Saturday

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Saturday, 16 November 2024 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Gertrude, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

3 John 5-8

Beloved, you do well to care for the brothers and sisters as you do. I mean those coming from other places. They spoke of your charity before the assembled Church. It will be well to provide them with what they need to continue their journey, as if you did it for God.

In reality, they have set out on the road for His Name without accepting anything from the pagans. We should receive such persons, making ourselves their cooperators in the work of the truth.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Universal Church celebrates the great Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, also known as the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the great Church of God dedicated to the Lord, the Most Holy Saviour Himself, and then to St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist in the area known as the Lateran in Rome. This great Church of God, the House and Temple of God’s Holy Presence is unique and special, the greatest among all the churches in all of Christendom and the whole world. And why is that so? That is because the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is the place where the Cathedra of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome is located at, the place that is therefore the Cathedral of the Pope, the Mother Church of the Diocese of Rome.

Many people throughout the world often have this misconception that the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican, another great church building and indeed the largest and greatest in size in all of Christendom is the Cathedral of the Pope. This misconception is further reinforced by the prominence which the Basilica of St. Peter played in most of the important and large scale Papal occasions and events, being situated within the Vatican City over which the Pope is the Sovereign, and being built atop the tomb of St. Peter the Apostle, who was the first Pope and Vicar of Christ. However, Archbasilica of St. John Lateran has precedence over that of Basilica of St. Peter, which is undoubtedly the second most important of all the churches after the Lateran Basilica itself, because first of all, it was the very first church to be publicly built in Rome after the centuries of persecutions of Christians by the Roman state.

It was built at the site known as the Lateran Palace, which was a prominent site in the centre of the city of Rome during the Roman Empire era, being also part of the fortress belonging to the Imperial Guards. Then, after Emperor Constantine the Great triumphed against the forces of his enemies, and as he attributed his victory and triumph to the Christian God, he donated that land and place to the Church, and with the tacit support and funding from the Emperor and the state, therefore a great church of God was built in that site, the very first of the Basilicas of Rome, older than even the Basilica of St. Peter. And it was in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, dedicated on this date to the Lord, the Most Holy Saviour, the ninth day of November, exactly seventeen centuries ago, in the Year of Our Lord 324.

This great Church of God is truly a place of great history and a place truly worthy and honourable to worship God, having been set aside and consecrated to God, dedicated to Him forever to be the place worthy of the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Divine Worship. And as the seat of the Pope, the place of his Cathedra, as the Mother Church of all Christendom and the whole world, thus, all of us rejoice together in the anniversary of this great church’s dedication, and we give thanks to God for all the great graces that He has bestowed upon us through this most wonderful House of God, and the many wonderful things and the many souls that had been saved thanks to the use of this great House of God in the propagation of the Christian truth and faith.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard the details of the great heavenly vision received by Ezekiel in which he saw the glory of God and His majesty, and the great Heavenly Temple where God’s Holy Presence is enthroned in. This passage, which is always used for the Dedication of churches, highlighted the importance of the place to be made as the place of the worship of God, the dwelling place of the Lord Himself, because the Lord Himself will dwell in those houses, and be present in our midst, and from the Heavenly Temple in Ezekiel’s vision, great flood of life-giving water poured forth, reminding us of the presence of God in our midst and in our lives as the life-giving eternal Spring of Life, through Whom all of us shall be brought into the assurance of eternal life and salvation.

From our alternative first reading passage, that is also the second reading for this celebration as a Solemnity, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, we then heard the exhortation of the Apostle to the faithful people of God, and to all of us that we must take good care of our own body, our hearts, minds and souls, our whole being, because each and every one of us whom God had called and chosen, and become members and parts of His Church, we are all part of the Body of Christ, and the Temples of His Holy Presence, the Temples of the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Lord our God, the Master of the whole Universe Himself is dwelling within us, and consequently we must make sure that we are truly worthy of Him, for we are all the Living Church, the living stones of the Temple of God, and much as we have consecrated great churches, like that of the Lateran Basilica, we too have been consecrated to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard about the moment when the Lord Jesus came to the Temple of Jerusalem not long before the time of the Passover when He Himself would finally embark on His last mission, His Passion, suffering and death. But at that time and moment, He cast out all the merchants and money changers peddling their business at the courtyard of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Those people were doing things that were necessary in order to allow people from the various parts of the Jewish diaspora to exchange their money and goods to worship and offer sacrifices at the Temple of God, which could only be done with lawful money issued by the local Jewish authorities. However, what was wicked is the fact that many of those merchants and money changers overcharged the pilgrims and profited greatly from their works.

That was why the Lord Jesus became angered and cast out those wicked people, cleansing the Temple of God from a place of business and wicked deeds, purifying the place to be truly what it was meant to be, as a place where the people of God may come to encounter the Lord, His Presence in their midst. And when He was confronted by the chief priests and the elders, the Lord also foretold the coming of His Passion and death, referring to the Temple that would be destroyed, that is none other than His own Body, to be broken and shared for each and every one of us, and then to be restored and resurrected in glory on the third day, to prove to everyone that He is truly the Saviour, the Holy One of God, God Himself coming to dwell amongst us.

For the Lord is truly so great and holy, that places used for His sacred worship and dwelling place, where the Holy Eucharist, our Lord Himself present in the Body and Blood, in His whole Being and Divinity, must indeed be blessed, hallowed and made worthy of His Holy Presence. In the past, only the finest materials were used to craft the Ark of the Covenant, upon which the Law of God was placed, the bread of the manna and the staff of Aaron, and God’s Presence would descend upon the Ark itself on occasions, and no one could touch the Ark, because it was so hallowed, and anyone who touched it ended up being struck down and dead. In the same way, God prepared Mary, His mother with the special grace and sparing her from the taint of original sin, and remaining in the state of fullness of grace that she may bear Him within her.

In the same manner therefore, all of us must strive to live a truly holy and worthy life, one that is truly acceptable by the Lord and honourable in all things, distancing ourselves away from sin and from all the things that can lead us astray away from the Lord and His salvation. Each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, we are all the ones whom God had called and chosen, and as His people, His dwelling place and Temple, all of us are reminded to keep ourselves holy and consecrated to Him at all times, just as we had done at the time of our baptism. Like the Lord Jesus, Who cast out all those wicked merchants and money changers, who profited unjustly from their business and efforts, causing sufferings to the pilgrims, we too should cast out from our hearts and minds, from our Temple, the wickedness of evils and sins around us.

And for those who know the details and the events unfolding during the Consecration and Dedication of a church, they can clearly see the parallel between what happened in the dedication of a church and in our Christian baptism, as we all receive the holy water, the light of Christ, the clothing with the white garment and incensation just as the same is done to the church to be made worthy for Divine worship. We have been marked at baptism, and truly clothed with the glory of God, descending upon us from Heaven, God Himself dwelling in us, His Holy Spirit being sent and bestowed on us, much as He has come to dwell in the churches, in the places of Divine worship. And we must also not forget that we have all received the Lord Himself, in His Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist, Him truly being present in us and within us all.have also received the Lord Himself in the flesh, through the Eucharist, much like the Holy Eucharist being stored in the Tabernacle. We are the Tabernacles of the Lord’s Holy Presence, and we should always therefore keep ourselves holy.

We must not allow ourselves to be snared any further by sin, or defiled by all the wickedness of the world. The Lord had made it clear that we ourselves are also to be hallowed and be made holy and worthy of His Presence, and if we allow our wickedness and evils to defile this Holy Temple of God, then we will have to account for it before the Lord. That is why, we are reminded that we should always be exemplary and committed in the living of our faith and lives as Christians so that we will always be full of God’s grace and love, and that we will always be fully attuned to Him and His will, obeying Him in all things and at all circumstances in our lives. We should also do our best to continue to glorify God by our lives, in each and every one of our actions.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord from now on, to dedicate and consecrate ourselves anew to Him, renewing the commitment we have made at our baptism, to be truly dedicated and worthy of God at all times, and to be holy and honourable as the great houses and churches of God, particularly the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran which dedication we commemorate today. Let us always remind ourselves and one another that we are God’s Holy Temple, the Houses of His Holy Presence. May the Lord continue to help, strengthen and guide each and every one of us so that we may always remain firm and strong in our constant devotion and commitment to God, to be ever faithful and good in everything we do in our lives, for the greater glory of God. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 2 : 13-22

At that time, as the Passover of the Jews was at hand, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple court He found merchants selling oxen, sheep and doves, and money-changers seated at their tables.

Making a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the Temple court, together with the oxen and sheep. He knocked over the tables of the money-changers, scattering the coins, and ordered the people selling doves, “Take all this away, and stop making a marketplace of My Father’s house!” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture : Zeal for Your house devours me like fire.

The Jews then questioned Jesus, “Where are the miraculous signs which give You the right to do this?” And Jesus said, “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then replied, “The building of this Temple has already taken forty-six years, and will You raise it up in three days?”

Actually, Jesus was referring to the Temple of His Body. Only when He had risen from the dead did His disciples remember these words; then they believed both the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 45 : 2-3, 5-6, 8-9

God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore; though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the seas.

There is a river whose streams bring joy to the City of God, the holy place, where the Most High dwells. God is within, the city cannot quake, for God’s help is upon it at the break of day.

For with us is YHVH of hosts, the God of Jacob, our refuge. Come, see the works of YHVH – the marvellous things He has done in the world.

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Saturday, 9 November 2024 : Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ezekiel 47 : 1-2, 8-9, 12

The Man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the Temple and flowing eastward. The Temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the Temple, from the south side of the Altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside, to the outer gate facing the east; and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.

He said to me, “This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome. Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful; and the seawater will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound.”

“Near the river on both banks, there will be all kinds of fruit trees, with foliage that will not wither; and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop, because the water comes from the Temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.”

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

1 Corinthians 3 : 9c-11, 16-17

But you are God’s field and building. I, as good architect, according to the capacity given to me, I laid the foundation, and another is to build upon it. Each one must be careful how to build upon it. No one can lay a foundation other than the One which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Do you not know that you are God’s Temple, and that God’s Spirit abides within you? If anyone destroys the Temple of God, God will destroy him. God’s Temple is holy, and you are this Temple.

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Saturday, 2 November 2024 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the celebration of All Souls Day, the last among all the commemorations of Allhallowtide period, and on this day we remember all the souls of the faithful departed, all those whom we know and are dear to us, as well as all those whom we may not know, but who are all still awaiting for the completion of their period and time in the Purgatory, a place where we ourselves may one day end up in, as we await and expect the blissful joy and true happiness of Heaven which the holy saints of God have now enjoyed and are experiencing by the virtue of their obedience and faith in the Lord, and ultimately, the holy souls in Purgatory will also end up in Heaven as well, as they too are truly worthy of the Lord, but with their residual sins and corruptions preventing them from immediately attaining the entry to Heaven.

Today, we remember all those whose lives, actions, words, deeds and everything they have in their lives had not been wholly good and worthy of God, and whose residual or remainder sins, which are venial or minor in nature and not mortal sins, have kept them away from truly being able to enjoy the immediate effect of Heavenly glory and joy. This stems from the fact that God is all good and perfect, Almighty and all blissful. Hence, no corruption, darkness and sin may exist in His Presence, and in the past, God’s Presence and appearance is enough to strike dead anyone who dared to look at Him, except for the select few He gave the opportunity to do so, like Moses and Elijah. And even so, God’s Holy Presence was so great that it was unfathomable to them and those who looked at Moses after he saw God wondered at the great light and majesty of God reflected on Moses’ face.

Therefore, the Church and the Church fathers, the Apostles and their successors, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit had always taught of the necessity for all those who have met the end of their earthly lives to be rid of their sins and wickedness before they were to be admitted into Heaven. The saints, those whose virtues and good deeds far outweighed their sins and faults had by the grace of God and declared as such by the Church after a period of proper scrutiny, they have all deserved to gain entry immediately into Heavenly glory. But for many among us, whose virtues and good deeds may still be marred by some of our remaining more serious sins and obstacles, we have to bear some period of waiting in the Purgatory. It is not so much a place as it is in fact a state of our soul, where the suffering the holy souls are facing there are caused not by despair, unlike those in Hell, but rather because of the separation and yet to be fulfilled desire to be reunited fully with God. But they are ultimately destined for Heaven. 

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah we heard of the very wonderful words of the assurances that God has given to His people, the Israelites living in the southern kingdom of Judah, as at that time when the peop;le of God and their kingdom had been faced with great challenges and difficulties, obstacles and trials, having been broken in their unity andd scattered, and many among them having been defeated, conquered and overcome by their enemies and neighbours, enslave and exiled from their homeland once again as they had one endured before. Hence, God’s gentle words of assurance and love, and His promise of the end of their sorrows and sufferings, all the words He had spoken through Isaiah must have indeed been significant, and they also serve as a prefigurement for the salvation of all mankind as well.

Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, we heard of the great reminders from St. Paul to the Romans and also to all of us, a message which our Gospel passage today also reminded us and echoed, that thankfully we have the great love of God for us which He has manifested through His Son, and this love has been shown to us most wonderfully in the most loving sacrifice of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, perfect evidence of God’s ever enduring love for us, that He was willing to offer Himself in the most selfless and wonderful way possible, becoming for us all the perfect and worthy offering and sacrifice to liberate us all from the power and dominion of sin, darkness and death. Through His loving sacrifice, all of us are brought to the perfect fulfilment of God’s love and everything that He has planned for us.

Lastly, as just mentioned earlier, in our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Mark, we heard the part of the story of the Passion of the Lord, focusing on the moment of His death on the Cross, and afterwards, from the part of His glorious Resurrection from the dead on the third day. Through this reading we are clearly reminded that death has been defeated, overcome and conquered by Christ, Our Lord and Saviour Himself through His death on the Cross and most importantly through His Resurrection. And that is why all of us as Christians truly believe that Our Lord Jesus, our Saviour has truly died on the Cross to save us, as if He did not die, how can He then lead us through death together into the everlasting life and Resurrection that He has experienced Himself?

And if the Lord Jesus did not rise from the dead in glory, if the Saviour and Holy One of God Himself did not manage to triumph against sin and death, how can we then win against them as well? The Lord’s glorious Resurrection from the dead is a clear message of hope and reassurance from the Lord Himself for each and every one of us that if we continue to have faith and trust in Him, then we must be rest assured that we will also share in His glorious Resurrection, and death will not be the end of our existence, but rather it will be a new beginning and a transition from our mortal existence in this world to return to a new life blessed by God and to be full of His grace and love just as He has always intended us to be, from the beginning of time and everything.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we commemorate this All Souls Day today, let us all continue to pray for our brothers and sisters who have departed from this world to the afterlife. And we should also pray for all those holy souls in Purgatory, who may not have anyone praying for them in particular, because we must understand that our prayers are truly efficacious and the Lord will listen to our prayers made on their behalf, just as the saints in Heaven are also constantly praying for both us and for the holy souls in Purgatory as well. And we can see here the beauty of how united the Church of God is, even beyond the bounds of our mortal life and existence in this world, as both the saints and the holy souls in Purgatory are still together with us, parts of the same Church of God.

And we must not forget that one day, as I mentioned earlier at the beginning of today’s discourse and reflection, we may also end up being in Purgatory ourselves, having sinned and committed things that are against God’s Law, commandments and His will throughout our lives. If through our lack of repentance and forgiveness for some of our more serious sins, then those sins may serve as barriers preventing us from immediately enjoying the fullness of God’s grace and love, and which is why we end up in Purgatory as mentioned and discussed earlier just now, in order to purify us in our whole being, that we may be truly worthy of Him, as no evil or sin, imperfection and corruption may exist in His Holy Presence. 

Then, it may also seem that we may not be as righteous and as worthy as the saints are, but we must always remember that the saints themselves were also sinners like us, but they chose to commit themselves wholly to the Lord and embraced Him wholeheartedly. If we continue to do our best to live worthily in the Lord, then one day we too may share in the eternal glory that they have experienced as well, together with all the holy souls in Purgatory. All of us are one Church, one Body of Christ, all united in our love and faith in God, and one day, all of us will worship and praise the Lord together as one holy and beloved people, with nothing else separating us from God and the fullness of His love.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and merciful God be ever merciful and forgiving for everyone who are now still suffering and enduring the wait and expectation of Heaven in the purifying flames of Purgatory. May He remember them in His most loving mercy, and remember His ever enduring and gentle love for all of them, that He may forgive them all their remaining sins and all the obstacles preventing them from returning completely and fully to His Presence in Heaven. And may we all, who are still living in this world be reminded as always to live our lives worthily of the Lord, to distance ourselves from sin and to continue to show care and concern for one another, as the Lord has told us to do, and to always remember and show our care for those souls in Purgatory who needs our help. May they have eternal rest in God’s Peace. Amen.

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Saturday, 2 November 2024 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Mark 15 : 33-39 and Mark 16 : 1-6

At that time, when noon came, darkness fell over the whole land and lasted until three o’clock; and at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?”

As soon as they heard these words, some of the bystanders said, “Listen! He is calling for Elijah.” And one of them went quickly to fill a sponge with bitter wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Now let us see whether Elijah comes to take Him down.”

But Jesus uttered a loud cry and gave up His Spirit. And immediately, the curtain that enclosed the Temple Sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom. The captain, who was standing in front of Him, saw how Jesus died and heard the cry He gave; and he said, “Truly, this Man was the Son of God.”

When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint the Body. And very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” But, as they looked up, they noticed that the stone had already been rolled away. It was a very big stone.

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right, and they were amazed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth Who was crucified; He has been raised and is not here. This is, however, the place where they laid Him.

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Saturday, 2 November 2024 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Romans 5 : 5-11

And hope does not disappoint us, because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of God. Consider, moreover, the time that Christ died for us : when we were still helpless and unable to do anything. Few would accept to die for an upright person; although, for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die.

But see how God manifested His love for us : while we were still sinners, Christ died for us; and we have become just, through His Blood. With much more reason now He will save us from any condemnation. Once enemies, we have been reconciled with God through the death of His Son; with much more reason, now we may be saved, through His life.

Not only that, but we even boast in God because of Christ Jesus, our Lord, through Whom we have been reconciled.

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Saturday, 2 November 2024 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 7-9, 13-14

YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.

Hear my voice when I call, o YHVH, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o YHVH.” Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my protector, do not reject me; abandon me not, o God my Saviour!

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous, yes, put your hope in YHVH!

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Saturday, 2 November 2024 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Isaiah 25 : 6-9

On this mountain YHVH Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained. On this mountain He will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more.

The Lord YHVH will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; He will take away the humiliation of His people all over the world : for YHVH has spoken. On that day you will say : This is our God. We have waited for Him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.