Sunday Mass

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Sunday, 19 December 2021 : Fourth Sunday of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 39-45

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

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Sunday, 19 December 2021 : Fourth Sunday of Advent (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Hebrews 10 : 5-10

This is why, on entering the world, Christ says : You did not desire sacrifice and offering; You were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said : “Here I am. It was written of me in the scroll. I will do Your will, o God.”

First he says : Sacrifice, offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire nor were You pleased with them – although they were required by the Law. Then he says : Here I am to do Your will. This is enough to nullify the first will and establish the new. Now, by this will of God, we are sanctified, once, and for all, by the sacrifice of the Body of Christ Jesus.

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Sunday, 19 December 2021 : Fourth Sunday of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 79 : 2ac and 3bc, 15-16, 18-19

Listen, o Shepherd of Israel, You, Who sit enthroned between the Cherubim. Stir up Your might and come to save us.

Turn again, o YHVH of hosts, look down from heaven and see; care for this vine, and protect the stock Your hand has planted.

But lay Your hand on Your instrument, on the Son of Man Whom You make strong for Yourself. Then we will never turn away from You; give us life, and we will call on Your Name.

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Sunday, 19 December 2021 : Fourth Sunday of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Micah 5 : 1-4a

But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, so small that you are hardly named among the clans of Judah; from you shall I raise the One Who is to rule over Israel. For He comes forth from of old, from the ancient times.

YHVH, therefore, will abandon Israel until such time as she, who is to give birth, has given birth. Then the rest of His deported brothers will return to the people of Israel. He will stand, and shepherd His flock with the strength of YHVH, in the glorious Name of YHVH, His God.

They will live safely, while He wins renown to the ends of the earth. He shall be peace.

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Sunday, 12 December 2021 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday we celebrate the occasion of the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. On this day we may have noticed that the vestments used are rose in colour instead of the usual purple or violet. This colour is only used twice in the entire liturgical year, one of which is today and the other one at Laetare Sunday on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. This Gaudete Sunday is named as such because of the words of its Introit at the start of the Mass, ‘Gaudete in Domino semper…’ which means ‘Rejoice in the Lord forever…’

Just as the previous two Sundays of Advent we focus on the aspects of Hope and Peace in Advent. Today therefore we focus on the aspect of Joy in this Advent season. That aspect of Joy is why we have a more cheerful tone as compared to the more restrained and sombre nature of our Christmas preparations throughout this season of Advent. This focus on Joy is a reminder for all of us that we are preparing ourselves this Advent for the coming of the True Joy of Christmas, that is the salvation that has come to us through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Salvation.

In our first reading today, all of us heard from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, in which the Lord reassured all of His people through Zechariah that He has always watched over them and He will always love them and care for them. God will bless them all and He will not abandon them to their fate. We must understand the context of what happened during the time of the prophet Zechariah. The prophet Zechariah lived and worked during the time of the early Persian Empire, likely according to historical evidence, during the reign of King Darius the Great.

At that time, the people of Israel, descendants of those who have lived in the old lands of Israel, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, had just returned from their long exile in Babylon and other far-off lands, after God had redeemed them and liberated them through the Great King of Persia, Cyrus the Great. They and their ancestors had faced great humiliation and sufferings due to their own infidelities and stubbornness, their abandonment of God, His laws and commandments. They had been brought low and defeated, their lands and cities laid to waste, Jerusalem destroyed with its Temple cast down.

Therefore, the words of the Lord through the prophet Zechariah were reminder for God’s own people that even as they endured trials and sufferings, God was still with them, and as they themselves experienced their emancipation and liberation, they ought to be joyful for the Lord’s providence and love. Having been allowed to return to their own homeland and once again gathering as a people and community, no longer scattered among the nations, and even having their Temple of God rebuilt with the support of the Persian King, all these were more than enough reasons for them to rejoice.

The prophet Isaiah as we heard in our Psalm today also reiterated this, as he spoke words of rejoicing in God’s salvation and providence, in all that He had done for His people. God has blessed us all His people and He has done many wonderful things for us, and hence, all of us ought to rejoice and to be glad because God and His presence among us, in His coming to this world through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has guaranteed us that eternal life and salvation, if we have faith in Him and believe in Him wholeheartedly.

Today, in our second reading, taken from the Epistle that St. Paul wrote to the Church and the faithful in Philippi, we also heard the same exhortation to the faithful to rejoice because God is by our side, and He has always remained by our side through good times and bad times, and He has always guided us and patiently showed us His love all these while. We have been so fortunate to have been favoured by God in such a way, that He even gave us all the perfect gift, the best of all, that is the gift of His salvation through Christ.

We rejoice and should no longer be fearful or afraid, as God’s words are trustworthy and He has always fulfilled His promises, no matter what. He sent us St. John the Baptist as we heard in our Gospel passage today, to be the Herald proclaiming His coming to the world and also to prepare the way for Him in this world. St. John the Baptist proclaimed God’s Good News and truth, revealing to all of the people what God was going to do in order to save them. He also revealed to them, when He came, the Messiah of God, Jesus Christ.

All of us have been reminded throughout all these readings from the Sacred Scriptures today, of the wonderful love of God made manifest through Christ, His Son, Whom He had sent to us, and Whose coming we celebrate this Christmas. That is why this Sunday we focus on the aspect of Joy in Advent, the anticipation if the great Joy that we are going to celebrate in Christmas, for having received God’s grace and salvation, and for having been blessed by this opportunity we have to know God and His ever generous love.

And it is timely and proper today that we spend some time to reflect on the nature of the Joy that we are expecting this Christmas. Is this joy referring to the festivities and celebrations that we are planning and hoping to do this Christmas? Are we looking ahead to the merrymaking and bling of our Christmas parties, and yet forgetting about what Christmas is truly about and why we celebrate it? This is the time for us to reflect on how we should focus our Christmas joy and celebrations that we may better appreciate what its true importance and meaning are to us.

Is Christ the true Joy of our lives? And are we joyful because He has come to us and having loved and cared for us so much, despite of our stubbornness and sinfulness? Or are we joyful because we are merely looking for pleasure and gratification in all the festivities and merrymaking? Have we prepared ourselves well that we may truly know what it is that bring joy to our lives and existence? Christmas is a time for us to rejoice indeed, and this Sunday we have a glimpse and preview of that joy, but we must constantly remind ourselves lest we are distracted by the many temptations offered by the secular celebrations of Christmas that are focused not on God but on ourselves and our worldly desires.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather together to celebrate this Gaudete Sunday, the Joy in the season of Advent, our joyful expectation of the coming of Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, let us all remind ourselves that we celebrate because we are happy for the hope that Christ has brought us, and we are grateful for the assurance and peace that He has brought us all by His coming into this world. Let us not be distracted and be overtaken by the excesses of the pleasures and merrymaking of the secular Christmas celebrations, and instead let us be the role model and example in how each and every one of us can celebrate Christmas worthily in a meaningful way.

How do we do so? It is by sharing the Joy of Christmas with one another, especially with those who have no such privilege to celebrate Christmas the way that many of us do every year. There are many out there who cannot celebrate Christmas because they were not allowed to do so, and even were oppressed and persecuted for being Christians. Many therefore had to celebrate Christmas in secret, while holding on to that Joy that they also anticipate for the coming of the day of their liberation and freedom, for the day of their emancipation much like how the Israelites once longed for theirs.

Let us therefore do whatever we can to bear the joy of Christ to the world, by our actions and by whatever we can do to help our brethren who are lacking in joy and who have yet to appreciate and understand the true Joy of Christmas, that is Christ, Our Lord. Let us be the ones to bring forth joy, happiness and smile to our brethren, especially as we know so many people who are still suffering, sorrowful and in terrible state after the troubles and challenges many of us have been facing in the past two years.

May the Lord, our true source of Joy, the true Joy and the reason for our Christmas celebrations be with us always. May He bless us all and may He strengthen each and every one of us in faith, so that we may always, by our exemplary Christian living, faith and joy, bring forth the true joy of Christ into this world, to restore the joy to a world drowning in sorrow and darkness. May God bless us all and be with us, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 December 2021 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Luke 3 : 10-18

At that time, John said to the tax collectors, “Collect no more than your fixed rate.” Then some soldiers asked John, “What about us? What are we to do?” And he answered, “Do not take anything by force, or threaten the people by denouncing them falsely. Be content with your pay.”

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. He comes with a winnowing fan, to clear His threshing floor, and gather the grain into His barn. But the chaff He will burn, with fire that never goes out.”

With these, and many other words, John announced the Good News to the people.

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Sunday, 12 December 2021 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Philippians 4 : 4-7

Rejoice in the Lord, always! I say it again : rejoice, and may everyone experience your gentle and understanding heart. The Lord is near : do not be anxious about anything. In everything, resort to prayer and supplication, together, with thanksgiving, and bring your requests before God.

Then, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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Sunday, 12 December 2021 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Isaiah 12 : 2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

He is the God of my salvation; in Him I trust and am not afraid, YHVH is my strength : Him I will praise, the One Who saved me.

You will draw water with joy from the very fountain of salvation. Then you will say : “Praise to the Lord, break into songs of joy for Him, proclaim His marvellous deeds among the nations and exalt His Name.”

“Sing to the Lord : wonders He has done, let these be known all over the earth. Sing for joy, o people of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

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Sunday, 12 December 2021 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Rose (Gaudete Sunday) or Purple/Violet

Zephaniah 3 : 14-18a

Cry out with joy, o daughter of Zion; rejoice, o people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHVH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YHVH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day, they will say to Jerusalem : Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YHVH your God is within you, YHVH, saving warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for He has revived His love. For you He will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast. I will drive away the evil I warned you about.

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Sunday, 5 December 2021 : Second Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Second Sunday of Advent, all of us are called to serve the Lord and be His faithful servants, committing ourselves to be good Christians that are exemplary in our actions and be good role models for one another. All of us as we enter into this blessed season of Advent, we are all reminded to refocus our attention to the Lord so that our lives may once again be aligned with God, His path and His truth. All of us should trust in the Lord and the hope that He has brought upon us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Baruch, we heard the words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Baruch regarding Jerusalem and the people of God. The prophet Baruch was a friend and contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, a renowned prophet who lived during the last years of the kingdom of Judah, the southern half of the kingdom of Israel, which by that time was about to be swallowed and destroyed by the powerful Babylonians. It was truly a difficult time for the people of God, beset by various troubles and hardships.

At that time, the fortune of the people of God was reaching its lowest point, and it seemed that God had abandoned His people, but in truth, He had not. Why so? That was precisely why the prophets Jeremiah, Baruch and many other prophets were sent to the Israelites, to remind the people that the Lord has always been with them and He has always so faithfully and patiently been journeying with them even though they had often disobeyed Him and wandered off on their own path, not listening to those prophets and messengers that had been sent to them.

God had always been patient in seeking for His people, as He never ceased to seek for them and held on to the hope that they would come to see the errors of their ways and be reconciled with Him, that at least some of them would eventually be reconciled with Him and be saved. After all, He still loved them as much and cared for them nonetheless. Each and every one of us are precious in the sight of God, without exception, and all of us must be grateful that God has always had His sight on us and never abandoned us, even in our darkest and most difficult moments.

Through the prophet Baruch, God revealed to His beloved ones His faithfulness to the Covenant which He had made with them, and He also showed them a glimpse of the glory that all of His faithful ones shall receive, all of us included, at the end of days, when He shall gather all of us and lead us triumphant into the eternal life of true happiness and glory that He has promised to us all, and which He has assured all of us, despite the trials and challenges, the opposition, oppressions and hardships that we often had to endure.

We must not forget how God rescued His beloved people from the land of Egypt, when they were enslaved and made to suffer there by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, who humiliated and oppressed them, and even made a pointed attempt to try to eliminate them all as a nation. God led His people out of that slavery, sending forth His servant Moses and punishing Egypt with ten great plagues and destroying their armies and chariots, through wonders after wonders, by which God rescued His people and led them to the land He has promised to them. This was what God also reminded His people through His prophets, Baruch included.

In our Gospel today, we heard the words about the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, during whose reign the Lord’s salvation for His people finally came into being as He sent His servant St. John the Baptist, who began his ministry among the people of God, calling on all of them to repent and turn away from their sinful ways, and reminding them all that the Lord’s kingdom was already close at hand. He essentially reiterated word by word what the prophet Baruch spoke of regarding of the coming of God and His salvation, renewing God’s promises to His people. This happened when the people at that time were becoming increasingly worried over the encroaching Roman influence and dominance over the land.

And not only just that, but this time, God Himself walked on this world, coming down in the fulfilment of His long awaited promise, as prophesied by the many prophets and messengers that He had earlier sent among His people, and as heralded by St. John the Baptist as mentioned. The Lord manifested His ultimate and perfect love for each and every one of us by His coming into this world, in assuming His human existence in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the Holy One of God, proclaimed by the prophets, and the One to save us all, the Son of God and Son of Man.

And in our second reading today, as St. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in the city of Philippi in Greece, he reminded us all of the assurance of God’s love that He has shown through Christ, and which He shall fulfil in all perfection at the end of days, exhorting all of us the faithful to live our lives in a most virtuous Christian manner, in obeying God’s will, His laws and commandments, in doing our best to be exemplary and inspirational in how we live our lives with utmost faith in God.

Just as we heard and reflected today how God had repeatedly shown His love for us, and showed with many concrete examples, even manifesting His love in the flesh, and dedicating His love to us by suffering and dying on the Cross for us, that is why all of us as Christians, we have to reflect on this love that God has most generously given us, and think of how we can live our lives such that we may indeed be truly worthy of God’s love and grace. We do this by appreciating His love, welcoming His kindness and compassion towards us, and seeking Him with all our hearts and strength.

Today, on this Second Sunday of Advent, we focus on the aspect of Peace in Advent, in Our Lord as the Prince of Peace and the Bearer of the everlasting peace and harmony. Just as last Sunday we reflect on the aspect of God’s Hope that came through Christ, this Sunday we reflect on the Peace that God has bestowed on us through His coming into this world. Why this Peace, brothers and sisters in Christ? And what does it mean by us having God’s Peace? What is peace all about? How is it significant for us?

It is the true Peace that God alone can bring us because in God alone we shall find consolation and fulfilment, help and true redemption. Through Him alone we shall be freed in the end from all troubles and from all pain and sorrow. Just as the people at the time of Baruch were very worried about their fate and the fate of their kingdom and just as the people at the time of St. John the Baptist were increasingly worried over their subjugation by the Romans and the threat of the destruction of their nation and way of life, we too are often worried because we worry that we may not get what we desired and wanted in life.

Through Christ, God has revealed that we should not and we must not be worried, because God has revealed to us His Peace and assurance, and there is nothing else more assuring and more promising to us than the Lord and His salvation. The world may betray us and fail us, our wealth, possessions, power, fame, friends and relationships may fail us and abandon us, but God will always be by our side, no matter what happens. If only that we have more faith and trust in the Lord and allow Him to guide us, and if only more people had learnt to appreciate more His truth and love.

Unfortunately, many people have not realised this, and they all still worry all the time about their lives, their appearances and worldly concerns, their desires and ambitions among many others. And this is why many could not truly find real peace in their lives. As long as our faith in God is non-existent or is not strong and firm, we can easily be swayed by the many hardships, temptations and pressure for us to give up our faith and commitment to God. That is certainly not something that we should be doing in our lives.

In our world today, as we are still reeling from the terrible effects of the currently ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and as many people have yet to recover and some are still even suffering more and more from the direct and indirect effects from this terrible event, all of us are reminded that all is not lost for us. I am sure that many among us are worried about our livelihood and what is to come for us, especially if we have lost our jobs and occupations, our ‘rice bowl’ that provided sustenance and support to us and our beloved ones. However, we must not give in to fear and anxiety, and instead, we should hold on all the firmer to the Lord and His promised salvation. In Him, we can find true peace and freedom from our many worries, fears and uncertainties.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, how we act and do things in our lives, especially with so many tragedies and hardships happening all around us, is very, very important indeed. As Christians, we have all received the truth about God’s love and the hope, peace and joy that He has brought into this world. If we ourselves are lukewarm in our faith and did not have full trust in the Lord, then how can we expect more people to believe in the Lord and His truth? How can we be the bearers of peace, God’s Peace to all our fellow brethren, when we ourselves are in constant state of turmoil in our hearts and minds?

All of us are the beacons of God’s light, brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are the bearers of God’s true Peace, called to be His witnesses among the nations. In our every day living actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions, works and efforts, we have to reveal more and more about the Lord to our fellow brethren, especially those who have yet to receive His truth and those who had lapsed from the Christian faith. Through us and our actions, all of us are called to be the messengers of Peace, to be the ones to spread this true peace of God throughout this world.

Are we willing and able to do so, brothers and sisters in Christ? And how are we going to spend the rest of this season of Advent and even further on to the season of Christmas and even beyond? Is our Christmas going to be one of excessive merrymaking and partying, of us competing with one another who can make the better Christmas celebrations? Is our Christmas going to be filled with a lot of festive mood and grand celebrations, and yet we do not find peace through them?

Instead, are we going to make our Christmas more about the One Whom Christmas is truly about, He Whose Name gave Christmas its meaning? Are we going to make Christmas truly about Christ, the Prince of Peace, Who has brought the Lord’s peace and harmony into this world? Let us ponder these questions carefully and discern in our hearts how each and every one of us will prepare ourselves throughout the remaining days of Advent, so that our Christmas joy and celebration will be a truly blessed and meaningful one.

There are many out there who are in need of our help, our encouragement and companionship. Whenever we see someone else suffering, we should sympathise with them and try to help us as best as we can. God has also given many among us the time, opportunity and talents to help us out in these good works and endeavours. Amidst the uncertainties and fears that we face all around us, especially recently, can we be that source of consolation and the bearers of God’s peace to those who are worried, uncertain and suffering?

May the Lord, the Prince of Peace, the Peace that comes at Christmas, be with us always so that we may also find this true peace and love that exists in God alone. May God bless our many actions and deeds, our works and efforts to spread the Good News and the truth that He has revealed to us. May He bestow on us, our loved ones and all, one day, in His presence, the gift of true and everlasting peace. Amen.