Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 41 : 2, 3 and Psalm 42 : 3, 4
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?
Send forth Your light and Your truth; let them be my guide, let them take me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You reside.
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my gladness and delight. I will praise You with the lyre and harp, o God, my God.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
2 Kings 5 : 1-15a
Naaman was the army commander of the king of Aram. This man was highly regarded and enjoyed the king’s favour, for YHVH had helped him lead the army of the Arameans to victory. But this valiant man was sick with leprosy.
One day some Aramean soldiers raided the land of Israel and took a young girl captive who became a servant to the wife of Naaman. She said to her mistress, “If my master would only present himself to the prophet in Samaria, he would surely cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman went to tell the king what the young Israelite maidservant had said. The king of Aram said to him, “Go to the prophet, and I shall also send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman went and took with him ten gold bars, six thousand pieces of silver and ten festal garments. On his arrival, he delivered the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I present my servant Naaman to you that you may heal him of his leprosy.”
When the king had read the letter, he tore his clothes to show his indignation, “I am not God to give life or death. And the king of Aram sends me this man to be healed! You see he is just looking for an excuse for war.”
Elisha, the man of God, came to know that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, so he sent this message to him : “Why have you torn your clothes? Let the man come to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stopped before the house of Elisha.
Elisha then sent a messenger to tell him, “Go to the river Jordan and wash seven times, and your flesh shall be as it was before, and you shall be cleansed.”
Naaman was angry, so he went away. He thought, “On my arrival, he should have personally come out, and then paused and called on the Name of YHVH, his God. And he should have touched with his hand the infected part, and I would have been healed. Are the rivers of Damascus, Abana and Pharpar not better than all the rivers of the land of Israel? Could I not wash there to be healed?”
His servants approached him and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had ordered you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? But how much easier when he said : ‘Take a bath and you will be cleansed.'”
So Naaman went down to the Jordan where he washed himself seven times as Elisha had ordered. His skin became soft like that of a child and he was cleansed. Then Naaman returned to the man of God with all his men.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brother and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the calling of Levi, who would become the Apostle St. Matthew, who is also one of the great Four Evangelists, or the writers of the four Holy Gospels. In this therefore we learn a very important fact, which the prophet Isaiah in his book, that is our first reading today, had also talked about, that is the forgiveness offered to all sinners who repent from their sins.
First of all, let us all understand the background of what had happened, and why the Pharisees and the people in general hated the tax collectors so much and considered all of them as great sinners, and loathed to be near them and less so, to come to their place and eat with them? That is because, the tax collectors were seen as the traitors to the nation and to the people, as their job was to collect taxes from the people to be given to the Romans, who at that time ruled over Judea and all of the Promised Land of Israel.
No one likes to pay taxes, and less so if they have to pay tax to a foreign master and ruler. And the Jews were a proud nation, proud of their status as the chosen race and chosen people of God. Since the time of the Exodus, they have slowly grow in their pride, as well as in their prejudice against sinners, who they saw as unclean and had to be cast out of the society of the people of God and be denied the grace of God. Anyone, therefore, who associated themselves with these sinners, correspondingly were also considered as unclean and as sinners.
But in all these, they failed to pay heed and notice a great fact, that they were all also sinners, and truly, no one could boast rightfully that they were less or more righteous or worthy of God’s salvation, since all of mankind are really sinners in the eyes of God for their disobedience against God. And even those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who liked to show off their piety in the public places, as Jesus had pointed it out rightly, that they were even greater sinners by their actions and by what were in their wicked hearts and minds.
They were not thinking about God in their hearts, and less so about the people of God, who had been entrusted to them, teachers of the Law of God, who should have guided these people to God. Instead, they forsook their duty to seek worldly glory and human praise. And through their actions, they deceived and misled the people of God and cast them even further into sin.
They were judgmental against sinners and refused to have anything to do with them. But as Jesus had shown everyone, He showed that God is merciful and loving, just as He is just and hating towards all forms of sins. And indeed He came to rescue first the most sinful ones, the ones who lie furthest from the grace, light and salvation of God. There is only one objective, that all these sinners would repent, change their ways and sin no more, and thus become worthy to receive the salvation of the Lord.
God hates the sins but not the sinner. But if we sinners do not change our sins and abandon our sins before it is too late for us, then God’s wrath will be upon us all the same. That is why in this season of Lent, we are constantly reminded of our sins and all the wickedness we have committed before the presence of God and men alike. We have to know of our sins, realise how wicked they are, and change our ways.
If we do so, we can be assured that the grace of God will be upon us. The prophet Isaiah affirmed this to us, and the life of St. Matthew himself give an even greater testimony of the sinner turned saint. There were many of the saints who were once great sinners. But what differentiated them from the other great sinners was that they repented, they knew of their sins and abandoned them, changing their ways and devoted themselves from then on to the service of God and mankind.
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Peter Damian, a great bishop and Cardinal of the Church, as well as a Doctor of the Church by his numerous works and writings that still help and influence us even to this very day. He was a nobleman who gave up everything and all forms of worldliness to join religious life in prayer and devotion to God. But God had great plans for him.
St. Peter Damian in his roles and works would be instrumental in rooting out sins and wickedness from the Church of God, assisting the Pope, the Vicar of Christ in the governance and reform of the Church, so that all the wicked peoples not worthy of the service of God and unrepentant were cast out and rejected by the Church. As a result, the Church was purified of those who were like the Pharisees, sinful and yet refusing to change their sinful ways and misleading the people of God into sin.
He helped to reform many parts of the Church establishment, and through his numerous works and writings, he helped many people to be awakened to their sins and wickedness, and therefore helped to bring many souls to salvation and closer to the Lord their God. And this is exactly what we all should do as well, as the members of the Church.
We are all sinners too, and we are all equal before God. Never look down upon others who have sinned, as if we do so, then we too will be judged in the same way by the Lord. Instead, let us help each other, that everyone may be called to the Lord and abandon their sins and wickedness, and renew their effort to love the Lord their God and commit themselves to Him and His ways.
May the example of St. Peter Damian inspire us all, that we may use this season of Lent to truly repent from our sins, change our ways and lead a righteous life from now on, and help to keep one another in righteous life and avoid sin. God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 5 : 27-32
At that time, Jesus went out, and noticing a tax collector named Levi, sitting in the tax office, He said to him, “Follow Me!” So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus.
Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house, and took their places at the table with the other people. Then the Pharisees and their followers complained to Jesus’ disciples, “How is it that you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
But Jesus spoke up, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners to a change of heart.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 85 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Listen, o Lord, and answer me, for I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my life for I am Godfearing; save Your servant who trusts in You.
Have mercy on me, o Lord, for I cry to You all day. Bring joy to the soul of Your servant, for You, o Lord, I lift up my soul.
You are good and forgiving, o Lord, caring for those who call on You. Listen, o Lord, to my prayer, hear the voice of my pleading.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Isaiah 58 : 9b-14
YHVH said, “If you remove from your midst the yoke, the clenched fist and the wicked word, if you share your food with the hungry and give relief to the oppressed, then your light will rise in the dark, your night will be like noon. YHVH will guide you always and give you relief in desert places.”
“He will strengthen your bones; He will make you as a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt, the age-old foundations will be raised. You will be called the Breach-mender, and the Restorer of ruined houses.”
“If you stop profaning the sabbath and doing as you please on the holy day, if you call the sabbath a day of delight and keep sacred YHVH’s holy day, if you honour it by not going your own way, not doing as you please and not speaking with malice, then you will find happiness in YHVH, over the heights you will ride triumphantly, and feast joyfully on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of YHVH has spoken.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or Rose (Gaudete Sunday)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, or also known as the Gaudete Sunday, from the word ‘Gaudete’ which means ‘Joy’, that is the first word in the Introit or the opening propers of the Mass of this Sunday. The four Sundays of Advent, all of them celebrate a certain aspect of our faith, Hope for the first Sunday, Peace for the second, Joy for the third, which is this Sunday, and Love for the fourth and last Sunday.
And that is why for today, because we celebrate the aspect of Joy, it seems like an exception to the practice of the season of Advent, as today, the organs and musical instruments normally refrained from use during this season, is played again, just for today, and the more festive celebration of this day’s event also highlight this celebration of the Joy of Advent, as is with the vestments for today’s Holy Mass, which is rose instead of the usual purple or violet.
What is this Joy of Advent that we celebrate this Sunday? It is the same as the Joy which we celebrate at Christmas, the one Joy and true Joy of the world, not false joy and happiness which things of this world can provide us, but the one true Joy in Jesus Christ, the true source of all happiness and joy for us mankind. And He is the Joy in Christmas and all of our celebrations, for the Joy of Advent is indeed about the happy expectation of the coming of the Joy of Christ into this world, both the one that has already passed, and the one which will be in the future.
We should be a joyful people, brothers and sisters in Christ, and not a people who are enshrouded in fear and gloom. But it is important that all of us understand what kind of joy it is that we should have. Is it the joy we have in the Lord, the happiness for the grace of life which has given given to us, for His providence and loving actions which provide us with all that we need? Is it the happiness that comes from all those whom by the grace of God we have met in our lives?
Or is it the joy that we have for things of this world, such as money, wealth and possessions, and such as power, fame, influence and praise from others, and such as sexual pleasures of the flesh, the pleasure of greed and love for falsehoods in the world? Clearly this joy we celebrate today is not of the latter kind but the earlier one. Nevertheless, and quite unfortunately, for many of us if not most, the kind of joy and happiness we seek is in the latter form.
But all those happiness and joy that had been mentioned latter, were merely temporary, and they will not last. For those joys are the joys of the world, tied to worldly things that do not last and will perish in time. For example, what is our wealth and possession to us? Should we be excessively joyful at having them and splurge on them? Should we depend on them so much so as to the point of idolatry of wealth? Remember that, all the things of this world will perish, and a single disaster or accident is all that is needed to destroy all these ‘joys’ we have in the world.
The problem for many of us is the attachment we have for those things, and our inability to detach from them appropriately. It does not mean that those things, namely wealth, money, possession, power, authority and others are bad or evil, but that without true understanding of their purpose, and without spiritual maturity in Faith, and also without restraint, we will only grow more and more attached to them.
And much of the evils and darkness in this world can be attributed to those worldly things, when they were inappropriately used. For example, how many people have died in the past century alone when nations went to war against other nations, for the purpose of fame, for the purpose of wealth and resources, and for the purpose of human pride and arrogance, thinking even that they lord it all over the life and death and the fate of many.
And if we think about it, how many peoples and families had been ruined and broken up, because they have no true joy and love in them? Some were divided against the other because of money and possessions, some were divided because of inability to restrain themselves from fornication of the flesh and therefore adultery and unfaithfulness to one another. This is what happens when we depend on and seek the joy of the world.
Instead, we should look beyond them, and look at the true joy of all, that is Christ, who brought us hope, life and happiness, by providing us with the one and only way out from the predicaments of sin and death. It is the goal of this Advent season, that we prepare for the coming of our true joy, by thoroughly preparing ourselves heart, mind and soul for the Lord.
As we see from the readings today, we know that as the prophet Isaiah had spoken in the past, he prophesied of the coming of the great Messiah, who, endowed with the Spirit, would bring about happiness and joy to the nations, by the healing of the sick and empowerment of the weak, the liberation of all those who have been beset and disturbed by demons, and liberation of all from the chains of sin.
In Christ we will find our peace, the eternal and everlasting peace, and we will find hope, for in Christ lies the only hope for us, the hope for everlasting happiness and joy, and yes, this is the joy that we focus on today, for everything comes out of His love, the eternal love which He has for us all, so much so that He gave up everything He had, the power and majesty He had, to be one of us, and to lower Himself and assuming the role of a servant and slave, in order to free us from the tyranny and bonds of sin.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist, the faithful servant and messenger of God, the second coming of Elijah, also professed Christ and proclaimed that he came in order to prepare the way for the Lord, and to make straight His ways, so that through his works and actions, he might bring about God’s peace, hope, joy and love into this world and that they may come to be shared by more and more people, who because of John, would also believe in Jesus.
Therefore, this Advent is indeed the time and opportunity for us to prepare. To prepare ourselves not just for the celebrations of Christmas, and not indeed for us to go and buy all the Christmas decorations and gifts. We have to look into the reason of our Christmas joy and celebrations. Are we celebrating it for ourselves, and to boost our own ego? Are we celebrating it to enjoy the glamours of this world and to enjoy in gluttony, greed and sloth all the secular joy and celebrations of the world?
Or are we indeed celebrating the true joy of Christmas, that is Christ? This is what we need to ponder at this time, and then, not just to remain at that, but we have to be proactive in our lives, to follow the footsteps of the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist, to prepare for the coming of our Lord. For just as they prepared for the Lord’s first coming into the world, we now have been given the responsibility to prepare for the second coming which He had promised us and which we believe sincerely in our hearts through faith.
We ought to take our faith seriously from now on. We can no longer be lukewarm in our faith, but instead, we who have been called and saved through baptism and by our faith in Jesus, should take up our crosses given to us, the responsibility of caring for those who are still lost in the darkness. The joy of Christmas, and thus the joy of this season of Advent, that is Christ, cannot be left alone in us, but must be shared. True joy comes with sharing, and what is better than to share the great joy we have in Christ within us?
Today we celebrate the feast of St. John of the Cross, a great saint and a renowned figure of the Counter Reformation against the heresies of the so called Protestant ‘reformation’. He was part of the Carmelite religious order, and together with St. Teresa of Avila reformed his order and created numerous writings and pieces of work which still inspire many in the faith even today and beyond.
St. John of the Cross worked with St. Teresa of Avila to return the friars to their more ancient and faithful traditions, rejecting relaxations and worldliness and a return to the purer and more devoted form of life as espoused by the founders of the religious order. He made the Carmelite friars to devote much more of their time in prayer and in silence, and whatever free time they have, they ought to preach and help the people who lived in places around them and their monasteries.
Through his reforms and his writings, St. John of the Cross had strengthened the Church and the faithful, and by his works he also brought countless souls back from sin into the light of Christ. His tireless works and devotions for the Lord and for His people are truly examples that all of us can apply in our own lives. It is the same actions that we should live our faith with, and so by our hands, may it be that we are able to prepare for the coming of Christ.
Remember, brothers and sisters in Christ, our Lord who will come again, shall reward all of His servants whom He finds to be faithful and vigilant, and if we prepare ourselves well, and do as He had asked us to do, surely we will not be disappointed. Let us therefore share the joy of this Advent season, the expectation of the joy of Christmas, and thus the Joy which we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord and God. God bless us all and keep us all in His grace. Amen.
First Reading :
Psalm :
Second Reading :
Gospel Reading :
Epistle (Usus Antiquior) :
Gospel (Usus Antiquior) :
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are shown that those who are faithful in God and those who have endured persecution for that faith will be rewarded greatly and wonderfully by the Lord. In the first reading, from the Book of the Revelations or Apocalypse of St. John the Evangelist, in the vision of the end of times which he received from the Lord at the island of Patmos, it was written about the Lord commending the Church in Ephesus, for their perseverance in faith.
In that revelation, the Lord sent His messages, praise and also warning to the faithful in the various principal Churches of the early Christianity. The Church in Ephesus had persevered amidst the difficulties and persecutions they had to endure, but yet they also have lapsed in some aspects of their faith, and they had not been completely faithful to the Lord, and the Lord wanted to remind them that fact.
In the Gospel is the story of how Jesus healed the blind man from his affliction, enabling him to see once again. In that story, we hear how the blind man knew that Jesus was coming towards him, and he asked humbly and with great persistence, calling Him as the Son of David. This is significant, consider that he could not even see, but yet he knew that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David, and the One who would bring mankind to salvation.
Why is this so, brothers and sisters? In another occasion, when Jesus also healed another blind man, He mentioned how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who opposed and criticised Jesus in His every actions by their hypocrisy and strict observance on the Law, were truly blind even though they physically could see with their eyes.
The blind man on the contrary, can truly and perfectly see, even though he may appear to be blind. That is because, ultimately, our true eyes lie in our hearts. The eye of our hearts is the one that truly sees all around us and also at the same time, show who we are inside of us. If our eyes on our head that can see visually all things around us, fail to see truth, then it is useless.
The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they were not able to look at the truth or face the truth, that the One whom they have opposed all that time, was the One who had been promised by God to be their salvation. Yes, Jesus came to this world out of the love of God, to save all mankind, even those who hated and rejected Him. He came into this world to dispel the darkness that veiled men’s hearts, the true eyes of theirs, so that they can see once again.
The blind man recognised the light of Christ from within his heart, as even though he was unable to see, but the presence of Christ is known to him. The eyes of his heart can see clearly amidst the darkness. Meanwhile, the jealousy, pride and arrogance of the Pharisees had clouded and blinded their eyes, closing the doors of their hearts from the possibility of them accepting Jesus as their Lord.
Therefore, it is a call to all of us, so that we may abandon and reject all forms of wickedness and evil from our lives, that we do not follow the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law to their doom. Those people were not able to recognise the Lord and accept Him because of their jealousy and hatred for Him, seeing Him as a great rival to their worldly power and influence. They have seen much in world, and the temptations and seductions of Satan swayed their heart over, and they were corrupted.
The blind man, who was not able to see for many, many years, if not the whole of his life, was pure and innocent, for he was not able to see the tempting things in the world, and therefore, he was able to recognise God when He came. This means that our eyes that see many things around us, are the gateways to our hearts. And if they are corrupted, our hearts inside us too will likely to be corrupted as well.
Therefore, we have to be careful in our actions, and we have to discern well everything that we are to say or do. Let our eyes not corrupt us and resist the temptations of pride, of greed, of anger, of jealousy and of any other negativities with which the devil is trying to subvert us against the Lord. Let us break through the veil of darkness which covers our hearts, that from there, we may be like the blind man, who sincerely and genuinely seek the Lord, knowing that He is there.
Yes, our loving God is always there for us, and it only takes us to ask Him, and seek Him with all of our hearts, for us to gain His graces. Remember what He told His disciples? Ask and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you? Therefore, let us all ask God for His grace, that we may recognise Him and His presence in our lives, and through our interactions with those around us.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today is also the feast of a holy woman, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, whose life can be a great inspiration to all of us. St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary during the High Middle Ages. She was of the royal blood and of very high social class, betrothed and married to the family of another ruler, and yet in all of her actions, she was very devout and charitable.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary was the patroness of many religious works, evangelisation and mission efforts, and especially, the patroness of many charitable organisations. She donated much money and funds to help the poor, and occasionally also took part in directly helping the poor themselves. She was widowed later on, and after her widowhood, she devoted herself completely to the Lord.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary donated whatever she had in her possession to charity and for the sake of the poor. She also devoted herself as a religious nun, and gave her all to God from then onwards, just as she had devoted herself earlier on through her actions. This is an example we can and indeed should follow, as with love and charity, our faith will be strong, and a strong faith will help us to keep our vision straight and clear, avoiding and resisting all the temptations and false promises of the evil one.
May Almighty God, who gave us the grace and blessing in St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a holy woman and a person of charity and love, a person of true faith and devotion, help us to also be able to walk in her path, that all of us will have our faith in Him strengthened and at the end of time, we will be found righteous and be worthy of the glories of heaven. God bless us all. Amen.
First Reading :
Psalm :
Gospel Reading :
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 18 : 35-43
At that time, when Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging. As he heard the crowd passing by, he inquired what was happening, and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was going by.
Then he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The people in front of him scolded him. “Be quiet!” they said, but he cried out all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus stopped, and ordered the blind man to be brought to Him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And the man said, “Lord, that I may see!”
Jesus said, “Receive your sight, your faith has saved you.” At once the blind man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, giving praise to God. And all the people who were there also praised God.
Homily and Reflection :
Liturgical Colour : White
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 righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.
Homily and Reflection :
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