Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!”
Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There the tribes go up.
The tribes of the Lord, the Assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.
Liturgical Colour : White
Ephesians 4 : 7-16
But to each of us divine grace is given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said : When He ascended to the heights, He brought captives and gives His gifts to people. He ascended, what does it mean but that He had also descended to the lower parts of the world? He Himself Who went down, then ascended far above all the heavens fill all things.
As for His gifts, to some He gave to be Apostles, to others prophets, or even evangelists, or pastors and teachers. So He prepared those who belong to Him for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity and sharing the fullness of Christ.
Then no longer shall we be like children tossed about by any wave or wind of doctrine, and deceived by the cunning of people who drag them along into error. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we shall grow in every way towards Him Who is the Head, Christ. From Him comes the growth of the whole body to which a network of joints gives order and cohesion, taking into account and making use of the function of each one. So the body builds itself in love.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard the Scripture passages telling us firstly about the works of St. Paul the Apostle who was called by God and was sent to preach the Good News of God into the foreign lands to the pagan peoples who have yet to hear the Good News, and who have yet to know the identity of their true Lord and Saviour.
He has worked among them and preached among them the Good News, calling them to conversion and to understand the will of God for them. God helped him and guided him along the path, and in doing so he has been like the good and hardworking steward that Jesus our Lord mentioned in the Gospel today, where He praised the actions of the good steward who was committed to fulfil the work he was entrusted with by his master.
This was contrasted with the lazy and wicked servant whose actions were not what his master wanted from him. The lazy and wicked servant was not forthcoming with his works, and he thought that when the master was not around, he could do whatever he wanted and nothing would happen to him if he did not do as what was expected of him.
Unfortunately the master came back unexpectedly and he found out that the lazy servant had been neglecting his works, and he had therefore become unworthy of his position, and thus, the master sacked him and punished him heavily, while he praised and graced the good servant who did his work admirably, and this is a reminder to each and every one of us, we who are God’s people, His servants and followers, that we should not neglect what the Lord had entrusted to us.
And what is that brothers and sisters in Christ? What is it that God entrusted to us? It is the mission of evangelisation, to preach the Good News to our brethren, to one another, to all those who have yet to receive and to hear the Good News, all those who are living in sin and corruption of their darkness and wickedness, that all of these may be saved and may be freed from the evils that beset them and be brought into eternal life in God.
Many of us Christians are not aware of this mission which God had entrusted to us through His Apostles and His Church. We are all called to continue the works of the Apostles, continuing the good works that St. Paul had started, the labours and hardships he had encountered which we have heard in our first reading today. We may have thought that their works were completed, but in reality, there are always more work out there to be done.
Perhaps we should look at the examples of the holy saints whose feast we are celebrating today. This day we celebrate firstly the feast of the martyrs of North America, namely St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, and their many companions, fellow priests and missionaries, as well as many laymen who died defending their faith and in their mission to spread the Good News in the region now known as Canada and the rest of North America.
These missionaries, who were members of the Jesuit order, went from France to the wild lands and unexplored territories known now as Quebec and Canada, working and preaching among the local American Indian populations, introducing them to the Lord Jesus and to His salvation. Their work was not easy, as although there were some of the Indian populations who listened to them and converted to the Faith, but there were many others who refused to believe and were hostile to the missionaries and their efforts.
Nevertheless, these brave and courageous missionaries did not let the difficulties and challenges to overcome them, and despite all the mounting challenges facing them, they persevered on and continued to minister to the people whom they have called from the darkness. But several of them were martyred as they were captured and tortured by those tribes who refused to believe in Jesus and in His salvation.
Eventually the rest would be martyred as they were caught in between conflict among the worldly powers as well as between the Indian tribes, but their missionary works and pioneering examples served as examples for many generations of Christians in that region and in other parts of the world alike. Many more missionaries were to perish and to suffer in their attempt to evangelise to the people living in ignorance and darkness, but their contributions had saved countless souls and helped to establish the Church in various places.
St. Paul of the Cross meanwhile was an Italian priest and mystic, who was a simple man devoting himself to a life of service to God and to His people, and he was very devoted in his prayer life to God, and established with many other similar-minded companions, the congregation of the Poor of Jesus, devoting their time and efforts to live in a life of poverty and commitment to God, while teaching many others how they can become closer to God.
He established many communities devoted to contemplative life to God, and through his many visions received from the Lord, St. Paul of the Cross shared with many of his followers and others about these revelations and through his many writings and works, he gave to them and also to all of us, the insight into how we ought to follow the Lord and walk in His ways.
The examples from these holy saints and all the faithful predecessors who have walked and laboured before us should be inspirations for us all to follow, that by walking in their footsteps, we may be able to draw closer to God ourselves, and at the same time, also help to bring one another especially those who have lost their ways, that we all may find our way to God together and receive the fullness of His grace together. May God be with us all, now and forevermore. 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.
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 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, on this day, we are reminded again how we have been saved through the loving action and through the mercy of God, Who have forgiven our trespasses and opened for us the path to salvation and eternal life, a liberation from the darkness and the corruptions which had trapped us all these while.
God has by His grace allowed us to receive the good fruits of His blessings, and through Him He has enabled us all to enjoy the promise of everlasting life, the hope amidst all of the despairs of this world. Yet, we mankind are the ones who are often obstinate and adamant in our ways, refusing to believe in Him and even rejected Him for lesser beings, false idols and all other distractions of this world.
We trust more in our own judgments and desires rather than listening and obeying to the Lord our God. And in doing so, we have often fallen into sin and deeper into the darkness. Our desires pull us ever more to try to attain for ourselves even more of what satisfied our flesh, the pleasures of our bodies, that we acted in ways as mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel today.
He mentioned about a rich man who had plenty of wealth, in his barns, crops and coins he possessed. And yet, he still desired for even more of these wealth, and thinking as well as worrying about what to be done to his ever growing wealth. He had planned long into the future to accumulate all the more of what he had attained, and to gather even more of what brought him satisfaction, fame, glory and prosperity.
And yet, God reminded him and indeed all of us, each and every one of us, that for all the wonders and the good things we have, all of these do not last forever. And just as much as we mankind can plan for all the things we want to do in life, ultimately, it is God Who decides our fate, and it is He alone Who understands us fully and knows the exact lengths of our earthly existence. He gave us life, and He alone can take the same life back.
It is a lesson and a reminder for us all Christians that our existence and our salvation depends on God, and indeed our lives depend on God, and His love is the one that made everything possible for us. He is generous and rich in mercy and love, but are we doing anything in order to accept these rich offerings of love? The love of God is ours to take, but do we love Him in the same manner and just as much as He has loved us?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called to appreciate more what God had given us, and then to take up into ourselves the responsibilities and the tasks which He had entrusted to us just as He entrusted those same tasks in His commands to His Apostles that many years ago just before He left to ascend to His heavenly glory.
We are all called to serve the Lord with faith and zeal, and to deliver unto the whole world, the revelation of God’s salvation and of His hope for us all, that through believing and accepting that the Lord Jesus Christ is their Lord and Saviour, and through complete and total change in life attitudes and actions, all of them, all of us mankind may be brought to the salvation God promised His faithful ones.
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, a very influential and important disciple of the Lord who was the successor of St. Peter the Apostle in his capacity as the Bishop of Antioch, and therefore was its second bishop, in a city where the Church was first established and where the faithful were also first known as Christians.
St. Ignatius of Antioch was very devoted to the Lord, giving his best in the works to establish and to strengthen the foundations of the Church in the region and beyond after he converted to the faith and became one of the leaders of the Church. It was because of his hard work and contributions from the other faithful and Church leaders that the Church endured through the difficult first decades of its existence.
He wrote extensively about the teachings of the Lord and published these among the faithful, encouraging them to keep the faith courageously even amidst threat of persecution and suffering imposed by the Roman authorities. He often led by example, serving the poor and the weak ones in the community, and the numbers of the faithful continued to grow during his leadership of the Church in Antioch.
While he was eventually martyred in Rome as the traditions held, truly, he had no regret or fear, for unlike those who have endeavoured to build for themselves earthly wealth and treasures. For he had built up for himself immense treasure in heaven, one that truly matters. For no one who have placed their trust in the Lord shall be disappointed, and neither was St. Ignatius of Antioch and the many other holy saints and martyrs.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore join our efforts together, to bring the Good News of God to all the peoples, to our brethren by our own faith and fidelity to our faith and to the teachings of the Church. May God help us on our journey and may He help us to draw closer to Himself, leaving behind our sinful past and embrace a new future filled with love and joy. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Luke 12 : 13-21
At that time, someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus, “Master, tell my brother to share with me the family inheritance.” He replied, “My friend, who has appointed Me as your Judge or your Attorney?”
Then Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard and avoid every kind of greed, for even though you have many possessions, it is not that which gives you life.” And Jesus continued with this story, “There was a rich man, and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought, ‘What shall I do, for I am short of room to store my harvest?'”
“‘Alright, I know what I shall do; I will pull down my barns and I will build bigger ones, to store all this grain, which is my wealth. Then I will say to myself : My friend, you have a lot of good things put by for many years. Rest, eat, drink and enjoy yourself.'”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you. Tell me who shall get all you have put aside?’ This is the lot of the one who stores up riches for himself and is not wealthy in the eyes of God.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
Psalm 99 : 2, 3, 4, 5
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God; He created us and we are His people, the sheep of His fold.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His Name.
For the Lord is good; His love lasts forever and His faithfulness through all generations.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Ephesians 2 : 1-10
You were dead through the faults and sins. Once you lived through them according to the world and followed the Sovereign Ruler Who reigns between heaven and earth and Who goes on working in those who resist the faith. All of us belonged to them at one time and we followed human greed; we obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to its desires. By ourselves, we went straight to the judgment like the rest of humankind.
But God, Who is rich in mercy, revealed His immense love. As we were dead through our sins, He gave us life with Christ. By grace you have been saved! And He raised us to life with Christ, giving us a place with Him in heaven. In showing us such kindness in Christ Jesus, God willed to reveal and unfold in the coming ages the extraordinary riches of His grace.
By the grace of God you have been saved through faith. This has not come from you : it is God’s gift. This was not the result of your works, so you are not to feel proud. What we are is God’s work. He has created us in Christ Jesus for the good works He has prepared that we should devote ourselves to them.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 