Liturgical Colour : White
1 John 4 : 7-10
My dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves, is born of God and knows God. Those who do not love have not known God, for God is love.
How did the love of God appear among us? God sent His only Son into this world, that we might have life, through Him. This is love : not that we loved God, but that, He first loved us and sent His Son, as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are called to continue to remember that this is still now part of the Christmas season, and all that we have heard today reminded us that God in His ever enduring and supreme love for all of us have given us the perfect gift in Jesus, His most beloved Son, Whom He sent to the world to be part of our lives, to be the Bridge that brought us closer to Him and helped in reuniting and reconciling us to Himself. Too often we have been caught up in our busy life schedules and forgot about all these, ignoring God and His ever generous love, and because of this, we have become ever more distant from God. But the Lord never forgot or abandoned us in turn, and instead, He has always patiently reached out to us with great and ever enduring love.
In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. John, the Apostle reminded all the faithful to keep in mind their Christian calling, that is to follow the Lord and His path, to love Him more than anything else by their words and deeds, and not to succumb to the temptations of worldliness among other things. St. John reminded us all because it is very easy for us to love the world more than we love God, for the world often offers us easy pleasures and quick satisfaction that can tempt us to desire more of them. This is why so many people lapsed away from the faith especially when things get hard and challenging for them, and the unfortunate reality and hard truth is indeed that if we are to follow the Lord faithfully, then more likely than not our lives may encounter challenges and hurdles in our paths.
St. John reminded all of us that the Word of God, the Word of Life has come upon us and dwells in our midst. He is the Divine Word Incarnate, the Word of God made flesh, the Son of God born through His mother Mary as the Son of Man, entering into our world and gracing us with His love, the perfect manifestation of God’s Love, made fully tangible and approachable, that all of us may know the truth of God, His love and ever generous compassion towards us. It is all these that we have been celebrating this Christmas season and what we have been carefully preparing for during the earlier Advent season. If we as Christians do not even know or are aware of what it is that we celebrate or rejoice for in this time and season then it is truly sad and regrettable.
It is the same Jesus Christ Whom as a young Infant, was brought to the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God to be offered to God, as in accordance to the Law of Moses, as we heard in our Gospel passage both today and yesterday. The old prophetess Anna confirmed again what the old man of God Simeon had already spoken regarding the Child Jesus, before His parents, Mary and St. Joseph, who heard how this Child indeed would become the Saviour of all and amaze all by His power and deeds. It is this same Child that would later on grow to become the One to bear the Cross of suffering, dying and offering His own life for our sake. Through Christmas and Our Lord and God Himself being embodied for us, the glorious occasion and triumphant victory at Easter became possible.
For Christmas is indeed inseparable from the Passion of the Lord and His Resurrection at Easter. Through Christmas and all that we celebrate, we remember God Who has made Himself tangible to us, and sharing in our human existence, resolving to take upon Himself all of our sufferings, our human sufferings due to our sins, which would not have been possible without the Incarnation, and bore it upon Himself as the worthy offering in atonement for our sins. Through that act of supreme and most selfless love, God had redeemed us and saved us, assuring us who keep our faith in Him, the assurance of eternal life and true joy with Him that He will surely fulfil and accomplish for all of us.
Yet, as mentioned just earlier, it is very easy for us to forget about all these, and forget why we call ourselves as Christians in the first place. In a world filled with a lot of selfishness and various temptations, of pleasures of the flesh, of wealth and glory, of fame and influence, power and others, we often sidelined the Lord and ignored His ever generous love, choosing instead to listen to Satan and all the temptress’ seductions, believing in their lies instead of God’s truth and ever enduring love for us. But God never gave up on us and He still constantly cared for us all nonetheless with even greater love, as He kept on reaching out to us patiently, loving us all ever more generously and calling on us all to return once again to Him, embracing the generous mercy and compassion that He constantly offers us.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to celebrate the joy of Christmas, let us always remind ourselves and one another of the reason of our celebrations and rejoicing. Let us not be easily swayed and tempted by the excesses of worldly pleasures and instead seek the true joy and happiness that can be found in God alone. Let us all be good role models to one another and inspire everyone whom we encounter in our daily lives with the light and hope of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In these dark and difficult times, let us bring hope and encouragement to others, especially to those who are suffering and sorrowful without anyone to console or help them.
May the Lord continue to guide us and bless us in our every good works and endeavours, and may He continue to inspire and encourage us to be the bearers of His light and hope in our world today. May our love for the Lord continue to grow and remain strong despite the challenges and trials we may encounter in life. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Luke 2 : 36-40
There was also a prophetess named Anna, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. After leaving her father’s home, she had been seven years with her husband, and since then she had been continually about the Temple, serving God as a widow night and day in fasting and prayer. She was now eighty-four. Coming up at that time, she gave praise to God, and spoke of the Child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When the parents had fulfilled all that was required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their town, Nazareth in Galilee. There the Child grew in stature and strength, and was filled with wisdom: the grace of God was upon Him.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 95 : 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
Give to YHVH, you families of nations, give to YHVH glory and strength. Give to YHVH the glory due His Name.
Bring gifts and enter His courts. Worship YHVH with holy celebrations; stand in awe of Him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “YHVH reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.
Liturgical Colour : White
1 John 2 : 12-17
My dear children, I write this to you : you have already received the forgiveness of your sins, through the Name of Jesus. Fathers, I write this to you : you know Him, Who is from the beginning. Young men, I write this to you : you have overcome the evil one. My dear children, I write to you, because you already know the Father.
Fathers, I write to you, because you know Him, Who is from the beginning. Young men, I write to you, because you are strong, and the Word of God lives in you, who have, indeed, overcome the evil one. Do not love the world, or what is in it. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the craving of the flesh, the greed of eyes and people boasting of their superiority – all this, belongs to the world, not to the Father.
The world passes away, with all its craving, but those who do the will of God remain for ever.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures and draw ever closer to Christmas, we are all reminded of the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, into our midst. The Lord has sent us His messenger and herald to prepare the path for His coming into this world, and He has fulfilled that promise, with the coming of St. John the Baptist, the one who was prophesied to be the one to prepare the way for the Lord. As we heard in our Scripture passages today, all these happened so that the Lord might come and rescue us all from our troubles and bring us into His loving presence once again, and that is the reason why we rejoice this Christmas.
In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the prophet Malachi, speaking about the coming of the days of God’s messenger, who would come to prepare the hearts and minds of the people, to prepare for the coming of the Lord, which was also alluded to in the words of the prophet Malachi. Malachi was one of the last prophets chronologically in the Old Testament era, who ministered to the people of God a few centuries before the Lord’s coming, and his words of prophecy further set the expectation of the coming of God’s salvation, which the people of God looked forward to, as they heard the words of reassurances that God had made through His many prophets, including that of Malachi.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the one whom Malachi and the other prophets had been prophesying about, the one to prepare the path for the coming of the Lord. His miraculous conception and birth truly became knowledge among the people, as he was conceived by his mother at the age well-past childbearing and after being barren for so many years. His coming, conception and birth were also announced by the Angel of God before his father Zechariah, whose doubt led him to become mute before the moment as we heard in our Gospel today, that once the baby was named John as the Angel spoke of, Zechariah was miraculously able to speak once again. All of these and the later events in the life of St. John the Baptist serve as a reminder for us that as we approach the coming Christmas season with expectation and joy.
St. John the Baptist went on to call the people of God to be converted and to turn away from their sinful paths, and this is also therefore a reminder for all of us that as we approach Christmas, we should also prepare ourselves in heart and mind to turn towards the Lord, to return our focus upon Him, and to make Him the centre of our upcoming Christmas celebrations and rejoicing. We should not be distracted by the many temptations and distractions all around us, all the glamour and merrymaking surrounding the often secular and worldly Christmas celebrations. We have to be committed to the Lord and renew our faith in Him, and serve Him with ever greater conviction and zeal. We should do our best to make sure that we celebrate Christmas in the right way, and with the right predisposition and mindset.
That is why we should make use of this short remaining time before Christmas, whatever is left this Advent season to deepen our understanding of Christmas and its true meaning, its significance and importance for us. Today we should therefore spend some time to reflect upon the life and works of one St. John of Kanty, also known as St. John Cantius, a Polish priest and philosopher whose life and work should inspire us to become ever more worthy of God, ever more connected to Him, and ever closer to Him. St. John of Kanty was remembered for his great intellect and philosophical as well as theological prowess, as he became great professor and instructor, helping many of his students and followers to understand better their faith in God, as well as the many mysteries and aspects of the Christian faith.
Not only that, but the same St. John of Kanty was also well remembered for his great love for God, his personal piety and holiness, and especially also for his great compassion, love and care for the poor and the suffering all around him. He was known for his care for the needy students at his university and faculty, helping to support them whenever and wherever it was possible. He also spent time and effort to care for the poor and the needy in his community, and at wherever he was visiting and ministering. He lived his life simply and full of devotion, spending not more than what was necessary for him, and he made several pilgrimages on foot all the way to Rome. The faith and humility that St. John of Kanty showed in his life should be inspiration for all of us to follow in our own lives.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore seek the Lord with a new heart, with a new commitment to follow Him and to devote our time and attention to Him, and from this upcoming Christmas celebration, to put Him back as the centre and focus of our lives. Let us all follow the examples set and shown by St. John of Kanty, doing our best to walk faithfully in the path that God has shown us. First let us all start by changing our Christmas celebrations from one that is worldly and self-centred into one that is centred on God, as well as love and life-giving, inspired by the love and generosity which St. John of Kanty has shown to those who were less fortunate all around him. Let us also remember that Christmas is all also possible, and that we can rejoice exactly because God has shown us His most generous love and kindness, compassion and grace.
May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us, empowering us with the love and courage to do our best in our lives, to be ever more loving and generous to each other. Through our faithful and worthy Christmas celebrations, where Christ is at the very focus and heart of our joy, let us all inspire more and more people that each one of us may be the shining beacons of God’s hope, light and truth. Let us show our love and generosity to those around us and not be distracted by the worldly glamour and desires. May all of us draw ever closer to God and be blessed as we approach the glorious and joyful season of Christmas. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Luke 1 : 57-66
When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her. When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.”
They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they asked the father, by means of signs, for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name is John,” and they were very surprised. Immediately Zechariah could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.
A holy fear came on all in the neighbourhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea the people talked about these events. All who heard of it pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14
Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.
Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.
The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Malachi 3 : 1-4, 23-24
Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The Envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.
He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.
I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of YHVH comes, for it will be a great and terrible day. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, all of us should always continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, in always believing that the promises which Our Lord has given to us will eventually come true, as He has always reassured us and actually fulfilled for us. God is indeed the only One Who will never abandon or fail us, even as many other means and methods of this world, all of our other ways and manners may fail us in the end. This Advent, as we continue to prepare ourselves well for the joyous celebration of Christmas to come, we should always keep in mind that we continue to focus our attention on the Lord.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah in which the prediction of the coming of God’s salvation and liberation for His people has been made to those whom Isaiah had been sent to minister to, the people of God in the kingdom of Judah, and also to all of us who have listened to it, as reminder of God’s ever wonderful faithfulness and grace, of everything that He had done for us, in fulfilling His part of the Covenant that He has established, maintained and renewed with us. We heard in that passage of Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of the one whom the Lord would send as His herald, to announce the coming of the salvation of God, which in time would come to be fulfilled in the person of St. John the Baptist.
Indeed, St. John the Baptist was that ‘voice in the wilderness’ that spoke of the proclamation of God’s imminent coming, the coming of the Holy One that had been sent into our midst, into this world to gather all of us back to God and to lead us all out of the darkness of evil and sin, and into the light. He called on all the people of God to return to Him, to realise their sinfulness and wickedness, and how they have fallen away from the path of God into the path of worldliness and sin. Hence, as we are reminded of the coming of God’s salvation which He had fulfilled and accomplished by first sending St. John the Baptist to prepare the way for His Saviour, and finally, through the coming of the Saviour of God, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the One promised and assured to us all, let us all ponder on what we are truly preparing to celebrate this upcoming Christmas season and time.
In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, our Saviour, reassuring us all of God’s ever wonderful love, compassion and mercy. Through the brief parable of the lost sheep, in which the Lord compared God’s actions to that of a shepherd who had a hundred sheep and lost one of them, and how the shepherd would go and do his best to seek that one lost sheep, therefore, we are reminded that the Lord considers each and every one of us as truly precious and beloved. Therefore, none of us should take for granted that the Lord has done everything in order to gather us all back and to find us all from being scattered and lost to Him throughout the whole world.
Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as St. Juan Diego, as we recall the life and holiness of this great man of God, whose devotion to Him and to His blessed mother had brought about great conversions and much good for the Church and for the people of God. St. John Diego was especially known for his role in revealing to the world the now world famous apparition of Mary, who appeared to St. John Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe. At that time, not long after the conquest of the New World, the Americas by the Spanish forces, there were a lot of disruptions and chaos, which therefore brought the Blessed Mother of God herself to appear before her beloved children to remind them to turn away from their sins and wickedness, and return to the side of her Son, their Lord and Saviour.
St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was one of the early converts among the native populations of Central America, and he was known to be a devout person, dedicating himself to his new faith zealously, and he was also known to be a righteous and good person in his deeds. One day, at the hill of Tepeyac, where the great Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe now stands, St. John Diego saw the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, appearing to him like a woman of his own race, and she revealed herself to him as the Mother of God and told him to inform the local bishop that a shrine should be built at the site so that she could assist those who have been troubled and distressed. St. John Diego obediently told the bishop and after another apparition, again shared with the local bishop what he had witnessed.
And when the bishop requested from the Apparition for a heavenly sign to show the authenticity of the supernatural event, the Blessed Virgin Lady of Guadalupe told St. John Diego that she would provide one. But when St. John Diego’s uncle was very sick and he missed the appointed time of the apparition, and attending to his uncle, later on when Our Lady of Guadalupe once again appeared to St. John Diego, she chided him gently for not having sought for her intercession and help, telling him in the now famous words, ‘Am I not here, who am your Mother?’ Then, while assuring St. John Diego that his uncle has fully recovered, she told him to gather flowers that were blooming at the site, using his own mantle, known as tilma, to hold those flowers to be shown to the bishop.
The moment that St. John Diego returned to the bishop and revealed the unusual flowers that he had gathered from the Blessed Lady of Guadalupe, the bishop was astonished to have seen the imprint of Our Lady of Guadalupe herself on the tilma or cloak of St. John Diego. This assured the bishop that the Apparition was truly genuine, and he immediately venerated the Blessed Lady of Guadalupe. Henceforth, the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe became very popular, bringing countless souls to God, being saved through His mother’s love and care for us, and until today, countless millions came to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe at her shrines, and many more throughout the world devoted themselves to the Lord through her, His Blessed Mother, who is also our Mother.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard the reminders from the Scriptures about the love and the salvation which God Himself has brought unto us through His Son, and also having listened to the great faith and dedication which St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin has shown us, in his commitment to God, his obedience to His Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and more of his other virtues, let us all therefore strive to be ever good and worthy in our own lives and deeds, so that by our good examples and actions, our every words and interactions with each other, we may always be the good role models and inspirations for all around us, that God may be better known to more and more.
Let us all therefore continue to live our lives worthily of the Lord and do our very best so that as good Christians we may always inspire many others around us to be good, committed and faithful to the Lord as well in all things. Let us continue to be good examples in each and every moments of our lives, in our daily interactions and efforts, our works and contributions so that we may lead more and more people towards Christ our Lord and His salvation. May all of us prepare well for Christmas and be ready to celebrate it wholeheartedly with true joy and appreciation. Amen.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 