Saturday

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Saturday, 16 July 2016 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we all celebrate one of the many great celebrations of the venerable and most blessed mother of our Lord and God, Mary, the mother of Jesus, who in her persona as the protector of the holy Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, has watched over all of us the children of God for many ages and years, interceding for our sake constantly.

The devotion to our Lady of Mount Carmel has begun since many centuries ago, from the time when our Blessed Mother Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock. St. Simon Stock was a member of the Carmelite order, which had its headquarters once at Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Thus has our Lady of Mount Carmel been the protector and guide to the holy order of the Carmelites ever since.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel spoke to St. Simon Stock and promised us all through him that those who would wear the brown scapular as she had revealed to the holy saint. Thus was how the popular devotion to the Lady of Mount Carmel and the habit of wearing of the brown scapular began, and the Carmelite order itself played a great role in its propagation.

Mary promised St. Simon Stock and all those who wear the brown scapular with faith and devotion to God, that they will not suffer the punishment and the anger of God, and the forces of evil shall not prevail against them, for the mother of the Lord Himself, our greatest intercessor before Him is in front of us, interceding for us and guiding us to her Son.

In all these, we are all called to reflect on the role which Mary has played in the history of the salvation of all mankind, and how we too can share in what she has done for our sake. Mary is the mother of us all, just as she is also the mother of Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus our Lord has entrusted her to us by entrusting her to John, His beloved disciple. And in the same manner, He has also entrusted him to her, and thus all of us have also been entrusted to the same love which our Lord Himself had received from His loving mother.

Mary is our role model, for all and every moment of her life has been dedicated to God and to the righteousness of His ways. She was ever faithful and committed, even though there were times when she was unsure of what God’s plan was for her. She placed her trust in God and obeyed Him. She showed tender love and care, and committed herself fully in the path and the plan God had placed her in.

And she had followed her Son faithfully, devoting her entire time and attention to Him, even through difficult and challenging moments, when she had to endure the pain of seeing her own Son being humiliated and rejected before her eyes, having to endure great suffering and bearing the burden of the cross for our sake. And she followed Him all the way to the end.

And just as her Son was committed to the salvation of all the people of God, therefore, she is also committed to help us to find our way to the salvation which her Son has promised us even as He laid dying up on the cross. And thus she appeared many times to us, including the giving of the brown scapular, as a reminder that all of us have a lot of things to do in order to reach out to the Lord and His salvation.

All of us have to rediscover that spiritual devotion inside each one of us. We have to realise that in this world we cannot remain passive and uncommitted in how we live our lives. To be a genuine and true follower of Christ we must show it through real commitment and courage to do what may be frowned upon by the world, but approved by the Lord.

Let us all therefore, on this feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel, make a new dedication to the Lord our God with the help of His ever loving mother, Mary, the Lady of Mount Carmel, our intercessor and protector, our loving mother who cares for us all just as much as she had cared for Jesus her Son. Let us all renew our commitment to do what is right and just in the presence of our God, and thus draw ever closer to the salvation which He promised us all. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 16 July 2016 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Matthew 12 : 14-21

At that time, the Pharisees went out, and made plans to get rid of Jesus. As Jesus was aware of their plans, He left that place. Many people followed Him, and He cured all who were sick. Then He gave them strict orders not to make Him known.

In this way Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled : ‘Here is My servant Whom I have chosen, the One I love, and with Whom I am pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him and He will announce My judgment to the nations. He will not argue or shout, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush, nor snuff out the smouldering wick. He will persist until justice is made victorious, and in Him, all the nations will put their hope.’
Alternative reading (Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was still talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is for Me brother, sister or mother.”

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Saturday, 16 July 2016 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Psalm 9 : 22-23, 24-25, 28-29, 35

Why, o Lord, do You stand afar? Why hide from us in times of distress? The wicked are in power; the weak suffer harassment; the poor become victims of evil schemes.

Exploiters boast in their power and greed; the covetous blasphemes and defies God. In their pride the wicked say, “There is no God.” They see no further.

Their mouths are filled with cursing, deceit and threats; spite and mischief are under their tongues. They lie in ambush near the villages, murdering the innocent and the unfortunate, spying upon their next victim.

But You see those in misery, o God, and You take it in hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; the orphan turns to You for help.

Alternative reading (Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

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.

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Saturday, 16 July 2016 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Micah 2 : 1-5

Woe to those who plot wickedness and plan evil even on their beds! When morning comes they do it, as soon as it is within their reach. If they covet fields, they seize them. Do they like houses? They take them. They seize the owner and his household, both the man and his property.

This is why YHVH speaks, “I am plotting evil against this whole brood, from which your necks cannot escape. No more shall you walk with head held high for it will be an evil time.”

On that day they will sing a taunting song against you and a bitter lamentation will be heard, “We have been stripped of our property in our homeland. Who will free us from the wicked who allots our fields.”

Truly, no one will be found in the assembly of YHVH to keep a field for you.

Alternative reading (Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

Zechariah 2 : 14-17

“Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people, but My dwelling is among you.”

The people of Judah will be for YHVH as His portion in His holy land. He will choose Jerusalem again. Keep still in YHVH’s presence, for He comes, having risen from His holy dwelling.

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Saturday, 9 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Companions, Martyr Saints of China, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, the theme of today’s readings are clear, and they all spoke to us, encouraging us and empowering us to do more for the sake of the Lord and His Church, that is to fulfil our calling and mission as those whom God has chosen out of the people in the whole world as those called Christians.

We may think that being a Christian is easy, but we are in fact mistaken if we think in such a manner. If we think that being a Christian is easy and does not require much effort, that is because we ourselves have not done what is expected of us as Christians, as those who truly heard the call of God, understood His laws and precepts, and followed Him with all of our heart’s might.

As it was in Jesus’ time, opposition and challenges are likely to await all of us if we follow the path of the Lord faithfully. Many of the people to whom Jesus was sent to, was adamant in their refusal to obey and listen to the words which the Lord had revealed to them through Jesus His Son. And they persecuted Him and His followers, trying to undermine them and even harm them in all opportunities given to them. The same or more can be expected of us as well.

But should we all then be afraid or be hesitant in answering God’s call? Shall we all be passive and no longer respond to God’s call? No, that is exactly what we should not do at all. To reject God’s calling out of fear and indecisiveness, as well as the desire to preserve ourselves, avoiding danger and trouble is selfishness, and selfishness has no place before God.

In the first reading today, we heard how the prophet Isaiah was called by God to be His servant and to be His messenger to the people of the kingdom of Judah, preaching to them the truth of His anger at their sins, and what they should be doing to repent from their sins and their wickedness, that they might be saved. Such a task was not easy, and indeed, it would lead to persecution and many troubles for him, as it was not easy to turn the heart of the people who had been accustomed to their sinful ways.

But God calmed him down and gave him the courage to do so. In the vision that he saw, he saw the great glory of God which surpasses everything else. He saw the throne of God in heaven, and the glory of the Angels and all that essentially will be the promise of his salvation and faith in God. And God purified him and made him worthy to be His servant through the blazing fire of the Temple of God in heaven, and from that moment on, he spoke only the truth and the will of God.

And we knew how the prophet Isaiah spoke many things about God, and from him we knew the hope of our salvation, as he also spoke about Christ our Lord, the One Who was promised to bring us out of our sufferings and misery, to bring us into the eternal life which has been promised to all those who are faithful to God. And Isaiah spoke of all this, while berating the people for their sins, even the king of Judea, Ahaz, without fear for his life.

Jesus told His disciples in the Gospel passage today, that we must not be afraid of the one who is only able to harm the body, that is Satan, all of his allies and all of the forces of the world. Instead, we must be wary and fear the One Who is able to harm the eternal soul, that is the Lord our God, our great Judge, He Who will judge all the peoples without exception, on their eternal fate.

And if we are faithful to Him, God will take care of us all, as He loved us all as His beloved children. And Jesus represented this with how much God cared for even the animals and the plants we can find around us, and how much more He therefore would love us and care for us, as we are the most beloved of all His creations? Therefore we do not need to worry, since worry will only distract us from the true goal, that is to be with our God.

Let us all draw the example from the holy martyrs and saints whose feast we celebrate on this day. St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his many fellow compatriots in faith all have tasted great sufferings and pains in their lives as Christians. They were all together beatified and later were canonised as saints, as the Holy Martyr Saints of China. They have endured challenges and persecution, torture and ridicule, and even had to bare their lives before their accusers, all those who resented and rejected the one true Faith.

The Faith has been brought to China by the brave and courageous missionaries who braved the long journey from Europe to Asia, the hostile conditions on the way and the opposition they faced during their journeys. And when they arrived in China, they found a sophisticated and cultured people who have not yet heard of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And thus, they began to preach about Him to them, and slowly but gradually there were more and more who believed and the Church there steadily grew.

But the rulers and the officials viewed the Church and its activities in China with suspicion if not with open contempt and disdain. And they even openly tried to discourage the faith, just as how it had been under the early and middle years of the Roman Empire, when many of the faithful were persecuted and even killed for the reason of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Yet, despite all these, the courageous holy servants of God did not give up and persevered on, continuing to devote themselves to God and committing themselves to the mission which had been entrusted to them. And even when they were cornered and offers were made to them to abandon their faith and reject the Lord in exchange for safety and assurance that they would be treated well from then on, they did not do so.

They remained true to the Lord and continued to defend their faith and their Lord to the very end. And God rewarded them with the glory of Heaven, which He had promised to all those who remain true to Him and keep their faith even though they had been pressured to do otherwise. God does not abandon those who have been faithful to Him, but He gave them the joy of His presence and grace.

Let us all heed the examples of these holy saints, and commit ourselves anew to God. Let us no longer be hesitant but instead be filled with courage for all of us as Christians have been called as the prophet Isaiah had once been called, to be the beacons of light to all the nations, bringing forth the word, the will and the truth of God to all the nations. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Companions, Martyr Saints of China, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Matthew 10 : 24-33

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. A student should be glad to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the family has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of the family! So, do not be afraid of them.”

“There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather be afraid of Him Who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

“For only a few cents you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. Do not be afraid : You are no less worthy than many sparrows!”

“Whoever acknowledges Me before others I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven. Whoever rejects Me before others I will reject before My Father in heaven.”

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Saturday, 9 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Companions, Martyr Saints of China, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

The Lord reigns, robed in majesty; the Lord is girded with strength.

The world now is firm, it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o Lord, from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your house day after day without end, o Lord.

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Saturday, 9 July 2016 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Companions, Martyr Saints of China, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Isaiah 6 : 1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; the train of His robe filled the Temple. Above Him were Seraphs, each with six wings : two to cover the face, two to cover the feet, and two to fly with. They were calling to one another : “Holy, Holy, Holy is YHVH Sabaoth. All the earth is filled with His Glory!”

At the sound of their voices the foundations of the threshold shook and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said, “Poor me! I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips, and yet I have seen the King, YHVH Sabaoth.”

Then one of the Seraphs flew to me; in his hands was a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” I answered, “Here I am. Send me!”

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Saturday, 2 July 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the prophet Amos who spoke the word of God about the promise of salvation and redemption of the people of God who had suffered for a long time, and who for a while had been left behind and abandoned to suffer the consequences of their sins and their wickedness.

This is a lesson for all of us as well, as it is showing us that first of all, the consequences of sin is suffering and eventually even death. If we do not repent from our sins, then our hope is dimmed and our chances are slimmed, as God while He loves us all, but His ways are against the ways of our sins and the ways of this world.

And this is reinforced by what we have heard in the Gospel today. The parable of the new wine and the new wineskins are reminders for us that our ways of life must be like the ways of our Lord. The ways of this world is against the ways of the Lord, and so if we do not give up on our sins and repent our wickedness, then I am afraid that it may be difficult for us all to find our way to the Lord.

God loves us all, but He detest our sins and wicked ways. Sin is what separated us from God and what will continue to keep us separated from Him unless we begin to make a difference in our own lives, shunning all forms of sins and wickedness, and begin anew in a life blessed with the grace of God. But this will not be easy as surely, challenges and difficulties will come our way.

It is really up to us to make a difference in our own lives. We must have that drive and dedication to commit ourselves and to change ourselves for the better. It is really up to us to stand up to the world and challenge the societal norms and ways, showing that it is not necessary that we should follow, conform or obey the ways of the world just because we live in it, and as the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ we are called to make a difference in this world.

And how do we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is by devoting ourselves to new ways, the ways of our God, and reject before us the ways of the world, the ways of sin and evil. When before we have acted with selfishness, jealousy, anger and greed, now we have to show selfless love, care, compassion and concern for one another, to show the love of God to this world.

But this will not be easy, as it is easy for us to say that we no longer want to follow the ways of sin, but it is entirely different for us to commit to the ways of the Lord. It often requires sacrifice, commitment and hard work, in order for us to be able to fully devote ourselves to our loving God. And it often requires all of us to let go of the things and the ways which we love, such as pleasures and the goodness of this world, the temptations of wealth and possessions, and to be someone who think of others first before himself or herself.

Let us all reflect on this, brethren, and think of what we can change in our lives. If we endeavour and want to commit to follow the Lord our God, then we have to be aware that truly, we have to adapt to the Lord and to change ourselves for the better. Otherwise, as what Jesus mentioned in His parable, the new wine will break the old wineskin, as they are incompatible.

Let us all follow the Lord with all of our heart and devote ourselves completely to Him without reservation or hesitation. Let us put our trust completely in Him, and let us no longer hesitate but seek Him with joy and hope in the life and glory He has promised to all those who believed in Him. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 July 2016 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Matthew 9 : 14-17

At that time, the disciples of John came to Jesus with this question, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast on many occasions, but not Your disciples?” Jesus answered them, “How can you expect wedding guests to mourn as long as the Bridegroom is with them? The time will come, when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

“No one patches an old coat with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for the patch will shrink and tear an even bigger hole in the coat. In the same way, you do not put new wine in old wineskins. If you do, the wineskins will burst and the wine will be spilt. No, you put new wine in fresh skins; then both are preserved.”