Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.
YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.
The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.
Liturgical Colour : White
Genesis 3 : 9-15, 20
YHVH God called the man saying to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree I ordered you not to eat?”
The man answered, “The woman You put with me gave me fruit from the tree and I ate it.” God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.”
YHVH God said to the serpent, “Since you have done that, be cursed among all the cattle and wild beasts! You will crawl on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. I will make you enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.”
The man called his wife by the name of Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that the coming of the kingdom of God and the end times is something that will happen with certainty, as we are constantly being told these past few days as we approach the end of this current liturgical year cycle and as we are about to enter into the season of Advent. We are all called to be good and faithful Christians, in obeying God’s will, doing His Law and commandments, and in adhering ourselves to His path, to everything that He has shown and taught us all to do in our respective lives. We must always hold fast to our faith in the Lord despite the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may encounter in our lives.
In our first reading today, we heard of the apocalyptic account of the end times in the vision which the prophet Daniel had received from the Lord, a revelation which would be clarified and affirmed many centuries later by the similar apocalyptic visions received by St. John the Apostle. In that vision, Daniel saw the rise of the great and terrible beasts rising upon the world, with its power and might subjugating many nations and the world, only for all those wicked beasts to be eventually subjugated, overthrown and destroyed by the Lord when He comes again in the end of time, through the Son of Man Whom Daniel had witnessed, the One to Whom, the One of Great Age had passed and entrusted dominion, power and glory forevermore.
This vision of the prophet Daniel was indeed prophetic and revolutionary, as it showed the people of God that God has always remembered His people despite the trials, tribulations and the many challenges and trials that they might have to face amidst their lives in this world. Those wicked beasts, which later on St. John the Apostle would also see in his visions, represented the forces of Satan, the great enemy, the Devil, and all of his allies, which had been manifested in this world, and in all the forces of evils and destruction present all around us, in those tyrants and warmongers, exploiters and all those who sought worldly glory, power, fame and satisfaction at the expense of many others all around them.
Yet, as we have heard in that same reading, God revealed Himself and showed that He is greater than any one of those wicked beasts and the powers of evil. He showed that He is indeed the true Master and Lord of all, with might and glory surpassing anything that the devil and all the whole world could muster, and through His coming into this world, which Daniel foretold through these visions, by the way of the Son of Man, He has brought unto us the promise and the assurance of our liberation and salvation, which Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, that same Son of Man shown to the prophet Daniel, has revealed to us, shown us and affirmed to us, through His works, His ministry, His death and ultimately His Resurrection.
Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, by His coming into this world, Christ Himself has conquered and destroyed death, and broke free the chains of original sin and the tyranny of evil over us. He has shown us the direct and sure path towards eternal life and redemption through Him, and His Light has pierced through the veil of darkness and sin which has long kept us from realising and understanding God’s love and truth, and delivering unto us the warmth of God’s love and kindness, mercy and grace, manifested in the flesh. Through Christ, all of us have seen the perfect manifestation of God’s love and truth, which has become tangible and approachable to us, and we have been given the direct assurance that God is truly with us, by our side, at all times.
In our Gospel passage today, the Lord Jesus told His disciples to be vigilant, reminding them that the signs of the times and the things happening around them are proofs and evidences that everything will happen just as He has revealed it, through the prophets like Daniel and through what He Himself has delivered and proclaimed unto their midst. That is yet another reminder and calling for each and every one of us as God’s followers and disciples, that we are all called to be genuine and faithful Christians at all times, so that in everything that we say and do, we will never be idle, ignorant or fail to recognise and understand the importance of obeying God and His commandments and Law, His precepts and ways, in all the things we say and do in our lives.
We cannot call ourselves as Christians unless we truly commit ourselves in not just words and formality, but also in genuine actions, and even in the smallest and least significant things that we do, in our daily lives, showing that we truly embody our faith in the Lord and not merely just having external faith and expressions of piety, but also a thorough and wholehearted desire to love and serve the Lord our God with all of our strength and might, as we all should have done. Each and every one of us as Christians have been called and entrusted with the mission to follow the path that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us, to walk in the path of His truth, righteousness and love. All of us should always be truly committed to the Lord therefore in all of our whole lives, in our every moments.
Let us all therefore do our best, brothers and sisters in Christ, so that in all and everything that we say and do in our lives, we will always be exemplary and be inspirational, so that everyone who witness our works and deeds, our words and everything, we will be truly faithful, committed and good. Let us strive that in each and every moments of our lives, we will always be truly worthy of the Lord, in all of our dealings, works and efforts, in all things. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 21 : 29-33
At that time, Jesus added this comparison, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as their buds sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all this has happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 3 : 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81
Mountains and hills, praise and exalt Him forever.
Everything that sprouts on the earth, praise and exalt Him forever.
Springs of water, praise and exalt Him forever.
Seas and rivers, praise and exalt Him forever.
Whales and fishes, praise and exalt Him forever.
All the birds of heaven, praise and exalt Him forever.
Animals, wild and tame, praise and exalt Him forever.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 7 : 2-14
Daniel said, “I saw the following in my vision : the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea, and four great beasts, each one different from the other, came out of the sea. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings. As I looked at it, its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, stood up on its feet like a man, and was given a human heart.”
“The second was a beast like a bear; it was raised up on one side and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told : Go and devour much flesh. I went on looking and saw another beast like a leopard with four wings on its back; it had four heads and dominion was given to it.”
“I continued seeing my visions of the night and saw a terrible fourth beast. It was fearful and extraordinarily strong; it had great iron teeth; it ate, tore into pieces, and crushed underfoot whatever remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns. I was looking at the horns, when another small horn sprang among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for the new. It had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that uttered insolent words.”
“I looked and saw the following : Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took His seat. His robe was white, as snow, His hair, white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before Him. Thousands upon thousands served Him and a countless multitude stood before Him. Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book.”
“But as I remembered the haughty words of the horn with human eyes and mouth, which I had seen before, this animal was killed before my eyes; and its body destroyed and cast into the fire. Dominion was taken from the other animals, though they were allowed to stay alive for a time, until the fixed time.”
“I continued watching the nocturnal vision : One like a Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into His presence. Dominion, honour and kingship were given Him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served Him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; His kingdom will never be destroyed.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us to live our lives in manners that are truly worthy of God, in doing His will and obeying His Law and commandments. We must always keep in mind to keep ourselves pure and blameless, good, virtuous and just in all things before the Lord, as best as we are able to do, so that God may truly be glorified through us and everything that we say and do. Each and every one of us have been called to follow the Lord in all that we do, in the Law and commandments that He has entrusted to us, because if we are His people, and He has come down into our midst, it is imperative that we keep ourselves holy and worthy of Him, or otherwise, our sins and wickedness will lead us into damnation and destruction.
In today’s first reading and Gospel passage, there are both references to the Temple of God in Jerusalem, that in the first reading today was marked as the moment when the forces of the faithful Jewish people, led by Judas Maccabeus, during the Maccabean Revolt, managed to win victories against the forced of the Seleucid Greeks who tried to impose Greek customs and ways on the people. The Seleucids under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes had defiled the Temple of God in Jerusalem, also known as the Second Temple, and established pagan idols and false gods on its Altar, and in that passage we heard today, we heard of the moment when the old Altar and all the defilements and corruptions were torn down and destroyed, and new Altar dedicated to God was established anew.
We heard how everyone rejoiced as the Temple and its Altar was consecrated to God. That was a day of great triumph and rejoicing for a people that had been oppressed and put through a lot of hardships because they had remained faithful to the Lord despite the efforts put in place by those who tried to oppress and eliminate their worship of God and their faith in Him. This joyful moment of the consecration of the new Altar and the purified Temple of God is linked to what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, that is about the Lord Jesus and His actions in clearing the Temple of God in Jerusalem, the same Temple that the Maccabeans had purified. The Lord Jesus cast out all those wicked merchants and money changers who have corrupted the Temple with their wicked attitudes and behaviours.
At that time, contextually, many of the Jewish people were living in various places away far from Jerusalem and Judea. During certain festivals and periods in the year, many of them would come back and travel to Jerusalem, and they might need to buy the animals and offerings for the Temple sacrifices, and they would likely also need to exchange the currencies they used in their places of residence with the Temple silver shekels, as according to Jewish customs and practices at the time, pagan coins and goods should not be used in relation to the Temple and the worship of God. However, those merchants and money changers peddling their wares and services likely overcharged the pilgrims and other visitors greatly, for more profit for themselves. It is this wicked attitude and actions that the Lord detested very much. Thus, He angrily cast them all out of the Temple courtyard, to purify God’s House and restored it to its proper use.
All of those readings presented to us a reminder for all of us that we are all also reminded to keep clean and pure our own Temples of the Lord’s Presence. What am I referring to, brothers and sisters in Christ? I am referring to our very own bodies, hearts, minds and souls. Each and every one of us have been blessed to have received the Lord Himself, Who has come down to us firstly in the flesh, and every one of us who have partaken in the Most Holy Eucharist, that is the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord Himself, God Himself is present in us, physically and spiritually. On top of that, the Holy Spirit has also come down upon us through the Church, which we first receive at Baptism and then strengthened at Confirmation. Essentially, God Himself is present in us, and hence, we are ourselves the Temples of the Lord. This means that we have to keep ourselves pure and worthy of the Lord as well.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of great saints, holy martyrs of the Faith, whose examples and determination should serve as great inspirations for all of us, in how we ourselves should live our lives with faith. St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, are the ones who have devotedly committed themselves to God despite the many oppositions against them, from the state which was then very violently against the Christian faith, and from the community. At that time, Vietnam, which was ruled by an Emperor and his bureaucratic court, saw the burgeoning Christian mission in their country as a threat to themselves, and to their officially Confucian state religion. As such, the state persecuted Christians very severely, both the foreign missionaries and the local converts.
St. Andrew Dung-Lac was a convert to the faith, and became one of the first local priests to be ordained. According to the traditions and missionary accounts, he and many other Christian converts were persecuted and arrested, and having kept close to their faith and refusing to abandon the Lord, or betray their commitment to Him, they were put to death, and hence became great martyrs of the Church. Their examples, courage and devotion to God, despite the many trials, sufferings and challenges that they had to face amidst their ministry should be great sources of strength and encouragement for us, in how we ought to be ever strong and courageous in committing ourselves to the service of God, and in living our lives as genuine Christians in all things.
May the Lord be with us all, and may He encourage and strengthen each and every one of us in how we live our lives, with courage and commitment, and with the passion and the desire to give our best to glorify God by our examples and lives, so that we, as the Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence, may be worthy, in our bodies, hearts, minds and souls, in our whole entire beings. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Luke 19 : 45-48
At that time, Jesus entered the Temple area and began to drive out the merchants. And He said to them, “God says in the Scriptures, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers!”
Jesus was teaching every day in the Temple. The chief priests and teachers of the Law wanted to kill Him, and the elders of the Jews as well, but they were unable to do anything, for all the people were listening to Him and hanging on His words.
Liturgical Colour : Red
1 Chronicles 29 : 10, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd
May You be praised, YHVH God of Israel our ancestor, forever and ever!
Yours, YHVH, is the greatness, the power, splendour, length of days, glory; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is Yours. Yours is the sovereignty forever, o YHVH.
You are supreme Ruler over all. Riches and honour go before You.
You are Ruler of all; in Your hand lie strength and power. You are the One Who gives greatness and strength to all.
Liturgical Colour : Red
1 Maccabees 4 : 36-37, 52-59
Then Judas and his brothers said : “Our enemies are defeated, so let us go up and purify the Holy Place and consecrate it again.” And all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion.
On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight (in the year 164 B.C.) they arose at dawn and offered the sacrifice prescribed by the Law on the new altar of holocausts which they had built. It was precisely at that same time and date that the pagans had profaned it before; but now they consecrated it with songs, accompanied by zithers, harps and cymbals. All the people fell prostrate and blessed Heaven that had given them happiness and success.
They celebrated the consecration of the altar for eight days, joyfully offering holocausts and celebrating sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. The front of the Temple was adorned with crowns of gold and shields; and the gates and the rooms had been restored and fitted with doors. There was no end to the celebration among the people; and so profanation of the Temple by the pagans was forgotten.
Finally, Judas, his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel agreed to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of the altar annually for eight days, from the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev, in high festivity.
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