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Listen always, attentively to the Lord our God. And be amazed at the result. For His wisdom is beyond our understanding. Let us see through the eyes of our Lord instead of through our own shallow vision. For in communion with Him, He has granted us the grace to do so.

Hold on to nothing in the past be it positions or old ways of doing things. For the Holy Spirit blows where He wills. He will refresh and present new unimaginable ways to witness His glory. Let us never forget that we are the anointed ones of God to be His priests, prophet and King for one another.

Praise and Glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ! May He reign in our hearts forever. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you go on mourning over Saul when I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel replied, ‘How can I go? When Saul hears of it he will kill me.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then I myself will tell you what you must do; you must anoint to me the one I point out to you.’

  Samuel did what the Lord ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came trembling to meet him and asked, ‘Seer, have you come with good intentions towards us?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

  When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him’, but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse then called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on. As for Samuel, he rose and went to Ramah.

Gospel
Mark 2:23-28

One sabbath day Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’

  And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’

God our Father so loves us that He wants the absolute best for us. His Will for us leads us in that direction. And so even if it does not make perfect sense to us we should be obedient to follow His commands and statutes.

Problem lies therein when we pick and choose what we want to follow or presume to know the heart of God and do what we like to ‘please’ Him. As a result we sometimes hold on to sin or that which is sinful. Soon that very sin takes on a life of its own and eventually destroys all that is pure and good.

Jesus came so that we might have new life in Him. And with new life we must possess fresh hearts. One which does not hold on to past sins and that is obedient to our loving Lord and God.  Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 15:16-23

Samuel said to Saul, ‘Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.’ Saul said, ‘Tell me.’ Samuel continued, ‘Small as you may be in your own eyes, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? the Lord has anointed you king over Israel. The Lord sent you on a mission and said to you, “Go, put these sinners, the Amalekites, under the ban and make war on them until they are exterminated.” Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you fall on the booty and do what is displeasing to the Lord?’ Saul replied to Samuel, ‘But I did obey the voice of the Lord. I went on the mission which the Lord gave me; I brought back Agag king of the Amalekites; I put the Amalekites under the ban. From the booty the people took the best sheep and oxen of what was under the ban to sacrifice them to the Lord your God in Gilgal.’ But Samuel replied:

‘Is the pleasure of the Lord in holocausts and sacrifices
or in obedience to the voice of the Lord?

Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness better than the fat of rams.

Rebellion is a sin of sorcery,
presumption a crime of teraphim.

‘Since you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.’

Gospel
Mark 2:18-22

One day when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Why is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of fasting while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they could not think of fasting. But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak; if he does, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine, fresh skins!’

Like a disease it can spread rather swiftly to others. For instance when one allows himself or herself to be consumed with rage and starts lashing out others. Soon vulgarities are allowed to flow and self control goes out the window.

People on the receiving end either react immediately to the onslaught with outrage. Or some hold it in with no choice but to allow the venom to fester and soon overwhelm them. Others who seek the Lord for comfort will get it but then over time as the onslaught continues it wears them down. They may choose to seek sinful distractions as a result.

Sin blinds and lures you as far as possible away from God our Father. It opens Pandora’s box to more evil. To keep you further distracted, evil plants doubts, shame even depression. And so most stray further thinking they are not worthy of forgiveness.

Jesus came for us sinners, to free us from such bondages. Let us always turn to Him knowing He is waiting to embrace us in reconciliation. Amen

Can you fathom what an honour, what a privilege, how wonderfully special it was to be anointed by God in the days of the old Testament? To be chosen, to be set apart to be king to rule His people. He makes us worthy whether or not we are worthy to begin with. Saul had the physique, stature even upbringing to be a leader of men. God our Father elevated him and have him a unique opportunity to rule over His people.

The problem lies in our sinful nature to want what we don’t yet deserve and to want it now.  We choose to appoint ourselves as kings. To Lord ourselves over others. We become hungry for recognition.

Soon we lose sight of our  calling. To be Holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy. To be set apart to be priest, prophet and King for one another.

Jesus came to call on us sinners. To take away our sins and transform us so that we are made Holy once again. To follow Him and He will lead us home to our Heavenly Father. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 9:1-4,17-19,10:1

Among the men of Benjamin there was a man named Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah; a Benjaminite and a man of rank. He had a son named Saul, a handsome man in the prime of life. Of all the Israelites there was no one more handsome than he; he stood head and shoulders taller than the rest of the people. Now some of the she-donkeys of Saul’s father Kish had strayed, so Kish said to Saul, ‘My son, take one of the servants with you and be off; go and look for the she-donkeys.’ They passed through the highlands of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but did not find them; they passed through the land of Shaalim, they were not there; they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

  When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ‘That is the man of whom I told you; he shall rule my people.’ Saul accosted Samuel in the gateway and said, ‘Tell me, please, where the seer’s house is?’ Samuel replied to Saul, ‘I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place. You are to eat with me today. In the morning I shall take leave of you and tell you all that is in your heart.

  Samuel took a phial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head; then he kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you prince over his people Israel? You are the man who must rule the Lord’s people, and who must save them from the power of the enemies surrounding them.’

Gospel
Mark 2:13-17

Jesus went out to the shore of the lake; and all the people came to him, and he taught them. As he was walking on he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus, sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.

  When Jesus was at dinner in his house, a number of tax collectors and sinners were also sitting at the table with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many of them among his followers. When the scribes of the Pharisee party saw him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard this he said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners.’

How have we faired as kings and queens of our own lives? How have we treated and cared for the people around us? By what conscience, value system or morals do we lead them?

Unless Jesus is the Lord of Lords, KING of kings in our own lives. We have naught! For what we have are fleeting and will never lasts. True treasure in this life and the next comes from Christ alone. It is only through Him will we have our heavenly inheritance.

To truly be able to govern our lives and to care for others, we need for our sins to be forgiven by Jesus. He lovingly does so, when we come by our own volition or are brought before Him. His grace is upon us so that we can stand tall to love, serve Him and His flock. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 8:4-7,10-22

All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ‘Look,’ they said to him ‘you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. So give us a king to rule over us, like the other nations.’ It displeased Samuel that they should say, ‘Let us have a king to rule us’, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for it is not you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling over them.’

  All that the Lord had said Samuel repeated to the people who were asking him for a king He said, ‘These will be the rights of the king who is to reign over you. He will take your sons and assign them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his ploughland and harvest his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots. He will also take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields, of your vineyards and olive groves and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and vineyards to provide for his eunuchs and his officials. He will take the best of your manservants and maidservants, of your cattle and your donkeys, and make them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out on account of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day God will not answer you.’

  The people refused to listen to the words of Samuel. They said, ‘No! We want a king, so that we in our turn can be like the other nations; our king shall rule us and be our leader and fight our battles.’ Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and repeated it in the ears of the Lord. The Lord then said to Samuel, ‘Obey their voice and give them a king.’

Gospel
Mark 2:1-12

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’

My little reflection on what it takes to be a leader in the Church we serve…

1. Jesus must reign supreme in your heart, mind and soul. Ponder His Word and live it daily.

2. You must reflect the Lord in everything you say and do.

3. Above all things, you must lead one another closer to Christ.

4. To be an effective leader you must be both ‘Martha’ and ‘Mary’.

5. You must be ready and willing to wash the feet of the one you dislike the most with a merciful heart.

6. Lead always by example, take ownership and walk the talk. Humility is not worn it is lived.

7. You must belong to a community of which you meet with regularly.

There has never been or will ever be a greater leader then our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. All you’ll ever need to learn or know you can and must learn from Him.

We should never take the mercy of the Lord our God for granted. Nor rely on Holy objects of faith to protect, save or strengthen us against evil and sin. For it is the one from whom the objects are made Holy that truly saves us. It is our faith, relationship with and in Him; that we have hope, strength and peace.

For it is only when our repentant, contrite sprit cries out to the Lord that His mercy is upon us. He takes away our sins the slow, painful surety of death that awaits us. We are then free to walk with Him in His light.

Such is His liberating love for us that we cry out His praises with joy and thanksgiving.

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

First reading
1 Samuel 4:1-11

It happened at that time that the Philistines mustered to fight Israel and Israel went out to meet them in battle, encamping near Ebenezer while the Philistines were encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up their battle line against Israel, the battle was hotly engaged, and Israel was defeated by the Philistines and about four thousand of their army were killed on the field. The troops returned to the camp and the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord allowed us to be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of our God from Shiloh so that it may come among us and rescue us from the power of our enemies.’’ So the troops sent to Shiloh and brought away the ark of the Lord of Hosts, he who is seated on the cherubs; the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, came with the ark. When the ark of the Lord arrived in the camp, all Israel gave a great shout so that the earth resounded. When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, ‘What can this great shouting in the Hebrew camp mean?’ And they realised that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. At this the Philistines were afraid; and they said, ‘God has come to the camp.’ ‘Alas!’ they cried ‘This has never happened before. Alas! Who will save us from the power of this mighty God? It was he who struck down Egypt with every kind of plague! But take courage and be men, Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been slaves to you. Be men and fight.’ So the Philistines joined battle and Israel was defeated, each man fleeing to his tent. The slaughter was great indeed, and there fell of the Israelites thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured too, and the two sons of Eli died, Hophni and Phinehas.

Gospel
Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.

Can you hear the voice of the Lord calling out to you? Can you hear Him speaking to your heart? Can you feel His embrace as the gentle whisper of His Word well up within you?

Or has sin clogged your ears to hear? Has the world drowned out His voice with its distractions? With temptations? Has the pursuit of wealth, power and honour taken precedence in your life?

Jesus our Saviour has come to take away all that prevents us from listening to the Word of God our Father. To heal us of our many afflictions. To restore our Sonship and Daughtership in Him. So that we can be free to remain in His love. To Love and serve our Heavenly Father with joy.

Here I am Lord, I’ve come to do Your Will. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 3:1-10,19-20

The boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli; it was rare for the Lord to speak in those days; visions were uncommon. One day, it happened that Eli was lying down in his room. His eyes were beginning to grow dim; he could no longer see. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying in the sanctuary of the Lord where the ark of God was, when the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ He answered, ‘Here I am.’ Then he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, since you called me.’ Eli said, ‘I did not call. Go back and lie down.’ So he went and lay down. Once again the Lord called, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, since you called me.’ He replied, ‘I did not call you, my son; go back and lie down.’ Samuel had as yet no knowledge of the Lord and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. Once again the Lord called, the third time. He got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, since you called me.’ Eli then understood that it was the Lord who was calling the boy, and he said to Samuel, ‘Go and lie down, and if someone calls say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

  The Lord then came and stood by, calling as he had done before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Samuel answered, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’

  Samuel grew up and the Lord was with him and let no word of his fall to the ground. All Israel from Dan to Beersheba came to know that Samuel was accredited as a prophet of the Lord.

Gospel
Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother-in-law had gone to bed with fever, and they told him about her straightaway. He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to wait on them.

  That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.

  In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out devils.

Pray to the Lord your God with all your heart from all that binds you. Be it the burden of sin. Be it the foul words, curses, gossip that others use to weigh you down and suffocate you. Be it the splintering from within our souls by the evil we allowed in. Lift up to Him all You have or will have and hold nothing back. And He will set You free!

For Jesus our Saviour has come to gather all of us together. Especially those who have been scattered far and away by evil. For His mercy is on all who cried out to Him. And He will unite us as one body in Him.

Lord Jesus teach us Your ways so that we may always be Holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy. Now and forever. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 1:9-20

After they had eaten in the hall, Hannah rose and took her stand before the Lord, while Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. In the bitterness of her soul she prayed to the Lord with many tears and made a vow, saying, ‘O Lord of Hosts! If you will take notice of the distress of your servant, and bear me in mind and not forget your servant and give her a man-child, I will give him to the Lord for the whole of his life and no razor shall ever touch his head.’

  While she prayed before the Lord which she did for some time, Eli was watching her mouth, for she was speaking under her breath; her lips were moving but her voice could not be heard. He therefore supposed that she was drunk and said to her, ‘How long are you going to be in this drunken state? Rid yourself of your wine.’ ‘No, my lord,’ Hannah replied ‘I am a woman in great trouble; I have taken neither wine nor strong drink – I was pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; all this time I have been speaking from the depth of my grief and my resentment.’ Then Eli answered her: ‘Go in peace,’ he said ‘and may the God of Israel grant what you have asked of him.’ And she said, ‘May your maidservant find favour in your sight’; and with that the woman went away; she returned to the hall and ate and was dejected no longer.

  They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord and then set out and returned to their home in Ramah. Elkanah had intercourse with Hannah his wife and the Lord was mindful of her. She conceived and gave birth to a son, and called him Samuel ‘since’ she said ‘I asked the Lord for him.’

Gospel
Mark 1:21-28

Jesus and his followers went as far as Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.

  In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and it shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new’ they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.

Each and everyone one of us are called to serve according to the strengths and gifts we have been given.

There will be times when we are made to feel inadequate or lacking. Sometimes the world seems to ridicule and taunt us even. Should we then despair? Should we then ignore the call of our Lord?

Let us turn instead to the Lord our God who called us. For He will provide for all that we need to accomplish His Will for us. It is through our obedience and swift response, that our hearts are filled with hope and joy. His peace and love is upon us. Amen

First reading
1 Samuel 1:1-8

There was a man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the highlands of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives, one called Hannah, the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Every year this man used to go up from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there as priests of the Lord.

  One day Elkanah offered sacrifice. He used to give portions to Penirinah and to all her sons and daughters; to Hannah, however, he would give only one portion, although he loved her more, since the Lord had made her barren. Her rival would taunt her to annoy her, because the Lord had made her barren. And this went on year after year; every time they went up to the temple of the Lord she used to taunt her. And so Hannah wept and would not eat. Then Elkanah her husband said to her, ‘Hannah, why are you crying and why are you not eating? Why so sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?’

Gospel
Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’

  As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.

  Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at once and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

Whatever we do in Jesus name, or whomever we serve through Him. Our Prayers will always be answered according to His Will. 

And when witness the fruits and hear the testimonies. We can delight in knowing we were well fashioned use worthy tools in our Master’s hands. No further recognition should be required nor sought after.  For to give Him glory alone is what liberates us from earthly desires.

We who strive to live in Him should encourage one another to do likewise. To pray for one another that our sins may be forgiven. To encourage even sometimes admonish one another so as to seek the Sacrament of reconciliation for the grave sins that will otherwise bring permanent death.

Let us stay awake together as we wait the return of our bridegroom, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

First reading
1 John 5:14-21

We are quite confident that if we ask the Son of God for anything, and it is in accordance with his will, he will hear us; and, knowing that whatever we may ask, he hears us, we know that we have already been granted what we asked of him.

If anybody sees his brother commit a sin that is not a deadly sin, he has only to pray, and God will give life to the sinner – not those who commit a deadly sin; for there is a sin that is death, and I will not say that you must pray about that.

Every kind of wrong-doing is sin, but not all sin is deadly.

We know that anyone who has been begotten by God does not sin, because the begotten Son of God protects him, and the Evil One does not touch him.

We know that we belong to God, but the whole world lies in the power of the Evil One.

We know, too, that the Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God.

We are in the true God, as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ.

This is the true God, this is eternal life.

Children, be on your guard against false gods.

Gospel
John 3:22-30

Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised. At the same time John was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were going there to be baptised. This was before John had been put in prison.

  Now some of John’s disciples had opened a discussion with a Jew about purification, so they went to John and said, ‘Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now; and everyone is going to him.’

  John replied:

‘A man can lay claim
only to what is given him from heaven.

‘You yourselves can bear me out: I said: I myself am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent in front of him.

‘The bride is only for the bridegroom; and yet the bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.

This same joy I feel, and now it is complete.

He must grow greater, I must grow smaller.’

The water of our baptism, the blood poured out for our redemption all has its source in Christ Jesus our Saviour. And the Holy Spirit proclaims this truth to us, providing the grace of faith to embrace and treasure these gifts.

For it is through the water and blood that flowed from side of Christ that our Church was born. And so it is from the source of life that we bear fruit.

The snares of the world like a flesh eating disease seeks to consume us. And drain the life of out of us. And this is how it is when we are disconnected from the love of God.

Jesus came to restore us and make us whole. If we but cry out to Him in faith, He will heal us. He will give us the Holy Spirit. So that we can glorify our Heavenly Father by living out faithful lives in Him eternally. Amen

First reading
1 John 5:5-13

Who can overcome the world?

Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God:

Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness –

since the Spirit is the truth –
so that there are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and all three of them agree.

We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God’s testimony is much greater, and this is God’s testimony,
given as evidence for his Son.

Everybody who believes in the Son of God has this testimony inside him; and anyone who will not believe God is making God out to be a liar, because he has not trusted the testimony God has given about his Son.

This is the testimony:
God has given us eternal life
and this life is in his Son;
anyone who has the Son has life, anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.

I have written all this to you
so that you who believe in the name of the Son of God may be sure that you have eternal life.

Gospel
Luke 5:12-16

Jesus was in one of the towns when a man appeared, covered with leprosy. Seeing Jesus he fell on his face and implored him. ‘Sir,’ he said ‘if you want to, you can cure me.’ Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once. He ordered him to tell no one, ‘But go and show yourself to the priest and make the offering for your healing as Moses prescribed it, as evidence for them.’

  His reputation continued to grow, and large crowds would gather to hear him and to have their sickness cured, but he would always go off to some place where he could be alone and pray.

Just as oil and water will not mix and will remain separate. So it is with God’s love and hatred. If you want to be separated by God then hold on to your hatred.

For you cannot say you love God and then hate the person that caused you hurt, pain, grief and bitterness. For true children of God who have themselves experienced the mercy of God and His love; are themselves merciful and loving.

And so if you are still holding on to hatred or unforgiveness, bring it to Jesus. For He has come to liberate us from its sinful hold. He will open our blind eyes to see and experience His mercy and love.

Our faith in our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ is what keeps us steadfast in His love. And we remain forever children of God our Father. Amen

First reading
1 John 4:19-5:4

We are to love,
because God loved us first.

Anyone who says, ‘I love God’,
and hates his brother, is a liar, since a man who does not love the brother that he can see cannot love God, whom he has never seen.

So this is the commandment that he has given us, that anyone who loves God must also love his brother.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God; and whoever loves the Father that begot him loves the child whom he begets.

We can be sure that we love God’s children if we love God himself and do what he has commanded us; this is what loving God is –

keeping his commandments;
and his commandments are not difficult, because anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world; this is the victory over the world – our faith.

Gospel
Luke 4:14-22

Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him.

  He came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day as he usually did. He stood up to read and they handed him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it is written:

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me.

He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives
and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips.

A short reflection….

Never take the gift of the Eucharist Celebration for granted. You’ll never know when the chance to receive our Lord may be taken away from you.

Imagine everyone gathered in Church and just as the celebration is about to start, a bunch of soldiers barge in to tell everyone to get out or be killed. And yet while it has happened elsewhere, who is to say that it will never happen where you’re at?

Today at our lunchtime EC where everyone was gathered. Our equipment and Mass Kit was kept in the storage area of another meeting room where an important business meeting had gone on since morning.

One worker on behalf of the convention centre went in unannounced, all the way through to the storage area and was severely reprimanded and told to leave. Needless to say the Business folks in there were no longer interested to hear our plea through the Convention centre management to allow us to quickly get our stuff. Hence all we could do was to continue with a service of the Word. The celebrant who happened to be my Parish priest led us through it.

So this just goes to show you that we should cherish every Eucharistic celebration we get to attend in which we are able to receive the Lord our God in Holy Communion.

Many who have not entered into a relationship with our Lord and God have either an irrational fear of Him or no reverent fear at all.

The former thinks that God is angry and vengeful, so it is better to tread carefully. While others are afraid that God will make them do or act on things they do not want to do. They will somehow be made His puppets.

Jesus shows us by example the nature of God’s love for us. How He lived not for Himself but for us. How He sent his tired and worn disciples ahead to rest and recover from serving the 5000. While he alone sent the huge crowd off away bidding them farewell.  He showed us how we can always turn to God our Father in prayer when we are tired and weary. And He will give us rest and strength.

Jesus teaches us to recognise the love of God in our lives. So that we who are God’s children can cry out to Him with great confidence, courage and He will come to us. He will live in us as we in Him. Amen

First reading
1 John 4:11-18

My dear people, since God has loved us so much, we too should love one another.

No one has ever seen God;
but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.

We can know that we are living in Him and he is living in us because he lets us share his Spirit.

We ourselves saw and we testify that the Father sent his Son as saviour of the world.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God.

We ourselves have known and put our faith in God’s love towards ourselves.

God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him.

Love will come to its perfection in us when we can face the day of Judgement without fear; because even in this world we have become as he is.

In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love.

Gospel
Mark 6:45-52

After the five thousand had eaten and were filled, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the crowd away. After saying goodbye to them he went off into the hills to pray. When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. He could see they were worn out with rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the lake. He was going to pass them by, but when they saw him walking on the lake they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they had all seen him and were terrified. But he at once spoke to them, and said, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind dropped. They were utterly and completely dumbfounded, because they had not seen what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed.

There is no half measure in our Lord God’s love for us. He loved us to the very end and yet some more. Leaving for us a loving legacy of examples to emulate.

He loved and cared for His flock despite his tiredness. He taught at some length and anyone who has taught knows how draining that can get. He prayed for them constantly. He took it upon himself to feed them and abundantly. To nourish restore and prepare them always in His love.

His whole life was spent nourishing, restoring and preparing us for eternal life with Him. In His great wisdom and love, He gave us the Sacraments of which; The source and summit of our faith is the Holy Eucharist.

Glory to God in the highest! Amen

First reading
1 John 4:7-10

My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.

Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love.

God’s love for us was revealed
when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him; this is the love I mean: not our love for God, but God’s love for us when he sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.

Gospel
Mark 6:34-44

As Jesus stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place and it is getting very late, So send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to buy themselves something to eat.’ He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves.’ They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?’ How many loaves have you?’ he asked ‘Go and see.’ And when they had found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass, and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundreds and fifties. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all. They all ate as much as they wanted. They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.

Jesus our Lord was born into an imperfect world. He came so that we might be made perfect through Him, to live in the Kingdom of God.

This truth has been given to us. All who believe and have heeded the call to repentance has encountered Him. Many have been healed, set free to love and serve Him by bringing others to Him.

Even today there are many bringing His love, peace and healing to all.

Be wary however there are also many preaching a different Christ and the focus is often upon them and what they do in His name.

Heavenly Father we thank You for Jesus Your Son. May we always be attentive to His call. And docile to His promptings into the way of life with You. Amen

First reading
1 John 3:22-4:6

Whatever we ask God, we shall receive, because we keep his commandments and live the kind of life that he wants.

His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another
as he told us to.

Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him.

We know that he lives in us
by the Spirit that he has given us.

It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God, there are many false prophets, now, in the world.

You can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God; but any spirit which will not say this of Jesus is not from God, but is the spirit of Antichrist, whose coming you were warned about.

Well, now he is here, in the world. Children, you have already overcome these false prophets, because you are from God and you have in you one who is greater than anyone in this world; as for them, they are of the world, and so they speak the language of the world and the world listens to them.

But we are children of God,
and those who know God listen to us; those who are not of God refuse to listen to us.

This is how we can tell the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.

Gospel
Matthew 4:12-17,23-25

Hearing that John had been arrested, Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum, a lakeside town on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. In this way the prophecy of Isaiah was to be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea on the far side of Jordan, Galilee of the nations!

The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.’

From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’

  He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people. His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed, epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them. Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordania.

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.