Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 51 : 10, 11
But I am as a green olive tree that thrives in the house of God : I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever.
I will praise You forever for all You have done, and proclaim Your good Name before the faithful ones.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Colossians 1 : 1-8
Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and Timothy our brother, to the saints in Colossae, our faithful brothers and sisters in Christ : Receive grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord. Thanks be to God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord!
We constantly pray for you, for we have known of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints. Indeed you await in hope the inheritance reserved for you in heaven, of which you have heard through the word of truth. This Gospel, already present among you, is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world, as it did among you from the day you accepted it and understood the gift of God in all its truth.
He who taught you, Epaphras, our dear companion in the service of Christ, faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, has reminded me of the love you have for me in the Spirit.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard how the Lord had sent His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, to be our Saviour, to bring us from the darkness and into the light. Through Christ, He had brought us away from the certainty of death and from the dominion of Satan and his allies. And from us He had cast out the demons and the evil spirits that dwelled inside us, and in its place, He places within us His Word, His own Divine Presence, and the Holy Spirit.
The Lord has come to deliver us from the forces of evil that assailed us, and He has come to bring us from the punishments which were designed for us, because of our sins and our rebellions against God. We are the children of the Light, greatest and most beloved among all of God’s creations, and we were special, but because of our inability to resist our temptations, that brought about our fall from grace.
We would rather follow the devil’s instructions and accept his offers, because it seems to be more lucrative and beneficial for us. That is because the devil knows exactly what we have in us, our desires and wants, and he is tapping on those to bring about our downfall. Satan was once the prince of the heavenly forces and the greatest, most brilliant and mightiest of the angels of God, Lucifer, the lightbringer, but he was brought down by his own pride and wickedness.
As he fell from grace, Satan must have been jealous on the glory and grace that God had bestowed on men, on our ancestors, for He created them to be His most beloved and greatest creatures. Therefore, just as He has fallen from grace and was cast down, he was likely determined to bring us down with him as well. That was why he tempted Adam and Eve, and their failure to keep up their faith brought about their fall as well.
But God is a loving God, who loves us all very greatly beyond compare. Even though we have sinned before Him, and even though He hates our sins and wickedness, but He still has His love for us. For we were created to share in His love, in His very own image, and to us He has given dominion over all creations. But we were unable to match up to what the Lord expected of us.
Yet, He is still willing to give us a chance, just as He had given those who came before us many, many chances at repentance and forgiveness. He openly offered His mercy, and through Jesus, He made it clear that sinners may come to Him and be freed from the bonds that had held them, namely the bonds of sin. The Lord cast out the evil spirits from them, and in this, He showed all that He values us more than anything else.
Now we also have to realise that, as powerful, mighty and scary the devil is, or his allies, they all have no power against God who is all powerful and Almighty. No matter what hubris the devil had lavished and shown, even he, being a mere angel, mighty as he was, is still subject to the Lord, who is his Lord and God, as painful and as horrible as it is for Satan to admit this fact.
He tried to undermine and to stop the Lord’s work at saving His people, by condemning them before His presence, as he had done with Job, and when he was unsuccessful, he continued to pester us, and tempted us all the more, trying hopefully to steer us far away from finding the salvation in God. And in the end, he even tried to tempt Jesus Himself, not knowing that He is God, the Divine Word who took up the flesh of Man.
Jesus made it clear that He had the authority over the evil spirits, just as He is the Master and Lord of all things. And He wants all sinners and those troubled in heart to be healed and to be brought back to the grace of God. This is what He wanted, and what He had done for us, even unto bearing the cross of sins and sufferings and died for us on Calvary.
God had done so much for us, and He has been willing to go the extra mile to help us and deliver us from certain destruction because of our own actions and faithlessness. Shall we do the same as well? It is just right and honourable for us all to return Him the love and dedication He had shown us. And how do we do so? It is by living righteously and sinning no more, and in all of our words and actions, let us all always be mindful of the Lord and His love for us.
Let us all bless the Lord and let us from now on walk again in His path, so that by doing so, we will be found just and worthy to receive the eternal life and the fullness of grace and inheritance He had promised all who remain faithful to Him. Let us all reject and rebuke Satan and all of his lies, and all of his wicked temptations and falsehoods, and let us seek and worship the Lord our God alone. God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 4 : 31-37
At that time, Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and began teaching the people at the sabbath meetings. They were astonished at the way He taught them, for His word was spoken with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man possessed by an evil spirit, who shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I recognise You : You are the Holy One of God.”
Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front of them, and came out of him without doing him harm. Amazement seized all these people, and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!”
And news about Jesus spread throughout the surrounding area.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.
One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His sanctuary.
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
1 Thessalonians 5 : 1-6, 9-11
You do not need anyone to write to you about the delay and the appointed time for these events. You know that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people feel secure and at peace, the disaster will suddenly come upon them as the birth pangs of a woman in labour, and they will not escape.
But you, beloved, are not in darkness, so that day will not surprise you like a thief. All of you are citizens of the light and the day; we do not belong to night and darkness. Let us not, therefore, sleep as others do, but remain alert and sober.
For God has not willed us to be condemned but to win salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord. He died for us so that we might enter into life with Him, whether we are still awake or already asleep. Therefore, encourage one another and build up one another, as you are doing now.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about how Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth in the region of Galilee, where His foster father Joseph and His mother Mary hailed from. Jesus proclaimed the truth about Himself, and He told them of God’s salvation that would come through Him. But the people of Nazareth refused to believe in Him, especially if He did not perform the miracles He had performed in other places.
They were truly a superficial people, a terrible human tendency, which is also often affecting many of us as well. They focused on what they saw and witnessed, and yet they were unable to look beyond the veil of appearances into what lies inside, which also explains why they were unable to understand that Jesus is the Lord, the Messiah, King of kings, although He chose to come into this world in a humble form of a Man, born of a family of poor carpenter.
They were unable to comprehend that appearances, wealth, power and worldly things are not always the measure of everything. These are the things that we mankind often value and treasure, but these are at the same time, temporary and not everlasting. The treasures of the world can be destroyed and changed, and these can be lost, but the true treasures that we all ought to find are everlasting.
Jesus taught us all that those who put their trust in human power shall be disappointed, just as the foolish man who built his house on the foundation of sand. All the human glory, wealth, goodness of this world, all the praise and fame we have, all are merely illusions and replica of what is to come for us. They will not come with us when we go forth to the life that is to come, and when we die, we are to leave all these behind with this world.
Let us think about this as we go on carrying out our daily lives. Are we too preoccupied with maintaining our status, our possessions, our affluence and everything else that distract us from our true destination and goal in life? Are we too preoccupied with things that are unsteady and are truly shaky foundations for our life? We should instead place ourselves on the steady and strong foundation that can be found only in God.
In the first reading today, St. Paul in his epistle to the Church in Thessalonica spoke of what will happen to us all and all those who are still living at the time when the Lord comes again as He had promised. The Lord will come again and reward all those who have kept their faith in Him, and He shall bless all of them forever. This is the promise of eternal inheritance and the true treasures we shall receive if we all remain faithful.
God is always faithful, and when He promised us that those who have died in Him, just and righteous, shall be rewarded and shall receive the promised life eternal, when He calls on them. This is the treasure that we ought to find, and thus not to dwell on the earthly and worldly treasures that do not last and can be destroyed. We seek the eternal gift and treasure that will not be destroyed and lasts forever.
Let us all from now on devote ourselves anew to our Lord, our loving God. Let us all be filled with love for Him, and with joy and hope in the life which He had promised us with. May Almighty God be with us always, and bless us for the faith which we have shown Him from our hearts. May God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 4 : 16-30
At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”
Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.”
All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?” So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal Yourself! Do here in Your town what they say You did in Capernaum.”
Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon.”
“There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.” On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 95 : 1 and 3, 4-5, 11-12a, 12b-13
Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.
How great is the Lord and worthy of praise! Above all gods He is to be feared. For all other gods are worthless idols but YHVH is the One who made the heavens.
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
1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18
Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together with Jesus and for His sake.
By the same Word of the Lord we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the archangel’s voice is given, the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.
Then those who have died in the Lord will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever. So, then comfort one another with these words.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 