First Week of Advent

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Wednesday, 21 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, as we approach closer to the great celebrations of Christmas, when we rejoice together as all the people of God in memory of the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On that day two millennia ago, the Lord had sent into this world His salvation through Jesus, through Whom He revealed to the whole world and to all creation, what needs to be done for us to be redeemed and freed from our fated destruction.

The Lord is our Hope, and in Him alone lies our salvation and grace. But this is a fact that many of us tend to forget, and many of us are often too busy and preoccupied in our lives to notice and to understand the love of our God. We seek instead for the comforts of this world, trying to satisfy our desires and our wants, for either money, possessions, wealth and other things, for things that supposedly bring us joy and happiness.

However, none of these will last us and none of them are permanent. All these are distractions that prevent us from discovering the true joy and love of our lives. Our reaction upon seeing the Lord and upon receiving His love and grace should be that of joy, and indeed of extreme joy and happiness, knowing that because He has come into this world, He has made all things new and filled with hope once again. We should be happy, as the children are happy when their parents come back from work and see them again.

Yet, many of us are like prodigal children, who ignored our Father’s love and pretended as if He is not there. He has blessed us with many things, and yet we are often ensnared in these same things, and rather than giving thanks and rejoicing in the One Who had made all of these possible, we instead end up being entangled in the falsehoods and in the lies of the evil one, he who desired our destruction and damnation.

And it is the same with us who have come to celebrate Christmas without properly understanding what it is that we are celebrating about. Many of us have lost the focus of our celebration and rejoicing, to the point that instead of putting our focus in the Lord, we ended up getting distracted with all the worldly revelry and rejoicing, as what we often see every time we come to the season of Christmas.

That is the sad reality of our world today, in how many of us celebrate Christmas. Many of us, even Christians alike forgot that Christmas is truly about Christ, from Whom the name Christmas came about. Without Christ there can be no Christmas, and if we take out Christ from the equation of our celebrations and joy, then there is no meaning to Christmas. For Christmas cannot exist without Christ, Whose birth is celebrated on that day, and for Whom we should be truly grateful.

As we move on through Advent towards Christmas, it is imperative that we should understand what is our focus this Christmas. In all of our plans, do we have the Lord in mind as we rejoice and are happy with each other? Have we prepared everything with the birthday and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in mind? Have we told our children and our young ones about the Christ and what He had done, His significance to all of us that in this Christmas we merit the opportunity to rejoice?

It is important that during this time of Advent, a season and time of preparation, that we should prepare ourselves well to welcome the Lord Who comes into the world, as we should prepare ourselves such that we are well prepared for the Lord in our hearts and minds, as well as in our souls and in our bodies. This is important so that we will realise that when we celebrate Christmas, we are not just remembering He Who has come before, but also He Who has promised us all that He will come again.

And in that, we should also seek help and guidance from His saints, who are our examples in their faith and obedience to God. Today, we celebrate the feast day of a great saint and a holy man, whose faith and actions can help and guide us on the path towards the Lord. St. Peter Canisius is a Jesuit priest, who was among the first members of the Jesuit order or the Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

At that time, the Church was rife with troubles and with corruption due to the worldliness of many of its members, both the laity and the members of the priestly and episcopal orders alike. Many people openly vie for positions in the world and in the Church, not shying away from misusing their positions and power in order to do so. As a result, the Church became divided and there were many who chose to follow false and heretical teachings and became sundered from the salvation of God in the Church.

St. Peter Canisius helped to refocus the people’s attention towards the Lord, through his hard work, his preachings through which he taught the people, many of them, about the truth found in the fullness of faith through the Church alone. He endured many rejections, ridicule and challenges and many thousands flocked back to the Lord as a result of the hard works of St. Peter Canisius and his fellow compatriots in faith.

Through the drive of the Counter-Reformation as it is now known, the Church through the Society of Jesus led by St. Ignatius of Loyola and aided greatly by St. Peter Canisius and the other prominent members of the Church such as St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila helped to reform the Church and root out the corruptions and wickedness that had plagued the Church at that time, returning it to its pure intention for the salvation of the souls of mankind.

St. Peter Canisius is renowned not just for his actions, but also through his works in the Three Catechisms he wrote, a series of teachings of the faith which he made clear and available to the people so that, they would no longer fall into heresy and into the false teachings and ways. Through these Catechisms, many people after the time of St. Peter Canisius had benefitted greatly, and many returned to the faith and were saved from damnation because of his works.

And St. Peter Canisius was also renowned for his deep and strong devotion to Mary, the mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. His many works include a series of Mariology works through which he explained in great detail the role of Mary as the bearer of the Saviour of the world, and how in her own life examples she has become a great example to all of us to follow, in how we ought to live our lives in accordance with the will of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, following the examples of St. Peter Canisius and the other brave and courageous saints of the Lord, let us all reorientate our lives and rededicate our lives to the Lord our God, and shed away all the sins and wickedness of our lives, surrendering ourselves to God and obeying Him in the same way that Mary our role model had done.

May the Lord help us all to remain ever faithful to Him, and not to give up amidst the many temptations present in this world. May He bless us all and keep us all in His grace, now and forevermore. May all of us use the remaining time in this Advent season to prepare ourselves well to celebrate Christmas meaningfully and with full faith in the Lord. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 21 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 1 : 39-45

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit, and giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

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Wednesday, 21 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Song of Songs 2 : 8-14

The voice of my lover! Behold He comes, springing across the mountains, jumping over the hills, like a gazelle or a young stag. Now He stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, peering through the lattice.

My lover speaks to me, “Arise, my love, my beautiful one! Come, the winter is gone, the rains are over. Flowers have appeared on earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard. The fig tree forms its early fruit, the vines in blossom are fragrant. Arise, my beautiful one, come with Me, my love, come.”

“O my dove in the rocky cleft, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice. Your face – how lovely! Your voice – how sweet!”

Alternative reading
Zephaniah 3 : 14-18a

Cry out with joy, o daughter of Zion; rejoice, o people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHVH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YHVH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day they will say to Jerusalem : Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YHVH your God is within you, YHVH, saving Warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for He has revived His love. For you He will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the Feast.

I will drive away the evil I warned you about.

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Wednesday, 21 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 32 : 2-3, 11-12, 20-21

Give thanks to Him on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.

But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord – the people He has chosen for His inheritance.

In hope we wait for the Lord, for He is our help and our shield. Our hearts rejoice in Him, for we trust in His holy Name.

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Tuesday, 20 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are reminded by the readings of the Scriptures yet again of the love of God, which He has shown to us through Christ His Son, Whom He had sent into the world as a sign for all of us that He loves us and wants us to be saved through Him. And because of that love, what once seemed to be impossible for us has become possible, as for the Lord nothing is impossible, and He made all possible for us who believe in Him.

Even a virgin who has not had any relations with man can bear a Child, that is Mary, bearing her Son Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man. And an old woman who was barren had born a son in her old age, as Elizabeth bore St. John the Baptist into the world, for nothing is indeed impossible for God. After all, He created all of us and all things in creation. Nothing is beyond His ability to make it done and accomplished according to His will.

But many of us acted in the manner of king Ahaz of Judah, who doubted the Lord and did not walk in His ways. Instead, he immersed himself and led his people to the wrong ways, worshipping the pagan gods and idols instead of God Who have blessed the people of Israel and their kings for many years. He refused to ask God for a sign when the prophet Isaiah asked it from him, not because he was humble or refused to test God, but rather because in his heart, he has no faith in God and no love for Him and His ways.

He might be great and powerful, and as a king he could do whatever he wished and wanted to do. But as the saying goes, with power comes great responsibility and also with power, also comes about corruption. He put so much trust and belief in his own power and greatness, that he had given in to his pride and greed, and thus, being stubborn in his ways, refusing to believe in God, and therefore bringing him and his people into the path towards destruction.

Contrast this with Mary, the virgin whom God had chosen to be the mother and bearer of His Saviour, Jesus Christ. Although she was entrusted with the glory that is beyond any other worldly glory, and given the grace and prestige beyond that of any worldly kings and rulers, she remained humble and true to her faith in God. She remained obedient and committed to God, and most importantly she fully surrendered herself to God’s will.

Let us all ask ourselves, brothers and sisters in Christ. How many of us can count on surrendering our whole being to God? How many of us can do what Mary had done? Despite all the uncertainties she had, she fully trusted the Lord in all that He had planned for her and for the whole human race, and through her obedience all of us are saved because through her, the Salvation of this world has come into the world. Had Mary not been faithful and obedient, we would not have received the Saviour.

Remember, brethren, that mankind sinned because of the disobedience of our forefathers, from the days of Adam and Eve who disobeyed the Lord and chose to listen to their own desires twisted by the sweet lies of Satan. And therefore onwards, many more people would choose to follow the path of power, of greed and all that they have given in in the pursuit of worldly glories, wealth and power, fame and all that we mankind often crave.

Now it is really the time for us to think and to reflect. As Christians, have we lived a good Christian life as the Lord had taught us? Have we devoted ourselves, our time and our efforts to the Lord and to what He had asked us to do? Or have we instead been so focused on ourselves, so selfish as many of our predecessors had been, that we had failed to be what the Lord expected us to be?

Let us choose, brothers and sisters. Do we want to be like king Ahaz or like Mary? One path leads to destruction although it seems better and easier, while the other path leads to true joy and eternal glory even though it may seem to be more difficult. This Advent is a time for preparation for Christmas, and let us all spend good amount of time to discern carefully what we are to do from now on.

Let Mary be our example, and let her examples guide us in our faith. May the Lord help us in our endeavours, and may our faith in Him continue to grow ever stronger, that we may draw ever closer to Him and follow Him and obey Him in all of our ways. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 20 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.

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Tuesday, 20 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.

Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.

They will receive blessings from the Lord, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.

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Tuesday, 20 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Isaiah 7 : 10-14

Once again YHVH addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from YHVH your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”

But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put YHVH to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign : The Virgin is with Child and bears a Son and calls His Name Immanuel.”

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Monday, 19 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we approach Christmas within the week, through the Scriptures which the Church had chosen for the occasion of the days preceding it, God wants to remind us of His love, His care and His protection for all of us who are faithful to Him. When we are faithful to Him, God will not forget or abandon us, but instead, He will give us the fullness of His grace, love and mercy.

The Scripture readings today spoke of the time of the birth of the great servants of God, Samson and John the Baptist, both of whom have been called and chosen by God from their mothers’ wombs, chosen to lead the people of God, Israel, in their time of great need for succour and salvation. And those were not the only time that He had shown His salvation to the people.

Ever since the days of Moses, God had brought about His salvation to His people who were suffering, and through others like Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and many others, God showed His people who were living in the darkness and going through many sufferings, that there was indeed a way out for them through Him, and if they were to follow Him and His ways, they would receive grace and liberation from their troubles.

Samson came at a time when the people of Israel were oppressed and crushed under the tyranny of the Philistines, who although they were outnumbered by the people of Israel, but because they had been wicked and were unfaithful to the laws and commandments of God, God had not walked at their side when the Philistines came and attacked them.

But God did not forget about them and neither had He abandoned them. He sent them Samson the Judge, who would come from birth as a servant devoted to God, to free the Israelites from the Philistines. He led the people of God in overthrowing the yoke of the Philistines and defeated their oppressors with mighty deeds, that eventually Israel was freed.

The same happened at the time of John the Baptist, that when the people had lost the purpose of their living in the Law, being misled by the wickedness and by the worldly and wayward ways of their leaders and the Pharisees, God sent them John the Baptist in order to call these people from the darkness, calling them towards repentance and to receive the forgiveness from God.

Through all of these examples, God would give a preview to His people of that one and singular glorious moment, through which God had sent unto us His ultimate Saviour and Deliverer for us, Jesus Christ, His only Son, Who came into the world in order to save us all mankind from our greatest enemy, that is sin. He has come into the world in order to free us from the chains and bondage of sin that had prevented us from reaching out to God and to His salvation.

And that is the essence of Christmas, brothers and sisters in Christ, which as I have mentioned many times during this season of Advent, many of us tend to forget about. It is important that we use this time of Advent to prepare ourselves well for the celebration of Christmas. We must understand that we rejoice at Christmas and are happy not because of ourselves but really because of the Lord, His love and mercy for us.

Let us all strive to spread the true message and the true spirit of Christmas, so that we may rejoice with proper understanding, knowing that as He had sent His deliverance to His people in their times of need, by sending servants such as Samson and St. John the Baptist, we may also know that by the coming of Jesus His Son, which we celebrate at Christmas, each and every one of us have been given the greatest gift and boon of all in Him, that through Him all of us may have hope of a new and eternal life.

May God help us in our journey of life, especially in this season of Advent, that we may prepare ourselves well in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls, that we will be ready to welcome the Lord when He comes again, just as we remember His first coming at Christmas, so that all of us will always strive to be righteous and true to His commandments, obeying Him in all of our words, actions and deeds, that we will be worthy of Him, our Lord and God. May God bless us all. Amen.

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Monday, 19 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 1 : 5-25

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah, belonging to the priestly clan of Abiah. Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, also belonged to a priestly family. Both of them were upright in the eyes of God, and lived blamelessly in accordance with all the laws and commands of the Lord, but they had no child. Elizabeth could not have any and now they were both very old.

Now, while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priests, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the time of offering incense, all the people were praying outside; it was then that an Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

On seeing the Angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him. But the Angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. He will bring joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord.”

“Listen : he shall never drink wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. Through him, many of the people of Israel will turn to the Lord their God. He himself will open the way to the Lord with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah; he will reconcile fathers and children, and lead the disobedient to wisdom and righteousness, in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah said to the Angel, “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too.” The Angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I am the one sent to speak to you, and to bring you this Good News! My words will come true in their time. But you would not believe, and now you will be silent and unable to speak until this has happened.”

Meanwhile, the people waited for Zechariah, and they were surprised that he delayed so long in the sanctuary. When he finally appeared, he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He remained dumb and made signs to them.

When his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home, and some time later Elizabeth became pregnant. For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home, and thinking, “This for me, is the Lord’s doing! This is His time for mercy, and for taking away my public disgrace.”