Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Priests)
Psalm 95 : 10, 11-12a, 12b-13
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.
Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.
Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before the Lord Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.
Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Priests)
2 Thessalonians 2 : 1-3a, 14-17
Brothers and sisters, let us speak about the coming of Christ Jesus, Our Lord, and our gathering to meet Him. Do not be easily unsettled. Do not be alarmed by what a prophet says, or by any report, or by some letter said to be ours, saying, the day of the Lord is at hand. Do not let yourselves be deceived, in any way.
To this end He called you, through the Gospel we preach, for He willed you, to share the glory of Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Because of that, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold to the traditions that we taught you, by word or by letter. May Christ Jesus, Our Lord, Who has loved us, may God Our Father, Who, in His mercy, gives us everlasting comfort and true hope, strengthen you.
May He encourage your hearts and make you steadfast in every good work and word.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we heard about the sin of pride and all the things that had often prevented man from finding their way back towards God. The Lord is actually warning and reminding us not to give in to the temptations of pride that can lead us down the path of ruin. We have to resist the things that may often come between us and God’s love and grace, our many weaknesses and vulnerabilities, particularly that which involved our ego and pride, which is the same mistake that had misled Satan down the path to destruction. This is why we are being reminded so that we ourselves do not take this same path down to our own downfall and ruin.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel telling us of God’s proclamation regarding the Prince of Tyre. Contextually, we must understand that Tyre back then was a great city, founded and belonging to the Phoenicians, a race of people who specialised in trade and commerce in the times past, establishing numerous colonies throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times. The city of Tyre therefore became fabulously wealthy and despite the presence of much more powerful neighbours, the city and people of Tyre were often able to have their way and maintain their relative freedom due to their immense economic capacity and great prestige, as a city known for its great worldly power and glory.
That was why the kings and rulers of Tyre could act with relative impunity, doing whatever they wanted, proudly boasting their influence and power, even when they were militarily inferior compared to the superpowers like the Assyrians and the Babylonians back then. The Lord warned them and all of His people of the danger of pride, ego and hubris, all of which can become our undoing if we leave them unchecked or if we even indulge in them. And the Lord’s proclamations and predictions eventually came true when the city of Tyre eventually, a few centuries later, was razed and destroyed by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, as attested by historical evidences, and that city henceforth lost its great significance, prestige, wealth and power.
In our Gospel passage today we heard of the parable that the Lord Jesus spoke, the well-known story of the camel that passes through the eye of the needle, which the Lord said would be easier to happen rather than for one who is rich and proud, mighty and haughty to enter into the kingdom of heaven. This was a comparison and a point that the Lord made in order to let His disciples and followers know that, just as it would be impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, then it would have been even less likely for a man filled with pride and ego to humble oneself before God and enter into the kingdom of God and into the Holy Presence of God.
That was exactly how Satan fell too, swayed by the pride that made him to rebel against God, and that same temptations were made and presented by Satan to our ancestors as well, and many people, from generation to generation, had fallen into these same temptations. That is why many people found it difficult to come to the presence of God because they have allowed pride, ego and arrogance to keep themselves from realising that they were sinners and were in need of God’s healing and forgiveness, and instead, they kept on living their lives in delusion thinking that they were doing the right things, and spent most of their lives and efforts in pursuing their own selfish desires and wants.
And hence, this is why we are being reminded today through these readings from the Sacred Scriptures of the need for each and every one of us as Christians, to be free from arrogance and hubris, pride and ego in how we live our lives and in our every attitudes and actions throughout our lives. We should never think that we can get away with haughty, arrogant and wicked attitudes in how we carry ourselves, and in how we interact with others around us. Many of us have caused, either inadvertently or purposefully, pain, sufferings and hardships to those around us, even to those who loved us and whom we loved, out of our own pride, ego, ambition, arrogance and hubris.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence ponder carefully on these words of the Lord that we have received and discern in what way therefore we can live our lives worthily of the Lord moving forward, so that we do not end up falling prey into the temptations of worldly glory and ambition, as well as to our own pride and ego, vainglory and hubris, all of which can lead us ever further away from God and astray from the path that He has shown us and led us into. As Christians, let us all therefore be good role models and examples in how we live our daily lives so that our every actions, words and deeds can truly inspire those whom we encounter, in the humility, faith and obedience we have in God and in His teachings and ways.
May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen our faith in Him and help us to lead a more worthy and wholesome life in each and every moments, in doing what He Himself has shown us all through His own Beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour. May all of us be ever exemplary in all deeds and actions, and lead ever more people to God’s salvation and grace, through even the smallest things that we do in our lives, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Matthew 19 : 23-30
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you : it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, believe Me : it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for the one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
On hearing this, the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and answered, “For human beings it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter spoke up and said, “You see, we have given up everything to follow You. What, then, will there be for us?”
Jesus answered, “You, who have followed Me, listen to My words : on the Day of Renewal, when the Son of Man sits on His throne in glory, you, also, will sit, on twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. As for those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or property for My Name’s sake, they will receive a hundredfold, and be given eternal life. Many who are now first, will be last, and many who are now last, will be first.”
Liturgical Colour : Green
Deuteronomy 32 : 26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
I said I would scatter them afar and blot out their memory among humankind, but I feared the enemy’s boasting, lest the adversary misunderstand.
And say : ‘We have triumphed, the Lord has not brought this about.’ They are a senseless and undiscerning nation. Had they wisdom, they would have known.
For how could one or two men put to flight a thousand or ten thousand, unless their Rock had abandoned them, unless their Lord had given them up?
Their day of calamity is at hand, and swiftly their doom will come. The Lord will give justice to His people and have mercy on His servants.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Ezekiel 28 : 1-10
The word of YHVH came to me in these terms, “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre : You are very proud and self-satisfied : ‘I am a god, I sit like a god in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are man and not a god; would you hold yourself as wise as God? You consider yourself wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you. Your wisdom and know-how have earned you a fortune, gold and silver flowed to your treasury.”
“Clever in trade, you became wealthy and, as your fortune increased, your heart became prouder. But now, YHVH has spoken to you, to the one who is like God : I am bringing foreigners against you, the most feared of all the nations. Their sword will challenge your wisdom and debase your refined culture. They will bring you down to the pit and you will die in the depths of the sea.”
“Will you be able to say ‘I am a god’ when your murderers are killing you? You are a man and not a god. You will die the death of the uncircumcised and perish at the hands of aliens, for I have spoken – word of YHVH.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, listening to the words of God, all of us are called to listen to the Lord calling on each one of us to follow and obey Him, to do His will and to embrace His calling and also the mission He has entrusted to us. Each one of us as Christians have been given the opportunities as well as the responsibilities to be examples for one another, to lead more and more people towards God and His truth, and to bring ourselves ever closer to Him and His salvation. All of us should also humble ourselves and be willing to embrace God wholeheartedly, and be willing to walk with Him, letting Him to guide us in our journey in this life and in this world.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which God spoke to Ezekiel regarding what He was sending him to do among the Israelites in exile in the land of Babylon. The Lord gave Ezekiel a scroll in the vision, and the prophet ate it, symbolising his willingness to walk in the path of God, and how he was willing to let God guide him in what he was called to do. As God’s prophet, Ezekiel would go on to do great deeds among the people, and he continued to labour hard among the Israelites in exile, calling on them to abandon their sinful way of life, which had led to their downfall in the first place bringing them away from God and His grace.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples, telling them that unless they become like little children, with regards to their faith, they cannot truly enter into the kingdom of Heaven, and they will not be able to truly appreciate what it really means to be a disciple of the Lord. And He calls on them to welcome young children, as otherwise, if they do not do so, then they are not welcoming Him into their presence either. Through this, the Lord wanted to highlight that in order for Him to lead us down the right path, often we need to open our hearts and minds, to be humble and to be willing to let God guide us in our path. Pride on the other hand can lead us astray from God and cause us to stumble because we think that we are better and no one can correct us in our errors.
That is because for us to be welcoming to children in our midst, we have to first learn to listen and to communicate, understanding them and their needs. Otherwise, we will find that it is very difficult for us to engage with the children meaningfully and successfully. One must be humble and be willing to communicate sincerely, and not to impose a judgmental and superior attitude vis-a-vis the children, which in fact is one of the reasons why people fail to connect with the younger generation. Many of us are often burdened with the burden of pride and arrogance, thinking that we know it better and hence, we cannot engage in truly meaningful interaction and conversation with others.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, through today’s readings, all of us are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us are called to be witnesses of our Lord’s salvation, His truth and Good News. All of us ought to do our very best in whatever capacity and opportunities that we are in, so that we may help to lead others to God and so that they may find their way back to Him. In the same Gospel passage, the Lord also mentioned how He loves us all and how He would go all the way to rescue His lost sheep, through His story of a shepherd who had one lost sheep among the flock of his hundred sheep.
Just as the shepherd went out all his way just to find that lost sheep, so the Lord Himself has also done the same for our sake, reaching out to us and calling on us to return to Him. He patiently called on us, waited for us to change our hearts and minds, giving reminders after reminders, and assistance along the way so that we may find our way to Him. All of us who have known the Lord and received the promise of His salvation therefore are called to be the witnesses of this truth and promise, and do our very best to evangelise and to do what we can in glorifying God by our lives, and by living a humble, virtuous and good Christian way of life.
Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Clare, also known as St. Clare of Assisi, a contemporary and follower of St. Francis of Assisi, another renowned holy man of God. St. Clare was a native of Assisi who was inspired by her family devout practices and commitment to God, which made St. Clare and her siblings to be deeply committed to God from their early youth. St. Clare refused to marry a young man proposed by her family later on, and chose to commit herself wholly to God by joining the life and mission of St. Francis of Assisi, gathering other like-minded individuals, which later on became known as the Order of Poor Ladies, gathering all the women who were interested in the charism and living of the Franciscans instituted by St. Francis of Assisi, with St. Clare herself as the founder.
St. Clare herself lived in a convent of Benedictine nuns for a while, living a prayerful and devout life, and eventually went on to live together with her order of religious sisters, the Order of Poor Ladies or the Order of the Poor Ladies of San Damiano, where she eventually became the Abbess of the community of the San Damiano sisters. She remained in her ascetic and holy lifestyle, caring for the needs of those in her community and lovingly reached out to those who were in need in the society. In a well-known and documented miracle later on in her life, St. Clare was renowned for her miraculous defence of her convent from the rampaging attacks of the armies of the Holy Roman Emperor that were then attacking the region where her convent was located at. St. Clare remained steadfast and trusting in the Lord despite the approaching soldiers, and entrusted herself wholly to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, as she hoisted up the monstrance which miraculously shone with great and blinding light that terrified the attacking enemies, who thereafter left the convent and the town undisturbed.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord in the manner that our holy predecessors had done, especially in the faith and dedication that St. Clare has shown us. Let us all remember the amazing love that God has for us, and the dedication that He has shown us, and which St. Clare and many other saints have reflected in their own lives and actions. May all of us be the shining beacons of the light of Christ’s salvation and the grace of God in our daily living, and may our lives truly reflect God’s light and truth, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Matthew 18 : 1-5, 10, 12-14
At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you, that, unless you change, and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child, in My Name, receives Me.”
“See that you do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you, their Angels in heaven continually see the face of My heavenly Father. What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it, than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”
“It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 118 : 14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
I delight in following Your laws, more so than in all riches.
Your laws are my delight, my counsellors who uphold me.
Your law is more precious to me than heaps of silver and gold.
How sweet are Your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart.
I gasp in ardent yearning for Your commandments that I love.
Liturgical Colour : White
Ezekiel 2 : 8 – Ezekiel 3 : 4
God said to Ezekiel, “Listen then, son of man, to what I say, and do not be a rebel among rebels. Open your mouth and take in what I am about to say.”
I looked and saw a hand stretched out in front of me holding a scroll. He unrolled it before me; on both sides were written lamentations, groaning and woes. He said to me, “Son of man, eat what is given to you. Eat this scroll and then go; speak to the people of Israel.”
I opened my mouth and He made me eat the scroll; and then He said to me, “Eat and fill yourself with this scroll that I am giving you.” I ate it; and it tasted as sweet as honey. He said, “Son of man, go to the Israelites; speak to them with My words.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 