Monday, 24 November 2014 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Luke 21 : 1-4

At that time, Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury of the Temple. He also saw a poor widow, who dropped in two small coins.

And He said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. For all of them gave an offering from their plenty; but she, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on.”

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/23/monday-24-november-2014-34th-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-andrew-dung-lac-priest-and-companions-martyrs-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Fourth and Last Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 23 November 2014 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Offertory

Psalm 129 : 1-2

De profundis clamavi ad Te, Domine : Domine, exaudi orationem meam : de profundis clamavi ad Te, Domine.

English translation

From the depths I have cried out to You, o Lord. Lord, hear my prayer, from the depths I have cried out to You, o Lord.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Propitius esto, Domine, supplicationibus nostris : et, populi Tui oblationibus precibusque susceptis, omnium nostrum ad Te corda converte; ut, a terrenis cupiditatibus liberati, ad caelestia desideria transeamus. Per Dominum…

English translation

Be propitius, o Lord, to our supplications, and accept the offerings and prayers of Your people. Turn all our hearts unto You, that, being delivered from earthly desires, we may pass on to the enjoyments of heaven. Through our Lord…

Communion

Mark 11 : 24

Amen, dico vobis, quidquid orantes petitis, credite, quia accipietis, et fiet vobis.

English translation

Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and it shall be done unto you.

Post-Communion Prayer

Concede nobis, quaesumus, Domine : ut per haec sacramenta quae sumpsimus, quidquid in nostra mente vitiosum est, ipsorum medicationis dono curetur. Per Dominum…

English translation

Grant us, we beseech You, o Lord, that, through this sacrament which we have received, whatever is evil in our hearts may be restored by its gift of healing. Through our Lord…

Friday, 21 November 2014 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate together the feast of the presentation of the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is Mary, Theotokos or Mother of God. She was chosen by God from among many of the children of mankind, to be the one who was destined to be the vessel to bear the coming of the Saviour into this world, and in that, to bear the Lord and Master of all the creations Himself, when He was incarnate into flesh.

As our Lord is perfect and perfectly good, without sin and any taint of evil, thus His blessed mother, Mary, was also therefore conceived without the taint of sin, of the original sin of Adam and Eve, the first ancestors of mankind. She was conceived free from sin, immaculate and pure, worthy to be the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, as decreed by God. And today, we celebrate the memory of her presentation at the Temple of the Lord.

In the Jewish custom, as according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, the firstborns of Israel are dedicated to the Lord, through a presentation ceremony, as ceremonially belonging to the Lord. This is a strong reminder of what they had encountered in Egypt, during the time of their liberation from slavery. At that time, God sent ten great plagues to pressure the Pharaoh to liberate the people of Israel and allow them to go back to the land of their ancestors in freedom.

The last of the ten plagues, and the most terrifying of them all, is the death of all the firstborns of the Egyptians, including the firstborn of the Pharaoh himself. No firstborn was spared, and the firstborn of humans and animals of the Egyptians alike were destroyed, for the sins of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The firstborn of the people of Israel however, were spared, because of the Lord’s promise to them, and His instruction, that they be presented and offered to Him, and they ever since belonged to the Lord who spared them from the power of the angel of death.

Thus, Mary, who was the firstborn of the couple, Joachim and Anne, whom we know now as St. Joachim and St. Anne, was offered at the Temple of God, according to the Law. Thus from that day of the presentation onwards, Mary was entrusted completely to God, and she remained pure and blameless, as God had intended her to be, as the new Ark of the new Covenant, which was made through Jesus her Son.

Jesus too was presented at the Temple when He was eight days old, in the same manner of His mother Mary, as her firstborn Son. And from this offering of the blameless and pure sacrifice, Christ, who is the Lamb of God, offered Himself to be the One to bear the burdens of the sins of the world, and thus purify us from our sins and allow us to escape the claws of death, which is caused by sin.

The festival of the Jewish Passover, which commemorated the ‘passing over’ of the angel of death over the faithful people of God, who sacrificed a lamb and shed its blood on their doors’ lintels and surfaces, is therefore completed in its perfection through Jesus, the One and True Lamb, whose Blood is shed over all mankind, and therefore those of us who believe and receive His Body and Blood had been marked to be saved, and to be passed over by death, which is the lot of those who are wicked and unfaithful.

Thus, this feast of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, is a reminder for us all, that we who believe in Him and faithfully receive His Body and Blood, had also received grace and salvation through the death and resurrection of our Lord. However, this does not mean that this alone is enough for us to be saved.

When we present something to the Lord, certainly we do not offer something that is wicked, evil, tainted and filled with sin. We ought to offer something that is pure, filled with love and righteousness, with genuine faith and understanding of what that faith is about. Thus, let this day’s celebration be a wake-up call to all of us, so that we may look deep into ourselves and see where we have been faithful, and more importantly, where we have fallen short and where we have failed in our faith.

Let us all follow the example of Mary, the mother of our Lord, whose life is completely and totally devoted to the Lord and His ways, and in all that she did in her life, she did them with complete and full faith in God, knowing that God knows best for His servants and handmaids, and she also acted with love, justice and in accordance with all that the Lord had taught His people.

Mary is our role model, and we should follow her examples. Let us not wait any longer, lest the Lord comes again in surprise, and catch us unprepared. Remember, brothers and sisters in Christ, what is at stake, is the salvation of our souls, and whether, on the day of judgment, we will be ‘passed over’ by eternal death and then proceed into eternal life and bliss, or whether we will suffer the penalty of death for sins we have been unrepentant from.

Mary, mother of us all, pray for us all sinners, that we may learn to change our ways, to follow your examples, and therefore we will be able to offer ourselves anew and refreshed, pure and freed from the taints of sin. Pray for us that we may do our best to distance ourselves from sin and all things wicked in the sight of God. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, bring us to eternal life. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/18/friday-21-november-2014-33rd-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-the-presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/18/friday-21-november-2014-33rd-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-the-presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/18/friday-21-november-2014-33rd-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-the-presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-gospel-reading/

(Usus Antiquior) Dedication of the Archbasilica of our Saviour, Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, Feast of St. Theodore, Martyr (II Classis) – Sunday, 9 November 2014 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Offertory

1 Paralipomenon (Chronicles) 29 : 17, 18

Domine Deus, in simplicitate cordis mei laetus obtuli universa; et populum Tuum, qui repertus est, vidi cum ingenti gaudio : Deus Israel, custodi hanc voluntatem, Alleluja.

English translation

O Lord God, in the simplicity of my heart, I have joyfully offered all these things; and I have seen with great joy Your people, which are present. O God of Israel, keep this will, Alleluia.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Secret (only to be used in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran itself)

Annue, quaesumus, Domine, precibus nostris : (ut, quicumque intra templi hujus, cujus anniversarium dedicationis diem celebramus, ambitum continemur, plena tibi atque perfecta corporis et animae devotione placeamus) ut, dum haec vota praesentia reddimus, ad aeterna praemia, te adjuvante, pervenire mereamur. Per Dominum…

English translation

Bow down to our prayers, o Lord, we beseech You (that all of us who are within the precincts of this temple, the anniversary of whose dedication we celebrate, may please You with full and perfect devotion of body and soul) that, while we pay our vows here below, we may, by Your assistance, be worthy to attain unto everlasting rewards. Through our Lord…

Secret (Commemoration of Dedication)

Deus, qui sacrandorum tibi auctor es munerum, effunde super hanc orationis domum benedictionem Tuam : ut ab omnibus, in ea invocantibus Nomen Tuum, defensionis Tuae auxilium se nitatur. Per Dominum…

English translation

O God, You who are the author of the gifts that are to be consecrated to You, pour forth Your blessing upon this house of prayer, that the help of Your defense may be felt by all who here invoke Your Name. Through our Lord…

Secret (Commemoration of St. Theodore)

Suscipe, Domine, fidelium preces cum oblationibus hostiarum : et, intercedente Beato Theodoro Martyre Tuo, per haec piae devotionis officia ad caelestem gloriam transeamus. Per Dominum…

English translation

Receive, o Lord, the prayers of the faithful with offerings of sacrifices, and, by the intercession of Blessed Theodore, Your martyr, may we pass through these offices of pious devotion to heavenly glory. Through our Lord…

Communion

Matthew 21 : 13

Domus mea domus orationis vocabitur, dicit Dominus : in ea omnis, qui petii, accipit; et qui quaerit, invenit; et pulsanti aperietur.

English translation

My house shall be called the house of prayer, says the Lord. Every one who asks therein will receive, and he who seeks, shall find, and to him who knocks, it shall be opened to him.

Post-Communion Prayer

Post-Communion (Commemoration of Dedication of Basilica of St. John Lateran)

Deus, qui de vivis et electis lapidibus aeternum majestati Tuae praeparas habitaculum : auxiliare populo Tuo supplicanti; ut, quod Ecclesiae Tuae corporalibus proficit spatiis, spiritualibus amplificetur augmentis. Per Dominum…

English translation

O God, who from living and chosen stones had prepared for Your majesty an eternal dwelling, help Your people who call upon You, so that what is profitable to Your Church in material growth may be accompanied with an increase of that which is of the Spirit. Through our Lord…

Post-Communion (Commemoration of St. Theodore)

Praesta nobis, quaesumus, Domine : intercedente Beato Theodoro Martyre Tuo; ut, quod ore contingimus, pura mente capiamus. Per Dominum…

English translation

Grant us, we beseech You, o Lord, by the intercession of Blessed Theodore, Your martyr, that what we touch with our lips we may receive with pure hearts. Through our Lord…

Wednesday, 5 November 2014 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are reminded of the need for us to be prepared in our faith and in our lives, that we will be ready when the Lord comes again. We cannot be idle in our faith and we cannot be slack, as our faith is not just by mere words or proclamations, nor can it be an empty faith, for an empty faith is no good at all. Rather, we must have a living faith that is founded upon action, and love in those actions.

Our faith must be carried on through our life, and we must therefore be prepared for the day of judgment. Before every time we act we must also think it through thoroughly first, just as Jesus mentioned in the parable He taught the people, on the matter of kings fighting a war with another king. A careful deliberation and preparation will help us, just as it helped the kings, to carry out a wisely thought and considered option in life.

Why is this so important? That is because many of us acted in this life without proper consideration and even without thinking first. Many of us acted at the whim of our desires and wants, which often resulted in acts of incredible selfishness that cared for only ourselves, and frequently causing a disadvantage if not even pain and suffering for others around us.

By following our own desires, the desires of our hearts, and following in the corruptions of Satan, we are not true to our faith, as our faith requires us to be truly faithful to the Lord. Jesus said that when one is not ready to forgo his links and connections to the world and to people who are dear to us, in order to follow the Lord with all of our hearts and strength, then we are not ready to become His disciples.

Jesus did not mean that we must segregate or detach ourselves from our loved ones, our families and friends, and others known to us. He did not mean that we should hate them or anything of the sort. On the contrary, He wants us to love them and embrace them, just as much as we love Him. As I have often mentioned, there can be no perfect love for God if we do not love our neighbours and those around us, and vice versa, that there can be no perfect love for our neighbours if we do not first love the Lord our God with all of our might.

What He meant was that if our attachment to those around us prevent us from loving God sincerely and completely, then we have to do something about it. For example if our relatives and families, or our friends are doing things that are considered wicked and horrendous in the sight of God, then we have to stand up to it, and we have to do what is right, that is to remind them that they should not do such wickedness and stop sinning.

And this may cost us our relationship with them, and our friendship with them too. And this is a risk we have to take. We have a choice, brothers and sisters in Christ, either to conform to their actions, and save our relationships, keeping our friendship with them, at the cost of perhaps most likely their souls, for they committed sin before God and did not repent.

How about us in that case? Because we did not act as we should have done, and refused to follow the Lord’s commandments, bringing souls of men into jeopardy and damnation, we too will have to answer for our lack of action, as we caused them to fall into hell and thus lost to God. If we had done our part to remind them of their sinfulness, they might have the chance to change their ways and become better.

Thus, brothers and sisters in Christ, we are indeed reminded of the need for us to be proactive in our faith, and to take action whenever it is possible for us. This is part of our duty and responsibility as the member of the Church of God. We must be fully ready to take up our crosses in life, following the Lord in His ways. And one way to do that is indeed to remind our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, despite of our relationships, to keep faithful in the Lord.

Let us all together be as what St. Paul said in the letter which was read as our First Reading today, to be children of the Light, and therefore we ought to do as what the children of the Light should do, that is to shun all forms of sins and fornications of the body and the soul. We have to help one another in this, as all of us are predisposed to sin, and we are all vulnerable to temptations of the flesh and of this life.

At times, the soft approach to remind one another may not work, so it may be necessary at times to bring sense back to us, and to awaken us from our sinfulness and back into the light. May our Lord Jesus therefore give us strength, both to resist the temptations of sin and the body, and also to have the strength to be able to overcome our hesitation when we see someone whom we knew, who commits a sin before God, that for his or her own good, that someone may be delivered from the gates of damnation into salvation in God. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading : 
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/04/wednesday-5-november-2014-31st-week-of-ordinary-time-first-reading/

Psalm : 
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/04/wednesday-5-november-2014-31st-week-of-ordinary-time-psalm/

Gospel Reading : 
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/04/wednesday-5-november-2014-31st-week-of-ordinary-time-gospel-reading/

Wednesday, 5 November 2014 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Philippians 2 : 12-18

Therefore, my dearest friends, as you always obeyed me while I was with you, even more now that I am far from you, continue working out your salvation “with fear and trembling.”

It is God who makes you not only wish but also carry out what pleases Him. Do everything without grumbling, so that without fault or blame, you will be children of God without reproach among a crooked and perverse generation. You are a light among them, like stars in the universe, holding to the Word of Life.

I shall feel proud of you on the day of Christ on seeing that my effort and labour have not been in vain. And if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I rejoice and continue to share your joy; and you likewise should rejoice and share my joy.

 

Homily and Reflection : 
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/11/04/wednesday-5-november-2014-31st-week-of-ordinary-time-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

(Usus Antiquior) Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, All Souls’ Day (Feria II Classis) – Monday, 3 November 2014 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Preface of the Dead, Communion, Post-Communion Prayer

Offertory

Tradition of the Faith

Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae, libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de paenis inferni et de profundo lacu : libera eas de ore leonis, ne absorbeat eas tartarus, ne cadant in obscurum : sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam : Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.

Response : Hostias et preces Tibi, Domine, laudis offerimus : Tu suscipe pro animabus illis, quarum hodie memoriam facimus : fac eas, Domine, de morte transire ad vitam. Quam olim Abrahae promisisti et semini ejus.

English translation

O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the deep pit; deliver them from the lion’s mouth, that hell will not engulf them, nor that they fall into darkness, but let Michael, the holy standard-bearer, bring them into the holy light which You once had promised to Abraham and his seed.

Response : We offer You, o Lord, sacrifices and prayers of praise. May You accept them for those souls whom we commemorate this day; grant them, o Lord, to pass from death to the life which You once had promised to Abraham and his seed.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Secret for the First Mass

Hostias, quaesumus, Domine, quas tibi pro animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum offerimus, propitiatus intende : ut, quibus fidei christianae meritum contulisti, dones et praemium. Per Dominum…

English translation

Mercifully look down, we beseech You, o Lord, upon the sacrifice which we offer You for the souls of Your servants and handmaids, that, to those on whom You had conferred the merit of Christian faith, You may also grant its reward. Through our Lord…

Secret for the Second Mass

Propitiare, Domine, supplicationibus nostris, pro animabus famulorum famularumque tuarum, pro quibus tibi offerimus sacrificium laudis; ut eas Sanctorum tuorum consortio sociare digneris. Per Dominum…

English translation

Be propitiated, o Lord, by our supplications for the souls of Your servants and handmaids, whose anniversary is kept today, for whom we offer You the sacrifice of praise, that You vouchsafe to join them to the company of Your saints. Through our Lord…

Secret for the Third Mass

Deus, cujus misericordiae non est numerus, suscipe propitius preces humilitatis nostrae : et animabus fratrumm propinquorum et benefactorum nostrorum, quibus Tui Nominis dedisti confessionem, per haec sacramenta salutis nostrae, cunctorum remissionem tribue peccatorum. Per Dominum…

English translation

O God, whose mercy is boundless, mercifully receive the prayers of our lowliness, and grant, through these sacraments of our salvation, to the souls of our brethren, kindred, and benefactors, to whom You had granted the confession of Your Name, the remission of all sins. Through our Lord…

Mass for the Dead

Preface of the Dead

Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gratias agere : Domine, Sancte Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus : per Christum, Dominum nostrum. In quo nobis spes beatae resurrectionis effulsit, ut, quos contristat certa moriendi condicio, eosdem consoletur futurae immortalitatis promissio. Tuis enim fidelibus, Domine, vita mutatur, non tollitur : et, dissoluta terrestris hujus incolatus domo, aeterna in caelis habitatio comparatur.

Et ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus cumque omni militia caelestis exercitus hymnum gloriae tuae canimus, sine fine dicentes :

English translation

It is truly meet and just, right and profitable for us, at all times, and in all places, to give thanks to You, o holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God through Christ, our Lord, in whom the hope of a happy resurrection has shone on us, so that those whom the certain fate of dying renders sad, may be consoled by the promise of future immortality. For with regard to Your faithful, o Lord, life is changed, not taken away; and the house of their earthly dwelling being destroyed, an eternal dwelling in heaven is obtained.

So with the angels and archangels, with the dominions and powers, with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing of Your glory without end, saying :

Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam.

English translation

Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world, give unto them rest.

Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world, give unto them rest.

Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world, give unto them rest forevermore.

Communion

4 Esdras 2 : 35, 34

Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine : Cum Sanctis tuis in aeternum : quia pius es.

Response : Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine : et lux perpetua luceat eis. Cum Sanctis Tuis in aeternum : quia pius es.

English translation

May light eternal shine upon them, o Lord, with Your saints forever, for You are kind.

Response : Grant them everlasting rest, o Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, with Your Saints forever, for You are kind.

Post-Communion

Post-Communion for the First Mass

Animabus, quaesumus, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum oratio proficiat supplicantium : ut eas et a peccatis omnibus exuas, et tuae redemptionis facias esse participes : Qui vivis…

English translation

May the prayer of Your suppliants profit the souls of Your servants and handmaids, we beseech You, o Lord, that You may free them from all sins and make them sharers in Your redemption. Who lives…

Post-Communion for the Second Mass

Praesta, quaesumus, Domine : ut animae famulorum famularumque tuarum, his purgatae sacrificiis, indulgentiam pariter et requiem capiant sempiternam. Per Dominum…

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, o Lord, that the souls of Your servants and handmaids, the anniversary of those whose burial we commemorate, may be purged by this sacrifice and obtain alike forgiveness and everlasting rest. Through our Lord…

Post-Communion for the Third Mass

Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens et misericors Deus : ut animae fratrum, propinquorum et benefactorum nostrorum, pro quibus hoc sacrificium laudis tuae obtulimus majestati; per hujus virtutem sacramenti a peccatis omnibus expiatae, lucis perpertuae, te miserante, recipiant beatitudinem. Per Dominum…

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, o Almighty and merciful God, that the souls of our brethren, kindred, and benefactors, for whom we have offered this sacrifice of praise to Your majesty, being purified of all sins by the virtue of this sacrament, may, by Your mercy receive the beatitude of perpetual light. Through our Lord…

Dismissal (Mass for the Dead)

Priest : Requiescant in pace.

Response : Amen.

English translation

Priest : May they rest in peace.

Response : Amen.

(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 2 November 2014 : Homily and Scripture Reflections

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how important it is for us to practice our faith with real commitment and zeal, and not just empty words and proclamations. And we cannot be hypocrites in our faith, like the example which our Lord Jesus gave us, in the wicked and unforgiving servant, who was forgiven in his own debts, but did not forgive the debts of others whose debts are even smaller then his own debt.

How is the parable of the wicked servant, as told by Jesus, relevant to us? It is indeed relevant, as the actions of the wicked servant and the other servants, are all in fact representative of our own actions, and our own dispositions in life. The wicked servant was in fact representative of the Pharisees and the chief priests, whom the Lord rebuked for their actions in life. But this could also easily mean the same for us, as it is easy for us to follow in their footsteps too.

How is this so? That is because we have to first realise the fact that we are all sinners, and sin is like a debt, a debt which we owe the Lord. Not that the Lord owns sins and neither it is that the Lord is the One who gave us sin. No, it is not. Sin is the disobedience of mankind against the will of God, and therefore, it directly and indirectly refers to the lack of love and honour which we should have given and presented to God.

Thus, when we sin before the Lord, we owe the Lord the love and honour, which we should have given to Him, which we instead gave to Satan, the father of sin and lies. And the more we sin, thus the greater is our debt of love towards God, and the more we have to pay back, just as the wicked servant owed the master a lot of money, to the point that he was unable to pay it back.

And this is why our Lord Jesus came in, for He is the Word incarnate into flesh, the Son of God who had been sent into the world by the Father, so that by what He had done, via His ultimate sacrifice of love on the cross, He offered Himself as a worthy Lamb of God, the ultimate price to be paid for our sins, the whole mountains of our sinfulness, indeed! For the sum of all of our sins are indeed so great, that it may seem to us at first that they are insurmountable.

But what is impossible for men, is indeed possible for God. Nothing is impossible, and just as the master forgave all the debts of the wicked servant, the Lord Jesus also absolved the sins of mankind when He sacrificed Himself on the cross, and gave justification and salvation to all mankind. But then, it cannot stop here, just as the parable has a continuation.

The wicked servant also had his fellow servants who owed him money, far smaller in amount than what the wicked servant had once owed his master. Yet, he did not emulate the example of his master, and persecuted his fellow servant just for the sake of that small debt, which he refused to forgive. This is a reality of our faith, and one which may easily occur to us as well.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, no matter how much and how often they have hated Jesus and tried to undermine His works, were also forgiven their sins by Jesus, who even forgave them again on the cross, when He asked the Father not to take into account their actions filled with sin. And yet, despite this, they persecuted their fellow men, for their little sins, which according to them, taints a person and makes him or her unworthy of salvation. They were unbending in their rules and persecuted and ostracised the people for even the smallest matters of the Law.

And how about us, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is the same. We have also been forgiven our sins, but we do not follow the example of Christ in many if not most situations. How often can we remember that we do not forgive or take great offence at one another, even our own close family members, even for the smallest of matter? How often is it that we refused to forgive our brethren just because he or she had wronged us, and we remained in our anger and vengeance?

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, the readings today from the Scripture made it very clear to us, how we have to take heed of the Lord Jesus’ actions and teachings, that is to wear all the aspects of our faith upon us, to guard over the possible temptations and advances of the devil. The breastplate of faith is the core of our faith in God, in the One who had forgiven us our debts, and give us a new chance in life, which however will not be complete, if it is not accompanied by action filled with justice, love and truth.

This means that our actions must emulate the actions of Christ, and we have to forgive one another the mistakes which we have committed to each other. We have to show justice in our actions to our fellow men, and if the Lord had forgiven us from such a great debt and sin, who are we not to follow His examples, and instead be like the wicked servant who persecuted his fellow servant for so small a debt?

Let us take heed of this, lest we suffer the same fate as the wicked servant, who was thrown into jail, into the darkness, having to pay every cent of his debt. And as mentioned, the great extent of our sins is immeasurable and insurmountable, by us. And therefore, the result of disobeying the Lord and following the path of the wicked servant is eternal suffering, or hell.

We certainly do not want this, and thus, let us change our ways, and become better children and servant of our God, that we may be worthy of life together with Him, in full bliss and happiness, forever. Amen.

(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 2 November 2014 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Offertory

Job 1

Vir erat in terra Hus, nomine Job : simplex et rectus ac timens Deum : quem Satan petiit ut tentaret : et data est ei potestas a Domino in facultates et in carnem ejus : perdiditque omnem substantiam ipsius et filios : carnem quoque ejus gravi ulcere vulneravit.

English translation

There was a man in the land of Hus, whose name was Job, simple, and upright, and fearing God, whom Satan besought that he might them. And power was given to him from the Lord over his possessions and his flesh; and he destroyed all his substance and his children, and also wounded his flesh with a grievous ulcer.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Suscipe, Domine, propitius hostias : quibus et Te placari voluisti, et nobis salutem potenti pietate restitui. Per Dominum…

English translation

Graciously receive, o Lord, the sacrifices with which You had willed that You should be appeased and our salvation, by Your mighty love, restored. Through our Lord…

Communion

Psalm 118 : 81, 84, 86

In salutari Tuo anima mea, et in verbum Tuum speravi : quando facies de persequentibus me judicium? Iniqui persecuti sunt me, adjuva me, Domine, Deus meus.

English translation

My soul is in Your salvation, and in Your word I have hoped when You will execute judgment on them that persecute me? The wicked have persecuted me, help me, o Lord my God.

Post-Communion Prayer

Immortalitatis alimoniam consecuti, quaesumus, Domine : ut, quod ore percepimus, pura mente sectemur. Per Dominum…

English translation

Having obtained the nourishment of immortality, we beseech You, o Lord, that what has passed our lips we may embrace with a pure mind. Through our Lord…

(Usus Antiquior) Feast of All Saints (Double I Classis) – Saturday, 1 November 2014 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Offertory

Wisdom 3 : 1, 2, 3

Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormentum malitiae visi sunt oculis insipientium mori : illi autem sunt in pace. Alleluja.

English translation

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of malice shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, but they are in peace. Alleluia.

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Munera Tibi, Domine, nostrae devotionis offerimus : quae et pro cunctorum Tibi grata sint honore Justorum, et nobis salutaria, Te miserante, reddantur. Per Dominum…

English translation

We offer to You, o Lord, the gifts of our devotion. May they be pleasing to You in honour of all Your saints; and of Your mercy let them avail for our salvation. Through our Lord…

Communion

Matthew 5 : 8-10

Beati mundo corde, quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt; beati pacifici, quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur : beati, qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam, quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum.

English translation

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Post-Communion Prayer

Da, quaesumus, Domine, fidelibus populis omnium Sanctorum semper veneratione laetari : et eorum perpetua supplicatione muniri. Per Dominum…

English translation

May the outpouring of the Holy Spirit purify our hearts, o Lord, and by the inward sprinkling of His heavenly dew may they be made fruitful. Through our Lord…