light of Christ

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Tuesday, 6 January 2015 : Tuesday after the Epiphany (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if yesterday we heard about the actions of Christ our Lord, who came into this world to save it, then today we are reflecting on the very love of God which He had made manifest through Jesus, our Lord, through whose action as we heard in the Gospel today, we see for real the concrete and genuine love which God has for His people.

In the Gospel today we heard about the famous and well-known feeding by Jesus of the multitude of five thousand men, not counting together the women and children. Jesus performed the great miracle of multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes, that all of the numerous throngs of people had enough to eat and even with much extra leftovers filling up twelve full baskets.

This was the proof of God’s love for us mankind, not just by mere words and empty promises, but through real action, which He Himself committed in this world through His Word Incarnate into Man, Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus saw the multitudes of people who followed Him, and He had pity on them, for He loved them and those people to Him were like sheep without a shepherd, lost in the darkness of the world.

And thus, Jesus showed them His love and cared for them, providing them not just with physical food and nourishment, but also with food and nourishment for their spirits. The feeding done by Jesus through His miracle, where He fed more than five thousand people is a proof of God’s love in feeding and caring for His people, just as He had done before. Remember the feeding of the Israelites with manna, the bread from heaven? They were fed for forty years, the entirety of their journey, and the Lord also made large birds available for them to catch as their food.

But we have to remember also, what Christ had said when He was tempted the first time by Satan. He was very hungry and Satan tempted Him by asking Him to turn the stones into bread for Him to eat. But Jesus rebuked Satan, saying that men does not survive on bread alone, but on every words that came out of the mouth of God. And that was exactly what Jesus also did to the people. He fed them the spiritual food of His words and teachings.

When the people were hungry and their stomachs were empty, He fed them with much food, so much that there was excess, and as they were like sheep lost without their shepherds, Jesus became their Shepherd, leading them from harm’s way that is the darkness, and lead them into the Light. He taught them the meaning of the Law and how to live according to the will of God, following His way of leading a good and devoted life.

In that, He cared for His flock, the sheep that He had gathered back from the world, and those whom He had called to follow Him. He provided them with what they need, with the food for the flesh, and the food for their spirits. But He did not stop at that, for the gift of God’s love went all the way, providing us all with a new life, by none other than the ultimate act of love which Christ performed for our sake.

For Christ has taken the burdens of our sins upon Himself, and loaded them upon His shoulders. The cross He bore on the way of suffering to Calvary is the proof of His ultimate and undying love for all of us. He bore all the sufferings and pains of the sins we have, so that as He suffered from them and died because of them, we may ourselves be freed from the consequences of those sins, as long as we believe in Christ.

And He also gave us His love by the shedding and the sharing of His own Body and Blood, that just like the sons and daughters of Israel who ate of the young slaughtered lamb and had its blood on their doorposts and were saved from death, passed over by the angels, thus, we too, who partake in His Body and Blood, which we receive with fullness of faith in the Eucharist, may be brought into life eternal with Him, for He lives in us, and we live too in Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we progress through this holy season of Christmas, we should continue to reflect on the great love which God has for us all, and no greater love indeed than for someone to give up his life for another, especially for Christ who had given up His life for us all while we are still sinners and filled with the defilements of sin.

Let us all be grateful for that great love, which God showed us, so that by understanding and recognising His great love, we may also practice the same love in our own lives. May all of us be more and more loving and be more gracious as days pass by, and may our Lord and Almighty be with us all, so that we may be better able to resist the temptations of life. May we all be more loving and more forgiving in our actions, embracing one another as fellow brethren in the Lord. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/05/tuesday-6-january-2015-tuesday-after-the-epiphany-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/05/tuesday-6-january-2015-tuesday-after-the-epiphany-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/05/tuesday-6-january-2015-tuesday-after-the-epiphany-gospel-reading/

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord (I Classis) – Tuesday, 6 January 2015 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

Lectio Isaiae Prophetae – Lesson from Isaiah the Prophet

Isaiah 60 : 1-6

Surge, illuminare, Jerusalem : quia venit lumen Tuum, et gloria Domini super te orta est. Quia ecce, tenebrae operient terram et caligo populos : super te autem orietur Dominus, et gloria ejus in te videbitur. Et ambulant gentes in lumine tuo, et reges in splendore ortis tui.

Leva in circuitu oculos tuos, et vide : omnes isti congregati sunt, venerunt tibi : filii tui de longe venient, et filiae tuae de latere surgent. Tunc videbis et afflues, mirabitur et dilatabitur cor tuum, quando conversa fuerit ad te multitudo maris, fortitudo gentium venerit tibi.

Inundation camelorum operiet te, dromedarii Madian et Epha : omnes de Saba venient, aurum et thus deferentes, et laudem Domino annuntiantes.

 

English translation

Arise, be enlightened, o Jerusalem, for your Light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist shall cover the people, but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall walk in your light, and kings in the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes round about and see, all these are gathered together, they have come to you, your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall rise up at your side. Then you shall see, and abound, and your heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to you, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to you.

The multitudes of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Median and Epha, all those from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and showing forth praise to the Lord.

 

Homily and Reflection : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, the day when the great Magi and wise men from the East, from the faraway lands came to give Him honour and pay homage to the King of kings, and through that act, He revealed Himself to all mankind, not just as a mere Man, but as a Great King beyond compare, a High Priest of all creations, and the Messiah who would suffer and die for our sake, so that we may be saved.

Epiphany comes from the Greek ‘Ephiphanein’ and the Latin ‘Epiphania’ which means a moment of revelation or realisation, which is indeed what this Feast is all about. The Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ is the moment when Christ revealed Himself to all the peoples, even to the Gentiles or the non-Jews, who came from afar to visit Him and pay honour to Him. He who is a King was born in a lowly stable, unknown to others except to the shepherds that had seen and heard the angels’ proclamations, and to the animals present there.

On this day, we ought to see several very vivid and clear symbolisms in what we have heard from the Scripture and Gospel readings. The very bright star that the Magi of the East saw from their homeland was the Star of the Messiah, the true Light of the world, whose light and truth illuminates everything that lie in darkness. Those who live in the darkness have indeed seen a great Light, just as the prophet Isaiah has said.

People in the past, before the advent of the use of maps and all the satellite-based imageries we have in our possession now, used the heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon and the stars to help them to orientate themselves and find direction to their destination. Sailors used the stars to guide them on their voyage and journey, and certain star patterns and constellations were created by the people for precisely this purpose, that they may be easily recognised as the guiding lights to help the people find their way.

The Star of Bethlehem, that bright star of exceeding and unparalleled brightness is therefore also a guide, and a guide that is unparalleled and unprecedented, for it is not just a guide for the people to a physical destination, but as a guide that leads them to none other than the final destination which all the peoples should have aimed for, that is to reach out to the Lord and Messiah, and who is now finally reachable, for He has been born a Baby, a Royal Child, God incarnate into Man.

That star is often associated with the symbol of faith, and this is representing the faith of the Magi of the East, who came from faraway lands on long journeys, note that travel at that time is not like that of today, with travels done across desert and uninhabited lands, without proper roads, on the back of camels and with many months of travel before finally reaching the destination. Nevertheless, the faith which the Magi had was evident, as they persevered through all that just that they might be able to see the Lord and King whom they did not know beforehand.

And by that revelation, when the Magi discovered the Lord in that stable in Bethlehem, they saw the one True and only God who had come into being through Jesus. They saw the salvation of the world, and they were glad. They came bearing gifts fitting for the One who had come to this world to save it, and it is these gifts that we should be focused at now. These gifts are gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Gold is a precious metal and commodity, prized greatly for its luster and shine, its beauty and lasting properties, with pure gold showing no tarnish even after centuries and millennia, maintaining its beautiful and shiny appearance. As such it is highly valuable and often only the rich were able to afford it. Therefore, it is also a suitable gift for a king, as a king is often adorned with riches and wealth, and the gift of gold is meant to honour and adore the king to whom the gold is presented.

And therefore, the gift of gold by the Magi signifies the kingship of Christ, who as the Lord, Creator and Master of the universe, is King, the King over all kings and Lord over all lords. And therefore by the gift of gold, the Magi acknowledged the kingship of Christ, and welcomed that great King into this world. Yet we all also know that while He is King, He did not boast of His kingship or power, but instead Jesus remained humble and fully devoted to His mission.

This is because the kingship of Christ is based on leadership built upon examples. The leader and King, that is Jesus, led His beloved people by His own examples, loving one another as God had first loved them, forgiving each other of our own faults and mistakes, and to welcome those who are downtrodden, weak, ostracised and condemned by others. He did not come to lord over His people or to oppress them as kings of this world often did, but to lead His people by example.

How about frankincense then? Frankincense is the finest kind of incense reserved only for special uses. Incense are taken from the dried secretions of plants that contain different fragrant aroma depending on the type of the incense, and they had been used for many millennia across many cultures and peoples to be offered to the divine and to the supernatural spirits.

Hence, the gift of frankincense, the finest grains of incense and the ones having the sweetest aroma, by the Magi to the Child Jesus represent two dimensions and aspects of Christ. First, Jesus Christ our Lord is God, Lord of all creations, Word incarnate and made Flesh. He is God and forever is God, and therefore, is alone worthy of worship and adoration. The offering of frankincense just as gold that highlighted His kingship, highlighted His divinity.

And then it also highlighted the role that Jesus took up as He came into our world wearing the flesh of our human form, that He became the sole High Priest, the priest of all priests, offering the sacrifice for the sake of all mankind to God. And while other priests offered the sacrifice for their own sins and for the people, and having to offer sacrifices again and again, the Sacrifice of Jesus our High Priest was done once and for all, when He lay suffering and hanging from the cross on Calvary.

As the One true High Priest, Jesus Christ our Lord offered to God a worthy sacrifice in exchange for all of our sins, past, present and future, from the beginning of time to its ending, the sins and iniquities of all mankind. This is the sweetest incense offered to God, represented by the Magi’s gift of frankincense to the Child Jesus. And we all should know that this sacrifice is none other than the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord, which are also shed and shared with us all who believe in Him and profess Him as our Lord and God.

Thus far, the two gifts of gold and frankincense have revealed to us and to all peoples that Christ is the King of kings, as the Lord and Almighty God, and as the High Priest of all mankind. Then how about the last gift of myrrh? Myrrh is a substance used in embalming of the bodies of the dead, as the substance used to mask the bad and foul odour of decay and also acting as a preservative agent to help keep the body intact after death and avoid decomposition.

You must be wondering and may even be bewildered. How come is it that such a gift is given to a Baby just after His birth? Is myrrh not something more suitable to be given to dead bodies or to families in sorrow after just losing their loved ones to death? Why did the Magi give such a strange gift to the Lord, after their gifts of gold and frankincense, bringing great glory and praise to God?

That is because, brothers and sisters in Christ, once again I would like to stress the importance of seeing the events of the life of Jesus Christ on earth as one whole singular unity, with a clear and singular purpose, that is to save us all, the people of God from the tyranny of sin and death. And the only way to do that is for Jesus to bear our sins, as His cross, and carry all the burdens and weights of those sins, and suffering in our stead the punishment for sins, although He is without blame.

We cannot separate the celebration of Christmas from the celebration of the rest of the life of Jesus, especially the celebration of the events of the Holy Week and Easter. Why did Jesus choose to come into this world as a simple Baby? That is because He wanted to save us, and the way to do so, is through His death, on the Good Friday that we celebrate every year. And by His resurrection on Easter Sunday, He broke free our chains of sin and death, and bring to us a new hope of an eternal life.

Thus, the gift of myrrh by the Magi as the third gift is to prepare for the death of Jesus, whom many certainly was unable to predict right there and then. Nobody would expect the Messiah to suffer and die for our sake, even though indeed this had been prophesied in the book of the prophet Isaiah, but many refused to believe so. And thus, this last gift of myrrh is a testimony that reveals who Christ is to the nations, as the Lord who gave up all He had, so that by His actions, His loving sacrifice, He might deliver His people from certain destruction.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have gone through all the symbolisms in this Epiphany feast’s Scripture readings, let us all first resolve to follow the examples of the Magi, who followed faithfully the star all the way from their homeland until they saw the Lord in person. Abraham once had done similarly, and in his faith, he was richly rewarded by the Lord. In this, we should learn that faith is essential for us, and we have to put our complete trust in the Lord without reservation.

And then, through the three great gifts of the Magi, let us all come to a realisation of what God had done for us, He who is all powerful and mighty, having no need for anything, and yet desiring to be with us and to rescue us from certain death. Thus, let us all repay that great love He had shown us, by loving Him back with all of our hearts, and show Him the greatest gifts He would want from us, that is our love, the love of our hearts for Him.

Therefore, let us all renew our faith and devotion to our loving God, and with all our hearts, let us turn all our attentions to Him, and praise and adore Him, our Lord who had revealed Himself to the world and to all the peoples on this great Feast of the Epiphany. Lord, reveal Yourself to all the nations that everyone may be saved in You. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-psalm/

 

Second Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-second-reading/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-gospel-reading/

 

Epistle (Usus Antiquior) : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/05/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-i-classis-tuesday-6-january-2015-epistle/

 

Gospel (Usus Antiquior) : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/05/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-i-classis-tuesday-6-january-2015-holy-gospel/

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Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 2 : 1-12

At that time, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, during the days of King Herod, wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw the rising of His star in the East and have come to honour Him.”

When Herod heard this he was greatly disturbed, and with him all Jerusalem. He immediately called a meeting of all high ranking priests and scribes, and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

“In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they told him, “for this is what the prophet wrote : ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the clans of Judah, for from you will come a Leader, the One who is to shepherd My people Israel”

Then Herod secretly called the wise men and asked them the precise time the star appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem with the instruction, “Go and get accurate information about the Child. As soon as you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may go and honour Him.”

After the meeting with the king, they set out. The star that they had seen in the East went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the Child was. The wise men were overjoyed on seeing the star again. They went into the house, and when they saw the Child with Mary, His mother, they knelt and worshipped Him. They opened their bags and offered Him their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.

In a dream they were warned not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their home country by another way.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ephesians 3 : 2-3a, 5-6

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.

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.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 71 : 2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

May the King rule Your people justly and defend the rights of the lowly.

Justice will flower in His days, and peace abound till the moon be no more. For He reigns from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.

The kings of Tarshish and the islands render Him tribute, the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts, all kings bow down to Him, and all nations serve Him.

He delivers the needy who call on Him, the afflicted with no one to help them. His mercy is upon the weak and the poor, He saves the life of the poor.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 60 : 1-6

Arise, shine, for your Light has come. The Glory of YHVH rises upon you. Night still covers the earth and gloomy clouds veil the peoples, but YHVH now rises and over you His glory appears. Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes round about and see : they are all gathered and come to you, your sons from afar, your daughters tenderly carried. This sight will make your face radiant, your heart throbbing and full; the riches of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.

A flood of camels will cover you, caravans from Midian and Ephah. Those from Sheba will come, bringing with them gold and incense, all singing in praise of YHVH.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/sunday-4-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-epiphany-of-the-lord-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 3 January 2015 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus our Lord, where we celebrate the very Name which Jesus had received, and that Name which is the Name above every other names, set special and great above all things, with power and authority not present in any others. That is why today, we ought to reflect on how we use His holy Name and not to profane it, just as we also should reflect on the nature of our Lord’s coming into the world, as we continue to progress through this Christmas season.

First we have to heed what one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by the Lord had said to us, that we must not take the Name of the Lord in vain, which is the second or third of the Ten Commandments. Yes, His Name is holy just as He is holy, and we should not profane it by using it inappropriately. Yet, it is truly sad and lamentable that many of us use the Name of the Lord as we like and in places and circumstances inappropriate.

How many of us have heard how people nowadays even use His Name in profanity-laden songs, for whatever purpose that is? This is inappropriate and unacceptable, and indeed it is sin to do so. Therefore, it is imperative that we realise that we ought to give honour to God and thank Him for all that He had done for us, out of His great love and mercy.

We have to realise that God had willed to save us all because He loves us all very, very much, and we who have been lost to Him through sin, once had no hope at all and death is all that awaited us, as the consequence of sin. However, He has promised us all from the beginning that He will stand by us, no matter what, and He will settle the score with Satan who in his jealousy had brought about the fall to himself and to all mankind.

Satan once was a great angel, mighty and powerful. Lucifer he was, the brightest and most brilliant of all the angels, and yet in his greatness and power, he grew proud and unbending, desiring more and more, even the throne of God. He warred with God and led his fellow rebel angels to fight against God to usurp His majesty and power. But what became of Satan? Do we now praise his name or bless him? No! Instead he is cast down to the lowest of the lowest, in the depths of the deepest hell is his place.

Satan was cast down because of his pride, because of his jealousy and desire, because of his greed. He decided that he should not fall alone, but through temptations and lies, to bring down the most beloved of all of God’s creations, that is us, mankind. And that was what he did, tempting Eve with sweet words, that mankind would also follow their own desires, greed and others as Satan himself had.

But God would not want to lose us. As much as He was disgusted at the wickedness and the corruption of our sins, the even greater is His love and mercy for us. So much so that He was willing to come down to us, lowering Himself, assuming our humble form of a Man, although He who is God is perfect, Almighty, great beyond any measure, and has no need for anything.

And this is precisely what St. Paul was talking about in his letter to the Philippians, that the Messiah, the Divine Word incarnate in Jesus, although great, mighty and all-powerful, He did not hesitate to empty Himself and assume the humanity of our flesh, so that in doing so, He might bring God’s plan to save us all into full perfection and completion.

Jesus bore our sins and iniquities, all of our wickedness and imperfections, all that have separated us from the love of God, so that by His sacrifice for us, He may be the hope for all of us, so that by His death and resurrection, He may free us from death and bring us into a new life in Him. And this is what Satan feared the most, for it is his final and ultimate defeat.

And that is also why Satan fears the Name of Jesus so much, as while all of mankind are given names, for God had said that He would know us all by our names, but one Name stands out from every other names, not by the virtue of the name itself, but because that Name is associated with none other than the Lord and Saviour who had taken up the flesh so that by that act, mankind may be freed from sin forever, and be led to eternal life, and Satan will no longer have any power over any of us.

The Name of Jesus therefore is feared by Satan and all of his allies because it is a clear and vivid reminder of their ultimate fate, that is eternal suffering and destruction for their refusal to listen to the Lord and obey Him. And it is also a reminder of his ultimate defeat when Jesus died on the cross. All of his plots and works against mankind were undone by that singular act, which offered to mankind the hope of new life. His faith in the Father and His perfect obedience made God to raise Him beyond all else, just as Satan was cast down instead for his pride.

And even Satan have to obey the Lord and bend his knee to Him, as much as he refuses to do so! For our God is Lord and Master over all creations, over all things created, Satan included, who was once a bright heavenly angel that fell for his sins, and also all creatures, including us all, the sons of man. Therefore, for what God has done for us out of His love, and for the love we have for our Lord and Creator, shall we not honour His holy Name by first using it appropriately and with proper deference?

We can also begin by bowing every time the Holy Name of Jesus is uttered during the celebration of the Mass as it should have been done. Many had failed to observe this simple gesture, but I am sure that we can begin from ourselves and change others as well, that by our example of respecting and honouring the Holy Name of Jesus, the bane and what Satan fears most, we shall bring honour and glory to our God. May our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, whose Name is above every other names, be with us always, and may we all be able to follow His example of obedience to the will of God and walking in His love. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/02/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/02/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/02/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-gospel-reading/

 

Epistle (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-ii-classis-sunday-4-january-2015-epistle/

 

Gospel (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-ii-classis-sunday-4-january-2015-holy-gospel/

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Friday, 2 January 2015 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard how John, messenger of God and baptiser of the people proclaimed the Messiah and professed his faith to God and commitment to his vocation in front of the public and in front of the Pharisees and those sent by the chief priests to question him. The latter ones did not believe in John and tried what they could to discredit him and rein him in in his works.

They questioned him and his actions, for they failed to see in John the works of God, which He had revealed through John and what he had done. John called for the people of God still dwelling in the darkness to return to the Light of Christ. He had been sent as the messenger of God to preach to the stubborn men, dwelling in their state of sin, so that they might repent and be ready for the coming of the Lord.

He paved the way for Christ, and he is a role model for all of us in his dedication and humility. For he was famous and popular, flocks and throngs of people came to him to be baptised and countless more peoples listened to his words and urgings for their repentance. He could have seized all the glory to himself and received great praise and fame for that action, but he did not.

Instead, he assumed the attitude of a servant and a follower to the will of God. He did the works as was given to him from the time when he was conceived in his mother’s womb. He dedicated his whole life to the Lord, that through him the works of the Messiah would be made easier and as the extension of the reach of God’s love for His people.

In the first reading God also warned us through the other John, His Apostle, to be vigilant and careful against the devil who will try to seduce us and lead us astray by sweet lies and false promises, through the false prophets and the antichrists. If Christ the Saviour of all brought with Him the real promise of eternal life and eternal joy, then the antichrists are His antithesis, bringing us instead temporary joy and a false life, one that will likely end in death, and not just any death, but eternal death.

That is why God sent forth His servants and messengers, for the sole purpose of the guidance of all of us His people, so that amidst the darkness in the world, amidst the temptations, and all the distractions of the world, we may rediscover our focus, that should be on the Lord. There are too much noise and distractions in this world, and it is important for us to shut them out, so that we will not be distracted.

We have to remain focused on the Lord, His ways and teachings so that we may be delivered from the confusion caused by Satan and be freed from the bonds of sin he had imposed on us. And that is why those teachers of the Faith are so precious to us, as they help us to find our way as we progress on in our lives. And today we celebrate the feast of two of such teachers and saints, namely St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen.

St. Basil the Great was the bishop of Caesarea, during the time after the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea having affirmed the orthodox and standard teachings of the Faith. He was a well known theologian who defended the true faith against the perversions of heresies such as the Arian heresy that rejected the divinity of Christ, as well as many other syncretic and heterodox practices that compromises on the true faith.

He also cared greatly for the poor and the weak, the downtrodden and the unloved, practicing the faith he professed through his own actions and deeds. He did not let those who have been lost to the darkness through heresy to remain lost, and he did what he could, to bring them back to the Light. He worked together with many other saints of his time, and he worked hard to resist and fight the forces of heresy that was taking deep roots among the faithful at the time.

Meanwhile, St. Gregory Nazianzen was a contemporary of St. Basil the Great who was the Archbishop of Constantinople and also a great theologian who fought against the heresies of the faith and also teaching the true faith to many, keeping them on the right track against the lies of the devil. Together with his contemporaries, with St. Basil the Great and the other saints and great theologians, they worked hard to keep the truth of Christ alive amidst the forces of darkness that surround them.

From these holy men and devoted servants of God we can learn what we need to do, as what they have done is not just limited to them. We too are required to help one another to keep each other in the faith, and so that none would be lost to the darkness. Let us therefore follow in the examples of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, so that we may help keep each other in the grace of God.

May Almighty God bless us all and grant us the wisdom to discern the falsehoods of Satan, all of his lies so that we may find our way to our loving God and Father. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/01/friday-2-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-st-basil-the-great-and-st-gregory-nazianzen-bishops-and-doctors-of-the-church-first-reading/

 

Psalm : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/01/friday-2-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-st-basil-the-great-and-st-gregory-nazianzen-bishops-and-doctors-of-the-church-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/01/friday-2-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-st-basil-the-great-and-st-gregory-nazianzen-bishops-and-doctors-of-the-church-gospel-reading/

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Thursday, 1 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Octave Day of Christmas and World Day of Prayer for Peace (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a great feast of the Church, the Marian feast of Theotokos, Mother of God, as well as this day as the day of universal prayer for the peace in the world. On this day, also the first day of this new year of our Lord 2015, we give thanks to God for the past year, for all that He had done for us, the wonders and graces He had provided us in the year that had passed.

And on this New Year’s Day too, we ought to look forward and see in this new year to come, an ample opportunity for us to do what we have not been able to do in the previous year, and thus we have to reflect and evaluate on our own lives, our ways of life and how we interact with one another. This new year should begin with a new resolution on our side to achieve peace in this world, a lasting peace without hatred and violence, and one that is inspired by the examples of the Blessed Mother of our Lord, Mary.

For Mary is our role model, both in life and in how we should be faithful to the Lord. She is special amongst men and all who were created by God, for firstly she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore as He is both fully God and fully Man, she is by that virtue is the Mother of God, or in the original Greek, Theotokos, and it is this nature and title bestowed on Mary, the faithful servant of God, that we rejoice together as one Church.

There are unfortunately those who failed to understand this nature of Mary, and the great role she had played in the history of the salvation of mankind. They refused to honour her and glorify her, because they thought that in doing so they have idolises her and made her as if to be a goddess. But they were mistaken in this, and that was the lie that Satan tried to propagate in order to destroy the Church and harm the faithful ones.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, why do we honour Mary such, with many titles and graces? Why do we call her the Blessed Virgin Mary? Should we not honour man but God only? If we look deeper at the Scriptures and its meaning, then we will understand. Mary herself mentioned in the Magnificat, the prayer of rejoicing and revelry at the fulfillment of God’s promise through her, that she was blessed for all ages because of what God had done through her.

And we honour Mary as the mother of God because in Jesus we see the true, complete, full and perfect unity between the Divinity of which He is God, part of God and is truly God, limitless and omnipotent, and the Humanity, of which He was made into Flesh, the flesh of Man by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary is the mother of Jesus, both God and Man at the same time, fully God and fully Man, without separation, distinct in the two natures of divine and humanity, but united in the one person of Jesus Christ.

Those who deem Mary as a ‘goddess’ that we worship, do not make sense at all. If Mary is a goddess, then truly, where would the humanity of Christ come from? Indeed, God is almighty and it would truly be a trivial matter for Him to come directly in the form of Man if He so wished, but He chose to come through the woman, so that what God had revealed to man at the beginning of time might come to its full completion.

God said to Satan, in the serpent, and to the first woman, Eve, that he would bite the heels of the sons of the woman, while the woman will crush the serpent under her feet. Satan had introduced sin to men, and ever since that moment of rebelliousness and disobedience, men had fallen into sin, and apparently with no hope of rescue or escape, that is until the Woman came and made full God’s promises.

That woman is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She obeyed the Lord fully and let herself be used for the entire purpose of God, and as such, where Eve had failed, succumbing to her own vanity and personal desires for knowledge and more, Mary had succeeded and her examples became the source of inspiration for many. Mary remained faithful and committed to the Lord, to her Son and followed Him unto even His death on the cross.

Mary played such an important role in our Faith, as she was not merely just the mother of Jesus the Man, but also as the mother of the Word incarnate into flesh through her. The divinity and humanity of Jesus are completely and perfectly united in His person, two distinct natures but one person. Anyone who rejects this truth deviates from the teachings of Christ and is a heretic.

Such was the case with Arius, the famous preacher who would eventually be known for his role in the rise of the Arian heresy, where the rejection of the divinity of Christ was becoming commonplace, and this heresy was born out of the confusion that the devil spread in order to make the people unable to comprehend how Jesus could be both Divine and yet also Man at the same time.

If we look at the Scriptures, in the Holy Gospels, Jesus did things that both Man and the Divine do. He ate with His disciples, drank with them, was affected by sorrow and sadness, and He wept, yes for Lazarus, the one whom He was close friend with, when he apparently died from his sickness. Yet, at the same moment, He brought Lazarus back to life, healed the sick and forgave the sins of many, which are things that only God can do.

Thus, Jesus is truly fully Man and fully God, and it never occurred anywhere in the Gospels that the two natures were separate, but the two were always together. It was not merely the human Jesus that suffered for us on the cross, for no man could have born the entirety of the weight of the world’s sins, but God indeed can do so, and it was Jesus, both God and Man, who carried that cross up to Calvary and die for our sins, that we may live.

And if Jesus is both God and Man, then it is perfectly fine for Mary to be called the Mother of God, and that was what the Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in the year of our Lord 325 had affirmed in Faith, that Mary as the Mother of Jesus, is the Mother of God. Then, how is this relevant to us, brethren? That is because, Mary is our role model, and she is also our mother. For Mary has been set aside by God to be the mother of Jesus and in her works and actions, she became our example.

If all mankind are to follow the examples of Mary, then this world would have been so much better. No more violence, no more hatred, for if all were to follow Mary’s examples, they should have been filled with love, both for God and their fellow men, and not with hatred or evil. That is why, on this day, the day when Pope St. John XXIII dedicated his last Papal Encyclical, Pacem in Terris or Peace on Earth, this day is a day which we should dedicate with much prayer for the sake of peace in the world.

That time, the world had just been on the brink of a great nuclear war between the two superpowers of the world, and war had been avoided just because of very tense diplomacy between both sides. The threat of annihilation of countless peoples was just very great, one that we may not be familiar with today. Thus, as we begin this new year today, let us all pray together as one people, one Church, and all belonging to the house of the Lord, that peace, the peace of Christ may reign over all and the world, that it may dispel the evils that Satan had planted in this world and in us.

Jesus had entrusted Mary to John, His disciple, and that singular act is a great action of God entrusting His own mother to be the mother of us all. Let us thus, ask Mary, the Theotokos, the Mother of our Lord and God, who is also our Mother, to pray for all of us, for she, even though not a god nor goddess but a human being, being closest to the throne of her Son in heaven, she may intercede for us and gain for us the richness of the mercy and grace of our God. God bless us all. Amen.

First Reading :

Thursday, 1 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Octave Day of Christmas and World Day of Prayer for Peace (First Reading)


Psalm :

Thursday, 1 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Octave Day of Christmas and World Day of Prayer for Peace (Psalm)


Second Reading :

Thursday, 1 January 2015 : Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Octave Day of Christmas and World Day of Prayer for Peace (Second Reading)


Gospel Reading :
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/31/thursday-1-january-2015-solemnity-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-mother-of-god-octave-day-of-christmas-and-world-day-of-prayer-for-peace-gospel-reading/

Epistle (Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord) :

(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord, Octave Day of Christmas (Double II Classis) – Thursday, 1 January 2015 : Epistle


Gospel (Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord) :
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/31/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-circumcision-of-our-lord-octave-day-of-christmas-double-ii-classis-thursday-1-january-2015-holy-gospel/