Liturgical Colour : Red
Psalm 109 : 1, 2, 3, 4
The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand till I make Your foes Your footstool.”
From Zion the Lord will extend Your mighty sceptre and You will rule in the midst of Your enemies.
Yours is royal dignity from the day You were born in holy majesty. Like dew from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten You.
The Lord has sworn, and He will not take back His word : “You are a Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Introit
Psalm 65 : 4, 1-2
Omnis terra adoret Te, Deus, et psallat Tibi : psalmum dicat Nomini Tuo, Altissime.
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra, psalmum dicite Nomini Ejus : date gloriam laudi Ejus.
Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Let all the earth adore You, o God, and sing to You. Let it sing a psalm to Your Name, o You who are Most High.
Shout with joy to God all the earth, sing all of you a psalm to His Name, give glory to His praise.
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
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui caelesta simul et terrena moderaris : supplicationes populi Tui clementer exaudi; et pacem Tuam nostris concede temporibus. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, Qui Tecum vivis et regnas in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Almighty, eternal God, You who had governed all things in heaven and on earth, of Your mercy hear the supplications of Your people, and grant Your peace in our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 149 : 1-6a, 9b
Alleluia! Sing to the Lord a new song, sing His praise in the assembly of His saints. Let Israel rejoice in his Maker, let the people glory on their King!
Let them dance in praise of His Name and make music for Him with harp and timbrel. For the Lord delights His people; He crowns the lowly with victory.
The saints will exult in triumph; even at night on their couches. Let the praise of God be on their lips, this is the glory of all His saints. Alleluia!
Homily and Reflection :
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/09/saturday-10-january-2015-saturday-after-the-epiphany-homily-and-scripture-reflections/
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 97 : 1, 3cd-4, 5-6
Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.
The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.
With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, the Lord!
Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)
Psalm 8 : 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
When I observe the heavens, the work of Your hands, the moon and the stars You set in their place – what is man that You be mindful of him, the Son of Man, that You should care for Him?
Yet You made Him a little lower than the angels; You crowned Him with glory and honour and gave Him the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet.
Sheep and oxen without number and even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and all that swim the paths of the ocean.
Homily and Reflection :
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard how John, messenger of God and baptiser of the people proclaimed the Messiah and professed his faith to God and commitment to his vocation in front of the public and in front of the Pharisees and those sent by the chief priests to question him. The latter ones did not believe in John and tried what they could to discredit him and rein him in in his works.
They questioned him and his actions, for they failed to see in John the works of God, which He had revealed through John and what he had done. John called for the people of God still dwelling in the darkness to return to the Light of Christ. He had been sent as the messenger of God to preach to the stubborn men, dwelling in their state of sin, so that they might repent and be ready for the coming of the Lord.
He paved the way for Christ, and he is a role model for all of us in his dedication and humility. For he was famous and popular, flocks and throngs of people came to him to be baptised and countless more peoples listened to his words and urgings for their repentance. He could have seized all the glory to himself and received great praise and fame for that action, but he did not.
Instead, he assumed the attitude of a servant and a follower to the will of God. He did the works as was given to him from the time when he was conceived in his mother’s womb. He dedicated his whole life to the Lord, that through him the works of the Messiah would be made easier and as the extension of the reach of God’s love for His people.
In the first reading God also warned us through the other John, His Apostle, to be vigilant and careful against the devil who will try to seduce us and lead us astray by sweet lies and false promises, through the false prophets and the antichrists. If Christ the Saviour of all brought with Him the real promise of eternal life and eternal joy, then the antichrists are His antithesis, bringing us instead temporary joy and a false life, one that will likely end in death, and not just any death, but eternal death.
That is why God sent forth His servants and messengers, for the sole purpose of the guidance of all of us His people, so that amidst the darkness in the world, amidst the temptations, and all the distractions of the world, we may rediscover our focus, that should be on the Lord. There are too much noise and distractions in this world, and it is important for us to shut them out, so that we will not be distracted.
We have to remain focused on the Lord, His ways and teachings so that we may be delivered from the confusion caused by Satan and be freed from the bonds of sin he had imposed on us. And that is why those teachers of the Faith are so precious to us, as they help us to find our way as we progress on in our lives. And today we celebrate the feast of two of such teachers and saints, namely St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen.
St. Basil the Great was the bishop of Caesarea, during the time after the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea having affirmed the orthodox and standard teachings of the Faith. He was a well known theologian who defended the true faith against the perversions of heresies such as the Arian heresy that rejected the divinity of Christ, as well as many other syncretic and heterodox practices that compromises on the true faith.
He also cared greatly for the poor and the weak, the downtrodden and the unloved, practicing the faith he professed through his own actions and deeds. He did not let those who have been lost to the darkness through heresy to remain lost, and he did what he could, to bring them back to the Light. He worked together with many other saints of his time, and he worked hard to resist and fight the forces of heresy that was taking deep roots among the faithful at the time.
Meanwhile, St. Gregory Nazianzen was a contemporary of St. Basil the Great who was the Archbishop of Constantinople and also a great theologian who fought against the heresies of the faith and also teaching the true faith to many, keeping them on the right track against the lies of the devil. Together with his contemporaries, with St. Basil the Great and the other saints and great theologians, they worked hard to keep the truth of Christ alive amidst the forces of darkness that surround them.
From these holy men and devoted servants of God we can learn what we need to do, as what they have done is not just limited to them. We too are required to help one another to keep each other in the faith, and so that none would be lost to the darkness. Let us therefore follow in the examples of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, so that we may help keep each other in the grace of God.
May Almighty God bless us all and grant us the wisdom to discern the falsehoods of Satan, all of his lies so that we may find our way to our loving God and Father. God bless us all. Amen.
First Reading :
Psalm :
Gospel Reading :
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 66 : 2-3, 5, 6 and 8
May God be gracious and bless us; may He let His face shine upon us, that Your way be known on earth and Your salvation among the nations.
May the countries be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with justice and guide the nations of the world.
May the peoples praise You, o God, may all the peoples praise You! May God bless us and be revered, to the very ends of the earth.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 97 : 3, 2 and Hebrews 1 : 1-2
Viderunt omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri : jubilate Deo, omnis terra.
Response : Notum fecit Dominus salutare suum : ante conspectum gentium revelavit justitiam suam.
Alleluja, Alleluja.
Response : Multifarie olim Deus loquens patribus in Prophetis, novissime diebus istis locutus est nobis in Filio. Alleluja.
English translation
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Sing joyfully to God all the earth.
Response : The Lord had made known His salvation. He had revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Response : God, who diversely spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all in these days had been spoken to us by His Son. Alleluia.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 96 : 1-2, 5-6, 11-12
The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Clouds and darkness surround Him; justice and right are His throne.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.
He sheds light upon the upright, and gladness upon the just. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are blameless, and give praise to His holy Name.
Homily and Reflection :
Liturgical Colour : White
Offertory
Offertory for the Christmas Midnight Mass
Psalm 95 : 11, 13
Laetentur caeli et exsultet terra ante faciem Domini : quoniam venit.
English translation
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad before the face of the Lord, because He came.
Offertory for the Christmas Mass at Dawn
Psalm 92 : 1-2
Deus firmavit orbem terrae, qui non commovebitur : parata sedes Tua, Deus, ex tunc, a saeculo Tu es.
English translation
God had established the world, which shall not be moved. Your throne, o God, is prepared from of old. You are from everlasting.
Offertory for the Christmas Daytime Mass
Psalm 88 : 12, 15
Tui sunt caeli et Tua est terra : orbem terrarum et plenitudinem ejus Tu fundasti : justitia et judicium praeparatio sedis Tuae.
English translation
Yours are the heavens, and Yours is the earth, the world and the fullness thereof You had founded. Justice and judgment are the preparation of Your throne.
Secret Prayer of the Priest
Secret for the Christmas Midnight Mass
Accepta tibi sit, Domine, quaesumus, hodiernae festivitatis oblatio : ut, Tua gratia largiente, per haec sacrosancta commercia, in illus inveniamur forma, in quo Tecum est nostra substantia : Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
May the oblation of this day’s festivity, we pray to You, o Lord, find acceptance with You, that by the bounty of Your grace, we may, through this sacred intercourse, be found to be made like unto He in whom our substance is united with You. Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Secret for the Christmas Mass at Dawn
Munera nostra, quaesumus, Domine, Nativitatis hodiernae mysteriis apta proveniant, et pacem nobis semper infundant : ut, sicut homo genitus idem refulsit et Deus, sic nobis haec terrena substantia conferat, quod divinum est. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
English translation
May our gifts, we pray to You, o Lord, come forth agreeable to the mysteries of this day’s nativity, and may they shower upon us peace, that as He who was begotten as Man shone forth also as God, so may this earthly substance bring us that which is divine. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Secret for the Christmas Daytime Mass
Oblata, Domine, munera, nova Unigeniti Tui Nativitate sanctifica : nosque a peccatorum nostrorum maculis emunda. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
English translation
Sanctify our oblations, o Lord, by the new birth of Your only Begotten Son, and cleanse us from the stains of our sins. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Preface of the Nativity
Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere : Domine, Sancte Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus : Quia per incarnati Verbi mysterium nova mentis nostrae oculis lux Tuae claritatis infulsit : ut, dum visibiliter Deum cognoscimus, per hunc in invisibilium amorem rapiamur. Et ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus cumque omni militia caelestis exercitus hymnum gloriae Tuae canimus, sine fine dicentes :
English translation
It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that we should always and in all places give thanks to You, o Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God, because by the mystery of the Word made flesh, from Your brightness a new Light had risen to shine on the eyes of our souls, in order that, God becoming visible to us, we may be borne upward to the love of things invisible. And therefore with the Angels and Archangels, with the Dominions and Powers, with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing of Your glory without end saying :
Communion
Communion for the Christmas Midnight Mass
Psalm 109 : 3
In splendoribus Sanctorum, ex utero ante luciferum genui Te.
English translation
In the brightness of the saints, from the womb before the day-star I begot You.
Communion for the Christmas Mass at Dawn
Zechariah 9 : 9
Exsulta, filia Sion, lauda, filia Jerusalem : ecce, Rex tuus venit sanctus et Salvator mundi.
English translation
Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion, shout for help, o daughter of Jerusalem. Behold your King comes, holy, the Saviour of the world.
Communion for the Christmas Daytime Mass
Psalm 97 : 3
Viderunt omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri
English translation
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Post-Communion Prayer
Post-Communion for the Christmas Midnight Mass
Da nobis, quaesumus, Domine, Deus noster : ut, qui Nativitatem Domini nostri Jesu Christi mysteriis nos frequentare gaudemus; dignis conversationibus ad ejus mereamur pervenire consortium : Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Grant, we beseech You, o Lord our God, that we, who rejoice to celebrate with these mysteries the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, may deserve by worthy living to attain His companionship. Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Post-Communion for the Christmas Mass at Dawn
Hujus nos, Domine, sacramenti semper novitas natalis instauret : cujus Nativitas singularis humanam reppulit vetustatem. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
English translation
May the Christmas renewal of this sacrament ever restore us, o Lord, whose miraculous birth did put away the ancient things of mankind. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Post-Communion for the Christmas Daytime Mass
Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut natus hodie Salvator mundi, sicut divinar nobis generationis est auctor; ita et immortalitatis sit ipsae largitor : Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
English translation
Grant, we beseech You, o Almighty God, that, as the Saviour of the world, born this day, is unto us the author of divine generation, so that He may also be the bestower of immortality. Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 88 : 4-5, 16-17, 27 and 29
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.
Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.
He will call on Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.’ I will keep My covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure.
Homily and Reflection :
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 