Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Psalm 146 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Alleluia! How good it is to sing to our God, how sweet and befitting, to praise Him! YHVH rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals their broken hearts and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars; He calls each of them by name.
The Lord is great, and mighty in power; His wisdom is beyond measure. YHVH lifts up the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Isaiah 30 : 19-21, 23-26
O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. When you cry, He will listen; when He hears, He will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of anguish and the water of distress, He, your Teacher will hide no longer. Your own eyes will see Him, and your ear will listen to His words behind you : “This is the way, walk in it.”
He will then give rain for the seed you sow and make the harvest abundant from the crops you grow. On that day your cattle will graze in wide pastures. Your beasts of burden will eat silage tossed to them with pitchfork and shovel. For on the day of the great slaughter, when fortresses fall, streams of water will flow on every mountain and lofty hill.
The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven times greater, like the light of seven days, when YHVH binds up the wounds of His people and heals the bruises inflicted by His blows.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we honour and praise Mary, the Mother of God and our greatest intercessor before her own Son, who have appeared numerous times to mankind throughout the ages, in order to remind the people of God, who have been entrusted to her care, that they should reject their old sinful way of life and embrace anew the love and mercy of God.
And today, we commemorate that moment almost five centuries ago when she appeared to a saint, St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in the New World, now known as Mexico, the site of which now is the site of a great church and Basilica dedicated to her, as Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patron of the Americas and the New World, through whom many millions and more of souls have been converted to God.
Through Mary, God had endeavoured to make fulfilled His great promises to us mankind, and therefore, to that extent, He had set her aside and blessed her more than any other men or women, giving her the sole exception of being conceived without the taints of the original sins, which we celebrate just a few days ago at the Solemnity and Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
But even more than that, not just that Mary had been prepared by being freed from the corruption of sin, so that she would be worthy to be the vessel and Ark of the New Covenant, but throughout her life, she has dedicated her whole life to a life of purity and obedience towards the Lord and His laws. She is a paragon of faith and virtue, and an example to all of us Christians.
Through her we have seen what we should do as Christians, in obeying not our own will, but instead the will of God. We should devote ourselves and our time, our whole being to the Lord, as Mary had done. We may think that this is easy to be done, but in reality, there are many temptations and pressure for us to do otherwise. And when troubles and challenges come, it is easy for us to compromise and to lose our path.
But Mary remained faithful throughout, despite the pains and sufferings she had to endure. She watched her Son being persecuted with His disciples at the hands of the Jewish elders and the Pharisees, who opposed Him and disagreed with His ways and teachings, preferring to continue living in their wicked and corrupt ways. And she had to endure the greatest suffering of all, as a mother to see the death of her own Son on the cross. And yet, Mary continued to be faithful and dedicated to the mission entrusted to her.
That was why people like the Pharisees and the elders found it difficult to believe, because they were entangled by the temptations of power and worldly glory, by the lures of worldly goodness, by all the temptations of the flesh and the heart. They refused to believe in Jesus because of their pride and greed. They led the people as their shepherds not because they cared for them, but instead, they wanted more power, influence, fame and wealth for themselves, while others suffered under them.
Mary showed us all an example of how we should live our lives. While others embraced the demands of their greed and pride, succumbing to the temptations of power and money, she as the one to whom the Archangel Gabriel had announced to be the mother of Lord, Saviour and indeed Master of the whole Universe, remained humble and was not distracted from the task God entrusted to her, and she remained true and devoted to Him, even when the whole world was against her and Jesus her Son.
She has been entrusted by Jesus her Son on the cross to John His disciple, and John has similarly been entrusted to her care. In this symbolic trust, our Lord Jesus has entrusted all of humanity to the care of His mother Mary, who then after her Assumption into heaven, did not forget about us but continued to help us in various ways, as our greatest intercessor before God, and through her various apparitions in order to pass on her messages, calling the people of God to repentance and righteousness in Jesus.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are called to reflect on our own lives and actions. Have we been faithful to the Lord in the same way that Mary had been faithful? Have we obeyed the Lord and His commandments in the same manner that she had bene faithful and obedient? And when troubles and challenges come, do we seek to compromise and to negotiate our way out of trouble by obeying what the world asked of us, or have we instead been like Mary who persevered through and kept her faith?
Let us all ask ourselves these questions as we gather together and reflect on our lives today. Let us all devote ourselves to seek a renewal of our faith in God, and be truly devoted as Mary, the mother of our Lord had been. If God would raise Mary His mother up high because of her virtues, and blessed her more than anyone else, surely He will also bless us all if we remain faithful to Him and keep our faith amidst the challenges of the world.
May the Lord help us all to persevere through this life, that we will remain ever faithful to Him, and that we may remain true to our path towards salvation. Let us all direct our prayers to Him and ask for the intercession of His blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, for her prayers and intercessions for our sake. Through her, and by following her example, we shall find our path to justification and righteousness in God. May God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Matthew 21 : 23-27
At that time, Jesus had entered the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities came to Him, and asked, “What authority have You to act like this? Who gave You authority to do all this?”
Jesus answered them, “I will also ask You a question, only one. And if you give me an answer, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. When John began to baptise, was it a work of God, or was it merely something human?”
They reasoned out among themselves, “If we reply that it was a work of God, He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ And if we say, ‘The baptism of John is merely something human’, we have got to beware of the people, for all hold John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what right I do these things.”
Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Luke 1 : 39-47
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!”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.
Remember Your compassion, o Lord, Your unfailing love from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, but in Your love remember me.
Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.
Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe)
1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-8
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 raises 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. The earth to its pillars belongs to YHVH and on them He has set the world.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Numbers 24 : 2-7, 15-17a
Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping, tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered this song : “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, and beholds the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled.”
“How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your encampments, Israel! Like valleys stretching far, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes planted by YHVH, like cedars beside the waters. His buckets are overflowing and His seeds are always watered. His king becomes stronger than Agag, and His kingdom grows.
Then Balaam pronounced his oracle : “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, who has the knowledge from the Most High, and sees the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. I see a Figure, but not really. I behold Him but not near. A Star shall come forth from Jacob, He rises with a staff in His hand.”
Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Isaiah 7 : 10-14 and Isaiah 8 : 10c
Once again YHVH addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from YHVH your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of heaven.”
But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put YHVH to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign : The Virgin is with Child and bears a Son and calls His Name Immanuel, for God-is-with-us.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard from the Scriptures the contradictions from the ways of the Lord and the expectations of this world, as the Psalm we sung today show how different is the path of the wicked from the path of the just and the righteous. It is a reminder for us that as Christians, many of us should wake up to the reality that not all of the ways of our faith are acceptable and easily welcomed by the standards of this world.
But many of us often live our lives oblivious to this fact, and often it is because we are not living our faith in the manner it should be done. We are often lukewarm in our faith, and we are not practicing what we believe, but rather we follow the norms of this world, even though some of these ways and norms may be contrary to what we believe in our Christian faith.
It is a question that we should ask ourselves in this time of Advent, as we come to prepare for our celebration of Christmas. Are we living our lives in this world out of routine and just trying to do what this world is expecting us? Are we just following the motions and follow what this world has shown us? Have we ever stood up for our faith in the Lord and dared to be different by living our faith genuinely, even when others around us disapprove, ridiculed us and even rejected us?
Brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to challenge ourselves in how we live our lives in faith. We cannot be lukewarm and ignorant any longer, for those who have professed to believe in the Lord and yet their actions showed otherwise, these will be found wanting by the Lord, as those whose faith are not living, but dead, for faith without good works, as St. James said in his Epistle, is as good as dead.
Perhaps, we should follow the example of the holy man whose feast we are celebrating today. St. John Diego or St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was one of the first saints of the Americas, then known as the New World. He was one of the first natives of the New World to convert to the faith, after it was brought there by courageous missionaries who delivered the word of God and His Good News to those people still living in the darkness and ignorance of God.
Through his newfound faith in God, he was inspired to live an upright and honest life in accordance with God’s ways, and he was devoted to good works and charity, caring especially for his sick uncle with devotion. And it was told that this upright and devout man received a vision and apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God, what is now known as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
St. John Diego received the apparition of Mary at a hill known as Tepeyac, where now the great Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located at. He saw the Blessed Virgin clothed in the traditional cloth of the natives known as the tilma, and then related the experience to his local bishop. The bishop doubted this vision, and he did not believe at first that Mary had appeared to him.
For several times the apparition appeared again and again to St. John Diego as he went about carrying out his works among the poor as a lay member of the Franciscan religious order. And eventually the bishop asked for a sign that this vision is truly an authentic and trustworthy one. The Blessed Virgin appeared to St. John Diego with an instruction to go to the hill of Tepeyac, and there he found many white flowers that are not usually found in that region.
St. John Diego gathered the flowers in his own cloak or tilma and hurried back to the bishop to show him the flowers he had gathered. However, what surprised the bishop most was not the flowers, but rather what he saw was printed inside the tilma of St. John Diego, which is none other than the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe herself.
And ever since then, many people were saved because of the inspiration of St. John Diego, through the vision of the miraculous cloak or the tilma upon which the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is printed, which is now enshrined in the great Basilica, and through the messages that Our Lady passed on to St. John Diego, which he disseminated among the faithful.
From his example, we should be inspired by his dedication to the Lord, his upright and just ways, and despite the opposition and ridicule from others, in this case, from his own bishop and from his relatives, he nevertheless continued to persevere on nonetheless, and as a result, brought many others to salvation and liberation from sin.
May all of us be able to follow in his footsteps and be good and devoted disciples of the Lord ourselves. May He bless us and strengthen our faith, so that in all the things we say and do, we will always bring glory to Him and to His Name. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us all sinners. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Matthew 11 : 16-19
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain : ‘We played the flute for you, but you would not dance. We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!'”
“For John came fasting, and the people said, ‘He is possessed.’ Then the Son of Man came, He ate and drank, and people said, ‘Look at this Man! A glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet the outcome will prove Wisdom to be right.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.
He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.
But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Isaiah 48 : 17-19
Thus says YHVH, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel : I, YHVH, your God, teach you what is best for you; I lead you in the way that you must go. Had you paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
Your descendants would have been like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, their names never cut off nor blotted out from My presence.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 