Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 105 : 3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
Blessed are they who always do just and right. Remember me, o YHVH, when You show favour to Your people; rescue me when You deliver them.
They mingled with these nations and learnt to do as they did. In serving the idols of the pagans, they were trapped.
Into sacrificing children to demons. The anger of YHVH grew intense and He abhorred His inheritance.
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Kings 11 : 4-13
In Solomon’s old age, his wives led him astray to serve other gods and, unlike his father David, his heart was no longer wholly given to YHVH his God. For he served Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites.
He did what displeased YHVH and, unlike his father David, was unfaithful to Him. Solomon even built a high place for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mountain east of Jerusalem and also for Molech, the idol of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.
YHVH became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from YHVH, the God of Israel. YHVH appeared to him twice and commanded him not to follow other gods. But he did not obey YHVH’s command. Therefore, YHVH said to Solomon, “Since this has been your choice and you have kept neither My Covenant nor the statutes I commanded you, I will take the kingdom from you and give it to your servant.”
“Nevertheless, I will not do this during your lifetime for the sake of your father David; I will take it from your son. But I will not take it all; I will reserve one tribe for your son for the sake of David My servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen.”
Liturgical Colour : Red
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, all of us as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own beloved people, we have the calling and mission in the various ways that God had intended for us, so that we may be the ones to bear witness to His truth, His Good News, love and ways in our world today, in our respective families and communities. Each and every one of us are entrusted by the Lord with the unique talents, abilities and opportunities for us to make good use of in our various areas of responsibility so that we may be the ones to show the Lord to many more people and lead them all towards God and His salvation.
In our first reading passage today, we heard of the account from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah detailing to us what happened at the time when King David of Israel, the famous King who led Israel to great triumph and victory of its many enemies, and brought Israel to its golden age, finally came to the end of his earthly life after a period of forty years reigning over Judah and the whole of Israel. And as David was going to the Lord and knew that his time was coming, we heard how he advised his son and heir, Solomon, the one whom God had revealed to David himself as the one to succeed him, in how Solomon ought to continue obeying the Lord, worshipping Him alone and leading the people righteously as their King as David himself had once done.
Through what we have heard in the first reading today and the accounts of the previous weekdays of the life and exploits of David as man and servant of God, and then as King of Israel, in all of his virtues and imperfections, we are reminded that we ourselves as God’s holy and beloved people, having been called to follow Him as well as His servants and disciples, each and every one of us should be inspired by the examples of David and his faithfulness to God, in how he has always strived to love God and his fellow men and women, in his conscious examination of his own actions, flaws and mistakes, and how he has always tried his best to be good and worthy of the Lord in all things. We too should therefore do the same in our own lives.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus sent out His disciples, two by two, centred upon His Twelve principal disciples, the ones later known as the Apostles, and the many other disciples whom He sent to carry out and extend His missions and works to more people and places. We heard how the Lord instructed them on what they ought to be doing in their mission, putting trust in the Lord instead of in their own resources, power and abilities. The Lord also told them all of the realities of what they may have to face in the midst of their missions, both the potential successes as well as the rejections and hardships that they may have to endure.
This is therefore a reminder to all of us as Christians that we should always strive to follow the Lord in what He has entrusted to each one of us to do in life. It does not mean that we must do exactly as what those disciples had done in the past, but rather we are called to do what the Lord had entrusted to us in our own unique circumstances, in the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that He had provided to us. We should do our best in our respective areas and places of responsibility, in whatever vocations that the Lord has called us to do, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, by our every efforts and endeavours, we may truly bear faithful witness to the Lord and glorify His Name at all times.
Today, all of us are called to be like David, the King of Israel, in humbling ourselves before the Lord and asking for His guidance and wisdom at all times, in living our lives virtuously and righteously, in embracing the Lord and His love wholeheartedly at all times. And today, we also have another role model to follow in our own lives as Christians, based on the examples set by one of our holy predecessors, whose feast we celebrate today. St. Agatha of Sicily, a renowned martyr and saint from the time of the Great Persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperors can indeed inspire us to be better Christians in true deeds and actions.
St. Agatha was born into a noble Roman family and she made a vow of holy and perpetual virginity, which she offered to God freely and wholeheartedly. Her great beauty was noted by a pagan Roman prefect named Quintianus, who did all he could to try to persuade and coax her to marry him. But despite his best efforts, his pressure and even threats, all those could not sway St. Agatha from abandoning her vow of virginity and her faith in the Lord. She remained resolute in her conviction and desire to follow the Lord, even when pressures and threats were piled up against her to conform to what the society demanded of her.
As that time coincided with the intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius, which was a particularly brutal period of intense persecution against Christians, the displeased and disappointed prefect reported St. Agatha to the authorities, and as the prefect Quintianus himself presided over the trial, he hoped that the threat of suffering and death would make St. Agatha to give up her stubborn resistance and refusal to abandon her faith in God. Instead, St. Agatha remained even more ardent in her faith and refused to give up, entrusting her fate completely to the Lord, not fearing the harsh persecutions and sufferings that would surely be hers for having stood up for her faith.
She prayed to the Lord saying, “Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, You know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am Your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil.” And despite the efforts the prefect tried to incarcerate, torture and make her life difficult, St. Agatha would not be swayed and she remained faithful to the very end. She was tortured with all sorts of punishments, and had her breasts cut, surviving a burning at the stake before eventually dying in prison, remaining faithful to the very end. Her great courage and faith, her enduring trust and love for the Lord even in the face of greatest hardships should indeed inspire us all to live our own Christian faith with greater sincerity and courage at all times.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from our Scripture passages today and from the life examples and inspirations from the life of St. Agatha of Sicily, holy woman and devout servant of God, let us all continue to commit ourselves with greater devotion and strength, and do our very best at every circumstances and opportunities so that we may indeed be truly faithful, zealous and worthy disciples of the Lord, in leading many more souls to the salvation in God. May God therefore bless us all and guide us all with His strength and wisdom at all times, that we may truly always be fruitful in our every efforts and endeavours for His greater glory. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Red
Mark 6 : 7-13
At that time, Jesus called the Twelve to Him, and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over evil spirits, and He ordered them to take nothing for the journey, except a staff : no food, no bag, no money on their belts. They were to wear sandals and were not to take an extra tunic.
And He added, “In whatever house you are welcomed, stay there until you leave the place. If any place does not receive you, and the people refuse to listen to you, leave after shaking the dust off your feet. It will be a testimony against them.”
So they set out to proclaim that this was the time to repent. They drove out many demons and healed many sick people by anointing them.
Liturgical Colour : Red
1 Chronicles 29 : 10bc, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd
May You be praised, YHVH God of Israel our ancestor, forever and ever!
Yours, YHVH, is the greatness, the power, splendour, length of days, glory; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is Yours.
Yours is the sovereignty forever, o YHVH; You are supreme Ruler over all. Riches and honour go before You.
You are Ruler of all; in Your hand lie strength and power. You are the One Who gives greatness and strength to all.
Liturgical Colour : Red
1 Kings 2 : 1-4, 10-12
When David was about to die, he gave his son Solomon this instruction, “I am about to go the way of all creatures. Be strong and show yourself a man. Keep the commandments of YHVH your God and walk in His ways. Keep His statutes, His commands, His ordinances and declarations written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do and wherever you go.”
If you do so, YHVH will fulfil the promise He made to me : If your sons take care to walk before Me faithfully with their whole heart and their whole soul, you shall always have one of your descendants on the throne of Israel.”
Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. David reigned over Israel for forty years : seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father and his reign was firmly established.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as God’s faithful and beloved people, all of us are expected to live our lives well in the manner that He has shown and taught us to do, and we all ought to carry out our actions faithfully such that we can become good role models for everyone around us in serving the Lord and glorifying Him by our lives. And God knows all of our dealings, actions and deeds. He knows everything that we say and do, even those that we try to hide and even things that we may not even be aware of. This is why we have to be always ever ready to commit ourselves to the Lord in our every actions, words and deeds, and not merely paying lip service to Him, but being truly faithful to Him at all times.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the great hymn of thanksgiving, a song of praise that King David of Israel sang to the Lord with great joy because God has reassured him of blessings and graces towards him and his family, to all of his descendants, who would always be guaranteed the rulership and dominion of the kingdom of Israel, God’s beloved and holy people. That was why David was so jubilant, happy and thankful for the Lord having provided for him throughout many different parts of his life, as if we read more from the history of King David, we can see clearly how God had been with him in all of his endeavours, from the good times to the difficult and challenging times.
And David had always been faithful to the Lord, and while he did commit mistakes and sins, he did not allow all those things and obstacles to prevent him from continuing to serve the Lord as best as he could, and he became truly revered, honoured and respected throughout the history of the Israelites among the people of God and even by many others throughout history because of all of these virtues which he had accumulated and practiced during his life and reign as king. King David became the model and good king which many other kings, both of Israel and Judah, and other later Christian kings aspired to follow and emulate in their own reign as king and ruler of the people entrusted to them by God.
David shone with great virtue and righteousness, becoming a great moral compass and inspiration for many others because he was not ashamed to proclaim his faith in God despite his own shortcomings, mistakes and faults. He courageously and joyfully showed his great faith and trust in the Lord, and his great love for God at all times, and he always strived to be a better version of himself, following the will of God and allowing Him to make use of him as an instrument of His works in the world, that he righteously led the people of God in the manner that is acceptable and worthy of God, and also becoming great inspiration and examples for everyone who have seen and witnessed his great deeds, triumphs and victories with God by his side.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and followers in which the Lord told His disciples using a parable of the light on a lampstand to highlight to them how it is important that they all do not hide what talents, gifts, blessings and opportunities that God has given to each and every one of them, much like how King David earlier had openly practiced his faith actively in his life and reign as king. Therefore, the disciples and followers of the Lord, who had been given the many gifts, talents, blessings, and all the opportunities presented to them to be the bearers of the Good News and Light of God, they are all called to be active in proclaiming God in all things.
The Lord also continued on with the words reminding those same disciples and followers about the matter of the measure of what they have given and what they have been expected to receive because of what they have given, and this was yet another reminder that as Christians, as faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord, each and every one of those disciples, and also all of us living here today in this world are expected to make good use of all the blessings, wonders and all the good things that God has granted to us. God blessed us each and every one of us with these so that His works and wonders can be extended to more and more people, as we must understand that our actions and efforts, no matter how small, are parts of the efforts of the whole Church.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to reflect upon these words of the Scriptures that we have received from the Lord, and all that we have discussed earlier. Let us all do our best so that in every actions, words and deeds that we do, we will always be good role models and examples for one another, so that like King David and our other holy predecessors, we can inspire many others we encounter in our lives, in each and every moments, in all the opportunities that God has presented to us. If the actions of Christians like us are contrary to the ways of the Lord and His teachings, and to what the Church has presented to us and the world, how can we then genuinely bring the Lord to be better known to others around us? Worse still, it may even push people away from the Lord.
May the Lord our most loving, compassionate and patient God continue to help and guide each one of us in our respective journeys in life, in each and every one of our missions and vocations in life so that we will truly find what it is that we ought to be doing faithfully in God’s Presence, in doing His will and obeying His Law and commandments. Let us all continue to do our best and follow God’s calling and encouragement to us, and help one another to be ever always faithful to our own respective calling in life, being good, worthy and responsible Christians, disciples and followers of the Lord at all times. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Mark 4 : 21-25
At that time, Jesus also said to His disciples, “When the light comes, is it put under a basket or a bed? Surely it is put on a lamp stand. Whatever is hidden will be disclosed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought to light. Listen then, if you have ears!”
And He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive, and still more will be given to you. For to the one who produces something, more will be given; and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 131 : 1-2, 3-5, 11, 12, 13-14
Remember David, o YHVH, and all his readiness; how he swore an oath to YHVH, to the Mighty One of Jacob.
“I will not enter my house nor get into my bed; I will give no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids; until I find a place for YHVH, a dwelling, for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
YHVH swore to David a promise, and He will remain true to it : “I will keep your descendants on your throne.”
“If your sons keep My Covenant and the decrees I have taught them; their sons, too, will sit forever upon your throne.”
For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling : “This is My resting place forever; this I prefer; here, will I dwell.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
2 Samuel 7 : 18-19, 24-29
Then king David went in, sat before YHVH and said, “Who am I, o YHVH God, and who is my family that You have brought me so far? Yet this was not enough for You, o YHVH God, for You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a long time to come. Is this the way men act, o YHVH God?”
“You have set apart Your people Israel to become Your people forever; and You, YHVH, have become their God. Now, o YHVH God, keep forever the promise You made and have now revealed to me regarding myself and my family, that Your Name may be honoured forever and people may say, ‘YHVH of Hosts is God over Israel.’”
“The house of Your servant David will be secure before You because You, o YHVH of Hosts, God of Israel, have made it known to Your servant and have said to him : ‘Your family will last forever.’ This is why I have dared to address this prayer to You. So now, o YHVH God, since You are the faithful God, and have promised me this good thing, please bless my descendants, that they may continue forever before You. For You, o YHVH God, have spoken and, with Your blessing, my family shall be blessed forever.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 