Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.
Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.
They will receive blessings from the Lord, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Hebrews 10 : 19-25
So, my friends, we are assured of entering the Sanctuary, by the Blood of Jesus Who opened, for us, this new and living way, passing through the curtain, that is, His Body. Because we have a High Priest in charge of the House of God, let us approach, with a sincere heart, with full faith, interiorly cleansed from a bad conscience, and our bodies washed, with pure water.
Let us hold fast to our hope, without wavering, because He, Who promised, is faithful. Let us consider, how we may spur one another to love and good works. Do not abandon the assemblies, as some of you do, but encourage one another, and all the more, since the Day is drawing near.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today for all those of us who are celebrating the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year to the Chinese people who celebrate it every year. This day marks the celebration of the beginning of the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, as it was noted as the Spring Festival due to the period of time being the time when the temperatures of the ground and the environment begin to increase again after it has declined over the past few weeks and months. It is a truly joyful celebration as families and relatives come together to celebrate the beginning of the new lunisolar year, sharing their love with each other and meeting those whom they have not probably seen in a year or even more. It is a time for joyful reunion and happiness for everyone.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Numbers in which the Lord told Moses about how his brother Aaron and his sons, those whom God had appointed as priests over the people of Israel ought to give the blessings to the people, which God happily and readily would provide for all of them. The Lord provides for all of His people in need, giving them all His love and kindness, and nothing can happen to us without the Lord knowing about it. This is why, as we all rejoice wonderfully during this time of the Chinese New Year and all the associated celebrations and festivities, we must always keep in mind that our rejoicing, our good fortunes and all the good things we enjoy do not come about from our efforts alone, and we should be careful lest we think that we can gain more prosperity, pleasures and good things of the world if we continue to indulge in them.
That is why all of us are reminded that God alone is the source of all of our blessings and graces, and we must be careful as we carry on our numerous Chinese cultural practices and expressions that we do not end up subscribing to the various superstitious practices and beliefs that surround the celebration of the Chinese New Year and other related events. As Chinese Catholics, it is important that we continue to put God at the centre of our lives and existence, while at the same time, fully immersing ourselves in our rich history and culture, and this venerable and wonderful practice of observing the beginning of the new Lunisolar Year, the Chinese New Year. We should be good examples and inspirations for everyone around us, in how we observe this cultural celebration we rejoice greatly today.
In our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle, we heard the important reminder about our lives in this world and how we should not spend our time worrying too much about what we are going to do tomorrow, or to plan too extensively about how the upcoming year will be like. This echoes what the Lord Himself has said about how we all should not spend so much time and effort in busying ourselves to worry about the future, or in all of our actions and works in trying to gain more worldly things and riches for ourselves. After all, matters of live and death, and all the things in this world, all are truly beyond our control, and only God alone knows our fate, and whichever path and ending that will be ours. We should therefore put our focus instead on living our lives courageously in our faith in God, doing whatever we can do, to glorify God by our lives.
In this time and celebration of the Chinese New Year, we must be wary and vigilant so that we do not end up being overwhelmed and overtaken by the plentiful of temptations on worldly glory, wealth and ambition, of the pursuit for prosperity and other worldly temptations around us. We must always remember that as Christians, we are all living in this world with the primary objective of serving the Lord our God, to proclaim His truth and Good News to all the people, and to be the light for all the nations. We do not serve the God of Money and Wealth, or the God of Prosperity and Worldly Glory, but instead, we serve and worship the One and only True God, the Lord and Master of all things, He Who shows us the path that transcends the limitations and imperfections of this world.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord told His disciples and all those who have followed Him that all of them should not be worried at all about their lives and about what they might encounter in their lives and paths. Instead they should continue to hold firmly in the faith and hope that they ought to have in the Lord, never doubting the providence and the love which God, their heavenly Father and Master has for each and every one of them. The Lord Jesus also reassured all of His disciples that God knew everything that they needed, and they had no need to worry about anything. They should instead focus upon doing what is right and just in God’s path, and God will lead them down the right path, providing them in everything that they needed in life and beyond.
Brothers and sisters, therefore, as we have heard and reflected upon from the messages of the Sacred Scripture that we have received today, on this glorious and most joyful celebration of the Chinese New Year, let us all keep in mind that as we begin this new year, full of hope and aspiration for the coming year ahead, we must never forget that without God we are all nothing, and all of our blessings, good things and everything we enjoy in this life, all became possible because God was with us, blessing us and providing us with everything that we need. We should not become big-headed, proud and haughty, or greedy in our desire for more worldly things and ambitions. Instead, we should be ever more generous in sharing and giving our blessings with one another, especially if we have been blessed with excess, and there are others around us who are suffering and facing difficulties in even making ends meet each day.
May all of our celebrations and festivities during this Chinese New Year period be ever more blessed by God and be attuned fully to His path. Let us all not indulge in the excesses of worldly comfort, merrymaking and rejoicing, but let us instead be willing to share our many blessings and gifts with one another, focusing not so much on prosperity and other temporary, impermanent worldly desires and pursuits. We should remember that first and foremost, this New Year is the perfect opportunity for us to renew our commitments to God, to entrust ourselves and our lives anew to Him. Let us all be ever more devoted in living our lives with ever greater faith, in each and every moments of our lives, so that by our exemplary living, we will come ever closer to the Lord, and be the bearers of His truth and love in our world today.
Let us all share the joy of Christ, His love and kindness to everyone we spend our time with and rejoice with during this festive season. May God bless our families and everyone in our groups and communities, and may He continue to be with us, strengthening us all so that we may continue to grow in faith and persevere despite the challenges we may be facing in life, rooting ourselves and our families ever in the Lord. Wishing everyone a most blessed, holy and wonderful Chinese New Year, truly blessed by God. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Matthew 6 : 31-34
At that time, the Lord said to His disciples, “Do not worry, and say : What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? or : What shall we wear? The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
“Set your heart, first, on the kingdom and righteousness of God; and all these things will also be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
James 4 : 13-15
Listen now, you who speak like this, “Today or tomorrow we will go off to this city and spend a year there; we will do business and make money.”
You have no idea what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? No more than a mist, which appears for a moment and then disappears. Instead of this, you should say, “God willing, we will live and do this or that.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
Psalm 89 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 12-14, 16-17
YHVH, You have been our refuge through all generations. Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.
You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.
You sow them in their time, at dawn they peep out. In the morning they blossom, but the flower fades and withers in the evening.
So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o YHVH? Have mercy on Your servant. Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days.
Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children. May the sweetness of YHVH be upon us; may He prosper the work of our hands.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Numbers 6 : 22-27
Then YHVH spoke to Moses saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons and say to them : This is how you shall bless the people of Israel; you shall say : May YHVH bless you and keep you! May YHVH let His face shine on you, and be gracious to you! May YHVH look kindly on you, and give you His peace!”
“In that way they put My Name on the people of Israel and I will bless them.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have listened through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures today, we are reminded again of what the Lord our God has done to us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, Who has freely and willingly offered Himself out of obedience to His heavenly Father, so that He might become the perfect and worthy sacrifice and offering for the salvation of all mankind. This truth is something that all of us as Christians have believed and uphold to be the core tenet of our faith. Each and every one of us must remember and keep in mind this faith and belief that we have, and it is important that we have to nurture this faith in us, by continuing to deepen our relationship with the Lord, or else, we may find ourselves easily swayed and tempted by the various pressures, temptations and other obstacles present all around us.
In our first reading today, we heard again from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the continuation of the discourse by the author of the Epistle to the Jewish community of the time, about the role that Christ, the Saviour of the world has done in saving the people, and in revealing the manifested love of God in the flesh, acting as our One True and Eternal High Priest, offering Himself as the perfect and worthy offering to redeem all of us from our many sins and wickedness, establishing and affirming the New and Eternal Covenant between us and God, restoring to us the unity and grace that have been denied to us ever since we have fallen into sin, allowing the corruptions of sin to lead us astray from the Lord and His loving Presence. And the Lord has done it all at once through His ultimate loving sacrifice on the Cross.
As I have mentioned in previous days’ reflections and homily, this elaboration and exhortation by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews must be understood in the context of the need for the sacrifices to be made regularly by the people through the priests at the Temple of God for them to atone for the sins they committed. And they, including the priests themselves had to repeatedly offer the sacrifices and offerings because of their sins, as none of those sacrifices could bring about lasting reprieve and liberation from the domination and power of sin, darkness and evil. It was only the sacrifice and offering which the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of all offered on our behalf, the offering of the Most Precious Body and the Most Precious Blood of the Lamb and Son of God Incarnate that could redeem all of us from our sins.
And it was mentioned how the Lord has triumphed against sin and death, destroying forever their hold on us, and He has established with all of us the New and Eternal Covenant that God has intended to form with us. This New Covenant has been established, made firm and sealed through the sacrifice of the Blood of the Lamb of God, slain on the Altar of the Cross at Calvary. Through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, we have received this great grace from God, the promise of everlasting life that we have shared and partaken through the Holy Eucharist, which is the same sacrifice and offering that Our Lord Himself has made at Calvary for us. That is why as Christians, all of us are reminded of this very important truth as we continue to progress through life so that we will always appreciate what the Lord has generously given us all.
Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist we heard of the teachings of the Lord Jesus using a well-known parable, the parable of the sower, which He shared and explained to the people gathered to listen to Him, and He also then explained the parable in greater detail to His disciples and followers. This parable of the sower highlights how the Lord, as the Sower, has sowed the seeds of faith, truth, hope and love in all of us, and he has generously given all of these to us, with the intention that all of us may cultivate these gifts and faith in us so that they may truly benefit everyone around us. If we do not make good use of these gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord has provuided, then we will not bear fruit in our faith, and we will not be found worthy at the time of judgment and reckoning.
As mentioned in the parable of the sower and in the explanation that the Lord presented to His disciples, the seeds fell on different places which represent the different conditions which the people of God have received those seeds of faith. And the Lord explained it clearly how the seeds that fell on the roadside, or by the rocky grounds and those that were surrounded by brambles and thistles, all of them allowed the evil one and the temptations, pressures and coercions of this world to dissuade them from truly committing themselves to the Lord and the path of His salvation and grace. And that was why many of them could not appreciate the Word of God, His Good News, truth and love, and everything which God has given them most generously through His Son and through the Holy Spirit that He has sent into our midst.
Meanwhile, those who have placed their seeds in good and fertile soil as mentioned are those who have allowed the Lord, His truth and love to grow in them, to be cultivated well and to allow them to come ever closer to the Lord. This is an important lesson which all of us are reminded of, a reminder that each and every one of us share the responsibility as part of the Covenant which the Lord has established with us, the New and Eternal Covenant that He has made and affirmed with us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Without this conscious effort to cultivate a good, strong and enduring relationship with God, through prayer and quality time spent with God, and through living our lives worthily in God’s Presence, and amongst the communities of the world we are living in today.
And it is through this commitment of our time, effort and by providing a conducive environment for our faith to grow and develop that we can truly be fruitful and grow wonderfully in our Christian faith, and in becoming worthy disciples and followers of the Lord. How can we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ? We can do this through constant reception of the Holy Eucharist in the Holy Mass, active participation in the efforts and works of the Church, and constant and regular participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to allow ourselves to grow ever stronger in our dedication towards the Lord and to attune ourselves ever better towards the ways and the teachings, the ideals of our Christian belief and faith.
We are all called to be good role models and inspirations towards one another, and through our great examples, this is how we may truly bless so many others with the grace of God, becoming that fruitful and faithful servant of God, bearing forth so many good and wonderful deeds, always anchored ever strongly and firmly in our faith and love towards the Lord. May the Lord our most loving God, Father and Creator, our Lord and Master continue to help us all and guide us in our journey of faith through life in this world, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Mark 4 : 1-20
At that time, Jesus began to teach by the lake; but such a large crowd gathered about Him, that He got into a boat and sat in it on the lake, while the crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things through parables. In His teaching, He said, “Listen! The sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some of the seed fell along a path; and the birds came and ate it up.”
“Some of the seed fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil; it sprang up immediately, because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burnt it, it withered, because it had no roots. Other seed fell among thorn bushes; and the thorns grew and choked it; so it did not produce any grain.”
“But some seed fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some seed produced thirty times as much, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.” And Jesus added, “Listen then, if you have ears.”
When the crowd went away, some who were around Him with the Twelve asked about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, so, that, the more they see, they do not perceive; the more they hear, they do not understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How, then, will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path, where the seed fell, are people who hear the word, but as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”
“Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy. But they have no roots, so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution come because of the word, than they fall. Others receive the seed, as seed among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hope of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the word, so that finally it produces nothing.”
“And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce : some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 109 : 1, 2, 3, 4
The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand till I make Your foes Your footstool.”
From Zion the Lord will extend Your mighty sceptre and You will rule in the midst of Your enemies.
Yours is royal dignity from the day You were born in holy majesty. Like dew from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten You.
The Lord has sworn, and He will not take back His word : “You are a Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 