Sunday

by

Sunday, 13 December 2015 : Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Memorial of St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

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

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.

by

Sunday, 6 December 2015 : Second Sunday of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are presented with the clear messages from the Sacred Scriptures, which told us the essences of Advent, what it means to have this Advent season before the coming of the Christmas season, and what we should do in this Advent time in order to make it meaningful and good, useful and relevant for our salvation.

As we have discussed on the previous Sunday, the season of Advent came from its name Adventus, which means the coming, the heralded arrival of the Messiah, and the waiting that happened before it truly came to fruition, the expectation and the hope of mankind throughout the ages, awaiting for the salvation that had been promised to them by the Lord Himself, that He would succour them from all the evils and the darkness that had enslaved them for so long.

And in this time of Advent, we remember the moment of waiting, of expectation of the Lord’s coming by those who lived before His time, when they have yet to know of the Good News and the Saviour, hoping that one day God would reveal to them the truth about their salvation, after their disobedience had sundered them all apart from the Lord’s grace, and cast them out from the worthiness of being received in the holy presence of God.

And although now we have known the Saviour, Who have been revealed to us through Jesus, the Saviour Himself, it does not mean that we can rest easy and ignore everything else. Indeed, God had saved us all through His Saviour, by His sacrifice on the cross, but just as His salvation is offered freely to us, we have to make sure that we ourselves are worthy of the salvation which He had offered us.

If we continue to dwell in the darkness and live in the state of sin, disobeying the laws and the commandments of God, then when the time comes, as Jesus had said to His disciples, He will not recognise us and He will reject us, condemning us into the eternal suffering in hell for our disobedience. This will come on the day of Judgment, when He will come again to separate His faithful flock from all those who have refused to listen to Him.

This is an important message that all of us have to take heed, the meaning and the purpose of the Advent season, the time when we ought to reflect on the way we have lived our lives, as a moment when we really should find a moment to step back from our busy life schedules and think about our actions and our devotion to the Lord, on whether our faith in Him had been really genuine, or if it is merely superficial and without real love for the Lord.

What does Advent mean for us? It is a time for reminding us of the waiting before the coming of the Messiah, and indeed, we know that He will come again a second time, just as He had promised, and therefore, all of us are not preparing just for all the festivities and the celebrations of Christmas, or all the revelry, the gift exchanges and the merrymaking, the food and the drinks that are associated with Christmas, but we are preparing for the true joy that will be ours if we ready ourselves to welcome our Lord when He comes again in His glory.

Advent therefore is a time not just for preparation to buy all the gifts that we are to exchange and to give others during Christmas, and it is certainly not a time for us to go to the shopping centres and look out for the best dresses to wear on our Christmas celebrations, to look good on others when we visit the houses on the Christmas Day. Rather, it must be a time when we truly look deep into ourselves, reflect and pray for discernment, that we will be able to celebrate this Christmas with Christ at the very heart of our celebrations.

The season of Advent is a time for us to change ourselves for the better, if we have not already done so. It is a time for us to repent and to turn away from our sins. In the Gospel reading today, St. John the Baptist, who heralded the coming of the Lord and Saviour, preached about the need for repentance, for mankind to turn their back against the wickedness and the evils that they had committed.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we should heed St. John’s warning, as many of us even now are still unaware or are unable to appreciate the importance of Christmas to us. We are often so preoccupied with ourselves, with all the glories, wonders and pleasures of this world that we ended up being distracted and tempted by all those things. We become selfish and self-indulgent, seeking to satisfy ourselves and our own needs first before that of others.

In this, let us learn from the examples of St. Nicholas of Myra, a saint and holy bishop whose feast we also celebrate on this very day. He was in fact what was behind the inspiration for the commercial Christmas figure of Santa Claus, the elderly figure in red and white who gives presents to children and to all the families on the Christmas night, which inspired countless commercial products related to the celebrations of Christmas.

This is where we must be careful too, lest we are brought to the materialistic and commercialistic culture of how the world wants to celebrate Christmas according to them. Indeed, the real St. Nicholas of Myra liked to give gifts to children and this is likely where the myth of Santa Claus began. But the world had overlooked all that St. Nicholas of Myra had done for the Church and the faithful and focused instead on the wrong things to suit their own selfish purposes.

St. Nicholas of Myra was known to be present at the very first Ecumenical Council of the Church held at the city of Nicaea in the year of our Lord 325. St. Nicholas was known to be a very devout man, who was committed to serving his flock in the region of Myra, and he was also concerned about the faith of many of the faithful throughout the entire Universal Church.

When at that Ecumenical Council, the heresiarch Arius, who proposed the teachings of Arianism, contrary to the truth of God, by denying the divinity of Christ, and when he spoke to the Council trying to explain his ideas and teachings, those nonsense heresy so enraged St. Nicholas of Myra that he literally went up from his seat and punched Arius the heresiarch in the face.

We see how Arius, who had been corrupted by his own human desires, and by his own selfishness, had misled countless souls into damnation, as many other heresiarchs had done before and after his time, both outside and even inside the Church. And unchecked, these heresies and aberrations bring great harm to mankind and to all the people of God. In this, we have to heed the example of St. Nicholas of Myra, courageous in loving one another, courageous in giving, and courageous in defending his faith against the heresies of men.

Let us all therefore make this Advent season a truly meaningful one, by committing ourselves anew to our God and to His ways. Let us all be loving and be charitable, sharing our blessings with those who have less or none, so that the joy of Christmas will not be ours alone, but be shared with the whole world, so that the world that sees the Light of Christ, will be called to repentance and redemption in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God be with us all. Amen.

by

Sunday, 6 December 2015 : Second Sunday of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 3 : 1-6

At that time, it was the fifteenth year of the rule of the Emperor Tiberius : Pontius Pilatus was governor of Judea; Herod ruled over Galilee, his brother Philip ruled over the country of Iturea and Trachonitis; and Lysanias ruled over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the High Priests at that time, when the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the desert.

John proclaimed a baptism for repentant people to obtain forgiveness of sins, and he went through the whole country bordering the Jordan River. It was just as is written in the Book of the prophet Isaiah : Listen to this voice crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight! The valleys will be filled and the mountains and hills made low. Everything crooked will be made straight and the rough paths smooth; and every human being will see the salvation of God!’

by

Sunday, 6 December 2015 : Second Sunday of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Philippians 1 : 4-6, 8-11

And when I pray for you, I pray with joy. I cannot forget all you shared with me in the service of the Gospel, from the first day until now. Since God began such a good work in you, I am certain that He will complete it in the day of Christ Jesus.

God knows that I love you dearly with the love of Christ Jesus, and in my prayers I ask that your love may lead you each day to a deeper knowledge and clearer discernment, that you may have good criteria for everything. So you may be pure of heart and come blameless to the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of holiness that comes through Christ Jesus, for the glory and praise of God.

by

Sunday, 6 December 2015 : Second Sunday of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 125 : 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

When the Lord brought the exiles back to Zion, we were like those moving in a dream. Then our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy.

Among the nations it was said, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord had done great things for us, and we were glad indeed.

Bring back our exiles, o Lord, like fresh streams in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs and shouts of joy.

They went forth weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing, they will come home with joyful shouts, bringing their harvested sheaves.

by

Sunday, 6 December 2015 : Second Sunday of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Baruch 5 : 1-9

Jerusalem, put off your garment of mourning and unhappiness, put on the splendour and glory of God forever. Wrap yourself in the mantle of holiness that comes from God, put on your head the crown of glory of the Eternal One.

For God will show your splendour to every being under Heaven. He will call your name forever, “Peace in Justice” and “Glory in the Fear of the Lord.” Rise up, Jerusalem, stand on the heights. Look towards the East and see your children gathered together from the setting of the sun to its rising, by the voice of the Holy One, rejoicing because God has remembered them.

They left you on foot, taken away by the enemy. God will lead them back, carried gloriously like royal princes. For God has resolved to bring low every high mountain and the everlasting hills, to fill up the valleys and level out the ground, in order that Israel may walk in safety under the Glory of God.

Even the forests and the fragrant trees will give shade to Israel at God’s command. For God will lead Israel with joy by the light of His Glory, escorting them with His mercy and justice.

by

Sunday, 29 November 2015 : First Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters, on this Sunday, we begin a new liturgical year, that is a cycle in our year beginning with the season of Advent and ending with the solemnity of Christ the King which was last Sunday. This season of Advent as we all should know, is the season of preparation, the preparation for the celebrations of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we celebrate as Christmas.

Advent comes from the word Adventus, which is the term that describes arrival, onset, coming, and the approach of the world’s long awaited Saviour, the Messiah Whom God had promised will be the deliverance of all peoples, of all mankind from all the wickedness, the troubles they had in this world. The season of Advent is the time of preparation, for us to be ready to welcome the Lord when He comes again in time to come.

We may think that our liturgical celebrations and the calendars have no link in terms of how the seasons and the celebrations are arranged, but if we look deeper into it, in fact we should all realise that there is a certain central theme and meaning to the celebrations, and including this season of Advent, that is placed between the Solemnity of Christ the King, and the readings that are associated with it, and the solemnity of the Nativity, that is Christmas.

The Scripture readings immediately preceding the season of Advent, that is last week’s readings all came from the Book of Daniel and the Gospel passages that spoke about the time to come, the coming of the great tribulations and sufferings, the persecutions and the troubles facing the faithful, and how the Lord will come again to deliver His people from the dark times and from their enemies.

This is linked closely with the meaning of Christmas itself, that is a feast celebrating not all the glamour of commercial giving and greed, not a feast celebrating Santa Claus and all the Christmas goodies and the gifts, but instead, it is a feast that is about Christ, from which the name Christmas came from. The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Hope that the world and all creations had long awaited, and in Him, the world that was once bereft of all hope and filled by despair can finally have hope once again.

This was His first coming into the world, the entry of which had been prophesied and foretold by the prophets and by the Lord Himself, Who promised that the Deliverer shall reunite all those who have been scattered and cast away from the Lord’s grace because of their disobedience, and then, by His works, mankind would be healed once again and be brought together to the Lord their Father.

And the Lord Himself has promised that He will come again one more time, for one final time, and this time He will gather all of His faithful and righteous ones to Himself, while all those who have not sided with Him will be rejected and cast out. This is what He wanted us all to know, and this is what we must be vigilant and be careful about, lest we find ourselves on the wrong side of the camp when the Lord comes again.

The celebration of Christmas therefore should not be mistaken for something that is just happening in the past, or even worse, that we even forgot its true intentions and meaning. As a result, many of us have not understood the meaning of Christmas and its importance even as we rejoice and join in the revelry and join in the celebrations. This is a danger that is commonplace now, and the devil’s tool in preventing us from realising the truth.

Yes, it is the marginalisation of God in our own lives, and how our lives have been filled with so much distractions so much so that especially during the time of Christmas, we are too focused on the giving and the revelry, the partying and all the rejoicing, the trumpets and the bells, and then we forget about the very One Whom we ought to celebrate about!

Yes, indeed, it is the birthday anniversary of our Lord Jesus Christ, our God Who had willingly come down upon this world, taking up our own flesh so that through Him the salvation of the world would come, death and sin would be conquered and defeated, and hope comes to all of us. But for all that He had done, He had been rewarded with rejection, ridicule and placed below all the festivities and joys we have in our version of Christmas.

Shall we rethink of our actions and how we approach our Christmas celebrations? There is nothing wrong with celebrations, festivities and joy, as long as we do not forget about the One Whom we ought to celebrate about. It is not a celebration about ourselves, or about pleasures of the flesh, but it is a celebration of the joy we all have because our Lord has come, and in His triumph, He has liberated all of us.

And it is not just about what had passed, but instead, also about what will come in the future. The Lord had indeed come firstly in great humility, and even though He is a King, the King of all the universe, but He came through such means so as to be lower even than the lowest human beings, born in a stable fit only for the animals. Yet, when He comes again, He will come in great glory, and to finally claim a people He had made His own.

Therefore, this season of Advent, we are not just preparing for Christmas, but we are in fact also preparing for the coming of our Lord, Who had promised that He will come again at the end of time. And we do not know when this will happen. Certainly we must not let ourselves to be so preoccupied and so distracted by the many things in this world so as to forget our real intention in this life, that is not to serve ourselves and our own needs first, but rather to give glory to God and to serve Him.

Let us find the true meaning of Christmas and reflect on how we ought to celebrate it well, with true joy, with true and genuine intention and understanding its importance and true meaning, so that our joy may become greater, and our salvation be closer to us, as we know that in all that we say and do, we will always remain true to our faith, and God will find us righteous when He comes again.

Let us not let ourselves be deceived by the devil and let us all learn to resist the temptations of the flesh. Let us not give ourselves to excessive partying, revelry, or even debauchery and orgies of pleasure, but let us give glory to God and refocus all of our celebrations upon Him. May God be with us all. Amen.

by

Sunday, 29 November 2015 : First Sunday of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 21 : 25-28, 34-36

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, perplexed when they hear the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken.”

“Then, at that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. So, when you see things begin to happen, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near.”

“Be on your guard, do not immerse yourselves in a life of pleasure, drunkenness and worldly cares, lest that day catch you unaware, like a trap! For, like a snare, will that day come upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”

“But watch at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all that is going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

by

Sunday, 29 November 2015 : First Sunday of Advent (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

1 Thessalonians 3 : 12 – 1 Thessalonians 4 : 2

May the Lord increase more and more your love for each other and for all people, as He increases our love for you. May He strengthen you internally to be holy and blameless before God, our Father, on the day that Jesus, our Lord, will come with all His saints.

For the rest, brothers, we ask you in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, and we urge you to live in a way that pleases God, just as you have learnt from us. This you do, but try to do still more. You know the instructions we gave you on behalf of the Lord Jesus.

by

Sunday, 29 November 2015 : First Sunday of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenants and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.