Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 26 : 7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14
Hear my voice when I call, o Lord, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o Lord.”
Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my Protector, do not reject me.
I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!
Liturgical Colour : Green
Job 19 : 21-27
Have pity my friends, have pity, for God’s hand has struck me! Why do you hound me as God does? Will you never have enough of my flesh? Oh, that my words were written, or recorded on bronze with an iron tool, a chisel or engraved forever on rock!
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He, the Last, will take His stand on earth. I will be there behind my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God. With my own eyes I shall see Him – I and not another. How my heart yearns!”
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures we are all reminded of the reality of the impermanence of our earthly existence and worldly matters, of all the things we have and possess in this world, all the things that we often crave and desire for in this life. Each and every one of us are reminded that we should not spend so much effort and time in trying to gain all those things at the expense of our faith in the Lord and what we should and could have done as good and faithful Christians in each and every moments of our lives. We are all reminded that no matter how much we have gained and built up in the worldly treasures, glory and fame, among other things, none of these can truly satisfy and fulfil our needs, as we are in the end are bound to be disappointed unless we put our faith and trust in the Lord.
In our first reading today taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes or Qoheleth we heard the beginning of the discourse which we will hear for the next few days reminding us all that ultimately each and every one of us should put our faith and trust not in any worldly matters and things, but we must put our faith and trust in God, in His providence, love and grace, believing that through His help and strength, by the encouragement and the power which He has granted to us, we may truly find true satisfaction and the true path towards salvation and redemption in God, and not be swayed into the false paths of temporary and illusory pleasures, all of which were not true treasures and destinations that we all should be aiming for in life.
The author of the Book of Ecclesiastes pointed out that nothing in this world lasts forever, and no matter whatever achievements, greatness, fame and glory that we may attain and accumulate, all the monuments and great things that we have established, all of these eventually would fade away and be forgotten, just as the author have mentioned and just have history itself had shown us again and again, repeatedly. All those achievements, greatness and things eventually fade away and others replace them, and even many among the greatest figures in history had also faded away, and are no longer remembered besides the broken and faded remnants of statues, cities and ruins, all of which are yet again acute reminders for us of the impermanence of all the things of this world, and why we should not spend so much time in trying to accumulate for ourselves all these worldly greatness.
Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the short passage showing the astonishment of King Herod at the news of the Lord Jesus and His actions, which many among the Jewish people confused and thought to be the resurrection or return of St. John the Baptist from the dead, and which led to the amusement and surprise from Herod because it was by his actions that the man of God, St. John the Baptist had been put to death when he was imprisoned for criticising and rebuking the king and his unlawfully wedded wife, Herodias. St. John the Baptist was killed by the instigation of Herodias who trapped Herod into ordering the execution of the faithful man of God, and this act was a great sin that tainted and truly shook Herod.
Eventually, as we have heard, one of the reasons why Herod was truly astonished, troubled and amazed by what he had heard from the news of the activities of the Lord Jesus was because despite all of his wealth, glory, power, fame and all the things that he had achieved and gained, and despite having taken his own brother’s wife to be his own, which led him to sin in adultery, but all those things could not truly satisfy him, and in the end, he did not have any peace, and having killed a holy man of God, this blame would remain with him for the rest of his life. This is again another reminder for all of us not to seek any forms of worldly comforts and satisfaction, pleasures and joys, all of which can easily distract and sway us away from the true path towards God and His salvation.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the two great saints and martyrs, St. Cosmas and St. Damian. Both of them were renowned physicians that gained renown for their works among the people, healing many of the sick and caring for the needs of the less fortunate such that they did not charge the poor and those who were unable to afford their medical services. They showed us all exactly what the Scriptures today had told us, that each one of us should not put worldly pursuits and desires, such as for money and material wealth at the forefront of our lives. Instead, like the examples of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, all of us should be generous in loving others around us and in being kind to one another, especially to those who are in need. They were eventually martyred during the intense persecutions under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, but their great generosity and courage in defending their faith in God lived on in many others inspired by their lives and examples.
Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have heard from the story of the lives and the dedication of St. Cosmas and St. Damian, and from what we have discussed earlier on regarding the futility and impermanence of all worldly matters and things around us, let us all strive hence to live our lives in a more godly and Christ-like manner, distancing ourselves from all the temptations and distractions, all of which can mislead and prevent us from truly finding our way to the Lord, to His salvation and grace. Each and every one of us are reminded that we must always be vigilant and careful lest these temptations drag us down into the slippery slope of sin, evil and bring us to our downfall and destruction.
May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to help and strengthen us in each and every one of our journey through life, so that in all the things that we say and do, we will continue to glorify the Lord by our exemplary living and that we may continue to be encouraged to live our lives worthily at all times in His Holy and loving Presence, now and always, becoming great inspirations and examples for everyone around us. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Luke 9 : 7-9
At that time, king Herod heard of all that Jesus and His disciples had done, 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 or Red (Martyrs)
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, a 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 YHVH? Have mercy on Your servant.
Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. May the sweetness of YHVH be upon us; may He prosper the work of our hands.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 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 become 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.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today that we have truly received God’s most generous love and mercy, and each and every one of us should truly be thankful and appreciative of the great wonders and kindness that God has given to us, in His patient and persistent love, in Him never giving up on us, in all of these moments. We are reminded how He has come into our midst, showing us His love and mercy manifested perfectly in the flesh, making Himself approachable and tangible for us, revealing the fullness of His patient and ever enduring love and care for us. All of us are truly fortunate that God has never given up on us and still wants us to be reconciled and reunited with Him.
In our first reading passage today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region Corinth, in which the Apostle exhorted them all about everything that the Lord had done for their sake, in sending unto them the deliverance and salvation which He has promised and reassured them for, all that He had told them and their ancestors through the many prophets and messengers He sent to them. St. Paul spoke of how the Lord had begun and then carried out His ministry, calling His Apostles and disciples to follow Him, and to witness everything that He had done and performed. And He revealed all of that as well to St. Paul himself, whom God had called afterwards, turning from a great enemy of the Lord and the faithful to be a most courageous and faithful servant of God and champion of the faith.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord was at a dinner in the house of a Pharisee who invited Him there, and an infamous and sinful woman who was living in that city came up to Him as we heard, anointing the feet of the Lord with the perfume she poured from the jar of alabaster she carried, and together with her tears and her hair, she wiped the feet of the Lord. This action and event immediately brought about the criticism and harsh remarks from the Pharisees who were gathered there, as they would not even come near those whom they deemed as sinners and unclean. To the Pharisees, such an action would have made them ritually unclean as well, defiling them by association and contact with one whom they deemed as sinners and unworthy before God.
But the Lord did not care about all that, and He let her to come to Him, honouring and respecting Him with great humility, humbling herself publicly and using her hair, the crown of her beauty and worldly appearances to wipe the feet of the Lord, with the feet often being associated with filth and dirt. Essentially, what she had just done was in fact a premonition of what the Lord Himself expected of us all, and what He wants to do with us, that is to come to Him with love and commitment towards Him, being sorrowful, regretful and humble over all of the sins and wickedness which we have committed in our own respective lives. And that the Lord Himself did not reject her but in fact embraced her warmly and defended her actions against the Pharisees showed clearly that God wants us all to come to Him and to be forgiven from our sins, to be reconciled and reunited with Him once again.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Januarius, a great and holy servant of God, a faithful and committed shepherd to his flock as a bishop of the Church. St. Januarius was mainly known from his hagiography and popular Christian legends, as actual details were rather scant due to the harsh nature of the intense persecution of Christians during the time when St. Januarius carried out his mission and works as a bishop and suffered persecution and martyrdom under the infamous Emperor Diocletian and his attempts to oppress Christians throughout the Roman Empire. St. Januarius was born into a rich Roman patrician family in the third century, during time of turmoil in the Roman Empire and persecution of Christians.
Eventually, he became the Bishop of Naples at a relatively young age, and he had to help protect the various people under his care, his flock and the ones persecuted by the Roman state at that time. He had to hide many Christians under his care and made the efforts to visit those Christians and others that had been persecuted and arrested, jailed and made to suffer. He was caught and arrested by the Roman magistrates, and eventually he himself was persecuted and tortured, sentenced to death for sedition and treason, and according to the hagiographic stories, St. Januarius was either thrown to the wild beasts or into a furnace, but he was unharmed in both instances and stories. He was eventually put to death and martyred, but his courage and commitment to God inspired many long after his passing. His blood relic stored in Naples is the centre of popular devotion to this day.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we have listened to the story of the faithful and courageous St. Januarius, and as we remember the words of the Scriptures that we have just discussed about God’s love and generous mercy, let us all therefore remember that each and every one of us are truly beloved by God, and He has always patiently looked after us, caring for us all these while, sending unto us His help and guidance through the various means all around us and in every aspects of our lives. We should therefore be more aware of this great love and blessings which we have indeed received from the Lord, and strive to do our best so that our lives may truly be more attuned and worthy towards Him, by doing what we can so that we may truly be faithful to Him, and to keep ourselves away from all sorts of vices and evils.
May the Lord, our ever always loving and merciful God continue to love us all tenderly and may He continue to strengthen us all in our faith so that in everything that we say and do, hopefully we may come ever closer to God and continue to commit ourselves in each and every moments with great compassion and love for both the Lord and for our fellow brethren around us. Let us all humble ourselves and realise that we are all sinners in need of healing and forgiveness from God, and therefore strive to seek Him and to love Him with ever greater passion and commitment with each and every passing moments in our lives. May God continue to bless us all and may He continue to empower and strengthen us in faith, in our resolve and commitment to follow Him, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Luke 7 : 36-50
At that time, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to share his meal, so He went to the Pharisee’s home, and as usual reclined at the table to eat. And it happened that, a woman of this town, who was known as a sinner, heard that He was in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and stood behind Him, at His feet, weeping. She wet His feet with tears; she dried them with her hair; she kissed His feet and poured the perfume on them.
The Pharisee who had invited Jesus was watching, and thought, “If this Man were a Prophet, He would know what sort of person is touching Him; is this woman not a sinner?” Then Jesus spoke to the Pharisee and said, “Simon, I have something to ask you.” He answered, “Speak, Master.”
And Jesus said, “Two people were in debt to the same creditor. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. As they were unable to pay him back, he graciously cancelled the debts of both. Now, which of them will love him more?”
Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, who was forgiven more.” And Jesus said, “You are right.” And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? You gave Me no water for My feet when I entered your house; but she dried them with her hair. You did not welcome Me with a kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since she came in. You provided no oil for My head; but she has poured perfume on My feet. This is why, I tell you, her sins, her many sins, are forgiven, because of her great love. But the one who is forgiven little, has little love.”
Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others reclining with Him at the table began to wonder, “Now this Man claims to forgive sins!” But Jesus again spoke to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
Psalm 117 : 1-2, 16ab and 17, 28
Alleluia! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. Let Israel say, “His loving kindness endures forever.”
The right hand of the Lord is lifted high, the right hand of the Lord strikes mightily! I shall not die, but live to proclaim what the Lord has done.
You are my God, and I give You thanks. You are my God, and I give You praise.
Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)
1 Corinthians 15 : 1-11
Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you and which you received and on which you stand firm. By that Gospel you are saved, provided that you hold to it as I preached it. Otherwise, you will have believed in vain.
In the first place, I have passed on to you what I myself received that Christ died for our sins, as Scripture says; that He was buried; that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve. Afterwards He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest.
Then He appeared to James and after that to all the Apostles. And last of all, He appeared to the most despicable of them, this is to me. For I am the last of the Apostles, and I do not even deserve to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. Nevertheless, by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me has not been without fruit. Far from it, I have toiled more than all of them, although, not I, rather the grace of God, in me.
Now, whether it was I or they, this, we preach, and this, you have believed.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 