Friday

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Friday, 27 December 2024 : 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 out 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.

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Friday, 27 December 2024 : 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.

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Friday, 27 December 2024 : 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.

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we approach the coming of the time and season of Christmas, we are reminded that we should always put our focus on the Lord and His salvation, and trust in everything that He has promised to us, in His loving care and providence and everything that He has promised to us. We must keep the faith that we have in the Lord and firmly believe that the promise of His salvation remains true and assured to us even after all these times. The story of Christmas and its great joy must always be centred and focused on Christ and His coming into this world, to bring us all out of the darkness of evil and sin, and to liberate us from the bondage to those things which separated us from the fullness of love and grace of God.

In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the interactions between Isaiah and King Ahaz of Judah in which the King of Judah refused to ask for a sign pretending to be humble and not wanting to test God whereas in fact as the prophet rebuked him immediately for, the king of Judah and the people had frequently put the Lord to the test and disobeyed Him many times, refusing to listen to Him and obey His words despite everything that He had done for their sake throughout all of their history and livelihood. That was why God was in fact angry at the king and his disobedience, and in refusing to trust in God but rather in the pagan gods and idols that they were all worshipping at that time.

And the prophet Isaiah then revealed what God had planned to do and show His people in fulfilling His many promises to them through His Saviour, Whom He would send into this world, and how this would happen through a woman who has never borne a child, which all would indeed be fulfilled through Mary and her bearing of her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, more than seven centuries after the prophet Isaiah had spoken of this prophecy before King Ahaz. And as compared to the lack of faith and the hypocrisy of King Ahaz, God has proved that He has always been true and faithful to the Covenant and all the promises which He had made with His beloved people, the ones whom He truly cared for and had patiently brought up all the while.

The king’s disobedience and lack of faith in God is something that has been highlighted in the first reading today, how he had such little faith and trust that God can do all things, even for him and for the sake of his kingdom and people. This can be contrasted with the attitude which Mary has shown in our Gospel passage today, when the Archangel Gabriel brought forth for her the Good News of the coming of God’s Saviour, Who would come forth through her womb, and born from her. While Mary was uncertain about what she had heard, as at that time she was still quite young in age, but she trusted in the Lord and obeyed Him. And this faith is something that all of us look up to, in the great faith that the Mother of Our Lord and God has in her.

Her words, ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said,’ are the marks of obedience, faith and true humility, as she accepted the great mission and responsibility which she had been entrusted with by God. And for this great faith and obedience, her virtues and great love, this is why we truly venerate and honour Mary above all the other saints, and we truly love her as our own beloved Mother, as our great role model, a guide and someone who has always encouraged us in the journey that each and every one of us undertake in the path towards her Son, our Lord and Saviour. Mary is truly our inspiration and example in our own lives, the loving mother who is always ready to help and assist us in our way and journey towards her Son.

In this occasion and time of Advent therefore, let us all heed the messages of the Scriptures which we have heard today and ponder carefully on them so that we may truly realise the need for all of us to realign and reorientate our lives so that we will be more centred on the Lord and not on all the distractions and temptations present all around us in this world. We must not easily allow ourselves to be misguided by the numerous temptations of worldly pleasures, comforts and ambitions, all of which had led our predecessors, like those of king Ahaz and others into the path towards rebellion against God and their downfall. And in how we prepare ourselves for the coming celebration this Christmas, we should strive to put Christ at the centre of all things, of all our rejoicing and happiness.

It is because in Christ our Lord, we have seen the Hope and Light that we have been long awaiting for, amidst all the darkness around us. God has reassured us again and again of His providence and salvation which He would make to us through His Son, and He has done exactly just that, giving us all His salvation and promise of eternal life by the manifestation of His Son in this world, making Himself approachable and tangible to us, that now we can truly experience the fullness of God’s most wonderful and compassionate love, dwelling in our very midst, He Who is known as Emmanuel, just as the prophet Isaiah had prophesied it, God Who is always with us, being with us and journeying with us throughout our whole lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, trusting that He will lead us down the right path, and no matter what challenges or difficulties we may experience, we will always be strengthened by His Presence and love, and that He will always guide us in everything that we say and do, so that hopefully in all of our lives, in our every efforts and endeavours, we will always glorify His Name. May our Advent journey be blessed by God and may He help and strengthen us so that our journey may truly be fruitful and beneficial for us. Amen.

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 26-38

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

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

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

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

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

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

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

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

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Friday, 20 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 7 : 10-14

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

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

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Friday, 13 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, we are all reminded that we should continue to keep closely attuned to the Lord and maintain our focus on Him amidst all the temptations and false leads in this world, and amidst all the secular rejoicing, festivities and celebrations of the worldly Christmas that may not have their focus on the Lord. We should always remember that ultimately Christmas is a great celebration and rejoicing because of the Lord and His great and most wonderful love by which He has sent us all His assurance and salvation through His Beloved Son, born into this world two millennia ago and which we celebrate as this celebration of Christmas.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which God told His people, the Israelites in the kingdom of Judah about how they all would have prospered and lived wonderfully had they obeyed His words and commandments, listened to Him and followed the path that He has revealed to them. At that time many of the Israelites had wandered off from the path of the Lord and disobeyed His words, refusing to follow the advice and exhortations from the prophets and messengers of God sent to them to remind them. However, the Lord Who truly loved all of His people refused to give up on them and that is why He kept reminding them through His prophets like Isaiah, to help at least some of them to find their bearing in life and to be able to return back to Him.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard the Lord telling the people of the frustrations He faced from many among them because of their lack of faith and trust in Him, and how they kept on changing their thoughts and ways according to their ever changing priorities and preferences, and as their leaders often criticised Him and St. John the Baptist, the one who was the Herald of the Saviour. They refused to listen to St. John the Baptist when he called on all of them to repent from their sins, and criticising the man of God for his ascetic lifestyle and appearance. Then, afterwards, they also refused to listen to the Lord and criticised Him because He was not following the strict rules and practices of the Law which they had interpreted and enforced.

Essentially from what we have heard, the people of God applied their own inconsistent standards and demands, being swayed by their own desires and ambitions, instead of listening to the Lord and embracing His truth and Good News. They were too focused on their own worldly pursuits and ambitions that they were not able to open their minds and hearts to listen to the Lord Who has delivered unto them His truth, His love and the revelation of what He wanted to tell them. And this is in a way, a warning for each and every one of us as well, in how we must be careful and not give in to the temptations of worldliness that can lead us to our downfall by distracting us from the path towards God and His salvation. This Advent, we should remind ourselves what is the true focus and reason for our lives, and that is the Lord, our God and Master.

As Christians, all of us should strive to centre all of our preparations and efforts to the Lord, to the One Who had made all things possible for us, and He Who has always loved us and constantly provided for us without cease. We should always remind ourselves and one another that our lives should always be focused on the Lord, following His words and commandments, entrusting ourselves to His Providence and care, and walking in the path that He has shown us, so that by our dedication and obedience, we may find the surest and straightest path towards the eternal life and salvation that we can gain through God alone. We should make good use of the many opportunities provided for us so that we may continue to grow ever stronger in our faith and trust in the Lord.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Lucy, also known as Santa Lucia, or St. Lucy of Syracuse, a great Roman martyr and saint of the early fourth century. She was born to a noble Roman family during the late third century, during the time of the rise to power of Emperor Diocletian, the Roman Emperor who would become infamous among Christians for his particularly intense persecution against them and the Church. St. Lucy devoted herself to God and was very pious in her life, and she committed herself to a sacred vow of virginity to God. Yet, things came to issue when her mother, who took care of St. Lucy betrothed her to a rich and young pagan nobleman, having worried about her future after the passing of her father when she was just merely five years old.

St. Lucy’s mother, Eutychia, was also then suffering from a disease, and through the intercession of another famous local martyr, St. Agatha, who appeared to St. Lucy in a dream, her mother was cured, and this prompted St. Lucy to persuade her mother to give generously from her family’s estate and patrimony to the poor and the less fortunate. However this action was not viewed kindly by the pagan nobleman that St. Lucy was betrothed to, and he reported St. Lucy to the Roman governor, Paschasius. Paschasius forced St. Lucy to burn offerings to the Roman Emperor, but she courageously refused, and when she was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel, the people assigned to bring her to the brothel could not manage to move her, as the Lord protected her from defilement. Eventually, she was martyred by a sword thrust into her throat.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we have discussed earlier from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, and also from the life and examples set by St. Lucy of Syracuse, holy martyr of the Church, let us all therefore remember that our lives in this world should be holy and exemplary, and we should always focus on the Lord at all times that we do not end up losing sight on His hope and salvation, and be tricked and misled by all sorts of worldly temptations and distractions around us. May the Lord our most loving God and Master continue to help and guide us all in our journey so that we may come to Him and find true happiness and consolation in Him at the end of our life’s journey. Amen.

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Friday, 13 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 11 : 16-19

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain : ‘We played the lute for you, but you would not dance. We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!’”

“For John came fasting, and people said, ‘He is possessed by a demon!’ Then, the Son of Man came. He ate and drank; and people said, ‘Look at this Man : a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet, wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

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Friday, 13 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the man who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the Law of YHVH and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For YHVH knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.