Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 136 : 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
By the streams of Babylon, we sat; and then wept, as we remembered Zion. When, on the poplars, we hung our harps.
Our captors asked for song. Our tormentors wanted songs of joy : “Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!”
How could we sing YHVH’s song in a strange and alien land? If I forget you, o Jerusalem, may my right hand fall useless!
May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if Jerusalem is not the first of my joys.
Liturgical Colour : White
Nehemiah 2 : 1-8
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, I was doing my duty as cupbearer. I took up the wine and gave it to the king. I had never been sad before the king in the past. So, the king said to me, “Why do you look sad? You do not look sick. Is there something that bothers you?”
I became hesitant. And I said, “May the king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burnt down?” The king said to me, “What do you want, then?” I asked help of God from heaven and said to the king, “If it seems good to the king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may rebuild it.”
The queen was sitting beside the king, and the king asked me, “How long will you be gone? When will you be back?” I told him the date and he allowed me to leave. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the province of the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah; and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king’s forest, for I will need wood for the gates of the citadel near the Temple, for the walls of the city and for the house where I shall live.”
The good hand of God was supporting me, so that the king gave me what I asked.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we have listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded yet again of just how fortunate we are to have been beloved by God so much, that He has provided us with such great graces, in sending us His most wonderful guidance and help throughout all these time, and how He gave us the assurance of His salvation that He has fulfilled perfectly and completely through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Lord has loved each and every one of us so much that He has given us the perfect gift, the manifestation of His wonderful love in His Son, that through Him, all of us have been shown and led to the path towards eternal life and true joy.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the vision which Zechariah received from God, a heavenly vision in which an Angel and a Man went around a heavenly Jerusalem, the Holy City, measuring its length and size, and how the Angel revealed to Zechariah that there would be no wall or protection required for the heavenly city of God, because the Lord Himself would be with His people, as He gathered all of His beloved people to Himself, calling all of them from wherever they had been scattered to, reuniting them all to Him, and reconciling them to Himself. They will be His people and He will be their God, and they all will enjoy forever the fruits of His love and kindness, blessings and graces.
We can understand this better if we know the context of the works and the ministry of the prophet Zechariah. The prophet Zechariah ministered to the people of God during the time after their exile and then return back to the land of their ancestors, and after they had started rebuilding their home back from the ashes and the destruction inflicted decades earlier by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Back then, the city of Jerusalem was still in ruins, with not just its Temple, but the whole city and its walls had been torn down and destroyed. Therefore, God’s words to His people came at a most appropriate time, reminding all of them, that if they all trust in Him and walk ever more faithfully in His ways, then there is nothing that they should be afraid of. God Himself would protect them and defend them.
And as we heard from the Gospel passage today, we heard of how the Lord sent His Son into our midst as we have discussed just earlier on. And there, the Lord Jesus foretold of His upcoming sufferings, the moments of His Passion and struggles that would come upon Him, as He warned His disciples and followers so that they would be ready for those moments and remain strong in the faith, and not falling into temptation or despair, when the enemies of the Lord were to rise against Him. Linking to what we have heard in our first reading today, we should realise the significance of what the Lord had done for us. Just as He had come into our midst, and willingly took upon Himself our many sins and wickedness, He had put Himself between us and our accusers, Satan and all of his forces that sought our destruction.
Thus, that is how the Lord, our most loving God and Saviour, had suffered for all of us, as He looked lovingly upon us from His Cross. He chose to suffer so that we may all be saved and have eternal life and true happiness through Him. His love for us endures even through the various challenges and the many trials that He had to face, and through all the betrayals and stubbornness that He has suffered and faced from us. He reached out to us nonetheless, and tried His best to save us all, and to lead us all back to the right path, so that none of us may end up being lost from Him, and that we may enter into the glorious kingdom and inheritance prepared for us from the very beginning, just as He has always intended.
That is why, today, brothers and sisters, let us all discern carefully what we have heard and discussed earlier, and discern carefully our path forward in life. Are we going to continue to disobey the Lord and to harden our hearts and minds against Him? Or are we going to rectify our mistakes and errors, and listen to His words and advice being spoken in our hearts and minds? Let us all make best use of whatever time and opportunities that have been given to us so that we will always continue to live our lives most faithfully and worthily in all things, and that we ourselves may be good inspirations and role models for others all around us, in how we live our lives with faith in God. Let us all appreciate all the love we have received from God, and the compassion and mercy we have received from Him.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, a great priest and servant of God, who is one of the four original Doctors of the Church, who is a great disciple of the Lord, and whose life and holiness should inspire us all in how we can live our lives in a more committed way to the Lord. St. Jerome was well-known for his ascetic lifestyle and dedication to God, and he was also remembered for his many theological works and writings, as well as his efforts in compiling the Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible, which would become the Latin Vulgate, the version of the Bible used by many others up to this very day. He was also active in his other contributions to the Church, including as an important and close advisor to the Pope, so much so that he was considered as one of the precursors of the Cardinals that assist the Pope in the governance of the Church today. He was a truly dedicated and holy servant of God, in all the things he has done.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the faithful examples of St. Jerome, his works and commitment should inspire all of us to live our lives worthily of the Lord as well, with focus ever directed towards God and not upon our own personal ambitions and desires. We should also help one another in putting our faith and trust ever more in God, and in doing what we have been all called to do as Christians, as God’s people. Each and every one of us should always be filled with the desire to love the Lord our God and to have constant faith in Him, at all times. We should not easily be swayed or distracted by the many temptations and challenges present all around us. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen all of us in our devotion to Him. St. Jerome, holy man of God, and devout servant of God, pray for us all sinners. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 9 : 43b-45
At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.
Liturgical Colour : White
Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13
Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coast lands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.
For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.
Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.
Liturgical Colour : White
Zechariah 2 : 5-9, 14-15a
Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its length.”
As the Angel who spoke to me came forward, another Angel met him and said, “Run and tell this to that young man : ‘Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people and livestock.’ For this is the word of YHVH : I, Myself, will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her, in glory.”
“Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded and called to be truly faithful to God, turning ourselves away from the path of sin, evil and wickedness, and embracing once again God’s path, His Law and commandments so that we may all indeed be truly worthy of Him, and be righteous and virtuous in all things. The Lord has not forgotten about us and has always loved us despite of our disobedience and evils, all the wickedness and sins we have done in our lives. He wants us all to come back to Him and to His loving and holy Presence, and hence, extended His mercy and compassion, kindness and love, reminding us that we are truly His beloved children and people.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezra we heard the continuation of this week’s discourse from that Book, relating to us the events that happened during the time when the Israelites and their descendants returned to the land of Israel, the promised land, after decades of exile in distant Babylon and Assyria, as well as other places, by God’s grace and intervention, as He moved the heart and mind of the King of Persia, Cyrus the Great, who allowed them all to return back to their homeland and authorised the rebuilding of the House of God, the Temple of Jerusalem which had been torn down and destroyed by the Babylonians. Through these events, the people of God were finally restored to honour and grace in God, as God moved to forgive them from their past sins.
Their ancestors had foolishly abandoned the Lord, betrayed Him for the pagan gods and false idols of their neighbours, committing all sorts of evils and wickedness that were unworthy of being God’s beloved and holy people. They chose to depend on worldly powers and matters, means and strategies rather than to trust in the Lord Who has always been with them throughout all of their whole journey. That was why they met their downfall and destruction, their country, their cities and towns were destroyed, and they were exiled into far-off and distant lands, with foreigners and pagans being brought in to settle in their ancestral lands. All these humiliations and sufferings served to highlight the consequences of disobedience and sins against God.
The priest and prophet Ezra in our first reading passage today gathered the people of God after they have returned to their land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple went well, and as we heard, he prayed to the Lord on behalf of all the people, gathering their prayers and thoughts to Him. Ezra conveyed the people’s remorse and regret over their many sins and wickedness, and also the faults of their predecessors and ancestors, showing the desire to once again follow the Lord their God wholeheartedly. At the same time, Ezra also reminded all of the people, of everything that God had done, in loving them and in being compassionate and caring for them, and hence, how they should all be grateful for what the Lord had done for them, and how they should all strive to do what God has commanded and called them to do.
Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus sending out His disciples ahead of Him in order to do His works and ministry, among the people of God, proclaiming His Good News and truth, revealing God’s desire to save all of His people and calling all of them to the grace and mercy of God. The Lord sent all of them to show them His love and mercy that He has manifested into this world, embodied in Himself, as the Saviour of all, and how those disciples proclaim this same revelation and salvation in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through all these, He wants us all to know that the path to His love, forgiveness and grace is always open, but the choice is ultimately ours to make, whether we want to embrace this path or not. Those who refuse to repent, and continue to sin against God, will have no part in the inheritance and eternal life promised to those who are faithful to God.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, one of the very well-known saints of the Church, whose life, commitment and dedication to God are truly inspirational and exemplary. He was a truly great servant of God, who has devoted himself to the poor and the needy among other works. This French priest entered the seminary early in his life and gained education to be a priest, and when he had been ordained a priest, it was, according to history and tradition, that he was abducted on a ship on his way, by the then notorious Barbary pirates. He was auctioned off as a slave and spent two years in bondage, passing from master to master in several places before eventually ending up with a former priest that had renounced his faith, and who was convinced by St. Vincent de Paul’s life and actions, to bring the man of God back with him, and freed him from bondage.
Through this experience and others, St. Vincent de Paul always had the concern for those who were suffering and needy. He spent time ministering to the freed slaves, having experienced similar experiences as them, and then also among the poor in his ministry and journeys, eventually being part of the establishment of foundations and congregations of those who were concerned and involved in the care and ministry of those who were poor and had been neglected by the society, ignored and abandoned, with no one to help or assist them. His works and ministry inspired many others during his life and after his passing, that eventually led to the foundation of the modern day Society of St. Vincent de Paul that is renowned for its work for the poor and the needy throughout the world.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of today’s Scripture readings and also the life and works of St. Vincent de Paul, let us all therefore be filled with the conviction and the desire to love and serve God anew in our lives, and to be loving to our brothers and sisters around us, especially those who are in need of our love, help and kindness, like those who are poor and ostracised by the society, and all those who have been unloved. Let us all be exemplary, righteous and worthy in all of our actions, so that we may truly be good role models and inspirations for one another in our lives and actions, in our every endeavours and efforts. May God be with us always, and may He remind us all of our obligations and calling to serve Him with faith and commitment, and to proclaim His Good News and truth at all times, in every opportunities available to us. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 9 : 1-6
At that time, Jesus called His Twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to drive out all evil spirits and to heal diseases. And He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He instructed them, “Do not take anything for the journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even take a spare tunic.”
“Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. And wherever they do not welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet : it will be as a testimony against them.”
So they set out, and went through the villages, proclaiming the Good News and healing people everywhere.
Liturgical Colour : White
Tobit 13 : 2, 3-4a, 4bcd, 5, 8
It is He Who punishes and He Who has mercy; Who makes people go down to the depths off the underworld and rise up again from the great abyss. No one can escape His hand.
Give Him thanks, people of Israel, before all the nations. Though He has dispersed you among them, He now shows you His greatness.
Exalt Him before all the living, because He is our God and Lord, our Father forever.
He punishes us for our wrongdoing but again He will forgive us. He will bring us together again from amongst all the nations among whom we have been dispersed.
I, in the land of my captivity, will return Him thanks and show His strength and greatness to My sinful people. Be converted, you sinners, and live justly before Him, certain that He will be pleased with you and show you mercy.
Liturgical Colour : White
Ezra 9 : 5-9
I remained seated and dismayed until the evening sacrifice; and then, at the time for the evening offering, I rose from my fasting, and with my clothes and mantle torn, I knelt down, spreading out my hands to YHVH, my God.
I said, “My God! I am ashamed and confused, my God, I do not dare raise my eyes to You; for our sins have increased over our heads and our crimes reach up to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors to this day, our guilt has been great. We, our kings and priests have been given into the hands of foreign kings because of our crimes; we have been delivered to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and put to shame as on this day.”
“However, for a brief moment, the mercy of YHVH, our God, has been shown to us. He made a remnant of our people survive, and allowed the survivor to settle once again in His Holy Place. He has given us joy and life, though we are in bondage. We are no more than slaves, but in the midst of our slavery, God has not abandoned us, He has extended a merciful hand over us to support us before the kings of Persia. He has revived our life, enabled us to rebuild the House of our God, and to have walls in Jerusalem and in the other cities of Judah.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 