Marian feasts

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates a great event, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. On this day we commemorate the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, was assumed into the glory of Heaven by virtue of her Divine Motherhood, that in being the Mother of God and also therefore as the Ark of the New Covenant of God, she has been spared from the punishment and consequences of sin and death. This is because she has been specially prepared and set aside by the Lord Himself with the singular grace of being spared from the taint of original sin which had corrupted all other children of mankind ever since the fall of our first ancestors.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the Four Marian Dogmas together with that of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which was just mentioned, that Mary was conceived free from all sins and their corruption. But why is this so? This is because as mentioned, Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant through whom God’s New and Eternal Covenant would enter into this world, born in the hallowed womb of Mary, carrying within her for nine whole months the Son of God, the Divine Word of God Himself incarnate in the flesh, becoming the Son of Man through Mary and her humble acceptance of God’s will and plans. This was highlighted and shown in the first readings both from the Vigil and the Solemnity of the Assumption itself, showing the Ark of the Covenant of God and how it is related to Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant.

For like the old, first Ark of the Covenant which God had instructed to Moses and Aaron to craft and build, made from the finest materials of the world, from gold and the finest wood and other precious materials, God Himself crafted the New Ark of the New Covenant, Mary, just like us, made in God’s own image and also made hallowed, blessed and perfect just like and even better than the original Ark of the Covenant. The original Ark of the Covenant was so hallowed and holy that no one could touch the Ark directly by their hands. Those who touched the Ark were struck dead because their sins and wickedness judged them and made them to be unworthy to be in God’s Holy Presence. Not only that, but the Ark of the Covenant itself was the representation of God’s Holy Presence among His people, as the Lord Himself on occasion would come down to rest and be enthroned upon the Cherubim on top of the Ark.

In the same manner, Mary herself has been hallowed and set aside, made holy and perfect by the Lord Who willed this to be. Is it possible for God? Certainly! For God is omnipotent, all powerful and almighty, and there is nothing that is impossible for Him. It is certainly possible for the Lord to prepare Mary and hallow her by keeping her in a state of fullness of grace and light, to be a truly worthy vessel bearing God Himself within her. Just like the old Ark that contained within itself the two slabs of stone of the Ten Commandments, Mary as the New Ark contained within her the Lord Himself, the manifestation and perfection of God’s Law. And just like the old Ark containing the heavenly bread manna, Mary contained the Bread of Life, the Lord Himself, Who would offer His Body and Blood for everyone to partake and share for eternal life.

Lastly, just like the old Ark which contained the staff of Aaron, the staff of authority over all the people of Israel, thus Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant also bore within her the One Who has been given the authority over all the people of God, the Staff of the Kingdom of God, the Staff of Judah and the dominion over all the whole world and the whole Universe. This was also alluded to in our first reading of the Solemnity from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle where St. John saw the heavenly vision of the end times, with the struggles between the Great Dragon of the Apocalypse, that represents Satan, the great enemy of all, and the Woman clothed with the radiance of the Sun and the stars crowning her head, right after the Ark of the Covenant was viewed in Heaven.

That vision of the great heavenly struggle is a symbol of the great battle between God’s forces and that of Satan, who had risen up in rebellion against God. The Woman who was groaning in pain in labour of childbirth is in fact a personification of both Mary and the Church, in that the first, Mary as the Mother of God bore her Son, the Saviour of the whole world, and the Church of God personified at the same time as the Mother of all, through whom God Himself came into this world, after periods of great sufferings and tribulations, of Satan’s dominion over us and the world through sin and darkness, evil and wickedness present all around us. But God wanted to show us all that the reign and dominion of Satan is coming to an end, and through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, God had broken forever the power and dominion of Satan, leading us all into eternal life and true glory with Him.

Through Mary’s humble and faithful acceptance of her role in the whole entire plan of salvation, the plan that God had prepared since the very beginning for the salvation of all mankind, all of us have been made partakers in this New Covenant that God had made with us through His Son. And since the punishment and consequences of sin and disobedience against God is death, it is naturally incompatible with the fact that the Mother of the Mediator of the New Covenant, the one who had made this New Covenant possible through her complete obedience and faith in the Lord should succumb to the same fate of suffering through death. That is why, this belief of the Assumption or also known as the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary as it is known by our brethren in the Eastern Church, had been held by Christians from the earliest days of the Church.

There is no doubt that the early Christians themselves from the time of the Apostles experienced what actually happened to the Blessed Mother of God at the end of her earthly life and existence. Thus such a belief in the Assumption or Dormition of Mary is certainly backed by firm evidences which was then passed down through the Church and the communities of the faithful to this day. There are two main versions of what had happened, the first being that Mary did not suffer death at all, but was immediately raised body and soul by the power of God, to the glory of Heaven, the explanation being that as mentioned, she did not become tainted by the taint of original sin and has also remained sinless throughout her whole life, and hence, it is not fitting that she should have a taste or experience of death, which is the consequence of sin.

Then, the second version revolves around Mary going into sleep at the end of her earthly life and existence, surrounded by the Apostles, and she did experience death, but not because of the consequences of her own sins or iniquities, or any form of defects or mistakes that she had committed. Instead, through her brief experience with death, she shared in the death that her Son Himself experienced on the Cross, as He went through His Passion, in suffering the most grievous sufferings and pains for the sake of our salvation. Her love for her Son was so great, that she was willing to share in His Passion, just as she has shared with Him the shared existence when He was in her womb during the nine months of sacred gestation, before the Lord our Saviour was born into the world.

Thus, in the end, this great New Ark, of the New Covenant of God, bearing the Mediator of the New and Everlasting Covenant, was raised and brought up body and soul into Heaven. According to tradition, the body of Mary disappeared miraculously shortly after her passing, replaced with a bed full of roses, which is also why Mary is often associated with roses and flowers. Regardless of which version of events actually happened, what matters is that, Mary has therefore been raised body and soul to Heaven, a privilege shared by very few others like Enoch and Elijah in the Old Testament. But Mary was raised even greater than they were, because she as the Mother of God has indeed been accorded with the honour of being the Queen Mother of Heaven, exalted and honoured first and foremost among all other beings created by God. At the same time, she is also our greatest intercessor and help, being always ever closest to her Son in Heaven, ceaselessly praying for all of us, whom the Lord Himself had entrusted to us as our own Mother.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, after having gone through what the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is all about, then what matters now is how all these relate to us, to each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. Mary has shown us all how to be the worthy and faithful Christians, to be God’s holy and worthy disciples, in obeying His will and carrying out His Law and commandments, and in being ever constantly filled with His grace, empowered and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. In each and every moments of our lives we should always be strengthened and filled by the Spirit of God and filled with the love and devotion that we all ought to have for Him, our Lord, God and Master. Mary is our perfect example and role model, and through her, we have also seen a glimpse of our own future selves, glorified and free from the taint and corruption of sin.

Let us all therefore strive to do our best in following God at all times and in doing whatever He had called and entrusted to us to do. Let us all be exemplary in all of our works and actions, in our every interactions and endeavours so that we may truly be the missionary and evangelising disciples and followers of Christ in our every efforts and good works, at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may His mother Mary, gloriously assumed into Heaven, our greatest help and intercessor, continue to pray for us all sinners, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 39-56

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit, and giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour! He has looked upon His servant in her lowliness, and people forever will call me blessed.”

“The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name! From age to age His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.”

“He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months, and then returned home.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 15 : 20-27

But no, Christ has been raised from the dead, and He comes before all those who have fallen asleep. A human being brought death; a Human Being also brings resurrection of the dead. For, as in Adam all die, so, in Christ, all will be made alive. However, each one in his own time : first Christ, then Christ’s people, when He comes.

Then, the end will come, when Christ delivers the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every rule, authority and power. For He must reign and put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed will be death. As Scripture says : God has subjected everything under His feet.

When we say that everything is put under His feet, we exclude, of course, the Father, Who subjects everything to Him. As Scripture says : God has subjected everything under His feet. When we say that everything is put under His feet, we exclude, of course, the Father, Who subjects everything to Him.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 44 : 10bc, 11, 12ab, 16

At your right hand, in gold of Ophir, stands the queen.

Listen, o daughter, pay attention; forget your father’s house and your nation.

And your beauty will charm the King, for He is your Lord.

Amid cheers and general rejoicing, they enter the palace of the King.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Revelations 11 : 19a and Revelations 12 : 1-6a, 10ab

Then, the Sanctuary of God, in the heavens, was opened, and the Ark of the Covenant of God could be seen inside the Sanctuary.

A great sign appeared in heaven : a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and cried out in pain, looking to her time of delivery.

Then, another sign appeared : a huge, red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and wearing seven crowns on its heads. It had just swept along a third of the stars of heaven with its tail, throwing them down to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman, who was about to give birth, so that, it might devour the Child as soon as It was born.

She gave birth to a male Child, the One Who is to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre; then, her Child was seized, and taken up to God, and to His throne, while the woman fled to the desert, where God had prepared a place for her. Then, I heard a loud voice from heaven : Now has salvation come, with the power and the kingdom of our God.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Chronicles 15 : 54b-57

When our mortal being puts on immortality, the word of Scripture will be fulfilled : Death has been swallowed up by victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?

Sin is the sting of death, to kill, and the Law is what gives force to sin. But give thanks to God, Who gives us the victory, through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 131 : 6-7, 9-10, 13-14

Then came the news, “The Ark is in Ephrata, we found it in the fields of Jaar.” Let us go to where He dwells and worship at His footstool!

May Your priests be arrayed in glorious mantle; may Your faithful ones shout in gladness. For the sake of Your servant, David, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed.

For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling : “This is My resting place forever; this I prefer; here, will I dwell.”

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Thursday, 15 August 2024 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Chronicles 15 : 3-4, 15-16 and 1 Chronicles 16 : 1-2

Then David gathered all Israel together in Jerusalem to bring the Ark of God up to the place he had prepared for it. David called together the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi. And the Levites carried the Ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had ordered according to the command of YHVH.

David then told the leaders of the Levites to assign duties for some Levites to sing and play a joyful tune with their various musical instruments : harps and lyres and cymbals. They brought the Ark of God in and put it inside the tent that David had prepared for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.

And when David had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the Name of YHVH.

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Tuesday, 16 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which the Lord told us all that we really must have faith and trust in Him, and we should not allow any sorts of obstacles and hardships, difficulties and challenges from discouraging us to follow His path and remain faithful to His ways. Each and every one of us as Christians must always be trusting in Him, realising that it is He alone Who is the source of all Hope and strength for us. Without Him, we have no firm and strong anchor in this life, and as such, we may easily be swayed and swept by the various obstacles and challenges in life, which may lead us into the wrong paths that are not in accordance to God’s ways. It is important that we should always focus ourselves on the Lord at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke to the king of Judah, King Ahaz, and the people of Judah that they all should not be afraid or be fearful of the mighty forces of the Aramaeans and those of the Kingdom of Israel arrayed against the Kingdom of Judah. They should not be afraid or side with their false and pagan gods, but instead, they should return wholeheartedly towards their one and only true God, the One and only One Who could protect them against their enemies, the One who had always loved and cared for them all those while. The Lord would never abandon His people and He would always stay by their side. It was often those people who had voluntarily abandoned the Lord for all sorts of worldly distractions and temptations.

The Lord would prove His words true when all the plotting and efforts of the Israelites of the northern kingdom and the Aramaeans were foiled and both of their kingdoms were eventually defeated and crushed by the rising power of the Assyrians. The Lord showed His people that no matter what was being planned and plotted by man, it is ultimately God’s will that will triumph in the end. And if we allow Him to guide us in our path, then in the end, through our faith in Him, we shall share in the glory that God has bless us all with, the true joy and happiness that He has prepared for us, and all the things that He wants to share with us, His beloved people. If we can only have genuine faith in Him and trust in Him, then we shall have the full share of His glorious inheritance and blessings.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, we heard of the lamentations and the rebukes which the Lord Jesus spoke up against the cities of the region of Galilee such as Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, all those places where the Lord had carried out many of His works, performed many miracles and taught in their synagogues. Yet, as the Lord showed, many of the people in those places still did not really believe in Him and what He had taught and shown them. Some among them, particularly those who belonged to the group of the Pharisees and those who supported them even publicly doubted Him and accused Him wrongly at more than one occasion.

It is understandable therefore why the Lord aired out His frustrations. This is because they themselves had seen everything that God had done through His Son and yet, they kept on hardening their hearts and minds, refusing to believe in Him although they had the knowledge of the teachings and words of the prophets of God and the Law. The Lord had patiently helped and guided them in giving them everything they needed through His Son, manifesting His love in the flesh, to make Himself approachable to them. Yet, they stood by their pride and ego, thinking that their ways and actions could not be wrong and that they were right in judging others based on their own flawed understanding of God’s Law and His ways.

And yet, God still loved His people nonetheless, doing everything He could for everyone, even for those who have doubted and refused to listen to Him. He bore His Cross willingly at the moment of His Passion, His suffering and death on that same Cross for the sake of all mankind, forgiving all those who have slighted and wronged Him, those who had falsely accused Him of wrongdoing and blasphemy to advance their own plans and ambitions, and to secure their own positions and privileges in the community of the faithful people of God. He prayed for those who have persecuted and rejected Him, and forgave them from their sins and wrongdoings. He continued to show His ever generous and patient love even when those whom He cared for, had disobeyed and been stubborn in refusing to accept Him.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on which occasion we commemorate the Blessed Mother of God, Mary, as the great Patroness of the Carmelite Order, the religious congregation also known as the Carmelites which had a longstanding and strong devotion to the Blessed Mother of God, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Tradition and history of the Carmelites highlighted that the Blessed Mother of God herself appeared to St. Simon Stock, one of the early members of the Carmelites, showing the now popular Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. This brown scapular eventually became part of the Carmelites’ habit and deepened the devotion of the members of the Carmelites, as well as countless others outside the Order, to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Today as we mark with rejoicing and joy this Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we are all reminded to follow the path shown to us by Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who as the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour has always been pointing the way towards her Son, Our Saviour and Hope. We should keep in mind God’s great love and ever enduring patience and compassion for each and every one of us, and how by extension, through His own loving Mother, He has been willing to reach out to us and to gather us all to Himself. We must not take His love, kindness, compassion and mercy for granted, as if we continue to ignore His kindness and mercy, and carrying on doing what is evil and wicked in God’s sight, we will eventually be condemned by those same sins and wickedness which have not been forgiven by God.

Let us all therefore do our best that we may renew our trust in God and commitment to Him, by striving to do our best in each and every moments of our lives in becoming ever better followers of God and His cause, in obeying Him, His Law and commandments, inspired by the examples of the many holy men and women who had gone before us, but whose lives were truly pleasing to God in all things. And the best role model that we can have is truly Mary herself, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whose obedience to the Lord and virtues should be great inspiration for all of us to follow. May all of us therefore continue to glorify the Lord by our lives, in every actions and deeds, in our every interactions with one another, now and always. Holy Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us all sinners. Amen.