violet

by

Monday, 7 October 2024 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 26-38

In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

The Angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the Angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call Him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the kingdom of David, His ancestor; He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and His reign shall have no end.”

Then Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy Child to be born of you shall be called Son of God. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child; and she is now in her sixth month. With God nothing is impossible.”

Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the Angel left her.

by

Monday, 7 October 2024 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

by

Monday, 7 October 2024 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 1 : 12-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen minute walk away. On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

All of these, together, gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women, and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

by

Sunday, 6 October 2024 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of everything that God had done for us, in His creation of us mankind, whom He has created lovingly in His own image, meant to share the fullness of His glory and majesty, His joy and happiness through all that He had made in this world. He has always desired that we live together in harmony and happiness, joy and satisfaction, to enjoy forever the fullness of His love and grace, and to be truly blessed and wonderful in all things. However, our disobedience against Him and our surrender to the many temptations and allures of worldly pleasures all around us had led us down into this path of darkness and downfall, which led us to wander in this world and suffer the consequences of our disobedience and lack of faith.

In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the account of the moment after the time when God created the first Man, Adam, in His own image, and saw that it is not good for man to be alone, just as the Lord Himself was not alone, but existing as always in the perfect unity of Three Divine Persons of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the belief that we have in the Holy Trinity, of the Oneness of God Who exists in the Three Divine Persons, sharing perfectly the indivisible unity of love because God is indeed Love, with the love that is shared by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit overflows to all of us mankind and to all of His Creation. He has no need for any one of us or for Creation, and yet, He created us all because He desired to share this love with us all.

That was why He created us in the first place, and in order to share in this unity, He also therefore created us man and woman, so that we may have one another and may share in the union between us, a union of love through which we may procreate and form new life, through the sacred union between man and woman that God had decreed, and He had also made woman from the parts of man, in order to show that through the union of man and woman, therefore we are made whole by this sacred union, which we describe as marriage, or holy matrimony. This sacred union is one that is blessed by God and mandated by Him for all of us to procreate and to inherit the whole world, all that God had created for each and every one of us. And ideally, through this loving union with one another, and with God Himself, all of us should have existed in harmony and peace. But, because we disobeyed God, we fell into sin and were removed from the state of grace, hence, suffering in this world.

In our second reading this Sunday, we then heard from the Epistle to the Hebrews in which author of this Epistle shared with all of us that despite this fate we are facing, our sufferings due to our rebellions and sins, God still loved us all nonetheless, and from the very beginning, He had wanted to redeem us all and bring us to His loving Presence once again, and He did all these by sending unto us His messengers and prophets, proclaiming His salvation which He would indeed fulfil through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through Christ, all of us have seen the Lord’s love manifested in the flesh, as He assumed our own human existence, our flesh and human nature, becoming tangible, real and approachable for us to come towards and touch, and through His loving Presence, all of us are reminded of how beloved we all have been by God, at all times.

As the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews shared with us that the Lord Jesus came to us to share with us His love, the love of God that is ever generous and compassionate, reaching out to us all, even to the most marginalised and to everyone who had been separated from Him and kept apart from His love by our sins. By His most loving and selfless sacrifice on the Cross, Our Lord Himself has opened for us the gates of Heaven and showed us the path to eternal life, true happiness and fullness of glory with Him, to regain for ourselves what we have always been intended to experience, that is not the sufferings due to our sins, but the pure bliss and happiness, the sharing in the fullness of God’s love and grace as He has always intended for us before we fell into sin and darkness.

Then, in the Gospel this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. Mark, we heard about the Lord Jesus and how He was confronted by some of the Pharisees who came to question Him regarding matters of the Law, and this time it was about the matter of whether one is allowed to divorce his spouse or not. As mentioned by the Lord Himself, the Law of Moses as interpreted and practiced at that time, ever since the days of Moses allowed a person to divorce his wife or for the wife to divorce the husband providing that the necessary paperworks and formalities were settled. He pointed out to those Pharisees, whose very strict and legalistic interpretation of the Law often got in their way of understanding and appreciating God’s true intentions and ways, that Moses allowed such an arrangement because of just how stubborn the people of Israel were at his time. It was meant to be a compromise but it was not what God truly intended and wanted from us to do.

Instead, as we have heard from the very beginning, from the Book of Genesis on the account of the creation of Man, God had always intended us to share in this sacred union, and this union is something that God Himself had blessed and made into a holy union, and the Lord said that, whatever God had made sacred and blessed, and united as one, no man should ever divide and dissolve. Essentially the Lord is reminding each and every one of us that the sacred bond of marriage, which we also call as the Sacrament of the Holy Matrimony, as one of the Seven Sacraments of the Church is truly a very important and crucial one for all of us, and for those among us all called to this sacred union, we must prepare ourselves thoroughly and appropriately so that we may truly understand its significance and importance, and that we may commit ourselves to this holy union, and not desecrate it by breaking it up.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in this Sunday’s Scripture passages, let us all therefore remind ourselves first of all of God’s most generous love and kindness, His compassionate love and mercy, and all that He has reassured and promised us all. And as part of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, as His beloved and holy people, let us always uphold the sacred institution of marriage, the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, the foundation of our holy and devout families, which themselves are the foundations and pillars of support for the Church of God. As long as our families are united in God and blessed by Him, and as long as each one of us as members of God’s holy and devout families continue to worship the Lord together and put Him as the centre and focus of our families, the Church will always be strong against all the attacks from the evil ones.

May the Lord, our ever loving God, Father and Creator continue to be with us all and bless each and every one of us in our journey of faith. May He continue to strengthen us all in faith, and allow us all to follow Him ever more faithfully and worthily in each and every moments of our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Sunday, 6 October 2024 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 10 : 2-16

At that time, some Pharisees came and put Jesus to the test with this question : “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?”

He replied, “What law did Moses give you?” They answered, “Moses allowed us to write a certificate of dismissal in order to divorce.” Then Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you, because you are stubborn. But in the beginning of creation God made them male and female, and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body. So they are no longer two but one body. Therefore let no one separate what God has joined.”

When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked Him about this, and He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against his wife, and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another also commits adultery.”

People were bringing their little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this. When Jesus noticed it, He was very angry and said, “Let the children come to Me and do not stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

Then He took the children in His arms and, laying His hands on them, blessed them.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Mark 10 : 2-12

At that time, some Pharisees came and put Jesus to the test with this question : “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?”

He replied, “What law did Moses give you?” They answered, “Moses allowed us to write a certificate of dismissal in order to divorce.” Then Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you, because you are stubborn. But in the beginning of creation God made them male and female, and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body. So they are no longer two but one body. Therefore let no one separate what God has joined.”

When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked Him about this, and He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against his wife, and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another also commits adultery.”

by

Sunday, 6 October 2024 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 2 : 9-11

But Jesus, Who suffered death, and for a little while, was placed lower than the Angels, has been crowned with honour and glory. For the merciful plan of God demanded that He experience death, on behalf of everyone.

God, from Whom all come, and by Whom all things exist, wanted to bring many children to glory, and He thought it fitting to make perfect, through suffering, the initiator of their salvation. So, He Who gives, and those who receive holiness, are one. He, Himself, is not ashamed of calling us brothers and sisters.

by

Sunday, 6 October 2024 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 127 : 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

Blessed are you who fear YHVH and walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your toil; you will be blessed and favoured.

Your wife, like a vine, will bear fruits in your home; your children, like olive shoots, will stand around your table.

Such are the blessings bestowed upon the man who fears YHVH. May YHVH praise you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosperous all the days of your life.

May you see your children’s children, and Israel at peace!

by

Sunday, 6 October 2024 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Genesis 2 : 18-24

YHVH God said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will give him a helper who will be like him.” Then YHVH God formed from the earth all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air and brought them to man to see what he would call them; and whatever man called every living creature, that was its name.

So man gave names to all the cattle, the birds of the air and to every beasts of the field. But he did not find among them a helper like himself. Then YHVH God caused a deep sleep to come over man and he fell asleep. He took one of his ribs and filled its place with flesh. The rib which YHVH God had taken from man He formed into a woman and brought her to the man.

The man then said, “Now this bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken from man.” That is why man leaves his father and mother and is attached to his wife, and with her become one flesh.

by

Saturday, 5 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded ever always of God’s providence and love, especially in moments when we are suffering and enduring challenges, trials and difficulties in life. There may be many moments when the world may be very difficult for us to live in, and when everything seems to be terrible for us, when it may seem impossible for us to carry on in life. However, we must not forget that the Lord our God will always be by our side, protecting and providing for us even when we do not realise it. He is always there guiding us and helping us to walk down the right path, encouraging us and strengthening us by His Presence and through the Holy Spirit, and we should not forget this fact or ignore His Presence and existence in our journey.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Job, we heard the conclusion of the story of Job, the faithful man of God who suffered from the attacks of the evil one, Satan, who tried to prove to God that Job would fall into sin if he was to lose all the blessings and the good things which he had received from God. Job lost almost everything in the events that happened, his great wealth, his family and loved ones and even his health and body was affected. But Job did not lose faith in the Lord and continued to be faithful to Him throughout all of His ordeals and difficulties. He did not let all those challenges and trials to dissuade and tempt him away from the path that God has led him through. Job continued to hold fast and strongly in the faith that he has always had in the Lord. Despite all the attacks he also faced from his friends, who accused him of wrongdoings to have merited such a suffering, he remained steadfast.

Job did face a lot of struggles and also moments of despair, which he had to endure throughout his path of suffering as he did experience all the pain and sorrows associated with what he had to persevere through at that time. He had his doubts and uncertainties, but he never let his fears to tempt him away from God. But God did rebuke Job for his despair and for having questioned himself and his faith because of his sufferings and the opposition he faced from his peers. He should not have doubted himself and his self-value, and he should have continued to trust in the Lord wholeheartedly, and indeed, the Lord rewarded His faithful one, Job, most wonderfully, double than everything that he had once received and been blessed with, showing that God indeed is the source of everything that is good, and if we have trust and faith in Him, then truly we shall not be disappointed.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard about the account from the Gospel of St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus had His disciples that He sent out earlier returning to Him with great joy because of all the wonders, signs and works that they had performed among the people through the power and authority which the Lord Himself has granted to them all. They had healed many of the sick brought to them and showed power and authority against the evil spirits and demons, casting them out from those who had been possessed. Never before had this power and works had been shown among the people of God, and they all received this great grace of God from none other than the Saviour of the world Himself, the Divine Son of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

Through Him we have received the assurance of God’s love and providence, and the assurance of His salvation. We heard the Lord proclaiming the downfall and destruction of Satan, because it was indeed what was happening to the order of the world, to the power and dominion of Satan, the evil one, who had ruled and held dominion for so long over all of us through sin. By His power and authority, and by the great love and kindness, compassion and generosity which He has always had for us, God Himself has rescued us from the destruction and damnation that threatened because of our sins and wickedness. God would not let us all to be lost from Him, and He did whatever He could so that through His providence and help, through His Son, our Lord and Saviour, we are shown the path to eternal life.

The Lord also proclaimed before His disciples everything that God had done through Him, the manifested and incarnate Son of God, fulfilling every promises and reassurances which He has promised to each and every one of us and our predecessors. God has manifested Himself in His Son, making Himself approachable to us and allowing us all to share in this generous love. And through Him, the revelation of God’s truth and love had been made to us, showing to us just how faithful and loving God has always been towards us, from the very beginning. He reassured us all with His love, showing us that He has always desired to be reunited and reconciled with us. God showed us all His power and majesty, overcoming even the mighty power of Satan and the forces of this world, to rescue us and to bring us all back to His Presence, much as He had done for Job earlier on.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the significance of this to all of us is that we must always continue to trust in the Lord our God, in all things and at all circumstances of our journey in life. We may encounter lots of trials, challenges, obstacles and difficulties in our path, but we should not allow all these to distract us from the Lord and from dissuading and coercing us to abandon the Lord and instead to seek other sources of desire, hope and satisfaction. We must always continue to stand by the Lord and uphold our faith in Him, obey and follow His Law and commandments, resisting the challenges, difficulties, trials and temptations, all of which had threatened to lead us away from the Lord and His path. All of us should continue to trust in the Lord at all times and be the examples and inspirations for one another in faith.

May the Lord continue to help, guide and inspire us all with His strength, love and compassion, and grant us all the Holy Spirit and the power to persevere through the various challenges in life, and may He continue to love us all generously as He has always done. May the Lord be with us all and may He bless our lives and works, our every efforts and endeavours in all things, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

by

Saturday, 5 October 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Luke 10 : 17-24

At that time, the seventy-two disciples returned full of joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we called on Your Name.” Then Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice, rather, than your names are written in heaven.”

At that time, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will. I have been given all things by My Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said to them privately, “Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you, that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see, but did not see it; and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”