Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.
Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.
The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Malachi 3 : 1-4, 23-24
Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The Envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.
He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.
I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of YHVH comes, for it will be a great and terrible day. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the day before the joyful Christmas Day and the beginning of the Christmas season and time which we have been preparing for these past few weeks during this time of Advent. On this day we remember again all that God has promised us and which He has Himself fulfilled by sending unto us His Son, Who is the Saviour of the whole world, the One to bring all of us mankind back to our loving God and Father. His coming into this world has restored the hope to all of us and brought to us the assurance that we are never alone in our journey of life and that we will always have the Lord and His love by our side, providing for us and guiding us in this path, because He is with us, Emmanuel, God Who is present in our midst.
In this day’s first reading, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the interactions between the prophet Nathan and King David of Israel was recounted to us, when David had been secure in his kingdom and rule, and wanted to build a House and Temple for the Lord in Jerusalem, as he thought that he has been dwelling in an elegant and lavish house befitting a King, the palace that he had built for himself, and yet, the Lord and the Ark of the Covenant which is the symbol of His dwelling among His people was still in the Holy Tent ever since the time the Lord and His people travelled from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. David thought that it was inappropriate that he and his descendants, the Kings of Israel would live in a house of stone and gold, while the Lord still dwelled in the Tent, and that was why he came up with the plan to build a House for God.
But the Lord spoke to David through the prophet Nathan and told him everything that would come to happen, and also about his plan on building the House and Temple for the dwelling place of God among His people. God told David that it would not be him to build a House and Temple for His sake, but that it would be a son of his that would do so instead. This son was to be Solomon, the one who would succeed David as King of Israel, and the one who would be known as the one who established the great and marvellous House of God, named after him as Solomon’s Temple or the Temple of Solomon. But the one who initially planned for it, and who also eventually set aside the large quantity of resources for the building of this Temple was truly King David, Solomon’s father.
More importantly, as we heard the words of the Lord to King David, we heard the word of prophecy from the Lord spoken to His people and to His servant David, reassuring that the House of David would be forever secure in their rule over the Kingdom of Israel, the kingdom of God’s people. This was alluded not only in the rule of the heir of David, King Solomon, whom the Lord would assure and strengthen in time to come, but was also an allusion and prophecy of the Eternal and True King, the Heir and Son of David in the distant future, that is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, Who would come to dwell among us, the Son of God incarnate, Who would therefore come to walk among us, manifesting God’s love for all, and at the same time, sitting on the Throne of David, His forefather, fulfilling everything that had been promised by God to His people.
Then, from our Gospel passage this day, we heard of the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which he wrote of the song which Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist sang in thanksgiving to God, when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, giving thanks to God for all the great and wonderful things that He has done for all of His people, especially all those who have suffered and were downtrodden, without hope and were facing challenges and difficulties in their lives. At that time, his son, St. John the Baptist had just been born after a truly miraculous conception and pregnancy that by all reasonable possibilities and human wisdom is something that was truly impossible and yet, it happened because God made it happen.
Despite Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife being already very old and way beyond childbearing age, but Elizabeth managed to conceived a child by the will and grace of God. And this son who was born to Elizabeth became a sign for all of the people of God, the revelation of the hope, light, truth and Good News which God has presented to us. St. John the Baptist is the Herald of the Messiah, the one whom had been sent to prepare the path for the coming of the Lord, and his coming into our midst is the revelation of the salvation that has come from God. Zechariah gave thanks to God for all that He has done for His people, for all the love which He has generously provided to us despite our many transgressions, sins and rebellions against Him.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we are all about to celebrate the great joy and happiness in Christmas, let us all therefore make good use of whatever time left to us before this celebration to remind ourselves that our Christmas joy and festivities, everything that we have been preparing for this Advent are all ultimately about the Lord and His salvation, all the love which He has presented and shown to us most generously, the mercy and forgiveness that He has given us so that we may have the sure path to eternal life and Heaven, bringing us down this path of mercy and compassion, leading us all to the light of God’s salvation. This Christmas is truly a celebration of God’s love for us and hence, He should always be at the centre and be the focus of all that we celebrate for. We should not be easily distracted by all the glamour, pleasures, excesses of the things that the secular celebrations of Christmas present to us.
Let us therefore enter into the Christmas season being reminded of God’s assurance and love, His constant faithfulness and commitment to the Covenant which He has made with each and every one of us. Let us all continue to grow in our faith and love towards Him, and in all of our Christmas joy and festivities, let us also remember our brothers and sisters around us, especially all those who are not able to rejoice in the manner that we do, and share with them the comforts of God’s love and joy, and bless them with our presence, care and love, to the best of our abilities. May our Christmas season and time, our celebrations and rejoicing be truly fruitful and beneficial in our ever closer and growing relationship with God, the One Whose coming into our midst is the true reason for our rejoicing. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 1 : 67-79
Zechariah, filled with Holy Spirit, sang this canticle, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has come and redeemed His people. In the house of David His servant, He has raised up for us a victorious Saviour; as He promised through His prophets of old, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of our foes.”
“He has shown mercy to our fathers; and remembered His holy covenant, the oath He swore to Abraham, our father, to deliver us from the enemy, that we might serve Him fearlessly, as a holy and righteous people, all the days of our lives.”
“And you, my child, shall be called prophet of the Most High, for you shall go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him, and to enable His people to know of their salvation, when He comes to forgive their sins. This is the work of the mercy of our God, Who comes from on high as a rising sun, shining on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guiding our feet into the way of peace.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 88 : 2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
I will sing forever, o YHVH, of Your love, and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.
You said, “I have made a Covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.”
He will call on Me, “You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.” I will keep My Covenant firm forever, and my love for Him will endure.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
2 Samuel 7 : 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
When the king had settled in his palace and YHVH had rid him of all his surrounding enemies, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I live in a house of cedar but the Ark of God is housed in a tent.” Nathan replied, “Do as it seems fit to you for YHVH is with you.”
But that very night, YHVH’s word came to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David, this is what YHVH says : Are you able to build a house for Me to live in? I took you from the pasture, from tending the sheep, to make you commander of My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, cutting down all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great, as the name of the great ones on earth.”
“I will provide a place for My people Israel and plant them that they may live there in peace. They shall no longer be harassed, nor shall wicked men oppress them as before. From the time when I appointed judges over My people Israel it is only to you that I have given rest from all your enemies. YHVH also tells you that He will build you a house.”
“When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you; and I will make his reign secure. I will be a Father to him and he shall be My son. Your house and your reign shall last forever before Me, and your throne shall be forever firm.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures and as we are about to come to the end of this Advent season, the time of preparation for Christmas, we heard of the prophecy and the fulfilment of the coming of God’s salvation which He has repeatedly promised and renewed to us through His prophets and messengers, everything came true beginning with the coming of the one to prepare the way for the Saviour, the one whom the prophet Malachi had spoken about in our first reading passage today, and which was fulfilled with the arrival of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah into this world.
As mentioned, in that first reading passage from the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi spoke about the moment when the Lord was sending His salvation, heralded by the coming of the Envoy who would prepare the way, straightening His path, the one who would call on all the people of God and their leaders to turn away from their many sins and wickedness, from all the things that prevented them from returning towards the Lord their God. The prophet Malachi was sent to the people at the time after the return of the Israelites from their exile in the distant lands of Mesopotamia, Assyria and Babylon during the reign and dominion of the Persians, who allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland and rebuild their cities and the Temple in Jerusalem.
At that time, the people of God had regained their lands and their cities had been reestablished, and God sent the prophet Malachi to reaffirm what He has always told them in the previous centuries, of everything that He would do for their sake, the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah or Saviour, the One Who would restore the greatness of the people of God, reconcile them all to Him, and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of God and His people. And as the prophet Malachi mentioned, the Envoy of the Messiah would be sent to precede His coming, and this Envoy would either be the prophet Elijah or the one like Elijah, who was taken from the world by the Lord in a flaming chariot.
Therefore, Elijah did not suffer from physical death, and was one of the few who was taken up to Heaven in this manner. The people believed that the prophet Elijah would come again to bring God’s salvation and promises to His people, and all of these would come true with the coming of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah that was long awaited. A few centuries after the prophet Malachi, who was one of the last or the last among the long line of God’s prophets, the Hope and Light that God has promised to His people has finally arrived and dawned with the arrival of this servant of God into the world, and we are reminded of this today so that we may also realise that this same Hope has been given to us all as well.
From the Gospel passage taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard the account of the time when St. John the Baptist was born into this world. After a miraculous pregnancy that happened when Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist was already old and way beyond childbearing age, the servant of God was born and all his relatives and other people, neighbours and all came to celebrate his birth. At the moment of his circumcision, we heard how they all wanted to name him after his father, but Elizabeth intervened and said that he ought to be named as John or Yohanna as per what the Angel of God, likely the Archangel Gabriel had told Zechariah, his father. And the moment that Zechariah confirmed this fact, he was miraculously able to speak again.
The great events surrounding the birth of this Herald of the Messiah preceded all the great things that he would do for the people of God, in how he devoted himself thoroughly to God’s cause, living in the wilderness as one consecrated to God and then calling upon everyone to return to God with repentance and the genuine desire to be forgiven from their sins and wickedness. He baptised many people at the River Jordan, with that water baptism as the sign of commitment by those who went through it to do the necessary penance and to follow through the path of God’s forgiveness and mercy. He would also call on more and more to come back towards God, while also courageously rebuking the chief priests and the Pharisees for their wicked attitudes.
Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John of Kanty, also known as St. John Cantius, who hailed from the region of Kanty near the city of Krakow in what is today part of Poland. He eventually became a priest and academic, teaching in the local university. He was well known for his generosity and love for the poor people throughout the city especially towards the poor students who were studying at the university. He lived humbly and without much glamour, while being generous and loving, caring and compassionate towards all of those who were in need. He also spent long hours doing many good works for the sake of the Lord and His Church, showing great charity and generosity in His interactions towards everyone around him.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by great courage and faith showed by the holy servants of God, our predecessors, namely St. John of Kanty in his virtues and great faith, as well as by St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah in obeying the commandments of God and in committing himself to the mission which God has entrusted to him. Let us all as Christians strive to be the bearers of God’s hope, light, truth and love in our daily lives, and also in how we celebrate our upcoming Christian celebrations and festivities so that hopefully we may showcase the love and generosity of our ever loving God and Father in everything that we do, and share the generous love of God, our joy and blessings to everyone around us, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 1 : 57-66
When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her. When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.”
They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they asked the father, by means of signs, for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name is John,” and they were very surprised. Immediately Zechariah could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.
A holy fear came on all in the neighbourhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea the people talked about these events. All who heard of it pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.
Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.
The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Malachi 3 : 1-4, 23-24
Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The Envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.
He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.
I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of YHVH comes, for it will be a great and terrible day. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 