call to repentance

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Wednesday, 22 February 2023 : Ash Wednesday (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Joel 2 : 12-18

YHVH says, “Yet even now, return to Me with your whole heart, with fasting, weeping and mourning. Rend your heart, not your garment. Return to YHVH, your God – gracious and compassionate.” YHVH is slow to anger, full of kindness, and He repents of having punished.

Who knows? Probably He will relent once more and spare some part of the harvest from which we may bring sacred offerings to YHVH, your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, proclaim a sacred fast, call a solemn assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the community, bring together the elders, even the children and infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his bed, and the bride her room.

Between the vestibule and the altar, let the priests, YHVH’s ministers, weep and say : Spare Your people, YHVH? Do not humble them or make them an object of scorn among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples : Where is their God?

YHVH has become jealous for His land; He has had pity on His people.

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Saturday, 2 January 2021 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 19-28

This was the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” John recognised the truth, and did not deny it. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”

And they asked him, “Then who are you? Elijah?” He answered, “I am not.” They said, “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Tell us who you are, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?”

And John said, quoting the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord!”

Those who had been sent were Pharisees; and they put a further question to John, “Then why are you baptising, if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John answered, “I baptise you with water, but among you stands One Whom you do not know; although He comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.”

This happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.

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Sunday, 15 July 2018 : Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Amos 7 : 12-15

Amaziah then said to Amos, “Off with you, seer, go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there by prophesying. But never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is a king’s Sanctuary and a national shrine.”

Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet or one of the fellow prophets. I am a breeder of sheep and a dresser of sycamore trees. But YHVH took me from shepherding the flock and said to me : ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’”

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Thursday, 30 June 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Amos 7 : 10-17

Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, then sent word to king Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is conspiring against you in the very centre of Israel; what he says goes too far. These are his very words : Jeroboam shall die by the sword and Israel shall be exiled from its land.”

Amaziah then said to Amos, “Off with you, seer, go back to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there by prophesying. But never again prophesy at Bethel for it is a king’s sanctuary and a national shrine.”

Amos replied to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet or one of the fellow prophets. I am a breeder of sheep and a dresser of sycamore trees. But YHVH took me from shepherding the flock and said to me : Go, prophesy to My people Israel. Now hear the word of YHVH, you who say : No more prophecy against Israel, no more insults against the family of Isaac!”

“This is what YHVH says : Your wife shall be made a harlot in the city, your sons and daughters shall fall by the sword, your land shall be divided up and given to others, and you yourself shall die in a foreign land, for Israel shall be driven far from its land.”

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Sunday, 10 January 2016 : Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 40 : 1-5, 9-11

Be comforted, My people, be strengthened, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of YHVH she has received double punishment for all her iniquity.

A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way for YHVH. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up; every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of YHVH will be revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of YHVH has spoken.”

Go up onto the high mountain, messenger of Good News to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah : Here is your God! Here comes your God with might; His strong arm rules for Him; His reward is with Him, and here before Him is His booty.

Like a shepherd He tends His flock : He gathers the lambs in His arms, He carries them in His bosom, gently leading those that are with young.

Alternative reading

Isaiah 42 : 1-4, 6-7

Here is My Servant Whom I uphold, My Chosen One in Whom I delight. I have put My Spirit upon Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. He does not shout or raise His voice. Proclamations are not heard in the streets. A broken reed He will not crush, nor will He snuff out the light of the wavering wick. He will make justice appear in truth.

He will not waver or be broken until He has established justice on earth; the islands are waiting for His Law. I, YHVH, have called You for the sake of justice; I will hold Your hand to make You firm; I will make You as a Covenant to the people, and as a Light to the nations, to open eyes that do not see, to free captives from prison, to bring out to light those who sit in darkness.

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(Usus Antiquior) Fourth Sunday of Advent (I Classis) – Sunday, 21 December 2014 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Luke 3 : 1-6

Anno quintodecimo imperii Tiberii Caesaris, procurante Pontio Pilato Judaeam, tetrarcha autem Galilaeae Herode, Philippo autem fratre ejus tetrarcha Ituraeae et Trachonitidis regionis, et Lysania Abilinae tetrarcha, sub principibus sacerdotum Anna et Caipha : factum est verbum Domini super Joannem, Zachariae filium, in deserto.

Et venit in omnem regionem Jordanis, praedicans baptismum paenitentiae in remissionem peccatorum, sicut scriptum est in libro sermonum Isaiae Prophetae : Vox clamantis in deserto : Parate viam Domini : rectas facite semitas ejus : omnis vallis implebitur : et omnis mons et collis humiliabitur : et erunt prava in directa, et aspera in vias planas : et videbit omnis caro salutare Dei.

 

English translation

In the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius, Pontius Pilate is the governor of Judea, and Herod is the tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother is the Tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias is the tetrarch of Abilina, under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord came to John the son of Zechariah, in the desert.

And he came into all the the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaiah the prophet : “A voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare all of you the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/sunday-21-december-2014-fourth-sunday-of-advent-memorial-of-st-peter-canisius-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Friday, 19 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we draw ever closer to Christmas, the Church and our Faith are preparing us all for the great celebration of the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and for this purpose today we are focusing on the two servants of God, Samson and St. John the Baptist, both of whom had been born into the world as a sign for many, a sign of God’s love for them.

The readings today focused on the similarities between the two great servants of God, whom one is a Judge of Israel, the leader God had appointed and chosen from among the people to protect them, to deliver them from their enemies, and to keep them in line with the teachings of God and stay faithful to Him amidst the temptations of the world. The other is the messenger of God, born with the spirit and power of Elijah, whom many believed, even as the second coming of the prophet Elijah into the world, and to be the one who would straighten the path for the Lord, for he came just before the Lord Himself was to come.

Samson and John the Baptist were both born of parents who had for long been unable to conceive a child on their own. Their prayers were answered by the Lord, and even more so, their children were both chosen to have the special roles in God’s plan of saving His people from the darkness of the world. Samson was born to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines, the people who caused them great suffering and enslaved them, because they were not faithful to the commandments of God and instead worshipped pagan idols.

Meanwhile, John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for the Messiah in an age and time where although outwardly the people and their elders showed faith and piety to the Lord, but they were not sincere in this, and they even failed to understand the true meaning of their faith, giving in into their own vanity and self-praise, and lacking the understanding of the faith, their rituals and customs are empty and meaningless, and they paid only lip service to God.

These were the societies to whom they were sent to, and they had to encounter many difficulties in doing so, in bringing the people of God back to the love and grace of God. Both of them were consecrated to God from even before their birth, set aside for the service of God, called the Nazirites. Samson was a Nazirite, that means, he should not drink wine or alcoholic drinks throughout his life, nor should his hair be cut at all. This means to live according to what God had appointed him to do, shunning all the beautiful things and the temptations of the world.

But what we need to understand is, what is exactly their mission in this world? Why did God set them apart from the many others in such a manner? Their mission is to prepare for the coming of the Lord’s salvation and power to His people, and in that, they encountered the challenges and persevered through them, calling for people to change their ways by their own example, and follow God.

Samson came at the time when the Israelites after they had settled in the Promised Land constantly came under attack from their neighbours, who persecuted them, raided them and enslaved them. The judges were sent by God to liberate them and lead them back to the path of righteousness. But no sooner than each judges passed, then they returned to their ways of sin. Samson was the among the last mentioned judges, before the time of the prophet Samuel, which then would lead on to the era of king David, the era of prosperity, the time when peace and prosperity reigns in the land of Israel.

Therefore, in a sense, there is a parallel between Samson and John the Baptist, in that while Samson heralded the coming of the era of peace and greatness under King David of Israel, then St. John the Baptist heralded the coming of an even greater era, the time of the coming of the King of kings, the Divine Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom we are celebrating this Christmas.

God had sent His faithful servants in order to prepare for the coming of His glory and love, and in the coming of Jesus His Son into the world, He had sent John to prepare the way for Him. Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because this world is filled with sin and darkness, and with all of these distractions and corruptions, we would not be able to listen to the teachings of Christ and we would not be able to recognise Him.

That is why Advent is here, as a time for us to prepare, and indeed prepare thoroughly, for the coming of Christ, not just for this Christmas celebration, but also for His eventual return into the world, to claim all of His faithful ones and to judge all the living and the dead. If God had done such an ample and thorough preparation for His own coming, then we too should do our part to prepare ourselves for Christmas. This is to shun sin and reject all the temptations of evil, seeking from now on, only the truth in the Light of Christ.

Otherwise, it would be very easy for us to lose our focus in our celebrations, and it may likely end up that we celebrate Christmas for its fun, for its feasting and partying, but not for Christ, who we should place at the centre of our celebrations. May Almighty God help us all to prepare ourselves in this Advent season to welcome His Son, that when He comes again, He will find us ready and alert. May He help us all to change our ways and shun forever the sinful ways of our past. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Thursday, 11 December 2014 : Second Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today it was told to us about the great help and grace that we can gain in the Lord our God, who is our Help and our Saviour. He is willing to make us great and give us much blessings, provided that we allow Him to come into ourselves and transform our lives for the better. If we allow Him to make a difference in our lives, then all that we do will be great and successful, for no one that does the will of God shall go unrewarded.

In the Gospel today, our Lord Jesus told His disciples about John the Baptist, who is the messenger sent by God, the prophet and servant who would prepare the way for His own entry into the world. John was indeed Elijah the prophet, who was taken up into heaven by God at the end of his first ministry, on flaming chariots as witnessed by Elisha, his disciple and successor. The same Elijah then, as prophesied, came again into the world in John the Baptist.

Elijah was a great prophet, and in him the grace and power of God was truly evident. He healed many people from their afflictions, performed many miracles, feeding and providing for the widow of Zarephath, and even brought dead people back to life. He made flames to fall down from the Lord onto his sacrifice when the pagans and the Baal worshippers contested him at the mount Carmel.

All these miracles and wonders were the sign of divine favour and blessing, which He bestowed on all those whom He had sent into the world to be His servants and messengers, and also to all those who live uprightly and justly in the presence of our God. The same spirit and power bestowed upon Elijah, was therefore also bestowed on John the Baptist, who then called the people of God to repentance, much as Elijah had once laboured to bring the people of God back from their past sinfulness.

That was why Jesus mentioned John in such a way, that he is indeed greater than any who came before him, and yet, at the same time, he as the servant, is not greater than his own Master, who would come after him, in Jesus Christ. But the readings today, particularly the Gospel, are indeed not about comparing one to the other, not about comparing John the Baptist and Jesus our Lord, for it is truly a lesson of who we should be and how we should act, as the disciples of Christ.

It is a lesson and reminder of humility, the humility of both John the Baptist and ultimately, of Jesus Himself. John the Baptist was bestowed with great power and authority, and yet, he humbled himself before God greatly, proclaiming publicly that he is not the Messiah, and how he would not even be worthy to untie the straps of the sandals of His Lord. When more and more people flocked to Jesus and followed Him instead of John, he was happy, and truly pleased, that with the words we should indeed reflect on, ‘He shall increase, while I shall decrease.’

And Jesus, we knew that He is God, and being the Son, He is equal with God the Father and Almighty in all things. However, as St. Paul mentioned in his letter to the Philippians, that He does not dwell on that equality as something to be grasped. But rather, He lowered Himself and assumed the nature of a servant, and in that humility, He was exalted and His Name is glorified above every other names (Philippians 2 : 6-11).

As we can see, that our Lord is good and great, and He has done so much in order to help us attain our freedom from the slavery of sin and to gain the eternal life promised to us. However, many of us are unable to obtain this, because our pride often stands in our way. Pride prevents us from acknowledging our sinfulness and our corruption, and that is why we are often reluctant to seek the Lord, because we either think that we do not need Him, or that we are thinking to highly of ourselves to stoop down to acknowledge our shortcomings.

Today we celebrate the feast of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope of Rome and Leader of the entire Universal Church. Pope St. Damasus I was born at a time just after the ending of the persecution of the Faith, and grow during a time when the Faith increasingly become accepted as the norm in the late Roman Empire, until it eventually became the official and only Faith of the Empire.

Pope St. Damasus I was elected Pope at a time of great turbulance. Although the Faith has become increasingly firm and rooted in the world, and more and more accepted the Faith, but conflict and divisions arose more and more frequently, endangering the unity and the works of the Church. Clashes and riots accompanied the papal election that elected Pope St. Damasus I, because of rival candidates and infighting in the Church, which caused great pain to the faithful.

Pope St. Damasus I was not elected as the Successor of St. Peter without opposition or difficulty, but nevertheless, he carried out faithfully the duties and responsibilities which had been given to him. He was very firm against heresies and all the aberrations of the Faith, and he stood to condemn all those who had misled the people of God for their own benefits.

He worked hard in conjunction with many other great saints and fathers of the Church, including St. Jerome and St. Basil of Cappadocia. Pope St. Damasus I continued to dedicate himself faithfully in the service of God and His Church, and despite his position, he remained always humble and devoted to the cause which he had been called in service to. Through his dedication, he brought forth much good for the people of God, and helped the works of so many other saints at the time, building up further the foundation of the Church of God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, shall we not walk in the footsteps of Pope St. Damasus I? Shall we humbly go our way and seek the Lord in all things, and especially seek Him for His forgiveness for our transgressions? Let us no longer be stubborn and put our pride aside, so that our Lord may come into us, and transform us into peoples of goodness. May Almighty God, our Lord, be with us all, and make us to be like His faithful servant, Pope St. Damasus I and bring goodness to one another, the people of God, His Church. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/10/thursday-11-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-pope-st-damasus-i-pope-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/10/thursday-11-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-pope-st-damasus-i-pope-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/10/thursday-11-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-pope-st-damasus-i-pope-gospel-reading/

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Sunday, 7 September 2014 : 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezekiel 33 : 7-9

For your part, son of man, I have set you as a watchman for Israel, and when you hear My word, you must give them My warning.

When I say to the wicked : “Wicked man, you shall die for sure,” if you do not warn the wicked man to turn from his ways, he will die because of his sin, but I will also call you to account for his blood.

If you warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you yourself will be saved.