands of it? Are we able to live our lives from now on with genuine love for God and to be witnesses of His truth at every moments of our lives?

These are the questions that we should have with us, to remind us and to strengthen us in our resolve to be faithful Christians from now on. May God be with us always and may He strengthen us and empower us in our journey, now and always. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 12-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for My sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”

“So keep this in mind : do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though, because of My Name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”

by

Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 3 : 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67

Sun and moon, praise and exalt Him forever.

Stars of heaven, praise and exalt Him forever.

Rain and dew, praise and exalt Him forever.

All winds, praise and exalt Him forever.

Fire and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.

Cold and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.

by

Wednesday, 27 November 2019 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 5 : 1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles; a thousand of them attended; and he drank wine with them. Under the influence of wine, he ordered that the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in, so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them.

The gold and silver vessels taken from God’s Temple were brought in; and the king and his nobles, his wives and concubines drank from them. While they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. Suddenly a man’s fingers appeared opposite the lamp stand and wrote on the plastered wall of the king’s palace.

Watching the hand as it wrote, the king turned pale. So terrified was he that his knees knocked and his legs gave way. Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father brought from Judah? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods, that you have insight and extraordinary wisdom. I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and be appointed third in rank in my kingdom.”

Daniel replied, “You may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. Just the same, I will read and interpret the writing for you. You have defied the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels from His Temple brought to you, and, together with your nobles, your wives and concubines, you drank wine from them. You praised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron and stones, which neither see, nor hear, nor understand; but you never glorified God Who has power over your life and all your fortunes.”

“So He sent the hand that wrote the inscription which read MENE, TEKEL, PHARSIN. And these words mean : MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PHARSIN, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”