Advent season

by

Wednesday, 14 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 84 : 9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

Would that I hear God’s proclamation, that He promise peace to His people, His saints. Yet His salvation is near to those who fear Him, and His Glory will dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness have met; righteousness and peace have embraced. Faithfulness will reach up from the earth while justice bends down from heaven.

The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its fruit. Justice will go before Him, and peace will follow along His path.

by

Wednesday, 14 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 45 : 6b-8, 18, 21b-25

From the rising to the setting of the sun, all may know that there is no one besides Me; I am YHVH, and there is no other. I form the light and create the dark; I usher in prosperity and bring calamity. I, YHVH, do all this.

Let the heavens send righteousness like dew and the clouds rain it down. Let the earth open and salvation blossom, so that justice also may sprout; I, YHVH, have created it.

Yes, this is what YHVH says, He Who created the heavens, – for He is God, Who formed and shaped the earth, – for He Himself set it : “I did not let confusion in it, I wanted people to live there instead!” – for I am YHVH and there is no other.

Who announced this from the beginning, who foretold it in the distant past? Is it not Me YHVH? There is no other God besides Me, a Saviour, a God of justice, there is no other one but Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all you from the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. By My own self I swear it, and what comes from My mouth is truth, a word I say will not be revoked.

Before Me every knee will bend, by Me every tongue will swear, saying, “In YHVH alone are righteousness and strength.” All who have raged against Him will come to Him in shame. But through YHVH there will be victory and glory to the people of Israel.

by

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season of Advent, each one of us are reminded of the dangers of our human pride and ego, which can indeed become our undoing unless we make the conscious effort to resist that strong allure and temptations to succumb to our pride, ego, arrogance, ambition and desires. This Advent, all of us are reminded that our true focus and the right centre of our lives and existences should be that of the Lord, our most loving God and Creator. We should not allow our personal ambitions, desires and especially pride and ego to be stumbling blocks in our path towards the Lord as unfortunately has often been the case. Many people, our predecessors, throughout history, have fallen prey to the trap of their own greed and ego, and fell away from the path towards God’s grace and eternal life.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, we heard of the Lord speaking to His people through Zephaniah regarding the rebelliousness of the people of Israel, and all the wickedness which they had committed in the past, and how God therefore had punished all those who were wicked and unjust, and gave the inheritance and gifts, graces and blessings intended for those people to the ones who were more deserving and worthy. That is why God gave a premonition to His people, revealing to them how He would gather all those who are willing to listen to Him and answer His call, and unite them together as one people, to be God’s own beloved flock, where God exists at the centre and focus of their lives and existences, instead of pride and worldly desires and greed.

The prophet Zephaniah lived and ministered to the people of God in the kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Josiah of Judah, one of the last rulers of Judah before it was to be crushed and destroyed by the Babylonians. The people of Judah have often lived wickedly under the leadership of many kings who did not obey the Lord and led the people into the path of sin and evil. Only some of the kings, such as Josiah himself, was faithful and devoted to God, and attempted to turn the people once again back to the worship of the one and only true God. Zephaniah therefore spoke of the words of the Lord to a people who have experienced both the path of righteousness and the path of wickedness and sin as they alternated between obedience to God and disobedience, depending on the then prevailing political climate, and the guidance of their kings, both those who were evil and those who were faithful to God.

Zephaniah reminded all of them that the time of consolation and liberation would be coming to their midst, and God would gather not just the people of Israel only, but also everyone from all throughout the world, everyone who were willing to embrace God and His righteous path, His truth, His love and grace. Those who pridefully kept their wicked ways and disobeyed God, seeking to advance and satisfy their own worldly desires will not have any part with God, while all those who are willing to acknowledge their shortcomings, and listen to the Lord and His call, will be given the assurance of God’s grace and salvation. That is the same sentiment that we have also heard from our Gospel passage today. We heard from there of the Lord speaking to the people and His disciples using the parable of the two sons, in which He used the example of those two sons to contrast those who listen to God and those who refused to listen to Him.

In that parable, we heard of how one of the sons told his father who asked him to do what he told him to do, that he did not want to do the work, and yet later on, he changed his mind and did the work in the end. Then, we heard of the other son who said that he would do the work, but did not do the work in the end. From these we can gather the comparison that the Lord made between those who were willing to humble themselves and change their ways, represented by the son who initially refused to listen to his father and then changed his mind to do what he had been tasked to do by his father, and with those who are hypocrites, those who said that they would obey, but gave in to their ego, pride and desires, and ended up forsaking their obligations and commitments.

This is a rebuke and criticism against the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who have often placed obstacles and challenges on the path of the Lord’s works and missions. Those people proudly claimed the heritage of the Israelites and the purity of their faith, and they proudly accused all others including the Lord and His disciples of blaspheming and being disobedient against God simply because they did not conform to their ways of observing the Law and the commandments of God. However, their understanding and appreciation of the Law was flawed, and they did not truly commit their actions and works for the greater glory of God as they should have done. Hence, the Lord reminds us all that we should not live our faith in the manner as those people had done, as they were entrusted with the heavy responsibility of guiding the people of God towards Him, and yet, they succumbed to the temptations of worldly greed and human pride, for the detriment and loss of many.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Lucy, holy virgin and martyr of the faith. St. Lucy, also known as St. Lucia, is a renowned saint and martyr, whose life and works can serve as great sources of inspiration for ourselves that we may know better of how we can serve and glorify God by our lives, much in the same way how the saints like St. Lucy had done in their own lives. St. Lucy was born in Syracuse in Sicily and was hence also known as St. Lucia of Syracuse. She was born into a rich and noble Roman family and lost her father at an early age. She consecrated herself to the Lord as a devoted virgin, wanting to provide her wealth and dowry to the poor and the needy. However, her ailing mother was not aware of this and arranged for her to be married to a rich pagan nobleman, and that eventually led to the great suffering and martyrdom that St. Lucy would have to endure.

It was told that St. Agatha of Sicily, another great martyr and saint who predeceased St. Lucy, appeared to her and her ailing mother at her shrine, ever popular among the local Christians and from beyond, assuring them and interceding for the mother of St. Lucy that led to her miraculous recovery from her illness. St. Lucy managed to persuade her mother to be generous and give her wealth to the needy and the poor around us, persuading her that ultimately, whatever they have been generous with, all is because they do not love the world more than loving the Lord, and that in loving others, they will receive greatly from the Lord, Who will know of the love and the generosity that each of them have given for the sake of the poor and the needy all around them, just as the Lord Himself had instructed His disciples and followers to do.

However, this aroused great anger by the pagan nobleman who was betrothed to St. Lucy. The pagan nobleman accused St. Lucy to the local Roman governor, who arrested her and tried to force her to offer and burn sacrifices to the pagan idols and gods. When this failed, they tried to get people to defile the sacred virginity of St. Lucy by sending her off to the brothel. Yet, they could not manage to make her budge or force her to the brothel for the Lord was with her, and protected her from harm. After repeated failed attempts to make her suffer, eventually St. Lucy was martyred when a sword was thrusted into her throat. Her courage and faith became a source of inspiration for many, and she is still commemorated to this day for her devotion to God and her commitment to a life of purity and sanctity, on the St. Lucy’s Day celebrated in many parts of Europe.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of ought to be reminded today of the courage and faith showed by St. Lucy, her commitment to God and her resistance of worldly temptations of glory, pleasures, wealth and more. Let us all therefore also commit ourselves to the same cause, and do our very best to resist the temptations of our pride, ego, greed and worldly desires, all those things that can lead us to our ruin and damnation. Let us all make good use of this time and opportunity given to us this Advent to turn back towards God and to be reconciled with Him, and to grow ever closer to Him in love. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us all in love, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 21 : 28-32

At that time, Jesus went on to say, “What do you think of this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said to him, ‘Son, go and work today in my vineyard.’ And the son answered, ‘I do not want to.’ But later he thought better of it and went.”

“Then the father went to his other son and gave him the same command. This son replied, ‘I will go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what the father wanted?” They answered, “The first.” And Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you : the publicans and the prostitutes are ahead of you on the way to the kingdom of heaven. For John came to show you the way of goodness, and you did not believe him; but the publicans and the prostitutes did. You were witnesses of this, but you neither repented nor believed him.”

by

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress.

But His face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught. But the Lord will redeem the life of His servants; none of those who trust in Him will be doomed.

by

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Zephaniah 3 : 1-2, 9-13

Woe to the rebellious, the defiled, the city that oppresses. She did not pay attention to the call nor accept the correction; she did not trust YHVH nor did she approach her God.

At that time I will give truthful lips to the pagan nations that all of them may call on the Name of YHVH and serve Him with the same zeal. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring offerings to Me. On that day you will no longer be ashamed of all your deeds when you were unfaithful to Me; I will have removed from your midst the conceited and arrogant and My holy mountain will no longer be for you a pretext for boasting.

I will leave within you a poor and meek people who seek refuge in God. The remnant of Israel will not act unjustly nor will they speak falsely, nor will deceitful words be found in their mouths. They will eat and rest with none to threaten them.

by

Monday, 12 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church commemorates the occasion of one of the famous Marian Apparitions, or the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, who appeared before St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin at the site of Tepeyac hill in what is today Mexico, approximately five hundred years ago. This Apparition is now known famously as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and many millions were converted to the Christian faith upon the miraculous appearance and the miracles associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe, and then many more countless souls were saved in the subsequent centuries and years because of what the Lord had done to help us through His beloved Mother, who has come before us, in order to remind us all to love her Son and to turn away from the path of sin.

Back then, much of the New World, the Americas were still relatively newly discovered by the people from the Old World, and many of the natives still did not yet know the Lord and His truth. Many of the pagan practices especially in the region of Mesoamerica or Central America, which back then involved a lot of cruelty and even human sacrifices were overcome by the power of the Lord’s truth and love, and many among the natives abandoned their past wicked ways and embraced the true faith in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. However, at the same time, the behaviours of those Spanish conquerors and explorers back then also left much to be desired, who despite of their Christian faith carried out a lot of destruction and loss of life among the people by their actions, their killings and efforts to gain more wealth and glory for themselves, a behaviour most unbecoming and unworthy of those who called themselves as Christians.

Hence, at that time of great destructions, harm and desolation among the people of the world, where chaos reigned free, Our Lady chose to make herself available and approachable, just as later on she would do again in Lourdes and Fatima, also during times of hardships and trials for much of the world. Our Lady chose to appear to a simple and humble native man, St. John Diego, also known as St. Juan Diego. St. John Diego was one of the early Christian converts from among the native peoples of the region now known as Mexico, where he became a devout follower of Christ, and was known for his exemplary life and virtues, and who with his wife was remembered for their piety, simplicity and generosity. Back then, it happened that St. John Diego was passing by the area known as the Hill of Tepeyac when the Mother of God appeared to him, and spoke to St. John Diego in his own native language, revealing herself to be the Mother of God.

When he conveyed this message to others, no one initially believed what St. John Diego had said, and they disregarded him when he conveyed on them the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe about her identity and also her request that a church be built in her honour at the location of her Apparition. Then, at the next time when St. John Diego was supposed to meet Our Lady of Guadalupe, his uncle was very sick and St. John Diego had to get his uncle to meet a priest for the Sacrament of the Sick. And later on, St. Juan Diego tried to take another way, as he was ashamed of having failed to meet the Lady as he was supposed to, only to meet her on his way again, and she told him why she did not entrust his uncle and himself to God through her, with the words now well known as ‘Am I not here, I am, who am your mother?’. This serves as a reminder to all of us how the Lord has indeed entrusted His own Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe to be our mother as well.

Then, Our Lady of Guadalupe told St. John Diego to show a sign to the local bishop, and asked him to collect some flowers that appeared there at the site of the Apparition that were not native to the region, miraculously appeared there, and then St. John Diego gathered them using his tilma or cloak. As he brought the flowers and showed them to the bishop, what stunned the bishop and all the other witnesses present was not just the unusual flowers, but the fact and evidence that the very image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary herself was imprinted on the tilma that was worn by St. John Diego. Everyone who saw that miracle believed, and through the great occasion, many became believers and followed the Lord, all thanks to His mother and also through the faith and dedication showed by St. John Diego in faithfully living his life and in obeying God’s will.

Ever since then, countless millions upon millions had visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which grew more and more in popularity, drawing many people who were attracted to the Lord’s love, mercy and compassion as shown through His beloved Mother, especially during the time of hardships and difficulties. Our Lady of Guadalupe called on all of us to return to her Son with contrite heart and to devote ourselves once more to His cause. In our world today, at a time full of many distractions and worldly pleasures, of many things that have prevented us from finding our path towards God, the call that Our Lady of Guadalupe made upon us, her pleas that we reject the path of sin and embrace her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, through her, are reminders for us to make amends and to turn over a new leaf in our lives, to become God’s faithful people once again.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we continue to progress through this season of Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas, let us all make sure that we do not just prepare for Christmas physically and in material, as what most people would have done. Instead, we must make sure that we are ready in heart and mind, spiritually for welcoming the Lord into our midst, as we rejoice in His past coming at Christmas, and as we also hope in the coming joy of His future return, as a mighty and conquering King when He comes again at the end of time. This is the true spirit of Advent and ultimately, Christmas that we all should have within us, the spirit and desire for us to live our lives worthily of the Lord, distancing ourselves from wickedness and evil ways, and from the excesses of worldly pleasures and temptations.

Let us all therefore draw ever closer to the Lord and spend our time now this Advent to deepen our relationship with Him. Let us all sin no more, and focus ourselves once again on the Lord and His truth, with the help of His blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and her lovely reminders for us all to be faithful to her Son’s Law and commandments. Let us all spend our time now to prepare ourselves that we may truly worthily celebrate Christmas with true joy and understanding, and not indulge ourselves in the excesses of worldly, secular celebrations of Christmas. It is not that we cannot rejoice and celebrate in that way, but we cannot be distracted by all those excesses of celebrations, merrymaking and festivities that we end up forgetting why we celebrate Christmas in the first place, that is our joy in the Lord’s coming and salvation for us.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to guide us in our journey, so that we may remain always ever firm in our faith in His truth and love. May God bless us all in our every endeavours and actions, our every good works and efforts for His greater glory. May He remain with us always in all things, and may His blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, intercede for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

by

Monday, 12 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Matthew 21 : 23-27

At that time, Jesus had entered the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities came to Him, and asked, “What authority have You to act like this? Who gave You authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “I will also ask You a question, only one. And if you give me an answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. When John began to baptise, was it a work of God, or was it merely something human?”

They reasoned out among themselves, “If we reply that it was a work of God, He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ And if we say, ‘The baptism of John is merely something human’, we have got to beware of the people, for all hold John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”

And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things.”

Alternative reading (Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Luke 1 : 39-47

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!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!”

by

Monday, 12 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9

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.

Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, but in Your love remember me.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

Alternative reading (Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-8

My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.

The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more.

The childless wife has borne seven children, but the proud mother is left alone. YHVH is Lord of life and death. He brings down to the grave and raises up.

YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and He exalts. He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour. The earth to its pillars belongs to YHVH and on them He has set the world.

by

Monday, 12 December 2022 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Numbers 24 : 2-7, 15-17a

Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping, tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered this song : “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, and beholds the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled.”

“How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your encampments, Israel! Like valleys stretching far, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes planted by YHVH, like cedars beside the waters. His buckets are overflowing and His seeds are always watered. His king becomes stronger than Agag, and His kingdom grows.

Then Balaam pronounced his oracle : “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, who has the knowledge from the Most High, and sees the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. I see a Figure, but not really. I behold Him but not near. A Star shall come forth from Jacob, He rises with a staff in His hand.”

Alternative reading (Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Isaiah 7 : 10-14 and Isaiah 8 : 10c

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, for God-is-with-us.”