Thursday

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 17-22

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of Me, so you may witness to them and the pagans.”

“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn again parents and have them put to death.”

“Everyone will hate you because of Me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 30 : 3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed me, o Lord, faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, for You have seen my affliction.

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your love.

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 6 : 8-10 and Acts 7 : 54-59

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Some persons then came forward, who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 6 : 8-10 and Acts 7 : 54-59

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Some persons then came forward, who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

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Thursday, 19 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to draw ever closer to the coming of the Christmas season and as we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures that had been presented to us, we are reminded that all of us must always be rooted firmly in our faith in God and we must always centre our attention on Him as we prepare for the celebration of His coming into this world in Christmas and not be easily swayed by all the false pleasures, resisting them and striving to do our best to obey the Lord and to do His will at all times, being good examples, role models and inspirations for each other in every moments of our lives. We are reminded this day of the great examples shown by two holy men of God who had been called by the Lord and consecrated to Him since their time in their mothers’ womb and how their faith and courage can inspire us in our own lives.

In our first reading today we heard from the Book of the Judges of Israel in which the story of a famous Judge of Israel was told to us, namely that of Samson, one of the later judges of Israel, hailing from the tribe of Dan, and born from the union between Manoah and his wife. At that time, his wife had not been able to bear children despite having definitely made the attempts, but God told Manoah and his wife through His Angel that she would conceive and bear a son, and how this son would be consecrated to God. From the description of what the Angel of God told Manoah and his wife, it was obvious that according to the Law of God, the son to be born to them would become a Nazirite. A Nazirite was someone put aside for the Lord and was consecrated to Him, and he could not touch any alcoholic drinks or cut his hair, among other rules imposed on them.

Therefore, that was how Samson came to be miraculously conceived in the womb of his mother and became a servant of God ever since before he was even born. He led a life in the wilderness in his youth and God was with him, giving him a great strength surpassing that of many others, which eventually made him to be the Judge or leader of all the Israelites, who were then suffering from the attacks and the actions of their Philistine neighbours. Samson led Israel to great many victories against these Philistines and liberated them from their bondage and troubles. God gave him the power and strength to lead His people to victory and triumph against their many enemies, and to restore peace to them.

Later on, if we read on further about the life and works of Samson, we would find out how he fell to the trickery of the Philistines who employed a woman Delilah to seduce him and to cut his hair, which made him to be powerless, and was caught by the Philistines and imprisoned. To the very end, Samson remained faithful to God nonetheless, and in his final moments of life, Samson prayed to God asking for strength and one last support as he brought down the whole building on all the Philistines who were assembled to mock him and to watch him being chained and humiliated. Many of the Philistines perished that day, and God showed His strength and providence yet again for His people, through this most faithful servant of his. Samson was one of the last judges before the days of the Kings, like the famous King David of Israel who would unite all of Israel and bring them to glory and greatness.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Luke the Evangelist we heard the story of another servant of God whose life and details of ministry are somehow seemingly very similar and a close parallel to that of Samson, the Judge of Israel mentioned earlier. St. John the Baptist was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and at that time Elizabeth had not been able to conceive a child for many years, just like that of Samson’s mother. And then, the Angel of God, traditionally associated with the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and told him about how his wife Elizabeth would conceive a child, and how God would be with this child and how his child would become God’s servant, much as how Samson had been, and he would name him John, or in the original Hebrew, Yohanan.

But Zechariah doubted at first and was unsure of what the Angel had told him, and as a result, he became mute until the time of the birth of the child as we heard in our Gospel passage today. When the child had been conceived and then born of Elizabeth, miraculously Zechariah’s mouth was opened again as he wrote down the name that the boy was supposed to be called according to the words and instructions of the Angel of God. This event was a great miracle and cause of rejoicing for many who noted that God was with the child, and indeed, as we follow and read on more about the life of St. John the Baptist, we will realise that his life would be truly very similar to that of the Judge Samson discussed just earlier on. He would also spend much of his time in the wilderness, not cutting his hair and leaving them unkempt like a Nazirite, and it was also mentioned that he did not touch alcoholic drinks.

Later on St. John the Baptist would call on all the people to return to the Lord and to repent from their sins, baptising them with the water of the River Jordan which was how he got the epithet ‘Baptist’ or ‘Baptiser’ that he became well-known for. People in their thousands came to seek him, to be baptised by him, and they sought the Lord and His forgiveness through that symbolic act of baptism by St. John. St. John the Baptist also faced a lot of hurdles as Samson the Judge had faced earlier on, as he had to contend against the stubborn attitudes and actions of the chief priests and the Pharisees who questioned him, doubted his authenticity and refused to listen to him despite his efforts and works that he had done to bring the people of God back towards Him. Later on he would be martyred in the prison of King Herod after he was arrested and then executed by beheading through the machinations of Herodias, the wife of King Herod.

Therefore, we can see how God had brought unto us the great examples of these two holy men and great servants of God, namely that of Samson and St. John the Baptist. Those two great men of God lived their lives faithfully and courageously, devoting their whole lives to God and the mission that He has entrusted to them. We too should be reminded of the missions which God has given to us all, and especially as we prepare for the celebrations around His coming this Christmas, let us all renew our commitment and desire to focus our whole lives, our every efforts and our Christmas preparations and celebrations on the Lord, the One true reason for the Joy of Christmas. Let us always remind ourselves of all that the Lord has done for us, His great love and compassion, and let us continue to proclaim His truth and love in our world today, following in the footsteps of Samson and St. John the Baptist, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 5-25

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah, belonging to the priestly clan of Abiah. Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife also belonged to a priestly family. Both of them were upright in the eyes of God, and lived blamelessly, in accordance with all the laws and commands of the Lord, but they had no child. Elizabeth could not have any and now they were both very old.

Now, while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priests, to enter the Sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the time of offering incense, all the people were praying outside; it was then, that an Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. On seeing the Angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him.

But the Angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. He will bring joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen : he shall never drink wine or strong drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.”

“Through him, many of the people of Israel will turn to the Lord their God. He, himself, will open the way to the Lord, with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah; he will reconcile fathers and children; and lead the disobedient to wisdom and righteousness, in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah said to the Angel, “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too.” The Angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God; and I am the one sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news! My words will come true in their time. But you would not believe; and now, you will be silent and unable to speak until this has happened.”

Meanwhile, the people waited for Zechariah; and they were surprised that he delayed so long in the Sanctuary. When he finally appeared, he could not speak to them; and they realised that he had seen a vision in the Sanctuary. He remained dumb and made signs to them. When his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home; and, some time later, Elizabeth became pregnant.

For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home, and thinking, “This, for me, is the Lord’s doing! This is His time for mercy, and for taking away my public disgrace.”

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Thursday, 19 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 70 : 3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17

Be my Rock of refuge; a Stronghold, to give me safety; for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o YHVH, have been my Hope; my Trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

I will come to Your strength, o YHVH, and announce Your justice, Yours alone. You have taught me from my youth and, until now, I proclaim Your marvels.

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Thursday, 19 December 2024 : 3rd Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Judges 13 : 2-7, 24-25a

There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife could not bear children. The Angel of YHVH appeared to this woman and said to her, “You have not borne children and have not given birth, but see, you are to conceive and give birth to a son.”

“Because of this, take care not to take wine or any alcoholic drink, nor to eat unclean foods from now on, for you shall bear a son who shall be a Nazirite of YHVH from the womb of his mother. Never shall his hair be cut for he is consecrated to YHVH. He shall begin the liberation of the Israelites from the Philistine oppression.”

The woman went to her husband and told him, “A messenger of God who bore the majesty of an Angel spoke to me. I did not ask him where he came from nor did he tell me his name.” “But he said to me : ‘You are to conceive and give birth to a son. Henceforth, you shall not drink wine or fermented drinks, nor eat anything unclean, for your son shall be a Nazirite of God from the womb of his mother until the day of his death.’”

The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew and YHVH blessed him. Then the Spirit of YHVH began to move him when he was in Mahane Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

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Thursday, 12 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day the Church celebrates the great occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary, the Holy Mother of God in her Apparition to St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin about five centuries ago in what is the present day Mexico at the great shrine that now stands at the site of Guadalupe. This great shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is now one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world and many millions flock to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe every year, particularly during the time of her Feast that we celebrate this day. The Blessed Mother of God has made her appearances during times of strife and hardships for the Church, in various moments throughout history, including the time when she appeared at the site of Guadalupe in Mexico, which happened shortly after the arrival of the Spanish and other European explorers to the New World, the American continent.

At that time, it was at the beginning of the evangelisation of the lands of the New World, with missionaries and priests beginning to proclaim the Good News of God to many of the people of the Americas who have not yet heard and known the Lord. It came after years of devastation and destruction caused by the greed of the early European explorers, also commonly known as ‘Conquistadors’ that had brought about the ruin of the great kingdoms of the Aztecs and the Incas. The greed of those early conquerors had brought about great sufferings for the local natives, as well as plenty of destruction and exploitation of the region. During those turbulent years, even back in Christendom there were also a lot of divisions and conflicts, happening at that time in the midst of the Protestant reformation.

Amidst the backdrop of all these challenges and difficulties, our loving Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe made her appearance to a local native named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, who would later on be honoured as St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. According to the tradition and hagiographic story, at that moment, St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was a Christian convert, among the first of the natives to be baptised by the missionaries upon their arrival in those lands. He regularly travelled between his house and the Franciscan mission station where he had his religious instruction, and this travel passed by the Hill of Tepeyac, the site of the Apparition. On the dawn of the ninth day of December, which date is now celebrated as the Feast of St. John Diego, this man of God encountered the Apparition of Mary, who instructed him to tell of her appearance to the local bishop and to build a shrine at that location in order to provide help and comfort for all those who seek God’s mercy through her.

The bishop was initially skeptical and doubtful of the authenticity of the Apparition, and it was only after Our Lady of Guadalupe again repeated her message to St. John Diego that the latter went again to the bishop who then made a request that Our Lady of Guadalupe provide him with evidence of the authenticity of her Apparition with a miraculous sign. At that same time, St. John Diego’s uncle became very sick and he hurried to his uncle’s place through a different route, not passing through the site of Our Lady’s Apparition, as he was embarrassed that he was unable to fulfil the promise he made to her about the request that she has entrusted to him. But on his way, St. John Diego was intercepted by Our Lady who appeared to him and chastising him for not having faith in her intercession and help, and she reassured him that his uncle has recovered fully and was all well.

She told St. John Diego with the words that would become famous today, ‘¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?’ which means, ‘Am I not here, I who am your mother?’. St. John Diego then followed the instruction of Our Lady to collect some flowers at the nearby hill into his cloak or tilma, and then bringing them immediately to the bishop. Then as St. John Diego presented the flowers to the bishop, what truly amazed the bishop was not the seemingly unseasonal and uncommon Castilian flowers growing on that hill which St. John Diego had collected, but rather the image and likeness of Our Lady of Guadalupe herself being imprinted on the tilma or cloak worn by St. John Diego. The bishop, who was initially skeptical about the Apparition, immediately believed and venerated the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Ever since that moment, the belief and the devotion in the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe grew rapidly, and a shrine was built in that site of the Apparition, at the Hill of Tepeyac, known as Guadalupe, which led to the naming of the Apparition as Our Lady of Guadalupe, the loving Mother of God herself making her appearance to her beloved children, the people of God, at the time of great strife and challenge faced by them, in the New World due to the destruction wrought by wars and conflicts, and in the Christendom as a whole due to the effects of the Protestant reformation and other strife in the Church of God and among the Christian population of the whole Christendom. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe made her Apparition so as to strengthen our faith and resolve to follow the Lord faithfully, and not to give in to sin and corruption. Many people came back to the Lord and found their way to Him through His mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe.

We have heard these through our Scripture readings today, from the account by St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in his Book of Revelations, in which the vision of the great War in Heaven and the end times were told to us. St. John saw in one of those visions a great vision of a Woman bearing a Child, which is in fact a personification of the Church of God, and at the same time is a reminder of Mary as the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. Through her great obedience and faith in God, Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe had responded positively, with love and commitment to the mission which God has entrusted to her, as we heard in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Luke. When the Archangel Gabriel revealed the Good News to Mary, while she was hesitant and unsure about what she had heard, but she ultimately trusted in the Lord and believed in Him.

Mary’s great faith in the Lord, her commitment and obedience, and all the virtues and righteousness that she has shown in life, all these are great examples and inspiration for all of us to follow. She is the perfect example and role model, the one who is our beacon to be followed. Her Apparition to St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin and many others who witnessed her appearance served to remind us of God’s great love that has been manifested and made visible, tangible and approachable to us through Mary. And if we follow her examples, inspiration and faith, we will surely find ourselves on the firm path towards God and His salvation. Mary made herself available to us, guiding us patiently towards her Son. Her apparitions in Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima and others were all meant to this purpose.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves especially during this time and season of Advent, to refocus our lives and attention once again towards the Lord, our Master and Creator. Let us all no longer be distracted by all sorts of temptations and pleasures in life, all the attachments we have on worldly glory that can lead us astray in our path. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen our faith and resolve, and through His loving Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, bring us ever closer to His Holy Presence, and help us to turn away from and reject all the sins and wickedness of this world. Amen.

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Thursday, 12 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Matthew 11 : 11-15

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I tell you this : no one greater than John the Baptist has arisen from among sons of women; and yet, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is something to be conquered; and violent men seize it.”

“Up to the time of John, there was only prophesy : all the prophets and the Law. And if you believe Me, John is indeed that Elijah, whose coming was predicted. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.