Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Sing to YHVH, praise His Name.
Proclaim His salvation, day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.
Give to YHVH, you families of nations, give to YHVH glory and strength. Give to YHVH the glory due His Name.
Say among the nations, “YHVH reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.
Liturgical Colour : White
2 Timothy 1 : 1-8
From Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, for the sake of His promise of eternal life, in Christ Jesus, to my dear son Timothy. May grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God, the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I give thanks to God, Whom I serve with a clear conscience, the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers. I recall your tears, and I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, so like the faith of your grandmother Lois and of your mother Eunice, which I am sure you have inherited.
For this reason, I invite you to fan into a flame, the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in labouring for the Gospel, with the strength of God.
Alternative reading
Titus 1 : 1-5
From Paul, servant of God, Apostle of Christ Jesus, at the service of God’s chosen people, so that they may believe, and reach the knowledge of truth and godliness. The eternal life we are waiting for was promised from the very beginning, by God, Who never lies, and as the appointed time had come, He made it known, through the message entrusted to me by a command of God, our Saviour.
Greetings to you, Titus, my true son in the faith we share. May grace and peace be with you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I left you in Crete because I wanted you to put right, what was defective, and appoint elders in every town, following my instructions.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that as the followers and disciples of the Lord, it is important for us to obey what the Lord has commanded us all to do, to live our lives in the manner that He has taught us to do. All of us are called to keep in mind the Law and commandments that He has given us, to love Him first and foremost, and then to love our fellow men and women in the same way, especially those who are truly precious and beloved to us. As Christians, it is important that we always walk the talk, that is we should always do as we have believed, act in the manner of our faith so that everyone who witnessed us and our actions will truly know that we belong to God and will come to know Him through us.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the exchanges between Samuel and King Saul of Israel, the first King that God had chosen to rule over His people Israel were told to us. In that occasion, we should first understand the context that this happened after the great battle between Israel and their old enemy, the Amalekites. The Amalekites according to Biblical history and also other archaeological evidences, were likely tribe of slavers and raiders who often attacked the Israelites, preying on them and trying to abduct some of the people to be sold off as slaves. And therefore, the Amalekites and the Israelites were embroiled in long, bitter conflicts over many years and decades, ever since the latter were on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land.
Thus, when God told King Saul to lead the forces of the Israelite to smite and destroy Amalek once and for all, to annihilate their whole tribe without exception, even all their riches and spoils, as the prophet Samuel had instructed Saul to do, the latter should have obeyed and listened to God, and did as he was instructed. However, Saul chose to trust his own judgment and decided not to follow the Lord’s instructions, saving up and keeping the best of the spoils and not destroying them all. If we are to think of his intentions, it was likely that Saul was caught up in the desires for all those spoils, wealth and glory, and he thought that it was indeed wasteful that all those spoils and goods to be completely destroyed, and hence, he chose to keep them, with the likely desire to keep some of them for himself too.
And that was how then Samuel delivered God’s great displeasure and anger against Saul, in the words that he spoke in our first reading passage today, telling the king of Israel that he was truly unfit to remain as the king and ruler of the people of God. Essentially Saul has been tested by God and examined in how he behaved and acted as king, and his behaviour and choice of actions had been found wanting and lacking. He chose to follow the whim of his own desires and not trusting in the Lord, and if we are to compare his attitudes and behaviours to that of his future successor, David, as king of Israel, who was himself not perfect either, Saul was likely unrepentant unlike David, and he was defiant on top of being disobedient, and that was why God was displeased with him.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to those people who asked Him regarding the matter of how the disciples of St. John the Baptist and the Pharisees were fasting in the manner that they had always fasted, but the Lord’s disciples were not fasting in the same way. And this was when the Lord told them all that His way and teachings, they were all indeed new ways that were different from the habits and practices of those who had come before Him, those who followed the traditions, practices and customs of the Israelites as passed down from the time of Moses. The Lord showed them that He has revealed the new truth, the new path for the people to follow.
This must be understood in the context of how the Pharisees in particular practiced their fasting as referenced by the Lord in another occasion in the Gospels. The Pharisees liked to make a great spectacle out of their fasting and other acts of piety, in public and for everyone to see them. And this is what the Lord made an issue with in several occasions including this one. When the Lord was referring to this using His parables of the new cloth and the old cloth, and the new and old wine and wineskin, He was not criticising the practice of fasting, but rather the manner in which the Pharisees carried out their actions, which were centred more on themselves and their own ego rather than truly being obedient to God’s will and commandments.
In this manner therefore, what the Pharisees had done were not different from that of King Saul, and what the Lord detested from both of their actions were their hypocrisy in pretending to believe and practicing what they believed, but in truth, they were seeking for their own personal ambitions, and not in honouring or truly loving God as they should. This is an important reminder for all of us that in our own actions in life as Christians, we have to be truly genuine disciples and followers of the Lord, in doing sincerely what we believe in and not merely paying lip service to them and to our Lord. We should always mean whatever we say, and act virtuously, focusing our lives and attention on the Lord and not to our own selfish desires and wants.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives faithfully in the path that God has shown before us, and let us all continue to be good role models, inspirations and examples for everyone around us so that by our every actions, words and deeds, even the smallest and those seemingly least significant among them, we may touch the hearts, minds and lives of others, leading more and more people ever closer towards God. May God be with us always and bless our every endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Mark 2 : 18-22
At that time, when the Pharisees and the disciples of John the Baptist were fasting, some people asked Jesus, “Why is it, that both the Pharisees and the disciples of John fast, but Yours do not?”
Jesus answered, “How can the wedding guests fast while the Bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the Bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the day will come, when the Bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.”
“No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old coat, because the new patch will shrink and tear away from the old cloth, making a worse tear. And no one puts new wine into old wine skins, for the wine would burst the skins, and then both the wine and the skins would be lost. But new wine, new skins!”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 49 : 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23
Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me. I need no bull from your stalls, nor he-goat from your pens.
What right have you to mouth My laws, or to talk about My Covenant? You hate My commands and cast My words behind you.
Because I was silent while you did these things, you thought I was like you. But now I rebuke you and make this charge against you. Those who give with thanks, offerings, honour Me; but the one who walks blamelessly. I will show him the salvation of God.
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Samuel 15 : 16-23
Samuel then told Saul, “Enough! Let me tell you what YHVH said to me last night.” Saul replied, “Please tell me.” So Samuel went on and said, “Though you had no confidence in yourself, you became chief of the tribes of Israel, for YHVH wanted to anoint you king over Israel. Then He sent you with this command, ‘Go. Completely crush the Amalekite offenders, engaging them in battle until they are destroyed.’”
“Why then did you not obey the voice of YHVH but instead swooped down on the spoil, doing what was evil in His sight?” To this, Saul replied, “I have obeyed the voice of YHVH and have carried out the mission for which He sent me. I have captured Agag, king of Amalek and completely destroyed the Amalekites. If my men spared the best sheep and oxen from among these to be destroyed, it was in order to sacrifice them to YHVH, your God, in Gilgal.”
Samuel then said, “Does YHVH take as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to His command? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission better than the fat of rams. Rebellion is like the sin of divination, and stubbornness like holding onto idols. Since you have rejected the word of YHVH, He too has rejected you as king.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us have this wonderful God Who is our Lord and Master, as someone Who has truly loved us wholeheartedly and as One Who has always provided us with what we need and Who has always cared for us all whenever it is, even when we do not realise just how much He had done for us and when we have forgotten about Him and refused to acknowledge His kindness, always taking for granted His ever patient and rich love. But we are reminded today through these passages from the Sacred Scriptures that we should embrace God’s love, care and providence, not taking Him for granted anymore. Whatever it is that we believe in Him, He will provide for us if we trust in Him.
In our first reading today, we heard from the beginning of the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the story of how Samuel himself was conceived and born was told to us, with the background of his family, consisting of his father Elkanah, his mother Hannah and Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah highlighted. Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah although the latter had more children, and we heard how out of jealousy, Peninnah treated Hannah badly and often mocked her for her barrenness and childlessness. For the context, in the ancient Israelite community, being barren and unable to conceive a child was considered as a bad omen and even sign of Divine displeasure and sin. That was why Hannah was so distraught at this treatment, and she went to seek the help from the Lord.
We heard how Elkanah tried to comfort Hannah and told her that what mattered was that he loved her more than anything else, even more than all those children that Peninnah had borne to him. And yet, this did not change the fact that Hannah still wanted to bear Elkanah a son, and the constant harassment from Peninnah certainly did not help the situation. It was all of these issues and troubles that eventually led to Hannah choosing to seek the Lord for help, and as she went to pray in the Presence of the Lord that the then Judge of Israel came to her and prayed over her, eventually leading to God answering her prayers and gave her a son, that is Samuel the great prophet, and other sons and children that wiped away the stain of her barrenness. All these are proofs that God truly provides for each one of His people, and that He truly loves us all.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the Lord Jesus, Our Saviour, as He went about carrying out His missions and works, at the beginning of His earthly ministry, when He called upon His very first disciples at the Lake of Galilee. It was there that He encountered the future disciples Simon and Andrew, sons of John, as well as James and John, sons of Zebedee. All four of them were ordinary fishermen working at the place, a truly unassuming and ordinary profession, but God called each one of them to a greater purpose in life. And the Lord called them to become fishers of men, followed by each one of them leaving their boats and works, and dedicated their lives to the Lord henceforth.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must not misunderstand the purpose and intent of this passage from the Gospel of St. Mark the Evangelist, lest we may think that God is asking us to abandon everything that we do in our lives and follow the Lord in the manner that the Apostles that He chose had done. Yes, there will indeed be those whom God called for that purpose just as He had done for those whom He called, but He did not intend for everyone to do the same. In fact, those whom He called, principally the Twelve, and also some others, were those who were meant to help Him out in His ministry and mission to the people, in serving them and in preparing His way, and such a calling require a full-time commitment that they could not possibly continue to do whatever work and responsibilities that they had previously.
The vast majority of people that followed the Lord in fact still continued on with their daily lives, work and responsibilities. They just followed the Lord on occasions and when He came around, with different people having different levels of commitments. It would indeed be chaotic should everyone decided to abandon everything behind, their livelihood and responsibilities, and even the early Church Christians, the Apostles and the Christian communities realised that it is not feasible for them to live in the very idealistic manner that some of them might have thought of, or attempted in the very earliest days of the Church. This is why we have to understand that what the Lord intended for us to know through this Gospel passage is for us to trust in the Lord and to allow Him to lead and guide us in what He wants us to do in our lives.
Each and every one of us have different callings in life, just as diverse as the many and varied gifts, blessings, talents, abilities and opportunities that He has provided and blessed each one of us with. And what we need to do is indeed for us to embrace the Lord and to know His will for each one of us. He has provided us all with the various opportunities and good things for us to contribute in our own unique way to the good works and missions of the Church, in being responsible, accountable and consistent in everything that we do in life, in all that we have been entrusted with by God in our own unique vocations and ministries. All of us indeed should strive to live our lives worthily in this manner and be the good examples and inspirations for all others to follow.
May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to provide for us and strengthen us all in everything that we do, so that we may always be full of faith and trust in Him, loving Him wholeheartedly just as He has done to us. May He continue to show us His kindness and patient love as He has done all these while, so that we may continue to be inspired to show that same love in our own daily lives and actions. May God bless us always in everything that we do, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Mark 1 : 14-20
At that time, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”
As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they abandoned their nets and followed Him.
Jesus went a little farther on, and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed Him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 115 : 12-13, 14 and 17, 18-19
How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.
I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful.
O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord.
I will carry out my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, o Jerusalem.
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Samuel 1 : 1-8
There was a man from Ramathaim, in the hills of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was the son of Tohu, son of Jeroham, of the clan of Zuph. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had none.
Every year Elkanah went to worship and to sacrifice to YHVH of Hosts at Shiloh. The priests there were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas. Whenever Elkanah offered sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife, Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. To Hannah, however, he gave the more delightful portion because he loved her more, although she had no child. Yet Hannah’s rival used to tease her for being barren.
So it happened every year when they went to YHVH’s House, Peninnah irritated Hannah and she would weep and refuse to eat. Once Elkanah, her husband, asked her, “Hannah, why do you weep instead of eating? Why are you sad? Are you not better off with me than with many sons?”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 