Second Coming of Jesus Christ

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Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Thirty-Third (33rd) Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 13 : 24-32

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Later on in those days, after that disastrous time, the sun will grow dark, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall out of the sky, and the whole universe will be shaken.”

“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And He will send the Angels to gather His chosen people from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.”

“Learn a lesson from the fig tree : as soon as its branches become tender and it begins to sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the time is near, even at the door. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all this has happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

“But, regarding that day and that hour, no one knows when it will come, not even the Angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.”

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Friday, 28 August 2015 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 25 : 1-13

At that time, Jesus said to the people and to His disciples, “This story throws light on what will happen in the kingdom of heaven : Ten bridesmaids went out with their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were careless, and the others were sensible.”

“The careless bridesmaids took their lamps as they were, and did not bring extra oil. But those who were sensible, brought with their lamps flasks of oil. As the bridegroom delayed, they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight, a cry rang out, ‘The bridegroom is here, come out and meet him!'”

“All the maidens woke up at once, and trimmed their lamps. Then the careless ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some oil, for our lamps are going out.’ The sensible ones answered, ‘There may not be enough for us and for you. You had better go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.'”

“They were out buying oil when the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. Later the other bridesmaids arrived and called out, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered, ‘Truly I do not know you.”

“So stay awake, for you do not know the day nor the hour.”

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Monday, 29 June 2015 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostle, Great Feast of the Church of Rome (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Timothy 4 : 6-8, 17-18

As for me, I am already poured out as a libation, and the moment of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness with which the Lord, the Just Judge, will reward me on that day; and not only me, but all those who have longed for His glorious coming.

But the Lord was at my side, giving me strength to proclaim the Word fully, and let all the pagans hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will save me from all evil, bringing me to His heavenly kingdom. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen!

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Thursday, 2 April 2015 : Maundy Thursday, Chrism Mass (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Revelations 1 : 5-8

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has washed away our sins with His own Blood, making us a kingdom and priests for God His Father, to Him be the glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

See He comes with the clouds and everyone will see Him, even those who pierced Him; on His account all the nations of the earth will beat his breast. Yes, it will be so. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, He who is, who was, and who is to come : the Master of the universe.

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Sunday, 25 January 2015 : Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 7 : 29-31

I say this, brothers and sisters : time is running out, and those who are married must live as if not married; those who weep as if not weeping; those who are happy as if they were not happy; those buying something as if they had not bought it, and those enjoying the present life as if they were not enjoying it.

For the order of this world is vanishing.

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Friday, 19 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we draw ever closer to Christmas, the Church and our Faith are preparing us all for the great celebration of the commemoration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and for this purpose today we are focusing on the two servants of God, Samson and St. John the Baptist, both of whom had been born into the world as a sign for many, a sign of God’s love for them.

The readings today focused on the similarities between the two great servants of God, whom one is a Judge of Israel, the leader God had appointed and chosen from among the people to protect them, to deliver them from their enemies, and to keep them in line with the teachings of God and stay faithful to Him amidst the temptations of the world. The other is the messenger of God, born with the spirit and power of Elijah, whom many believed, even as the second coming of the prophet Elijah into the world, and to be the one who would straighten the path for the Lord, for he came just before the Lord Himself was to come.

Samson and John the Baptist were both born of parents who had for long been unable to conceive a child on their own. Their prayers were answered by the Lord, and even more so, their children were both chosen to have the special roles in God’s plan of saving His people from the darkness of the world. Samson was born to deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Philistines, the people who caused them great suffering and enslaved them, because they were not faithful to the commandments of God and instead worshipped pagan idols.

Meanwhile, John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for the Messiah in an age and time where although outwardly the people and their elders showed faith and piety to the Lord, but they were not sincere in this, and they even failed to understand the true meaning of their faith, giving in into their own vanity and self-praise, and lacking the understanding of the faith, their rituals and customs are empty and meaningless, and they paid only lip service to God.

These were the societies to whom they were sent to, and they had to encounter many difficulties in doing so, in bringing the people of God back to the love and grace of God. Both of them were consecrated to God from even before their birth, set aside for the service of God, called the Nazirites. Samson was a Nazirite, that means, he should not drink wine or alcoholic drinks throughout his life, nor should his hair be cut at all. This means to live according to what God had appointed him to do, shunning all the beautiful things and the temptations of the world.

But what we need to understand is, what is exactly their mission in this world? Why did God set them apart from the many others in such a manner? Their mission is to prepare for the coming of the Lord’s salvation and power to His people, and in that, they encountered the challenges and persevered through them, calling for people to change their ways by their own example, and follow God.

Samson came at the time when the Israelites after they had settled in the Promised Land constantly came under attack from their neighbours, who persecuted them, raided them and enslaved them. The judges were sent by God to liberate them and lead them back to the path of righteousness. But no sooner than each judges passed, then they returned to their ways of sin. Samson was the among the last mentioned judges, before the time of the prophet Samuel, which then would lead on to the era of king David, the era of prosperity, the time when peace and prosperity reigns in the land of Israel.

Therefore, in a sense, there is a parallel between Samson and John the Baptist, in that while Samson heralded the coming of the era of peace and greatness under King David of Israel, then St. John the Baptist heralded the coming of an even greater era, the time of the coming of the King of kings, the Divine Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom we are celebrating this Christmas.

God had sent His faithful servants in order to prepare for the coming of His glory and love, and in the coming of Jesus His Son into the world, He had sent John to prepare the way for Him. Why is this so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because this world is filled with sin and darkness, and with all of these distractions and corruptions, we would not be able to listen to the teachings of Christ and we would not be able to recognise Him.

That is why Advent is here, as a time for us to prepare, and indeed prepare thoroughly, for the coming of Christ, not just for this Christmas celebration, but also for His eventual return into the world, to claim all of His faithful ones and to judge all the living and the dead. If God had done such an ample and thorough preparation for His own coming, then we too should do our part to prepare ourselves for Christmas. This is to shun sin and reject all the temptations of evil, seeking from now on, only the truth in the Light of Christ.

Otherwise, it would be very easy for us to lose our focus in our celebrations, and it may likely end up that we celebrate Christmas for its fun, for its feasting and partying, but not for Christ, who we should place at the centre of our celebrations. May Almighty God help us all to prepare ourselves in this Advent season to welcome His Son, that when He comes again, He will find us ready and alert. May He help us all to change our ways and shun forever the sinful ways of our past. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/18/friday-19-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Thursday, 18 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listen to the narrative of how Jesus our Lord and Saviour, the Promised Salvation of all mankind was conceived in the womb of Mary, His mother without human intervention or action, for the Saviour who came was not just a mere Man, but truly the Divine Word of God incarnate into flesh, God assuming the form of a humble and simple Man, to carry out and accomplish in perfection the plan of the Lord’s salvation for us.

The fulfillment of God’s long awaited salvation of His people had been seen by the prophet Jeremiah, who spoke of God’s eventual fulfillment of His promise, the coming of the great Messiah who would set the people of God free, just as He had once freed His people from the tyranny of the Pharaoh and led them out from slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land.

In the psalm we heard about the King who is to come and reign justly over the world and over all of God’s people, and through Him, deliverance would come and succour would be given to the poor, the weak and those who long for the lord and who live righteously in His ways. This is Christ our King, who has come into the world, and who in His own words, seek to bring healing and deliverance to all those lost in the darkness of the world.

In the Gospel, God would reiterate again this promise to all of us, the coming of the Emmanuel, God who dwells and lives among His people through Jesus, the Son of Mary, who by the power of the Holy Spirit was incarnate into the flesh of Man, and become one with our human substance and existence. This He reminded Joseph through His angel, when he discovered that Mary was pregnant and thought that she had committed adultery and thus wanted to divorce her quietly.

Through the angel God explained to Joseph how the Baby to be born of Mary is the Messiah, the long awaited Promise of God, who had finally come into the world. And we are witnesses to how great the love of God for us is, so great that He, who is Almighty and Omnipotent God, Lord of all the universe and all of creations, would want to stoop down to our level, to strip Himself of His divine might for a while and born as a fragile Baby, the One whose birth we are celebrating and commemorating this Christmas.

This Advent is coming to a close soon, brothers and sisters in Christ, with exactly just one more week from Christmas. I trust that each one of us had done our own preparations in our own way to prepare for Christmas, perhaps in physical and material terms, or perhaps in spiritual and mental terms, or perhaps both. Now, while there is still time, not just for Christmas, but indeed while we are still breathing and walking in this world, let us all use the opportunity to reflect.

Have we found Christ in our lives? Is He the centre and focus of our attentions? Yes, is He, who is the Saviour of us all, the One who will give us life everlasting, and He who had suffered and died for us, becoming Man like us just so that we may be brought from the precipice of death because of our sins, and bring us into eternal life? What is the point of our celebration of Christmas, and indeed what is the purpose of our lives?

If our answers to all of these are no, Christ is not the centre of our lives, and if we do not recognise what He has done for us either, or if we think that our lives are to be lived for ourselves, for our own self-enrichment and self-aggrandisment, to get more and more possessions, goods and pleasures for ourselves, and if we think that Christmas is about the parties, the drunkenness, the food and the bling, then I would say that we have lost our true purpose, and we have lost our way in this life.

How do we then make our Christmas celebrations meaningful? We have to return Christ to the centre of our celebrations, for He, and not us are the focus. Therefore, while we rejoice in this festive season, let us all understand the purpose of this very festivities, that is to celebrate, what the readings from the Holy Scriptures today had proclaimed, the joy at the coming of the long awaited Salvation.

It is exactly like what God had proclaimed through Jeremiah, that the day of His coming would be a grandiose and joyous day, where peace would come upon all those for whom He had come. Indeed, the joy and celebration this Christmas should be about spreading and sharing the hope, the peace, the joy and the love which Christ had brought into our world, with one another and especially with those who have less or none of these.

Yes, these four are what we have been focusing on for each of the four Sundays of Advent. Thus, while it is not too late yet to begin, let us catch on the ride, and make sure that we prepare ourselves, body, heart and mind, seeking to understand the true meaning of Christmas and rejoice with one another, as one community of the faithful, for the greatest Gift God had given us mankind, that is Jesus, His only Son, our Lord and Saviour. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/17/thursday-18-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Wednesday, 17 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today it was told to us about the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is a descendant of Abraham, the father of many nations and our father in faith, and also a descendant of Jacob later known as Israel, who is the one blessed by God to be the chosen people, Israel, His people. He is also the descendant of David, the King of Israel, who belonged to the tribe of Judah.

We can see that Jacob, who in our first reading today from the last chapters of the Book of Genesis, blessed his children one by one, pronouncing their future and their goodness, showed how God had shown to Jacob the vision of what would happen in the far future after his own time. Jacob must have seen the vision of the coming of the Messiah, although he did not know exactly who He is, but he knew that He is to come.

And indeed, He was to come through Judah his own son, whom Jacob then blessed more than all of his other sons, even more than his eldest Reuben and even more than his most beloved ones, Joseph and his two children and Benjamin. For Judah had been prophesied to be the from whom the King of kings would come from, the one from whom would come a king who would rule all of Israel, and this was David, the one whom God had appointed in place of Saul as the king of Israel, and on whom God had promised that his throne will remain secure forever.

The sceptre of power and rule will be given to the descendant of David, the Shoot of David, who is the One we are going to celebrate this coming Christmas. Yes, the Christ, whose birthday is on Christmas. The Christ who was given the Name above every other name, Jesus, our Lord. For He is indeed the Son of David, his Heir who will rule over all Israel, and not just Israel, but the whole world, the Son of Man through Mary His mother, but also the Son of God, the Divine Word incarnate into the flesh of Man.

He is a King with power and authority, the source of all worldly power and authorities, but yet, He is not the kind of king that we commonly know about in this world. Jesus Himself said that His kingdom is not of this world, because His kingdom is the kingdom of God, not like any of the kingdoms of the world, which are built on possessions, material wealth, power, land, peoples and many others. The kingdom of God is the place where God and His beloved people may live together, those who have been found to be worthy, to enjoy forever the blessings and graces of God.

Jesus is a King, but He is simple and humble, and He showed His authority and power not by intimidation and fear, but through service and love towards all those who have been placed under His authority. He showed His leadership and kingship by service, showing care and genuine love for the poor, defending the rights of the weak and challenging those who have persecuted these people for their own benefits.

It is this King who we are welcoming into our midst in this coming Christmas, the Royal Baby born for us, so that through Him we are to get salvation and liberation from sin and evil. We must not forget this fact, or else, our Christmas celebration is meaningless and empty, filled with worldly desires and things of this world. We celebrate not to show off our wealth, not to be engulfed in excesses and drunkenness, but we celebrate because the Hope of this world, and the Hope of all mankind, had been born.

This Advent, as I have often mentioned, is a time for preparation for the coming of our Lord and Saviour. Not just to prepare for Christmas, but also to prepare for His coming again at the end of time, when He will come to judge all creations, and all of us according to our deeds. How do we prepare properly for this then? It is by exactly doing what Jesus had done throughout His ministry, what He taught His disciples to do, and we ought to follow them too.

Thus this Advent we should involve ourselves in more charitable and loving actions to our brethren in need. We should share the joy we have, the fortune and happiness we have with those who have less or none. In doing all these, we will be able to find the true meaning of Advent, and the true meaning of Christmas, that is to celebrate with God, our Lord Jesus Christ, for the love, hope and peace which He had brought into us all, so that we may rejoice with Him.

May Almighty God be with us all and awaken in us an ever stronger desire to seek Him and to love Him, as well as our brethren around us. May this Advent be a fruitful one for all of us, and may the coming Christmas bring God’s love ever closer to us. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/16/wednesday-17-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/16/wednesday-17-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/16/wednesday-17-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Monday, 15 December 2014 : Third Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple or Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we continue with our observation of the season of Advent, as we go into the third week. Today we heard about the blessing of Balaam on the people of Israel, even though he, a seer of God, was told by an enemy king to curse them. He instead blessed them and brought God’s grace to them. And then in the Gospel we heard about the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who doubted Jesus and His works and tried in vain to question His authority.

The blessing of Balaam told the prophecy which would be repeated by many other prophets through the ages, that the Saviour would come among the people of Israel, the Star of Jacob, the Son of David, the Salvation that would come from God. Balaam, the seer of God had seen the Figure of the Saviour in his vision, and through his vision, he foresee the coming of the Messiah in Jesus our Lord.

It is truly intriguing that while Balaam, who was not of the people of Israel, believed in the Lord and Saviour who would come as he had seen in the vision, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law refused to believe in Him even though they were supposed to be the ones who knew the most about the Sacred Scriptures and the revelations of God’s words.

The teachers of the Law refused to believe in Jesus because in their hearts they were not ready for the coming of the Lord. The same also happened to their ancestors, the people of Israel, who constantly rebelled against God since their Exodus from Egypt, because they do not have God in their hearts, but their hearts were filled with human desires and greed of the world. They thought not of God and His ways, but of their own selfishness and concerns about themselves.

How about us, brothers and sisters in Christ? We too are often distracted by the many things and goods of the world that we forget about our Lord in our lives. In our celebration of Christmas in particular, we often overlook the central figure of Christmas who we should celebrate, that is Christ our Lord. We often forget about Him in our busy schedules and celebrations, and we overlook the birthday Boy, who we should truly celebrate about.

Jesus Christ is the centre of the celebrations of Christmas, for it is His birthday that we are rejoicing for, but instead, many of us end up using Christmas as the opportunity and occasion to showcase our possessions, giving one another ever more expensive and extravagant gifts, and decorating our homes with all the decorations. Do we truly understand what we are doing all these for?

We focus so much on the externals and the superficial celebrations, but we often ignore the true meaning of Christmas. Christ who came into the world heralded the aspects which we celebrate this Advent season, namely hope, peace, joy and love. Have we realised these aspects which we ought to celebrate this coming Christmas? Have we brought hope to others, or peace into this world filled with hatred and evil? Have we brought joy, not the joy of the world, but the true joy in Christ to others and to all around us?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us continue to realise that Advent is a season and time for preparation, that is to prepare for the coming of our Lord, as He had promised us. And how do we prepare for it? By doing His will and doing what He had taught us. As we have to remember that when the Lord comes again, it will be a time of reckoning, when the Lord will judge us according to what we have done and what we have not done.

Thus, how do we make our Christmas truly meaningful? By not following the path of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who were so captivated by their personal ambitions and pride so as to fail to see Christ when He comes, and failing to see the truth in what He has done. Therefore, it is imperative that starting from now, and especially this Christmas, we should share the hope, the peace, the joy and the love of Christmas with one another, and most especially those who are in need of them.

Let us never leave anyone without these, and let us not abandon those who are without hope, those who are without peace, those who are sorrowful and without love. May this Christmas celebration be truly meaningful to us and our brethren, and therefore let this Advent time be a great opportunity for us to get ourselves closer to our God and be more faithful through our real actions, showing the real and living faith that we have in He who loves us.

May Almighty God guide us this Advent, and make us all ready to welcome Him when He comes again in glory, and may He find us all good and worthy. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/14/monday-15-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/14/monday-15-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/14/monday-15-december-2014-third-week-of-advent-gospel-reading/

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Sunday, 14 December 2014 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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 :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/12/sunday-14-december-2014-third-sunday-of-advent-gaudete-sunday-memorial-of-st-john-of-the-cross-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/12/sunday-14-december-2014-third-sunday-of-advent-gaudete-sunday-memorial-of-st-john-of-the-cross-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-psalm/

 

Second Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/12/sunday-14-december-2014-third-sunday-of-advent-gaudete-sunday-memorial-of-st-john-of-the-cross-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-second-reading/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/12/sunday-14-december-2014-third-sunday-of-advent-gaudete-sunday-memorial-of-st-john-of-the-cross-priest-and-doctor-of-the-church-gospel-reading/

 

Epistle (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/12/usus-antiquior-third-sunday-of-advent-gaudete-sunday-i-classis-sunday-14-december-2014-epistle/

 

Gospel (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/12/usus-antiquior-third-sunday-of-advent-gaudete-sunday-i-classis-sunday-14-december-2014-holy-gospel/