Sundays of Christmas

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ephesians 1 : 3-14

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, Who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual blessing. God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and without sin in His presence. From eternity He destined us in love to be His adopted sons and daughters through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will.

This goal suited Him : that His loving-kindness which He granted us in His Beloved might finally receive all glory and praise. For, in Christ, we obtain freedom, sealed by His Blood, and have the forgiveness of sins. In this, appears the greatness of His grace, which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us His mysterious design, in accordance with His loving kindness, in Christ.

In Him, and under Him, God wanted to unite, when the fullness of time had come, everything in heaven and on earth. By a decree of Him Who disposes all things according to His own plan and decision, we, the Jews, have been chosen and called and we were awaiting the Messiah, for the praise of His glory.

You, on hearing the word of truth, the Gospel that saves you, have believed in Him. And, as promised, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit, the first pledge of what we shall receive, on the way to our deliverance, as a people of God, for the praise of His glory.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 147 : 12-20

Exalt YHVH, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He grants peace on your borders and feeds you with the finest grain. He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word.

He spreads snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like pebbles; who will stand before His icy blasts? But He sends His word and melts the snow; He makes His breeze blow, and again the waters flow.

It is He, Who tells Jacob His words; His laws and decrees, to Israel. This, He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

Alternative Psalm

Wisdom 10 : 15-21

It was she who rescued an innocent and holy people from a nation of oppressors. She entered the soul of God’s servant and through him withstood terrible kings with signs and wonders.

To the holy people she gave the wages of their labour, leading them in a wonderful way, giving them shade during the day and the light of the stars at night.

She brought them across the Red Sea, but drowned their enemies and later washed them ashore from the depth of the abyss. So the righteous looted the godless, singing hymns, Lord, to Your holy Name, and one in heart, they gave thanks for Your saving hand.

Wisdom gives speech to the dumb and makes infants speak clearly.

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Sunday, 5 January 2025 : Second Sunday after Christmas (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 31 : 7-14

For YHVH says this, “Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say : ‘YHVH has saved His people, the remnant of Israel!’”

“Look, I will bring them back from the land of the north, gather them from the ends of the earth, the lame and the blind, mothers and women in labour – a great throng will return. They went away weeping, they will return in joy. I will lead them by the streams of water, on a level path so that no one will stumble, for I am Israel’s Father and Ephraim is My firstborn.”

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coast lands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock. For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror.”

“They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings – the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden; no more will they be afflicted. Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well.”

“I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow. I will fill the priests with abundance, and satisfy My people with My bounty – this is YHVH’s word.”

Alternative reading

Sirach 24 : 1-12

Listen to Wisdom singing her own praises and extolling herself in the midst of her people. See, she opens her mouth in the assembly of the Most High, she glories in herself before the Almighty.

I came out from the mouth of God and covered the face of the earth like a mist; although My dwelling place is in the highest heavens, My throne is within a pillar of cloud. I alone have seen and understood the vault of the skies and strolled through the depths of the abyss, taking possession of the raging sea and of the earth as well, with all its people and nations.

In all of these, I looked for a place to rest; in which territory would I set up My abode? Then the Creator of the Universe commanded Me, He Who created Me assigned the place of My rest, “Pitch Your tent in Jacob; Israel will be Your homeland.”

He created Me from the beginning, before time began, and I will never cease to be, I celebrate in His presence the liturgy of His Holy Dwelling and this is why I settled in Zion. The Lord let Me rest in His beloved city and Jerusalem is the heart of My Kingdom. I took root in the people God has favoured, in the land of the Lord, in their inheritance.

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Saturday, 4 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures amidst our still continued celebration of the glorious and most joyful season and time of Christmas, we are all reminded that each and every one of us are the disciples and followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Whose birth into this world and appearance in our midst we have been celebrating this Christmas season, and Who should indeed be the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence. And this is why each and every one of us must always strive to proclaim Him and His truth in all and every moments of our lives. We should not be easily distracted by the various desires and temptations all around us, and continue to stay faithful in the Lord, at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. John the Apostle in which St. John spoke of the need for the faithful to be careful of the evil one and of all the falsehoods, evils and wickedness which the evil one and all of his forces will always be trying to attack us with, to distract and pull us away from God’s salvation and grace. St. John reminded all of the faithful of the truth which God has revealed to them through His Son, Whose coming into this world has brought into our midst the light of hope and salvation, redemption and freedom from the bondage to sin and darkness. St. John exhorted the people of God not to give in to their fears and uncertainties or to doubt in the power and providence of God.

And this is because the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has come into our midst in order to undo the works of the evil one and to destroy the dominion and power of sin over us. God Who loves us very much certainly does not want any one of us to be lost to Him, and hence, He has endeavoured to do everything for our sake, and He did not spare even His own beloved and only begotten Son for us. God gave us all His Son as the perfect manifestation of His love, ever enduring, ever present and ever strong, to make this love tangible and approachable to us, without any exception. God has reassured us all that as long as we put our faith and hope in Him then we shall not be disappointed, and we shall find solace and true comfort, joy and happiness in Him.

Then in our Gospel passage today we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus, the same Son of God and Saviour that St. John had spoken about, began His ministry and went on to call His first disciples. The Lord’s ministry began with His baptism at the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist, and that faithful servant of God then pointed out to some of His own disciples that the One Whom he had just baptised was indeed the One that he had been preaching and proclaiming about, pointing out to them that the Lord Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God, the One Who was going to take away the sins of the whole world and lead all mankind to salvation and liberation in God. One of these two disciples according to Church tradition was St. John the Apostle himself, together with St. Andrew, another Apostle and brother of St. Peter the Apostle.

We heard then how the two went to seek the Lord Who happened to be travelling towards their hometowns in Galilee, and when they found Him there, they introduced the Lord to their brothers, namely St. Peter the Apostle and St. James the Apostle, both of whom also became disciples of the Lord like their brothers. God called these simple and humble fishermen to be His followers and disciples, as the first ones among many others that would come to follow Him. And this is in fact a very important reminder for us that God is calling on everyone to follow Him and to be His disciples, regardless of our background and origin, and regardless our status and whatever things in this world that we have with us. All of us are equally precious and beloved by God, and we should remember that fact well.

Then, it is also a reminder for us that our Christian faith is by nature evangelising and missionary. Our faith is meant to be shared and spread to others around us, just as how St. John and St. Andrew both introduced the Lord to their brothers, convincing all of them to be the disciples of the Lord. Therefore, in the similar way, we are all called and expected to do as what they had done in leading others towards God and His salvation. As Christians, it is our obligation and calling, our mission and expectation to bring the Lord and His Good News to everyone whom we encounter in life, showing His truth and love, His light and grace so that we may let Him be known by more and more people all around the world. Through us and our actions, our exemplary lives and inspirations we can bring more people to God.

Now, the question is whether we are willing to commit to this path and do whatever is necessary for us to be good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord. Are we willing to commit the time and effort to lead lives that are truly life-giving, Christ-like and centred on the Lord? Or do we prefer instead to follow the customs and ways of the world, all of its temptations and all the corrupt practices all around us? The choice and freedom to choose our path have been given to us by God and now what remains is for us to make that choice and commitment, and for us to do what is necessary in order to walk in His path and to be the worthy beacons of His truth, His Good News and to help more and more people to find their way to the Lord.

May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to bless us in our every endeavours and good deeds, our efforts to glorify Him and to proclaim Him in our every communities and among everyone we encounter in our path. May God grant us the courage, strength and perseverance to continue to live to the best of our abilities with faith, to put Him as the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence, just as how we put Him at the centre of our every Christmas joy and celebration. May God bless us always, and be with His Church and people now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 4 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 35-42

On the following day John was standing there again with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and said, “There is the Lamb of God.” On hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. He turned and saw them following, and He said to them, “What are you looking for?”

They answered, “Rabbi (which means Master), where are You staying?” Jesus said, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where He stayed, and spent the rest of that day with Him. It was about four o’ clock in the afternoon.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard what John had said, and followed Jesus. Early the next morning he found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ), and he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John, but you shall be called Cephas” (which means Rock).

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Saturday, 4 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 7-8, 9

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

Let the sea resound and everything in it, the world and all its peoples. Let rivers clap their hands, hills and mountains sing with joy before the Lord.

For He comes to rule the earth. He will judge the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.

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Saturday, 4 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 3 : 7-10

My little children, do not be led astray; those who do what is right are upright, just as Jesus Christ is upright. But those who sin belong to the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning.

This is why the Son of God was shown to us, He was to undo the works of the devil. Those born of God do not sin, for the seed of God remains in them; they cannot sin because they are born of God. What is the way to recognise the children of God and those of the devil? The one who does not do what is right is not of God; so, too, the one who does not love his brother or sister.

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Friday, 3 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together as one people in continuing to celebrate this ever joyful season and time of Christmas, we are all reminded of the true reason of our joy and celebration today as we rejoice in honouring the Most Holy Name of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the One through Whom God has brought His salvation into the whole world. To Him has been given the Name which is above every other names, in Heaven, on and under the earth, in all the whole Universe and Creation. And it is in His Name and His coming into this world that all of us have rejoiced so greatly during this time of Christmas, celebrating the revelation and coming of the salvation of God, manifested in the flesh.

And that was what St. Paul the Apostle had written about in his Epistle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Philippi in what is today Greece. He spoke of the salvation that has come into this world through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who has become incarnate in the flesh, becoming for us the manifestation of God’s love made real, tangible and approachable to us. And not only that, but by the coming of God through His Son in the flesh, in Him becoming the Son of Man and embracing our humanity, human nature and existence, He has become the New Adam, the New Man, Whose perfect obedience to the will of His heavenly Father has countered the disobedience of the first and original Adam which had led us all to sin.

The other reading from the Epistle of St. John also spoke of the same action from God Who has given us all His Son, as a sign and perfect proof of His ever enduring love and faithfulness to the Covenant and to all the promises which He had made with us and our ancestors. And He did all this by willingly embracing our humanity, emptying Himself of all glory and honour, power and majesty, which we saw in how He came into this world, not in a grand and majestic palace, but in a stable not even fit for the dwelling of men like us, and even more so especially at the moment when He embraced His Cross, and choosing willingly to suffer and die for our sake when He was without any blame, to be punished and scourged, condemned for our faults and mistakes.

And it is by this perfect obedience that the Holy Name of Jesus is truly the Name that is above all other names, above all powers and sovereignties, as the Name of the perfect Man, the One Who saved us all by His suffering, His wounds and His death on the Cross, He Who has conquered and destroyed death itself, overcoming the power and dominion of sin and evil by His perfect love and selflessness which has undone the hold of the original sin over all of us, caused by our disobedience, pride and greed. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ in His perfect humility and obedience, and in His great and enduring love for each one of us, has shown us all the perfect manifestation of God’s ever wonderful, generous and magnificent love and grace for each one of us.

In the past, the Name of the Lord was so holy that no one could utter it on the pain of death and condemnation, because of the great sins that we have committed against God. Only the High Priest was allowed to utter the Holy Name of God at the Holy of Holies of the Temple of God and even then it was only allowed at one particular occasion in the whole entire year. Otherwise, the Name of God is something that is utterly taboo for the people to mention at all, and they cannot utter it no matter what, and usually the term Adonai or ‘Lord’ is used instead. The Name of God is difficult to utter and is usually represented by what is known as the Tetragrammaton, or the Four Sacred Letters written as YHVH or transliterated as ‘Yahweh’.

Now, by assuming the identity and nature of our humanity, becoming the Son of Man, God Himself assume a Name just as we all have been given and assigned a name, and through this act of Incarnation, not only that what was once invisible and vastly unapproachable to us has become tangible and real, in the love that God has manifested to us in Christ, His Son, but He has given us all a Name by which we can say and utter, the Name of God which has power and dominion over all things, the Name feared by Satan and all the forces of evil, from which they shall all flee from, and which we can all depend on, trusting always in His love and providence, in all that He has shown us in loving us and caring for our needs, in His ever patient love and generosity.

However, we must also realise that we should not use the Lord’s Holy Name in vain, as quite a few among us and in quite a few occasions the Name of the Lord had been used inappropriately and without reverence. While the Lord has made His Holy Name available and approachable to us, but it still remains the Holy Name of God, the Lord and Master of all, the King of Kings and our Almighty God and Father, which we should treat with utmost respect and deference, and not to use it for cursing others or in other situations when we make light of His Name, or worse still to make fun of it. Let us always remember that through this Name alone we have been saved, and we have received the assurance of eternal life and redemption.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence continue to keep our focus firmly in Christ our Lord, and put our trust in the Holy Name of Our Lord, Jesus, the Saviour of all, through Whom we shall be strengthened and healed from all of our predicaments. May the Lord continue to bless us all and strengthen us through the many challenges and trials that we may encounter in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 3 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 29-34

At that time, the next day John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! It is He of Whom I said : A Man comes after me, Who is already ahead of me, for He was before me. I myself did not know Him, but I came baptising to prepare for Him, so that He might be revealed in Israel.”

And John also gave this testimony, “I saw the Spirit coming down on Him like a dove from heaven, and resting on Him. I myself did not know Him, but God, Who sent me to baptise, told me, “You will see the Spirit coming down, and resting, on the One Who baptises with the Holy Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen! And I declare that this is the Chosen One of God!”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)

Luke 2 : 21-24

On the eighth day, the circumcision of the Baby had to be performed; He was named Jesus, the Name the Angel had given Him before He was conceived. When the day came for the purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought the Baby up to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord, as it is written in the Law of the Lord : Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God.

And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the Law of the Lord : a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

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Friday, 3 January 2025 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 3cd-4, 5-6

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, the Lord!

Alternative Psalm (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Jesus)

Psalm 8 : 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

When I observe the heavens, the work of Your hands, the moon, and the stars You set in their place – what is man, that You be mindful of him; the Son of Man, that You should care for Him?

Yet You made Him a little less than a god; You crowned Him with glory and honour and gave Him the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet.

Sheep and oxen without number, and even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and all that swim the paths of the ocean.