Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 85 : 5-6, 9-10, 15-16a
You are good and forgiving, o YHVH, caring for those who call on You. Listen, o YHVH, to my prayer, hear the voice of my pleading.
All the nations You have made will come; they will worship before You, o YHVH, and bring glory to Your Name. For You are great, and wonderful are Your deeds; You alone, are God.
But You, o YHVH God, are merciful, slow to anger, loving and faithful. Turn to me, take pity on me.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Wisdom 12 : 13, 16-19
For there is no other god besides You, One Who cares for everyone, who could ask You to justify Your judgments. Your strength is the source of Your justice and because You are the Lord of all, You can be merciful to everyone.
To those who doubt Your sovereign power You show Your strength and You confound the insolence of those who ignore it. But You, the Lord of strength, judge with prudence and govern us with great patience, because You are able to do anything at the time You want.
In this way You have taught Your people that a righteous person must love his human fellows; You have also given Your people cause for hope by prompting them to repent of their sin.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded to sow the seeds of faith within us, the seeds that the Lord has given and sown in us through His Word. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, all of us have received the Word of God’s salvation, His truth and Good News, manifested before us. He is the Sower, Who has sown the good seeds within each and every one of us, in this fertile field that is this world. All of us who have heeded His call and received His truth and Good News should endeavour and do our best to make this faith within us to grow and to prosper so that everyone who knows us and all those who witness our works and actions, interacting and dealing with us will come to know that we truly belong to God, and know Him through the fruits of our faith, richly shown and grown from our fertile selves.
In our first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord speaking to His people through Isaiah, Who mentioned interestingly of how His Word would be sent into this world the way that rain and snow descend from the heavens to the earth, which was indeed a premonition and prefigurement of what was to come. The Word of God, the Divine Word and Son of God, one of the members of the Holy Trinity, was truly incarnate and made flesh, becoming the Son of Man, just as the Lord Himself predicted, coming into this world to fulfil His will, that is to bring about the full and complete reconciliation of all of God’s beloved people, all mankind, by bringing all of them close to Him through His adoption of our human nature, making His love to become tangible, accessible and approachable to us.
And truly His coming into this world has brought about a great change to all things, just as St. Paul poetically described it in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome. The Apostle spoke of the coming of the salvation of God, which had been sent into our midst, and how through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, all of us have received the pledge and assurance of eternal life, if we keep our faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians have received this truth and Good News from the Lord Himself, passed down through His Church, and in us we have received the wonderful words of grace and hope, and the promise of eternal life, although at the moment we may be facing a lot of hardships and struggles, challenges and trials in life, as we continue to live our lives in our world today.
That is why all of us should heed the words of the Lord Who reminded each and every one of us that all of us should indeed welcome the words of God’s truth and Good News into our hearts and minds, as all of us have been made to be the bearers of His words and truth, His teachings and His ways, the seeds of faith that He has sown in us. By His patient love and care, He has given us all the provisions to help us in our journey towards full and complete reconciliation with our loving God and Creator. He has sown in us the seeds of faith, on what is hopefully a fertile place where those seeds can grow well and strong, and became in us the foundation for the faith that is both vibrant and strong, enduring and lasting, and faith that inspires others all around us, which therefore becomes faith that is truly living, real and genuine within us, and not faith that is mere formality and dead.
This is where that famous parable of the sower can enlighten us, as we are reminded of what happened to the seeds that sower had sown, and fallen in different places. As the Lord Himself explained to His disciples, that the seeds that landed by the roadside are like those who heard the word of God and then allowed the devil and all the evil ones, represented by the birds that came to eat those seeds, to take the gift of faith and the words of God away from them. We also heard how those seeds that fell on the rocky and barren ground could not grow properly or have roots that support them well, and hence were the plants were scorched and killed, as a reminder that if we do not provide the good conditions in our lives, in our way of living and in our attitudes in life, then it may be rather difficult for us to grow in faith and commitment to God, and it may be difficult for us to remain firm in our path of righteousness and faith.
Then, we also heard of those seeds that fell in the midst of the brambles and thorns, the weeds that choked the life out of the germinating seedlings and plants. Those are indeed the temptations and the things present all around us which may cause us to be swayed and tempted into the wrong paths in life, where the faith and the truth of God’s Good News within us may not be strong enough for us to restrain ourselves and to resist those temptations. Only the seeds that fell on the rich and fertile soil managed to grow into healthy, great and fruitful plants, those that bore fruits thirty, sixty and even hundred-fold of what had been planted there. The Lord Himself told His disciples that this is what happens to all those who received the word of God, internalised and understood them, and allow the message of the truth and their faith to transform them, that they all grow magnificently in their lives with faith.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is why all of us are called and reminded to provide a good and fertile ‘soil’ for these seeds of faith, which means that we should do our very best to nurture in us a good and worthy attitude in life, disposition and focus, so that we may truly prioritise what is truly important in our lives, that is our faith in the Lord, Who should also be the main focus and emphasis of our every lives. Our actions, works and interactions should all be linked and focused on the Lord such that in our every words, deeds and actions, in all the things we say and do, we will always proclaim the glory of God and do things for His greater glory, and for the good of everyone, and not just for our own selfish desires and ambitions, unlike what many people all around the world tend to do. We must provide therefore this ‘fertile’ ground upon which our faith may grow and blossom, and we need to make the effort to do so.
That is why all of us should do our best to nurture our faith and our love for God, so that in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and His truth, His compassionate love and salvation. All of us should always strive to be fruitful in our lives and faith, that by our every good works and actions, we may truly be faithful disciples and missionaries of our Christian faith, that through us, many more may come to be saved. May the Lord be with us always and may He help us and strengthen us in our path so that we may continue to bear richly the fruits of our faith. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Matthew 13 : 1-23
At that time, Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around Him. So He got into a boat, and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore; and He spoke to them in parables about many things.
Jesus said, “The sower went out to sow; and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path; and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they withered, because they had no roots.”
“Again, other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop : some a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!”
Then His disciples came to Him and said, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has will be given more; and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables; because they look and do not see; they hear; but they do not listen or understand.”
“In them, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled : However much you hear, you do not understand; however much you see, you do not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back, and I would heal them.”
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them; and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.”
“Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the kingdom, but does not take it seriously, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath. The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the Word, and accepts it at once with joy. But such a person has no roots, and endures only for a while. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the Word, than he gives up.”
“The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the Word; but then, the worries of this life and the love of money choke the Word; and it does not bear fruit. As for the seed that fell on good soil, it is the one who hears the Word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”
Alternative reading (shorter version)
Matthew 13 : 1-9
At that time, Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around Him. So He got into a boat, and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore; and He spoke to them in parables about many things.
Jesus said, “The sower went out to sow; and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path; and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they withered, because they had no roots.”
“Again, other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop : some a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Romans 8 : 18-23
I consider, that the suffering of our present life cannot be compared with the glory that will be revealed, and given to us. All creation is eagerly expecting the birth, in glory, of the children of God. For, if now, the created world was unable to attain its purpose, this did not come from itself, but from the one who subjected it.
But it is not without hope; for even the created world, will be freed from this fate of death, and share the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know, that the whole creation groans and suffers the pangs of birth. Not creation alone, but even ourselves; although the Spirit was given to us, as a foretaste of what we are to receive, we groan in our innermost being, eagerly awaiting the day, when God will give us full rights, and rescue our bodies as well.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 64 : 10abcd, 10e-11, 12-13, 14
You water the land and care for it, enriching it with natural resources. God’s stream is filled with water.
So You prepare the earth to give us its fruits. You drench the furrows in the land and level the ridges; You soften the soil with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with Your goodness; abundance flows everywhere. The deserts have become pasture land, the hills are clothed with gladness.
The meadows, covered with flocks, the valleys, decked with grain – they shout and sing for joy.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Isaiah 55 : 10-11
As the rain and snow come down from the heavens and do not return till they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat, so is My Word that goes forth out of My mouth : It will not return to Me idle, but It shall accomplish My will, the purpose for which It has been sent.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that God has revealed to us His most amazing kindness and love, which He has extended to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, by His coming into this world and by His works, as He set to save us all from our many predicaments and troubles, gathering us all into His loving embrace and caring for each one of us. All of us are reminded of the love which God has shown us, a most generous love surpassing all others, and which He has shown as an example for each one of us, so that we may follow His examples in how we live our own lives, in committing ourselves to His cause and walking ever more faithfully in His path, as a people whom He has called and chosen from this world.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard the joyful proclamations from the prophet Zechariah to the people of God, made during the time of his ministry, which happened according to historical sources during the reign of the Persian ruler Darius, of the Achaemenid Empire. At that time, the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah and Israel had been crushed and destroyed by their conquerors and oppressors, as the people had abandoned the Lord and refused to walk in the path that He had shown them. As a result, they were defeated by their enemies, their cities and towns ransacked and destroyed, and the city of Jerusalem itself and its Holy Temple, the House of God built by King Solomon had been destroyed and ruined, with the Ark of the Covenant missing and nowhere to be found.
The prophet Zechariah in today’s passage made that famous prophecy that the Saviour, the King of Israel, the Messiah, would come to the city of Jerusalem and to God’s people on a donkey, a prophecy which would later on be fulfilled by the coming of the Lord Jesus Who rode into the city of Jerusalem on a humble donkey, welcomed by the people of the city who waved palm branches and spread their cloaks and clothes in His path, joyfully singing and praising, ‘Hosanna! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!’ As we are all surely familiar with, the Lord’s glorious and triumphal entry into Jerusalem marked the fulfilment of the prophecy that God has revealed through the prophet Zechariah, a prophecy that was meant to strengthen the faith of a people who had been downtrodden and beaten because of their sins.
Then, our second and Gospel reading passages reminded us that God, in His most amazing and enduring love for us, has sent us all the most wonderful gift and the grace of His salvation, in the Person of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, Our Saviour. The Lord Himself has robed Himself in the flesh, in our nature and appearance as Man, as the Son of Man, so that by coming into our midst, and by dwelling among us, as St. Paul mentioned in our second reading today, in his Epistle to the Romans, that the Lord may bring us all from death into life, and from the downfall due to our many sins and faults, into the everlasting life and true joy in Heaven with God, His Angels and His saints. Through His Son, God has made it possible for us to find our way to salvation and liberation, opening the very gates of Heaven, bridging the chasm that existed between us and God.
And Christ did so by His Cross, which He bore willingly for each one of us, so that all of us, a people who have been bereft of joy and true grace and love of God, just like that of the Israelites in their Babylonian exile, may now see the true Light of God’s salvation, and have hope once again through Him. By His Cross, the Lord has offered the most perfect offering of love, of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, that He, as the Lamb of God, might free us from the bondage of sin and death. His Body and Blood alone, Most Holy and worthy, are good enough to reconcile us completely to our Heavenly Father, our Creator and Master. Through Him all of us have received the assurances of God’s ever-present and ever-enduring love, which He has manifested perfectly in His Son, and through what He has done for us.
Now, are we then going to heed the Lord’s call that He had made to us, calling us all to follow Him as we heard Him saying, ‘Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’? Through these words, all of us are reminded that first of all, it is in God alone that we have true hope of redemption and liberation of all of our troubles and trials, all the bondage we have to sin. Through Christ alone there is hope for salvation and eternal life, as we all should realise. That is why we all should follow Him and commit ourselves to Him, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always obey the Lord and do what we have been called and tasked to do, as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord, in His salvation and in His Passion, death and Resurrection, by which He has redeemed the world.
We are all Christ’s witnesses in this world, the ones who should be proclaiming His truth and Good News. However, just as the Lord Himself also mentioned, that His yoke is light, which means that following Him will likely require sacrifice and efforts, that we should not think being Christians means that we will have an easy and good life ahead of us. There will definitely be challenges and obstacles facing us, but what matters is that, we have to realise just how God is journeying with us and being with us in these struggles of life. Thus, we should always keep our faith in Him and trust in Him, remembering the salvation and help that He has provided to us, His faithfulness to the Covenant and the promises that He has made for us, that He gave us all His only begotten Son, to suffer and die for our sake, that by His death, all of us may be saved and have life in us.
Let us all therefore be genuine and faithful Christians, ever committed and courageous in our calling and mission to proclaim the Lord, Our Saviour and King, to all the whole world. Let us all embrace the Lord and His love for us, and then bear His love, and His light of truth so that many more may come to believe in Him as well and be saved. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in our missions and journey of faith, and in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Matthew 11 : 25-30
At that time, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise You; because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was Your gracious will. Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For My yoke is easy; and My burden is light.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Romans 8 : 9, 11-13
Yet, your existence is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, because the Spirit of God is within you. If you did not have the Spirit of Christ, you would not belong to Him. And if the Spirit of Him, Who raised Jesus from the dead, is within you, He, Who raised Jesus Christ from among the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies. Yes, He will do it, through His Spirit, Who dwells within you.
Then, brothers, let us leave the flesh and no longer live according to it. If not, we will die. Rather, walking in the spirit, let us put to death the body’s deeds, so that we may live.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 