Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Psalm 32 : 12-13, 14-15, 20-21
Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance. YHVH looks down from heaven and sees the whole race of mortals.
From where He sits, He watches all those who dwell on the earth – He Who fashions every heart, observes all their deeds.
In hope, we wait for YHVH, for He is our help and our shield. Our hearts rejoice in Him, for we trust in His holy Name.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
1 Corinthians 3 : 1-9
I could not, friends, speak to you as spiritual persons but as fleshly people, for you are still infants in Christ. I gave you milk, and not solid food, for you were not ready for it, and, up to now, you cannot receive it, for you are still of the flesh. As long as there is jealousy and strife, what can I say, but that you are at the level of the flesh, and behave like ordinary people.
While one says : “I follow Paul,” and the other : “I follow Apollos,” what are you, but people still at a human level? For what is Apollos? What is Paul? They are ministers; and through them, you believed, as it was given by the Lord, to each of them. I planted, Apollos watered the plant, but God made it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God, Who makes the plant grow.
The one who plants and the one who waters work to the same end, and the Lord will pay each, according to their work. We are fellow-workers with God, but you are God’s field and building.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the Word of God through the Scriptures, speaking to us about the love and mercy of God, through which He desired to bring us all into reconciliation with Him, that we may be free from the sins and troubles that had kept us from God’s grace. That is what God wanted for each one of us, for us to be redeemed and saved.
And that is why, even though once we lived in the darkness, and were engulfed by the wickedness of the world, now we exist in the light, because God has revealed to us His salvation through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose coming into this world has brought unto us the fullness of the revelation of God’s grace and love. We see all that through the many good works and miracles which He had done among the people.
In the Gospel today, we also witness one of those miracles, when Jesus cast out evil spirits from within a man possessed by the devil. The man had been in the darkness, and was under the dominion of the devil, but God came to free him, casting out that evil spirit from him, and having been freed, therefore, the man came to reconciliation with God and was healed from his afflictions.
That is what the Lord wants for each and every one of us, without exception. He wants the salvation of us all, even to the greatest among the sinners. God gave us His assurance of salvation as long as we ourselves want to be saved, and has that desire to be reconciled with Him, through repentance and genuine regret for our sins and wickedness. And through His Son, Jesus, He has touched each one of us and healed us.
Yet, the good works of God has not yet been completed. As we should be aware of, there are still many people out there who are still lost in the darkness, trapped in ignorance and rejection of the truth of God. There are still many out there who are in need of God’s loving grace and protection, and it is by the works of our hands that God is exercising His power and work among us, we who are God’s Church.
That is why it is just appropriate that today we also celebrate the feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta, the person whom we also fondly remember as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a recently proclaimed saint whose works among the poor, the sick and dying, and the least fortunate among the children of God in Calcutta has been renowned throughout the world. It was her approach and efforts to help the last, the least and the weakest of our fellow brothers and sisters that had inspired many others to do the same.
St. Teresa of Calcutta showed us all that if we are truly God’s followers and disciples, then we ought to be committed to work for the greater glory of God and for the good of His people, our fellow men and women. And St. Teresa of Calcutta exactly did just that, by her selfless giving and commitment, and by her hard work and zeal through which she showed her faith in God via her loving and tender care for her fellow brethren, those who are suffering in this world.
Now, let us all ask ourselves, brothers and sisters in Christ. Are we also able to do the same? Are we capable of giving our very best to our fellow men and women? Are we able to walk in the footsteps of St. Teresa of Calcutta and the many other holy saints of God, who had given themselves to the care and love, the service and commitment towards the hungry, the poor, the sick and the dying?
All of us have to realise that there are still so many things which we can do and contribute through our actions in life, in fulfilling what God had taught and commanded all of us to do, that is to love one another just as much as we have loved ourselves. Therefore, let us all, with renewed zeal and desire to commit, seek to bring one another to the salvation in God, by our good works and charity, through every action we do in our lives and through every effort we have made.
May the Lord bless all of us and all of our endeavours. May He empower us all to be ever more dedicated and committed to Him, so that in all the things we do, we will always proclaim His glory and bring ever more souls closer to righteousness and salvation in God. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Luke 4 : 31-37
At that time, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the Sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way He taught them, for His word was spoken with authority.
In the synagogue, there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I recognise You : You are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm. Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!”
And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14
YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.
One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.
I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in YHVH!
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)
1 Thessalonians 5 : 1-6, 9-11
You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay, and the appointed time for these events. You know, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people feel secure, and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them, as the birth pangs of a woman in labour, and they will not escape.
But you, beloved, are not in darkness; so that day will not surprise you like a thief. All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.
For God has not willed us to be condemned, but to win salvation, through Christ Jesus, our Lord. He died for us, so that, we might enter into life, with Him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 