way of the Lord

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Tuesday, 20 January 2015 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 110 : 1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10c

Alleluia! I thank the Lord with all my heart in the council of the just, in the assembly. The works of the Lord are great and pondered by all who delight in them.

He lets us remember His wondrous deeds; the Lord is merciful and kind. Always mindful of His covenant, He provides food for those who fear Him.

He has sent His people deliverances and made with them a covenant forever. His Holy Name is to be revered! To Him belongs everlasting praise.

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Tuesday, 20 January 2015 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Hebrews 6 : 10-20

God is not unjust and will not forget everything you have done for love of His Name; you have helped and still help the believers. We desire each of you to have, until the end, the same zeal for teaching what you have hoped for. Do not grow careless but imitate those who, by their faith and determination, inherit the promise.

Remember God’s promise to Abraham. God wanted to confirm it with an oath and, as no one is higher than God, He swore by Himself : I shall bless you and give you many descendants. By just patiently waiting, Abraham obtained the promise.

People are used to swearing by someone higher than themselves and their oath affirms everything that could be denied. So God committed Himself with an oath in order to convince those who were to wait for His promise that He would never change His mind.

Thus we have two certainties in which it is impossible that God be proved false : promise and oath. That is enough to encourage us strongly when we leave everything to hold to the hope set before us. This hope is like a steadfast anchor of the soul, secure and firm, thrust beyond the curtain of the Temple into the sanctuary itself, where Jesus has entered ahead of us – Jesus, High Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.

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Monday, 19 January 2015 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today in the Gospel and the readings, we heard about the nature of the incompatibility of the beliefs and practices of the people of God, Israel, between the ancient practice of animal offerings and harvest offerings to God at the Temple, the shedding of the blood of lambs and the offering of fats, which priests offered daily for various purposes, namely thanksgiving, giving praise, and most importantly, sin offering, for the remission of the people’s sins.

The priests offered the offerings of goat and birds’ blood for his own sins and for the sins of the people, but this is only a temporary measure to remit one’s sins, and thus the offering had to be made again and again, for the simple fact that no amount of animal offering, even the best fats of the lamb can account for the vastness and the depth of mankind’s sins and wickedness.

And all of the practices of the people of Israel, as the elders described them and included them in the customs, such as the ritual washing and purification, as well as the observation of fasting and penitence, are all external application of the people’s desire to be made pure and clean from the defilements of the world as they come to celebrate and worship the Lord.

But all those had been turned obsolete by the action of a single Man, who single-handedly carried all of the sins of mankind past, present and future, every single man from Adam the first man to the last man, that He might absolve them by His action as a priest, and indeed not just as any priests, but as the one sole High Priest of all creation, of all mankind, that is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ is our High Priest, just as the Letter to the Hebrews had highlighted in our first reading today. He is the High Priest who offered the perfect offering and sacrifice, the only one that is worthy to absolve and erase our sins, once and for all, for all eternity. And that sacrifice is none other than the very sacrifice that He had made on Calvary, the place of the skulls, where He laid down His life for us on the cross.

He offered not the blood of lambs, goats or doves, but His own Blood, the Most Precious Blood of the Lord, which is perfect beyond any others and the only one that is worthy enough to pay the entire debts of our sins, once and for all. He therefore offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sake. His suffering, the wounds He sustained and endured, and the nails that pierced His holy hands and feet are the manifestation of His love for us, that He was willing to endure all that so that we can be saved.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all these shows why the old ways and customs which the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law stubbornly clinged to, are no longer valid and necessary. The sacrifice of Jesus had made it unnecessary to offer regularly the animal sacrifices and the oblations which they persistently insist, along with the various laws and observations they imposed on the people of God.

The way of the Pharisees were filled with human laws and human interpretations of the Law, which is often flawed, and indeed, in its execution, they lost the true focus of why they observe the laws of God, that is to serve God and to follow His will. They end up serving human purposes and even misuse them to glorify themselves and bringing human praise to themselves.

That is what Jesus meant by His parable of the cloth and the wineskins. One cannot patch old and new cloth together, as they are incompatible. When you wash the two together, they will shrink differently and thus will tear apart from each other. And old wineskin cannot be filled with new wine, and vice versa for the same reason. Things that are incompatible will not be able to match, and they will bring about difficulties and conflict, just as the Law of Christ are incompatible with the laws of men advocated by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.

Then some of us may ask, why then, our priests and the Church continue to celebrate the Holy Mass daily and regularly? The Holy Mass is a sacrifice, the Sacrifice which our Lord Jesus had made on the cross. Does this mean then that Jesus is crucified again and again? Does this mean that we ignore the fact that Christ died once and for all, for us?

No, brothers and sisters in Christ, for the Holy Mass is the same sacrifice that Christ had offered at Calvary, and not a new sacrifice. The priests represent Christ Himself, as Alter Christus, who offered the same offering on the cross at Calvary. The Holy Mass is united in meaning and purpose, in substance and reality to the same sacrifice made that day when Christ laid down His life for us.

And that is why we also believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, for the bread and wine which the priest by the power of God invested in him as the Christ personified, are truly transformed in material and spirit, into the Real Body and Real Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, even though in appearance, they remain as bread and wine. This is our faith and this is what we believe in, for our salvation.

Remember that Jesus told His disciples and the people that those who eat of His Body and drink of His Blood will live forever and not die. And thus this is what will happen to all of us who believe and worthily accept Him into ourselves. If we choose to believe in Him and follow Him, we can be assured that we will be well taken care of. Thus, we need to support our priests, who are working hard, and who daily celebrate the Mass for our sake, that through the Mass which is the same Sacrifice of Jesus our Lord, we may receive eternal life through His sacrifice.

May Almighty God be with us all, bless us all and guide us in our life. Let us no longer be stubborn in our sinfulness, but remain faithful to the Lord and be grateful ever for the love He had shown us all. God bless us. Amen.

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Sunday, 18 January 2015 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Migrants and Refugees and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the calling of Samuel, who had been called by God in his youth, when he was still under the tutelage of Eli, the judge over Israel. He was called to be the servant of God, and to be the one who would lead the people of Israel back to the Lord, as the messenger of His will and desire for His people.

And in the Gospel we heard about the parallel story of how the Apostles, that is the chief disciples of the Lord, were called. They were called from their respective lives to be the bearers of the Good News of the Lord. And therefore, just like Samuel, they brought much goodness to the people of God. They were after all called to be the bearers of God’s great Light to a people who lived in a great darkness, to dispel that darkness and bring them all back to the true Light.

Why was Samuel called by the Lord? And why was the Apostles and the disciples of Christ called by Jesus to follow Him and to do His will? That is because there is indeed much wickedness in this world, so much so that it disgusts our Lord to see such great darkness and wickedness existing among us His people. Thus, He called His servants and all those whom He had chosen to be the bearers of His will to His people, to call them to repentance.

The people at the time of Samuel was led by the judges whom God had appointed over His people. But they were only faithful as long as the judges were alive. As soon as they passed away, they returned to their old way of sin and wickedness, following the customs and practices of their Canaanite neighbours. Therefore, God was angry with them and they suffered greatly at the hands of their persecutors.

Similarly, the people at the time of Jesus lived at a time when they were adrift among the false practices of the people around them. Just a century or so before the birth of Christ, if we read the Book of the Maccabees, then we should know how many of the people of God readily submitted to the pagan ways and rejected the way of the Lord, and they sinned greatly before God.

Nevertheless, it does not mean that God did not love His people. It is neither that He desired their destruction and annihilation. In fact, God loves all of them, and He desires only for their salvation. And that is why, He called Samuel to bring His warnings and His truth to the people, that they might repent and follow Him again. And in the same way, He called His Apostles through whom He made clear His truth and teachings, and from them, the same truth is passed down to all of us.

In the second reading, St. Paul in his letter to the Church in Corinth reminded the faithful that they must avoid all forms of sins and fornications, of the flesh and of the spirit. He reminded the people that they are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, that is the very Temple and House of God where God Himself resides. If they committed sin and fornications, then they would have defiled the very House and Presence of God Himself, and they committed grave sin that threatened condemnation on them.

Therefore it will be the same for all of us if we choose to live wickedly and be filled with sin. All of us who have believed in Christ and accept Him into ourselves through the Most Holy Eucharist have been made into the dwelling and the house where God Himself resides. Thus, we are all the Temples of the Lord’s Holy Presence and we have to maintain the purity and sanctity of this Temple, that is our body, our mind, our heart and our spirit, so that no taint of sin or wickedness may come and harm our purity.

How is the reading today relevant to us, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is because all of us have been called to be the disciples and followers of Christ, and we all have been baptised in His Name, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have been granted such great grace to have the Lord Himself dwelling in us. Thus first, we have to maintain ourselves in a state of purity and avoiding the taints of sin as best as we can.

But we cannot just stop there, brethren, as the gifts and graces which we have received are the same gifts which God had given to Samuel, and also the same gifts as He had granted the Apostles and disciples in the ages past. Therefore, we too have the same obligation and duty as that which had been given to the prophets and the Apostles, that is to bring the revelations of God’s truth to mankind and to call mankind back to the Lord, abandoning their sins and embracing fully the way of the Lord.

Are we able to be like Samuel and say courageously to the Lord, “Lord, speak, for Your servant is listening!”? It is very difficult for many if not most of us to listen and to allow God to speak in us, within our heart. He speaks to us in a subtle way, and if we allow ourselves to be distracted by the many things in the world, the many pleasures and evils in it, then I would say that, we would be deaf to the Lord calling for us, to repent and to follow Him with all of our heart. Let us change our ways therefore, that we may truly be faithful and active disciples of our Lord.

And again therefore, it is related once again to how we live our lives. No one will believe in what we preach should we not live according to what our faith tells us. No one will follow us if we do not do as what we have preached to them. Thus, our faith in God must be truly a living faith, and in living our faith, we too can preserve the sanctity of our Temple, the Temple of God that is our body, our mind, our heart, and our soul.

Today we mark the World Day of Prayer for Migrants and Refugees. We ought to pray for all those who have been displaced by various causes, either by war, injustice, oppression or any other reasons, which cause them difficulties and sufferings. If we are truly the Temples of God, the dwelling place of our Lord, then by nature all of us should act according to what our Lord would have done, that is to love those who are least, weakest, the ostracised and the rejected ones in our society. Migrants and refugees are often among these, and if we do not love them, then who will?

Let us share some of our love and our joy, our blessing and our grace with them, the migrants, those who have travelled far from their homeland, as well as refugees who have been displaced from their lands. After all, was not Abraham a migrant too? He travelled far following the will of God, and he obediently followed His commandments, and his descendants Israel also have to move from place to place, suffering difficulties along the way. Thus, let us all share a thought for this, and give them the best we can do. Do not shun them, or ostracise them or reject them, but let us welcome them all with love.

Today we also mark the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, where we pray for the eventual reunion of all the faithful and all those who profess faith in Christ, under the orthodox and true teachings of the Faith, according to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church under the sovereignty and leadership of the one and only Vicar of Christ, the Pope of Rome, whom God had appointed to be His sole representative on this world.

Thus as we begin this solemn week of prayer, let us all commit ourselves to keep ourselves pure and righteous, following the Law of God and be obedient to His teachings, so that all others who see us, will believe and repent from their sins. Let us pray sincerely for the conversion of heretics and schismatics who have separated themselves from the true faith in particular, that they may have their eyes opened and their senses awakened, so they may know what the true Faith is like and abandon all forms of lies and falsehoods which Satan had planted in them to divide the Church of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be true to our mission in life, that is to keep ourselves faithful and at the same time, bring our brethren who are still in darkness and all those who have gone wayward, to return them to the path towards the Lord. Hence, now we pray, we act and we do things that will show the faith we have in our Lord, our loving God, and He who sees it all and knows it all, will reward us richly forevermore. God bless us all. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/sunday-18-january-2015-second-sunday-of-ordinary-time-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees-and-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/sunday-18-january-2015-second-sunday-of-ordinary-time-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees-and-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-psalm/

 

Second  Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/sunday-18-january-2015-second-sunday-of-ordinary-time-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees-and-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-second-reading/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/sunday-18-january-2015-second-sunday-of-ordinary-time-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees-and-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-gospel-reading/

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(Usus Antiquior) Second Sunday after Epiphany, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome, Feast of St. Paul the Apostle, and Feast of St. Prisca, Virgin and Martyr (II Classis) – Sunday, 18 January 2015 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

Lectio Epistolae Beati Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Romans

Romans 12 : 6-16

Fratres : Habentes donationes secundum gratiam, quae data est nobis, differentes : sive prophetiam secundum rationem fidei, sive ministerium in ministrando, sive qui docet in doctrina, qui exhortatur in exhortando, qui tribuit in simplicitate, qui praest in sollicitudine, qui miseretur in hilaritate.

Dilectio sine simulatione. Odientes malum, adhaerentes bono : Caritate fraternitatis invicem diligentes : Honore invicem praevenientes : Sollicitudine non pigri : Spiritu ferventes : Domino servientes : Spe gaudentes : In tribulatione patientes : Orationi instantes : Neccessitatibus sanctorum communicantes : Hospitalitatem sectantes.

Benedicite persequentibus vos : benedicite, et nolite maledicere. Gaudere cum gaudentibus, flere cum flentibus : Idipsum invicem sentientes : Non alta sapientes, sed humilibus consentientes.

 

English translation

Brethren, having different gifts, according to the grace that is given to us, either prophecy, to be used according to the rule of faith, or ministry, in ministering, or he who teaches the doctrine, he who exhorts in exhorting, he who gives with simplicity, he who rules with carefulness, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness.

Let love be without dissimulation. Hating that which is evil, clinging to that which is good. Loving one another with the charity of brotherhood, in honour preventing one another. In carefulness, not slothful, and in spirit fervent, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, instant in prayer, communicating to the necessities of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Being of one mind one towards another, not minding high things, but consenting to the humble.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/17/usus-antiquior-second-sunday-after-epiphany-feast-of-the-chair-of-st-peter-at-rome-feast-of-st-paul-the-apostle-and-feast-of-st-prisca-virgin-and-martyr-ii-classis-sunday-18-january-2015-6/

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(Usus Antiquior) Second Sunday after Epiphany, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter at Rome, Feast of St. Paul the Apostle, and Feast of St. Prisca, Virgin and Martyr (II Classis) – Sunday, 18 January 2015 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Psalm 65 : 4, 1-2

Omnis terra adoret Te, Deus, et psallat Tibi : psalmum dicat Nomini Tuo, Altissime.

Jubilate Deo, omnis terra, psalmum dicite Nomini Ejus : date gloriam laudi Ejus.

Response : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Let all the earth adore You, o God, and sing to You. Let it sing a psalm to Your Name, o You who are Most High.

Shout with joy to God all the earth, sing all of you a psalm to His Name, give glory to His praise.

Response : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Collect

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui caelesta simul et terrena moderaris : supplicationes populi Tui clementer exaudi; et pacem Tuam nostris concede temporibus. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, Qui Tecum vivis et regnas in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Almighty, eternal God, You who had governed all things in heaven and on earth, of Your mercy hear the supplications of Your people, and grant Your peace in our times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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Sunday, 18 January 2015 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Migrants and Refugees and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 39 : 2 and 4ab, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10

With resolve I waited for the Lord; He listened and heard me beg. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

As the scroll says of me, to do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your Law is within my heart.

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o Lord, I did not seal – You know that very well.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/18/sunday-18-january-2015-second-sunday-of-ordinary-time-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees-and-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Sunday, 18 January 2015 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, World Day of Migrants and Refugees and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 3 : 3b-10, 19

And Samuel also lay in the house of YHVH near the Ark of God. Then YHVH called, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “I am here!” and ran to Eli saying, “I am here, did you not call me?” But Eli said, “I did not call, go back to sleep.” So he went and lay down.

Then YHVH called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel stood up and went to Eli saying, “You called me; I am here.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.”

Samuel did not yet know YHVH and the word of YHVH had not yet been revealed to him. But YHVH called Samuel for the third time and, as he went again to Eli saying, “I am here for you have called me,” Eli realised that it was YHVH calling the boy.

So he said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if He calls you again, answer : ‘Speak, YHVH, Your servant listens.'” Then YHVH came and stood there calling as He did before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant listens.”

Samuel grew; YHVH was with him and made all his words become true.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/18/sunday-18-january-2015-second-sunday-of-ordinary-time-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees-and-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-homily-and-scripture-reflections/

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Saturday, 17 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the theme of today’s readings are similar and indeed is a continuation of yesterday’s readings. If yesterday we heard about the healing of the paralytic man by Jesus, showing God’s love and mercy for sinners, that is all of us mankind, then today we heard about the calling of Levi, the tax collector who followed Jesus and would later be known as Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles and one of the Four Evangelists or the Writers of the Four Holy Gospels.

In this we can see that no one is beyond redemption and no one is unworthy of salvation. Salvation is offered freely by the Lord to all of us, and it is ultimately in our hands and in our decision to accept or to reject the salvation offered to us. If we accept His salvation and forgiveness for our sinfulness, then we have the potential, capacity and opportunity to become great servants of God, exalted and praised. On the other hand, if we choose to reject Him, then our share is suffering and pain everlasting.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we have to reflect on our own lives, and how we have responded to the call of Christ. Yes, our Lord has called us many times and He constantly wants to remind us to distance ourselves from corruption of this world and all forms of sins, so that we will not be tainted by its corrupting nature. Mankind are all by nature prone and vulnerable to the temptation and to the pull of sin. If we do nothing, then it is likely for us to stumble and fall into the deep pit of sin.

Sin, as I have often mentioned, is the sickness and disease of the soul. Sin makes us all sick and defiled, and if we continue to live with sin, then gradually we will be drifting further and further away from God and we will eventually be lost. Sin however does not have the final say on us, as Christ would prove, by His actions and deeds, through which He sanctified the race of mankind, bringing to them a new hope of liberation from sins.

Jesus came to offer us sinners new hope, by calling us to repent and to abandon our ways of life filled with sins. He came to call sinners back to His love and to convert a people who are wicked and turn them into the creatures of love, of gentleness and care, and of harmony and peace. Thus that was why He called Levi the tax collector, to follow Him and became one of His disciples, counted among the Twelve Apostles.

We may ask, why Jesus would bother to look for sinners and the lost sheep, wicked and sinful men. Why would He bother to go all the way into the depth of the filth and quagmire that is this world, the sole purpose of which is to rescue those who have been trapped in the quagmire and bring them to safety. In fact, do you know that Jesus our Lord let Himself be trapped in that quagmire, so that all of us trapped in it can use His Body to go to our safety?

And thus it is in the same way that our Lord Jesus Christ had gone to find the lowest and the poorest of all, the greatest sinners of all, that by bearing the full brunt of all their sins, He brought about the salvation of all who repented their sins and believed in Him. Those who repented and followed the Lord just as Levi had done, shall receive the forgiveness of their sins, and the eternal grace and blessing of God.

Therefore, today we are called by God to follow the example of Levi, that is to leave behind our lives of sin and embrace the love and mercy of God, following our Lord Jesus and accepting His salvation with our whole heart. That us what we ought to do if we are to attain a new life in Him, life that is free from sin, and in which we are no longer bound to death, which is the consequence of sin.

Today we also celebrate the feast of St. Anthony the Great, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt, one of the first monks of the Faith, namely those who chose to retreat from the worldly materials and possessions, retreating into secluded places and following a life filled with prayer and total devotion to the Lord. St. Anthony of Egypt followed this lifestyle after he reflected on the meaning of the words of Jesus, particularly, ‘Follow Me!’

Thus in order to seek the kingdom of heaven and the grace of God, St. Anthony practiced his faith by retreating from the world and all of its temptations, shunning all forms of sins and worldliness. But he did not have it easy. Temptations and the demons are always tempting him and attacking him, trying to make him fail in his devotion and holy way of life in following God. Nevertheless, St. Anthony persevered and through his intense devotion, many examples and works were made which inspired countless peoples and souls to also follow God with all of their heart.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not have to go to the extent of what St. Anthony had done, but at least we have to follow in his footsteps, just as Levi had done before Him, abandoning the life of sin which we have, and exchange it for the life in Christ. We have to live out our faith from now on, that is we have to truly mean what we believe in and not just to let it be empty words or profession of faith without meaning.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, from now on let us commit ourselves anew to the Lord, so that in all things we say and do, we will glorify God and give witness to Him, that others who see us may also believe in Him and be saved as well. God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

 

First Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/16/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-first-reading/

 

Psalm : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/16/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading : 

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/16/saturday-17-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-memorial-of-st-anthony-abbot-gospel-reading/

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Friday, 16 January 2015 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 4 : 1-5, 11

Therefore let us fear while we are invited to enter the rest of God, lest any of you be left behind. We received the Gospel exactly as they did, but hearing the message did them no good, because they did not share the faith of those who did listen.

We are now to enter this rest because we believed, as it was said : ‘I was angry and made a solemn vow : they will never enter My rest’ – that is the rest of God after He created the world. In another part it was said about the seventh day : ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.’

But now it is said : ‘They will not enter My rest.’ Let us strive, then, to enter the rest and not to share the misfortune of those who disobeyed.

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2015/01/15/friday-16-january-2015-1st-week-of-ordinary-time-homily-and-scripture-reflections/