Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Luke 1 : 69-70, 71-72, 73-75
In the house of David His servant, He has raised up for us a victorious Saviour; as He promised through His prophets of old.
Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of our foes. He has shown mercy to our fathers; and remembered His holy covenant.
The oath He swore to Abraham, our father, to deliver us from the enemy, that we might serve Him fearlessly, as a holy and righteous people, all the days of our lives.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)
Galatians 3 : 1-5
How foolish you are Galatians! How could they bewitch you after Jesus Christ has been presented to you as crucified? I shall ask you only this : Did you receive the Spirit by the practice of the Law, or by believing the message? How can you be such fools : you begin with the Spirit and end up with the flesh!
So you have experienced all this in vain! Would that it were not so! Did God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you, because of your observance of the Law or because you believed in His message?
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the great feast of the Holy Archangels, of which there are seven in the holy presence of God, the greatest of all of God’s Angels, the servants whom He sent into the world to carry out His will and be His agents to relate to us all His beloved creation, mankind, who had fallen on our way and were lost to Him.
And among these seven Archangels, three of them were named in the Sacred Scriptures. Michael, the Prince and leader of the Heavenly Host, the leader of the armies of Heaven was one of them, who appeared to Joshua when he was about to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. He was sent to Joshua to bring God’s assurance to the people that He was with them and He would guide their path.
And we also heard Michael as the leader of the Heavenly hosts who resisted Satan and his rebel angels, he who was once Lucifer, the greatest and brightest of the Angels created by God, but by whose pride, ambition and haughtiness had fallen into disgrace and rebellion against God. It was told that Michael was chosen by God to lead His faithful Angels against the forces of darkness and end Satan’s hubris of taking over the Throne of Heaven.
The name of Michael meant ‘Who is like God?’ and that very name is a rebuke towards Lucifer, Satan, who in his pride thought that he could rival God in terms of power and majesty while he was a mere creation, as mighty and great as he was. It was told that he trembled in the presence of God, awed by the greatness and the majesty of God. And thus, it was how Michael was chosen to lead the entire host of Heaven, not because of pride and greatness, but because of his devotion and commitment to God.
Meanwhile, the Archangel Gabriel was the bearer of the Good News to Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming to her that the Messiah and Saviour of the world would come through her, and she would become the Mother of the Saviour, and as He is the Son of God, she would therefore be also the Mother of God, a privilege accorded to no one else among us mankind.
It was told that the Archangel Gabriel was a great warrior of God among His Angels, and He came to bear news of war and bad tidings of conflict and destruction. But rightly, when the Archangel appeared to Mary, what seemed to us to be good tidings and joyful news, to the devil and all of his forces, that news came like a death knell and a pronouncement of ultimate judgment, for they know that their time was up.
And last of all, the Archangel Raphael was the one who appeared to the distressed Tobit and his son, Tobias, both of whom had troubles in their lives. Tobit and his family was an exile in the land of the Assyrians, and troubles often came for him and his family. And one day he was blinded because bird’s droppings entered into his eyes. Meanwhile, Tobias went to help his father by visiting his relative and found that Sara, the daughter of his father’s relative, was beset by a demon, Asmodeus.
That was when God sent His Archangel Raphael, the healer of the body and the soul, bringing about God and His healing to His beloved people. Archangel Raphael disguised himself as a young man who advised Tobias on how he could help both Sara and his father, Tobit. And eventually, the Archangel chased away the demon that troubled Sara and brought healing upon Tobit, bringing on him the blessing of God for his many years of faithful life and service.
Through these examples and stories we have heard, on how God sent His Angels and Archangels to assist mankind, as He wants us all to find our way to His salvation and therefore not be lost to damnation. The forces of the devil, and the devil himself are always out there constantly trying to lure us into the darkness, tempting us and pressurising us to follow their desires instead of obeying God.
On our side, what is it that we can do, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is our responsibility therefore to live our lives in accordance with God’s ways and listen to the advice and guidance given to us by the Holy Angels and the Archangels of God. We are always locked in this constant spiritual warfare and battles over our souls, where the Lord sends us His Angels and Archangels to guide us and to protect us from the harm intended upon us by the devil.
It is our part therefore to lead a faithful life, filled with true devotion and commitment to the Lord, sin no more, and follow wholeheartedly the whole Christian teachings which had been revealed to us through His Church. May the Lord help us in this endeavour, and may He and His holy Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, and the other holy Archangels serving at His presence watch over us always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 1 : 47-51
At that time, when Jesus saw Nathanael coming, He said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked Him, “How do You know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.”
Nathanael answered, “Master, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 137 : 1-2a, 2bcd-3, 4-5
I thank You, o Lord, with all my heart, for You have heard the word of my lips. I sing Your praise in the presence of the gods. I bow down towards Your holy Temple and give thanks to Your Name.
For Your love and faithfulness, for Your word which exceeds everything. You answered me when I called; You restored my soul and made me strong.
O Lord, all kings on earth will give You praise, when they have heard Your words. They will celebrate the ways of the Lord, “great is the glory of the Lord!”
Liturgical Colour : White
Daniel 7 : 9-10, 13-14
I looked and saw the following : Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took His seat. His robe was white as snow, His hair white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before Him. Thousands upon thousands served Him and a countless multitude stood before Him.
Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book. I continued watching the nocturnal vision : One like a Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into His presence. Dominion, honour and kingship were given Him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served Him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; His kingdom will never be destroyed.
Alternative reading
Revelations 12 : 7-12a
War broke out in heaven with Michael and his Angels battling with the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and lost their place in heaven. The great dragon, the ancient serpent known as the devil or Satan, seducer of the whole world, was thrown out. He was hurled down to earth, together with his angels.
Then I heard a loud voice from heaven : Now has salvation come, with the power and the kingdom of our God, and the rule of His Anointed. For our brothers’ accuser has been cast out, who accused them night and day, before God. They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listen to the Sacred Scriptures and paying attention to what we have heard from the words of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Psalm and the Gospel according to St. Luke, we can hear a clear theme that speaks volumes about our mortality, and how we understand that reality, and how many of us in this world tend to fear that mortality and death, trying in vain to prevent it from happening.
Let us all spend some time to reflect on this, even as we live our lives in this world. Let us all think at all those times when we mankind tend to spend so much time and opportunities in trying to secure for ourselves a place of honour in this world, trying to attain for ourselves greater glory, honour, praise, fame and all other things which if we realise, have often occupied our minds and efforts for a long time.
How many people spend so much in order to secure for themselves position and wealth in the world, doing things that sometimes even bring harm upon others and themselves, just so that they may have a taste of more of what they wanted and desired for in this world? And some others even used methods that are dishonest and wicked to garner for themselves more of the worldly pleasures they crave for.
These are our shortcomings, brothers and sisters in Christ, the greed that exist inside each one of us, that is always tied to the temptations and persuasions that were designed to distract us and pull us away from the path towards the salvation in God. And that is what Satan is trying to pull on us too, brethren! He is trying very hard to keep us all ignorant and unaware of the reality of our lives, how the pursuit of all these things lead to no benefit at all in the long run.
But all of us who believe in Christ must wake up from all these illusions and falsehoods, and come to realise the truth about ourselves and how we all one day will reach the end of our earthly existence. We must be aware that we are not going to carry on all of our earthly possessions with us when we die, and no matter what we do, our fate is in the hands of the Lord.
Yes, brethren, we mankind may have all the plans that we have made and concocted in this world, but whatever plan it is, it is the Lord’s will that will be triumphant in the end. We will all face the end of our earthly life, and yet we do not know when this will happen, for only the Lord Himself would know exactly when that will come to happen. And He shall call us all back to Him to be judged when He deems it fit for us and it is time for us to face it.
We mankind tend to fear death because many of us do not truly know what death is. We think that death is something to be feared because it brings about uncertainty, hopelessness, despair, and ultimately, separation from all the things that we cared about and desired in this world. It is that selfish desire which lead mankind to fear, and from fear into doing things which are acts and attempts to preserve whatever we have in this world, but eventually, everything is futile without God.
Now let us all ask ourselves, what is the purpose and intention we have for our respective lives? Is it to gather for ourselves earthly treasures or heavenly inheritance instead? It is easy for us to fall into the trap of earthly and worldly desires, as we have that tendency to want and to desire all these worldliness, but if we are able to gather the resolve and resist the temptation, and begin to walk on the path towards our heavenly inheritance in God, we will find our way.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to this path towards the Lord, abandoning our worldliness and resist the temptations of the devil. May all of us draw ever closer to God, and learn to love Him with all of our heart and minds, focusing all that we have in this life in order to bring greater glory to His Name and not to our own, for we are mere mortal creatures, who live at the will and grace of the Lord our God. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 9 : 7-9
At that time, king Herod heard of all this, and did not know what to think, for people said, “This is John, raised from the dead.” Others believed that Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets, had come back to life.
As for Herod, he said, “I had John beheaded. Who is this Man, about Whom I hear such wonders?” And he was anxious to see Him.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 89 : 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.
You sow them in their time, at dawn they peep out. In the morning they blossom, but the flower fades and withers in the evening.
So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o Lord? Have mercy on Your servant.
Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. May the sweetness of the Lord be upon us; may He prosper the work of our hands.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 1 : 2-11
All is meaningless – says the Teacher – meaningless, meaningless! What profit is there for a man in all his work for which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, a generation comes and the earth remains forever. The sun rises, the sun sets, hastening towards the place where it again rises.
Blowing to the south, turning to the north, the wind goes round and round and after all its rounds it has to blow again. All rivers go to the sea but the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers come from, there they return again. All words became weary and speech comes to an end, but the eye has never seen enough nor the ear heard too much.
What has happened before will happen again; what has been done before will be done again : there is nothing new under the sun. If they say to you, “See, it is new!” know that it has already been centuries earlier. There is no remembrance of ancient people, and those to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
