Friday

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Friday, 13 January 2017 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)
Hebrews 4 : 1-5, 11

Therefore let us fear while we are invited to enter the rest of God, lest any of you be left behind. We received the Gospel exactly as they did, but hearing the message did them no good, because they did not share the faith of those who did listen. We are now to enter this rest because we believed, as it was said : I was angry and made a solemn vow : they will never enter My rest – that is the rest of God after He created the world.

In another part it was said about the seventh day : And God rested on the seventh day from all His works. But now it is said : They will not enter My rest. Let us strive, then, to enter the rest and not to share the misfortune of those who disobeyed.

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Friday, 6 January 2017 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Scriptures, about the coming of the Lord into this world, and how He has been acclaimed and acknowledged through the three testimonies, of water, Blood and the Spirit. And from the Scriptures itself, we can find these testimonies, the testimonies of faith for our belief in Him, through Whom God willed to save us from the eternal damnation.

First of all, the testimony of water was witnessed by St. John the Baptist who baptised our Lord Jesus in the Jordan. The moment that he baptised Him, as He was plunged into the waters of the river, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended from it to rest upon Jesus, and the voice of the Father declaring that Jesus is the holy Son of God, the One Whom He had sent into the world, and through Whom He had sent His salvation.

And the testimony of the Blood came through the Passion of our Lord, Who have suffered for us and for our sake, bearing the burden of the cross, when His Blood was shed for the salvation of the whole world and all mankind. The Lord gave His own Precious Body and Blood, so that all of us who share in them and receive them worthily will have life in us, and we will not perish but live forever with Him. It was only the Blood of the Lamb of God that is worthy enough to redeem us all from the entirety of our sins.

Lastly, the testimony of the Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit that first came on Jesus at His Baptism, declaring together with the Father, the true nature of the Saviour of the world, and Who was later promised by the Lord to His disciples and followers, that all who believed in Him would receive the Holy Spirit that He promised. And indeed, the Holy Spirit later came on them, and He spoke the same thing that Jesus Himself had taught them.

All the three testimonies of water, Blood and Spirit agreed together that Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Saviour of all, and through Him salvation would come upon all who have shared in His baptism, when we all receive the Sacrament by the pouring or immersion in the holy water of baptism, and then receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord Himself in the Eucharist, and finally the gift of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation.

All these are the three important Sacraments of Initiation that all Christians ought to undergo to complete their journey of faith, symbolising a complete union with the Lord through the Church. And therefore, through the holy water of baptism, by receiving the Most Precious Eucharist and being anointed with the holy oil of chrism at Confirmation, we have received the fullness of our faith as passed down to us from the Apostles of our Lord.

And now that we have received the fullness of this faith, then what are we do with it, brethren? It is now then that we should pass on this faith for others around us who have not yet heard or believed in the Lord. This was how the faith was passed on from the Apostles to the people, through whom then, down the centuries and through many interactions, that they passed down the faith all the way to us.

The Lord has tasked us all with the responsibility and duty to carry out His Good News to all the peoples, that is to continue the good works which had been done for the many years past, so that even more people would come to know of the love of God and receive therefore the salvation from Him by their faith and devotion to the way which He had shown them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this means that each and every one of us ought to do something with our lives, practicing our faith with devotion and with real action, so that all of us may convince many more people who see us, and witness in us the good works and the love of our God, and therefore, they will also be convinced and be called to walk the same path as we have walked, on our way together towards God’s grace and salvation.

May the Lord bless us all, and may He strengthen in our hearts the commitment and zeal we have for Him, so that in all things, we will always bring glory to Him and help one another to seek our way to reach out to Him. May the Lord be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Friday, 6 January 2017 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White
Mark 1 : 7-11

John preached to the people, saying, “After me comes One Who is more powerful than I am; I have baptised you with water, but He will baptise you in the Holy Spirit.”

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth, a town of Galilee, and was baptised by John in the Jordan. And the moment He came up out of the water, heaven opened up before Him, and He saw the Spirit coming down on Him like a dove. And these words were heard from heaven, “You are My Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.”

Alternative reading
Luke 3 : 23-38

When Jesus made His appearance, He had reached the age of thirty years. He was known as the Son of Joseph, whose father and forefathers were : Heli, Matthat, Levi, Melchi, Jannai, Joseph, Matthathias, Amos, Nahum, Esli, Naggai, Maath, Mattathias, Semein, Josech, Joda, Joanan, Rhesa, Zerubbabel, Shealtiel, Neri, Melchi, Addi, Cosam, Elmadam, Er, Joshua, Eliezer, Jorim, Matthat, Levi, Simeon, Judah, Joseph, Jonam, Eliakim, Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahson, Amminadab, Adnim, Arni, Hezron, Perez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Shelah, Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Malaleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth and Adam – who was from God.

Alternative reading (shorter version)
Luke 3 : 23, 31-34, 36, 38

When Jesus made His appearance, He had reached the age of thirty years. He was known as the Son of Joseph, whose father and forefathers were : Heli, Melea, Menna, Mattatha, Nathan, David, Jesse, Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Nahson, Amminadab, Adnim, Arni, Hezron, Perez, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Terah, Nahor, Cainan, Arphaxad, Shem, Noah, Lamech, Enos, Seth and Adam – who was from God.

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Friday, 6 January 2017 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 147 : 12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Exalt the Lord, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He grants peace on your borders and feeds you with the finest grain. He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word.

It is He Who tells Jacob His words, His laws and decrees to Israel. This He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

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Friday, 6 January 2017 : Weekday of Christmas Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White
1 John 5 : 5-13

Who has overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through Blood. Not only water but water and Blood. And the Spirit, too, witnesses to Him for the Spirit is truth.

There are then three testimonies : the Spirit, the water and the Blood, and these three witnesses agree. If we accept human testimony, with greater reason must we accept that of God, given in favour of His Son. If you believe in the Son of God, you have God’s testimony in you.

But those who do not believe make God a liar, since they do not believe His words when He witnesses to His Son. What has God said? That He has granted us eternal life and this life is in His Son. The one who has the Son has life, the one who do not have the Son of God do not have life.

I write you, then, all these things that you may know that you have eternal life, all you who believe in the Name of the Son of God.

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Friday, 30 December 2016 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate together the great Feast of the Holy Family, the Holy Family of our Lord Jesus Christ with His mother Mary and with His foster-father, St. Joseph. On this day we remember that holiest of all holy families, centred on our Lord Himself, and surrounded by the loving and tender care of Mary and Joseph, as He was born into this world, which we celebrate as Christmas.

And perhaps today, on this Feast, we should look into the examples set by that holiest and most blessed of all families, and in each of its members. Each and every one of them can show us all how we all should live as Christians, and how each and every one of us should behave as Christian families, as they are role models for our very own families. When we follow their examples surely then our families too will be holy and will be blessed by God.

Jesus was the Son, the One to Whom Mary and Joseph as His parents showered their love, care and concern. He was the Baby born in a manger to Mary His mother, which we celebrate at Christmas, as the moment when the Saviour of the world, the Son of God was born into this world. But although He is the Son of God, He is also the Son of Man, and as all babies are, at that time, when He was just born, as we heard in the Gospels, the Baby Jesus was in danger from His many enemies, first of which was King Herod of Judea, who felt that his throne was under threat from the coming of the True King, Who is Christ.

And that was where Joseph and Mary protected Him, and with the guidance of the Angel of God, Joseph as the father led the Holy Family on the journey to Egypt, in order to hide the Child Saviour from His enemies, king Herod first of all, and waited there until the danger was over, before returning to the land of Israel. And in this we see Joseph as the foster-father of Jesus, acting as the head of the family, as all fathers would have, and he did so dutifully even though Jesus was not his biological Son. He loved and cared for Him regardless.

Joseph worked hard as a carpenter, most likely to provide for himself and his family, for Mary and Jesus. His family was not a rich one, and indeed most likely was a poor one, since carpenters worked hard but they were hardly appreciated, and their income were often low. And yet, he worked hard and was known for his upright attitude and devotion. He was also certainly a devoted father and a faithful husband.

Mary meanwhile, was the mother of the family, the one who provided food and love for the family, including for Jesus her Son. She showed us all the life of a faithful wife and a good woman and daughter of the Lord, who obeyed the Lord in all of His laws and commandments, and lived righteously and justly, obedient to her husband and caring and loving for him and for her Son.

Both Mary and Joseph must have been crucial in their respective roles in guiding and leading Jesus through His growing years, during which time, just as all parents do, and indeed should do, they must have brought Him up well, as well as a man and a woman can do together to raise up their children. And that family was therefore blessed and filled with as much love and joy as they could have.

Jesus Himself as the Son also obeyed His parents, as was evident when He was twelve years old and were left behind in the Temple, because He wanted to stay there in the place where His Father is. Yet, He obeyed His earthly parents when they looked for Him and showed their care and concern, being very worried when they could not find Him in the company of their relatives.

In the Holy Family, all of us can see how we all should live our Christian lives beginning from our own families. Family is a basic unit of our Christian faith and the Church, and without strong foundation in our families, and if our families do not show the true Christian character akin to that found in the Holy Family of our Lord Jesus Christ, Mary His mother and St. Joseph His foster-father, then that is where the beginning of the downfall of many Christians began.

We often blame the Church and its members, the faithful priests and servants of God for the troubles that befell the Church, as well as for the loss of its members, but in reality, that is because many of us do not realise that a strong and Christian family foundation are often the cause for these troubles. Have we asked ourselves, if we have prayed together as a family daily, during the time when we have meals together, and when we are about to do our activities?

Have we done all these? Or are we instead too busy and too preoccupied with many other things such as work, other attractions, things that often cause our families to drift apart? Have we ever thought that all the things we thought we were doing for the sake of our families, such as working extra hard for the extra money but at the expense of our interaction with our youths and children had made families to be broken and weak?

Let us all reflect on all of these, and look upon the examples of the Holy Family, that each and every one of us, in our own families, may be able to grow better in faith together as families blessed by God. Let us also remember to put Christ at the centre of our family lives, or else, our families will be easily unravelled, because Christ should and indeed is the foundation of our Christian families.

May the Lord bless our families, and make them holy, in the imitation and following the example of His own most blessed and holy Family, so that each and every one of us may practice the same love and care that Mary and Joseph had shown Him, and also have peace and harmony in all the things we do together. May the Lord be with us and our families, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 30 December 2016 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 2 : 13-15, 19-23

After the wise men had left, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon be looking for the Child in order to kill Him.”

Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and left that night for Egypt, where He stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled : I called My Son out of Egypt.

After Herod’s death, an Angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the Child are dead.” So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother and went to the land of Israel.

But when Joseph heard that Archilaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. Joseph was given further instructions in a dream, and went to the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way, what was said by the prophets was fulfilled : He shall be called a Nazorean.

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Friday, 30 December 2016 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5

Blessed are you who fear the Lord and walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.

Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots will stand around your table.

Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.

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Friday, 30 December 2016 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White
Sirach 3 : 3-7, 14-17a (Greek Septuagint – Sirach 3 : 2-6, 12-14)

For the Lord established that children should respect their father; He confirmed the right of the mother over her children. Whoever honours his father atones for his sins; he who gives glory to his mother prepares a treasure for himself.

Whoever honours his father will receive joy from his own children and will be heard when he prays. Whoever glorifies his father will have a long life. Whoever obeys the Lord gives comfort to his mother.

My child, take care of your father in his old age, do not cause him sorrow as long as he lives. Even if he has lost his mind, have patience; do not be disrespectful to him while you are in full health. For kindness done to one’s father will never be forgotten, it will serve as reparation for your sins.

Alternative reading
Colossians 3 : 12-21

Clothe yourselves, then, as is fitting for God’s chosen people, holy and beloved of Him. Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience to bear with one another and forgive whenever there is any occasion to do so. As the Lord has forgiven you, forgive one another.

Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this end you were called to be one body. And be thankful. Let the Word of God dwell in you in all its richness. Teach and admonish one another with words of wisdom. With thankful hearts sing to God psalms, hymns and spontaneous praise.

And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as you should do in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not get angry with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, because that pleases the Lord. Parents, do not be too demanding of your children, lest they become discouraged.

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Friday, 23 December 2016 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings speak in unison in honour of the faithful servant and messenger of God, St. John the Baptist, who is the Herald of the Saviour or Messiah, as the one whom God had sent into the world to precede the coming of His Saviour Jesus Christ. St. John the Baptist has been prophesied by the prophets of old to be the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah.

He was sent into the world to prepare and to straighten the path for the Lord Jesus, as many had fallen into crooked ways and sins as they were misled by the corruptions of the world, as well as by their wicked and self-serving, corrupt and unjust leaders, the elders and the Pharisees, all those whom God had entrusted with the governance over His people but they had not done what they had been expected to do.

And it was not an easy task, as there were many challenges and difficulties that he had to encounter during his mission. He had to face opposition and stubborn resistance from the Pharisees and the elders, who refused to believe in him and in his message, which called the people of God to repent from their sinful ways. Those elders refused to believe that they were sinners because they thought that their ways were righteous and that they were worthy of God because of all the supposedly pious deeds that they had done.

In their pride, they had brought about their downfall, and also because of their greed for power, privileges and worldly possessions. They were tempted with those things and therefore became resistant towards God and His approach. In the same manner, those in power like the kings and rulers, the Sadducees who consisted of these people, also opposed the Lord and His ways, as He had revealed through St. John the Baptist.

And we all know how King Herod, the son of Herod the Great lived in an adulterous relationship with Herodias, the wife of his deceased brother Philip, an unlawful and sinful relationship. St. John the Baptist did not fear for his life or for his safety, and he openly rebuked the king for his sins. And when that resulted in his arrest, he did not fear, but constantly continued to rebuke the king for his sinful ways and in the end, met his end in martyrdom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. John the Baptist is a role model for all of us Christians, for he is someone who has lived obediently in accordance with the will of God, and he obeyed His will even though it might mean suffering and troubles for himself. He did not allow the temptation of fear and selfishness to distract him from following through with the mission which had been entrusted to him, and indeed thanks to his works, many had been reconciled with God and received justification because of their faith and repentance.

All of us should emulate the examples of St. John the Baptist in our own lives. And we should also heed the examples of another saint, namely St. John of Kanty whose feast we are celebrating today. St. John of Kanty or St. John Cantius was a Polish priest and theologian who was renowned for his bright intellect and mind, as well as his numerous works in teaching the faith through his many writings, works and compilations.

And at the same time, he was well known for his great charity and love for the poor, the sick and the dying. He gave generously to them, both in terms of his time, his love and aid, and he inspired many others to do the same. He should also become our inspiration for this Christmas season, in how we ought to spend our time meaningfully and with due consideration for our fellow brothers and sisters, especially those who are in need.

Let us all not forget about the poor, the weak and all those who suffer even as we rejoice in this coming Christmas season. There are many who are unable to rejoice because of their circumstances, because they were lacking in what they even need in order to survive their daily lives. Let us share our joy with them and help them, as St. John of Kanty himself had once done, and be open to the Lord’s will and obey Him as St. John the Baptist had been, and not harden our hearts as the Pharisees and the elders had done.

May the Lord bless us all and help us in all of our endeavours, so that the true joy of Christmas may be ours, and that we may also share it with our brethren who are in need of assistance and help. May the Lord be with us all and be with them too, now and forevermore. Amen.