Son of God Most High

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (II Classis) – Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : White

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke

Luke 2 : 21

In illo tempore : Postquam consummati sunt dies octo, ut circumcideretur Puer : vocatum est Nomen Ejus Jesus, quod vocatum est ab Angelo, priusquam in utero conciperetur.

 

English translation

At that time, after eight days were accomplished that the Child should be circumcised, His Name was called Jesus, which was called by the angel, before He was conceived in the womb.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (II Classis) – Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 105 : 47, Psalm 144 : 21 and Isaiah 63 : 16

Salvos fac nos, Domine, Deus noster, et congrega nos de nationibus : ut confiteamur Nomini sancto Tuo, et gloriemur in gloria Tua.

Tu, Domine, Pater noster et Redemptor noster : a saeculo Nomen Tuum.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Laudem Domini loquetur os meum, et benedicat omnis caro Nomen sanctum Ejus. Alleluja.

English translation

Save us, o Lord, our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to Your Holy Name, and may glory in Your praise.

You, o Lord, are our Father and Redeemer, Your Name is from eternity.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

My mouth shall speak of the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His Holy Name. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (II Classis) – Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : White

Lectio Actuum Apostolorum – Lesson from the Acts of the Apostles

Acts 4 : 8-12

In diebus illis : Petrus, repletus Spiritu Sancto, dixit : Principes populi et seniores, audite : Si nos hodie dijudicamur in benefacto hominis infirmi, in quo iste salvus factus est, notum sit omnibus vobis et omni plebi Israel : quia in Nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi Nazareni, quem vos crucifixistis, quem Deus suscitavit a mortuis, in hoc iste astat coram vobis sanus.

Hic est lapis, qui reprobatus est a vobis aedificantibus : qui factus est in caput anguli : et non est in alio aliquo salus. Nec enim aliud nomen est sub caelo datum hominibus, in quo oporteat nos salvos fieri.

 

English translation

In those days, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said, “You princes of the people and ancients, hear : If we this day are examined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what means he had been made whole, be it known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you have crucified, whom God had raised from the dead, even by Him this man stood here before you whole.”

“This is the stone which the builders have rejected, which has become the cornerstone. Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.”

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (II Classis) – Sunday, 4 January 2015 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : White

Introit

Philippians 2 : 10-11 and Psalm 8 : 2

In Nomine Jesu omne genu flectatur, caelestium, terrestrium et infernorum : et omnis lingua confiteatur, quia Dominus Jesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris.

Domine, Dominus noster, quam admirabile est Nomen Tuum in universa terra!

Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Your Name in the whole earth!

Response : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Collect

Deus, qui unigenitum Filium Tuum constituisti humani generis Salvatorem, et Jesum vocari jussisti : concede propitius; ut, cujus sanctam Nomen veneramur in terris, ejus quoque aspectu perfruamur in caelis. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

English translation

O God, who had appointed Your only begotten Son to be the Saviour of the human race, and had commanded that He be called Jesus, mercifully grant that we may enjoy in heaven the vision of Him whose Holy Name we venerate on earth. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Saturday, 3 January 2015 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus our Lord, where we celebrate the very Name which Jesus had received, and that Name which is the Name above every other names, set special and great above all things, with power and authority not present in any others. That is why today, we ought to reflect on how we use His holy Name and not to profane it, just as we also should reflect on the nature of our Lord’s coming into the world, as we continue to progress through this Christmas season.

First we have to heed what one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses by the Lord had said to us, that we must not take the Name of the Lord in vain, which is the second or third of the Ten Commandments. Yes, His Name is holy just as He is holy, and we should not profane it by using it inappropriately. Yet, it is truly sad and lamentable that many of us use the Name of the Lord as we like and in places and circumstances inappropriate.

How many of us have heard how people nowadays even use His Name in profanity-laden songs, for whatever purpose that is? This is inappropriate and unacceptable, and indeed it is sin to do so. Therefore, it is imperative that we realise that we ought to give honour to God and thank Him for all that He had done for us, out of His great love and mercy.

We have to realise that God had willed to save us all because He loves us all very, very much, and we who have been lost to Him through sin, once had no hope at all and death is all that awaited us, as the consequence of sin. However, He has promised us all from the beginning that He will stand by us, no matter what, and He will settle the score with Satan who in his jealousy had brought about the fall to himself and to all mankind.

Satan once was a great angel, mighty and powerful. Lucifer he was, the brightest and most brilliant of all the angels, and yet in his greatness and power, he grew proud and unbending, desiring more and more, even the throne of God. He warred with God and led his fellow rebel angels to fight against God to usurp His majesty and power. But what became of Satan? Do we now praise his name or bless him? No! Instead he is cast down to the lowest of the lowest, in the depths of the deepest hell is his place.

Satan was cast down because of his pride, because of his jealousy and desire, because of his greed. He decided that he should not fall alone, but through temptations and lies, to bring down the most beloved of all of God’s creations, that is us, mankind. And that was what he did, tempting Eve with sweet words, that mankind would also follow their own desires, greed and others as Satan himself had.

But God would not want to lose us. As much as He was disgusted at the wickedness and the corruption of our sins, the even greater is His love and mercy for us. So much so that He was willing to come down to us, lowering Himself, assuming our humble form of a Man, although He who is God is perfect, Almighty, great beyond any measure, and has no need for anything.

And this is precisely what St. Paul was talking about in his letter to the Philippians, that the Messiah, the Divine Word incarnate in Jesus, although great, mighty and all-powerful, He did not hesitate to empty Himself and assume the humanity of our flesh, so that in doing so, He might bring God’s plan to save us all into full perfection and completion.

Jesus bore our sins and iniquities, all of our wickedness and imperfections, all that have separated us from the love of God, so that by His sacrifice for us, He may be the hope for all of us, so that by His death and resurrection, He may free us from death and bring us into a new life in Him. And this is what Satan feared the most, for it is his final and ultimate defeat.

And that is also why Satan fears the Name of Jesus so much, as while all of mankind are given names, for God had said that He would know us all by our names, but one Name stands out from every other names, not by the virtue of the name itself, but because that Name is associated with none other than the Lord and Saviour who had taken up the flesh so that by that act, mankind may be freed from sin forever, and be led to eternal life, and Satan will no longer have any power over any of us.

The Name of Jesus therefore is feared by Satan and all of his allies because it is a clear and vivid reminder of their ultimate fate, that is eternal suffering and destruction for their refusal to listen to the Lord and obey Him. And it is also a reminder of his ultimate defeat when Jesus died on the cross. All of his plots and works against mankind were undone by that singular act, which offered to mankind the hope of new life. His faith in the Father and His perfect obedience made God to raise Him beyond all else, just as Satan was cast down instead for his pride.

And even Satan have to obey the Lord and bend his knee to Him, as much as he refuses to do so! For our God is Lord and Master over all creations, over all things created, Satan included, who was once a bright heavenly angel that fell for his sins, and also all creatures, including us all, the sons of man. Therefore, for what God has done for us out of His love, and for the love we have for our Lord and Creator, shall we not honour His holy Name by first using it appropriately and with proper deference?

We can also begin by bowing every time the Holy Name of Jesus is uttered during the celebration of the Mass as it should have been done. Many had failed to observe this simple gesture, but I am sure that we can begin from ourselves and change others as well, that by our example of respecting and honouring the Holy Name of Jesus, the bane and what Satan fears most, we shall bring honour and glory to our God. May our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, whose Name is above every other names, be with us always, and may we all be able to follow His example of obedience to the will of God and walking in His love. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/02/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/02/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/02/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-gospel-reading/

 

Epistle (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-ii-classis-sunday-4-january-2015-epistle/

 

Gospel (Usus Antiquior) :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-ii-classis-sunday-4-january-2015-holy-gospel/

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Saturday, 3 January 2015 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 29-34

The next day John saw Jesus coming towards Him, and said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! It is He of whom I said : A Man comes after me, who is already ahead of me, for He was before me. I myself did not know Him, but I came baptising to prepare for Him, so that He might be revealed in Israel.”

And John also gave this testimony, “I saw the Spirit coming down on Him like a dove from heaven, and resting on Him. I myself did not know Him, but God, who sent me to baptise, told me, ‘You will see the Spirit coming down, and resting, on the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen! And I declare that this is the Chosen One of God!”

 

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)

Luke 2 : 21-24

On the eighth day the circumcision of the Baby had to be performed; He was named Jesus, the Name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.

When the day came for the purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord : ‘Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God.’ And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the Law of the Lord : a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 3 January 2015 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 3cd-4, 5-6

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, the Lord!

 

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)

Psalm 8 : 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

When I observe the heavens, the work of Your hands, the moon and the stars You set in their place – what is man that You be mindful of him, the Son of Man, that You should care for Him?

Yet You made Him a little lower than the angels; You crowned Him with glory and honour and gave Him the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet.

Sheep and oxen without number and even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and all that swim the paths of the ocean.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 3 January 2015 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 2 : 29 – 1 John 3 : 6

You know that He is the Just One : know then that anyone living justly is born of God. See what singular love the Father has for us : we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, we are God’s children and what we shall be has not yet been shown. Yet when He appears in His glory, we know that we shall be like Him, for then we shall see Him as He is. All who have such a hope try to be pure as He is pure. Anyone who commits a sin acts as an enemy of the Law of God; any sin acts wickedly, because all sin is wickedness.

You know that He came to take away our sins, and that there is no sin in Him. Whoever remains in Him has no sin, whoever sins has not seen or known Him.

 

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)

Philippians 2 : 1-11

If I may advise you in the Name of Christ and if you can hear it as the voice of love; if we share the same Spirit and are capable of mercy and compassion, then I beg of you, make me very happy : have one love, one Spirit, one feeling, do nothing through rivalry or vain conceit.

On the contrary let each of you gently consider the others as more important than yourselves. Do not seek your own interest, but rather that of others. Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ had :

Though He was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and in His appearance found as a Man. He humbled Himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross.

That is why God exalted Him and gave Him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/03/saturday-3-january-2015-weekday-of-christmas-time-memorial-of-the-most-holy-name-of-jesus-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Wednesday, 31 December 2014 : Seventh Day within the Octave of Christmas, Memorial of Pope St. Silvester I, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 1-18

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God; He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. Whatever has come to be, found life in Him; Life, which for human beings, was also Light, Light that shines in darkness, Light that darkness could not overcome.

A man came, sent by God; his name was John. He came to bear witness, as a witness to introduce the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but a witness to introduce the Light; for the Light was coming into the world, the true Light that enlightens everyone.

He was in the world, and through Him the world was made, the very world that did not know Him. He came to His own, yet His own people did not receive Him; but to all who received Him, He empowers to become children of God, for they believe in His Name.

These are born, but not by seed, or carnal desire, nor by the will of man : they are born of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father : fullness of truth and loving kindness.

John bore witness to Him openly, saying, “This is the One who comes after me, but He is already ahead of me, for He was before me.” From His fullness we have all received, favour upon favour. For God had given us the Law through Moses, but Truth and Loving Kindness came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son made Him known : the One, who is in and with the Father.

Homily and Reflection :
https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/31/wednesday-31-december-2014-seventh-day-within-the-octave-of-christmas-memorial-of-pope-st-silvester-i-pope-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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(Usus Antiquior) Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs (Double II Classis) – Sunday, 28 December 2014 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Red

Lectio Epistolae Beati Pauli Apostoli ad Galatas – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Galatians

Galatians 4 : 1-7

Fratres : Quanto tempore heres parvulus est, nihil differt a servo, cum sit dominus omnium : sed sub tutoribus et actoribus est usque ad praefinitum tempus a patre : ita et nos, cum essemus parvuli, sub elementis mundi eramus servientes.

At ubi venit plenitudo temporis, misit Deus Filium suum, factum ex muliere, factum sub lege, ut eos, qui sub lege erant, redimeret, ut adoptionem filiorum recipieremus. Quoniam autem estis filii, misit Deus Spiritum Filii sui in corda vestra, clamantem : Abba, Pater.

Itaque jam non est servus, sed filius quod si filius, et heres per Deum.

 

English translation

Brethren, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ from a servant, though he is lord of all, but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father, so we also, when we were children, were serving under the elements of the world.

But when the fullness of time was come, God sent His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law : that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God had sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying : Abba, Father.

Therefore now he is not a servant, but a son, and if a son, an heir also through God.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/26/usus-antiquior-feast-of-the-holy-innocents-martyrs-double-ii-classis-sunday-28-december-2014-homily-and-scripture-reflections/