Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)
Luke 21 : 34-36
At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard : do not immerse yourselves in a life of pleasure, drunkenness and worldly cares, lest that day catch you unaware, like a trap! For, like a snare, will that day come upon all the inhabitants of the earth. But watch at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all that is going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Corinthians 4 : 1-5
Let everyone then see us as the servants of Christ and stewards of the secret works of God. Being stewards, faithfulness shall be demanded of us; but I do not mind if you or any human court judges me. I do not even judge myself; my conscience indeed does not accuse me of anything, but that is not enough for me to be set right with God : the Lord is the One Who judges me.
Therefore, do not judge before the time, until the coming of the Lord. He will bring to light whatever was hidden in darkness and will disclose the secret intentions of the hearts. Then each one will receive praise from God.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or Rose (Gaudete Sunday)
Isaiah 35 : 1-6a, 10
Let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and blossom. Covered with flowers, it sings and shouts with joy, adorned with the splendour of Lebanon, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon. They, my people, see the glory of YHVH, the majesty of our God.
Give vigour to weary hands and strength to enfeebled knees. Say to those who are afraid : “Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding justice. He is the God Who rewards, the God Who comes to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed. Then will the lame leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing and shout. For the ransomed of YHVH will return : with everlasting joy upon their heads, they will come to Zion singing, gladness and joy marching with them, while sorrow and sighing flee away.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Matthew 24 : 37-44
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “At the coming of the Son of Man, it will be just as it was in the time of Noah. In those days before the Flood, people were eating and drinking, and marrying, until that day when Noah went into the Ark. Yet they did not know what would happen, until the flood came and swept them away.”
“So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man : of two men in the field, one will be taken and the other left; of two taken and the other left; of two women grinding wheat together at the mill, one will be taken and the other left. Stay awake then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
“Obviously, if the owner of the house knew at what time the thief was coming, he would certainly stay up and not allow his house to be broken into. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Revelations 22 : 12-14, 16-17, 20
I am coming soon, bringing with Me the salary I will pay to each one according to his deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who wash their robes for they will have free access to the tree of Life and enter the city through the gates.
I, Jesus, sent My Angel to make known to you these revelations concerning the Churches. I am the Shoot and Offspring of David, the radiant Morning Star. The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Whoever hears let him say, “Come!” Whoever thirsts let him approach, and whoever desires, let him freely take the water of life.
He Who has declared all this says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary)
1 Timothy 1 : 15-17
This saying is true and worthy of belief : Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Because of that I was forgiven; Christ Jesus wanted to display His utmost patience so that I might be an example for all who are to believe and obtain eternal life.
To the King of ages, the only God who lives beyond every perishable and visible creation – to Him be the honour and glory forever. Amen!
Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)
Galatians 4 : 4-7
But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son. He came born of woman and subject to the Law, in order to redeem the subjects of the Law, that we might receive adoption as children of God.
And because you are children, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of His Son which cries out : Abba! that is, Father! You yourself are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, and yours is the inheritance by God’s grace.
Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)
Ephesians 1 : 3-6, 11-12
Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in His presence.
From eternity He destined us in love to be His adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will. This goal suited Him : that His loving kindness which He granted us in His Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise.
By a decree of Him who disposes all things according to His own plan and decision, we, the Jews, have been chosen and called and we were awaiting the Messiah, for the praise of His glory.
Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 25 : 1-13
At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven : Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were careless, and the others were sensible.”
“The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were, and did not bring extra oil. But those who were sensible, brought with their lamps flasks of oil. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!'”
“All the maidens woke up at once, and trimmed their lamps. Then the careless ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you. You had better go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.'”
“They were out buying oil when the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. Later the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.”
“So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Deuteronomy 18 : 15-20
God will raise up for you a Prophet like myself from among the people, from your brothers, to whom you shall listen. Remember that in Horeb, on the day of the Assembly, you said : “I am afraid to die and I do not want to hear the voice of YHVH again or see again that great fire.”
So YHVH said to me : “They have spoken well. I shall raise up a Prophet from their midst, One of their brothers, who will be like you. I will put My words into His mouth and He will tell them all that I command. If someone does not listen to My words when the Prophet speaks on My behalf, I Myself will call Him to account for it.”
“But any prophet who says in My Name anything that I did not command, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the Eve of Christmas, the day before the big celebration of our Church, commemorating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ at Bethlehem in Judea, the very moment and a singular very important event in the history of the world when the Lord who is Divine, Almighty and ever powerful, would come into this world, as a Baby, laying down in a manger in a dirty and cramped stable fit only for animals.
Today as we end the season of Advent, the season of preparation for the coming of Christ, the feeling is indeed one of joy and jubilation, as reflected in the Scripture readings today. In the Gospel, Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist gave thanks to God for His providence and love for us, and for granting to him the grace of having John born of his wife, Elizabeth, at their very old age.
In the first reading we heard about king David of Israel who had finished most of his wars and conquests, and peace had settled over all the land, and he wanted to build a proper and worthy House for the Lord. But the Lord refused to allow him to do so, as it would fall to his son, Solomon, who would build the first Temple of God, the dwelling of the Lord among His people.
All of these readings have the same purpose, that is to declare for us the eventual coming of the Lord, who will come to claim all of His beloved ones. Thus while we are today at the very gate of Christmas to celebrate the moment when He came into the world the first time, in the Baby Jesus, this does not mean that we celebrate something that is relevant only in the past, as God will come again at the end of time as He had promised us. He went forward and ascended to heaven in order to prepare the place for us.
At this point, it is fitting for us to realise the true meaning of our celebration of Christmas as well. This love and desire by God to dwell among us and to embrace us as what He had done through Jesus, the Divine incarnate into Man, is well reflected by today’s readings too. It is all about Emmanuel, the name of the Saviour promised through the prophet Elijah. It means God is with us, and this is what we celebrate in Christmas, that is we celebrate God who loves us so much, that He was willing to assume our humanity and to dwell among us.
Christmas is indeed about Christ, as the name suggests, and it is about God’s Love made manifest through Christ. It is because of this same love, that even though we are sinners and have disobeyed God, and thus deserve punishment, condemnation and destruction, but God gave us another chance, and His love us so great that He is willing to forgive us and willing even to dwell among us, to be with us united perfectly in love.
The first reading talked about the House which king David proposed to make for the Lord, as it was not befitting for the Lord, so he thought, to live under a tent. But not even the Temple created by Solomon his son would actually be fit for the Lord, no matter how mighty and glamorous it is, as we can read in its detailed descriptions in the Book of Kings. That is because that Temple and the Temple that was rebuilt and existing during the time of Jesus, were of human origins, made by human hands, but God had designed another Temple, a place truly deserving and worthy of His Real Presence.
And what is this Temple? It is all of us, brethren, every single one of us, mankind whom God had made with His own hands and given even the very image of Himself as our image. We are the Temples of the Lord’s Presence, and the Lord who came into this world and which we celebrate in Christmas, is really about God coming into us and dwelling in us. That is the meaning of Emmanuel, God is with us.
But unfortunately, many of us if not most defiled ourselves with sin, the very reason why we have been separated from God’s love in the first place. Sin and wickedness corrupted us and defiled this Holy Temple that is our body and our beings. Remember that the Scriptures and our Lord exhorted us to keep holy this Temple and not to defile it by fornication, wickedness or any form of sins?
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we embrace Christmas and all of its joys and celebrations, let us not be distracted and lost our true purpose in celebrating this Christmas. Let us commit ourselves to change our sinful ways so that this Temple we have in ourselves will no longer be defiled, but will be worthy of the Lord present in each one of us. Remember that the Eucharist we receive regularly is His Real Presence, and thus He dwells in us even now.
May this Christmas be meaningful to us, so that we may truly be transformed into the loving and faithful children of our Lord, whose birth into this world we celebrate in this occasion. May Almighty God guide us and lead us into His love, and help us to resist all forms of temptations and all the lies of Satan designed to bring us into sin and damnation. Amen.
First Reading :
Psalm :
Gospel Reading :
Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet
Introit
Isaiah 30 : 30 and Psalm 79 : 2
Populus Sion, ecce, Dominus veniet ad salvandas gentes : et auditam faciet Dominus gloriam vocis suae in laetitia cordis vestri.
Qui Regis Israel, intende : qui deducis, velut ovem, Joseph.
Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
People of Sion, behold, the Lord shall come to save the nations, and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard in the joy of your heart.
Give ear, o You who rules Israel. You who leads Joseph like a sheep.
Response : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Collect
Excita, Domine, corda nostra ad praeparandas Unigeniti Tui vias : ut, per ejus adventum, purificatis Tibi mentibus servire mereamur : Qui Tecum…
English translation
Stir up our hearts, o Lord, to prepare the ways of Your only begotten Son, that through His coming we may be worthy to serve You with purified minds. Who lives…
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