St. Francis de Sales

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Saturday, 24 January 2015 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 9 : 2-3, 11-14

A first tent was prepared with the lampstand, the table and the bread of the Presence, this is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain, there is a second sanctuary called the Most Holy Place.

But now Christ has appeared as the High Priest with regard to the good things of these new times. He passed through a sanctuary more noble and perfect, not made by hands, that is, not created. He did not take with Himself the blood of goats and bulls but His own Blood, when He entered once and for all into this sanctuary after obtaining definitive redemption.

If the sprinkling of people defiled by sin with the blood of goats and bulls or with the ashes of a heifer provides them with exterior cleanness and holiness, how much more will it be with the Blood of Christ? He, moved by the eternal Spirit, offered Himself as an unblemished victim to God and His Blood cleanses us from the dead works, so that we may serve the living God.

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Friday, 24 January 2014 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus called His disciples in the Gospel today, the ones He had chosen to be the messengers of His Good News, to be the ones who would continue His works in this world after His departure. They were called to be the servants of God’s people, in the same way that Christ Himself had made Himself a servant of God’s people.

They were called to be the examples of God’s message to mankind. God revealed Himself to the world in Jesus, and He taught the people the revelation of God’s true purpose for mankind, and to His Apostles, the Twelve called and chosen, He revealed even greater amount of the truth of the Lord.

And today in particular, we should focus on the values of mercy and love. Today’s first reading is about the story of David and Saul, when David was in run from the king and his forces, who sought to kill him and remove the threat David posed to the kingship of Saul. It was what David did, which showed us a lot about the true nature of our faith, and the nature of mercy and love.

Continuing from the same theme of the previous days’ topic on obedience and human fragility, we see how David was surely tempted by the attraction of power and glory. Indeed, David had been chosen by God to be the next king of His people Israel. He was the anointed one, who had been chosen to be the king, and there in the cave, the opportunity to gain the rightful position he had been chosen for! David had the opportunity handed to him on a golden platter.

He was the chosen king, and God had withdrawn His favour from Saul. David could just strike at Saul and claim His rightful throne at that time, but he did not do so, and he turned away from that golden chance. He had been given great favour by the Lord, but David did not boast of his favoured status and remained humble and even loyal. After all, Saul was still the king of Israel, and also anointed one of God.

David also expressed great regret after having decided to cut a piece of cloth from the sleeves of Saul, and even revealed the truth about the temptations that faced him to Saul, who considered him his mortal enemy. He was honest, upright, and merciful, as well as forgiving. He loved his enemies, even when his enemies wanted to kill and destroy him.

That was what Christ had taught His disciples and the people who heard His teachings. It is all familiar to us, is it not? Love your enemies and pray for those who persecuted you, and love one another just as the Lord has loved you. Brothers and sisters in Christ, God called not just David and the Apostles, the Twelve, to be His servants and disciples. He also called all of us, that we too may walk in the same way as they did.

God calls us to be like His servant David, to be upright in all our ways, and to love God with all our hearts, as well as to give our love to those who hated us and who persecuted us, to be rich in forgiveness and mercy, like what David had done to Saul, despite what Saul was trying to do with him.

It is not easy to do so, but we need to make the first step, or otherwise, we will never proceed on the way. Let us be ever better servants of the Lord with each passing day, giving thanks to the Lord for all the love and grace that He had shown us.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis de Sales, a renowned saint who lived during a time of great tragedy and division in the Church, at the time when the Church was fighting back the tide of heresy that had befallen the Church due to the heretical Protestants and their so-called reformation. St. Francis de Sales was a God-fearing man, who trembled at first in his youth, against the wrath of God, with St. Francis de Sales having come to the full realisation of his sinfulness.

But later on, St. Francis de Sales would learn of the Lord’s infinite mercy and love, and therefore came to terms with his fear of the Lord, and from then on, he tried his best to share that fact, through his works and actions with the people of God. He promoted virtuous living and loving conversion of the heretics back to the true faith, not through violence, but through love and gentleness.

Yes, for even though the Protestant heretics deserved condemnation and destruction for their sins of having disobeyed the authority of the Lord in the Church and causing a split in the One united Body of Christ, God wanted them to repent their sins and return to the true faith, and it was St. Francis de Sales who became God’s tool of delivering this message of love and mercy to them.

St. Francis de Sales showed us that we too have the capacity to do as what he had done, that is to spread the love of God to others, and to bring back to the light a people who had fallen into the darkness. We are called to be the disciples of the Lord, and to follow in the footsteps of those that God had chosen, including the Twelve Apostles, as well as that of St. Francis de Sales, and we are encouraged to imitate what they had done. For God truly loves us, very much.

May He give to us the same blessing as He had given to David His servant, that we too, like the Twelve Apostles, may be His beloved and chosen people called to greatness. Amen.

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Friday, 24 January 2014 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 3 : 13-19

Then Jesus went up into the hill country, and called those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve to be with Him, and He called them ‘apostles’. He wanted to send them out to preach, and He gave them authority to drive out demons.

These are the Twelve : Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John his brother, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘men of thunder’; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

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Friday, 24 January 2014 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 56 : 2, 3-4, 6 and 11

Have mercy on me, o God, have mercy, for my soul takes refuge in You; I will find shelter in the shadow of Your wings till the disaster has passed.

I call on God the Most High, on God who has done everything for me : may He send from heaven a Saviour and put my oppressors to shame. May God send me His Love and faithfulness.

Be exalted, o God, above the heavens! Your glory be over all the earth! For Your love reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness, to the clouds.

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Friday, 24 January 2014 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 24 : 3-21

So Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men to the east of the Wild Goat crags. When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he entered a cave to relieve himself.

Now David and his men were far back in the cave. David’s men said to him, “This is the day which YHVH spoke of : look I will deliver your enemy into your hands and you will do with him as you see fit.” So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s robe.

But afterward, David regretted having cut off an end of Saul’s robe, and he said to his men, “Let me not lay my hands on my master, for he is YHVH’s anointed.” With these words, David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way.

Then David himself stepped out of the cave and called after Saul, “My master, the king!” When Saul looked back, David knelt and then bowed to the ground in homage and asked him, “Why do you listen to those who say that I want to harm you? Look, today you have seen that YHVH delivered you into my hands in the cave, and I was told to kill you but I held myself back and I said : ‘I will not lift my hands against my master who is YHVH’s anointed.'”

“My father, look at this end of your robe which I am holding! I cut off the end of your robe but did not kill you. Now you may know that I mean you no harm or treason. I have done you no wrong and yet you are hunting me down to kill me. May YHVH be judge between you and me and may He exact justice from you in my case, but I shall do you no harm.”

“As the saying goes, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness.’; as for me, my hand shall not harm you. But who is it you are after, o king of Israel? Are you pursuing a dead dog? A flea? May YHVH be judge between you and me. May He see and uphold my cause and deliver me from your hands.”

After David had spoken these words, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?” He wept aloud and said to David, “You are right and I am wrong, for you have repaid with kindness the harm I have inflicted on you. This day you have shown your righteousness to me by not taking my life when YHVH put me into your hands.”

“For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go unharmed? May YHVH reward you for what you have done for me today. Now I know for certain that you shall reign and the kingdom of Israel will be firm in your hand.”

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Thursday, 24 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor (Scripture Reflection)

Once again, we focus on Jesus as our High Priest in today’s readings, and how He as the High Priest, offered Himself, once and for all, which we witness in our celebration of the Holy Mass, the Sacrifice offered by the priests, united and one, and the same as the Sacrifice of Christ on the cross. While the priests of the Jewish people of the past were humans, and sinners like us, they too have to offer the sacrifices of animals to God for their own sins too, as they are not like Christ, who as the High Priest, and the perfect priest, is sinless, although He is just as human as we are, just as He is God.

Christ also offered the best that He had, just as Abel offered the best of his animals as sacrifice to God. While the offering of the priests can be compared to the offering of Cain, who offered grains, an imperfect offering in the eyes of God, and the priests of the Old Testament offered animals and their blood, while physically unblemished as ordered by the Law, they were imperfect, as they had to be repeated, and did not cover sins of all, did not serve all purposes.

But like Abel, who offered his very best to God, Christ, offered Himself, the very Lamb of God, and God Himself, whose Precious Blood is the only worthy sacrifice to redeem ALL mankind from their sins, once and for all. Through the Holy Mass that we should frequently participate in, we take part in Christ’s Sacrifice, and partake His Precious Body and Blood, that all of us truly take Christ into ourselves, and our beings become God’s Holy Temple. But, Christ’s offering is not just Himself and His being, as the Psalm clearly demonstrates the point. It is Christ’s ultimate and perfect obedience to God’s will, and His heart which is ever directed towards the Father, that He fulfills the will of God, that all of mankind can be saved from the slavery of sin and death. And who is more worthy of worship, than God who just like Abraham, willingly sacrificed His own Son, out of His love for us, that we too can be reunited with Him again in Heaven?

For the most important thing is not only the act and the externals of our being, but even more important is our hearts, whether we truly direct them towards the Lord, and the Lord alone, and to obey the will and the teachings of the Lord, as Jesus has taught us. This is why it is important to read the Scripture, and understand the very commandments of love that Jesus has given us, as the perfection of the Law and the Commandments of God. Let us therefore, align our hearts to God, lift up our hearts to the Lord, and always keep Him in our hearts, in whatever we do, wherever we are, and at all times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_de_Sales

Today we also celebrate the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of journalists and the press, and today is also the 47th anniversary of World’s Communications Day, in honor of St. Francis de Sales and his patronage. St. Francis de Sales was a very faithful and a very gentle priest, who eventually became Bishop of Geneva and wrote many books on the tenets of the faith. His deep faith and wisdom was made evident through his books, which influenced many even long after his death in 1622. He spearheaded many evangelism campaigns to return many Protestants in his time back into the true faith of the Church, and through his great preaching abilities and faith, many returned to the Church.

We may think that it is difficult to evangelise to others, especially those who are strangers to us. But let us begin from the place nearest to us, within our own families, and with our friends. We may be surprised to find that there are many people close to us, who are still in the darkness, and truly yearn to learn about God, to find God, and to reach out to Him. Let us not shut our ears to them, and let us gently approach them, just as St. Francis de Sales had done, to bring the Word of God to those who hunger, and to bring them into full understanding of the faith in God.

Communication requires at least two people, and we cannot just keep the faith to ourselves. Let us therefore today, renew the commitment to share our faith with others, that everyone too can be closer to God as we are, and together, we will worship Him, who is our High Priest, who through His great obedience to His Father, and through His offering of Himself, we are all promised of eternal life, as long as we remain true to Him. Amen.

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.

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Thursday, 24 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor (Gospel Reading)

Mark 3 : 7-12

Jesus and His disciples withdrew to the lakeside, and a large crowd from Galilee followed Him. A great number of people also came from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Transjordan, and from the region of Tyre and Sidon, for they had heard of all that He was doing.

Because of the crowd, Jesus told His disciples to have a boat ready for Him, to prevent the people from crushing Him. He healed so many, that all who had diseases kept pressing towards Him to touch Him. Even the people who had evil spirits, whenever they saw Him, they would fall down before Him and cry out, “You are the Son of God.”

But He warned them sternly not to tell anyone who He was.

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Thursday, 24 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor (Psalm)

Psalm 39 : 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

Sacrifice and oblation you did not desire; this you had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering you do not require.

Then I said, “Here I come! as the scroll says of me. To do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your law is within my heart.”

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o Lord, I dd not seal – You know that very well.

But may all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, and may all who love Your saving grace continually say, “The Lord is great.”

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Thursday, 24 January 2013 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor (First Reading)

Hebrews 7 : 25 – Hebrews 8 : 6

Consequently He is able to save for all time, those who approach God through Him. He always lives to intercede on their behalf. It was fitting that our High Priest be holy, undefiled, set apart from sinners and exalted above the heavens; a priest who does not first need to offer sacrifice for himself before offering for the sins of the people, as high priests do.

He offered Himself in sacrifice once and for all. And whereas the Law elected weak men as high priests, now, after the Law, the Word of God with an oath appointed the Son, made perfect forever.

The main point of what we are saying is that we have a High Priest. He is seated at the right hand of the divine Majesty in Heaven, where He serves as minister of the true temple and sanctuary, set up not by any mortal, but by the Lord.

A high priest is appointed to offer to God gifts and sacrifices, and Jesus also has to offer some sacrifice. Had He remained on earth, He would not be a priest, since other offer the gifts according to the Law. In fact, the ritual celebrated by those priests is only an imitation and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary.

We know the word of God to Moses with regard to the construction of the holy tent. He said : “You are to make everything according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain.” Now, however, Jesus enjoys a much higher ministry in being the mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises.