3rd Week of Advent

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Saturday, 21 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures we are all reminded of the need for us to seek God at all times and to focus our attention to Him as our Lord and Master, as the One Whom our hearts desire and wish to be reunited with. If God is not the most important thing in our lives, then it may be easy for us to fall prey to all the temptations of the things around us, which may lead to us losing our sight on the most important thing and treasure in our lives. It is why we are constantly being told by the Lord Who has always patiently given us much help along the way, encouraging us all and making Himself approachable to us by His coming into this world, in His Incarnation in the flesh, born of the Virgin Mary, His mother. He became Emmanuel, God Who is with us, dwelling amongst us all.

In our first reading today, we heard of the readings from either Book of Song of Songs or from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah. From the Song of Songs we heard of the pursuit of one who seeks her Lover, and how this Lover gives encouragement, joy and strength to His beloved one. This is a metaphor representing our relationship with God, and the Lover represents the Lord, our God, with each and every one of us as the Lord’s beloved ones. And as we heard from this passage from the Book of Songs, there is that yearning for both the Lover and the beloved, and as they search for one another, as they are reunited, this will restore order in all things, showing us of the end of our sufferings and struggles, the restoration of grace and the beauty to everything, no longer defiled and corrupted by the darkness and evils of sin around us.

Then, from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah we heard yet another words of encouragement from God as we heard the proclamation to all the people of God, represented by the daughters of Zion, the common name used to represent Jerusalem, the Holy City of God. At that time, during the ministry of the prophet Zephaniah which happened after the reigns of the wicked kings of Judah, Manasseh and Amon, and during the time of the righteous king Josiah, the last righteous king to rule over Judah and Jerusalem, many among the people of God had fallen into the worship of the false gods and idols, Baal and Asherah, and that wicked deeds and blatant disobedience against God and His commandments had led to the imminent coming of the Divine retribution and just consequences for their actions in disobeying God and committing great sins against Him.

Yet, just as the Lord spoke through the prophet Zephaniah of the punishments and the consequences that those who have embraced the worship of the pagan and false idols would receive, He also reassured them at the same time of the salvation and redemption which He also offered for all those who sought His mercy and forgiveness. Essentially God wants us all to know that each and every one of us are truly dear, precious and beloved to Him, and it is far for Him to desire our destruction and damnation. However, at the same time, He is also a just and righteous God, Who is all good and perfect, and in Whose Holy Presence sin and evil cannot remain and survive. Therefore, each and every one of us, God’s people must not allow sin to continue corrupting and staining us, which may prevent us from finding the way to His salvation and grace. God has always been generous in offering us His mercy, but we must also be willing to embrace His mercy and forgiveness, and be ready to commit to repentance.

From our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the time when Mary, the Mother of God visited Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, her relative, when both of them were expecting and during their respective pregnancies. We heard how Elizabeth and her child, St. John the Baptist in her womb recognised the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour Son of God in the holy womb of Mary when Mary came and approached their house. And this was another revelation of God’s loving care and compassion towards each and every one of us, reminding us of everything which He has done for our sake and for our salvation. He sent us all His Beloved Son so that by His entry into this world, He may show us all the sure path towards His loving embrace, grace and eternal life. The coming of Jesus Christ into this world, which we are celebrating in Christmas, is the fulfilment of what God had promised through the prophet Zephaniah and many other prophets.

Through the coming of Christ into this world, the Lord wants us all to embrace His ever present and enduring love, that He has manifested in His Son, and making us all to share in the fullness of His compassionate love and mercy, to make available to all of us His boundless and ever bountiful mercy, forgiveness and grace. We cannot save ourselves, and it is only by the grace of God that we can be saved and liberated from the bondage to our sins and the evils around us. That is why God in His boundless mercy reached out to us to help us to leave our predicaments and bondage to sin, leading and bringing us all into the straight path of redemption by His Son’s saving works on the Cross. This is what we are truly celebrating this upcoming Christmas time and season.

Now, today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Canisius, holy priest and an esteemed Doctor of the Church, one of my patron saints and also the patron of this blog. St. Peter Canisius was born as Peter Kanis in Nijmegen, which is now part of the Netherlands but which was then considered a dominion of the Holy Roman Empire. St. Peter Canisius was born to a wealthy merchant family and he also had prodigious talent in academic studies, gaining his master’s degree at the mere age of nineteen. It was during his study that he encountered St. Peter Faber, who later on together with St. Peter Canisius, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier and other men would become the founder and co-founders of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits.

St. Peter Canisius was called and convinced to give himself to the mission of the Jesuits, and after a period of preparation, he was ordained as a priest, and became one of the Jesuits’ spearhead in the efforts of Counter-Reformation against the rampant Protestant heresies and other wrong teachings and practices that was then widespread throughout the region that are now parts of Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. St. Peter Canisius put strong emphasis on education both of the priests and the laity as part of the efforts to rejuvenate the faith and to combat the false ideas and heresies. He was also renowned for his crafting and authorship of his ‘Catechism’ also known as the German Catechism, composed of the important articles and teachings of the Christian faith for the formation of Christians, especially that of Catechumens going through preparation for baptism.

St. Peter Canisius was also a strong advocate for dialogue and cooperation, mutual understanding and empathy during his works and efforts in the Counter-Reformation, quoted for his words, ‘with this kind of attitude, this condition becomes incurable’ referring to the hardline attitude and approach that some of the Counter-Reformation figures took in approaching those who have embraced the ideals of the reformation and other heretical teachings. In addition, he was also a strong Marian devotee and the final words of the prayer ‘Hail Mary’ or ‘Ave Maria’, that is ‘Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.’ was composed and added by none other than St. Peter Canisius, who was ever faithful to the very end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon our own lives after having heard and discussed the messages from the Sacred Scriptures, and by the inspiration from the life of St. Peter Canisius, holy servant of God, let us all continue to strive to do what is right and just, worthy and appropriate for all of us as Christians in our everyday living so that we may truly be committed to a life that inspires others to follow in our footsteps in glorifying God by our lives and actions, just as we have been inspired by our holy predecessors, particularly that of St. Peter Canisius, holy priest and Doctor of the Church. Let our lives truly be reflection of God’s light, hope and love, and may the Lord be with us always in our every good endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 39-45

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

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Saturday, 21 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 32 : 2-3, 11-12, 20-21

Give thanks to YHVH on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.

But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design, through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance.

In hope, we wait for YHVH, for He is our help and our shield. Our hearts rejoice in Him, for we trust on His holy Name.

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Saturday, 21 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Song of Songs 2 : 8-14

The voice of my Lover! Behold He comes, springing across the mountains, jumping over the hills, like a gazelle or a young stag. Noe He stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, peering through the lattice.

My Lover speaks to me, “Arise, My love, My beautiful one! Come, the winter is gone, the rains are over. Flowers have appeared on earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard. The fig tree forms its early fruit, the vines in blossom are fragrant. Arise, My beautiful one, come with Me, My love, come.”

“O My dove in the rocky cleft, in the secret places of the cliff, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice. Your face – how lovely! Your voice – how sweet!”

Alternative reading

Zephaniah 3 : 14-18a

Cry out with joy, o daughter of Zion; rejoice, o people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHVH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YHVH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day, they will say to Jerusalem : Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YHVH your God is within you, YHVH, saving warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for He has revived His love. For you He will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast. I will drive away the evil I warned you about.

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we approach the coming of the time and season of Christmas, we are reminded that we should always put our focus on the Lord and His salvation, and trust in everything that He has promised to us, in His loving care and providence and everything that He has promised to us. We must keep the faith that we have in the Lord and firmly believe that the promise of His salvation remains true and assured to us even after all these times. The story of Christmas and its great joy must always be centred and focused on Christ and His coming into this world, to bring us all out of the darkness of evil and sin, and to liberate us from the bondage to those things which separated us from the fullness of love and grace of God.

In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the interactions between Isaiah and King Ahaz of Judah in which the King of Judah refused to ask for a sign pretending to be humble and not wanting to test God whereas in fact as the prophet rebuked him immediately for, the king of Judah and the people had frequently put the Lord to the test and disobeyed Him many times, refusing to listen to Him and obey His words despite everything that He had done for their sake throughout all of their history and livelihood. That was why God was in fact angry at the king and his disobedience, and in refusing to trust in God but rather in the pagan gods and idols that they were all worshipping at that time.

And the prophet Isaiah then revealed what God had planned to do and show His people in fulfilling His many promises to them through His Saviour, Whom He would send into this world, and how this would happen through a woman who has never borne a child, which all would indeed be fulfilled through Mary and her bearing of her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, more than seven centuries after the prophet Isaiah had spoken of this prophecy before King Ahaz. And as compared to the lack of faith and the hypocrisy of King Ahaz, God has proved that He has always been true and faithful to the Covenant and all the promises which He had made with His beloved people, the ones whom He truly cared for and had patiently brought up all the while.

The king’s disobedience and lack of faith in God is something that has been highlighted in the first reading today, how he had such little faith and trust that God can do all things, even for him and for the sake of his kingdom and people. This can be contrasted with the attitude which Mary has shown in our Gospel passage today, when the Archangel Gabriel brought forth for her the Good News of the coming of God’s Saviour, Who would come forth through her womb, and born from her. While Mary was uncertain about what she had heard, as at that time she was still quite young in age, but she trusted in the Lord and obeyed Him. And this faith is something that all of us look up to, in the great faith that the Mother of Our Lord and God has in her.

Her words, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said,’ are the marks of obedience, faith and true humility, as she accepted the great mission and responsibility which she had been entrusted with by God. And for this great faith and obedience, her virtues and great love, this is why we truly venerate and honour Mary above all the other saints, and we truly love her as our own beloved Mother, as our great role model, a guide and someone who has always encouraged us in the journey that each and every one of us undertake in the path towards her Son, our Lord and Saviour. Mary is truly our inspiration and example in our own lives, the loving mother who is always ready to help and assist us in our way and journey towards her Son.

In this occasion and time of Advent therefore, let us all heed the messages of the Scriptures which we have heard today and ponder carefully on them so that we may truly realise the need for all of us to realign and reorientate our lives so that we will be more centred on the Lord and not on all the distractions and temptations present all around us in this world. We must not easily allow ourselves to be misguided by the numerous temptations of worldly pleasures, comforts and ambitions, all of which had led our predecessors, like those of king Ahaz and others into the path towards rebellion against God and their downfall. And in how we prepare ourselves for the coming celebration this Christmas, we should strive to put Christ at the centre of all things, of all our rejoicing and happiness.

It is because in Christ our Lord, we have seen the Hope and Light that we have been long awaiting for, amidst all the darkness around us. God has reassured us again and again of His providence and salvation which He would make to us through His Son, and He has done exactly just that, giving us all His salvation and promise of eternal life by the manifestation of His Son in this world, making Himself approachable and tangible to us, that now we can truly experience the fullness of God’s most wonderful and compassionate love, dwelling in our very midst, He Who is known as Emmanuel, just as the prophet Isaiah had prophesied it, God Who is always with us, being with us and journeying with us throughout our whole lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, trusting that He will lead us down the right path, and no matter what challenges or difficulties we may experience, we will always be strengthened by His Presence and love, and that He will always guide us in everything that we say and do, so that hopefully in all of our lives, in our every efforts and endeavours, we will always glorify His Name. May our Advent journey be blessed by God and may He help and strengthen us so that our journey may truly be fruitful and beneficial for us. Amen.

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

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.

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 7 : 10-14

Once again YHVH addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from YHVH your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”

But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put YHVH to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign : The Virgin is with Child and bears a Son and calls His Name Immanuel.”

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Thursday, 19 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to draw ever closer to the coming of the Christmas season and as we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures that had been presented to us, we are reminded that all of us must always be rooted firmly in our faith in God and we must always centre our attention on Him as we prepare for the celebration of His coming into this world in Christmas and not be easily swayed by all the false pleasures, resisting them and striving to do our best to obey the Lord and to do His will at all times, being good examples, role models and inspirations for each other in every moments of our lives. We are reminded this day of the great examples shown by two holy men of God who had been called by the Lord and consecrated to Him since their time in their mothers’ womb and how their faith and courage can inspire us in our own lives.

In our first reading today we heard from the Book of the Judges of Israel in which the story of a famous Judge of Israel was told to us, namely that of Samson, one of the later judges of Israel, hailing from the tribe of Dan, and born from the union between Manoah and his wife. At that time, his wife had not been able to bear children despite having definitely made the attempts, but God told Manoah and his wife through His Angel that she would conceive and bear a son, and how this son would be consecrated to God. From the description of what the Angel of God told Manoah and his wife, it was obvious that according to the Law of God, the son to be born to them would become a Nazirite. A Nazirite was someone put aside for the Lord and was consecrated to Him, and he could not touch any alcoholic drinks or cut his hair, among other rules imposed on them.

Therefore, that was how Samson came to be miraculously conceived in the womb of his mother and became a servant of God ever since before he was even born. He led a life in the wilderness in his youth and God was with him, giving him a great strength surpassing that of many others, which eventually made him to be the Judge or leader of all the Israelites, who were then suffering from the attacks and the actions of their Philistine neighbours. Samson led Israel to great many victories against these Philistines and liberated them from their bondage and troubles. God gave him the power and strength to lead His people to victory and triumph against their many enemies, and to restore peace to them.

Later on, if we read on further about the life and works of Samson, we would find out how he fell to the trickery of the Philistines who employed a woman Delilah to seduce him and to cut his hair, which made him to be powerless, and was caught by the Philistines and imprisoned. To the very end, Samson remained faithful to God nonetheless, and in his final moments of life, Samson prayed to God asking for strength and one last support as he brought down the whole building on all the Philistines who were assembled to mock him and to watch him being chained and humiliated. Many of the Philistines perished that day, and God showed His strength and providence yet again for His people, through this most faithful servant of his. Samson was one of the last judges before the days of the Kings, like the famous King David of Israel who would unite all of Israel and bring them to glory and greatness.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Luke the Evangelist we heard the story of another servant of God whose life and details of ministry are somehow seemingly very similar and a close parallel to that of Samson, the Judge of Israel mentioned earlier. St. John the Baptist was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and at that time Elizabeth had not been able to conceive a child for many years, just like that of Samson’s mother. And then, the Angel of God, traditionally associated with the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and told him about how his wife Elizabeth would conceive a child, and how God would be with this child and how his child would become God’s servant, much as how Samson had been, and he would name him John, or in the original Hebrew, Yohanan.

But Zechariah doubted at first and was unsure of what the Angel had told him, and as a result, he became mute until the time of the birth of the child as we heard in our Gospel passage today. When the child had been conceived and then born of Elizabeth, miraculously Zechariah’s mouth was opened again as he wrote down the name that the boy was supposed to be called according to the words and instructions of the Angel of God. This event was a great miracle and cause of rejoicing for many who noted that God was with the child, and indeed, as we follow and read on more about the life of St. John the Baptist, we will realise that his life would be truly very similar to that of the Judge Samson discussed just earlier on. He would also spend much of his time in the wilderness, not cutting his hair and leaving them unkempt like a Nazirite, and it was also mentioned that he did not touch alcoholic drinks.

Later on St. John the Baptist would call on all the people to return to the Lord and to repent from their sins, baptising them with the water of the River Jordan which was how he got the epithet ‘Baptist’ or ‘Baptiser’ that he became well-known for. People in their thousands came to seek him, to be baptised by him, and they sought the Lord and His forgiveness through that symbolic act of baptism by St. John. St. John the Baptist also faced a lot of hurdles as Samson the Judge had faced earlier on, as he had to contend against the stubborn attitudes and actions of the chief priests and the Pharisees who questioned him, doubted his authenticity and refused to listen to him despite his efforts and works that he had done to bring the people of God back towards Him. Later on he would be martyred in the prison of King Herod after he was arrested and then executed by beheading through the machinations of Herodias, the wife of King Herod.

Therefore, we can see how God had brought unto us the great examples of these two holy men and great servants of God, namely that of Samson and St. John the Baptist. Those two great men of God lived their lives faithfully and courageously, devoting their whole lives to God and the mission that He has entrusted to them. We too should be reminded of the missions which God has given to us all, and especially as we prepare for the celebrations around His coming this Christmas, let us all renew our commitment and desire to focus our whole lives, our every efforts and our Christmas preparations and celebrations on the Lord, the One true reason for the Joy of Christmas. Let us always remind ourselves of all that the Lord has done for us, His great love and compassion, and let us continue to proclaim His truth and love in our world today, following in the footsteps of Samson and St. John the Baptist, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 5-25

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah, belonging to the priestly clan of Abiah. Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife also belonged to a priestly family. Both of them were upright in the eyes of God, and lived blamelessly, in accordance with all the laws and commands of the Lord, but they had no child. Elizabeth could not have any and now they were both very old.

Now, while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priests, to enter the Sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the time of offering incense, all the people were praying outside; it was then, that an Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. On seeing the Angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him.

But the Angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. He will bring joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen : he shall never drink wine or strong drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.”

“Through him, many of the people of Israel will turn to the Lord their God. He, himself, will open the way to the Lord, with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah; he will reconcile fathers and children; and lead the disobedient to wisdom and righteousness, in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah said to the Angel, “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too.” The Angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God; and I am the one sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news! My words will come true in their time. But you would not believe; and now, you will be silent and unable to speak until this has happened.”

Meanwhile, the people waited for Zechariah; and they were surprised that he delayed so long in the Sanctuary. When he finally appeared, he could not speak to them; and they realised that he had seen a vision in the Sanctuary. He remained dumb and made signs to them. When his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home; and, some time later, Elizabeth became pregnant.

For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home, and thinking, “This, for me, is the Lord’s doing! This is His time for mercy, and for taking away my public disgrace.”