Holy Sunday

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the Second Sunday in the Christmas Season or the Second Sunday after Christmas. And as we are still currently celebrating the great joy of this Christmas time and season, we ought to continue reminding ourselves to keep the focus of our celebrations, festivities and rejoicing on Christ our Lord, the true reason for our joy and celebration this Christmas so that we do not end up forgetting the purpose, reason and intention why we are rejoicing during this period. We should always keep in mind that we rejoice not because we want to enjoy all the comforts and pleasures in life but rather we want to continue to be thankful to the Lord for all the love that He has shown us constantly all these while.

And as we all heard from our Scripture readings this Sunday, we are reminded of how God has sent us all His salvation, reassuring us all of His ever continued presence, guidance and help, loving us and giving us all the hope and light in the midst of the darkness surrounding us and our paths, so that by His light and hope we may be able to find our way out of our predicament and bondage to sin, and come to His loving Presence, be reunited and truly reconciled fully with Him. He has sent us all His Saviour in the form of His Son, the Divine Word Incarnate, Who has taken up our human existence and nature, dwelling in our midst and came to be born into this world through Mary, His Mother, the event which all of us celebrate as Christmas.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard of the words of the Lord’s assurance to His people, the Israelites and their descendants through the prophet Jeremiah in which the prophet spoke of God’s promise of redemption and help for all of them, liberation and good things to come. The prophet Jeremiah was known mostly for his message of warning against the sins of the people of God in the kingdom of Judah, the southern half of the once united Kingdom of Israel. Back then, the prophet Jeremiah ministered to the people of Judah during the last moments and years of its existence as an independent state, and Jeremiah spoke courageously on many occasions about the coming of destruction for Judah and Jerusalem because of the wickedness and sins of the people and also because they have all abandoned the Lord their God.

All of those things would indeed come true with the coming of the Babylonians and their mighty forces, the regional power of the time, which led to the siege of Jerusalem and the eventual downfall of the kingdom and the city of God’s people. Most of the people of Judah would be scattered to far-off places by the Babylonians, who burnt down the Temple of God and ransacked Jerusalem just as Jeremiah and many other earlier prophets had foretold. And yet, amidst all those prophecies as we have all heard today, God still did not give up hope on His people and He still loved them all nonetheless despite His anger against their wickedness and sins. Hence, Jeremiah also spoke of the love and compassion of God Who would eventually forgive His people and lead them and their descendants back once again to their lands.

In our second reading this Sunday, we then heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Ephesus in Asia Minor. St. Paul spoke to the faithful regarding what God had done for us all in His most generous love and kindness, in giving us all His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Mediator of our salvation and to help bring us all back and reunite us with our loving Father. Christ our Lord, through everything that He has done, in His incarnation and entry into this world which we celebrate this Christmas, and ultimately in His loving and most selfless sacrifice on the Cross, the Lord has fulfilled everything that He has promised to us since the very beginning, all made and accomplished through His Son.

For by the power of the Cross, Christ has triumphed and conquered death, and also broke forever the chains and dominion of sin and evil over us. He has provided each one of us the sure path to eternal life and salvation in God, which we can attain only through Him alone. And this is why we have been reminded of this great act of love from God because everything has been possible thanks to the Lord and His ever enduring and patient love for each and every one of us, His constant Presence, providence and guidance for us, His perseverance in continuing to care for us and in showing us compassion and mercy despite our repeated stubborn attitude in disobeying Him and in disregarding His Law and commandments.

And the Gospel passage from the famous first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle perfectly summarised what the Lord had done in loving us regardless of our sins and wickedness, and in His continued desire to seek to be reconciled and reunited with us. His Incarnation from the Divine Word of God, the Son of God Most High, becoming the Son of Man is the pivotal moment in which God opened the way for us to return to Him because by becoming Man like us, Jesus Christ, the Divine Word Incarnate showed us all the example of perfect obedience to the will of His Heavenly Father, and by being our Eternal and one True High Priest, He offered for us on our behalf the perfect offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, the Body and Blood of the Lamb of God, slain and sacrificed for us all.

This is why this Sunday we should reflect well on these messages from the Sacred Scriptures and on all that we have been celebrating and focusing on this whole Christmas season. Has the Lord become the centre and focus of our whole lives? Or have we marginalised and ignored Him, putting Him as secondary in importance as compared to all the worldly distractions and pursuits around us? That is why we should renew our commitment to the Lord, doing our best to live our lives according to His will and following His commandments once again. And let us all make this a reality, turning our lives over a new leaf and do what we can to live a most Christian life that we have been called to do.

May the Lord our loving God, our Saviour, our loving Father and Creator continue to be with us, guide us and empower us all, giving us the means and the strength to live our lives with faith and grace, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 1-18

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God; He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. Whatever has come to be, found life in Him; life, which for human beings, was also light, light that shines in darkness, light that darkness could not overcome.

A man came, sent by God; his name was John. He came to bear witness, as a witness to introduce the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but a witness to introduce the Light; for the Light was coming into the world, the true Light that enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and through Him the world was made, the very world that did not know Him.

He came to His own, yet His own people did not receive Him; but to all who received Him, He empowers to become children of God, for they believe in His Name. These are born, but not by seed, or carnal desire, nor by the will of man : they are born of God.

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father : fullness of truth and loving-kindness. John bore witness to Him openly, saying, “This is the One Who comes after me, but He is already ahead of me, for He was before me.”

From His fullness we have all received, favour upon favour. For God had given us the Law through Moses, but Truth and Loving-kindness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God-the-only-Son made Him known : the One, Who is in and with the Father.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ephesians 1 : 3-14

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, Who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in His presence. From eternity He destined us in love to be His adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will.

This goal suited Him : that His loving-kindness which He granted us in His Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise. For, in Christ, we obtain freedom, sealed by His Blood, and have the forgiveness of sins. In this, appears the greatness of His grace, which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us His mysterious design, in accordance with His loving kindness, in Christ.

In Him, and under Him, God wanted to unite, when the fullness of time had come, everything in heaven and on earth. By a decree of Him Who disposes all things according to His own plan and decision, we, the Jews, have been chosen and called and we were awaiting the Messiah, for the praise of His glory.

You, on hearing the word of truth, the Gospel that saves you, have believed in Him. And, as promised, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit, the first pledge of what we shall receive, on the way to our deliverance, as a people of God, for the praise of His glory.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 147 : 12-20

Exalt YHVH, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He grants peace on your borders and feeds you with the finest grain. He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word.

He spreads snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like pebbles; who will stand before His icy blasts? But He sends His word and melts the snow; He makes His breeze blow, and again the waters flow.

It is He, Who tells Jacob His words; His laws and decrees, to Israel. This, He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

Alternative Psalm

Wisdom 10 : 15-21

It was she who rescued an innocent and holy people from a nation of oppressors. She entered the soul of God’s servant and through him withstood terrible kings with signs and wonders.

To the holy people she gave the wages of their labour, leading them in a wonderful way, giving them shade during the day and the light of the stars at night.

She brought them across the Red Sea, but drowned their enemies and later washed them ashore from the depth of the abyss. So the righteous looted the godless, singing hymns, Lord, to Your holy Name, and one in heart, they gave thanks for Your saving hand.

Wisdom gives speech to the dumb and makes infants speak clearly.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 31 : 7-14

For YHVH says this, “Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say : ‘YHVH has saved His people, the remnant of Israel!’”

“Look, I will bring them back from the land of the north, gather them from the ends of the earth, the lame and the blind, mothers and women in labour – a great throng will return. They went away weeping, they will return in joy. I will lead them by the streams of water, on a level path so that no one will stumble, for I am Israel’s Father and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

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 – the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden; no more will they be afflicted. 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. I will fill the priests with abundance, and satisfy My people with My bounty – this is YHVH’s word.”

Alternative reading

Sirach 24 : 1-12

Listen to Wisdom singing her own praises and extolling herself in the midst of her people. See, she opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High, she glories in herself before the Almighty.

I came out from the mouth of God and covered the face of the earth like a mist; although My dwelling place is in the highest heavens, My throne is within a pillar of cloud. I alone have seen and understood the vault of the skies and strolled through the depths of the abyss, taking possession of the raging sea and of the earth as well, with all its people and nations.

In all of these, I looked for a place to rest; in which territory would I set up My abode? Then the Creator of the Universe commanded Me, He Who created Me assigned the place of My rest, “Pitch Your tent in Jacob; Israel will be Your homeland.”

He created Me from the beginning, before time began, and I will never cease to be, I celebrate in His presence the liturgy of His Holy Dwelling and this is why I settled in Zion. The Lord let Me rest in His beloved city and Jerusalem is the heart of My Kingdom. I took root in the people God has favoured, in the land of the Lord, in their inheritance.

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Sunday, 29 December 2024 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday, the first Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord we all celebrate the occasion of the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph which is indeed appropriate as after all that is what Christmas is all about, the Holy Family and everything that happened with them, especially in Christ Jesus, the Son of God Who is the centre figure of Christmas, the Holy Child born in Bethlehem in Judea over two millennia ago as the fulfilment of everything which God has promised to all of us, His beloved people throughout all of history and time. This Feast of the Holy Family is a reminder for all of us of the great love of God which He has shown us all, as our loving Father and Creator, and we are all part of God’s beloved Family.

On this day we recall that perfect and model family, the Family that is the inspiration for all of our Christian families, just as we heard from the evidence and the passages from the Sacred Scriptures on how this Family of the Lord is a real, loving and genuine family where each of the members of this Family performed their respective roles dutifully and faithfully, as an example for all of us to follow. This is also an inspiration and reminder for all of us as Christians, how we are to live our lives within our wider and greater Christian family in this world, the Church of God and the various communities that we have in the Church, in our own families and relatives. All of us should be inspired by this example so that our own families may be truly faithful and worthy bearers of God’s truth and love in our world today.

Now, let us first look through our Scripture passages, beginning from the first reading which was taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel about the story of the birth and early life of the prophet Samuel, the firstborn son of Hannah his mother with Elkanah, his father. For the context, Elkanah, Samuel’s father had two wives, named Penninah and Hannah. The other wife, Penninah, had borne Elkanah many children while Hannah, Samuel’s mother, was barren and unable to conceive a child. Not only that but since Elkanah loved Hannah more, Penninah often bullied Hannah and mocked her for her lack of a child and barrenness, which was a sign negatively viewed at the time. Hannah sought the Lord and prayed for a son, and God heard her.

Hannah also promised to dedicate her son to the Lord if He granted her wish, and that was what we heard in today’s first reading passage, which detailed how Samuel was born, and then at the appointed time after he has been weaned from his mother, Hannah and Elkanah brought him to Eli, the then High Priest and Judge of Israel, to consecrate and commit Samuel to the service of God. And that was how the story of Samuel began and how He eventually became God’s Prophet and the Judge over all of Israel, the last of the Judges before the days and time of the Kings. And we can see clearly in Samuel’s family how they all put God at the centre of all things, being faithful and committed to God, centred on prayer and devotion to Him.

We also can see how love is truly evident in Samuel’s family, as Elkanah mentioned earlier loved Hannah very much, and vice versa, and Hannah took good care of Samuel before he was dedicated to the Lord’s service. No doubt even after that, although it was unrecorded in the Scriptures, that Samuel’s family would continue to visit him from time to time as he grew up ever stronger in wisdom and in the ways of the world. Their exemplary faith and love, and how they kept putting God at the centre of their family and existence is something that we should also be doing in our own families. This is similar to what we then heard from our Gospel passage today regarding the Holy Family, about the time when the Lord Jesus stayed behind at the Temple of Jerusalem while He was just twelve years old.

As we heard and should well know, the Lord Jesus quietly stayed back at the Temple of Jerusalem, being drawn to the House of His Heavenly Father and as a revelation of His true identity as the Incarnate Son of God. But this made His Mother Mary and St. Joseph to be worried, and they spent time trying to find where He was, tracing their path back to Jerusalem and the Temple of God where they finally found Him. We heard how the Lord Jesus obeyed them and followed them back to Nazareth even though He desired to stay at His Father’s House. From the Lord Jesus we saw the example of obedience, which He later on would show again at the moment of His Passion, bearing up willingly the weight of the Cross for our salvation, obeying perfectly His Father’s will for our salvation.

And hence from Mary and St. Joseph we saw the great love that they had for their Son. Mary as the Mother of the Lord naturally loved Him and she devoted herself completely to Him, and later on, she would follow her Son throughout various parts of His ministry, and she followed Him all the way even to the Cross, as she faithfully stayed by His side to the very end. She nurtured the Lord Jesus and cared for Him throughout His whole life, and hence, she is truly deserving of the great honour that we have given to her as the Mother of God. At the same time, St. Joseph, despite not being the biological father of the Lord and was just His foster-father, he continued to devote himself, his time and effort to provide for and to protect Mary and her Holy Child, just as he had been entrusted to do.

Through the examples that we have been provided with today, we are all reminded that our families are truly important parts of our lives and they also serve as the foundations and integral parts of the whole Church of God. If our families are not rooted in the Lord and if we do not spend good and quality time together with our fellow family members, then it will be easier for the evil one to strike at us and break through us, dividing us among ourselves and weakening our connection both towards God and to our fellow brothers and sisters, especially to our fellow family members. This is why we need to strengthen our commitment to our families and take heed from the inspirations and examples shown and discussed this Sunday so that our families may grow ever stronger and more resilient against the many challenges and pressures from the world.

What all of us should do is, whichever members of our family we are, be it as a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling or others, all of us should strive and commit to spend good quality time with our fellow family members around us. If the family does not even spend good and quality time together at all, and instead being preoccupied by many distractions of worldly pursuits and ambitions, then how can the family stay together? Many families and marriages had faltered before and collapsed precisely because of this lack of good quality time that we should have spent with each other. And of course, another important part of our families must be God, and God should always be at the heart and centre of our every families.

Let us ask ourselves, when was the last time we spend good, quality and precious time with our family members, and as one family, praying together and doing activities together? If we have not done these recently, then it is imperative that we try our best to do them as soon as possible, and try to make the time for each other, even amidst our busy schedules and activities in life. Let us all realise the importance of good Christian families, all of which should be safe space and firm anchor for each one of us, as the strong pillars of our Church and faith, a safe place and space where each one of us can grow ever stronger in faith and grace of God. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to bless our families and their members. Amen.

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Sunday, 29 December 2024 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 2 : 41-52

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, He went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the Boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.

They thought He was in the company, and after walking the whole day they looked for Him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for Him, and on the third day they found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw Him, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for You.” Then He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them. As for His mother, she kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favour.

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Sunday, 29 December 2024 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 3 : 1-2, 21-24

See what singular love the Father has for us : we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children, and what we shall be has not, yet, been shown. Yet, when He appears in His glory, we know, that we shall be like Him, for, then, we shall see Him as He is.

When our conscience does not condemn us, dear friends, we may have complete confidence in God. Then, whatever we ask, we shall receive, since we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. His command is, that we believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and that, we love one another, as He has commanded us.

Whoever keeps His commands remains in God and God in him. It is by the Spirit God has given us, that we know He lives in us.

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Sunday, 29 December 2024 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 83 : 2-3, 5-6, 9-10

How lovely are Your rooms, o YHVH of hosts! My soul yearns; pines, for the courts of YHVH. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Happy are those who live in Your house, continually singing Your praise! Happy, the pilgrims whom You strengthen, to make the ascent to You.

O YHVH of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, o God of Jacob! Look upon our shield, o God; look upon the face of Your Anointed!

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Sunday, 29 December 2024 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 1 : 20-22, 24-28

And Hannah became pregnant. She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel because she said : “I have asked YHVH to give him to me.” Once more Elkanah went to the Temple with his family to offer his yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow to YHVH. Hannah would not go along but she said to her husband, “I will bring the child there as soon as he is weaned. He shall be presented to YHVH and stay there forever.”

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him with her along with a three year old bull, a measure of flour and a flask of wine, and she brought him to YHVH’s house of Shiloh. The child was still young.

After they had slain the bull, they brought the child to Eli. Hannah exclaimed : “Oh, my lord, look! I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to YHVH. I asked for this child and YHVH granted me the favour I begged of Him. I think YHVH is now asking for this child. As long as he lives, he belongs to YHVH.”

And they worshipped YHVH there.