First Sunday of Advent

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Tuesday, 5 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 11 : 1-10

From the stump of Jesse a Shoot will come forth; from his roots a Branch will grow and bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him – a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and power, a Spirit of knowledge and fear of YHVH.

Not by appearances will He judge, nor by what is said must He decide, but with justice He will judge the poor and with righteousness decide for the meek. Like a rod, His word will strike the oppressor, and the breath of His lips slay the wicked. Justice will be the girdle of His waist, truth the girdle of His loins.

The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will rest beside the kid, the calf and the lion cub will feed together and a little child will lead them. Befriending each other, the cow and the bear will see their young ones lie down together. Like cattle, the lion will eat hay. By the cobra’s den the infant will play. The child will put his hand into the viper’s lair. No one will harm or destroy over My holy mountain, for as water fills the sea the earth will be filled with the knowledge of YHVH.

On that day the “Root of Jesse” will be raised as a signal for the nations. The people will come in search of Him, thus making His dwelling place glorious.

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Monday, 4 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctors of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the salvation and deliverance which the Lord our God has shown us all, and which He wants to remind us today that as we enter into this season of Advent, preparing for the coming celebration and joy of Christmas, we may always keep in mind what it is that we are really celebrating and rejoicing about. The Lord and His providence to us, His love and kindness, are all that we are rejoicing about as we celebrate and commemorate the moment when He came to us all in this world, in the form of a Child, the Child Jesus, the Saviour of the world and Son of God Most High.

In our first reading today, we heard the passage from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet spoke about his vision that he has received from the Lord, concerning the end of times, when the Lord will gather all the whole world, all people from various places and origins, and make them to be His own people. Contextually, back then, during the time of the prophet Isaiah and the period when the people of Israel still lived in the Promised Land prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, it was believed that the Israelites were God’s only chosen people, as they were chosen by God to be His people, as He led them out of their slavery in the land of Egypt and made a Covenant with them and their descendants at Mount Sinai.

Hence, under the days of Moses and his successors, Joshua and the Judges, and then the kings of Israel and Judah, it was held that the Lord is the God of Israel, while all the other pagan peoples living all around them had their gods and idols, their deities and various divinities. Thus, it was seen also by others living around the Israelites that the Lord YHVH is merely just God over Israel, as was commonly perceived at the time, that each nation and states have their own gods and divinities. However, this is not what the Lord intended, as when He called the Israelites and made them to be His own people, He did not intend to keep His grace and love to be exclusive only to those who are directly descended from Jacob, or Israel.

This is because, ultimately, each and every one of us, the children and descendants of Adam and Eve, whom God had created at the beginning of time, are beloved by God regardless of our race, background, character and whatever divisions and categories we tend to use to differentiate ourselves. All of us are beloved by the Lord and He wants us all to be reconciled with Him, forgiven from our many sins and wickedness, which had caused us to be separated and sundered from His love and grace. The descendants of Abraham and Israel were the first ones that God had called to follow Him, much like how the Lord called some Apostles and disciples earlier than others. Some like St. Paul did not even become a disciple of the Lord until after His death and Resurrection, and yet, this does not mean that those who come after are less important than those who have been called earlier.

The prophet Isaiah clearly mentioned that the Lord will become the Lord and Master over all the nations, over the whole entire world. He will call all men and women to Himself, and this prophecy of what was to come, all have been fulfilled and accomplished through Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. All these have been made evident to us throughout the Gospels in which we heard everything that the Lord Himself had done in our midst. And in our Gospel passage today, we heard of how the Lord healed the sick servant of an army centurion or captain who asked Him to heal the servant from the ailment. That army captain had such a great faith and trust in the Lord that he told the Lord, that he did not need to see the proof of the healing, as even just by the commands and words of the Lord, it would be done as He said it.

The Lord used this example to highlight to His followers and disciples how even those who did not belong or were not counted among the Jewish people, the descendants of the Israelites, could also have great faith in God, and thus will be blessed and filled with God’s grace. At that time, it was likely that this army captain was a Roman, as was common at the time when the Romans were establishing and consolidating their hold over the region, and an army personnel of such rank was typically held by a Roman citizen. Therefore, as was the norm then, for a Jew to visit the house of a Gentile or a non-Jew was considered to be a taboo as it was deemed to make a person unclean in doing so. Hence, the army captain, likely aware of this and having such a great faith in God, believed that everything would be well if the Lord just commanded it to be.

This is a revelation and reminder from the Lord to all of His people, to all of us mankind, that He is not distinguishing or being prejudiced against anyone because of their race and beliefs. Instead, what matters is for the person to have true and genuine faith in the Lord, and for him or her to be virtuous and righteous in the way that the Lord has shown and taught us all, and through this faith, all of us shall be made worthy and righteous, and all called to be disciples and followers of His. God wants all of us to be reunited and reconciled with Him, loving us as He has always done from the very beginning, and to this extent He has sent us the Saviour, Whose coming into this world is the centre of our Advent commemorations and our upcoming Christmas celebrations.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Damascene, also known as St. John of Damascus, a renowned monk, priest and theologian, who is honoured as one of the esteemed Doctors of the Church for his may works and contributions. St. John of Damascus was born in a prominent Christian Arab family in part of what is Syria today, which then was under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. As he came from a family of officials who were involved in the earlier Byzantine bureaucracy, and then later on the Arabic Umayyad government, St. John was raised up and educated well, and became a well-educated man, serving in the court of the Umayyad Caliph before he became a priest and monk.

St. John of Damascus dedicated his life thereafter to the study of the Christian faith, its theology and mysteries, which he discussed and touched upon in his many writings and works. St. John was also notedly involved in the controversies surrounding the matter of iconoclasm that was then widespread through the Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire and the other parts of Christendom. At that time, there were parties and members of the Church and the clergy, with support even from some of the Emperors, who wished to ban the veneration of icons and images, considering them to be un-Christian in nature. This iconoclastic practices were opposed by the Pope and many other members of the clergy and the Church, including that of St. John of Damascus.

St. John of Damascus worked hard against all those who took part and sided in the iconoclastic heresy, and he had to face a lot of hardships in doing so, even to the point of being persecuted, falsely implicated in crimes and suffering from plots against him, that he even had his hand cut off. Miraculously, before the icon of the Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God through his fervent prayers, his hand was restored. St. John remained firm and courageous in his defence of the true faith, despite the trials and challenges against him, and he persevered throughout his life, finally being vindicated and exonerated from all the false accusations against him when the iconoclast heresy was finally overthrown and defeated.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of St. John of Damascus, that of the army captain mentioned in our Gospel today, and also be reminded by the love which God has extended to every single one of us, that we all as Christians may always strive to seek the Lord with all our heart and might, and be reminded of all the love that He has shown us so that we may love Him and commit ourselves ever more to His path. Let us all hence make sure that our Advent observances and actions be truly centred on the Lord, and also all of our preparations and celebrations for the upcoming Christmas season. Let us all be the bearers of God’s truth, hope and love to all those whom we encounter in our daily living, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 4 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctors of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Matthew 8 : 5-11

At that time, when Jesus entered Capernaum, an army captain approached Him, to ask His help, “Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralysed and suffers terribly.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

The captain answered, “I am not worthy to have You under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed. For I myself, a junior officer, give orders to my soldiers. And if I say to one, ‘Go!’ he goes; and if I say to another, ‘Come!’ he comes; and if I say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, He was astonished; and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel. I say to you, many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven.”

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Monday, 4 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctors of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5, 6-7, 8-9

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of YHVH!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!

Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There the tribes go up.

The tribes of YHVH, the assembly of Israel, to give thanks to YHVH’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : “May those who love you prosper! May peace be within your walls and security within your citadels!”

For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be with you!” For the sake of the house of our YHVH, I will pray for your good.

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Monday, 4 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctors of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Isaiah 2 : 1-5

The vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In the last days, the mountain of YHVH’s house shall be set over the highest mountains and shall tower over the hills. All the nations shall stream to it, saying, “Come, let us go to the mountain of YHVH, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and we may walk in His paths. For the teaching comes from Zion, and from Jerusalem the word of YHVH.”

“He will rule over the nations and settle disputes for many people. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not raise sword against nation; they will train for war no more. O nation of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of YHVH!”

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Sunday, 3 December 2023 : First Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we mark the beginning of the Advent season and the new liturgical year cycle, and therefore we are all called to prepare ourselves in heart, body, mind and soul, in our whole being to welcome the Lord as we enter into this solemn time of reflection and preparation for the upcoming glorious season and time of Christmas. In this time of Advent, all of us are called to be vigilant and prepared in our lives, to be truly good and worthy in all things so that we may indeed be worthy and ready to celebrate the true joy of Christmas, and to make full use of the opportunities which God has given to us, in providing us the time and chances for us to make good use of the talents, abilities and other things and blessings He has bestowed on us.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of remorse said by the prophet Isaiah representing the people of Israel and Judah, showing regret and awareness of their wickedness and sinful ways which had caused them to be separated and torn away from the fullness of God’s love and grace. The prophet Isaiah used this opportunity to remind the people of how wayward they had been, in failing to follow God’s path and in disobeying His Law and commandments, which have led them into the path of sin and evil. Contextually, by the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah, the people of God had committed a lot of sins and wickedness that they had fallen into dire straits, humiliated by their neighbours and enemies. All of those were signs and reminders for them, what they would have to endure and suffer from, if they chose to disobey God.

But as we all heard from the prophet Isaiah, the Lord did not give up on His people, and He continued to love them all despite all the rebelliousness and difficult attitudes that they had presented to Him. The Lord kept on showing His Fatherly love to all of them, chastising them for their sins and wickedness, disciplining them and reminding them of their obligations, teaching and guiding them in the right paths, through the leaders, guides and messengers that He had sent to them, including the prophet Isaiah himself. He reached out to them with ever patient and enduring love, and promised unto us our deliverance, leading and guiding us all while chastising and scolding us for our sins, so that hopefully, through all of the trials and tribulations, we may be stirred and reminded to walk faithfully once again in His path.

In our second reading passage today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, the Apostle reminded and encouraged the faithful people of God in Corinth to hold fast to their faith in the Lord, encouraging them to continue to live their lives worthily of the Lord because of everything that they have received, the assurance, strength and providence in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom the fullness of God’s grace and love, His compassionate mercy and kindness have been revealed in all of its fullness, becoming tangible and approachable by all of us. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the One Whom we are expecting in this season of Advent, and the One Whom we are going to celebrate later on in the glorious and most joyful Christmas season, we have seen and witnessed that everything that God had said and promised to us are real, and not mere illusions or mere promises.

In our Gospel passage today, we are then reminded of the nature of our Advent preparation and commemoration, as we heard from the Lord Jesus Himself, Who reminded His disciples and followers, that they all should not be ignorant of the sign of the times, as the coming of the time of reckoning and judgment will come at a time least expected by everyone, and no one knows exactly except the Lord Himself, when this moment will come. Thus, He reminded all of His disciples and followers that all of them ought to be ever vigilant, ready and prepared all the time, by living their lives with commitment and dedication to God, in being righteous, virtuous and just at all times. This is also therefore a reminder to each and every one of us that we should always strive to be good and worthy in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds throughout our lives, so that by our lives we may be good role models and inspirations for one another.

This Advent, we are preparing not only for the coming celebration of Christmas, and in commemorating the events that had happened more than two thousand years ago, when the Lord, our Saviour and King, came down upon us and descended to us in the flesh, born of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and revealed the love of God fully manifested to us. Advent is also a time of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ, or also known as Parousia. Like that of the people at the time of the prophet Isaiah, who was promised the coming of the Messiah, therefore all of us are also expecting the moment when the Lord will come again, and this time, He will bring us all into the eternal kingdom and true bliss that He has promised everyone who believes in Him. This is why, all of us have to be truly prepared at all times, because certainly we do not want to be caught unprepared when the Lord, at the time of His choice, comes again to judge the world.

This Sunday as we begin this Season of Advent, we are all brought into the spiritual journey and preparation of our lives, so that we can better live through the true joy and meaning of our upcoming Christmas celebrations. There are four Sundays in the season of Advent, and each one of them are focused on a particular theme, namely in order, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. This Sunday, being the First Sunday of Advent, we focus on the theme of ‘Hope’, which is exactly what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, and which is what we are looking forward to in celebrating Christmas. In our world, filled with the darkness of sin and evil, the Light of Christ, His salvation and grace, and the promise of everlasting life and happiness with God, all these are truly Hope for each and every one of us. For without Hope, and without the assurance of God’s love, is there truly any reason for us to exist at all?

That is why, on this First Sunday of Advent, each and every one of us are reminded of the fundamental nature of our observances this Advent, as we focus ourselves and our lives once again on the Lord, our God. It is too often that in our lives, we are so busy and preoccupied with the many concerns, attachments and distractions present all around us, that we end up forgetting and disregarding the Lord, His Presence in our midst, and what we are all called to do as Christians in our daily living. Too many of us are distracted with all sorts of worldly desires, ambitions, attachments and all the things which mislead us down the path of greed and ego, wickedness and sin. That is why, this time of Advent is a time of reflection and reorientation of our lives, that we may truly find our true focus in life, that is in the Lord, in His love, truth and hope.

As we are all surely well aware of, during this time and period, the secular world is abuzz and filled with all sorts of Christmas celebrations, rejoicing and revelry. However, we need to ask ourselves, if the celebrations and festivities are truly rightly and properly focused? Most of the time, all the celebrations are about merrymaking and pleasantries, and for some, it is even about comparing who can do better celebrations, parties and rejoicing, and who can splurge more on the feasts, gifts and all the other usual Christmas glitzes and paraphernalia. Yet, amidst all of these celebrations and festivities, it is often that one very important and major thing is missing. What is that, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is none other than the very reason why we celebrate Christmas itself in the first place, and which at the beginning of this season of Advent, we really ought to remind ourselves and one another of this truth and fact.

Can we imagine having a birthday party and celebration, only for the birthday person to be ignored and left out completely from his or her own party and celebration? Yet, that is exactly what most of our secular Christmas celebrations, festivities and merrymaking are all about. We are so busy with preparing all the celebrations, gifts, all the shopping and chasing after the best promotions and discounts, that we end up forgetting about the One we are all celebrating in Christmas, that is Christ Himself. There can be no Christmas without Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. It is because of His coming into this world, in the flesh, that He has shown us all a new Hope amidst all the darkness and sin surrounding us, and because of His Love for us all, bringing unto us Peace and Joy that endures, all of us can celebrate and be hopeful, happy and truly joyful. This is what Christmas is all about, and something that many of us need to be reminded of.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we embark on this Advent journey for the next few weeks, let us all make sure that our preparations for the celebration of Christmas are all truly Christ-centric. Besides decking our houses, halls and places with all sorts of decorations and festive atmosphere, what is even more important is that we should truly prepare our hearts and minds, our souls and our whole beings as well. This Advent is a perfect time and occasion for us to reorientate ourselves and our lives once again towards the Lord, turning ourselves once again to the path towards God. This is why, we should spend more time in reflecting upon our lives, and reconnecting ourselves spiritually with God, by spending more time in quiet and contemplative time in prayer, rather than being busy and preoccupied with all the festivities, forgetting what Christmas is truly all about.

And in our Christmas joy and festivities, let us also not forget to bring the Hope of Christ to others as well. Lest we are not aware of it, there are others around us who may not be so fortunate like us, to be able to celebrate and to be merry and joyful. Amidst the challenges and trials we encounter in life, there are people who have difficulties making ends meet each day, and there are people out there who simply do not have the means, time and opportunities to rejoice and to celebrate. Let us all share whatever joy and blessings we have received this Advent and the upcoming Christmas season. Let us be ever more generous in loving and caring for one another, and do whatever we can so that the Hope of Christ may be shown and known by more and more all around the world, and we can begin it through our own lives, truly attuned and aligned with Christ, the Hope and the true reason for our Christmas joy.

May the Lord our God, the One Whom we are celebrating and keep our Hope in, continue to bless and guide us all in everything we do in our respective lives. May He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, and may He give us the strength, courage and faith, so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and will grow to love and know Him more and more. May our Advent journey be truly blessed and fruitful, brothers and sisters in Christ! Amen.

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Sunday, 3 December 2023 : First Sunday of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Mark 13 : 33-37

At that time Jesus said to His disciples, “Be alert and watch, for you do not know when the time will come. When a man goes abroad and leaves his home, he puts his servants in charge, giving to each one some responsibility; and he orders the doorkeeper to stay awake.”

“So stay awake, for you do not know when the Lord of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight, when the cock crows or before dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him catch you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all : Stay awake!”

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Sunday, 3 December 2023 : First Sunday of Advent (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

1 Corinthians 1 : 3-9

Receive grace, and peace from God, our Father, and Christ Jesus, our Lord. I give thanks, constantly, to my God, fo you, and for the grace of God given to you, in Christ Jesus. For you have been fully enriched, in Him, with words, as well as with knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you.

You do not lack any spiritual gift and only await the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. He will keep you steadfast to the end, and you will be without reproach, on the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus. The faithful God will not fail you, after calling you to this fellowship with His Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Sunday, 3 December 2023 : First Sunday of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 79 : 2ac and 3bc, 15-16, 18-19

Listen, o Shepherd of Israel, You, Who sit enthroned between the Cherubim. Stir up Your might and come to save us.

Turn again, o YHVH of hosts, look down from heaven and see; care for this vine, and protect the stock Your hand has planted.

But lay Your hand on Your instrument, on the son of man, whom You make strong for Yourself. Then, we will never turn away from You; give us life, and we will call on Your Name.

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Sunday, 3 December 2023 : First Sunday of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 63 : 16b-17, 19b and Isaiah 64 : 2b-7

But You, o YHVH, are our Father, from the beginning, You are our Redeemer : This is Your Name. Why have You made us stray from our ways? Why have You let our heart become hard so that we do not fear You? Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your inheritance.

Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down! The mountains would quake at Your presence. Let them witness Your stunning deeds. No one has ever heard or perceived, no eye has ever seen a God besides You Who works for those who trust in Him. You have confounded those who acted righteously and who joyfully kept Your ways in mind. But You are angry with our sins, yet conceal them and we shall be saved.

All of us have become like the unclean; all our good deeds are like polluted garments; we have all withered like leaves, blown away by our iniquities. There is no one who calls upon Your Name, no one who rouses himself to lay hold of You. For You have hidden Your face, You have given us up to the power of our evil acts.

And yet, YHVH, You are our Father; we are the clay and You are our Potter; we are the work of Your hand.