forgiveness of sins

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Friday, 26 December 2014 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 17-22

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of Me, so you may witness to them and the pagans.”

“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in you.”

“Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of Me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/friday-26-december-2014-feast-of-st-stephen-protomartyr-of-the-church-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Friday, 26 December 2014 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 30 : 3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed me, o Lord, faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, for You have seen my affliction.

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your love.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/friday-26-december-2014-feast-of-st-stephen-protomartyr-of-the-church-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Thursday, 25 December 2014 : Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Christmas Mass (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the great day of great joy! The day when the Lord came into this world, assuming the form of a humble Man, born in a manger, to be the Saviour of the world, through whom this world would be delivered from its afflictions of sin and death. A Royal Child had been born for us and His Name is Jesus, the Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

Today is the culmination of the four weeks of preparation which we have begun since the first Sunday of Advent, and in this period of time, we have done our preparation for the coming of Christ, to rejoice greatly in His entry into the world. He is God, the Divine Word through which God willed the world and all of creations into being, but He did not hesitate to descend down upon us and assume our earthly identity as a Man, born of the Virgin, His mother Mary.

And in this, Christ is the culmination and perfect fulfillment of all the prophecies which prophets and messengers of God throughout the ages had prophesied about Him. They all talked of the day when the Lord would come and save His people, Israel, and this Saviour is none other than the Lord, just as king David and many prophets saw, the One who is to come to bring salvation to the world. He was also to be born of the House of David, as the Heir of David, the fulfillment of yet another of God’s promise, that He made to David, ‘Your descendants will sit on your throne forever.’

St. John the Evangelist spoke of Him in the Gospel he wrote, that He is Word, and He is eternal with God, not created but begotten from the Father, as One of the Holy Trinity, perfectly united to each other through love. And it is so wonderful that He has decided to come to us, to dwell among us and to be present among us, as the Lord who cares and loves for His people. He would not want them to be lost to the darkness.

The prophet Isaiah mentioned how a people in the darkness had seen a great Light. This Light is the Christ our Saviour, who brought His Light to lighten our path. We mankind have lived long in the darkness, caused by our sin and disobedience against God. We have for long lost our way and do not know where we ought to go in life, ever since we detached ourselves from the Lord’s guidance.

Disobedience of men against God brought us from the lives lived in full trust of the Lord, into a life filled with selfish desires and the desires to preserve ourselves, to gain more for ourselves, in possessions, wealth, for more worldly fame and praise, and to trust more in ourselves rather than to put our trust in the Lord. Temptations after temptations come our way, and we tend to lose our path, as we follow the false leads of temptation, greed, desire and many others.

We have deserved damnation and death for the paths of sin we had taken in life. But our Lord who loves us very much is willing to give us another chance, to change our ways and to be reoriented in our lives, so that while once we followed our own human desires, now we should trust rather in the Light which Christ had brought into the world, for He is the True Light that dispels all forms of lies and tricks that Satan and the evil one had brought unto us.

If I would give an analogy, the coming of Christ into the world is like ships being lost in the darkness of the sea, with no land in sight, and with dangerous rocks and waves threatening to sink the ships. We are the ships that travel through that sea filled with storms and rocks, which represent the challenges and temptations that we face in this life. Then, the coming of the Lord is like a great Light, which disperses the darkness, and gives hope to all those in the ship, because as all sailors knew, a light is a sign for land, like the light of a lighthouse.

That light shows the path the ships should take, to avoid the rocks and dangers that are scattered throughout the sea, that is our life journey. And this light to us, the Light of salvation, is our Lord Jesus Christ, born to us in Bethlehem on this day, over two millennia ago, as the manifestation of God’s desire to bring us back to Himself, and to bring a new hope of life to us.

To this extent, God who does not wish us to be lost to Him, chose to assume the humility of a servant, born as a Man, and not just any man. He is King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, and the Master of all the universe, and yet, this King was born in a manger within a stable suitable only for animals and not for human use. His Kingship is not one of power and greed, as the kingdoms and nations of this world are, but one that is based on love.

He laid down His life for us, by dying on the cross, so that through His death, we may be free from our sins and our sins He bore with Him as He climbed that hill of Calvary, out of that same love. By His obedience to the Father He had brought us from our state of sin and darkness into the new light of hope.

And why do we ponder this on this day of great joy? That is because Christmas cannot be separated from the Passion of the Lord, His death and resurrection, or otherwise, Christmas will be meaningless. Christmas is part of that grand celebration of God’s love, through which He made Himself Man, that He might carry out to perfection what the Lord had intended for us, that is to be liberated from our slavery and bondage to sin, and to bring us back to Himself.

His care and concern for us is great, and He is a true King who cares for all of His people. He did not come into this world to boast of Himself, His power or His might, but He came to serve His people with love, teaching them the way how they ought to live their lives that they may avoid those that bring about harm to them. Remember what I have just told you about the light of the lighthouse and the ship lost in the darkness?

The light of Christ is that light, and His teachings are the light that leads the people, the ships, to Himself, avoiding the dangers and the darkness that threaten to destroy us and harm us. He offers us this freely, and if only that we would follow Him, then we are sure to be safe and protected from any harm that may threaten us. Not the kind of threat that harms our body, but instead those threats that can harm our eternal soul, such as sin.

If we look at the story of Christmas, we can see clearly how most of us have the attitudes that do not allow us to welcome Christ into our lives. He has offered us salvation and grace in Him, but are we willing to accept Him and all that He offered us? The temptations and allures of this world, of many kinds of possessions, material goods, even sexual vices and pleasures of the flesh surely seem more enticing to us than to follow Christ and His ways.

Mary and Joseph were not able to find any place in any of the inns and houses of Bethlehem, and therefore they had no choice but to find a stable instead. No one has a place available for the Lord, whose coming was imminent then. Mary was about to give birth, and all those inns lost out on the opportunity to be the place where the Lord and Saviour was to be born, and instead, a humble stable and the animals became the witness of the Good News that had come to its full truth and fulfillment with the birth of Jesus.

Therefore, let us ask ourselves. Have we opened the door wide for Christ when He comes to us, or did we instead close the door in front of Him or did not even bother to open it to Him? If the latter is the case, more often than not, we are too full of ourselves, so that we are unable to open our heart to Christ. It is in our nature to think first about ourselves, our pride and selfishness, our desire for more goods and things of this world.

Thus, this Christmas, let us all realise that God wants to be with us, and He wants to come into our lives, and when He knocks at the door, do not let Him pass us by because we are too full of ourselves and therefore unable to accept Him into us. Let us all be humble and lower ourselves, sinners as we are, and yet God is willing to forgive us and accept us back into His loving embrace.

But we have one last thing to consider. The Lord who was born as a Child, Emmanuel, which means God is with us, is not just a symbolic meaning, but it is truly real. God is truly with us, and He is with us still, within us who are faithful to Him, and who have been accepted as the members of His Church. We believe in His Real Presence in the Eucharist, and whenever we receive the Most Holy Eucharist, God Himself came into us and dwell within us.

Therefore, even as we rejoice in this great celebration of Christmas, let us also be aware that all of us are the dwellings of the Lord Most High God, Jesus Christ our King. Yes, the very same One who was born in a manger on this Christmas day. He had dwelled in us and will never leave us, ever since He gave Himself up as a worthy sacrifice for our sins, giving us His Body and Blood, His very Presence and Essence for us, that all of us who have share in Him, will never fall and die, but will enjoy the fruits of eternal life.

Nonetheless, we have to heed what St. Paul had written in his letter to the Corinthians, when he reminded them about them, the faithful, as the Temple of God, the places where the Lord Himself resides in. We are the Temple and the House of God, and God dwells in us. Therefore, it is only fitting that this Temple be kept pure and holy at all times, and thus, this Christmas, let us all be renewed with a new resolve in our lives, so that we will be ever more faithful disciples of the Lord, appreciating and accepting His love, and practicing what He had taught us, in our own actions in life.

The Lord will one day come again, and this Christmas should be a season to celebrate and rejoice the love of God, but also for self-introspection and rediscovery of our faith. Do not wait until it is too late, lest we be caught unready and unprepared. Do not be like the inns and the houses of Bethlehem which were full, and were not able to receive the Lord into their places, and thus we should not close ourselves or isolate ourselves from the love of God made evident and real through Jesus.

May the joy of Christmas be with us all, not the false joy of parties and drunken revelries, not in the shopping and the goods, not in the bright lights and decorations, but the true Joy of knowing and having the Love of God made manifest and dwelling among us, through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Royal Child born on this day in Bethlehem, over two millennia ago, the proof of God’s love for us. May He find us ready and alert when He comes again, all of us filled with the true joy of Christmas and sharing the love He had given us, with one another. God bless us all. Amen.

Merry Christmas! Buon Natale! May the peace and love of Christ be with all of us!

 

First Reading (Christmas Vigil Mass) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/22/wednesday-24-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-vigil-mass-first-reading/

 

Psalm (Christmas Vigil Mass) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/22/wednesday-24-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-vigil-mass-psalm/

 

Second Reading (Christmas Vigil Mass) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/22/wednesday-24-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-vigil-mass-second-reading/

 

Gospel Reading (Christmas Vigil Mass) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/22/wednesday-24-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-vigil-mass-gospel-reading/

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/23/thursday-25-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-mass-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/23/thursday-25-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-mass-psalm/

 

Second Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/23/thursday-25-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-mass-second-reading/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/23/thursday-25-december-2014-solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord-christmas-mass-gospel-reading/

 

Epistle (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/22/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-nativity-of-our-lord-christmas-day-i-classis-thursday-25-december-2014-epistle/

 

Gospel (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/22/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-nativity-of-our-lord-christmas-day-i-classis-thursday-25-december-2014-holy-gospel/

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, Christmas Day (I Classis) – Thursday, 25 December 2014 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Introit for the Christmas Midnight Mass

Psalm 2 : 7, 1

Dominus dixit ad me : Filius Meus es Tu, ergo hodie genui Te.

Quare fremuerunt gentes : et populi meditati sunt inania?

Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

The Lord had said to Me, “You are My Son, this day I have begotten You.”

Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?

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.

Introit for the Christmas Mass at Dawn

Isaiah 9 : 2, 6 and Psalm 92 : 1

Lux fulgebit hodie super nos : quia natus est nobis Dominus : et vocabitur Admirabilis, Deus, Princeps Pacis, Pater futuri saeculi : cujus regni non erit finis.

Dominus regnavit, decorem indutus est : indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, et praecinxit se.

Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

A light shall shine upon us this day, for the Lord is born to us and He shall be called Wonderful God, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come, of whose reign there shall be no end.

The Lord had reigned, He is clothed with beauty, the Lord clothed with strength and had girded Himself.

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.

Introit for the Christmas Daytime Mass

Isaiah 9 : 6 and Psalm 97 : 1

Puer natus est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis : cujus imperium super humerum Ejus : et vocabitur Nomen Ejus magni consilii Angelus.

Cantate Domino canticum novum, quia mirabilia fecit.

Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

A Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us whose government is upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel.

Sing all of you to the Lord a new canticle, because He had done wonderful things.

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

Collect for the Christmas Midnight Mass

Deus, qui hanc sacratissimam noctem veri luminis fecisti illustratione clarescere : da, quaesumus; ut, cujus lucis mysteria in terra cognovimus, ejus quoque gaudiis in caelo perfruamur. Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

O God, who has brightened this most holy night with the shining of the True Light, grant, we beseech You, that we may enjoy in heaven the delights of Him whose mystical light we have known on earth. Who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Collect for the Christmas Mass at Dawn

Da nobis, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut, qui nova incarnati Verbi Tui luce perfundimur; hoc in nostro resplendeat opere, quod per fidem fulget in mente. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, o Almighty God, that we who are filled with the new light of Your Incarnate Word, may show forth in our deeds that which by faith shone in our minds. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for the Christmas Daytime Mass

Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut nos Unigeniti Tui nova per carnem Nativitas liberet; quos sub peccati jugo vetusta servitus tenet. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God, that the new birth in the flesh of Your only begotten Son may set us free, whom the old bondage had held under the yoke of sin. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 December 2014 : Fourth Sunday of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the fourth and therefore the last Sunday of Advent in our liturgical year. Christmas is coming soon and this week is the time traditionally prescribed by the Church as the time for the final preparation for Christmas. This Sunday we continue to observe and reflect on the major aspects of Christmas, that is Love. We have previously reflected on Hope, on Peace, and finally on Joy at the Gaudete Sunday last week.

Love is the central nature of Christmas and all that we celebrate. Indeed, love is the centre of everything, of why we still live and breathe comfortably now in this world. God loves us all, for we were created special, with the very image of our God imprinted on us, and we have been given the greatest gift of all. And what is this gift? It is the Gift of all gifts, surpassing all other gifts, that is Christ our Lord Himself, the Gift of God to all mankind.

As we have often talked about and discussed throughout this Advent season, this season is a time for ardent prayer and genuine preparation, a time for us to prepare for the ‘Adventus’ or the coming of the Lord. And after going through four Sundays in which we discern the true meaning of Christmas, we should all be ready and prepared to celebrate this Christmas meaningfully.

Otherwise, if we fail to understand the true meaning of Christmas, then we will not benefit from the richness of God’s grace which He had given to us, which will benefit us most if we can appreciate what Christmas truly is. Christmas is not just about the glorious and bountiful food, not just about the festivities and the parties, and not just about the decorations and shopping that we often do to prepare for Christmas.

Christmas is truly about love, the love of God for mankind. Surely we know that the Gospel has clearly spoken about God who loves us all so much, that He gave us His only Son, so that all those who believe in Him, the Son, will not perish but gain eternal life (John 3:16). This is the essence of Christmas, the coming of the Son into the world, so that a new Hope arises for the nations and for all the peoples.

So the aspect of love that we reflect on this Sunday, reflects this Love that God had shown us, the true meaning of Christmas that I have often emphasized. Without the love of God, there can be no Christmas, and there can be no hope for us. There can no true peace in us, if we do not embrace the peace brought to us by God’s Love in Christ. There can also be no joy in us that lasts, if we do not share in the joy of God’s Love.

What is love, brothers and sisters in Christ? Is love shown by expensive gifts or romantic activities, and all the things taught and shown to us by the world? Is it like what are being advertised to us in many things, about love? No, it is not that kind of love, for that kind of love is often selfish, love that is bound to possessions and material goods, love that is conditional and once spent, then no love is left. Sadly, this is also the reason why there are so much sorrow in the world, of broken families, of abuses in the family, of infighting and jealousy, and many others.

Love, and indeed real love, is not about all these, but is the kind of love which Love Himself, Christ, had shown us. For God is Love, and He had shown us what love really is. His love is true love, genuine and pure, unconditional and gentle. His love does not have any prerequisite, nor does He demand us to give Him something for the love He had shown us. Indeed, He loved us even when we are still sinners, and even laid down His life for us.

St. Paul mentioned in his letter to the Romans, that someone may want to give their life for the just and righteous ones, but very unlikely to do so, for those who are wicked and evil. But Jesus suffered for us, bearing all of our sins, and died for us, laying down His life, even when we are still sinners and wicked (Romans 5:8). And as Jesus had said that the greatest kind of love is for someone to lay down his life for a friend (John 15:13), then we can see indeed how much greater the love God had for us when He chose to lay down His life for us, sinners and evildoers.

God does detest our sins greatly. Sin has no place in His presence, as sin is a taint and corruption, and for He who is perfectly good and pure, sin is completely disgusting. And yet, His love is even greater than His hatred for our sins. He loves us so much that He was willing to endure all those sufferings in order to rescue us from our predicament of sin.

This is the kind of love we should really have with us, and the love we should cherish. For it is through the love of God that we can enjoy a new hope, true peace and real joy which the world and others cannot provide. His love for us is unconditional, and by His coming into the world, that we celebrate in Christmas, He offered Himself, His love and mercy for all of us, so that we may be saved.

But at the same time, we have to be vigilant and be careful, for this world certainly has done much to prevent the love of God from reaching us, as Satan is the Lord of this world, and he has all in his possessions and within his means to tempt us and lead us away from the salvation and love which God freely offers us all. And today, we celebrate the feast of a great and faithful servant of God, who is a devout and courageous defender of the Faith in God.

St. Peter Canisius was a Dutch Jesuit, who lived during the time of the Protestant ‘reformation’, when many of the faithful and the members of the Church were misguided and misled by those who have been corrupted by the lies and the confusion of the evil one. They left the Church and the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ as faithfully kept by the Church and chose to follow their own human desires, greed, selfishness, and other evils in them.

St. Peter Canisius joined the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuit order, which is the spearhead of the Church’s effort at Counter-Reformation, which main goal is to counter the heresy of Protestantism and bring as many souls as possible back to salvation that exists only in the Church of God. He led the effort of Counter-Reformation in what is now Germany, where the effects of the Protestant heresy is at its worst. He preached the true faith, and it was told that his preaching was so effective that hundreds and more returned to the true Faith.

He preached and taught in many places, and he persuaded many to return to the Faith not by coercion or force, but by clear reason and clear understanding of the Faith, and through that clarity in the teaching of the Faith, his words of truth, the truth of God rang deep into the depths of the hearts of many, who were convinced to abandon their heresy and return to the Holy Mother Church.

St. Peter Canisius was very particular in the matter of the education of the Faith to the people, and his most well-known legacy is the three books of Catechism he had written, which are the clear source of the teachings of the Faith, used in many generations and saved countless souls from sins and heresies. That is why his name today is also identical with Catholic education and several Jesuit education institutes adopted his name after he was made saint of the Holy Church.

He was also credited for his great devotion to Mary, and he taught that the best way to the Lord is through His mother Mary, and he was the one who added the response in the Ave Maria or Hail Mary prayer, “Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners.” This clearly showed the importance of Mary in the lives of the faithful, for through her intercessions and prayers for us, God our Lord His Son, is most likely to hear our pleas and petitions, and mercy shall be shown us.

Why did St. Peter Canisius do all of these, brothers and sisters in Christ? Why did he go forth and preach to the heretics and those who have been lost to the darkness of the world? That is because of none other than God’s love for us, and His desire that we be found and be gathered again, that we will be lost sheep no more but belonging once more to the one flock of Christ, that is the Church.

The love of God is such, that He, although despising our sins and repelled by our wickedness, endure all of them, and even endure all forms of humiliation and rejection, none less by His own people, the ones whom He was sent to save! And yet, He persevered, out of that eternal and infinite love which He has in Him, for He is Love, and just as He wanted to share that love with us when He created us, thus, He wanted us to be loved by Him even when we have fallen into sin.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, even as we prepare for the Christmas celebrations which will be here in less than a week’s time, and even as we prepare to rejoice together with the whole world and the whole Universal Church at the celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus, let us never forget that this event is there in the first place, because of God and His Love for us, that is made real and concrete through His Son Jesus, who performed the act of ultimate love for us, to die for us for our sins on the cross at Calvary.

This Christmas, shall we then ponder at the love God has for us, that He was willing to enter into our world, and indeed into our lives and dwell within us? Let us never forget that Christ is at the heart of Christmas, and at the very heart of that celebration and joy is the Love of God, the eternal and undying love Christ had shown us through the cross, the very purpose of His coming into this world, and thus to liberate us from the chains of sin.

Sin no more, repent, change our ways and be wholeheartedly devoted to God from now on, that this Christmas and the next ones will be decidedly different from the past ones, that this time, we truly understand and fully embrace the love of Christ, the true meaning of Christmas. God bless us all and may St. Peter Canisius intercede for us always with the Blessed Mother of our Lord, Mary our mother. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/sunday-21-december-2014-fourth-sunday-of-advent-memorial-of-st-peter-canisius-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/sunday-21-december-2014-fourth-sunday-of-advent-memorial-of-st-peter-canisius-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-psalm/

 

Second Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/sunday-21-december-2014-fourth-sunday-of-advent-memorial-of-st-peter-canisius-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-second-reading/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/sunday-21-december-2014-fourth-sunday-of-advent-memorial-of-st-peter-canisius-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-gospel-reading/

 

Epistle (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/usus-antiquior-fourth-sunday-of-advent-i-classis-sunday-21-december-2014-epistle/

 

Gospel (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/19/usus-antiquior-fourth-sunday-of-advent-i-classis-sunday-21-december-2014-holy-gospel/

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(Usus Antiquior) Fourth Sunday of Advent (I Classis) – Sunday, 21 December 2014 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Introit

Isaiah 45 : 8 and Psalm 18 : 2

Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum : aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.

Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei : et opera manuum ejus annuntiat firmamentum.

Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Drop down dew, you heavens from above, and let the clouds rain on the just. Let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.

The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of His hands.

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

Excita, quaesumus, Domine, potentiam Tuam, et veni : et magna nobis virtute succurre; ut per auxilium gratiae Tuae, quod nostra peccata praepediunt, indulgentiae Tuae propitiationis acceleret : Qui vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Be stirred, o Lord, Your might, we beseech You, and come, and with great power come to our aid, that, by the help of Your grace, that which is hindered by our sins may be hastened by Your merciful forgiveness, You o God who lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.

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Friday, 19 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we draw ever closer to Christmas, the Church and our Faith are preparing us all for the great celebration of the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and for this purpose today we are focusing on the two servants of God, Samson and St. John the Baptist, both of whom had been born into the world as a sign for many, a sign of God’s love for them.

The readings today focused on the similarities between the two great servants of God, whom one is a Judge of Israel, the leader God had appointed and chosen from among the people to protect them, to deliver them from their enemies, and to keep them in line with the teachings of God and stay faithful to Him amidst the temptations of the world. The other is the messenger of God, born with the spirit and power of Elijah, whom many believed, even as the second coming of the prophet Elijah into the world, and to be the one who would straighten the path for the Lord, for he came just before the Lord Himself was to come.

Samson and John the Baptist were both born of parents who had for long been unable to conceive a child on their own. Their prayers were answered by the Lord, and even more so, their children were both chosen to have the special roles in God’s plan of saving His people from the darkness of the world. Samson was born to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines, the people who caused them great suffering and enslaved them, because they were not faithful to the commandments of God and instead worshipped pagan idols.

Meanwhile, John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for the Messiah in an age and time where although outwardly the people and their elders showed faith and piety to the Lord, but they were not sincere in this, and they even failed to understand the true meaning of their faith, giving in into their own vanity and self-praise, and lacking the understanding of the faith, their rituals and customs are empty and meaningless, and they paid only lip service to God.

These were the societies to whom they were sent to, and they had to encounter many difficulties in doing so, in bringing the people of God back to the love and grace of God. Both of them were consecrated to God from even before their birth, set aside for the service of God, called the Nazirites. Samson was a Nazirite, that means, he should not drink wine or alcoholic drinks throughout his life, nor should his hair be cut at all. This means to live according to what God had appointed him to do, shunning all the beautiful things and the temptations of the world.

But what we need to understand is, what is exactly their mission in this world? Why did God set them apart from the many others in such a manner? Their mission is to prepare for the coming of the Lord’s salvation and power to His people, and in that, they encountered the challenges and persevered through them, calling for people to change their ways by their own example, and follow God.

Samson came at the time when the Israelites after they had settled in the Promised Land constantly came under attack from their neighbours, who persecuted them, raided them and enslaved them. The judges were sent by God to liberate them and lead them back to the path of righteousness. But no sooner than each judges passed, then they returned to their ways of sin. Samson was the among the last mentioned judges, before the time of the prophet Samuel, which then would lead on to the era of king David, the era of prosperity, the time when peace and prosperity reigns in the land of Israel.

Therefore, in a sense, there is a parallel between Samson and John the Baptist, in that while Samson heralded the coming of the era of peace and greatness under King David of Israel, then St. John the Baptist heralded the coming of an even greater era, the time of the coming of the King of kings, the Divine Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom we are celebrating this Christmas.

God had sent His faithful servants in order to prepare for the coming of His glory and love, and in the coming of Jesus His Son into the world, He had sent John to prepare the way for Him. Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because this world is filled with sin and darkness, and with all of these distractions and corruptions, we would not be able to listen to the teachings of Christ and we would not be able to recognise Him.

That is why Advent is here, as a time for us to prepare, and indeed prepare thoroughly, for the coming of Christ, not just for this Christmas celebration, but also for His eventual return into the world, to claim all of His faithful ones and to judge all the living and the dead. If God had done such an ample and thorough preparation for His own coming, then we too should do our part to prepare ourselves for Christmas. This is to shun sin and reject all the temptations of evil, seeking from now on, only the truth in the Light of Christ.

Otherwise, it would be very easy for us to lose our focus in our celebrations, and it may likely end up that we celebrate Christmas for its fun, for its feasting and partying, but not for Christ, who we should place at the centre of our celebrations. May Almighty God help us all to prepare ourselves in this Advent season to welcome His Son, that when He comes again, He will find us ready and alert. May He help us all to change our ways and shun forever the sinful ways of our past. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Thursday, 18 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listen to the narrative of how Jesus our Lord and Saviour, the Promised Salvation of all mankind was conceived in the womb of Mary, His mother without human intervention or action, for the Saviour who came was not just a mere Man, but truly the Divine Word of God incarnate into flesh, God assuming the form of a humble and simple Man, to carry out and accomplish in perfection the plan of the Lord’s salvation for us.

The fulfillment of God’s long awaited salvation of His people had been seen by the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke of God’s eventual fulfillment of His promise, the coming of the great Messiah who would set the people of God free, just as He had once freed His people from the tyranny of the Pharaoh and led them out from slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land.

In the psalm we heard about the King who is to come and reign justly over the world and over all of God’s people, and through Him, deliverance would come and succour would be given to the poor, the weak and those who long for the lord and who live righteously in His ways. This is Christ our King, who has come into the world, and who in His own words, seek to bring healing and deliverance to all those lost in the darkness of the world.

In the Gospel, God would reiterate again this promise to all of us, the coming of the Emmanuel, God who dwells and lives among His people through Jesus, the Son of Mary, who by the power of the Holy Spirit was incarnate into the flesh of Man, and become one with our human substance and existence. This He reminded Joseph through His angel, when he discovered that Mary was pregnant and thought that she had committed adultery and thus wanted to divorce her quietly.

Through the angel God explained to Joseph how the Baby to be born of Mary is the Messiah, the long awaited Promise of God, who had finally come into the world. And we are witnesses to how great the love of God for us is, so great that He, who is Almighty and Omnipotent God, Lord of all the universe and all of creations, would want to stoop down to our level, to strip Himself of His divine might for a while and born as a fragile Baby, the One whose birth we are celebrating and commemorating this Christmas.

This Advent is coming to a close soon, brothers and sisters in Christ, with exactly just one more week from Christmas. I trust that each one of us had done our own preparations in our own way to prepare for Christmas, perhaps in physical and material terms, or perhaps in spiritual and mental terms, or perhaps both. Now, while there is still time, not just for Christmas, but indeed while we are still breathing and walking in this world, let us all use the opportunity to reflect.

Have we found Christ in our lives? Is He the centre and focus of our attentions? Yes, is He, who is the Saviour of us all, the One who will give us life everlasting, and He who had suffered and died for us, becoming Man like us just so that we may be brought from the precipice of death because of our sins, and bring us into eternal life? What is the point of our celebration of Christmas, and indeed what is the purpose of our lives?

If our answers to all of these are no, Christ is not the centre of our lives, and if we do not recognise what He has done for us either, or if we think that our lives are to be lived for ourselves, for our own self-enrichment and self-aggrandisment, to get more and more possessions, goods and pleasures for ourselves, and if we think that Christmas is about the parties, the drunkenness, the food and the bling, then I would say that we have lost our true purpose, and we have lost our way in this life.

How do we then make our Christmas celebrations meaningful? We have to return Christ to the centre of our celebrations, for He, and not us are the focus. Therefore, while we rejoice in this festive season, let us all understand the purpose of this very festivities, that is to celebrate, what the readings from the Holy Scriptures today had proclaimed, the joy at the coming of the long awaited Salvation.

It is exactly like what God had proclaimed through Jeremiah, that the day of His coming would be a grandiose and joyous day, where peace would come upon all those for whom He had come. Indeed, the joy and celebration this Christmas should be about spreading and sharing the hope, the peace, the joy and the love which Christ had brought into our world, with one another and especially with those who have less or none of these.

Yes, these four are what we have been focusing on for each of the four Sundays of Advent. Thus, while it is not too late yet to begin, let us catch on the ride, and make sure that we prepare ourselves, body, heart and mind, seeking to understand the true meaning of Christmas and rejoice with one another, as one community of the faithful, for the greatest Gift God had given us mankind, that is Jesus, His only Son, our Lord and Saviour. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Thursday, 18 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Matthew 1 : 18-24

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet : ‘The virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel,’ which means God-with-us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Wednesday, 17 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today it was told to us about the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is a descendant of Abraham, the father of many nations and our father in faith, and also a descendant of Jacob later known as Israel, who is the one blessed by God to be the chosen people, Israel, His people. He is also the descendant of David, the King of Israel, who belonged to the tribe of Judah.

We can see that Jacob, who in our first reading today from the last chapters of the Book of Genesis, blessed his children one by one, pronouncing their future and their goodness, showed how God had shown to Jacob the vision of what would happen in the far future after his own time. Jacob must have seen the vision of the coming of the Messiah, although he did not know exactly who He is, but he knew that He is to come.

And indeed, He was to come through Judah his own son, whom Jacob then blessed more than all of his other sons, even more than his eldest Reuben and even more than his most beloved ones, Joseph and his two children and Benjamin. For Judah had been prophesied to be the from whom the King of kings would come from, the one from whom would come a king who would rule all of Israel, and this was David, the one whom God had appointed in place of Saul as the king of Israel, and on whom God had promised that his throne will remain secure forever.

The sceptre of power and rule will be given to the descendant of David, the Shoot of David, who is the One we are going to celebrate this coming Christmas. Yes, the Christ, whose birthday is on Christmas. The Christ who was given the Name above every other name, Jesus, our Lord. For He is indeed the Son of David, his Heir who will rule over all Israel, and not just Israel, but the whole world, the Son of Man through Mary His mother, but also the Son of God, the Divine Word incarnate into the flesh of Man.

He is a King with power and authority, the source of all worldly power and authorities, but yet, He is not the kind of king that we commonly know about in this world. Jesus Himself said that His kingdom is not of this world, because His kingdom is the kingdom of God, not like any of the kingdoms of the world, which are built on possessions, material wealth, power, land, peoples and many others. The kingdom of God is the place where God and His beloved people may live together, those who have been found to be worthy, to enjoy forever the blessings and graces of God.

Jesus is a King, but He is simple and humble, and He showed His authority and power not by intimidation and fear, but through service and love towards all those who have been placed under His authority. He showed His leadership and kingship by service, showing care and genuine love for the poor, defending the rights of the weak and challenging those who have persecuted these people for their own benefits.

It is this King who we are welcoming into our midst in this coming Christmas, the Royal Baby born for us, so that through Him we are to get salvation and liberation from sin and evil. We must not forget this fact, or else, our Christmas celebration is meaningless and empty, filled with worldly desires and things of this world. We celebrate not to show off our wealth, not to be engulfed in excesses and drunkenness, but we celebrate because the Hope of this world, and the Hope of all mankind, had been born.

This Advent, as I have often mentioned, is a time for preparation for the coming of our Lord and Saviour. Not just to prepare for Christmas, but also to prepare for His coming again at the end of time, when He will come to judge all creations, and all of us according to our deeds. How do we prepare properly for this then? It is by exactly doing what Jesus had done throughout His ministry, what He taught His disciples to do, and we ought to follow them too.

Thus this Advent we should involve ourselves in more charitable and loving actions to our brethren in need. We should share the joy we have, the fortune and happiness we have with those who have less or none. In doing all these, we will be able to find the true meaning of Advent, and the true meaning of Christmas, that is to celebrate with God, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the love, hope and peace which He had brought into us all, so that we may rejoice with Him.

May Almighty God be with us all and awaken in us an ever stronger desire to seek Him and to love Him, as well as our brethren around us. May this Advent be a fruitful one for all of us, and may the coming Christmas bring God’s love ever closer to us. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/16/wednesday-17-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/16/wednesday-17-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/16/wednesday-17-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/