Liturgical Colour : White
1 Corinthians 15 : 54b-57
When our mortal being puts on immortality, the word of the 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.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 131 : 6-7, 9-10, 13-14
Then came the news, “The Ark is in Ephrathah, 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 the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling. “This is My resting place forever; this I prefer, here will I dwell.”
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.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)
Matthew 12 : 14-21
At that time, the Pharisees went out, and made plans to get rid of Jesus. As Jesus was aware of their plans, He left that place. Many people followed Him, and He cured all who were sick. Then He gave them strict orders not to make Him known.
In this way Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled : ‘Here is My servant Whom I have chosen, the One I love, and with Whom I am pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him and He will announce My judgment to the nations. He will not argue or shout, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush, nor snuff out the smouldering wick. He will persist until justice is made victorious, and in Him, all the nations will put their hope.’
Alternative reading (Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Matthew 12 : 46-50
At that time, while Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”
Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is for Me brother, sister or mother.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on thus say we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. If yesterday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the loving heart of our God, then today, we celebrate the loving and tender heart of His mother Mary. Jesus and His mother Mary were inseparable and were very close, and thus, her heart is a reflection of her Son’s own Most Sacred Heart.
And in this we see how Mary was loving and kind, compassionate and filled with God’s love just as her Son showed us His everlasting love. She has shown great care and love for her Son, and the same love now she is showing to us as well. It was in that love that she endured great pain and suffering, to see with her own eyes how her Son Jesus suffered tremendously at the hands of His persecutors, as He went to save mankind through His crucifixion.
All these were foretold by the prophet Simeon, when Jesus was circumcised in the Temple eight days after His birth into the world. He said to Mary, that her Son would be a force of great change, through Whom the world and all mankind would come to see their salvation and hope. And at the same time, Simeon gave Mary a warning and premonition of what was to come. A sword would pierce her own heart.
And it was in seeing her own Son enduring His sufferings and carrying His cross to Calvary, even though He was blameless, innocent but charged with false charges, and mocked and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to, that her heart endured such a great pain, as mentioned by Simeon at the time of Jesus’ presentation at the Temple of God.
And in the Gospel today, which tells us about Jesus when He was only twelve years old, and went to the Temple of God in Jerusalem, surely we all know the story, how Jesus were left behind in the Temple, or rather, purposely staying behind at the Temple, the House and dwelling-place of His Father. And when Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem and found Him among the teachers and elders, she heard Him telling her about how He had to be in His Father’s house.
Anyone else who heard such things would have been scared, or become unsure and doubtful, or dismiss all these things as nonsense. But it was not so for Mary, for she kept everything in her heart, even things which she did not really understand. And just as at the time when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her in Nazareth, even though she did not understand everything, but she kept everything in her heart and put her complete trust in God and His plan.
How many of us have done what she had done, brothers and sisters in Christ? Certainly, very few among us would have done what Mary did. And it is not surprising considering that we mankind are creatures who often find it difficult to trust another, and we often trust and believe in only ourselves, and we act in ways that preserve ourselves and achieve our own wants and desires.
And that is why we often find it difficult to go forward in our journey towards the Lord, because we are by our nature tend to be distracted by many things, including all the temptations of this world that are hard for us to resist. We tend to sway and to be doubtful whenever we are presented with challenges that are against our faith in God.
This is where we should imitate the examples of Mary, the mother of our Lord. She was faithful despite all the things and experiences which she had encountered throughout her life. She placed all her trust in God, even though at times there were many things which she was unsure of. And she gave it all in the mission which God had entrusted her with, namely to be the mother and bearer of the Saviour of the world.
She loved her Son with all her might, even following Him wherever He went to. And when the disciples and the Apostles were scattered after Jesus was arrested by the Jewish authorities, it was Mary His mother who remained faithful and steady, watching by closely how the people rejected her Son and tortured Him, and condemned Him to death.
And for that faith and that love, indeed, Mary is truly worthy as the Mother of God, and as what we all believe in, as the Co-Redemptrix of mankind, through whose works and actions, the redemption of us all by Jesus our Lord was made perfect and complete. And He gave us the greatest form of help, by granting to us the gift of His own mother Mary.
He did this when He was hung between the heavens and the earth on the cross. He entrusted Mary to His disciple St. John the Apostle, and entrusted him to Mary as well. Through this act, He had entrusted His mother to us all mankind, and all of us to her care vice versa. And therefore, from then on, we have Mary as our guide to find the way to Jesus our Lord.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us ask Mary our mother to pray for our sake, that as she has loved her Son, she too may love us and care for us sinners in danger of death and eternal damnation. Let us all through her help and guidance, find our way to the Lord and to the eternal life and salvation He has promised all those who keep their faith in Him. God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 2 : 41-51
At that time, every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, He went up with them, according to the custom of this Feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the Boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.
They thought He was in the company, and after walking the whole day they looked for Him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for Him, and on the third day they found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
His parents were very surprised when they saw Him, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for You.” Then He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer.
Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them. As for His mother, she kept all these things in her heart.
Liturgical Colour : White
1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.
The bow of the mighty is broken but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has borne seven children but the proud mother is left alone.
YHVH is Lord of life and death; He brings down to the grave and rises up. YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and He exalts.
He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour.
Liturgical Colour : White
Isaiah 61 : 9-11
Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a race YHVH has blessed. I rejoice greatly in YHVH, my soul exults for joy in my God, for He has clothed me in the garments of His salvation, He has covered me with the robe of His righteousness, like a bridegroom wearing a garland, like a bride adorned with jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord YHVH make justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the moment when Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, came to visit her cousin, Elizabeth in the mountain counties of Judea. It was the sixth month since Elizabeth has become pregnant by the grace of God, with the herald of the Messiah, John the Baptist in her womb, while Mary herself carried Jesus, the Lord and Messiah in her womb.
Today is a day of joy, since the same joy experienced by John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth his mother is also the same joy which all of us should experience. After all, we are all mortal and sinful men, all of whom have sinned and did not deserve the kindness, mercy, love and forgiveness from our Lord, and yet He generously extended His love, which He had shown us through none other than Jesus, His only Son.
Today we remember that God has loved us all mankind so much, and indeed so great is His love that He gave us His only Son, Jesus, to be our Saviour and Redeemer so that all of us who believe in Him may be saved and may receive eternal life through Him. He has willingly come down into this world so that through Him the world of men may have hope and light in the midst of all the darkness.
And in all these, Mary played a very central role indeed, as the one through whom the Saviour was to be born. Mary fulfilled perfectly the role to which she had been appointed to by the Lord, by obeying the commands which God had given her, faithfully carrying out the mission and believing and trusting in the providence of God, that whatever God’s will is for her, it shall be done.
Elizabeth too believed in the Lord, and she obeyed Him in all things, and God rewarded her with the very important role, to be the mother of the herald of the Messiah, the one to usher in the coming of the Lord Himself, even though she was already very old and long past child bearing age. Through her, and ultimately through Mary, God showed this world, that His divine protection, grace and blessings are with those who obey Him.
The song of Mary, the Magnificat which Mary sang, filled with the Holy Spirit is the great song of thanksgiving for all the great things which God had done for her, and ultimately, also for all those who have been faithful to God. And in that song, we too have the same hope, the same joy and the same gladness, knowing that God is also with us, and will also bless us in the same manner if we are faithful to Him.
Therefore today, it is imperative that all of us find a moment to reflect on the great occasion of Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth. The Lord has come upon us and showed us His mercy, and He is willing to forgive us, but are we all willing and ready to forgive ourselves? Are we all ready to commit ourselves to the Lord in the same manner as the Lord has committed Himself to us?
Let us all change ourselves, our ways and everything that we do, so that in all things, we may draw ever closer to God, and become ever more devoted servants and followers of our God. Let us become truly worthy of God, so that when He comes again in His glory, we may be welcomed into His eternal kingdom, and receive the glory of eternal life with Him. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 1 : 39-56
At that time, 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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