miracles of Jesus Christ

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Sunday, 1 February 2015 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Septuagesima Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 21b-28

Jesus taught in the synagogue on the sabbath day. The people were astonished at the way He taught, for He spoke as One having authority and not like the teachers of the Law.

It happened that a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue, and he shouted, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are : You are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent, and come out of this man!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him. All the people were astonished, and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority He preaches! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him!”

And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

Alternative reading (Gospel of Septuagesima Sunday – Usus Antiquior)

Matthew 20 : 1-16

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples this parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like to a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the marketplace idle, and he said to them, “Go all of you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just.” And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. But at about the eleventh hour, he went out, and found others standing, and he said to them, “Why do you stand there all the day idle?”

They said to him, “Because no man has hired us.” He said to them, “You all also go to my vineyard.” And when evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, “Call the labourers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.” When therefore they came, those who came at about the eleventh hour, they received for every person a penny.

But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more, and they also received for every person a penny. And receiving it, they murmured against the master of the house, saying, “These last have worked barely for one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the heat.”

But he answered and said to one of them, “Friend, I did you no wrong, did you not agree with me for a penny? Take what is yours, and go your way. I will also give to this last even as to you. Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is your eye evil, because I am good? So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Third Sunday after Epiphany, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and Feast of St. Peter the Apostle (II Classis) – Sunday, 25 January 2015 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 8 : 1-13

In illo tempore : Cum descendisset Jesus de monte, secutae sunt eum turbae multae : et ecce, leprosus veniens adorabat eum, dicens : Domine, si vis, potes me mundare. Et extendens Jesus manum, tetigit eum, dicens : Volo. Mundare. Et confestim mundata est lepra ejus.

Et ait illi Jesus : Vide, nemini dixeris : sed vade, ostende te sacerdoti, et offer munus, quod praecepit Moyses, in testimonium illis. Cum autem introisset Capharnaum, accesit ad eum centurio, rogans eum et dicens : Domine, puer meus jacet in domo paralyticus, et male torquetur.

Et ait illi Jesus : Ego veniam, et curabo eum. Et respondens centurio, ait : Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum : sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur puer meus. Nam et ego homo sum sub potestate constitutus, habens sub me milites, et dico huic : Vade, et vadit; et alii : Veni, et venit; et servo meo : Fac hoc, et facit.

Audiens autem Jesus, miratus est, et sequentibus se dixit : Amen, dico vobis, non inveni tantam fidem in Israel. Dico autem vobis, quod multi ab Oriente et Occidente venient, et recumbent cum Abraham et Isaac et Jacob in regno caelorum : filii autem regni ejicientur in tenebras exteriores : ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium.

Et dixit Jesus centurioni : Vade et, sicut credidisti, fiat tibi. Et sanatus est puer in illa hora.

English translation

At that time, when Jesus came down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him, and behold a leper came and adored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And Jesus stretching forth His hand, touched him, saying, “I will, be cleansed.” And his leprosy was cleansed.

And Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell this to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded you for a testimony to them.” And when He had entered into Capernaum, there came to Him a centurion beseeching Him, and said, “Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously tormented.”

And Jesus said to him, “I shall come and heal him.” And the centurion making answer, said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I am also a man subject to authority, having soldiers under me. And if I say to this man, ‘Go’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this’ and he does it.”

And Jesus hearing this, marvelled, and said to those who followed Him, “Amen, I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast into the exterior darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go, and as you have believed, so it shall be done to you,” and the servant was healed at the same hour.

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Saturday, 24 January 2015 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 3 : 20-21

At that time, Jesus and His disciples went home. The crowd began to gather again and they could not even have a meal. Knowing what was happening, His relatives came to take charge of Him. “He is out of His mind,” they said.

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(Usus Antiquior) Second Sunday after Epiphany, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome, Feast of St. Paul the Apostle, and Feast of St. Prisca, Virgin and Martyr (II Classis) – Sunday, 18 January 2015 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. John

John 2 : 1-11

In illo tempore : Nuptiae factae sunt in Cana Galilaeae : et erat Mater Jesu ibi. Vocatus est autem et Jesus, et discipuli Ejus ad nuptias. Et deficiente vino, dicit Mater Jesu ad Eum : Vinum non habent. Et dicit ei Jesus : Quid mihi et tibi est, Mulier? Nondum venit hora Mea.

Dicit Mater Ejus ministris : Quodcumque dixerit vobis, facite. Erant autem ini lapideae hydriae sex positae secundum purificationem Judaeorum, capientes singulae metretas binas vel ternas. Dicit eis Jesus : Implete hydrias aqua. Et impleverunt eas usque ad summum.

Et dicit eis Jesus : Haurite nunc, et ferte architriclino. Et tulerunt. Ut autem gustavit architriclinus aquam vinum factam, et non sciebat unde esset, ministri autem sciebant, qui hauserunt aquam : vocat sponsum architriclinus, et dicit ei : Omnis homo primum bonum vinum ponit : et cum inebriati fuerint, tunc id, quod deterius est. Tu autem servasti bonum vinum usque adhuc.

Hoc fecit initium signorum Jesus in Cana Galilaeae : et manifestavit gloriam suam, et crediderunt in eum discipuli Ejus.

 

English translation

At that time, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus was also invited, and His disciples also to the marriage. And the wine supply was failing, and the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what is it to Me and to you? My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the waiters, “Whatsoever He shall say to you, do it.” Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purification of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.

And Jesus said to them, “Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast.” And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and did not know where it came from, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water, the chief steward called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man at first settles forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse, but you have kept the good wine until now.”

This beginning of miracles that Jesus had done on Cana of Galilee, and He manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/usus-antiquior-second-sunday-after-epiphany-feast-of-the-chair-of-st-peter-at-rome-feast-of-st-paul-the-apostle-and-feast-of-st-prisca-virgin-and-martyr-ii-classis-sunday-18-january-2015-6/

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Friday, 16 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how Jesus healed the paralytic man, by saying that He forgave the sins of that paralytic man. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law cried foul at this, and they accused Jesus of blaspheming against God. They were indeed so blinded by their jealousy of Jesus and His popularity, as well as the truth in His teachings, that they failed to see that in Jesus and all that He did, He showed the fullness of the works and the love of God.

If we read the first reading today from the letter and Epistle to the Hebrews, we may be scared and some of us may think that our Lord is an angry and wrathful God. But we should not be deceived by appearances and by what we perceive from what we hear and witness. On the contrary, we know through what Jesus had done, that God does not wish for our destruction but instead for our salvation and safety in Him.

God indeed hates sin and all of its forms. Sin is a filth and a stain on the otherwise immaculate and beautiful creation, all the universe and including all creatures and us mankind. Sin prevents us from rejoining our Lord who is all good and perfect, and it is a chasm that separates us from His love and from the inheritance which He intended for us.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, suffering and death are not what we have to face in this world if not for sin that cause these to happen to us. It is we ourselves by our disobedience and refusal to listen to the Lord calling and imploring us to change our ways. And that was the attitude shown by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who thought that they were doing the right thing, but what they did was in fact an act of disobedience and defiance, blindness against the love that God had shown through Jesus.

Instead, our attitudes should be like that of the paralytic man and those men who had helped him to get to Jesus. They wanted to see the Lord and be with Him so much, and for the paralytic man, he wanted to be healed so much, that they all did the amazing things to bring themselves, particularly that of the paralytic man, to the Lord Jesus. For their faith, especially that of the paralytic man, they received great graces and the favour of God, and he was healed from his afflictions.

Truly, all of us are sick, brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all sick from that sin which prevents us from finding our way to be reunited with God our loving Father. We are all sick inside, in our heart, soul and mind, and through that sickness, often even our physical self is also affected. Jesus knew what is important for us, that beyond the facade of our physical suffering, like that of the paralytic man, lies the even much more serious affliction of our souls, that is sin.

For his faith, Jesus forgave his sins, and through that, He also made his body whole once again too. On the contrary, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, while outwardly seems to be good and healthy in their body and physique, but inside they were truly rotten and corrupted by sin and the force of their human desires, pride, jealousy, greed and many others.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, the ball is in our court to decide on what to do from now on. Shall we be like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, being prideful and haughty, being unbending and lacking humility to seek the mercy and forgiveness of God? Shall we be fearful and refuse to seek the forgiveness of God just because we are afraid of His punishments and wrath set against us all due to our sins?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God is like a father to us, and He is indeed our Father. He cares for us and loves us all with all of His heart. Which father will not be angry or will not admonish his son or daughter when they do something wrong? Which father will stay silent or pretend not to know when his children are doing something wicked or something that can harm their lives?

Obviously, our Lord and Father had shown His ultimate love for us through the giving of Jesus His Son, who became the perfect and complete manifestation of that love He has for us. He admonishes us and chides us because He cares for us, and He does not want even a single one of us to be lost to eternal death and suffering because of sin. And that is why He gave us Jesus, to be our Saviour and to bring us back to Himself.

Hence, brethren, shall we all appreciate the love which God has for us, and the healing which He had offered through Jesus His Son? Let us all throw far, far away all forms of sins and fornications from our lives. We have to embrace the fullness of God’s love, and we can only do that when we commit ourselves completely and fully to the love which Jesus had taught us. Let us ask God humbly for His mercy and forgiveness, that we may all be gathered together again one day and praise Him forevermore in heaven. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/15/friday-16-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/15/friday-16-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/15/friday-16-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-gospel-reading/

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Wednesday, 14 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 29-39

At that time, on leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew with James and John. As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told Him about her. Jesus went to her and, taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits : the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but He did not let them speak, for they knew who He was.

Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where He prayed. Simon and the others went out also, searching for Him; and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You.” Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.”

So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; He also cast out demons.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/13/wednesday-14-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Tuesday, 13 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 1 : 21b-28

At that time, Jesus taught in the synagogue on the sabbath day. The people were astonished at the way He taught, for He spoke as One having authority and not like the teachers of the Law.

It happened that a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue, and he shouted, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are : You are the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent, and come out of this man!”

The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him. All the people were astonished, and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority He preaches! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him!” And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

 

Homily and Reflection : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/12/tuesday-13-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-hilary-bishop-and-doctor-of-the-church-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Friday, 9 January 2015 : Friday after the Epiphany (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 5 : 12-16

At that time, one day, in another town, a man came to Jesus covered with leprosy. On seeing Jesus, the man bowed down to the ground, and said, “Lord, if You want to, You can make me clean.”

Stretching out His hand, Jesus touched the man and said, “Yes, I want to. Be clean.” In an instant the leprosy left him. Then Jesus instructed him, “Tell this to no one. But go and show yourself to the priest. Make an offering for your healing, as Moses prescribed; that will serve as evidence for them.”

But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and large crowds came to Him, to listen and to be healed of their sickness. As for Jesus, He would often withdraw to solitary places and pray.

Homily and Reflection :
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/08/friday-9-january-2015-friday-after-the-epiphany-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Wednesday, 7 January 2015 : Wednesday after the Epiphany, Memorial of St. Raymond of Penyafort, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 6 : 45-52

At that time, immediately, Jesus obliged His disciples to get into the boat and get ahead of Him to the other side, towards Bethsaida, while He Himself sent the crowd away. And having sent the people off, He went by Himself to the hillside to pray.

When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake, while He was alone on the land. Jesus saw His disciples straining at the oars, for the wind was against them; and before daybreak He came to them, walking on the lake, and He was going to pass them by.

When they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But at once He called to them, “Courage! It is I; do not be afraid!”

Then Jesus got into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely astonished, for they had not really grasped the fact of the loaves; their minds were dull.

 

Homily and Reflection : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/06/wednesday-7-january-2015-wednesday-after-the-epiphany-memorial-of-st-raymond-of-penyafort-priest-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Tuesday, 6 January 2015 : Tuesday after the Epiphany (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 6 : 34-44

At that time, as Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began a long teaching session with them.

It was now getting late, so His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a lonely place and it is now late. You should send the people away, and let them go to the farms and villages around here, to buy themselves something to eat.”

Jesus replied, “You yourselves give them something to eat.” They answered, “If we are to feed them, we need two hundred silver coins to go and buy enough bread.” But Jesus said, “You have some loaves; how many? Go and see.” The disciples found out and said, “There are five loaves and two fish.”

Then He told them to have the people sit down together in groups on the green grass. This they did in groups of hundreds and fifties. And Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish and, raising His eyes to heaven, He pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves, and handed them to His disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them.

They all ate and everyone had enough. The disciples gathered up what was left, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces of bread and fish. Five thousand men had eaten there.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/05/tuesday-6-january-2015-tuesday-after-the-epiphany-homily-and-scripture-reflections/