Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 88 : 4-5, 27-28, 29-30
I have made a Covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.
He will call on Me, “You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.” I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
I will keep My Covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure. His dynasty will last forever; and his throne, as long as the heavens.
Liturgical Colour : White
2 Samuel 7 : 4-17
That very night, YHVH’s word came to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David, this is what YHVH says : Are you able to build a house for Me to live in? I have not dwelt in any house since I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. But I went about with a tent for shelter. As long as I walked with the Israelites, did I say anything to the chiefs of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel? Did I say : Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”
“Now you will tell My servant David, this is what YHVH of Hosts says : I took you from the pasture, from tending the sheep, to make you commander of My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, cutting down all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great, as the name of the great ones on earth.”
“I will provide a place for My people Israel and plant them that they may live there in peace. They shall no longer be harassed, nor shall wicked man oppress them as before. From the time when I appointed judges over My people Israel it is only to you that I have given rest from all your enemies. YHVH also tells you that He will build you a house.”
“When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you; and I will make his reign secure. He shall build a house for My Name and I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a Father to him and he shall be My son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod, as men do.”
“But I will not withdraw My kindness from him as I did from Saul when I removed him out of your way. Your house and your reign shall last forever before Me, and your throne shall be forever firm.”
Nathan repeated these words and related this vision to David.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the Lord’s love, guidance and providence for all of us, in how He cared for us all in our darkest and most difficult moments, and how through Him we shall truly be delivered from the challenges and trials facing us. Through what we have heard today, we are reminded to keep our focus on the Lord at all times, and to place our faith and trust in Him, just as David as we heard about him in our first reading today had done, and just as how the man paralysed on his hand was healed by the Lord because of his faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded of the great graces and love of God that we all have truly been so fortunate in receiving, and why we must really be thankful for all of that.
In our first reading today, we heard about the famous story of how David, the one chosen by God to be king over all of His beloved people Israel, triumphed and won against the great and mighty champion of the Philistines, Israel’s bitter enemy, who was represented by the giant and powerful warrior Goliath. The story of David and Goliath had been well-known throughout time and history, and I am sure we are all familiar with how David, who was much smaller than Goliath, managed to overcome the much larger and more powerful Goliath, through not the force and power of arms, but through God’s guidance, and through the wisdom and knowledge that He had given to him, in protecting him from harm and in providing everything for him and the Israelites to triumph against their adversities.
David placed his faith and trust in God while Goliath the Philistine put his trust in his personal might and physical prowess, in his weapons and armour, and the latter ridiculed David for his small stature, lack of armour and proper battle gear. David chose to put his trust in God rather than any worldly means and human power because in the end, even the greatest of human might and designs could fail in the midst of trials and dangers. And in his pride, arrogance and haughtiness, Goliath thought he could ridicule David and crush him, even to the point of toying around with him and blaspheming against God. This became his undoing as David, guided by God’s strength, wisdom and power, managed to defeat Goliath, silencing his arrogance and blasphemy once and for all.
The Lord had indeed intervened and helped His servant David, as well as His beloved people Israel, in their hour of greatest need. He showed His love and faithfulness, His steadfast strength and guidance to those who have entrusted themselves to Him. By defeating Goliath, David showed us all that in God we can truly find true satisfaction and hope, strength and comfort, because through Him we shall gain greatly in the path towards eternal life and true glory, salvation and liberation from the forces of all those arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should also have faith and trust in the Lord, in following Him and the path that He has shown and revealed to us so that by our lives, lived in obedience to God’s guidance and ways, will come ever closer to His love and grace.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who healed a man with a paralysed hand, which happened on the day of the Sabbath, which earned Him a rather stern criticism and opposition from among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were assembled there. Not only that, but those same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law even planned and plotted to accuse the Lord of wrongdoing and breaking the Law, trying to test if He would indeed heal the paralysed man there before them on the Sabbath day. For the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the Sabbath laws and practices were very important, and they truly enforced them very strictly, not allowing even any kinds of actions and works to be done, no matter what the circumstances were.
That was where the Lord pointed out the folly of their ideals and ways, with the words, ‘What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?’ in order to highlight that God never intended for the Law of the Sabbath to be so restrictive and problematic for everyone that it ended up placing lots of restrictions, hardships and inconveniences for people to come closer to the Lord, which is what the Law was actually about. The Law of God was meant to bring God’s people, that is all of us, ever closer to Him, and to help us all to refocus our attention on Him once again. That Sabbath rule and laws were meant to help the people to spend some time with their Lord and Master, that they should not be tempted by endless pursuits of worldly glory and comfort, attachments and desires.
However, over time, this Law became misunderstood and misrepresented, and taken to the extremes with the way how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law interpreted those rules and practices, that led to them rigidly trying to enforce the letter of the Law but without understanding and appreciating the true intention and purpose of the Law. What was meant to bring the people of God closer to Him, became a source of hardships and divisions, and became an obsession for those who were obsessed with the ways and the implementations of their version of the Law of God. This was why just like David and Goliath earlier in our first reading today, we are reminded that the path of those who sought worldly justification and emphasis was wrong, as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law spent a lot of time and effort in obsessing over their laws and customs, and how they are observed and practiced, that they have overlooked and forgotten about God.
Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt or St. Anthony the Great, who was renowned and famous for his great faith in God, his piety and dedication, holiness and actions. He was a great monk who was born to a wealthy family, but quickly found his calling as he felt the call to the ascetic and solitary lifestyle, leaving behind all forms of worldly greed and ambitions, and retreated into the desert, where he spent the rest of his life in a prayerful life, focused on the Lord. He was therefore also known as the ‘Father of Monasticism’ as his practices, while not the first among Christians then, was the beginning of the surge in the ascetic lifestyle, leading many to follow in his footsteps, in becoming closer to God and abandoning the temptations of worldly glory. St. Anthony was known for his great piety, and for the attacks that the devil made on him, which he resisted and endured with great faith. For his whole life, St. Anthony continued to lead a most worthy life, and become great inspiration for many others.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and let us all turn towards Him with renewed heart and commitment, with the desire to follow and serve Him like what David, the king of Israel had done, and just as how St. Anthony the Abbot has shown us by his abandonment of worldly glory and ambitions. Let us always put our faith and trust in God, and not in any earthly means and ways, in any worldly glory and power, and we must not allow our ego, greed and desire from dragging us into the path towards of our downfall and destruction. Let us all do our best that we may be good and worthy examples of our Christian faith, and do our part in proclaiming the Good News and truth of Christ to the world, by our obedience to the Law of God, through proper and meaningful understanding, appreciation and internalisation of what we have been taught and shown to do by the Lord Himself. May the Lord be with us all in our efforts and journey, and may He bless us all in everything we say and do, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
Mark 3 : 1-6
At that time, again, Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralysed hand, was there; and some people watched Jesus : would He heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.”
Jesus said to the man with the paralysed hand, “Stand here, in the centre.” Then He asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent. Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness at their hardness of heart. And He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 143 : 1, 2, 9-10
Blessed be YHVH, my Rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.
My loving God, my Fortress; my Protector and Deliverer, my Shield; Where I take refuge; Who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule.
I will sing a new song to You, o God; I will make music on the ten-stringed harp, for You, Who give victory to kings and deliver David, Your servant.
Liturgical Colour : White
1 Samuel 17 : 32-33, 37, 40-51
David said to Saul, “Let no one be discouraged on account of this Philistine, for your servant will engage him in battle.” Saul told David, “You cannot fight with this Philistine for you are still young, whereas this man has been a warrior from his youth.”
David continued, “YHVH, Who delivered me from the paws of lions and bears, will deliver me from the hands of the Philistine.” Saul then told David, “Go, and may YHVH be with you!”
David took his staff, picked up five smooth stones from the brook and dropped them inside his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he drew near to the Philistine. The Philistine moved forward, closing in on David, his shield-bearer in front of him. When he saw that David was only a lad, (he was of fresh complexion and handsome) he despised him and said, “Am I a dog that you should approach me with a stick?”
Cursing David by his gods, he continued, “Come, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field!” David answered the Philistine, “You have come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you with YHVH, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. YHVH will deliver you this day into my hands and I will strike you down and cut off your head.”
“I will give the corpses of the Philistine army today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, and all the earth shall know that there is a God of Israel. All the people gathered here shall know that YHVH saves not by sword or spear; the battle belongs to YHVH, and He will deliver you into our hands.”
No sooner had the Philistine moved to attack him, than David rushed to the battleground. Putting his hand into his bag, he took out a stone, slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; it penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, felling him without using a sword.
He rushed forward, stood over him, took the Philistine’s sword and slew him by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they scattered in all directions.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which all of us are told and reminded to listen to the Lord when He calls upon us, for all of us to follow His path and to walk virtuously and righteously in His ways. Today’s Scripture readings clearly presented to us what it means for us to be called by God, and to be His disciples and followers. We are reminded from the examples of the calling of the young Samuel, as well as the ministry of the Lord Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour and His disciples, that to be Christian disciples and part of the Church, we must always heed the Lord’s call, and do whatever we can so that we may always be exemplary in each and every one of our actions in life.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the Lord called the young Samuel while he was sleeping, and Samuel thought that his mentor, the Priest and Judge Eli was calling him. We heard how the Lord called Samuel three times until Eli recognised that it was actually God Who had called the young boy, and the priest told the young Samuel to respond to the Lord’s call and listen to Him. That was the beginning of Samuel’s calling, who had been set aside from the time of his conception and birth by his thankful mother Hannah, for the service of God.
At that time, the Judge and priest Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who had been wicked according to the Scriptural accounts, who disregarded the Law and commandments of God, were corrupt and abused their position and authority as priests of the Lord. Contrast to this wickedness was the faith and purity of Samuel, who responded well to the Lord’s call, and with the guidance of Eli, he grew up to become a great and faithful prophet of God, succeeding Eli to become the Judge over all of Israel, the last of the Judges before the days of the Kings. If we were to read further in the rest of the accounts of the prophet Samuel, we can see just how much Samuel gave his all to the Lord and to the people, fulfilling the missions entrusted to him.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus healing the very sick mother-in-law of one of His disciples, Simon Peter, and how the people having heard of the miraculous healing, came to the Lord bringing all of their sick ones and those who were afflicted with all sorts of conditions and the Lord ministered to them, taking care of them and healing them from all of their troubles and complaints. He spent a long time with them, assisted by His disciples. And then we heard how the Lord then quietly moved away from that place, as He went away in the very early morning, likely before anyone had awoken, to pray, and He told His disciples that there were still many other people who needed His help, and He was sent to minister to all of them, and hence, they all should go and continue to go where the Lord has sent them to.
Now, the significance of the events which we have heard is such that we are reminded that first of all, we must do what the Lord had entrusted to us to do, in carrying out His will and the mission given to us, just like how the prophet Samuel carried out his missions and works, and how the Lord Jesus did His ministry, in showing God’s love, compassion, mercy and healing to all of the people who needed them. But, as we have seen in the Gospel passage today, it is easy for us to be tempted and swayed by the force of pride, ego and popularity, that we may end up losing focus on what it is that we are doing in our actions in life, and end up serving our own selfish desires and greed, our ambitions and prideful wants and attachments to glory, fame and more.
The Lord and His disciples were truly and wildly popular there, where He performed the miraculous deeds and works. They did not have to go to other places, and they could easily gain a large following there, as how some of the others, the false Messiahs had done at that time. This is where the Lord Jesus therefore reminded His disciples and followers, that everything that He had done, and all that they had committed in ministering to the people of God were ultimately not about themselves and not about doing what was convenient and good for them. Instead, they were following God’s will, and the focus was, and must always be on God and His path, and not on oneself, and one’s personal glory and ambitions.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, all of us today are called and reminded to follow the paths that God has given each and every one of us, as all of us have our own distinct paths and vocations in life. As members of the Church of God, the Body of Christ, all of us have distinct and unique missions, in spreading more and further the Good News and the salvation in Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through our own exemplary lives and actions, through every things that we do and our every words and interactions in life with one another. We must always do what we can so that our lives may always shine brightly with the light of Christ, His truth and Good News.
Let us all hence do our part in each and every moments of our lives so that we will always be open to listen to God calling us in our hearts and minds, and keep ourselves attuned to His will, and not to be swayed by worldly temptations, or be corrupted by the various worldly evils and wickedness. Let us all turn our attention towards the Lord once again, and be confident in living our lives with faith, in every moments, by good examples and actions we have, so that through us, many more people may come ever closer towards the Lord and His salvation, and that we are truly the shiing beacons of God’s Light and truth to all the whole world. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.strive to be good and worthy even in the smallest things that we do in our lives.
Let us all therefore renew our commitment and faith in the Lord, and remind ourselves of the calling and the vocations that we have, be it as members of the clergy and all those who have given ourselves to the service of God and His Church, or as the members of the laity, as those who are married and in family life, and as parts of the families themselves, and as any one of us, living our own daily living in this world today. Let us all be ever more committed to follow the path of Christ, now and always, that we may illuminate the path for others towards God and His salvation. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Mark 1 : 29-39
At that time, on leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. As Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with fever, they immediately told him about her. Jesus went to her and, taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening, at sundown, people brought to Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits : the whole town was pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases, and drove out many demons; but He did not let them speak, for they knew Who He was.
Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lonely place where He prayed. Simon and the others went out also, searching for Him; and when they found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for You.” Then Jesus answered, “Let us go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came.”
So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout Galilee; He also cast out demons.
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 39 : 2 and 5, 7-8a, 8b-9, 10
With resolve I waited for YHVH; He listened and heard me beg. Blessed is the one who relies on YHVH and does not look to the proud, nor go astray after false gods.
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 YHVH, I did not seal – You know that very well.
Liturgical Colour : Green
1 Samuel 3 : 1-10, 19-20
The boy Samuel ministered to YHVH under Eli’s care in a time in which the word of YHVH was rarely heard. Visions were not seen. One night Eli was lying down in his room, half blind as he was. The lamp of God was still lighted 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 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 “Samuel! Samuel!” as He did before. And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant listens.” Samuel grew. YHVH was with him and made all his words become true. All Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was really YHVH’s prophet.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 