Epiphanytide

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Wednesday, 12 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 29-39

At that time, on leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told him about her. Jesus went to her and, taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening, at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits : the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but He did not let them speak, for they knew Who He was.

Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where He prayed. Simon and the others went out also, searching for Him; and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You.” Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.”

So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; He also cast out demons.

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Wednesday, 12 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 39 : 2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

With resolve I waited for YHVH; He listened and heard me beg. Blessed is the one who relies on YHVH and does not look to the proud, nor go astray after false gods.

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this, You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

As the scroll says of me. To do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your Law is within my heart.

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o YHVH, I did not seal – You know that very well.

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Wednesday, 12 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 3 : 1-10, 19-20

The boy Samuel ministered to YHVH under Eli’s care in a time in which the word of YHVH was rarely heard. Visions were not seen. One night Eli was lying down in his room, half blind as he was. The lamp of God was still lighted and Samuel also lay in the house of YHVH near the Ark of God.

Then YHVH called, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “I am here!” and ran to Eli saying, “I am here, did you not call me?” But Eli said, “I did not call. Go back to sleep.” So he went and lay down. Then YHVH called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel stood up and went to Eli saying, “You called me; I am here.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”

Samuel did not yet know YHVH; and the word of YHVH had not yet been revealed to him. But YHVH called Samuel for the third time; and he went again to Eli saying, “I am here for you have called me.” Eli realised that it was YHVH calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if He calls you again, answer : ‘Speak, YHVH, Your servant listens.’”

Then YHVH came and stood there calling “Samuel! Samuel!” as He did before. And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant listens.” Samuel grew. YHVH was with him and made all his words become true. All Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was really YHVH’s prophet.

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Tuesday, 11 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are reminded of the Lord’s compassion and love for us, which He has shown us from time to time, again and again. He has provided for us in our time of need, listened to our prayers and pleas for help, and He gave us all ultimately, the gift of His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Lord and Saviour, through Whom we have been liberated from the tyranny of sin and death.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard how the Lord helped Hannah, Samuel’s mother as she sought the Lord’s help after she had always been teased and bullied by her husband’s other wife, Peninnah in her barrenness and inability to bear a child for her beloved husband Elkanah. The Lord has heard Hannah’s prayers and answered her with the gift of a son. That son was to be the great prophet and the last Judge over the people of God before the days of the Kings.

That was how God showed His love and kindness to us, all of His beloved people. He is always listening to our prayers and He knows everything about us. But He will do things according to His will and all in His good time. He will do what is best for us, and He is always watching over us even when we ourselves have not always been faithful to Him, doubting Him and refusing to believe in Him wholeheartedly. And to us sinners, God has sent us His own beloved Son to save us from certain destruction.

That is what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, of the time when the Lord Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour, came to midst of the people of God, revealing the truth and love of God and teaching them all that God wanted to reveal to the people. And not only that, He also confronted a man possessed by evil spirits, and He cast out those evil spirits and demons from that man, showing the power and authority of God to free us from the bondage and tyranny of sin. In Him, we find the truth of God’s grace and salvation.

Through all that God had done for us, we have been truly so fortunate to have been beloved in such a way by our Lord and God. He has always loved us since the beginning and even as we have sinned against Him, we still have been given one chance after another, as He sent reminders, messengers, prophets and then lastly, even His own Son to help us to find our way back to Him, to be reconciled with Him so that we do not end up in everlasting death and destruction.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, have we appreciated all that the Lord had done for our sake all these while? God has shown us the path to follow Him and what we can do to be His good disciples and followers. But we have to make the conscious effort and the dedication to embark on that path which God had shown us. Are we willing to do that, brothers and sisters? Are we willing to do this, knowing all that God had done for our sake?

As we enter into this Ordinary Time, let us all not make our lives be truly ordinary or even mundane. This time of the Ordinary season is not meant for us to excuse ourselves from any actions befitting of being good and faithful followers of Christ. Instead, this is the time for us to do whatever we can to show our love for Him, to be exemplary in our actions and deeds, in the smallest of things so that all those who witness our actions and interact with us may come to know more of the Lord.

That is our calling as Christians, brothers and sisters, as those whom God had called and chosen from this world. And as Christians, let us all be courageous in sharing our faith to the others, and do whatever we can to glorify the Holy Name of God. May God be with us all, and may He empower us all to remain faithful to Him, always and at all times. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 21b-28

At that time, Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The people were astonished at the way He taught, for He spoke as One having authority, and not like the teachers of the Law. It happened that, a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue, and he shouted, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are : You are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent, and come out of this man!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him. All the people were astonished, and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority He preaches! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him!”

And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

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Tuesday, 11 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

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.

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Tuesday, 11 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 1 : 9-20

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah stood up not far from Eli, the priest whose seat was beside the doorpost of YHVH’s House. Deeply distressed she wept and prayed to YHVH and made this vow : “O YHVH of Hosts, if You will have compassion on Your maidservant and give me a son, I will put him in Your service for as long as he lives and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she prayed before YHVH, Eli observed the movement of her lips. Hannah was praying silently; she moved her lips but uttered no sound and Eli thought Hannah was drunk. He, therefore, said to her : “For how long will you be drunk? Let your drunkenness pass.”

But Hannah answered : “No, my lord, I am a woman in great distress, not drunk. I have not drunk wine or strong drink, but I am pouring out my soul before YHVH. Do not take me for a bad woman. I was so afflicted that my prayer flowed continuously.”

Then Eli said, “Go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you asked for.” Hannah answered, “Let Your maidservant deserve Your kindness.” Then she left the Temple; and when she was at table she seemed a different woman. Elkanah rose early in the morning and worshipped before YHVH with his wives. Then they went back home to Ramah.

When Elkanah slept with his wife, Hannah, YHVH took compassion on her, and she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel because she said : “I have asked YHVH to give him to me.”

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Monday, 10 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are called to reflect on the Lord’s calling for each and every one of us in life, and we are also called to trust in Him, in the path that He has shown us. God has always called on us to follow Him, just as He had called His disciples, to walk in His path and to do His will. Ultimately, it is up to us whether we want to respond to His call or not.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the first Book of the prophet Samuel, in which we heard how the prophet Samuel, one of the greatest prophets in the history of salvation, came to be conceived and born. Samuel was born of his mother Hannah, who had been barren for many years despite a most loving marriage to her husband Elkanah. In addition, Hannah herself was often bullied by Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, who despised and was jealous of Elkanah’s love for Hannah.

Thus, today we heard how Hannah was distressed at this bullying by Peninnah, who often teased and harried her for having no child when Peninnah herself had many children. Hannah was truly distressed, and later on, she would come to the House of God, praying before Him and begging Him to listen to her pleas, which the Lord did. And as Hannah also offered her firstborn son to the service of God, hence, when Samuel was conceived and born, he was offered to the Lord and became His servant.

Samuel has been called by God in his youth and he answered the Lord’s call with great faith and vigour. He would go on to dedicate his whole life to the Lord, guiding the Israelites as a great Judge, the last in the line of Judges sent by the Lord to the people of Israel. And as a prophet, he also spoke God’s words and proclaimed His will before the people, leading them and guiding them to the right path, to help them find their way through the darkness of the world.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard how the Lord called His first disciples, whom He called from the fishermen of the Lake of Galilee, namely the brothers St. Peter and St. Andrew, as well as St. James and St. John, the sons of Zebedee. In that occasion, the Lord told all of them to follow Him and be the fishers of men. They would be His instruments in reaching out to the people whom the Lord wanted to call to His presence.

In that calling, the Lord revealed His intentions and love for each and every one of us. As Christians, all of us are called to be the bearers of the Good News of God, which He has entrusted to us as the ones walking in the footsteps of the Apostles. The Lord has called us all to embrace His path and proclaim His truth at every opportunities that He has given us in our lives. We are also charged with the same mission that the Lord has entrusted to His Apostles, to do what He has called us to do, to be His witnesses to all the peoples of all the nations.

Today, we mark the beginning of the first half of the Ordinary Time. Yet, we must not misunderstand the meaning of this Ordinary Time, as it was by no means meant to be ordinary in any way. Instead, it is a time for us to do whatever we can in our daily lives and in our daily actions to be true and faithful witnesses of Our Lord’s truth and to be the ones to do His great and wonderful works. Through us and our exemplary lives, we can inspire so many more to come to believe in the Lord as well, and to follow Him and be saved, together with us.

Let us dedicate ourselves with a new heart and a new spirit, dedicating ourselves to serve the Lord. Let us all draw ever closer to Him and do our very best to bear witness to His truth and love, at each and every moments of our lives. May God bless us always, in our every good endeavours. Amen.

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Monday, 10 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 14-20

At that time, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”

As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they abandoned their nets and followed Him.

Jesus went a little farther on, and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed Him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.

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Monday, 10 January 2022 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 14 and 17, 18-19

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful.

O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord.

I will carry out my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, o Jerusalem.