Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 113B : 1-2, 3-4, 15-16
Not to us, o Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory, for the sake of Your love and faithfulness. Why should the pagans say, “Where is their God?”
There in heaven is our God; whatever He wishes, He does. Not so the hand-made idols, crafted in silver and gold.
May you be blessed by the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. Heaven belongs to the Lord, but the earth He has given to humans.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 14 : 5-18
A move was made by pagans and Jews, together with their leaders, to harm the Apostles and to stone them. But Paul and Barnabas learnt of this and fled to Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued preaching the Good News.
Paul and Barnabas spent a fairly long time at Lystra. There was a crippled man in Lystra who had never been able to stand or walk. One day, as he was listening to the preaching, Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had the faith to be saved. So he spoke to him in a loud voice, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to stand up on your feet!” And the man stood up and began to walk around.
When the people saw what Paul had done, they cried out in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come to us in human likeness!” They named Barnabas Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Even the priest of the Temple of Zeus, which stood outside the town, brought oxen and garlands to the gate; together with the people, he wanted to offer sacrifice to them.
When Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their garment to show their indignation and rushed into the crowd, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are human beings with the same weakness you have and we are now telling you to turn away from these useless things to the living God Who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is in them.”
“In past generations He allowed each nation to go its own way, though He never stopped making Himself known; for He is continually doing good, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, providing you with food and filling your hearts with gladness.”
Even these words could hardly keep the crowd from offering sacrifice to them.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate together the feast of our Lady of the Rosary, also once known as the feast of our Lady of Victory, a celebration of the great triumph and victory of the soldiers and the defenders of Christ and His Church in the great Battle of Lepanto in the year 1571, or about four hundred and forty-five years ago against the mighty forces of the enemies of the faithful, the pagan and the wicked Ottoman Turks.
On this day, at that time, the mighty Ottoman Empire had captured much of the eastern portion of Christendom, including the holy city of Constantinople, enslaving and ruling over many of the faithful, whose lives were made quite difficult, where they were not truly able to manifest their faith and devotion to God, and coercion as well as persuasion to abandon their faith were rampant.
And the same Ottoman Turks were then menacing and threatening the rest of Christendom with their mighty army and fleet, and there was then a very real possibility that they might just be able to overcome the rest of Christendom and destroy the Church and the faithful people of God just as they had done over vast areas of lands that they have conquered.
But of course the faithful people of God did not just stand by and let the devil and his armies to roll over them. Led by the brave and the courageous leaders of the forces of Christendom, many answered to the call made by a holy and devout saint, Pope St. Pius V, who called on all the faithful to defend the Church and their Faith and made a stand against the forces of the enemy, in which the decisive battle was fought at the sea in Lepanto.
Before the battle began, the forces of the faithful asked for the intercession of the holy saints and especially that of the Blessed Mother of our Lord, Mary, who was since then would be known as our Lady of Victory and later on as our Lady of the Rosary for the role which she played in that battle. Through her intercession of behalf of her Son, our Lord and God, it was told that the winds and the clouds themselves rallied against the enemy forces, and a vision apparently appeared to the Turks, that so terrified them that many abandoned their ships and the battlefield.
Eventually, the forces of the faithful triumphed in the battle, and Christendom and the people of God were saved from what was once a certain defeat and destruction in the hands of those who served the devil and the dark forces of this world. And in order to commemorate that great victory, thus this day was therefore forever marked to be celebrated as the Feast of our Lady of Victory, and later on also known as the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary.
We all are aware of the rosary and how to pray the rosary. But do we actually pray the rosary with genuine faith and devotion? Do we really dedicate ourselves heart, mind and soul when we handle the rosary and offer the prayers to God through His mother Mary? Or do we just mutter out prayers and words without really understanding them? Perhaps we should reflect on this and think about how we really should pray the rosary.
The rosary is a tool which the Blessed Virgin Mary herself had presented to the world, to those who are looking for a path towards the Lord. Mary is mankind’s greatest ally, for who else but the mother of our Lord, God and Saviour is able to assist us in so many ways, bringing us closer to the love and grace of God, and helping us to find our way to her Son? Through the rosary, she is trying to help us out, and to lift us out from the darkness that threatens our heart, mind and soul.
Rather, the rosary should be prayed with full sincerity, devoting ourselves and our time to offer this bouquet of prayers to Mary, that she may bring those prayers to our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the rosary we are shielded and protected from the depredations and attacks by the forces of the devil, that is the spiritual battles that are constantly striking against our souls.
The Lord sent us His guardian Angels who are always in constant battles with the devils and the demons desiring to see our downfall. And if we are not spiritually strong inside us, and if our faith is not resolute and strong, we may fall into temptation and therefore collapse into sin. Just as those Turks did so long ago, where they came bearing harm and destruction upon the faithful people of God, but this one is even more dangerous.
Why is that so? It is because, sin is a great harm upon our souls, and if we lose this spiritual battle, and if our souls are lost to the Lord, we will be condemned forever in suffering in the depths of hell and darkness. But that is exactly why our loving and merciful God wants us to be saved from such a sorry fate, and that was why He sent us Mary, His mother, who then revealed to us the gift of the rosary, the spiritual prayer bouquet, through which we will be able to steel ourselves with resolve for the Lord.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, from now on, let us all commit ourselves to the Lord and His ways, and pray the rosary with fervent devotion, so that in our great faith for God, His mother Mary may notice us and intercede for our sake, that her Son Jesus may intervene and help us to be freed from the darkness and the sufferings of this world. May God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 1 : 26-38
In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus.”
“He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”
Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”
Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55
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.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 1 : 12-14
Then the disciples of Jesus returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen minute walk away. On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying.
Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James. All of these together gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard first about the works of St. Paul who went about many cities and towns across regions of the Eastern Mediterranean. He went preaching the word of God and the Good News, telling many people of the need to repent from their old, sinful ways and to follow the Lord our God from then on. And he encouraged the faith of the many communities of the faithful whom he visited along the way.
If we read more of the entirety of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles as a whole, we would realise just how difficult his works were, and how dangerous they were. Indeed, many of the faithful welcomed him along his journeys and they listened to him. But in many of those places, he also encountered those who opposed his works, those who opposed the faith and the Church, and refused to believe in God.
The Jews, especially the hardliners among the priestly clans and the Pharisees refused to believe in Jesus and made life difficult for St. Paul and the Apostles. In a few occasion they even harassed them and incited the whole city to go against them. Their works were disturbed and they were even stoned and assaulted. But with the grace of God, they were able to persevere amidst the persecution.
And some of the Greeks and the pagans who refused to believe in God also made their case against St. Paul and the Apostles, thinking of his teachings and the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as threats to their traditional way of life, their culture and as insult and affront to their traditional gods. And thus, many people and groups ganged up against St. Paul, the Apostles and the faithful.
This is a fulfilment of what Jesus Himself had told His disciples at the Last Supper, about how the world would hate them for what they had done for the sake of the Lord, and because they belong to the Lord and no longer belonging to the world. They would suffer rejection, challenges and persecution because of their dedication to the Holy Name of God, and for the salvation of God’s people.
But God reassured them at the same time, for He told them that it was indeed a great privilege to be able to suffer for the sake and for the cause of the Name of the Lord. And they suffered because they refused to bend to accommodate the demands of this world, and they therefore gained glory and righteousness through what they have done in good faith in the Lord Jesus.
This is especially important for all of us today, as we have to realise and we have to constantly remember that the works of the Church and thus the same works of the Apostles have not been completed, but instead, it is still in progress, and we are the ones who have been entrusted with the same works as what the Apostles had been entrusted with.
Now we have to ask ourselves, are we up to the challenge? Are we able to give of ourselves just as the Apostles have given themselves for the sake of evangelisation and preaching the Good News to those who have yet to hear of it, or to sinners awaiting for the redemption and salvation in God? We have to make a conscious choice and effort to put ourselves at the forefront of the works of the Church, to bring more and more souls to salvation in our God.
Now, let us today remember the example of this pious saint whose feast day is celebrated today, Pope St. Pius V, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, and the leader of the entire Universal Church approximately five centuries ago. Pope St. Pius V lived through a time of great difficulty for the Church, and he led the Church through those very turbulent and trying times, where people were also martyred for their faith, and many false prophets were lying around seeking prey from among the people of God.
At that time, the Church and the faithful people of God were under siege and under constant threat from the inside and from the outside. The pagan and godless Ottoman Turks were rising and became mighty, seizing territories after territories, enslaving more and more people under their iron rule, and the whole Christendom was under great fear of this great rising power.
And besides that external threat, from the inside, the Church was assailed by the heretics and the people who called themselves as Protestants, following false teachings and the heretical thoughts of men planted by the devil himself to destroy the Church and its unity. Many souls were lost to heresy, and many people fell along the way, as they were tempted by the temptations of those heretical teachings and left the truth of God behind.
During that very trying and turbulent times, Pope St. Pius V led and steered the Church with great patience and effort, keeping control of the faithful and ensuring that works were done to prevent more and more souls from being lost to the damnation of hell. And thus, he helped conclude the very important Council of Trent, a gathering of the leaders of the Church designed to rejuvenate and purify the faith, so that the Church would be far better able to resist the attacks of the heretics.
Through his efforts, many of the lost souls and heretics repented their sins, and by the hard works of the various missionaries sent to reclaim these lost souls, many were restored to the grace and salvation in God. And Pope St. Pius V was also instrumental in his role in encouraging and organising a great defence of Christendom, culminating in a total and crushing victory of the forces of Christ against the heathen Ottomans at the battle of Lepanto.
Inspired by Pope St. Pius V and his tireless dedication to the faithful, his hard works amidst the difficulties and challenges, just as St. Paul and the Apostles had encountered, for the sake of the salvation of as many souls as possible, therefore all of us should also follow in their footsteps and help to bring one another, all the lost sheep in this world to return together to our Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us all vow and renew our efforts to become each and every one of us, as good and ever better Christians, not just by mere words, but also through real and concrete action. Let us all commit ourselves to the Lord through His Church and bring all the peoples to salvation and grace in the Lord. God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 15 : 18-21
At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “If the world hates you, remember that the world hated Me before you. This would not be so if you belonged to the world, because the world loves its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you from the world; because of this the world hates you.”
“Remember what I told you : the servant is not greater than his master; if they persecuted Me, they will persecute you, too. If they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. All this they will do to you for the sake of My Name, because they do not know the One Who sent Me.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 99 : 2, 3, 5
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God; He created us and we are His people, the sheep of His fold.
For the Lord is good; His love lasts forever and His faithfulness through all generations.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 16 : 1-10
Paul travelled on to Derbe and then to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy lived there, whose mother was a believer of Jewish origin but whose father was a Greek. As the believers of Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him, Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. So he took him and, because of the Jews of that place who all knew that his father was a Greek, he circumcised him.
As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, for the people to obey. Meanwhile, the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number every day. They travelled through Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia.
When they came to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. There one night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and begged him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”
When he awoke, he told us of this vision and we understood that the Lord was calling us to give the Good News to the Macedonian people.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 