Four Evangelists

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Saturday, 25 April 2015 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red (Apostles and Evangelists)

Mark 16 : 15-20
At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

“Signs like these will accompany those who have believed : in My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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Saturday, 25 April 2015 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red (Apostles and Evangelists)

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 6-7, 16-17

I will sing forever, o Lord, of Your love and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

The heavens proclaim Your wonders, o Lord; the assembly of the holy ones recalls Your faithfulness. Who in the skies can compare with the Lord; who of the heaven born is like Him?

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

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Saturday, 25 April 2015 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red (Apostles and Evangelists)

1 Peter 5 : 5b-14

All of you must clothe yourself with humility in your dealings with one another, because God opposes the proud but gives His grace to the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God so that He will raise you up at the appointed time. Place all your worries on Him since He takes care of you.

Be sober and alert because your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Stand your ground, firm in your faith, knowing that our brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the world, are confronting similar sufferings.

God, the giver of all grace, has called you to share in Christ’s eternal Glory and after you have suffered a little He will bring you to perfection : He will confirm, strengthen and establish you forever. Glory be to Him forever and ever. Amen.

I have had these few lines of encouragement written to you by Silvanus, our brother, whom I know to be trustworthy. For I wanted to remind you of the kindness of God really present in all this. Hold on to it. Greetings from the community in Babylon, gathered by God, and from my son, Mark. Greet one another with a friendly embrace. Peace to you all who are in Christ.

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Saturday, 17 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 2 : 13-17

At that time, when Jesus went out again beside the lake, a crowd came to Him, and He taught them. As He walked along, He saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow Me!” And Levi got up and followed Him.

And it so happened that when Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners sat with Him and His disciples; there were a lot of them, and they used to follow Jesus. But Pharisees, men educated in the Law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, “Why does your Master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard them, and answered, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

 

Homily and Reflection : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 27 December 2014 : Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, after yesterday we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, today we celebrate the feast of St. John the Evangelist, one of the four Evangelists, who wrote the Holy Gospels. He was the closest disciple to Christ, and also reputedly the youngest among them, the one to whom Christ entrusted His mother Mary to be under his care.

And St. John the Evangelist was special among the Apostles in a way that, he did not die from martyrdom of faith, but through a natural death of old age. Yet, before he met his death and pass from this world, he saw the final and complete fulfillment of God’s plan and promises as we can read in the Book of the Apocalypse or Revelation of St. John. This is the vision which John received regarding the coming of the end times.

St. John the Evangelist wrote his Gospel in a very different manner compared to the three other Gospels, as while the other three focuses more on the history and on the chronological actions of Christ, St. John in his Gospel is much deeper in terms of depth of the meaning of the words he had written, and this Gospel of St. John discusses more about the nature and the mission which Christ is undertaking in His salvation of the world, hidden behind the mysteries of the faith.

He has the gift of faith, readily believing and putting his trust in the Lord. As one of the very first disciples to be called by Jesus, he had followed the Lord on many occasions, and is among the most trusted by Jesus, along with St. Peter and St. James, his own brother. He witnessed the Transfiguration of the Lord, when Jesus was transformed right before his eyes and revealed the truth about His divinity.

All these serve to shape St. John the Evangelist as who he was and in how he wrote his Gospel, which serve to deepen the faith among the people of God, by revealing the great extent of the mysteries which surround the glory and majesty of the Lord made flesh in Jesus Christ. Through his works in the Gospels and through his letters and Epistles, he made clear to the faithful about who Christ is, and what He has been sent into this world for.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are now still in the midst of the Christmas season, which was just the day before yesterday. In Christmas we celebrate and honour our Lord Himself who has made Himself to assume the humble form of a Man, so that He may dwell among us, and by His works, He made manifest God’s love for us through the healing of the body and soul of many people. And ultimately, by His suffering and death on the cross, and by the offering of His own Body and Blood,

And that is exactly the focus of the Gospel of John, as it had been iterated very clearly in the first chapter of the Gospel, that the Word is God, He is with God, and He has been incarnate into flesh and born of the Virgin, that is Mary. It is this very nature of Christ which John is focusing on throughout his Gospel, and which we too should reflect as we live out our faith.

For God is Love, and He has loved us so much that He is willing to give Himself, a part of Himself, the Divine Logos or the Word, who created the universe, to save us from certain death and destruction. This is also the meaning of Christmas, that the Lord who has descended upon this world, to dwell among us His people, as one of us, and through His actions and works we are justified.

Although He is divine, but He is also Man at the same time, fully God and fully Man, and thus He was tempted as all of us were tempted, and He faced challenges just as we too face our challenges in life. And while Adam and all of us fell into the temptations and sinned, but Christ in His obedience and love for His Father became the exemplary Man, the new Adam, who became a beacon of true Light shining in the path of all mankind as an example to all.

Therefore, as we continue our celebration of this holy Christmas season, and as we honour St. John the Evangelist on his feast day, let us all deepen our faith in Christ, following the examples of faith of St. John the Evangelist, and also the obedience of Christ and the love He had shown to us, His beloved people. We cannot separate Christmas for this celebration of God’s love, for without Christ, our Christmas is meaningless.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, may our faith in the Lord be strengthened, and may all of us come to greater realisation of the love which our Lord has for us, so that we may appreciate His love and therefore come to also show this love to our fellow brethren. That is the true essence of Christmas, brothers and sisters in Christ. St. John had shown us that Christ is the manifestation of God’s love, and just as He had shared His love with us, we too should share this love with one another.

May our Christmas celebrations and joys be truly enriching and meaningful, that everyone may share in the Joy that Christ had brought us, our Lord and God who loved us so much that He was willing to come to us and even lay down His life to liberate us from eternal death. May God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/saturday-27-december-2014-feast-of-st-john-apostle-and-evangelist-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/saturday-27-december-2014-feast-of-st-john-apostle-and-evangelist-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/saturday-27-december-2014-feast-of-st-john-apostle-and-evangelist-gospel-reading/

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Saturday, 27 December 2014 : Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 20 : 2-8

At that time, Mary of Magdala ran to Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Peter then set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying flat, but he did not enter.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered the tomb; he, too, saw the linen cloths lying flat. The napkin, which had been around His head, was not lying flat like the other linen cloths, but lay rolled up in its place. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/saturday-27-december-2014-feast-of-st-john-apostle-and-evangelist-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 27 December 2014 : Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 96 : 1-2, 5-6, 11-12

The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Clouds and darkness surround Him; justice and right are His throne.

The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.

He sheds light upon the upright, and gladness upon the just. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are blameless, and give praise to His holy Name.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/saturday-27-december-2014-feast-of-st-john-apostle-and-evangelist-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 27 December 2014 : Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 1 : 1-4

This is what has been from the beginning, and what we have heard and have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, I mean the Word who is Life…

The Life made Itself known, we have seen Eternal Life and we bear witness, and we are telling you of it. It was with the Father and made Himself known to us. So we tell you what we have seen and heard, that you may be in fellowship with us, and us, with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

And we write this that our joy may be complete.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/25/saturday-27-december-2014-feast-of-st-john-apostle-and-evangelist-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 18 October 2014 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate with the entire Universal Church, the feast of one of the four great Evangelists, that is the four writers of the Holy Gospels. Today is thus the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, who wrote the Gospel accorded with his name, the Gospel of St. Luke. As a background, St. Luke was once a renowned physician, who became one of the faithful and followed St. Paul in some of his journeys, including what St. Paul wrote in the letter he wrote to Timothy, another faithful disciple of the Lord.

As we can see from what St. Paul shared with Timothy, St. Luke remained faithful and devoted to the tasks entrusted to him. Yes, this is true even though his fellow journeymen had left to pursue their own interests or for various other reasons. They encountered difficulties along the way, and not all the people they were sent to welcomed them. There were indeed instances when they were welcomed and accepted gladly, but more often than not, they literally had the doors slammed on their faces.

This is exactly what Jesus mentioned as He sent His group of seventy-two disciples, who were meant to help both Jesus Himself and His Apostles in the ministries and works they were doing. Jesus mentioned how they would be sent like lambs among wolves. They would not encounter easy works and acceptance easily, but will be constantly subjected to difficulties and suffering. The lambs rightly represent the disciples and the Apostles, while the wolves represent the various people of God, from which a great majority refused to listen to the Word of God.

Remember that in the other occasion in the Gospels, Jesus also mentioned how that as He who is the Lord and Master of all would suffer rejection and suffering at the hands of mankind, the very people of God to whom He had been sent, then His disciples and Apostles, as well as all those who follow Him and walk in His path will also suffer the same fate. Thus, it explained the fate which St. Paul and St. Luke the Evangelist met during their journeys.

But did they stop on their path? No! That is what made them different from those others who gave up along the way, who could not endure the difficulties and challenges and preferred the comfort of their old lives, settling for the less worthy. What can indeed be more worthy than the Lord and to live to proclaim the Lord’s words to the nations? And St. Luke, together with the other saints continued courageously to defend their faith and to continue the hard works for which they are admired and adored now.

Remember what the Lord had said in the Gospel today, in the Gospel written by St. Luke himself, so that we may know it and hear it as if it was spoken directly by the Lord Jesus Himself to us? Yes, that the harvest is plentiful but the labourers and workers are few. So what did Jesus then tell His disciples? Exactly, that they should ask the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers and workers to tend to the harvest. This truly makes sense, as more labourers will help the Lord of the harvest to bring in even more harvest and bring about more bountiful returns.

But what does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? This means exactly that the harvest is truly plentiful in our world, and the harvest refers to the people of God, who are ripe for picking and salvation in God, are awaiting for the labourers and workers who serve the Lord, to pick mankind for the Lord of the harvest, that is the Lord our God.

The field itself refers to this world. This world is filled with much difficulties and uncertainties, but it also offers much opportunities and chances for the crops grown in the field of this world. The pests and the weeds that threaten the crops refer to the forces of darkness that is led by Satan, the father of lies and evil, who always try their best to seduce mankind and make them to follow him instead of the Lord.

The rich harvest is a very tempting thing to the pests and weeds, who will definitely try to snatch and destroy the good harvest from the hands of those who collect these rich harvests to the Lord of the harvest. Thus, the same applies to us, as Satan and his fellow fallen angels is out there trying to turn us mankind, by appealing to our human desires and weaknesses, so that we may fall along our path towards the Lord, and then into damnation with them.

The labourers and the workers of the harvest refer to the servants of God, the disciples of Christ and the Apostles, who like St. Luke the Evangelist and many other saints, worked hard and courageously, like lambs among wolves, to ensure that the harvest of the Lord is collected amidst all the pests and the weeds, that is amidst the challenges and difficulties. Their successors, our priests and bishops, and all who devoted themselves to the service of God, continued their hard works even until this very day.

But this does not mean that the works of the Lord are limited to them only. In fact, brothers and sisters in Christ, we too are the workers and servants of the Lord. How is this so? That is because all of us who believe in the Lord and had received the revelation of truth through the Holy Scriptures and the Church, and have been baptised and accepted into the Church of God have the responsibility to spread the Good News of the Lord.

If St. Luke the Evangelist wrote one of the four Holy Gospels and through it countless souls had been saved, then we too can do it in our own way, by showing the faith through our own actions, that show our sincere and genuine faith, which is not in mere words but also through real actions, so that all those who see us, may know that we belong to the Lord, and therefore hopefully they too will seek salvation in God.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, inspired by the examples of St. Luke the Evangelist and other holy saints of God, and remembering always the words of the Lord, how the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few, let us all pray sincerely and fervently, so that we may truly know and understand what we can do in order to help the works of God in the salvation of mankind.

May Almighty God bless us all and strengthen us, that we may courageously take up the cross and bear the mission entrusted to us, so that we may help the works of God, saving many others who await God’s salvation and who still live in the darkness of the world, and so that those of us who are called, we may embrace our calling and devote our lives in the full and complete service of the Lord. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 18 October 2014 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Luke 10 : 1-9

At that time, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place, where He Himself was to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to His harvest.”

“Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know. Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you.”

“Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house. When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them : ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.'”