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Monday, 2 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 4 : 2-6

On that day the Shoot of YHVH will be beautiful and glorious; and the Fruit of the earth will be honour and splendour for the survivors of Israel. Those who are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem, when YHVH washes away the filth of the women of Zion and purges Jerusalem of the bloodstains in its midst with the blast of searing judgment, the blast of fire.

Then will YHVH create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over its assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of fire by night. For the Glory of the Lord will be a canopy and a pavilion for all, a shade from the scorching heat by day, a refuge from the storm and rain.

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Sunday, 1 December 2024 : First Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we mark the occasion of the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Season of Advent, which is the time of preparation for the coming joyful and glorious Christmas Season. This day also marks the very first day in the new liturgical year in our liturgical calendar, in which the First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the new liturgical year. And hence, as we all gather together this Sunday in the Lord’s Presence, we ought to commit ourselves anew to the Lord as we enter into this time of spiritual preparation and renewal, so that we may truly be ready to celebrate the upcoming Christmas in a few weeks’ time. And this Sunday, we focus on the first aspect of Advent that we commemorate, which is Hope.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the prophet spoke of the Lord’s words to the people of God living in the kingdom of Judah, the southern half of the divided old Kingdom of Israel, which at that time was merely a shadow of the once glorious and mighty kingdom during the heyday of King David and King Solomon centuries earlier. At that time, the people of God in Judah had been facing a lot of hardships and misfortune, being surrounded by powerful enemies and humbled by them, and at the same time, their northern neighbours, the people of the kingdom of Israel, had been conquered and scattered into exile by the mighty Assyrians. The same fate would eventually befall the people of Judah as well.

And all those things happened because of the lack of faith that the people of God had shown, their disobedience and frequent refusals to follow the path which they had been taught and shown through their ancestors, and the Law and commandments which God has presented to them. All of these happened even after the Lord had sent them His messengers, prophets and servants to help and remind them of their true path and dedication to God. Instead, they had chosen to follow the path of sin and wickedness, leaving behind the truth of God and His love for the comforts and pleasures of the world, and the false paths shown by the false gods and idols of their neighbours, the Canaanites. But God still loved all of His people even if they had been rebellious and unfaithful.

That was why He gave them His message of reassurance through His prophets, so that they would remember His love, His most patient kindness and desire to welcome them all back to His embrace. Despite all that the people had done, God was still willing to forgive them all, and this is what we are reminded of today, that is the Hope which God has given us all through His Son, and how by this Hope we can gain sure entry into the kingdom of God, into the eternal life and true joy which the Lord has promised us and reassured everyone. We must not give up on this hope, and in fact, we should devote ourselves ever more strongly to the Lord by this renewal and reminder of God’s promise and reassurance as we celebrate annually this time of Advent to prepare for the joy of Christmas.

From our second reading passage today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Thessalonica in Greece, we are reminded that the Lord’s salvation has been given to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and as He has generously given us all this perfect and most tangible manifestation of His love and compassion, His mercy and kindness through His Son. As such, all of us who believe in Him, in the salvation offered by the Son of God for us, we must truly follow Him in all of our ways, and truly believe in Him wholeheartedly, embracing His teachings and truth with all of our hearts and minds, with all of our strength and might. And this is our calling and mission as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

Then in our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus Himself telling His disciples about the signs of the time and events to come, that is especially about the return of the Son of God and Son of Man into this world. This is a promise which Our Lord Himself had made, showing that just as He has predicted His own suffering, persecution and death, and then glorious Resurrection from the dead, hence, He will one day return in glory to complete all that the Lord our God had planned for us and for our eternal salvation and life with Him. He reassured us all that He will return in triumph and we will all share in His glory and joy if we remain firm in our faith and trust in Him.

This is why as we enter into this Advent season, this time of reflection and renewal of our faith and life, we are all called to refocus our attention and efforts to the Lord, turning away from all the hustle and bustle of the world, and we are all reminded to prepare ourselves well and properly so that we may truly be able to celebrate Christmas with true understanding, appreciation and knowledge of what it is that we truly celebrate and are rejoicing about. We are reminded that this season is a time to look upon the Lord with renewed Hope in Him, Hope that only God Himself can provide us, not the false hope and promises of the world, or all the other distractions and temptations present all around us.

Therefore, as we enter into this blessed Advent season and continue to prepare ourselves well to welcome the Lord into our midst this Christmas, let us all centre all of our preparation, especially in our spiritual preparation that we are all celebrating the Hope that we can find in God alone, and the Hope in the eternal life, the salvation from sin, evil and darkness which we all have been suffering from. May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and patient God and Father continue to love us all most generously and grant us all His strength and wisdom so that we may make very good use of this time of Advent that we have received, to prepare ourselves and to make ourselves ever more worthy of Him, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 1 December 2024 : First Sunday of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 21 : 25-28, 34-36

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, perplexed when they hear the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken. Then, at that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

“So, when you see things begin to happen, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near. Be on your guard : do not immerse yourselves in a life of pleasure, drunkenness and worldly cares, lest that day catch you unaware, like a trap! For, like a snare, will that day come upon all the inhabitants of the earth. But watch at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all that is going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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Sunday, 1 December 2024 : First Sunday of Advent (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

1 Thessalonians 3 : 12 – 1 Thessalonians 4 : 2

May the Lord increase, more and more, your love for each other and for all people, as He increases our love for you. May He strengthen you, internally, to be holy and blameless before God, Our Father, on the day that Jesus, Our Lord, will come with all His saints.

For the rest, brothers, we ask you, in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, and we urge you, to live in a way that pleases God, just as you have learnt from us. This you do, but try to do still more. You know the instructions we gave you on behalf of the Lord Jesus.

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Sunday, 1 December 2024 : First Sunday of Advent (Psalm)

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.

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Sunday, 1 December 2024 : First Sunday of Advent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 33 : 14-16

The days are coming when I shall fulfil the promise that I made in favour of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout the Shoot of righteousness from David’s line; He will practice justice and righteousness in the land.

In those days Judah will experience salvation and Jerusalem will live in safety. He will be called YHVH-Our-Righteousness.

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Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord and the brother of St. Peter the Apostle, and was the very first one of the Lord’s disciples and followers, hence why he is also sometimes known as St. Andrew the First-Called. On this day we honour this great man of God, who has devoted himself thoroughly to the service of God, and given himself to the ministry of the proclamation of the Good News of God to the many people and communities he encountered. St. Andrew the Apostle is truly a great inspiration to all of us in how he has lived his life with fervent desire to glorify God in his many missionary works and actions.

Now, first let us all begin with a revisiting of the passages from the Scriptures which we had received and heard earlier. In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, where where the Apostle was very clear in his words and reminders to the people of God regarding who it is that they believe in and worshipping, namely the Lord God, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who has brought into this world the assurance of His salvation, the promise of eternal life, true joy and glory with God, offered to all of mankind, everyone without any exception, bias or prejudice, whether they were Jews or Gentiles. And this message truly brought great hope to everyone who heard it.

This is because at that time, the belief among the Jewish people, the descendants of the original chosen people of God, the Israelites was that the Jews were the only ones deserving of God’s favour and salvation, while the Gentiles, who were mostly pagans and unbelievers were seen as defiled, corrupt, wicked and unworthy, and would be condemned unless they adopted wholly the ways and practices of the Jews, such as the strict laws and rules according to the Law of God as revealed to Moses including all the subsequent additions, modifications and changes. The problem is that the requirements were so stringent that even the Jews themselves have great difficulty obeying them, and all the more difficult for the Gentiles to do so.

In addition to this, based on historical evidence and Church records, the practices and customs of the Jews such as circumcision and the dietary preferences among other things were abhorrent and considered as alien and undesirable by many of the Gentiles, and forcing the Gentiles to adopt such practices would indeed have made their lives extra difficult, on top of the challenges that they would already have to face by being a follower of Christ. That was why St. Paul made it clear that the belief in the salvation in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all is universal, and not reserved only for any particular group of people. Anyone who truly believe in Him and obey Him, following His teachings and ways will be saved, and they shall all share in the fullness of grace and glory of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle, we heard of the moment when the Lord called His disciples, the first ones that He had, from among the fishermen of the lake of Galilee. St. Andrew was among these fishermen, and he was likely the one to introduce the Lord to his brother, then known as Simon, the future St. Peter the Apostle, as well as to the two sons of Zebedee, namely St. James the Apostle and St. John the Apostle. According to Apostolic and Church tradition, St. Andrew was also a disciple of St. John the Baptist, and was one of the two disciples of St. John the Baptist who went to follow the Lord after He was baptised by the former. This is why St. Andrew is also known as St. Andrew the First-Called as mentioned earlier.

The Lord then called him and the other fishermen, the other disciples to be the ‘fishers of men’, to be the ones to gather all mankind to the Lord, to lead them all to His salvation, just as they had gathered fish in their earlier work and livelihood. Through them, the Lord would reach out to many more people and bring them all towards His loving embrace and compassionate mercy, and that is the very important role which the Lord has entrusted and called the Apostles like St. Andrew to do. They would be the ones proclaiming the Good News of God, bringing hope and light of Christ to those who have suffered and waited in the darkness of this world, separated and sundered from God’s love and grace.

And now, let us revisit the life and examples of St. Andrew the Apostle especially after what was written in the Scriptures. According to Apostolic tradition, St. Andrew would go on to various places to proclaim the Gospels, the Good News of the Lord, including places such as Georgia, Greece and Asia Minor, parts of southern Russia and Ukraine around the Black Sea region, Romania, Cyprus, Malta and other places where he touched the hearts and minds of many with the Good News of the Lord, with His love and kindness, which have been freely and generously given to us. He established many churches and the foundations of the Christian communities in all those places, and was eventually martyred in Patras in southern Greece, being crucified on an X-shaped cross, which henceforth is known as ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore learn and be inspired from the good and worthy life, examples and commitment which St. Andrew has shown to the Lord and to the people he had been sent to. All of us should also have the same vigour and courage in proclaiming the Good News of God like that of St. Andrew and that of the other Apostles because they have shown us what it truly means to be good and faithful Christians, not just in name and formality only, but also through real actions, words and deeds based upon that living and genuine faith in God. We must embody our faith in our daily living and in how we interact with one another, with those whom we encounter, even acquaintances and strangers.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to bless and guide us all in our journey in life so that by His blessings and providence, by His encouragement and strength we may continue to do our best in our respective lives, continuing the good works which the Apostles such as St. Andrew had done in their lives. May our own lives and works be truly worthy of being Christians, and may we continue to be good role models and inspirations for each other, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 4 : 18-22

At that time, as Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come, follow Me; and I will make you fish for people.”

At once they left their nets and followed Him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them.

At once, they left the boat, and their father, and followed Him.

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Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

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Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Romans 10 : 9-18

You are saved, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and, in your heart, you believe that God raised Him from the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips, you are saved.

For Scripture says : No one who believes in Him will be ashamed. Here, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, Who is very generous with whoever calls on Him. Truly, all who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call upon the Name of the Lord without having believed in Him? And how can they believe in Him, without having first heard about Him? And how will they hear about Him, if no one preaches about Him? And how will they preach about Him, if no one sends them?

As Scripture says : How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of Good News. Although, not everyone obeyed the Good News, as Isaiah said : Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ.

I ask : Have the Jews not heard? But, of course, they have. Because the voice of those preaching resounded all over the earth, and their voice was heard, to the ends of the world.