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Tired and nursing a little hangover I was inclined to give day 7 of the Christmas Octave a miss. However as it was also a special day, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I decided to honour her by attending her Son’s Octave celebration.

As I boarded the bus to church, I noticed this smiley Indian lady who boarded it at the same stop grinning at me. She looked familiar but I couldn’t quite place where I had seen her before. I reckoned she must be a fellow Parishioner and so greeted her with ‘Peace be with you’ she then reminded me that she was standing beside me carolling with the Rondolla group in Church. This was before the midnight Eucharist celebration on Christmas Eve. She further commented that I had a nice husky voice and it was a joy to sing along side me. I laughed and told her that I may have sounded husky because my throat was probably sore from singing with overzealous vigour for our Lord just as she was I’m sure. And that it was a joy for me too, to have been singing along side her. I introduced myself and she did likewise.

I then asked Rina if she was serving in any ministry yet, she replied that wasn’t and jokingly said that her excuse was that she had a young six year old son to contend with. I offered that when she felt ready to serve, to let me know which ministry she was interested in and that I would get her connected. Before parting ways I invited her to stop by for the octave if she had the time as she was on her way to buy some stuff for her son’s birthday party the next day.

The Octave itself was a nice cosy evening reflecting on Jesus through Mary. And the sharing by those who came up to give testimonies to Mary and Jesus was beautifully received. We prayed the rosary together as one loving community and sang some Marian hymns which I am sure many were touched in doing so.

Though we hear little of our blessed Mother in scripture, we know that she did everything with joy in her heart. The magnificat was her greatest song of joy. And so like Mary let us touch others by our singing the praises and wonders of our Lord and God with joy!

Many who live in the world are hardened by worldly values. They live for themselves and see that life is only for the survival of the fittest.

Don’t be fooled that only the devil is the Antichrist. Some of those amongst us are Antichrists even without realising it. Those who proclaim our faith as man made. Who prey on the weak and the helpless. Those who believe that they have the power and right to terminate life as they see fit. Those who proclaim other Gods other than the one Holy Trinity. Those who say and believe there is no God.

What a depressing world we live in!

But we need never despair. For while we live in the world, we are not of the world! We know the truth, the way and the life. He and He alone is the one true light. And all darkness retreats into nothingness.

Let us remain steadfast in His love and proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord. Through His mercy let us reach out to all those who have strayed and lead them home to Him. Let us touch the lives of everyone with His love especially the poor, the sick and downtrodden. Let us stand ready to greet and receive Him when He comes again. Amen

First reading
1 John 2:22-28

The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ –he is the liar, he is Antichrist; and he is denying the Father as well as the Son, because no one who has the Father can deny the Son, and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well.

Keep alive in yourselves what you were taught in the beginning: as long as what you were taught in the beginning is alive in you, you will live in the Son and in the Father; and what is promised to you by his own promise is eternal life.

This is all that I am writing to you about the people who are trying to lead you astray.

But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you,
and you do not need anyone to teach you; the anointing he gave teaches you everything; you are anointed with truth, not with a lie, and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him.

Live in Christ, then, my children, so that if he appears, we may have full confidence,
and not turn from him in shame at his coming.

Gospel
John 1:19-28

This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness:

Make a straight way for the Lord.’

Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.

Dearest Blessed Mother Mary,

Mother of God, my mother I truly love you with all my heart. It is through you that I know your Son my Lord and God intimately. For you have given me the key that has opened the door of my heart to receive Him.  That is a pondering heart that treasures the Word of God.

The light of His face shines brightly upon me. I am truly blessed to have you sweet gentle mother in my life. You never gave up on me even though I strayed, and were always there to pick me up, dust me off and point me towards the embracing arms of your Son my Saviour.

And through Him we are made sons and daughters of God our Heavenly Father. We can cry out with joy Abba! Father… His peace and love is upon us now and forever. Amen

Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity

First reading
Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’

Second reading
Galatians 4:4-7

When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.

Gospel
Luke 2:16-21

The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

  When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

Joy to the world the Lord is come! Many have sung it but how many really mean it? Are you truly living a life of joy?

How many are thrilled beyond belief when a celebrity they love is in their midst? For some it may be the pope… Think about the excitement in the air, the loud beatings of the heart. The joy of experiencing the presence of the one we love and care for.

Now multiply that seventy by seventy and that is how it would be when we truly receive Christ in our hearts and in our homes!

No more darkness in our lives! No more sin! No more unforgiveness in our hearts! No more fear of loving a stranger! No more pain of losing a loved one! No more fear of the devil for he has no hold over us!

With all these and more gone from the very depths of our souls and our lives, are we not able to experience just how liberating it is? How joyful we should truly be? For this is exactly how it is to live in the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And through Him and Him alone, we will see our Heavenly Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
1 John 2:18-21

Children, these are the last world days; you were told that an world Antichrist must come, and now several antichrists have already appeared; we know from this that these are the last days.

Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged; if they had belonged, they would have stayed with us; but they left us, to prove that not one of them ever belonged to us.

But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge.

It is not because you do not know the truth that I am writing to you but rather because you know it already and know that no lie can come from the truth.

Gospel
John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.

All that came to be had life in Him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower.

A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.

He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him.

He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.

The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.

He was in the world that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.

He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.

The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us, and we saw his glory,

the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:

‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

Are we faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ? Do we fall back to old habits and sins with no remorse. Thinking to ourselves maybe tomorrow I will return to the Lord? There is always tomorrow! And so what if tomorrow never comes? For there are many who will not live past today.

Let us live in the present and in the presence of Him who loves us.  We may fall from time to time,, but let always be quick to return to the mercy of our Saviour Jesus Christ. For He will heal and liberate our contrite hearts from all that prevents us from truly being loving and Holy as He is.

O my Jesus, I want to grow in maturity of faith and love. May Your wisdom my Lord and Your grace be upon me. Amen

First reading
1 John 2:12-17

I am writing to you, my own children, whose sins have already been forgiven through his name;

I am writing to you, fathers,
who have come to know the one who has existed since the beginning;

I am writing to you, young men, who have already overcome the Evil One;

I have written to you, children,
because you already know the Father;

I have written to you, fathers,
because you have come to know the one who has existed since the beginning;

I have written to you, young men, because you are strong and God’s word has made its home in you, and you have overcome the Evil One.

You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world.

The love of the Father cannot be in any man who loves the world, because nothing the world has to offer

– the sensual body,
the lustful eye,
pride in possessions –
could ever come from the Father but only from the world; and the world, with all it craves for, is coming to an end; but anyone who does the will of God remains for ever.

Gospel
Luke 2:36-40

There was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

  When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.

Recently someone thanked me for sharing my ‘vast’ knowledge of the faith and sharing all spiritual aspects which brought the members closer to God.

So I began to ponder what is it that I really know? How much have I really shared with anyone?

In my own journey, I went from 0 to 60 in 3 secs (the speed of a Ferrari) all because of my surrender to the Lord of God. He taught and guided me whether it be from Holy scripture, people or events. That is how my knowledge of Him and my faith grew.

The more I learned the more I realised I didn’t know. In other words in striving to know God and even about Him, no one can ever say they know and understand everything there is to know and understand. The day we stop learning is the day we die even if it is only a spiritual death.

Knowledge of God kept privately is superficial knowledge. One may know about Him but have no real relationship with Him.

For having true knowledge of Him is to share in His love. Such knowledge cannot be contained. The more it is shared or given away the more it is received and lived.

Hence I only know what I know received from Him, can only understand what I know by sharing it with others. I thereby live the experience and knowledge of Him received in my life for others. Amen

A world plunged in darkness because of the sins of men. Wars fought leaving in its trail innocent victims, especially the blood of young children. This is not history! But the present and likely holds the same in the future.

The Holy Family shows us that they too lived in such darkness and had to flee like refugees. However they carried with them the hope for our future. The true light that can never be extinguished! The light of the world that pierces through and rids it of the darkness.

And so likewise we too can carry the light of Christ into the world. So that sinners may repent and be converted. So that we together with the little innocent Saints in heaven can rejoice in the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

First reading
1 John 1:5-2:2

This is what we have heard from Jesus Christ, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; there is no darkness in him at all.

If we say that we are in union with God while we are living in darkness, we are lying because we are not living the truth.

But if we live our lives in the light, as he is in the light, we are in union with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we say we have no sin in us,
we are deceiving ourselves
and refusing to admit the truth; but if we acknowledge our sins,nthen God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and purify us from everything that is wrong.

To say that we have never sinned is to call God a liar and to show that his word is not in us.

I am writing this, my children,
to stop you sinning; but if anyone should sin, we have our advocate with the Father,

Jesus Christ, who is just;
he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away, and not only ours, but the whole world’s.

Gospel
Matthew 2:13-18

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:

I called my son out of Egypt.

Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loudly lamenting:
it was Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they were no more.

There is no Christmas without Advent just as there is no Easter without Lent. The staying awake, the time and effort of embarking on each pilgrim journey with the community and preparation of our hearts is what leads us; To the joys of encountering our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ in both Christmas and Easter!

Then and only then we will celebrate with hearts filled with His joy, peace and love. Amen

Put your trust in God alone and you will never be disappointed. For God is ever faithful to those who are faithful to Him.

To be filled with His grace is like nothing you will ever experience on this earth. To touch, feel and see with His eyes and with His heart. Fearing nothing and no one for the most powerful ally is with you; the Holy Spirit!

Ah! St Stephen such grace was yours knowing that death on earth meant the start of eternal life with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father. Intercede for us that one day soon, we will confidently utter those very words of yours, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Amen

First reading
Acts 6:8-10,7:54-59

Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said. They were infuriated when they heard this, and ground their teeth at him.

  But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’

Gospel
Matthew 10:17-22

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.

  ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved.’

God our Father’s exquisite masterpiece of our salvation was fulfilled by His Son our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

How can we fathom such mercy and love for us? The darkness of our souls cowers as His light banishes it into the abyss. Through Him we are born again children of God our Father. Through Him we gain our heavenly inheritance. And through Him we know how to love!

How can we fathom such mercy and love for us? That the Word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us. To teach, guide and show us the way; to a deep personal, eternal relationship with God our Father. That we may consume His Word into our very being so as to be one with Him!

How can we fathom such mercy and love for us? That by laying down His life for us, He took away our sins. So that we may be liberated and live fully in His love. He conquered death once and for all for us. His whole life from His birth to His death was one living sacrifice for us.

Thank You Heavenly Father! Thank You sweet Jesus!
Thank You Holy Spirit!
All Glory and Praise be to You, O Lord our God, forever and ever. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of one who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Zion,‘Your God is king!’

Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices, they shout for joy together, for they see the Lord face to face, as he returns to Zion.

Break into shouts of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord is consoling his people, redeeming Jerusalem.

The Lord bares his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Second reading
Hebrews 1:1-6

At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

  God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father; or: I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says:Let all the angels of God worship him.

Gospel
John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.

All that came to be had life in Him and that life was the light of men, a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower.

A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him.

He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.

The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world.

He was in the world that had its being through him, and the world did not know him.

He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.

But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.

The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:

‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

O powerful, almighty ever living God it is by Your design that we have true life.

You who see the hearts of men chose among us Your prophets, Your priests, Kings;  and faithful men and women to prepare the way for Your Son.

And then He came and dwelled among us and was one of us. In Your great mercy and love He unites us fully and completely with You. He liberates us from the one true enemy Sin! And so we have hope of eternal life with You.

Glory and Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ! Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit One God forever and ever. Amen

First reading
2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-12,14,16

Once David had settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘Look, I am living in a house of cedar while the ark of God dwells in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go and do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.’

  But that very night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:

  ‘Go and tell my servant David, “Thus the Lord speaks: Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you on all your expeditions; I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will give you fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel; I will plant them there and they shall dwell in that place and never be disturbed again; nor shall the wicked continue to oppress them as they did, in the days when I appointed judges over my people Israel; I will give them rest from all their enemies. The Lord will make you great; the Lord will make you a House. And when your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. I will be a father to him and he a son to me; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’

Gospel
Luke 1:67-79

John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David, even as he proclaimed,
by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times,
that he would save us from our enemies and from the hands of all who hate us.

Thus he shows mercy to our ancestors, thus he remembers his holy covenant the oath he swore to our father Abraham that he would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our enemies, to serve him in holiness and virtue in his presence, all our days.

And you, little child,
you shall be called Prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord
to prepare the way for him,
to give his people knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins; this by the tender mercy of our God who from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,

to give light to those who live
in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet
into the way of peace.’

Ask anyone and they will tell you that the toughest thing to do in life is letting go. Let alone letting go and offering it up to the Lord our God.

Letting go of our pride, our anger, our unwillingness to forgive. Letting go of our beloved ones and consecrating them to Him. Letting go of the control we think we have over everything and everyone. Letting go of sexual temptations, power, of wanting to be honoured.

When we let everything go and offer everything up to the Lord our God. Our hands are empty to receive His grace and gifts. We witness that He can and will change every curse into a blessing. He raises the standard and quality of all that we offer up to Him more than we ever can and still way more. We are ourselves transformed to become Holy as He is Holy.

And only then like our Blessed Mother Mary, can we truly magnify the Lord in all we say and do!

O dearest mother continue to intercede for us so that we may become more like you. And so our hearts, words and actions may be pleasing to the Lord our God. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 1:24-28

When Hannah had weaned the infant Samuel, she took him up with her together with a three-year old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the temple of the Lord at Shiloh; and the child was with them. They slaughtered the bull and the child’s mother came to Eli. She said, ‘If you please, my lord. As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. This is the child I prayed for, and the Lord granted me what I asked him. Now I make him over to the Lord for the whole of his life. He is made over to the Lord.’

  There she left him, for the Lord.

Gospel
Luke 1:46-56

Mary said:

‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my saviour; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid.

Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.

Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.

He has shown the power of his arm, he has routed the proud of heart.

He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away.

He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his mercy

– according to the promise he made to our ancestors – of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back home.

It is the Lord who brings new life to where it was once dry, parched and withered. For it pleases Him to do so. And so it is with our own lives when we are running on empty. It is He who breathes life into us so that we serve Him and others with joy.

We need not seek merriment or external comfort nor must we do so. For the seed of life planted in us is a wellspring of love and joy which branches forth in time.

For we are His chosen ones consecrated to Him by our baptism. Let us remain faithful unto Him as He is faithful unto us. Let us glorify Him by the way we live our lives. Amen

First reading
Judges 13:2-7,24-25

There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren, she had borne no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to this woman and said to her, ‘You are barren and have had no child. But from now on take great care. Take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, for the boy shall be God’s nazirite from his mother’s womb. It is he who will begin to rescue Israel from the power of the Philistines.’ Then the woman went and told her husband, ‘A man of God has just come to me; his presence was like the presence of the angel of God, he was so majestic. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not reveal his name to me. But he said to me, “You will conceive and bear a son. From now on, take no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be God’s nazirite from his mother’s womb to his dying day.”’

  The woman gave birth to a son and called him Samson. The child grew, and the Lord blessed him; and the spirit of the Lord began to move him.

Gospel
Luke 1:5-25

In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years.

  Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying.

  Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink. Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.’

  Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel who stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen! Since you have not believed my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.’ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long. When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had received a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them, and remained dumb.

  When his time of service came to an end he returned home. Some time later his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept to herself. ‘The Lord has done this for me’ she said ‘now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered among men.’

The purpose and power of this most precious Sacrament in which Jesus Himself instituted is often overlooked or underplayed when in actual fact it should be treasured.

In His great love and mercy He wants us to know we are forgiven. In the words uttered by the priest in absolution, it is He who speaks to us deep into our very souls; Your sins are forgiven you, my son, my daughter.

Through this wonderful sacrament He not only liberates us from our sins. He confers upon us the grace to resist the temptations to sin again. He blots out our offences and heals us of the effects of sin. So that we can live our transformed lives to the full.

Praise and Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ. Now and forever. Amen

Do not let sin discourage us or stop us from turning back to the Lord. We fall, we get up and try again. Each time drawing closer to overcome the sin once and for all.

For it is in the trying that we are saved otherwise we whither and die. For the Lord Jesus has come to liberate us from the bondage of sin. And by His blood we are set free and given new life.

So let us rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Romans 12:12

Honour and integrity, virtues which are sorely lacking in the society we live in today. Why? Do we ourselves possess these virtues?

For a Christian the answer is simple. Is God with us? That is to say, do we have Him in our thoughts, prayers, mind, heart and soul? Are we obedient unto Him? Do we turn away from sin and remain faithful to the Gospels? For if we do then our Lord is with us. And our honour and integrity comes from our relationship with Him.

Come Lord Jesus, come dwell in me. Amen

First reading
Jeremiah 23:5-8

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practising honesty and integrity in the land.

In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called:

The-Lord-our-integrity.

So, then, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the countries to which he had dispersed them, to live on their own soil.”

Gospel
Matthew 1:18-24

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

## The Annunciation

+ Am I prayerful and have a deep personal relationship with God that like Mary I recognise His messengers and welcome them without fear.

+ When honour and praise is given for my service to the Lord. Like Mary do I humbly ponder over the goodness and graces that the Lord our God had and continues to bestow on me?

+ When my Lord asks me to take on a a seemingly daunting task do I make excuses or reject His call or like Mary I trust fully in Him that calls me. For I know He is with me every step of the way.

+ Do I recognise that the Annunciation reflects the beauty of Holy communion with our Lord and God. The reception of new life! Do I go often for the Eucharistic celebration in order to receive my Lord?

+ Mary my mother teach me your gentle and humble ways ways. Let me love my Lord as you loved Him. That I may always stand ready to say Lord I am indeed your lowly servant. Be it done to me according to Your Word. Amen

If we do not look back at salvation history to see the intricate beauty of God’s plan for us. We will not be able to treasure, let alone appreciate His great love for us given through His Son Jesus Christ.

O Lord through this Advent as we prepare ourselves and hearts to receive You in Your coming. Let us recall Your love for us throughout the ages. We offer Lord our heartfelt thanks and praise. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Genesis 49:2,8-10

Jacob called his sons and said: ‘Gather round, sons of Jacob, and listen; listen to Israel your father.

Judah, your brothers shall praise you: you grip your enemies by the neck, your father’s sons shall do you homage,

Judah is a lion cub,
you climb back, my son, from your kill; like a lion he crouches and lies down, or a lioness: who dare rouse him?

The sceptre shall not pass from Judah, nor the mace from between his feet, until he come to whom it belongs, to whom the peoples shall render obedience.’

Gospel
Matthew 1:1-17

A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, Tamar being their mother,
Perez was the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon was the father of Boaz, Rahab being his mother,
Boaz was the father of Obed, Ruth being his mother,
Obed was the father of Jesse;
and Jesse was the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Azariah,
Azariah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah;
and Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers.

Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

After the deportation to Babylon:
Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob;
and Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary;
of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ.

It is only by recognising who Jesus is in our lives that we grow in faith, love and discipleship.  That is why we can only be led up to a certain point before we must seek Him on our own to lead us on to a deeper faith and deeper relationship with Him.

Our eyes will be opened to the many signs, wonders and miracles of our Lord present in the world.

Jesus my Lord, my God. My greatest joy was seeking You out and finding You with open arms waiting to embrace me. Let me always point out to others the way which leads to You. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 45:6-8,18,21-25

Apart from me, all is nothing.
I am the Lord, unrivalled, I form the light and create the dark. I make good fortune and create calamity, it is I, the Lord, who do all this.

Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain it down. Let the earth open for salvation to spring up.

Let deliverance, too, bud forth
which I, the Lord, shall create.
Yes, thus says the Lord, creator of the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who set it firm, created it no chaos, but a place to be lived in:
 ‘I am the Lord, unrivalled:
  there is no other god besides me.

  A God of integrity and a saviour: there is none apart from me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God unrivalled.

  ‘By my own self I swear it; what comes from my mouth is truth,  a word irrevocable: before me every knee shall bend, by me every tongue shall swear, saying, “From the Lord alone come victory and strength.”

 To him shall come, ashamed,
  all who raged against him.
  Victorious and glorious through the Lord shall be all the descendants of Israel.’

Gospel
Luke 7:19-23

John, summoning two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’ When the men reached Jesus they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you, to ask, “Are you the one who is to come or have we to wait for someone else?”’ It was just then that he cured many people of diseases and afflictions and of evil spirits, and gave the gift of sight to many who were blind. Then he gave the messengers their answer, ‘Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.’

Do not procrastinate any longer. Do not make empty promises. Turn away from sin. And come let us love and serve our Lord God together.

For His love and mercy abounds. His joy and peace will fill our hearts. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Zephaniah 3:1-2,9-13

Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled,
the tyrannical city!

She would never listen to the call, would never learn the lesson; she has never trusted in the Lord, never drawn near to her God.

Yes, I will then give the peoples lips that are clean,
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord and serve him under the same yoke.

From beyond the banks of the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants will bring me offerings.

When that day comes
you need feel no shame for all the misdeeds you have committed against me,
for I will remove your proud boasters from your midst;
and you will cease to strut
on my holy mountain.

In your midst I will leave
a humble and lowly people,
and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.

They will do no wrong,
will tell no lies; and the perjured tongue will no longer
be found in their mouths.

But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to disturb them.

Gospel
Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people, ‘What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, “My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not go,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, “Certainly, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ ‘The first’ they said. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.’

What do we do with the gift of free Will? Do we do as we please? Do we live for ourselves alone? Do we Lord ourselves over others? How many use it to glorify God our Father? To praise, worship and give Him thanks for all He has done for us?

When we offer up our free Will to our Lord and God. He sanctifies and unites it with His. He opens our eyes to see the exquisite beauty of His creations. To touch, feel and experience the fullness of life lived in His love.

Jesus You are the Lord of Lords, King of kings! Come reign in my heart always. Amen

First reading
Numbers 24:2-7,15-17

Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel, encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem. He said:

‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of one who hears the word of God.

He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.

How fair are your tents, O Jacob!

How fair your dwellings, Israel!

Like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens by the banks of a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters!

A hero arises from their stock,
he reigns over countless peoples.

His king is greater than Agag,
his majesty is exalted.’
Then Balaam declaimed his poem again. He said:

‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of one who hears the word of God, of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High.

He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened.

I see him – but not in the present,

I behold him – but not close at hand:

a star from Jacob takes the leadership, a sceptre arises from Israel.’

Gospel
Matthew 21:23-27

Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ ‘And I’ replied Jesus ‘will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ And they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’

Listen to the voice of the Prophets!
Listen to the word of the Lord!
Listen to His call!
Why will you not listen? Why are you not listening now?

Our Lord the Prince of peace seeks to reign in our hearts. To reconcile all with one another and all to Himself.

I am listening Lord, let it be  done to me according to Your Word! O Blessed Mother, you seek to reconcile us to your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, continue to intercede for us. Pray for us O Holy Mother, that we made be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen

First reading
Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4,9-12

The prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch.

It was he who brought famine on the people, and who decimated them in his zeal.

By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens he also, three times, brought down fire.

How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah! Has anyone reason to boast as you have?

Taken up in the whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses; designated in the prophecies of doom to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks, to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob,

Happy shall they be who see you, and those who have fallen asleep in love.

Gospel
Matthew 17:10-13

As they came down from the mountain the disciples put this question to Jesus, ‘Why do the scribes say then that Elijah has to come first?’ ‘True;’ he replied ‘Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.’ The disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.

Why do many still persists in justifying their actions or inactions before God? Making excuses for not loving neighbour or for having no time for community? For not knowing enough about their faith to share the love of Jesus with someone?

Then when someone tries to share the faith gently with them they get annoyed, angry or find fault with them. Likewise when perhaps a family member speaks strongly about turning away from sin, again the attitude is one of disdain towards them.

Our Lord wants for us to live a rich and fruitful life. It is His great love for us that He gives us His commandments and His Word. So that by living by them we are living the life we are called to live; rich and fruitful in Him.  And it will continue when our time on earth ends. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 48:17-19

Thus says the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:

I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is good for you,
I lead you in the way that you must go. If only you had been alert to my commandments,
your happiness would have been like a river, your integrity like the waves of the sea.

Your children would have been numbered like the sand,
your descendants as many as its grains.

Never would your name have been cut off or blotted out before me.

Gospel
Matthew 11:16-19

Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘What description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place:

“We played the pipes for you,
and you wouldn’t dance;
we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.”

‘For John came, neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He is possessed.” The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions.’

O what a joyous and wonderful thing it is to know from deep within our souls. That we belong to an ever living, God of love and mercy. Our Heavenly Father who loves His children deeply and abundantly.

And through that very love of God, Jesus His Son; our Lord and Saviour came to and for us. That through Him, we who are least in the kingdom of heaven have an opportunity to partake in the heavenly inheritance we have graciously been given.

Lord Jesus like Saint John the Baptist I too want to serve You with zeal. Let me be bold as He was in proclaiming Your coming. Grant that through You I may touch the lives of those around me and prepare their hearts to receive You. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 41:13-20

I, the Lord, your God,
I am holding you by the right hand;
I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid,
I will help you.’

Do not be afraid, Jacob, poor worm, Israel, puny mite.’

I will help you – it is the Lord who speaks – the Holy One of Israel is your redeemer.

See, I turn you into a threshing-sled, new, with doubled teeth; you shall thresh and crush the mountains, and turn the hills to chaff.

You shall winnow them and the wind will blow them away,
the gale will scatter them.

But you yourself will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and needy ask for water, and there is none,
their tongue is parched with thirst.

I, the Lord, will answer them,
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.

I will make rivers well up on barren heights, and fountains in the midst of valleys; turn the wilderness into a lake,
and dry ground into waterspring.

In the wilderness I will put cedar trees, acacias, myrtles, olives.

In the desert I will plant juniper, plane tree and cypress side by side; so that men may see and know, may all observe and understand that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Gospel
Matthew 11:11-15

Jesus spoke to the crowds: ‘I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. Since John the Baptist came, up to this present time, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent are taking it by storm. Because it was towards John that all the prophecies of the prophets and of the Law were leading; and he, if you will believe me, is the Elijah who was to return. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!’

For the most part of my life I had relied solely on my own strength and whatever talents I thought I had learnt and developed on my own. Refusing to listen to the voices of the faithful, believing only that God helps those who help themselves.

And so I sought comfort, relieve and happiness in the world. Sought it’s counsel and wisdom on how to better manage my life. Searching for the latest guru in the self help sections. Shame really because all I ever needed was the faith I was born into.

And so the day I humbled myself and truly searched for God. He stood before me as I lay prostrate at His feet. He embraced me lovingly and granted me the graces to enter into a deep personal relationship with Him.

Thank You Jesus for allowing me to exchange my yoke for Yours. I stand ready to face anything for You are always with me. Amen

First Reading
Isaiah 40:25-31

‘To whom could you liken me
and who could be my equal?’ says the Holy One.

Lift your eyes and look.

Who made these stars If not he who drills them like an army, calling each one by name?

So mighty is his power, so great his strength, that not one fails to answer.
How can you say, Jacob,
how can you insist, Israel,

‘My destiny is hidden from the Lord, my rights are ignored by my God’?

Did you not know?
Had you not heard?

The Lord is an everlasting God, he created the boundaries of the earth.

He does not grow tired or weary, his understanding is beyond fathoming.

He gives strength to the wearied, he strengthens the powerless.

Young men may grow tired and weary, youths may stumble, but those who hope in the Lord renew their strength, they put out wings like eagles.

They run and do not grow weary, walk and never tire.

Gospel
Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus exclaimed, ‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

God our Father calls us to Holiness. So that we may live fully with and in Him. Without whom we will whither and die.

Our dearest Blessed mother is a model of God’s plan for us from the very beginning of time. Immaculate of body, mind and soul. Created in His image to be loved and to love.

And through her our Lord Jesus Christ would be born into the world.

We too can be holy instruments of grace. If we strive for holiness so that Jesus can dwell in us. And like Mary our mother we can bring Him forth into the hearts of all. Amen

Come Lord Jesus come.

(Solemnity of The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

First Reading
Genesis 3:9-15,20

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,
all wild beasts.You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust
every day of your life.

I will make you enemies of each other: you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring. It will crush your head and you will strike its heel.’

The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

Second Reading
Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12

Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.

Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind purposes,
to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved,

And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own,
chosen from the beginning,
under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.

Gospel
Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

Who can give the promise of new life other than the Lord our God? A life set free from the heavy chains of sin. Free from tyranny and oppression. Free to see, hear, sing His praises while leaping for joy.

A promise kept through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. He who sees not only the faith of whom He heals but the faith of all those around interceding on their behalf. His mercy and love is upon all who cry out to Him.

Jesus You alone can forgive all my sins. Have mercy one me Lord. Set me free to love and serve You. Amen

First Reading
Isaiah 35:1-10

Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,
let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil,

let it rejoice and sing for joy.
The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;

they shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.

Strengthen all weary hands,
steady all trembling knees
and say to all faint hearts,

‘Courage! Do not be afraid.
‘Look, your God is coming,
vengeance is coming,
the retribution of God;

he is coming to save you.’
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,

then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy;

for water gushes in the desert,
streams in the wasteland,
the scorched earth becomes a lake, the parched land springs of water.

The lairs where the jackals used to live become thickets of reed and papyrus…

And through it will run a highway undefiled which shall be called the Sacred Way;
the unclean may not travel by it, nor fools stray along it.

No lion will be there
nor any fierce beast roam about it,

but the redeemed will walk there, for those the Lord has ransomed shall return.

They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them
and sorrow and lament be ended.

Gospel
Luke 5:17-26

Jesus was teaching one day, and among the audience there were Pharisees and doctors of the Law who had come from every village in Galilee, from Judaea and from Jerusalem. And the Power of the Lord was behind his works of healing. Then some men appeared, carrying on a bed a paralysed man whom they were trying to bring in and lay down in front of him. But as the crowd made it impossible to find a way of getting him in, they went up on to the flat roof and lowered him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith he said, ‘My friend, your sins are forgiven you.’ The scribes and the Pharisees began to think this over. ‘Who is this man talking blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But Jesus, aware of their thoughts, made them this reply, ‘What are these thoughts you have in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven you” or to say, “Get up and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he said to the paralysed man – ‘I order you: get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.’ And immediately before their very eyes he got up, picked up what he had been lying on and went home praising God.

  They were all astounded and praised God, and were filled with awe, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today

O Lord my God, You hear the cries of Your people and come to our aid with great care and love. We are healed by Your gentle touch and are set free to love and serve You and one another. Guide us so that we learn not to live for ourselves but for one another.

Give us the courage to use the gifts and talents, You have given us to love and serve Your flock. Grant us the faith to administer, heal, liberate and proclaim the Gospel in Your mighty name.

Grant us too ministers of Your altar so that gathered together in Your name we may always partake of the Holy Eucharist that nourishes and gives us live. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 30:19-21,23-26

Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
  People of Zion, you will live in Jerusalem and weep no more. He will be gracious to you when he hears your cry; when he hears he will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of suffering and the water of distress, he who is your teacher will hide no longer, and you will see your teacher with your own eyes. Whether you turn to right or left, your ears will hear these words behind you, ‘This is the way, follow it.’ He will send rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the bread that the ground provides will be rich and nourishing. Your cattle will graze, that day, in wide pastures. Oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat a salted fodder, winnowed with shovel and fork. On every lofty mountain, on every high hill there will be streams and watercourses, on the day of the great slaughter when the strongholds fall. Then moonlight will be bright as sunlight and sunlight itself be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one – on the day the Lord dresses the wound of his people and heals the bruises his blows have left.

Gospel
Matthew 9:35-10:1,5,6-8

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.
  And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’
  He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’

Our loving God in His mercy did not come to judge and condemn us. He came to liberate us from our sins and to grant us eternal life with Him, if we so choose.  However the day is soon coming when we will be judged according to our deeds. Where injustices will be addressed and set straight. Let us not wait till the end when we have no more chance to repent. Repent now! And live in His love.

For we are no different to the blind men of old. Whose lives were severely impaired by their blindness.  Whose lives were lived in darkness. How many times they must have stumbled and fell in their pursuit of following Jesus? Yet in courage and faith, supporting one another as they made their way to Him. Shouting with conviction to the only one who could grant them mercy.  And because their eyes were opened to the light of Christ their Redeemer, so too were their eyes opened to see Him that they could experience Him to the full. Amen

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 29:17-24

The Lord says this:
In a short time, a very short time,
shall not Lebanon become fertile land
and fertile land turn into forest?
The deaf, that day,
will hear the words of a book
and, after shadow and darkness,
the eyes of the blind will see.
But the lowly will rejoice in the Lord even more
and the poorest exult in the Holy One of Israel;
for tyrants shall be no more, and scoffers vanish,
and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil:
those who gossip to incriminate others,
those who try at the gate to trip the arbitrator
and get the upright man’s case dismissed for groundless reasons.
Therefore the Lord speaks,
the God of the House of Jacob,
Abraham’s redeemer:
No longer shall Jacob be ashamed,
no more shall his face grow pale,
for he shall see what my hands have done in his midst,
he shall hold my name holy.
They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob,
stand in awe of the God of Israel.
Erring spirits will learn wisdom
and murmurers accept instruction.

Gospel
Matthew 9:27-31

As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David.’ And when Jesus reached the house the blind men came up with him and he said to them, ‘Do you believe I can do this?’ They said, ‘Sir, we do.’ Then he touched their eyes saying, ‘Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you.’ And their sight returned. Then Jesus sternly warned them, ‘Take care that no one learns about this.’ But when they had gone, they talked about him all over the countryside.

All who think themselves better, smarter, stronger than anyone else has no real knowledge of Christ.  They may know something about Him, even preach about Him. But they do not have a deep personal relationship with Him.  Their egos have blinded them to His love meant to be shared with others. And so they will one day fall with some saying ‘but I did mighty works in Your name Lord ?”

Let us build upon our Rock, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Let us in humility acknowledge the awe of Him who loves us dearly.  His great mercy poured out for us and for us to extend that same mercy to all. Let us build our foundation on Him who is Love. And love one another as He loves us. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 26:1-6

That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
to guard us he has set
wall and rampart about us.
Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in,
she, the faithful one
whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace,
because she trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord for ever,
for the Lord is the everlasting Rock;
he has brought low those who lived high up
in the steep citadel;
he brings it down, brings it down to the ground,
flings it down in the dust:
the feet of the lowly, the footsteps of the poor
trample on it.

Gospel
Matthew 7:21,24-27

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. ‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

Do we need to be infirm of crippled before we turn to the Lord? Do we only turn to Him out of desperation? Or do we actively seek His companionship so that He may guide us in ways pleasing to our Heavenly Father?

Where else can we someone like our Lord and God who identifies with our human frailty? Who knows the suffering and pain we go through because He has gone through it. Who hungered and thirsted as we do. Who came to heal, set free and nourish us.

Then and now when we go before our loving Lord Jesus Christ.  He heal us of our afflictions and feeds us of Himself.  His mercy, peace and love is upon us.  How great are You O Lord my God! We endeavour to stand ready to greet You when You come again. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 25:6-10

On this mountain,
the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food.
On this mountain he will remove
the mourning veil covering all peoples,
and the shroud enwrapping all nations,
he will destroy Death for ever.
The Lord will wipe away
the tears from every cheek;
he will take away his people’s shame
everywhere on earth,
for the Lord has said so.
That day, it will be said: See, this is our God
in whom we hoped for salvation;
the Lord is the one in whom we hoped.
We exult and we rejoice
that he has saved us.

Gospel
Matthew 15:29-37

Jesus reached the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and he went up into the hills. He sat there, and large crowds came to him bringing the lame, the crippled, the blind, the dumb and many others; these they put down at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again, the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.
  But Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them off hungry, they might collapse on the way.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Where could we get enough bread in this deserted place to feed such a crowd?’ Jesus said to them, ‘How many loaves have you?’ ‘Seven’ they said ‘and a few small fish.’ Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves and the fish, and he gave thanks and broke them and handed them to the disciples who gave them to the crowds. They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected what was left of the scraps, seven baskets full.

Do not allow the pursuit of Wisdom and Knowledge blind you to the love of Christ.  For true knowledge and wisdom comes from Him. And even today in His great love and mercy, He reveals the Holy Trinity to those who seek Him.

Let us turn away from our prideful ways and from sin so that our eyes will always be open to His Glory. And may His peace reign in our hearts forever. Amen

First reading
Isaiah 11:1-10

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse,
a scion thrusts from his roots:
on him the spirit of the Lord rests,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
(The fear of the Lord is his breath.)
He does not judge by appearances,
he gives no verdict on hearsay,
but judges the wretched with integrity,
and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.
His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,
his sentences bring death to the wicked.
Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,
faithfulness the belt about his hips.
The wolf lives with the lamb,
the panther lies down with the kid,
calf and lion feed together,
with a little boy to lead them.
The cow and the bear make friends,
their young lie down together.
The lion eats straw like the ox.
The infant plays over the cobra’s hole;
into the viper’s lair
the young child puts his hand.
They do no hurt, no harm,
on all my holy mountain,
for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters swell the sea.
That day, the root of Jesse
shall stand as a signal to the peoples.
It will be sought out by the nations
and its home will be glorious.

Gospel
Luke 10:21-24

Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’
  Then turning to his disciples he spoke to them in private, ‘Happy the eyes that see what you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it.’

Surely you have heard the call of the Lord to build His Kingdom? To lead your family and friends to the knowledge of Jesus so that they too might experience His mercy, peace and love. To open the eyes of the stranger to His glorious light so that all men, women and child have hope for a future with Him.

Or are your ears deafened by the loud cries of the world? Compelling you to accept the alternative lifestyle and ways and to be silent about your faith? To concern yourself with what you think is right, putting all others down? Do you seek the approval of men or the Lord Your God? Do you turn your back on the shepherds who have been entrusted to lead you? Do you see yourself as the best shepherd of all? Do you not then easily fall into sin?

Lord Jesus You are my Good Shepherd, lead and guide me always. That I in turn may lead Your flock according to Your Will. Amen

First reading
Romans 10:9-18

If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
  But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.

Gospel
Matthew 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

Throughout history people have done what they wanted to do without regard for God, His laws, statutes or commandments. What is fashionable and trendy triumphs over prudence and what is thought to be conservative. Too many adopt a throwaway mentality and apply it to people around them! Use and discard! Who needs companionship or community when I have a smartphone? I live for myself and my needs! God is for those who are weak minded and require religion to order their lives.

Little does the world know that without God everything will whither and die. Our Lord reminds us to stay awake and pray for strength to rise above all that we will face. For His mercy and love will be upon us and He will be with us through it all. For He is our sovereign Lord and living God. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
Daniel 7:15-27

I, Daniel, was deeply disturbed and the visions that passed through my head alarmed me. So I approached one of those who were standing by and asked him to tell me the truth about all this. And in reply he revealed to me what these things meant. “These four great beasts are four kings who will rise from the earth. Those who are granted sovereignty are the saints of the Most High, and the kingdom will be theirs for ever, for ever and ever.” Then I asked to know the truth about the fourth beast, different from all the rest, very terrifying, with iron teeth and bronze claws, eating, crushing and trampling underfoot what remained; and the truth about the ten horns on its head – and why the other horn sprouted and the three original horns fell, and why this horn had eyes and a mouth that was full of boasts, and why it made a greater show than the other horns. This was the horn I had watched making war on the saints and proving the stronger, until the coming of the one of great age who gave judgement in favour of the saints of the Most High, when the time came for the saints to take over the kingdom. This is what he said:
‘The fourth beast
is to be a fourth kingdom on earth,
different from all other kingdoms.
It will devour the whole earth,
trample it underfoot and crush it.
As for the ten horns: from this kingdom
will rise ten kings, and another after them;
this one will be different from the previous ones
and will bring down three kings;
he is going to speak words against the Most High,
and harass the saints of the Most High.
He will consider changing seasons and the Law,
and the saints will be put into his power
for a time, two times, and half a time.
But a court will be held and his power will be stripped from him,
consumed, and utterly destroyed.
And sovereignty and kingship,
and the splendours of all the kingdoms under heaven
will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
and every empire will serve and obey him.’

Gospel
Luke 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’

We don’t need to concern ourselves with time or seasons. All we need is to faithful. Take a close look at our lives and we will see the one constant in it, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ! And when we start to grow in our relationship with Him, His Word will transform and fill our hearts with His love.

And our faithful God has promised that we the faithful will remain with Him forever.  Glory and Praise to our living God! Amen

First reading
Daniel 7:2-14

I, Daniel, have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings; and as I looked its wings were torn off, and it was lifted from the ground and set standing on its feet like a man; and it was given a human heart. The second beast I saw was different, like a bear, raised up on one of its sides, with three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth. “Up!” came the command “Eat quantities of flesh!” After this I looked, and saw another beast, like a leopard, and with four bird’s wings on its flanks; it had four heads, and power was given to it. Next I saw another vision in the visions of the night: I saw a fourth beast, fearful, terrifying, very strong; it had great iron teeth, and it ate, crushed and trampled underfoot what remained. It was different from the previous beasts and had ten horns.
  While I was looking at these horns, I saw another horn sprouting among them, a little one; three of the original horns were pulled out by the roots to make way for it; and in this horn I saw eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that was full of boasts. As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
The great things the horn was saying were still ringing in my ears, and as I watched, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and committed to the flames. The other beasts were deprived of their power, but received a lease of life for a season and a time.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

Gospel
Luke 21:29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable: ‘Think of the fig tree and indeed every tree. As soon as you see them bud, you know that summer is now near. So with you when you see these things happening: know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all will have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’

Heed the call of our Lord and God who wants to save us. He Will guide and lead us out of harm’s way. And even if we fall into a pit, our Lord is with us to protect us. His merciful hand will pull us out.

Our Lord is faithful to His faithful and merciless to those without mercy. His love endures forever! Glory and Praise be to our God who lives and reigns in our hearts forever! Amen

First reading
Daniel 6:12-28

The presidents and satraps came along in a body and found Daniel praying and pleading with God. They then came to the king and said, ‘Have you not just signed an edict forbidding any man for the next thirty days to pray to anyone, god or man, other than to yourself O king, on pain of being thrown into the lions’ den?’ ‘The decision stands,’ the king replied ‘as befits the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Then they said to the king, ‘O king, this man Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, disregards both you and the edict which you have signed: he is at his prayers three times each day.’ When the king heard these words he was deeply distressed, and determined to save Daniel; he racked his brains until sunset to find some way out. But the men came back in a body to the king and said, ‘O king, remember that in conformity with the law of the Medes and the Persians, no edict or decree can be altered when once issued by the king.’
  The king then ordered Daniel to be fetched and thrown into the lion pit. The king said to Daniel, ‘Your God himself, whom you have served so faithfully, will have to save you.’ A stone was then brought and laid over the mouth of the pit; and the king sealed it with his own signet and with that of his noblemen, so that there could be no going back on the original decision about Daniel. The king returned to his palace, spent the night in fasting and refused to receive any of his concubines. Sleep eluded him, and at the first sign of dawn he was up, and hurried off to the lion pit. As he approached the pit he shouted in anguished tones, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God! Has your God, whom you serve so faithfully, been able to save you from the lions?’ Daniel replied, ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel who sealed the lions’ jaws, they did me no harm, since in his sight I am blameless, and I have never done you any wrong either, O king.’ The king was overjoyed, and ordered Daniel to be released from the pit. Daniel was released from the pit, and found to be quite unhurt, because he had trusted in his God. The king sent for the men who had accused Daniel and had them thrown into the lion pit, they, their wives and their children: and they had not reached the floor of the pit before the lions had seized them and crushed their bones to pieces.
  King Darius then wrote to men of all nations, peoples and languages throughout the world, ‘May peace be always with you! I decree: in every kingdom of my empire let all tremble with fear before the God of Daniel:
‘He is the living God, he endures for ever,
his sovereignty will never be destroyed
and his kingship never end.
He saves, sets free, and works signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth;
he has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.’

Gospel
Luke 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you must realise that she will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of vengeance when all that scripture says must be fulfilled. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!
  ‘For great misery will descend on the land and wrath on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every pagan country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the pagans until the age of the pagans is completely over.
  ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamour of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’

Are we yet living in the Spirit? Listening to the Word of God and His will for us through the counsel of the Holy Spirit? Allowing His wisdom and knowledge to speak through us to all we meet? To face unafraid any questions or challenges put before us by unbelievers? If not then why? For it His great love for us that the paraclete came to dwell in the hearts of those who would welcome Him.

Or have we instead chosen the wisdom of the world? Chosen to listen to the flesh? Sorry but not contrite, not willing to give these choices up. Yet go for mass on Sunday when we can to receive the Eucharist unworthily thinking it would be worst for us if we don’t.

Yes Jesus our Lord waits patiently to embrace the sinner who decides to turn away from sin and return to Him. Let us me mindful that our time in the world is short and we know not when the day will arrive when we will be judged. Let us not be weighed in the balance and found wanting. Let us instead choose to live in the Spirit and light of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

First reading
Daniel 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28

King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his noblemen; a thousand of them attended, and he drank wine in company with this thousand. As he sipped his wine, Belshazzar gave orders for the gold and silver vessels to be brought which his father Nebuchadnezzar had looted from the sanctuary in Jerusalem, so that the king, his noblemen, his wives and his singing women could drink out of them. The gold and silver vessels looted from the sanctuary of the Temple of God in Jerusalem were brought in, and the king, his noblemen, his wives and his singing women drank out of them. They drank their wine and praised their gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared, and began to write on the plaster of the palace wall, directly behind the lamp-stand; and the king could see the hand as it wrote. The king turned pale with alarm: his thigh-joints went slack and his knees began to knock.
  Daniel was brought into the king’s presence; the king said to Daniel, ‘Are you the Daniel who was one of the Judaean exiles brought by my father the king from Judah? I am told that the spirit of God Most Holy lives in you, and that you are known for your perception, intelligence and marvellous wisdom. As I am told that you are able to give interpretations and to unravel difficult problems, if you can read the writing and tell me what it means, you shall be dressed in purple, and have a chain of gold put round your neck, and be third in rank in the kingdom.’
  Then Daniel spoke up in the presence of the king. ‘Keep your gifts for yourself,’ he said ‘and give your rewards to others. I will read the writing to the king without them, and tell him what it means. You have defied the Lord of heaven, you have had the vessels from his Temple brought to you, and you, your noblemen, your wives and your singing women have drunk your wine out of them. You have praised gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone, which cannot either see, hear or understand; but you have given no glory to the God who holds your breath and all your fortunes in his hands. That is why he has sent the hand which, by itself, has written these words. The writing reads: Mene, Mene, Tekel and Parsin. The meaning of the words is this: Mene: God has measured your sovereignty and put an end to it; Tekel: you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting; Parsin: your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.’

Gospel
Luke 21:12-19

Jesus said: Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’

Nothing that is in the world lasts forever. The only treasure we should hold dear to our hearts and will never be taken away is our faith in the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ. That we will have eternal life with Him so long as we seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And everything else will be added unto us.

His sheep listen to His voice, they know Him and follow Him. And so we are the sheep of His flock, we belong to Him. He is our Shepherd there is nothing we need fear.  For He will lead us Home to our Heavenly Father.

All Glory and Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen

First reading
Daniel 2:31-45

Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar, ‘You have had a vision, O king; this is what you saw: a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness, stood before you, terrible to see. The head of this statue was of fine gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part earthenware. While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and earthenware and shattered them. And then, iron and earthenware, bronze, silver, gold all broke into small pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole earth. This was the dream; now we will explain to the king what it means.
  ‘You, O king, king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given sovereignty, power, strength and glory – the sons of men, the beasts of the field, the birds of heaven, wherever they live, he has entrusted to your rule, making you king of them all – you are the golden head. And after you another kingdom will rise, not so great as you, and then a third, of bronze, which will rule the whole world. There will be a fourth kingdom, hard as iron, as iron that shatters and crushes all. Like iron that breaks everything to pieces, it will crush and break all the earlier kingdoms. The feet you saw, part earthenware, part iron, are a kingdom which will be split in two, but which will retain something of the strength of iron, just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together. The feet were part iron, part earthenware: the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. And just as you saw the iron and the clay of the earthenware mixed together, so the two will be mixed together in the seed of man; but they will not hold together any more than iron will blend with earthenware. In the time of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and this kingdom will not pass into the hands of another race: it will shatter and absorb all the previous kingdoms, and itself last for ever – just as you saw the stone untouched by hand break from the mountain and shatter iron, bronze, earthenware, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what is to take place. The dream is true, the interpretation exact.’

Gospel
Luke 21:5-11

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’
  ‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.’

All riches are to be found in God alone. And anyone who chooses willingly to give their all to Him will find themselves wealthy beyond compare. For their gain is not of this World. They need only ask, knock and seek and all will be given, opened and found. For their hearts are set upon building His Kingdom.

Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

First reading
Daniel 1:1-6,8-20

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hands, with some of the furnishings of the Temple of God. He took them away to the land of Shinar, and stored the sacred vessels in the treasury of his own gods.
  The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to select from the Israelites a certain number of boys of either royal or noble descent; they had to be without any physical defect, of good appearance, trained in every kind of wisdom, well-informed, quick at learning, suitable for service in the palace of the king. Ashpenaz himself was to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldaeans. The king assigned them a daily allowance of food and wine from his own royal table. They were to receive an education lasting for three years, after which they were expected to be fit for the king’s society. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who were Judaeans. Daniel, who was most anxious not to defile himself with the food and wine from the royal table, begged the chief eunuch to spare him this defilement; and by the grace of God Daniel met goodwill and sympathy on the part of the chief eunuch. But he warned Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king: he has assigned you food and drink, and if he sees you looking thinner in the face than the other boys of your age, my head will be in danger with the king because of you.’ At this Daniel turned to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He said, ‘Please allow your servants a ten days’ trial, during which we are given only vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our looks with those of the boys who eat the king’s food; go by what you see, and treat your servants accordingly.’ The man agreed to do what they asked and put them on ten days’ trial. When the ten days were over they looked and were in better health than any of the boys who had eaten their allowance from the royal table; so the guard withdrew their allowance of food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. And God favoured these four boys with knowledge and intelligence in everything connected with literature, and in wisdom; while Daniel had the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream. When the period stipulated by the king for the boys’ training was over, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king conversed with them, and among all the boys found none to equal Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they became members of the king’s court, and on whatever point of wisdom or information he might question them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

Gospel
Luke 21:1-4

As Jesus looked up, he saw rich people putting their offerings into the treasury; then he happened to notice a poverty-stricken widow putting in two small coins, and he said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them; for these have all contributed money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in all she had to live on.’

Sing praises indeed to our living God! For through His Son, our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ we have hope of eternal life with Him. It is through Jesus our Lord that we have new life, we have peace and joy.

For those who do evil, live in sin will surely whither and die. All their riches will come to naught.  For true treasures are to be had only by those who live in the world but are not of this world. For the children of God are not of this world.  And we will return to Him when the time comes.

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

First reading
1 Maccabees 6:1-13

King Antiochus was making his way across the upper provinces; he had heard that in Persia there was a city called Elymais, renowned for its riches, its silver and gold, and its very wealthy temple containing golden armour, breastplates and weapons, left there by Alexander son of Philip, the king of Macedon, the first to reign over the Greeks. He therefore went and attempted to take the city and pillage it, but without success, since the citizens learnt of his intention, and offered him a stiff resistance, whereupon he turned about and retreated, disconsolate, in the direction of Babylon. But while he was still in Persia news reached him that the armies that had invaded the land of Judah had been defeated, and that Lysias in particular had advanced in massive strength, only to be forced to turn and flee before the Jews; these had been strengthened by the acquisition of arms, supplies and abundant spoils from the armies they had cut to pieces; they had overthrown the abomination he had erected over the altar in Jerusalem, and had encircled the sanctuary with high walls as in the past, and had fortified Bethzur, one of his cities. When the king heard this news he was amazed and profoundly shaken; he threw himself on his bed and fell into a lethargy from acute disappointment, because things had not turned out for him as he had planned. And there he remained for many days, subject to deep and recurrent fits of melancholy, until he understood that he was dying. Then summoning all his Friends, he said to them, ‘Sleep evades my eyes, and my heart is cowed by anxiety. I have been asking myself how I could have come to such a pitch of distress, so great a flood as that which now engulfs me – I who was so generous and well-loved in my heyday. But now I remember the wrong I did in Jerusalem when I seized all the vessels of silver and gold there, and ordered the extermination of the inhabitants of Judah for no reason at all. This, I am convinced, is why these misfortunes have overtaken me, and why I am dying of melancholy in a foreign land.’

Gospel
Luke 20:27-40

Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached him and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’
  Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’
  Some scribes then spoke up. ‘Well put, Master’ they said – because they would not dare to ask him any more questions.

Every Eucharist celebration we attend in our Church of which we hold so dear is one of thanksgiving. We gather to thank, praise and worship our Lord and God. To listen attentively to His Word and Will for us and then to receive Him into our very beings.

How many attend instead out of obligation? How many without joy in their hearts? How many are more concerned about catching up with their friends during mass? Talking when they should be praying and listening? How many are distracted and engrossed with their electronic devices? How many come late regularly and or leave early because of more pressing matters other than to be with God? Do they not realise they are robbing themselves and perhaps others of the Graces our Lord wants to bestow upon them?

Lord Jesus thank You for instituting the source and summit of our faith, the Holy Eucharist. Thank You for receiving us, just as we receive You; Your precious body, blood and divinity.  Amen

First reading
1 Maccabees 4:36-37,52-59

Judas and his brothers said, ‘Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and dedicate it.’ So they marshalled the whole army, and went up to Mount Zion.
  On the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they rose at dawn and offered a lawful sacrifice on the new altar of holocausts which they had made. The altar was dedicated, to the sound of zithers, harps and cymbals, at the same time of year and on the same day on which the pagans had originally profaned it. The whole people fell prostrate in adoration, praising to the skies him who had made them so successful. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar, joyfully offering holocausts, communion sacrifices and thanksgivings. They ornamented the front of the Temple with crowns and bosses of gold, repaired the gates and the storerooms and fitted them with doors. There was no end to the rejoicing among the people, and the reproach of the pagans was lifted from them. Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness.

Gospel
Luke 19:45-48

Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’
  He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.

The prince of peace has come to bring His light and love into the world. But many choose to live in darkness, they choose to be led astray and far away from God our Father. Some may say in a given situation they don’t have a choice because it is a matter of life or death. Well I say exactly, eternal life with God or eternal death? It is still our choice.

The choice of living away from God and in sin only leads to darkness, destruction and death. In His great love and mercy for us, Jesus comes to offer us redemption. He does not want to lose anyone of us. Those who are weak need only cry out to Him for help and He will raise them up and free them from their bonds. His mercy, peace and love is upon all who seek Him.

Let our zeal for His house lead us home to Him. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
1 Maccabees 2:15-29

The commissioners of King Antiochus who were enforcing the apostasy came to the town of Modein to make them sacrifice. Many Israelites gathered round them, but Mattathias and his sons drew apart. The king’s commissioners then addressed Mattathias as follows, ‘You are a respected leader, a great man in this town; you have sons and brothers to support you. Be the first to step forward and conform to the king’s decree, as all the nations have done, and the leaders of Judah and the survivors in Jerusalem; you and your sons shall be reckoned among the Friends of the King, you and your sons shall be honoured with gold and silver and many presents.’ Raising his voice, Mattathias retorted, ‘Even if every nation living in the king’s dominions obeys him, each forsaking its ancestral religion to conform to his decrees, I, my sons and my brothers will still follow the covenant of our ancestors. Heaven preserve us from forsaking the Law and its observances. As for the king’s orders, we will not follow them: we will not swerve from our own religion either to right or to left.’ As he finished speaking, a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein as the royal edict required. When Mattathias saw this, he was fired with zeal; stirred to the depth of his being, he gave vent to his legitimate anger, threw himself on the man and slaughtered him on the altar. At the same time he killed the king’s commissioner who was there to enforce the sacrifice, and tore down the altar. In his zeal for the Law he acted as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu. Then Mattathias went through the town, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Let everyone who has a fervour for the Law and takes his stand on the covenant come out and follow me.’ Then he fled with his sons into the hills, leaving all their possessions behind in the town.
  At this, many who were concerned for virtue and justice went down to the desert and stayed there.

Gospel
Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it and said, ‘If you in your turn had only understood on this day the message of peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes! Yes, a time is coming when your enemies will raise fortifications all round you, when they will encircle you and hem you in on every side; they will dash you and the children inside your walls to the ground; they will leave not one stone standing on another within you – and all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’

Parents for the love of God, do not condone your children leading sinful lives for fear they leave your side. Fear instead that they lose their souls to eternal damnation. You and I too should strive for holiness never letting up on our prayer time. For it is far too easy to be tempted by the wiles of the world and to be led astray. 

The way to remain focused on our Lord is to put to use the gifts and talents we have received from Him to build His Kingdom.  The more we use them the more we will receive,  the greater the awe of which He inspires us. The love and dedication we put into it will be reflected in the fruits we bear.

We praise and thank You Jesus, our Lord of Lords; Our King of kings. Thank You for liberating us from the captivity of sin. So that we might serve You with peace and joy. Amen

First reading
2 Maccabees 7:1,20-31

There were seven brothers who were arrested with their mother. The king tried to force them to taste pig’s flesh, which the Law forbids, by torturing them with whips and scourges. But the mother was especially admirable and worthy of honourable remembrance, for she watched the death of seven sons in the course of a single day, and endured it resolutely because of her hopes in the Lord. Indeed she encouraged each of them in the language of their ancestors; filled with noble conviction, she reinforced her womanly argument with manly courage, saying to them, ‘I do not know how you appeared in my womb; it was not I who endowed you with breath and life, I had not the shaping of your every part. It is the creator of the world, ordaining the process of man’s birth and presiding over the origin of all things, who in his mercy will most surely give you back both breath and life, seeing that you now despise your own existence for the sake of his laws.’
  Antiochus thought he was being ridiculed, suspecting insult in the tone of her voice; and as the youngest was still alive he appealed to him not with mere words but with promises on oath to make him both rich and happy if he would abandon the traditions of his ancestors; he would make him his Friend and entrust him with public office. The young man took no notice at all, and so the king then appealed to the mother, urging her to advise the youth to save his life. After a great deal of urging on his part she agreed to try persuasion on her son. Bending over him, she fooled the cruel tyrant with these words, uttered in the language of their ancestors, ‘My son, have pity on me; I carried you nine months in my womb and suckled you three years, fed you and reared you to the age you are now (and cherished you). I implore you, my child, observe heaven and earth, consider all that is in them, and acknowledge that God made them out of what did not exist, and that mankind comes into being in the same way. Do not fear this executioner, but prove yourself worthy of your brothers, and make death welcome, so that in the day of mercy I may receive you back in your brothers’ company.’
  She had scarcely ended when the young man said, ‘What are you all waiting for? I will not comply with the king’s ordinance; I obey the ordinance of the Law given to our ancestors through Moses. As for you, sir, who have contrived every kind of evil against the Hebrews, you will certainly not escape the hands of God.’

Gospel
Luke 19:11-28

While the people were listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they imagined that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. Accordingly he said, ‘A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and afterwards return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds. “Do business with these” he told them “until I get back.” But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, “We do not want this man to be our king.”
  ‘Now on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came in and said, “Sir, your one pound has brought in ten.” “Well done, my good servant!” he replied “Since you have proved yourself faithful in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities.” Then came the second and said, “Sir, your one pound has made five.” To this one also he said, “And you shall be in charge of five cities.” Next came the other and said, “Sir, here is your pound. I put it away safely in a piece of linen because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you pick up what you have not put down and reap what you have not sown.” “You wicked servant!” he said “Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew I was an exacting man, picking up what I have not put down and reaping what I have not sown? Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest.” And he said to those standing by, “Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds.” And they said to him, “But, sir, he has ten pounds . . .” “I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
  ‘“But as for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence.”’
  When he had said this he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

We cannot cut corners, take shortcuts or pretend while calling ourselves Christians. For we cannot be a disciple and live in shadows. We are children of the light and are beacons for one another and the world.

Many are anxious, hungry and thirsty for more in their lives. They thirst for the living water they have not yet found. And so when they are led to where the Lord is present and their spirit ascends to gaze upon Him. They are transformed by His mercy and love. They want to leave behind their sinful burdensome lives and desire to follow Him. Our Lord in turn grants eternal salvation.

Jesus my Lord and God, I too am willing and glad to suffer for Your namesake because of the awe in which You inspire me. Amen

First reading
2 Maccabees 6:18-31

Eleazar, one of the foremost teachers of the Law, a man already advanced in years and of most noble appearance, was being forced to open his mouth wide to swallow pig’s flesh. But he, resolving to die with honour rather than to live disgraced, went to the block of his own accord, spitting the stuff out, the plain duty of anyone with the courage to reject what it is not lawful to taste, even from a natural tenderness for his own life. Those in charge of the impious banquet, because of their long-standing friendship with him, took him aside and privately urged him to have meat brought of a kind he could properly use, prepared by himself, and only pretend to eat the portions of sacrificial meat as prescribed by the king; this action would enable him to escape death, by availing himself of an act of kindness prompted by their long friendship. But having taken a noble decision worthy of his years and the dignity of his great age and the well earned distinction of his grey hairs, worthy too of his impeccable conduct from boyhood, and above all of the holy legislation established by God himself, he publicly stated his convictions, telling them to send him at once to Hades. ‘Such pretence’ he said ‘does not square with our time of life; many young people would suppose that Eleazar at the age of ninety had conformed to the foreigners’ way of life, and because I had played this part for the sake of a paltry brief spell of life might themselves be led astray on my account; I should only bring defilement and disgrace on my old age. Even though for the moment I avoid execution by man, I can never, living or dead, elude the grasp of the Almighty. Therefore if I am man enough to quit this life here and now I shall prove myself worthy of my old age, and I shall have left the young a noble example of how to make a good death, eagerly and generously, for the venerable and holy laws.’
  With these words he went straight to the block. His escorts, so recently well disposed towards him, turned against him after this declaration, which they regarded as sheer madness. Just before he died under the blows, he groaned aloud and said, ‘The Lord whose knowledge is holy sees clearly that, though I might have escaped death, whatever agonies of body I now endure under this bludgeoning, in my soul I am glad to suffer, because of the awe which he inspires in me.’
  This was how he died, leaving his death as an example of nobility and a record of virtue not only for the young but for the great majority of the nation.

Gospel
Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’