Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5
Out of the depths i cry to You, o Lord, o Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.
If You should mark our evil, o Lord, who could stand?
But with You is forgiveness, and for that You are revered. I waited for the Lord, my soul waits, and I put my hope in His word.
Liturgical Colour : White
Sirach 3 : 3-7, 14-17a (Greek version 2-6, 12-14)
Whoever honours his father atones for his sins; he who gives glory to his mother prepares a treasure for himself.
Whoever honours his father will receive joy from his own children and will be heard when he prays.
Whoever glorifies his father will have a long life. Whoever obeys the Lord gives comfort to his mother. He serves those who brought him to birth as he would serve the Lord.
For kindness done to one’s father will never be forgotten, it will serve as reparation for your sins. In the day of adversity the Lord will remember it to your advantage; for just as ice melts in the heat, so will your sins melt away.
The man who abandons his father is like a blasphemer; he who annoys his mother is cursed by the Lord. My son, conduct your affairs with discretion.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Matthew 2 : 13-18
After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Get up, take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon be looking for the Child in order to kill Him.”
Joseph got up, took the child and His mother, and left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled : ‘I called My son out of Egypt.”
When Herod found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood who were two years old or under. This was done in line with what he had learnt from the wise men about the time when the star appeared.
In this way, what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled : ‘A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation : Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more.’
Christ our Lord is born in Bethlehem, in the city of David. Alleluia!
He who is the king of kings is born among us and dwell among us His people. Alleluia!
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour is born to us, out of His love that in Him we may have new hope. Alleluia!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate with the entire Church and with the entire world, the coming of one Man, but not like any man, because He was truly special. Jesus our Lord was born in Bethlehem, in the city of David, as prophesied throughout the ages, as the Messiah who would come to save all of God’s multitudes of peoples.
Christmas is a time for joy, and not just our own joy, but everyone’s joy, because Christ the Messiah is born for us, for our sake. In Christ is the culmination of God’s long-planned salvation for all of us. Mankind waited years and many, many years just for the coming of the deliverer, much like the people of Israel waited many years for the coming of the promised deliverer, suffering for hundreds of years in slavery in Egypt.
With Christ, a new hope for all mankind had dawned, and the royal baby, whose birth we celebrate today is the Saviour. He came into this world not for leisure or for a picnic, but for the deliverance of us all, none other than through His own sacrifice on the cross. Yes, that was the very reason why God came down upon us, incarnate as Man born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His mother. He came to liberate us forever, from the slavery under sin and the power of evil, and to give us our inheritance, promised to us since the beginning of time. And this is joy!
Christmas is not just joyful because it is a holiday time, or a rime to relax from our work. And Christmas is also not just joyful because of all the partying and all the festivities that our societies often rejoice in. Christmas is not just about the gifts or merely about the shopping spree and the massive discounts that the shops offer us. Christmas is about Christ, and it is about Him. It is His birthday, and yet many of us often seem to forget that reality.
We spend long hours hunting for gifts and spend lots of time decorating our homes and our places, but do we all know the reason why we even do all of these. That is because we have been long immersed in the secularised version of Christmas that took Christ out of Christmas, and made it no different than other festivals and celebrations.
Yet, Christmas, besides that of Easter should be the greatest of our celebrations in the whole of our lives. That is because just as we are often exposed to the fact that Christmas is a season of giving, it is truly a season of giving, but it represents ultimately, the gift of our Lord to us, in Jesus Christ. Remember what is said in the Gospel of John, that God so loved the world, that He gave us His only Son, that all who believe in Him will not die, but receive eternal life.
Christ is the Lord’s gift to us, the ultimate gift of all. And Christmas marked that gift’s entry into the world, when God’s gift is made manifest and true to us. God fulfilled His promises to us, and He gave us the perfect gift, to liberate us from the power of sin and death. In Easter too, is the time of remembrance of the time when Christ gave Himself as a perfect and worthy sacrifice as the reparation for all of our sins.
So, we cannot omit or ignore Christ at all, whenever we make any festivities and celebrations this Christmas. To ignore Christ at His own birthday is pagan, and to exclude the values that Christ had taught us at Christmas is pagan. We cannot be too engulfed in our own joy and happiness, that we forget those who are less fortunate than us. Yes, those who cannot even afford to get their daily food and daily sustenance, much less still to celebrate Christmas in the way that we do.
This brings us yet into another important point to consider about Christmas. Christmas is not about the glamour and the wealth being displayed around, not in the lavishness or size of the gifts that we receive. Yes, Christmas can include all of these, but we cannot miss the true essence of Christmas, that is love. For it is God’s love for us that brought Christmas to us, and it is God’s love that enables us to even rejoice and be glad on this great and sacred day.
Christmas is about love, and about us understanding fully the love of God for us, and the love He had for this world, and also about us sharing, this love that God had shown us, which He had also poured generously on us, with one another. We cannot profess to be Christians, that is to be the believers of Jesus Christ our Lord, if we do not profess love. And what time is better to show that this Christmas? It is a season of giving indeed, but not just of material goods. Instead, let us resolve to also give of our hearts, to share the love, the joy, and the happiness we have with one another.
Seek out those who are without love, and those who are less fortunate than us. We do not have to go far! And indeed, it does not always mean that we have to go to the streets and seek out beggars in order to do so. We can do those things certainly, but what about our own homes, our own families, and our own circle of friends and acquaintances?
Yes, if we know anyone who is forsaken and devoid of love in our own communities, even within our own families, and those who are unloved, and indeed, those who held grudge and hatred against us, this is the time, the perfect time to show the love of God, and share with them what joy we have. For are we not the children of the same God? The same God who had resolved to come upon us to be our salvation through His birth, death, and resurrection?
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Christmas day and the Christmas season is the best day and time to begin life anew. If we have not been professing love, that is Christian love, then let us reflect on the love that God showed us through His Son. Follow what God had done, and show that same love to one another. This is a good time to forgive one another, and let go of our anger, hatred, jealousy, and any kind of ill feeling, and instead rejoice together with the angels and saints as they proclaim the glory of God who was born on Christmas day.
We cannot celebrate Christmas yet, and we are not ready to rejoice too, if we still hold grudge against one another, or against any of our brother and sister in Christ. That is why we often have penitential services and confessions during the Advent season, that is to clear up our sinfulness and to be ready for the celebration of Christmas. If you have not done so, then do not wait, but use this very opportunity to do so, and then rejoice together at the coming of our Lord.
Therefore, may this Christmas be a season of renewal for us all, that we will be renewed in faith and in love. And as much as it is a season of renewal, let it be a season of joy, but that of true joy, and not the masked joy of secularised Christmas celebrations. Yes, let this time be a time of joy, rejoicing in the coming of Jesus Christ our Lord, born a baby in Bethlehem to be the Saviour of all. Let us never forget this, and keep Christ always at the centre of our lives, and at the very centre of our hearts.
May the Almighty God, who had loved us so much so as to give His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, continue to love us, and bless us, that we will be stronger and ever stronger in our faith, our hope, and our love. That our faith and trust in Him will only get stronger and stronger, that our hope in Him and the eternal life He promised will only get firmer and firmer, and that the love He had shown us, we too will be able to replicate in our own lives.
Have a blessed Christmas, and rejoice in the Lord! Rejoice in the coming of our Lord Jesus, Saviour of the world. Merry Christmas! Buon Natale!
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 2 : 1-14
At that time the emperor issued a decree for a census of the whole empire to be taken. This first census was taken when Quirinus was governor of Syria. Everyone had to be registered in his own town, so everyone set out for his own city.
Joseph too set out from Nazareth of Galilee. As he belonged to the family of David, being a descendant of his, he went to Judea, to David’s town of Bethlehem, to be registered with Mary, his wife, who was with Child.
They were in Bethlehem when the time came for her to have her Child, and she gave birth to a Son, her Firstborn. She wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in the manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
There were shepherds camping in the countryside, taking turns to watch over their flocks by night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, with the Glory of the Lord shining around them.
As they were terrified, the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the people. Today a Saviour has been born to you in David’s town; He is the Messiah and the Lord. Let this be a sign to you : you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly the angel was surrounded by many more heavenly spirits, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and Peace, on earth, to those whom God loves.”
As all of you have heard, the Vatican City state had been dedicated by Pope Francis to both St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster-father of Jesus Christ our Lord; as well as St. Michael the Archangel, the leader of all of heaven’s angelic forces, the mighty champion of our Lord, and the terror of demons.
The above statue is a statue of St. Michael the Archangel subduing Satan, the evil one. The statue was unveiled and blessed by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican Gardens where the statue is located.
The ceremony was attended by both Pope Francis and his predecessor as the Vicar of Christ, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Let us pray for both our Pope and our Pope Emeritus, that God will continue to guide them in leading the Church, in the spirit of prayer. St. Joseph and St. MIchael the Archangel, pray for us! Pray for the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, and protect our leader, the Successor of Peter, whose residence now entrusted to both of you for protection.
God bless the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we commemorate the great feast and memorial of St. Joseph, the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. St. Joseph was well-known as a great and diligent worker, and as a good carpenter. He laboured hard to provide for the Holy Family, which consists of himself as the head of the family, Mary, the Mother of God, and of course, our Lord Jesus Christ, his foster-son.
St. Joseph is indeed a role model to all workers, to all who labour and toil for the sake of themselves, their families, and for those who are dear to them. Labour and pain had always been part and parcel of human life and nature, ever since our ancestors, Adam and Eve, rebelled against the will of God, by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge. They were punished with having to toil hard to survive in tough life on earth, having forsaken the easy and blissful life of heaven in Eden through their disobedience.
Yet, just like Mary, the Mother of God, whom through her perfect and unconditional obedience and surrender to the will of God, which allowed salvation to work through her and her Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, St. Joseph too, had a great role in the plan of salvation, in that, just as Christ is the new Adam who would reverse the sins of the first Adam, and bring mankind to salvation, St. Joseph, the foster-father of Christ, showed that he is an upright man, who endured with joy the labours and toils that he and his ancestors and all of us have to suffer for our rebellion.
St. Joseph the worker, worked hard and never complained. He remained an upright and just man, a man of strong principles and faith in God. He obeys and listens, just as how workers should be, and yet he is just and upright, and workers too should ensure that they are rightfully and justly treated, so as not to be manipulated by those who seek profit at the expense of these workers.
St. Joseph raised Jesus Christ, who was not his biological Son, but with love as great as any Father would and could show to their own child. His dedication to protect and bring up Jesus was truly evident, in how he helped to protect the child Jesus by the flight to Egypt, in order to avoid the persecution of Herod, and having to endure many tribulations in exile in Egypt, protecting our Lord from harm. He protected the Lord from the devil, whom through King Herod attempted to disturb the plan of salvation.
St. Joseph also taught the child Jesus on the importance of loving God in His life, by his guidance, and his bringing of Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for the festival, showing to Jesus His true Father in heaven, and bringing Him close to the Father who loves His Son. St. Joseph is therefore the great role model and patron for all of us, because in one way or another, we are all workers and labourers in the eyes of the Lord.
Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we often heard, that the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few. For we are the labourers of Christ, harvesting the fruits of the divine works of evangelisation, and indeed, there are many opportunities in our world today for even more evangelisation, to bring the Good News and the Word of God, to many who have yet to receive them, all over the world.
We need more labourers who are like St. Joseph in appearance and in spirit. We need many more men who are dedicated to their cause like St. Joseph the great worker did. For there are many works for us to do, and there are still so much opportunities, for us to follow in the footsteps of St. Joseph, and in the footsteps of the apostles. Let us follow their holy and wonderful examples, of labour that is both fruitful and filled with God’s love, that will surely bear much fruit. Our world needs love and peace that only the Lord can offer. Can we then, help to fulfill this and made such a world a reality? Where love and peace of God reigns?
May God bless us and protect all of us, and may He guide us through life, that from the fruits of our labour, we may taste the sweet fruits of love and glory, just as St. Joseph did, and in doing so, honouring God our Lord. St. Joseph, patron of workers and all who labour, pray for us. Amen.
John 15 : 1-8
I am the true vine and My Father is the vinegrower. If any of My branches doesn’t bear fruit, He breaks it off; and He prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit. You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in Me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don’t remain in Me.
I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in Me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in Me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in Me and My words in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit : it is then that you become My disciples.
Alternative Reading (Mass of St. Joseph)
Matthew 13 : 54-58
He went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Isn’t He the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary His mother and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas His brothers? Aren’t all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offense at Him.
Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the House of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!
Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.
The assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stand the courts of justice the offices of the House of David.
Alternative Reading (Mass of St. Joseph)
Psalm 89 : 2, 3-4, 12-13, 14 and 16
Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.
You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.
So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o Lord? Have mercy on Your servant.
Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children.
Acts 15 : 1-6
Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Because of this there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. For Paul told the people to remain as they were when they became believers.
Finally those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the apostles and elders. They were sent on their way by the Church. As they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters.
On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the apostles and elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them. Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the law of Moses. So the apostles and elders met together to consider this matter.
Alternative Reading (Mass of St. Joseph)
Genesis 1 : 26 – Genesis 2 : 3
God said, “Let us make man in Our image, to Our likeness. Let them rule over fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over the wild animals, and over all creeping things that crawl along the ground.” So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
God said, “I have given you every seed-bearing plant which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food. To every wild animal, to every bird of the sky, to everything that creeps along the ground, to everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.” So it was.
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning : the sixth day.
That was the way the sky and earth were created and all their vast array. By the seventh day the work God had done was completed, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He rested from all the work He had done in His creation.
Alternative Reading (Mass of St. Joseph)
Colossians 3 : 14-15, 17, 23-24
Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this end you were called to be one body. And be thankful.
And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, working for the Lord, and not for humans. You well know that the Lord will reward you with the inheritance. You are servants, but your Lord is Christ.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 