Liturgical Colour : Red
3 John 5-8
Beloved, you do well to care for the brothers and sisters as you do. I mean those coming from other places. They spoke of your charity before the assembled Church. It will be well to provide them with what they need to continue their journey, as if you did it for God.
In reality, they have set out on the road for His Name without accepting anything from the pagans. We should receive such persons, making ourselves their cooperators in the work of the truth.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained in the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the coming of the end of days, and the end of our own worldly existences just as this current liturgical year is coming to an end. We are also reminded that each one of us as Christians are expected to walk in the path that the Lord has shown to us, to be righteous, just and good as He has taught us to do. And that is our Christian mission and obligation that each one of us have been entrusted with, and we should not forget that, as we carry on living our lives from now on henceforth. We must be good role models for each other and show others how we should follow the Lord our God.
In our first reading today, we heard of the Epistle of St. John the Apostle, the reminder that God loves each and every one of us, and that same love ought to be shown by all of us as Christians, as God’s followers, as His people and children. It is the love which God has for us that made everything possible, and we have hope exactly because of this love. We should have deserved destruction and damnation because of our sins and disobedience against God, and yet, by God’s mercy, love and compassion, we have been given the hope out of our current conundrum and trouble, and we have received the assurance of liberation and salvation from evil, sin and death, all those things that sought to dominate and drag us down to the path towards damnation.
St. John the Apostle spoke to the people of God through his Epistle regarding the commandments and the laws that God has given to each and every one of them. Those laws and commandments teach us to love in the manner that God has loved us first, for us to love others generously, caring for the needs especially for those who are in need of more help and love. Unfortunately, in many occasions throughout our human history and also even within the history of the Church and our Christian faith, many among us have not truly practiced this way of life as the Lord wants us to. We preferred to think of ourselves and our selfish desires, greed, pride and ego instead of caring for others and loving those around us. This is what had become a serious obstacle for so many people in following God truly and faithfully, because they put themselves and their desires before serving God.
St. John also warned the faithful of all those who spread false messages and false ideas contrary to what the Lord Himself had taught and shown us, all those who sought to subvert the messages of truth to their own benefits and desires, to achieve their own ends and goals. At that time, there were all those who sought to change the teachings of the Lord as passed down through the Apostles, as it would also be throughout the history of the Church. Heresies and false teachings had sprung up all the time, causing many of the people of God to be led astray and turn their backs against God and His truth. They gave in to their temptations and refused to listen to God, His Good News and truth. The Lord has reminded us all to remember His love for us, that we may also embody the same love in our own actions.
The Lord Himself has shown us the perfect examples, of Him reaching out to the worst of sinners and all those who had been shunned by the other people, like the tax collectors, the prostitutes and all those who were ostracised because they were diseased, sick, and possessed by evil spirits among others. He did not hold against them their sins, but extended His loving mercy and compassion, reaching out to them, walking among them, and journeying with them, to love them all most tenderly despite the fact that it was them who had earlier on abandoned Him and betrayed Him first, preferring to walk in the path of sin rather than to walk in the path of His righteousness and truth. And that way, God has always been so patient in loving us, that He sincerely and truly desires to be reconciled with us all, despite our many sins.
That was how and why, He decided and willingly took upon Himself the weight and burden of His cross and sufferings, to be rejected and abandoned, betrayed and struck down by the world, and by all those who hated and persecuted Him, so that by His suffering and death, He obeyed His Father’s will most perfectly, and showed unto us the perfect example and manifestation of His love for each and every one of us. He Himself had once said that, there is no greater love than for one to lay down his or her life for a friend, and there, the Lord Himself willingly endured all the sufferings and laid down His life for our sake, that through Him, all of us may be saved and have the sure hope of eternal life and happiness with Him. He endured the most painful and humiliating death, that we may be spared our fated destruction and enter into eternal life.
And why do we have to keep this in mind? That is because God has loved us so wonderfully, that He has generously reached out to us with love. Yet, if we continue to reject and resist Him, then in the end, it is our rejection and refusal for God’s love and mercy that will condemn us to eternal suffering and damnation. Our Gospel passage today is clear, that the Lord Himself reminded us all how the time of reckoning and judgment can come just at any time. Unless we are ever vigilant and ready, and careful in how we live our lives, then we may end up falling down this path towards sin and evil, towards destruction and damnation. We have to be careful as the temptations of worldly desires and greed can indeed be very strong, and even many among the righteous had been tempted and fell from grace because of that.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why we should heed the good examples set by our holy and devout predecessors, and especially today we honour St. Martin of Tours, a great saint and man of God whose feast we are celebrating this day. St. Martin of Tours was once a Roman centurion or army captain, who was a renowned soldier and who was also a devout Christian during the times when Christianity was already widespread and no longer persecuted in the Roman Empire. St. Martin of Tours was also famously known in one particular occasion when he encountered the Lord disguised as a poor, old man in the middle of a cold season, without anything to cover or protect himself from the cold. In that occasion, St. Martin did not hesitate and took his sword to cut his centurion’s cloak in half and gave that half to the poor man to protect himself.
That very night, in a vision, St. Martin saw the Lord revealing Himself before him, as the old man holding the piece of cloak that he had cut from his own cloak earlier on. Ever reminded of this appearance of God among the poor and the weak, the less fortunate and the old ones, St. Martin was deeply affected and touched, and eventually, he left the army behind, and was also elected by the people’s acclamation and support as the Bishop of Tours in the southern region of what is now France. St. Martin of Tours dedicated himself wholeheartedly as the shepherd to his flock in Tours and cared for them most tenderly and generously, showing us all what it means for us to love as genuine Christians and showing the love of God through our very actions and deeds, in all of our interactions. He also resisted those who tried to bring about the falsehoods of their heresies to confuse the people, and he was very active in opposing the efforts of the heretics in spreading their falsehoods.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow the good examples set by St. Martin of Tours, in loving one another, especially the unloved ones, the poor and the weak, those who are sick and dying, and those who are ostracised and without anyone to care for them. Let us all walk therefore always ever more faithfully in the path that God has set before us, ever remembering His love for us, and doing the same henceforth to Him and to our fellow brethren, in obedience to His Law and to His will. May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey, now and always, forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 17 : 26-37
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be on the day the Son of Man comes. In those days people ate and drank and got married; but on the day Noah entered the Ark, the flood came and destroyed them all.”
“So it was in the days of Lot : people ate and drank, and bought and sold, and planted and built; but on the day Lot left Sodom, God made fire and sulfur rain down from heaven, which destroyed them all. So will it be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”
“On that day, if you are on the rooftop, do not go down into the house to get your belongings; and if you happen to be in the fields, do not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to save his life will lose himself, but whoever gives his life will be born again.”
“I tell you, though two men are sharing the same bed, it might happen that one will be taken, and the other left; though two women are grinding corn together, one might be taken and the other left.” Then they asked Jesus, “Where will this take place, Lord?” And He answered, “Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 118 : 1, 2, 10, 11, 17, 18
Blessed are they whose ways are upright, who follow the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they who treasure His word and seek Him with all their heart.
I seek You with my whole heart; let me not stray from Your commands.
In my heart I have kept Your word, that I may not sin against my Lord.
Be kind to Your servant, that I may live to follow Your word.
Open my eyes that I may see the marvellous truths in Your law.
Liturgical Colour : White
2 John 4-9
I rejoiced greatly on meeting some of your children who live in accordance with the truth, according to the command we have received from the Father. And now, I ask you, Lady – I write to you not a new commandment but that which we had from the beginning – I ask you : let us love one another.
This is love : to walk according to His commandments. And this is the commandment : that you walk in love as you have learnt from the beginning. Many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ Who came in the flesh. They are impostors and antichrists.
Take care of yourselves that you do not lose the fruit of your labours, but receive a perfect reward. Everyone who goes beyond and does not remain within the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the responsibilities and the missions which God has entrusted to us as we have been called to be His disciples and followers, and as His beloved ones, His own children and people, all of us are expected to be like our Father and Lord in all things, and each one of us share the same responsibilities as members and parts of the same Church of God. And what is this mission, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is to proclaim the word of God and His truth to all the people of all the nations, all those whom we encounter in our lives each day and at every moments.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, the Apostle spoke of the revelation of truth which had come to them all through the Apostles and the many other disciples, followers and missionaries of the Lord. And this revelation is such that God has called on all of the people, all the children of mankind to follow Him, both from among the Jewish people and origin, and those from the non-Jewish or Gentile origin alike, and whether they had already been faithful to God, or whether they were once pagans and unbelievers.
Back then, as it was common throughout the Jewish diaspora and communities, there were often frictions and disagreements between the Jews and the Gentiles as the former saw themselves as the chosen people of God, as the descendants of the Israelites, the inheritors of the kingdoms of King David and King Solomon. To those people, especially the ones who were belonging to the group of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, they took great pride in such a status, and considered the Gentiles to be unworthy and even unclean, as back then, even going to visit and enter the house of a Gentile or a pagan could make one unclean according to the customs of the Jewish laws.
St. Paul was therefore reminding the people of the real truth which the Lord Jesus Himself had revealed to everyone, that God’s salvation is meant to all the people, regardless of their background or origin, regardless of their races or past status and beliefs. There is no discrimination by God and hence, the Church and the community of the faithful should not be biased or discriminate against anyone at all either. The Jewish converts to the Christian faith was reminded to be welcoming and to drop their condescending attitude on the Gentiles, both those who have embraced God and those who have not yet believed in God.
It is this self-righteous attitude which often led to the downfall of many among the righteous, not only that they caused them to commit wicked and unworthy acts against their own fellow brothers and sisters, who are all beloved equally by God, but also because such attitude would eventually lead to the faithful becoming slack and complacent in their way of living their lives. Why is that so? That is because then those who saw and thought themselves as being worthy and righteous like many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law would spend their time and effort on self-aggrandisement and praise, inflated by their ego and pride, and ending up falling into sin and temptations to sin instead.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why in our Gospel passage today we are reminded through the parable which our Lord has told His disciples, telling them all the story of the diligent steward and the lazy, irresponsible steward. In that parable, the stewards are representative of each and every one of us, God’s disciples and followers. The diligent and committed steward represents those who listened to the word of God, embraced His calling and dutifully carried out the mission that they had been entrusted with. Meanwhile, the lazy and irresponsible steward represents those who have not listened to the Lord and refused to act on the mission which had been entrusted to them.
As Christians, all of us are expected and called to be active in our faith, so that we will not end up being like the lazy and irresponsible steward. The Lord had made clear the consequences of such inaction and lack of responsibility, and clearly all of us should heed and take note what we need to do in obeying God’s call and how to be active in living our lives with genuine faith. All of us have been called to devote our time, effort and attention to do the will of God, and we should not delay or drag our feet any longer. Instead, we should be inspired by the examples of the saints and martyrs, particularly of those whose feasts we are celebrating today, namely the Martyr Saints of Canada, as well as St. Paul of the Cross.
The Holy Martyrs of Canada, also known as the North American Martyrs were the Jesuit priests and missionaries who had embarked on very difficult and challenging mission in what is today parts of Canada and the northern segments of the United States of America. Some of them like St. Isaac Jogues and St. John de Brebeuf, among others braved through the very harsh conditions of that region, particularly the severe Canadian winter, in order to preach the Good News and the salvation in Jesus Christ to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. They had great successes and were welcomed by some of the natives, but also faced bitter and harsh challenges from other natives who opposed them and refused to listen to them. They never gave up their struggle, even unto their martyrdom at the hands of their persecutors.
Meanwhile St. Paul of the Cross was a great priest and founder of the Passionists, a religious order dedicated particularly to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and which members spent a lot of effort in reaching out to the faithful and ministering to their spiritual needs. St. Paul of the Cross himself answered God’s call to follow Him and to be a priest, dedicating his time and effort henceforth to serve the people of God, encouraging faithful practices such as praying the Divine Office and other devotions meant to help the faithful to focus their attention towards God, and to bring them ever closer to Him. St. Paul of the Cross tirelessly worked throughout his life and ministry to reach out to more of the people of God, and also wrote extensively on many matters of the faith.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore emulate the good examples and faith which our holy predecessors had done before us, that of the Holy Canadian Martyrs, St. Paul of the Cross and the many innumerable other holy men and women of God. May the Lord our God continue to help and guide us in our journey of faith through life, and may He ever always strengthen us and empower us all to live in the manner that God has called us to do. May all of us be good examples and inspirations for one another, now and always, evermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)
Luke 12 : 39-48
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”
Peter said, “Lord, did You tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants, to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master, on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.”
“But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”
“The servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)
Isaiah 12 : 2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
He is the God of my salvation; in Him I trust and am not afraid, YHVH is my strength : Him I will praise, the One Who saved me.
You will draw water with joy from the very fountain of salvation. Then you will say : “Praise to the Lord, break into songs of joy for Him, proclaim His marvellous deeds among the nations and exalt His Name.”
“Sing to the Lord : wonders He has done, let these be known all over the earth. Sing for joy, o people of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)
Ephesians 3 : 2-12
You may have heard of the graces God bestowed on me for your sake. By a revelation He gave me the knowledge of His mysterious design, as I have explained in a few words. On reading them, you will have some idea of how I understand the mystery of Christ. This mystery was not made known to past generations but only now, through revelations given to holy Apostles and prophets.
Now the non-Jewish people share the Inheritance; in Christ Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise. This is the Good News, of which I have become a minister, by a gift of God; a grace He gave me, when His power worked in me.
This grace, was given to me, the least, among all the holy ones : to announce to the pagan nations, the immeasurable riches of Christ, and to make clear to all, how the mystery, hidden from the beginning, in God, the Creator of all things, is to be fulfilled.
Even the heavenly forces and powers will now discover, through the Church, the wisdom of God in its manifold expression, as the plan is being fulfilled, which God designed from the beginning, in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. In Him, we receive boldness and confidence to approach God.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the immense love and mercy of God through which each and every one of us have received the assurance of eternal life and salvation, all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. All of us must remember how the Lord cares for us and how He treats us as truly precious people, as His own children, so that we will remember that we should remain focused on Him and not on worldly things and all else which can easily distract us in our way and journey towards His salvation and eternal life.
In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard of the words of St. Paul reminding all the people of God there of everything that the Lord had done for them, in their great fortune in having been rescued and redeemed by their Lord, Master, Saviour and Redeemer. All of them have deserved death and destruction, damnation and hell, and yet, God had mercy on them and because He is so full of love, and to all of us this reminder serves the same purpose, because God’s love, compassion and mercy are extended to all of us, regardless of our background and how great a sinner we have been in our respective lives.
St. Paul himself highlighted just how fallen and wretched our human nature and existence were, and yet, because of God’s love and mercy, all of us have received a new lease of life, a new hope and liberation from our downwards path towards destruction. St. Paul encouraged all of us just as he did to the faithful in Ephesus, reminding us of just how great and rich God’s mercy and compassion truly are. But at the same time, we must also not take His love and mercy for granted, or else, we will end up spurning these advances of love and mercy by the Lord, as what had happened to many of our predecessors, who were so caught up in their pride, ego and greed that they ignored the Lord and His love and mercy.
Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, that was precisely the reason why so many had faltered in their journey towards the Lord. They all failed to appreciate and embrace the Lord’s approach of love and compassion towards them. They took His love and generosity for granted and ignored and abandoned Him at their own convenience. In the end, they were all condemned not because God did not love them, but because they had little to no faith in Him, and they rejected Him by their own conscious effort and accord. They refused to embrace God’s love and mercy, and preferring to remain in the state of sin, although God has so generously given them His loving compassion and has always offered them His forgiveness.
In our Gospel passage today, we then heard about the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples using the example of a rich man who asked Him to judge and support him for his part of the inheritance against his own brethren. The Lord then also mentioned a parable about a rich man who was consumed with worry and preoccupied with his greed and desires, thinking of how he could accumulate more of whatever wealth that he had been gathering up to that point. The Lord concluded that parable and story with the warning of how even that rich man would meet his end, because if God so wills it, his life could end there and then, and nothing of what he had accumulated would accompany him.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, what does the Lord want us to learn from these passages today? Through His Church and the Scriptures today, the Lord wants us to know that we should be vigilant with ourselves and with the many temptations ever present all around us, lest we may be tempted to abandon Him and His love for the sake of worldly glory, material wealth, fame, possessions, human praise, status and many other things in this world which often distracted us and dragged us away from the path of God and into the path towards damnation and destruction. We have often indulged in these worldly desires and ended up forgetting about God, about His love and mercy.
Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the great early Church fathers whose life and works, whose actions and faith can become sources of inspiration for all of us in how each one of us can become ever better and more committed Christians in life. St. Ignatius of Antioch was one of the early Church fathers and bishops as the successors of the Apostles in the ministry of the Church, and he was the successor of St. Peter in the See of Antioch that the Apostle founded, who was dedicated to his flock and the expansion of the Church, for the care and salvation of souls among others.
St. Ignatius of Antioch was and is still greatly revered for his piety and faith in God, for his immense contribution and commitment to the Lord and His Church, as he wrote extensively to the Church, and corresponded actively with Pope St. Clement, the Bishop of Rome and St. Peter’s successor as the Vicar of Christ, and with the other Church fathers, on top of his work and passionate dedication to his local Christian flock. He faced hardships and challenges just as many of the early Christians and the Apostles themselves had faced, and died as a martyr in defending his faith and love for God.
Let us all therefore follow the good examples set by our holy predecessors, by St. Ignatius of Antioch and the innumerable other saints and martyrs, who have shown us what it truly means for us to become Christians, in becoming the holy people of God, called and chosen from this darkened and wretched world. We have been called to a greater and holier existence, to be like our loving and good Father, our Lord and Saviour Himself. Therefore, each and every one of us should strive to purify our lives and to align ourselves to His path and teachings, and reject all the corruptions and other things which sin had brought unto us.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, may the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in life, that we may ever persevere through the challenges and trials of life, especially when our faith in Him are tested and when we face hardships in life. We should remain firm in our faith and commitment to God, remembering His faithfulness to the Covenant that He had made with us, the love which He had generously given us and the compassion by which He willingly forgives us our sins. Let us all therefore commit ourselves to the Lord anew and endeavour and strive to lead a new life from now on, without sin any more. May God bless us and remain with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 