Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 85 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Listen, o YHVH, and answer me, for I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my life, for I am God-fearing; save Your servant who trusts in You.
Have mercy on me, o YHVH, for I cry to You all day. Bring joy to the soul of Your servant; for You, o YHVH, I lift up my soul.
You are good and forgiving, o YHVH, caring for those who call on You. Listen, o YHVH, to my prayer, hear the voice of my pleading.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Isaiah 58 : 9b-14
If you remove from your midst the yoke, the clenched fist and the wicked word. If you share your food with the hungry and give relief to the oppressed, then your light will rise in the dark, your night will be like noon.
YHVH will guide you always and give you relief in desert places. He will strengthen your bones; He will make you as a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fall. Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt, the age-old foundations will be raised. You will be called the Breach-mender, and the Restorer of ruined houses.
If you stop profaning the Sabbath and doing as you please on the holy day, if you call the Sabbath a day of delight and keep sacred YHVH’s holy day, if you honour it by not going your own way, not doing as you please and not speaking with malice, then you will find happiness in YHVH, over the heights you will ride triumphantly, and feast joyfully on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of YHVH has spoken.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we are reminded that we should always trust in the Lord and believe in His Providence, His plan and everything that He has meant for us. We should nurture the seeds of faith, hope and love that have been given to us so that we can grow ever stronger in our faith and commitment to God, and that we will be the worthy, shining beacons of our faith and hope in Him, becoming good role models and examples of our genuine and ever growing faith at all times. That is what we have been called to do as Christians, so that even in the smallest things we do, we will always bear wonderful and rich fruits of our faith.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel of the instructions and the reply that the Lord sent through the prophet Nathan to David, the famous King of Israel and servant of God, who has been faithful throughout all his life and who has done many great and wonderful things for the Lord and His people. At that time, David has been blessed with a long and successful reign, and after many years of earlier struggles and tribulations, he has finally secured his reign and kingdom, bringing it to a golden age and glorious time, and as such, he wanted to establish a great new House and Temple for the Lord in Jerusalem, just as he has established his palace in that city. David wanted to build a proper dwelling for the Lord and indeed, his intentions were good and worthy.
However, God had different plans on what it was to be, and He told King David that it was His will such that it would not be him but his own son and successor, Solomon who would be the one to build the great Temple and House worthy of His Name and Holy Presence. And at the same time, God also reassured and affirmed David that He would make his house and reign secure, that he would end his reign in peace and go to rest with his forefathers, while his son and descendants will continue to hold the kingship over Israel unlike that of his predecessor Saul. Eventually, God did indeed fulfil everything as He had said, with the great Temple that David had planned and prepared for, being built by Solomon as a worthy House of the Lord, known as Solomon’s Temple.
Not only that, but David’s house continued to hold the true kingship over Israel despite the later division of the kingdom into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, to the days of the Messiah and beyond, for Jesus our Lord and Saviour, the Son and Heir of David was also descended from David, making the dominion of David and his house lasting and persevering into eternity. This is showing that God is always ever faithful to His promises and words, and we can indeed trust in His Providence, love and in all the things that He has planned for us. God will not abandon us in our hour of greatest need, and He will not leave us alone even when things are most difficult and the conditions are hardest and most challenging for us. He will always be there for us.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the passage from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which we heard of the famous parable of the sower, where the sower sowed the seeds that landed on different places, highlighting what happened to each one of those different seeds that landed in the different places. We heard how those seeds that landed on the roadside and on the rocky ground, and all those that landed among the brambles and thorns were unable to grow properly, either because they were picked off by birds, scorched to death by the hot Sun, or because they were unable to compete with the brambles and thorns, and were killed by those plants and weeds surrounding them.
As the Lord mentioned it, all those referred to those people who did not truly have genuine faith in the Lord, who might have listened to the Lord and yet did not let His words and truth to touch them deep within. On the other hand, those seeds that landed on the rich and fertile soil refer to those who have allowed God’s words to take deep roots within them, and not only that, but they also provided the best and most suitable conditions and environment in which their faith and trust in the Lord could grow and flourish, by their constant awareness of God’s Presence in their lives, and by living their lives with true and genuine faith in God, trusting in Him to guide them all in their journey. And we may not realise it at first, but in doing so, we are opening ourselves to great graces which can allow us to impact so many more people than what we may know of.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all also follow the good examples of one saint whose life and works can inspire us to deepen our faith and trust in God ever further. I am quite sure that many of us have heard the name St. Thomas Aquinas, a great and holy Priest and servant of God, and also an esteemed Doctor of the Church after his passing from this world. The Universal Church celebrates his feast on this day. He was known for his great devotion to God and great theological masterpieces, particularly his magnum opus, the ‘Summa Theologiae’. As a great theologian and servant of God, St. Thomas Aquinas spent a lot of time and effort to help the people of God to know better about Him and the truth about His love and compassionate mercy towards us. St. Thomas Aquinas did a lot of great works together with his other contemporaries like St. Dominic and St. Francis of Assisi, who in their own ways help to bring God’s people to be ever closer to Him.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures which we have received today, and which we have discussed earlier on. Let us all ponder how we can be truly ever more faithful and committed to God in all things, to grow in our trust and faith in Him so that by our everyday living and our every actions we will grow ever stronger in faith and in our conviction to lead a life that is truly blessed and filled with God’s grace. Let us all be good examples, role models and inspirations for one another, following the good examples of our holy and devoted predecessors like King David and St. Thomas Aquinas among many others, leading each other towards the Lord and His salvation.
May the Lord our most loving God continue to guide and strengthen us all in our journey towards Him. May He empower all of us to live ever more courageously in accordance with His will, to be shining beacons of His light and truth to everyone around us. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, all the things that we have done and which we will do for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Mark 4 : 1-20
At that time, Jesus began to teach by the lake; but such a large crowd gathered about Him, that He got into a boat and sat in it on the lake, while the crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things through parables. In His teaching, He said, “Listen! The sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some of the seed fell along a path; and the birds came and ate it up.”
“Some of the seed fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil; it sprang up immediately, because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burnt it, it withered, because it had no roots. Other seed fell among thorn bushes; and the thorns grew and choked it; so it did not produce any grain.”
“But some seed fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some seed produced thirty times as much, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.” And Jesus added, “Listen then, if you have ears.”
When the crowd went away, some who were around Him with the Twelve asked about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, so, that, the more they see, they do not perceive; the more they hear, they do not understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How, then, will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path, where the seed fell, are people who hear the word, but as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”
“Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy. But they have no roots, so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution come because of the word, than they fall. Others receive the seed, as seed among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hope of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the word, so that finally it produces nothing.”
“And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce : some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 88 : 4-5, 27-28, 29-30
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 make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
I will keep My Covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure. His dynasty will last forever; and his throne, as long as the heavens.
Liturgical Colour : White
2 Samuel 7 : 4-17
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 have not dwelt in any house since I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. But I went about with a tent for shelter. As long as I walked with the Israelites, did I say anything to the chiefs of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel? Did I say : Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”
“Now you will tell My servant David, this is what YHVH of Hosts says : 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 man 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. He shall build a house for My Name and I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a Father to him and he shall be My son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod, as men do.”
“But I will not withdraw My kindness from him as I did from Saul when I removed him out of your way. Your house and your reign shall last forever before Me, and your throne shall be forever firm.”
Nathan repeated these words and related this vision to David.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we heard of the virtues and faith which we ought to have in the Lord as His followers and disciples, following the examples of our predecessors, like that of the great King David of Israel, who was truly a devoted servant of God in all things, in all of his attitudes and actions, and then none other than the Lord Jesus Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has shown us all how we truly should live our lives as Christians, in spending the time and effort to carry out all that the Lord has entrusted to us to do. Each and every one of us should always be inspired to live with great courage and commitment to the path that God has led us into.
In our first reading today, we heard of the story of the moment when the account of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan, with many other Israelites at the Battle of Mount Gilboa was told to David. For the context, David was the one whom God had chosen to succeed Saul as the next King and ruler over His people, the Israelites. Saul had disobeyed the Lord and acted without virtue in some of his actions and choices, and hence, God withdrew His approval and favour from him and his house, and chose David to be the one to lead the Israelites instead. This led to plenty of frictions and sorrow that happened between David and Saul, as the latter even tried to kill and destroy David, trying to have him killed in several occasions despite the advice and pleading from Jonathan, Saul’s son, whom David had close partnership and Covenant with.
Eventually, if we heard what Saul and David went through in these past few days of Scripture readings, we will know that although David had been grievously wronged and had his life made very difficult by Saul in several occasions, but David did not hold any grudge against Saul and forgave him. And in yesterday’s reading, when the perfect opportunity was presented to David to end Saul’s life, he did not take it and he refused to be tempted to do such a vile action even when his closest confidants and followers begged and pressured him to do so. David was truly a righteous man and while he was himself also with his own flaws, he was a man whose heart was after God’s own Heart. He truly grieved for Saul and Jonathan when he heard of their deaths at the battle against the Philistines. And all these are reminders for all of us to follow his good examples in his virtuous life.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord was carrying out His works and ministry among the people of God, something that took much of His time, and we then heard of how His own relatives came to Him and took care of Him, because the ministry took so much of the time of the Lord and His disciples that they could not even have a proper meal or time to eat. Therefore, the relatives of the Lord, probably His cousins and others, some of them likely followed Him throughout His ministry and works, were likely unhappy because of the extensive commitments that this Jesus had committed Himself into, and therefore took Him out from the crowd.
In this very short reading passage of the Gospel, there is not really much that we can talk about, but if we are to understand better the context and the intention of the author of the Gospel in writing this, we are all reminded that ultimately, what the Lord has called us to do in our lives may not necessarily be something that is popular or easily acceptable by others, even by those who are closest to us. And yet, this does not mean that we should become afraid or uncertain in doing what the Lord has called us to do. We should continue to do as the Lord has shown us, but at the same time in a measured and careful way that we still do God’s works faithfully but not in the manner that caused inconvenience to others around us. We should do our best to love God wholeheartedly and love our brethren around us in the same way as well, just as the Lord has commanded us to do.
Today, all of us should follow the examples of one great saint whose faith and dedication to the Lord can become a great source of inspiration for us to be more faithful ourselves in living our lives as Christians. St. Francis de Sales was the famous inspiration behind the later foundation of the Salesian order, and he was also a pious and devoted man of God, as a bishop and shepherd to his flock. He was always referring to God as ‘God is Love’ and was convinced that God’s Love for us was so great, which drove him to continue carrying out more missions and works for the sake of the people of God. He became a priest and missionary in opposition to his family’s insistence that he took up secular role, having been born into privileged, rich and powerful family at that time. He chose to serve the Lord rather than indulging in his or his family’s own desires.
St. Francis de Sales dedicated himself to his mission, ministering even to the hard-heartened and stubborn heretics who initially refused to listen to him and even accused him to be a sorcerer. When he was appointed as bishop, he continued to serve the people entrusted to his care with great humility, devotion and love both for the Lord and for the people. He preached with great zeal and sincerity, and with great love and compassion, which touched quite a lot among the people, who were either led closer to conversion and reconciliation with God, or drawn away from heretical teachings or being strengthened and affirmed in their faith thanks to the hard work and dedication of St. Francis de Sales. The commitment and love which St. Francis de Sales had for the Lord is something that should inspire us all to do the same as well in our own lives.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and works of St. Francis de Sales, let us all therefore continue to strive to live our lives well and worthily, in the manner that the Lord has prescribed for us, in everything that He Himself has shown and taught us, and everything that He has revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and the Wisdom that He has imparted upon us and His Church. Each and every one of us have been called to be good examples and role models in faith to everyone we encounter in our lives. May the Lord be with us all and may He empower us to live our lives ever more faithfully in each and every moments so that we may lead more and more people towards Him. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Mark 3 : 20-21
At that time, Jesus and His disciples went home. The crowd began to gather again and they could not even have a meal. Knowing what was happening, His relatives came to take charge of Him, “He is out of His mind,” they said.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 79 : 2-3, 5-7
Listen, o Shepherd of Israel, You, Who lead Joseph like a flock; You, Who sit enthroned between the Cherubim. Shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up Your might and come to save us.
O YHVH of hosts, how long will Your anger burn against the prayers of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of woe, and have given them tears to drink in their sorrow. You have made us the scorn of our neighbours and the laughingstock of our oppressors.
Liturgical Colour : White
2 Samuel 1 : 1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed at Ziklag for two days. On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he approached David, the man threw himself to the ground in homage.
David asked him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.” David then said, “Tell me what happened.” And the man told him, “The soldiers fled from the battle but many of them fell and died. Saul and his son Jonathan – they too are dead.”
At this, David took hold of his clothes and tore them and his men did the same. And they mourned, weeping and fasting until evening, for the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, for all the people of Judah and for the nation of Israel.
David sang this song of lamentation for Saul and his son Jonathan, “Your glory, o Israel, is slain upon your mountains! How the mighty ones have fallen! Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, neither in life nor in death were they parted; swifter than eagles they were and stronger than lions.”
“Women of Israel, weep over Saul who clothed you in precious scarlet. How the valiant have fallen! In the midst of the battle Jonathan lies slain on your mountains. I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan; how dear have you been to me! Your love for me was wonderful, ever more than the love of women. How the valiant have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 