Gospel

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Wednesday, 13 February 2013 : Ash Wednesday (Gospel Reading)

Mark 6 : 1-6, 16-18

Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.

If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father, who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.

When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you.

When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so that people can see that they are fasting. I tell you this : they have been paid in full already. When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.

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Tuesday, 12 February 2013 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Mark 7 : 1-13

One day, the Pharisees gathered around Jesus, and with them were some teachers of the Law who had just come from Jerusalem. They noticed that some of His disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them.

Now, the Pharisees, and in fact all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands, for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors. Nor do they eat anything, when they come from the market, without first washing themselves. And there are many other traditions they observe; for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots, and plates.

So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?”

Jesus answered, “You shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote : ‘This people honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. The worship they offer Me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules.’ You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”

And Jesus commented, “You have a fine way of disregarding the commandments of God in order to enforce your own traditions! For example, Moses said, ‘Do your duty to your father and your mother‘, and : ‘Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death.’ But according to you, someone could say to his father or mother, ‘I already declared Corban (‘offered to God’) what you could have expected from me.'”

“In this case, you no longer require him to do anything for his father or mother, and so you nullify the word of God through the tradition you have handed on. And you do many other things like that.”

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Sunday, 10 February 2013 : 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Chinese New Year) (Second Reading)

1 Corinthians 15 : 1-11

Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you and which you received and on which you stand firm. By that Gospel you are saved, provided that you hold to it as I preached it. Otherwise, you will have believed in vain.

In the first place, I have passed on to you what I myself received that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.

Afterwards He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest. Then He appeared to James and after that to all the apostles. And last of all, He appeared to the most despicable of them, this is to me. For I am the last of the apostles, and I do not even deserve to be called an apostle. because I persecuted the Church of God.

Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace towards me has not been without fruit. Far from it, I have toiled more than all of them, although not I, rather the grace of God in me.

Now, whether it was I or they, this we preach and this you have believed.

 

(Alternative reading – shorter version, 1 Corinthians 3-8, 11)

In the first place, I have passed on to you what I myself received that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.

Afterwards He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest. Then He appeared to James and after that to all the apostles. And last of all, He appeared to the most despicable of them, this is to me.

Now, whether it was I or they, this we preach and this you have believed.

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Sunday, 3 February 2013 : 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Luke 4 : 21-30

Then He said to them, “Today these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.”

All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless, they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s son?” So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : ‘Doctor heal yourself! Do here in Your town what they say You did in Capernaum.”

Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built. intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.

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Saturday, 2 February 2013 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Scripture Reflection)

We remember today the day when our Lord Jesus, the firstborn son of Mary and Joseph, was presented at the Temple of Jerusalem to the Lord, just as the Lord commanded to the people through the Law. Christ is our High Priest, who offered Himself up to God, as a worthy offering for our sins, which is done once and for all at the cross, for our complete redemption and freedom from sin and death. However, earlier in His life, just days after His birth, Jesus was offered as the firstborn son, just like all other firstborn sons of the Israelites. Why is this so?

This is because, at the time when the people of Israel was still enslaved in Egypt under the rule of the Pharaoh, God sent Moses as His messenger to the Pharaoh to free His people and let them go to the Promised Land. The Pharaoh hardened his heart and punished the people of Israel because of what Moses told him of the Lord’s will. What happened next? The Lord sent ten plagues to punish Egypt for their treatment of His beloved and chosen people. The last of all plagues saw the death of all Egyptian firstborn sons, while the firstborn sons of the people of Israel were saved. The mark of the blood of the lamb eaten at Passover, which was applied to the door, became the symbol of salvation of the people of Israel.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, the High Priest, offered Himself as the Lamb of sacrifice, similar to the time of the Passover. His blood became the mark of salvation for all of us who believe in Him. Death and evil will have no more power over us, if we are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God. As the lamb for the Passover ought to be a young lamb, unblemished and perfect in appearance, so does when Jesus was presented at the Temple, Jesus was chosen to be that Lamb, the Lamb of God. For who else is worthy other than the Son of God Himself, who willed to come down and became human just as we are, that through His offering of Himself as the Lamb, He freed us from the chain of death. Just as Pharaoh refused to release the people of Israel from slavery and hard work, neither did Satan want to release us from the slavery of sin, which had subjected all humankind since the disobedience of Adam and his wife, Eve. But the Lord, in sending His Son to us, is sending Satan a plague and disaster far greater than that of the ten plagues of Egypt.

For through the offering of Himself, Jesus presented Himself as the worthy sacrifice, that released now not just the people of Israel, but also all mankind, and now not just to go to the Promised Land on earth, but now we are indeed free to embark on our way towards the Promised Land on heaven itself, with God as our Lord, while the old sacrifice did not free us from death, and the Promised Land of Israel as the Bible shows, is full of conflicts and destruction, especially when Israel disobeyed the Lord and turned their back on Him, preferring the pagan gods for worship instead of the Lord who had delivered them from the Egyptians; but now we have the Sacrifice, which we celebrate regularly through the Mass, when the Lord gave us His Precious Body and His Precious Blood, that we are in Him, and He in us, that all of us, are worthy of eternal life, and worthy of the Kingdom of God, where there is no more violence, no more death, and no more suffering.

Today, on this feast of the Presentation of the Lord, we especially pray for our priests, for all the bishops, and the cardinals, and our Pope, Benedict XVI. For today is the day most appropriate for prayer for all those who has given themselves to God, who has been consecrated to God, just like the firstborns of Israel, and just like Jesus Himself. For they have given themselves fully to God, embracing in full the depth of the love of God, and embracing His Church as their bride. For priests and all consecrated to God have dedicated themselves truly to God, just as Christ was, and they represent Christ Himself, or in persona Christi. It is through them, and through the divine authority given to them from the Lord, through the Apostles, and all the bishops of all ages, that in the Holy Mass, we have the very Sacrifice that the Lord made on the cross in Calvary.

For through our priests, the Lord gives us His Precious Body and Blood, turned from the bread and wine, for us to receive Him, that we also take part in our Lord’s Sacrifice, that freed us from all the chains of sin. No more will evil and Satan has any power over us. Therefore, today, let us fervently pray for all those consecrated to God, that they will stay faithful, and they will keep themselves holy and pure, to be worthy to God just as Christ, the perfect sacrifice and the Lamb of God once was. May God bless all our priests, and bless His Holy Church, with all of us His children. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 February 2013 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Luke 2 : 22-40

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord : “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God.” And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord : “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law.

Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, o Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for You have fulfilled Your word and my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You display for all the people to see. Here is the light You will reveal to the nations, and the glory of Your people, Israel.”

His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, His mother, “Know this : your Son is a sign, a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s home, she had been seven years with her husband, and since then she had been continually about the Temple, serving God as a widow night and day in fasting and prayer. She was now eighty-four. Coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, and spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There the Child grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom : the grace of God was upon Him.”

 

(Alternative reading (shorter version) : Luke 2 : 22-32)

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord : “Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God.” And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord : “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

There lived in Jerusalem at this time a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel, and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So he was led into the Temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law.

Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, “Now, o Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for You have fulfilled Your word and my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You display for all the people to see. Here is the light You will reveal to the nations, and the glory of Your people, Israel.”

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Friday, 1 February 2013 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Mark 4 : 26-34

Jesus also said, “In the Kingdom of God, it is like this : a man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The soil produces of itself : first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting : the time for the harvest has come.”

Jesus also said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden, and even grows branches so big, that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”

Jesus used many such stories, in order to proclaim the word to them in a way that they would be able to understand. He would not teach them without parables; but privately to His disciples, He explained everything.

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Saturday, 26 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops (Scripture Reflection)

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2013-01-26

Today’s readings focuses on the ministry of the apostles and the early bishops of the Church, which include Saints Timothy and Titus, whose feast we celebrate today. Both saints were the same as those mentioned in the first reading, and were the correspondents in the letter from Paul to them.

Saints Timothy and Titus were the early successors of the Apostles, whose succession was done by the means of the laying of hands by the Apostles. This practice of the laying of hands created the basis of Apostolic Succession established in our Church today, where all bishops today in the world, can trace their authority back to the Apostles, in a chain of bishops unceasing until the Apostles themselves, and therefore, ultimately derive their authority from Christ Himself, as in the Gospel, Christ Himself appointed the disciples, which in addition to the twelve, were to do the work of the Lord, helping Christ in His ministry during His lifetime. After the death and resurrection of Christ, and after Pentecost, many of these disciples would be the first bishops of the Universal Church.

There are many duties expected of these disciples, in particular to bring the message of the Lord to all, especially those who welcome them. The mission would not be easy, as there will be those who reject Christ and thus reject His apostles, to the point of even persecuting them, as what happened during the great persecutions in the Roman Empire, where thousands of the bishops and priests, together with many of their flock were martyred because they stayed true to their faith in God. Nevertheless, the early fathers of the Church persevere in their faith, and as a result the Church grew, and eventually converted the Roman Empire to Christ.

The missions of these bishops and representatives appointed by Christ and His successors were manifold, namely to heal the sick, to bring peace and the Word of God to people who long for them, and to lead the people towards God their Saviour, and most importantly, as St. Paul told to St. Timothy, that the bishops and Church leaders should be beacons of faith and courage, that all others would see in them and be resolved on their own to also have the same faith and love of God. This mission never ends, so long as the world remain in darkness, and many remain out of reach of the Word of God. Let us make haste and bring the Word of God to them, through the ministry of our priests, deacons, and bishops, helped by all of us, which surely will bring many to the salvation in Christ.

Through the laying of hands, the bishops pass down the Holy Spirit that the Apostles had received at Pentecost, which become the foundation of the authority our bishops and priests today have, for their authority is not human or worldly authority, but authority that comes from God Himself. That is why priests today have the authority to forgive sins when we come to them for confession, just as the Lord Himself said to the Apostles after His Resurrection : “Receive the Holy Spirit, and those whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; and those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” Through this, the Lord with the Holy Spirit pass down His authority to forgive sin, and to heal the sick, to the Apostles, and from them down to even the humblest and least of priests today. Therefore, let us always pray for our priests that they will remain holy, pure, and steadfast in their faith in God, that they can carry their mission to the best of their abilities. 

We too can play our part to help our priests and bishops, with all the simple things we can do. We can help provide for our priests, and we can also help him to reach further and beyond in his ministries, maybe through transportation or other means of help, and most importantly, we can also pray for vocations! Remember, the Lord Himself said in the Gospel today, how though the harvest is indeed plentiful, and yes, there are still millions out there waiting for the ‘fishermen’ of the Lord to catch them, and to bring the Word of God to them, but sadly, the labourers, that is our priests, are getting lesser and lesser in numbers. The temptations and obstacles of the world prove too much for some to overcome, including family resistance and peer pressure, which can ruin an otherwise brilliant candidate for the priesthood, and how sad it is when we lose a potential priest, just because we do not support him, who could have saved a thousand souls for Christ, and many, many more.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray fervently that the Lord will bless His Holy Church with plenty of faithful and holy bishops, priests, and deacons, and devout young men, dedicated to God, that one day, they may choose to follow Christ and pledge themselves to Him in sacred priesthood. Amen.

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Saturday, 26 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops (Gospel Reading)

Luke 10 : 1-9

After this, 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.’

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Friday, 25 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Mark 16 : 15-18

Then He told them, “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.”