Sunday Mass

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Sunday, 27 January 2019 : Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Nehemiah 8 : 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10

Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men, women and all the children who could understand what was being read. It was the first day of the seventh month.

So he read it before the plaza in front of the Water Gate from dawn till noon, before the men, women and those children who could understand. All the people were eager to hear the book of the law. Ezra, the teacher of the law, stood on a wooden platform built for that occasion.

Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was in a higher place; and when he opened it, all the people stood. Ezra praised YHVH the great God; and all the people lifted up their hands and answered, “Amen! Amen!” And they bowed their heads to the ground.

They read from the book of the law of God, clarifying and interpreting the meaning, so that everyone might understand what they were hearing. Then Ezra, the teacher of the law, said to the people, “This day is dedicated to YHVH, your God, so do not be sad or weep.”

He said this because all wept when they heard the reading of the law. Then he said to them, “Go and eat rich foods, drink sweet wine and share with him who has nothing prepared. This day is dedicated to the Lord, so do not be sad. The joy of YHVH is our strength.”

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Sunday, 20 January 2019 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the wonderful works of the Lord, which He had performed before all for the first time in the flesh, as the Gospel passage today related to us the story of the miracle at the wedding ceremony held in Cana. I am sure that all of us are familiar with this miracle, how the Lord Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine, when the wedding couple ran out of wine for their very important day.

In order to better understand the significance of this miracle, we must understand the context and historical importance of what had happened at that time. A wedding ceremony is a very important event in the life of the person, according to the traditions of the Jewish people, and in fact, a wedding involved not just the two persons who were getting married, but rather, the whole community, as everyone rejoiced together when a man and a woman is joined in sacred matrimony.

On such an important day, for the wedding couple to run out of wine is tantamount to a massive embarrassment that can affect them for the rest of their lives. As the bride and the groom and their respective families were usually in charge of the celebration and festivities, and all the details with regards to the wedding ceremonies, running out of wine can be interpreted as a sign of misfortune, disgrace and lack of divine favour for the marriage.

That was why the wedding couple in that Cana’s wedding was likely to be worried and distraught, as their own reputation and families were under grave threat. Thus, they sought the help of the Lord, by the help of His mother, Mary, to whom they sought for help. The Lord Jesus was reluctant to help them, as it was not yet His time to reveal Himself before the people, but His mother Mary helped the wedding couple, by asking the servants to listen to the Lord’s words and obey Him.

In the end, the Lord commanded the servants to fill up jars of water used for purification purpose, and then bring some of the water to the steward of the wedding. Miraculously, the water has been turned into wine, by the power of the Lord. This was the first miracle that He performed before the people openly, and the wedding couple was indeed saved from the humiliation and shame that they could have endured had the Lord not miraculously turned the water into wine.

Last week, as we begun the current season of Ordinary Time, we had the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which marked the official beginning of His earthly ministry, when He revealed Himself to the greater community. And today we heard of the moment of His first miraculous deed among the people. There were many more miracles He was to perform among the people, healing the sick, casting out demons and evil spirits, feeding multitudes of people miraculously, and many more.

This is the fulfilment of what the Lord had promised to His people through the prophets, particularly the prophet Isaiah, who has spoken widely on the coming of the salvation in the Messiah Who was to come. And all of these have been fulfilled in Christ, the Messiah Who was promised, the Lord Jesus, Who came into the midst of His beloved people, performing God’s many wonderful works and miracles. And He called many disciples and followers to walk in His footsteps, to continue the good works He had begun.

The Lord had mercy on His people, because He saw how despicable the state they were in, and how great their sufferings had become, all because of their own sins and disobedience. He wants to reconcile them to Himself, to forgive them from their sins and their disobedience, because of His enduring and boundless love for each and every one of us. He showed His compassion when He decided to help the wedding couple at Cana, even though it was not yet His time to reveal Himself through His miracles. Yet, He was moved and did the miracle because of His love for them.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, what St. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth spoke of the various gifts that God has bestowed upon each and every one of us, and the calling which He had made to us, to embrace those gifts and talents, which have been given to us for a purpose. And that purpose is for the glorification of God as well as for the benefit and good of our fellow mankind. For God’s works in this world are not yet completed and His mission for us is still yet in progress.

He gave His followers and disciples a very important commandment before He ascended into heaven. This commandment is that all of them must go forth and be witnesses and preachers of the Good News and the truth that He has revealed to the world. They are to go forth proclaiming the Lord’s truth and baptise peoples of all the nations in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. And thus this has been the mission entrusted to the Church, that is all of us the faithful people of God, to the end of time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, to this end, the Lord Himself had said to His disciples, that He would give them the Helper, the Holy Spirit of God Who will guide them and teach them what they needed to know. And thus the Spirit granted us various gifts, for our respective missions and roles as members of the Church of God. We cannot do everything on our own, and no matter how much we try, there are always a lot of work that needs to be done.

Some of us have been called to a greater ministry of the diaconate, priesthood and the episcopate, dedicating ourselves to the service of God. These are those of us who have been called to the consecrated life, dedicating our whole lives and energies to serve both God and His people. But it does not mean that if we are not a deacon, or a priest or a bishop, then we are less important or have less responsibilities or things to do. In fact, the laity are still called to a great purpose and responsibility as members of the same Church of God.

The priests of God serve the whole Church, ministering to us all and celebrating the Sacraments of the Church. But without the support of the laity, those who have devoted their lives as priest, deacons and bishops will have a very hard time in fulfilling the good works and missions of the Church. The laity’s support in various ways are important, as I have mentioned earlier, in how we have been given many gifts, unique to each one of us.

For example, in those who have been called to the married life and creation of families, as symbolically mentioned in our Gospel passage today of the Wedding at Cana, we have a very important role to play in the Church, as the good and faithful Christian families are the basic units and pillars of the Church. It is in the family that the children learn first of the faith, and practice that same faith. If the family is not functioning as it should have, or diverged from the true faith, then we may end up having people losing their faith, especially those who are young among us.

And to others have also been given various other gifts, as administrators, volunteers and advocates, giving our respective talents to benefit God’s people. That is how the Church is able to reach out to so many people and to so many communities, by the tireless and numerous contributions of its members, both that of the laity and the priests alike. And now, we are also called to do the same with our own lives, if we have not done so thus far.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are called to reflect on our own lives, and how each and everyone of us can contribute, no matter how small it is, to the whole good works of the Church, fulfilling the mission that God has entrusted to us, and commanded us to do. Just as the Lord began His first miracle at that wedding in Cana, fulfilling the will of His Father and loving God’s people, then we should also begin our own ministry, in loving God and in loving our fellow men, if we have not already done so.

Let us all pray, that in the depth of our hearts and minds, God may reveal to us and that we may discover and discern carefully what we need to do as faithful members of His Church and as His followers and disciples in our present day world, in our respective communities and families. Let us all give what we can give to serve the Lord and His people, using our own talents and abilities for the good of all people. Let us not hesitate any longer but be courageous in living our faith from now on.

May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of life, and may He give us the strength to be missionaries of faith, in contributing our talents and abilities for the missions and works of His Church, from now on. May God always bless us all and our good works and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 20 January 2019 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

John 2 : 1-11

At that time, three days after Jesus called Nathanael, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus was also invited to the wedding with His disciples. When all the wine provided for the celebration had been served, and they had run out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Jesus replied, “Woman, what concern is that to you and Me? My hour has not yet come.” However His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Nearby were six stone water jars, set there for ritual washing as practiced by the Jews; each jar could hold twenty or thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them to the brim. Then Jesus said, “Now draw some out and take it to the steward.” So they did. The steward tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing from where it had come; for only the servants who had drawn the water knew. So, he called the bridegroom to tell him, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and when people have drunk enough, he serves that which is ordinary. Instead you have kept the best wine until the end.”

This miraculous sign was the first, and Jesus performed it at Cana in Galilee. In this way He let His glory appear, and His disciples believed in Him.

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Sunday, 20 January 2019 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 12 : 4-11

There is diversity of gifts, but the Spirit is the same. There is diversity of ministries, but the Lord is the same. There is diversity of works, but the same God works in all.

The Spirit reveals His presence in each one with a gift that is also a service. One is to speak with wisdom, through the Spirit. Another teaches, according to the same Spirit. To another is given faith, in which the Spirit acts; to another, the gift of healing, and it is the same Spirit.

Another works miracles, another is a prophet, another recognises what comes from the good or evil spirit; another speaks in tongues, and still another interprets what has been said in tongues. And all of this, is the work of the one and only Spirit, who gives to each one, as he so desires.

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Sunday, 20 January 2019 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 9-10a and 10c

Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Sing to YHVH, praise His Name.

Proclaim His salvation, day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

Give to YHVH, you families of nations, give to YHVH glory and strength. Give to YHVH the glory due His Name.

Worship YHVH with holy celebrations; stand in awe of Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, He will judge the peoples with justice.

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Sunday, 20 January 2019 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Isaiah 62 : 1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, for Jerusalem I will not keep silent, until her holiness shines like the dawn and her salvation flames like a burning torch. The nations will see your holiness and all the kings your glory. You will be called by a new name which the mouth of YHVH will reveal.

You will be a crown of glory in the hand of YHVH, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will you be named Forsaken; no longer will your land be called Abandoned; but you will be called My Delight and your land Espoused. For YHVH delights in you and will make your land His spouse.

As a young man marries a virgin, so will your Builder marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.

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Sunday, 13 January 2019 : Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is liturgically marking the last day of the current season of Christmas before we enter the Ordinary Time prior to the coming of the season of Lent in early March this year. On this day we commemorate the moment when the Lord Jesus was baptised at the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist, marking the occasion when the Lord finally began His ministry in this world after approximately thirty years since His birth.

St. John the Baptist was apprehensive at first when the Lord came up tp him asking to be baptised by him. He recognised Jesus as the One Whom he had been working all the while for, in order to prepare a straight path for His coming, and of Whom he had testified before the people, that not even he was worthy of untying the straps of His sandals, and how although he baptised with water, but the Lord would baptise them with the fire and the Holy Spirit.

But the Lord insisted despite St. John the Baptist’s reluctance, for everything was to be done in accordance with God’s will. The baptism of Our Lord Jesus was a momentous occasion, in which, the Lord Himself, God Incarnate in the flesh of Man, went through the same rite of passage as all of us the faithful people of God, just as by Him assuming His humanity has united His humanity to our own human existence.

The act of baptism itself, as St. John the Baptist performed it at the Jordan River, is a powerful symbol and reminder, that the people of God have been saved and liberated from slavery, as the Israelites in the ancient times were brought out of the land of Egypt where they were enslaved by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. When the Pharaoh sent his army and chariots to chase after the Israelites, God opened the Red Sea before them and allowed them to pass through the sea unharmed.

Therefore, by the passing through the waters of the Red Sea, God’s people had been brought by the great power of God from slavery into freedom. And this is linked to another slavery by which not just the sons of Israel, but all mankind suffer from, that is the slavery to our sins. Sin is born out of disobedience and unwillingness to obey the will of God, and its consequence for us is death. Unless we are freed from the slavery of sin, we will surely perish.

This is where God revealed the great wonders of His love for each and every one of us, that even when we have sinned against Him, disobeyed His commandments and disregarded His will, but because God still loves us regardless of these wicked things we have done, He gives us a new hope and deliverance, just as He has once liberated His people from the tyranny of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh.

This time, He is liberating us from the greatest slavery that has enslaved all of us mankind, that is sin and death. And the symbolism of water that is used at baptism is indeed very profound, for water is both the symbol of death and life, as it can cause destruction by its powerful force, and yet, it is also necessary for the presence and propagation of life. Without water, life cannot exist, and water is essential for the maintenance of life.

By this symbolism of water, which is both used at the baptism of the Lord at the River Jordan, and in our own Christian baptism, the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, the Lord unites us all who have received this blessed and holy Sacrament, to His own experience of suffering and death, as well as to His glorious resurrection and triumph over sin and death itself. We share in the same redemptive experience that the people of Israel had experienced by the Red Sea and throughout the Exodus, and now we have even much more than that.

For God Himself has willingly endeavoured to save us, by His mighty deeds, in leading us out of the tyranny and enslavement by sin, through none other than His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Who is God incarnate, the Word of God made Man, through Whom God has given us our salvation. The Lord unites our own mortality to His own humanity, and gathers all of our unworthiness, our sufferings and pains, our sins and all the defilements present in us, and placing them upon Himself on the cross He bore, He became the source of our salvation and eternal life.

That is why, on the celebration of the Easter Vigil, on which day most people who are baptised as adults receive this blessed Sacrament of Baptism, we have the reading of the passage from Exodus on the salvation of Israel crossing through the Red Sea. Just as the Israelites passed on from their old life of slavery and suffering into a new life of blessing and grace with God, thus, we too, have passed on from our old life of sin and disobedience against God, into a new existence and life that is blessed and holy.

That is why, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first of the Sacraments to be received by any Christians. We received it either as a small infant, if we had been born into faithful, Christian families, or as someone who have desired and sought conversion to the true faith, and went through a period of instruction, after which we were baptised just as the Lord Himself was baptised in the Jordan.

At the moment of baptism, our old life and our old iniquities and sins are washed away and cleansed, and our existence is renewed and made blessed by God. Our old life and sin have been destroyed just as we share in the death of Christ on the cross. And through baptism, God made us all His adopted sons and daughters, just as at Baptism of the Lord Jesus, the voice of the Father was heard, “This is My Son, My Beloved. My favour rests on Him.”

This is why we have also been made the sons and daughters of God, by virtue of our shared humanity with Christ. If Christ is the Son of God, and if we are His brothers and sisters by our shared humanity, then we too can be called children of God. And because God has taken us to be His children, the fullness of His love and grace are slated to be ours. But we must also remember at the same time, that baptism is not the end of the journey for us.

Although baptism has erased the taints of original sin and the sins we have committed previous to our baptism, but this does not mean that we cannot sin anymore after our baptism. We are surely aware how many of us Christians keep on falling back again and again into sin, not listening to the will of God, our loving Father, and instead, preferring to follow the lies and falsehoods of Satan, the deceiver.

Satan knows that through baptism, he has lost his hold on us, and sin and death no longer has their grip on us. But, he still does not want to let us go, and as long as we still continue living in this world, our earthly existence, our bodies and our beings are still vulnerable to sin, and this is where the devil is trying very hard to try to pull us back into sin. And we must be careful lest we fall back into the same predicament, for if we live in a state of sin, we may yet fall into eternal damnation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today, as we commemorate the glorious and wonderful moment of the baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ, let us all remember the moment of our own baptism. If we cannot remember it because we have been baptised as infants, then the least we can do is, try to remember the date and time of our baptism, by asking our godparents or parents, who surely can remember the time of that very crucial event in our life.

Let us today give thanks to God for the gift of baptism, in His willingness to take us as His adopted sons and daughters, and for the love which He has shown us, day after day. Baptism is only the beginning of a new journey in which we must make sure that we listen to the will of God. Baptism is the beginning of the time of grace and yet also struggle in which we must often face divisions and even persecutions for standing up to our faith.

May the Lord bless each and every one of us always, and may He allow us to remember the joy of our baptism, and that we may know what we need to do in our lives now that we have been made God’s own beloved children. Let us love Him more and more, each and every days of our life. Let our life and existence glorify God and let us proclaim the wonders of His love by our own loving actions to our fellow brethren. Amen.

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Sunday, 13 January 2019 : Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 3 : 15-16, 21-22

At that time, the people were wondering about John’s identity, “Could he be the Messiah?” Then John answered them, “I baptise you with water, but the One Who is coming will do much more : He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. As for me, I am not worthy to untie His sandal.”

Now, with all the people who came to be baptised, Jesus, too, was baptised. Then, while He was praying, the heavens opened : the Holy Spirit came down upon Him in the bodily form of a Dove, and a voice from Heaven was heard, “You are My Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”

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Sunday, 13 January 2019 : Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Titus 2 : 11-14 and Titus 3 : 4-7

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God, while we await our blessed Hope – the glorious manifestation of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus.

He gave Himself for us, to redeem us from every evil and to purify a people He wanted to be His own and dedicated to what is good. But God our Saviour revealed His eminent goodness and love for humankind and saved us, not because of good deeds we may have done but for the sake of His own mercy, to the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit poured over us through Christ Jesus our Saviour, so that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs in hope of eternal life.

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Sunday, 13 January 2019 : Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 103 : 1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30

Clothed in majesty and splendour; o YHVH, my God, how great You are! You are wrapped in light as with a garment; You stretch out the heavens like a tent.

You build Your upper rooms above the waters. You make the clouds Your chariot and ride on the wings of the wind; You make the winds Your messengers, and fire and flame Your ministers.

How varied o YHVH, are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all – the earth, full of Your creatures. Behold the sea, wide and vast, teeming with countless creatures, living things, both great and small.

They all look to You for their food in due time. You give it to them, and they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are filled with good things.

When You hide Your face they vanish; You take away their breath, they expire and return to dust. When You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, and the face of the earth is renewed.