FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR B) – NOVEMBER 30TH, 2014

Saturday, November 29, 2014

First Sunday of Advent – Year B

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

ISAIAH 63:16-17, 19, 64:2-7

16 After all, you are our Father. If Abraham will not own us, if Israel will not acknowledge us, you, Yahweh, are our Father, 'Our Redeemer' is your name from of old.

17 Why, Yahweh, do you let us wander from your ways and let our hearts grow too hard to fear you? Return, for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage.

19 We have long been like those you do not rule, people who do not bear your name. Oh, that you would tear the heavens open and come down -- in your presence the mountains would quake,

2 at the unexpected miracles you would do. (Oh, that you would come down, in your presence the mountains would quake!)

3 Never has anyone heard, no ear has heard, no eye has seen any god but you act like this for the sake of those who trust him.

4 You come to meet those who are happy to act uprightly; keeping your ways reminds them of you. Yes, you have been angry and we have been sinners; now we persist in your ways and we shall be saved.

5 We have all been like unclean things and our upright deeds like filthy rags. We wither, all of us, like leaves, and all our misdeeds carry us off like the wind.

6 There is no one to invoke your name, to rouse himself to hold fast to you, for you have hidden your face from us and given us up to the power of our misdeeds.

7 And yet, Yahweh, you are our Father; we the clay and you our potter, all of us are the work of your hands.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

2 over Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh; rouse your valour and come to our help.

3 God, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we shall be safe.

15 protect what your own hand has planted.

16 They have thrown it on the fire like dung, the frown of your rebuke will destroy them.

18 Never again will we turn away from you, give us life and we will call upon your name.

19 God Sabaoth, bring us back, let your face shine on us and we shall be safe.

Second Reading

First Corinthians 1:3-9

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I am continually thanking God about you, for the grace of God which you have been given in Christ Jesus;

5 in him you have been richly endowed in every kind of utterance and knowledge;

6 so firmly has witness to Christ taken root in you.

7 And so you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed;

8 he will continue to give you strength till the very end, so that you will be irreproachable on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 You can rely on God, who has called you to be partners with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MARK 13:33-37

33 'Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.

34 It is like a man travelling abroad: he has gone from his home, and left his servants in charge, each with his own work to do; and he has told the doorkeeper to stay awake.

35 So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn;

36 if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep.

37 And what I am saying to you I say to all: Stay awake!'

“The Gospel of the Lord”

34TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) – NOVEMBER 23, 2014

Saturday, November 22, 2014

34th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST THE KING

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

EZEKIEL 34:11-12, 15-17

11 "For the Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after it.

12 As a shepherd looks after his flock when he is with his scattered sheep, so shall I look after my sheep. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered on the day of clouds and darkness.

15 I myself shall pasture my sheep, I myself shall give them rest -- declares the Lord Yahweh.

16 I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the injured and make the sick strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.

17 "As for you, my sheep, the Lord Yahweh says this: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 23:1-2, 2-3, 5, 6

1 [Psalm Of David] Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2 In grassy meadows he lets me lie. By tranquil streams he leads me

3 to restore my spirit. He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits his name.

5 You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup brims over.

6 Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life. I make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.

Second Reading

1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-26, 28

20 In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.

21 As it was by one man that death came, so through one man has come the resurrection of the dead.

22 Just as all die in Adam, so in Christ all will be brought to life;

23 but all of them in their proper order: Christ the first-fruits, and next, at his coming, those who belong to him.

24 After that will come the end, when he will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, having abolished every principality, every ruling force and power.

25 For he is to be king until he has made his enemies his footstool,

26 and the last of the enemies to be done away with is death, for he has put all things under his feet.

28 When everything has been subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected to the One who has subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Matthew 25:31-46

31 'When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory.

32 All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.

33 He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

34 Then the King will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome,

36 lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me."

37 Then the upright will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?"

40 And the King will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."

41 Then he will say to those on his left hand, "Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink,

43 I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me."

44 Then it will be their turn to ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?"

45 Then he will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me."

46 And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”

33RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) – NOVEMBER 16, 2014

Saturday, November 15, 2014

33^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

40TH SACERDOTAL ORDINATION OF FR ANTHONY NG

6:00 pm  Multilingual Mass

First Reading

PROVERBS 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31

10 The truly capable woman -- who can find her? She is far beyond the price of pearls.

11 Her husband's heart has confidence in her, from her he will derive no little profit.

12 Advantage and not hurt she brings him all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax, she does her work with eager hands.

19 She sets her hands to the distaff, her fingers grasp the spindle.

20 She holds out her hands to the poor, she opens her arms to the needy.

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty; the woman who fears Yahweh is the one to praise.

31 Give her a share in what her hands have worked for, and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS  128:1-2, 3, 4-5

1 [Song of Ascents] How blessed are all who fear Yahweh, who walk in his ways!

2 Your own labours will yield you a living, happy and prosperous will you be.

3 Your wife a fruitful vine in the inner places of your house. Your children round your table like shoots of an olive tree.

4 Such are the blessings that fall on those who fear Yahweh.

5 May Yahweh bless you from Zion! May you see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life,

Second Reading

First Thessalonians 5:1-6

1 About times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you

2 for you are well aware in any case that the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night.

3 It is when people are saying, 'How quiet and peaceful it is' that sudden destruction falls on them, as suddenly as labour pains come on a pregnant woman; and there is no escape.

4 But you, brothers, do not live in the dark, that the Day should take you unawares like a thief.

5 No, you are all children of light and children of the day: we do not belong to the night or to darkness,

6 so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does, but stay wide awake and sober.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 25:14-30

14 'It is like a man about to go abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.

15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one, each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out on his journey.

16 The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more.

17 The man who had received two made two more in the same way.

18 But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.

20 The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made."

21 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

22 Next the man with the two talents came forward. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made."

23 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

24 Last came forward the man who had the single talent. "Sir," said he, "I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown and gathering where you had not scattered;

25 so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back."

26 But his master answered him, "You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?

27 Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have got my money back with interest.

28 So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents.

29 For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.

30 As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

“The Gospel of the Lord”

32ND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) - NOVEMBER 09, 2014

(Images of Sacrament of Confirmation held at St Joseph, Plentong on 27-10-2013)

Saturday, November 08, 2014

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year A

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

Celebrant: Rt. Rev. Bishop Paul Tan 

6:00 pm  Multilingual Mass

First Reading

GENESIS 28:11-18

11 When he had reached a certain place, he stopped there for the night, since the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of that place, he made it his pillow and lay down where he was.

12 He had a dream: there was a ladder, planted on the ground with its top reaching to heaven; and God's angels were going up and down on it.

13 And there was Yahweh, standing beside him and saying, 'I, Yahweh, am the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you are lying I shall give to you and your descendants.

14 Your descendants will be as plentiful as the dust on the ground; you will spread out to west and east, to north and south, and all clans on earth will bless themselves by you and your descendants.

15 Be sure, I am with you; I shall keep you safe wherever you go, and bring you back to this country, for I shall never desert you until I have done what I have promised you.'

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Truly, Yahweh is in this place and I did not know!'

17 He was afraid and said, 'How awe-inspiring this place is! This is nothing less than the abode of God, and this is the gate of heaven!'

18 Early next morning, Jacob took the stone he had used for his pillow, and set it up as a pillar, pouring oil over the top of it.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 84:3, 4, 5-6, 8, 11

3 Even the sparrow has found a home, the swallow a nest to place its young: your altars, Yahweh Sabaoth, my King and my God.

4 How blessed are those who live in your house; they shall praise you continually. Pause

5 Blessed those who find their strength in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of the Balsam, they make there a water-hole, and -- a further blessing -- early rain fills it.

8 Yahweh, God Sabaoth, hear my prayer, listen, God of Jacob.

11 For Yahweh God is a rampart and shield, he gives grace and glory; Yahweh refuses nothing good to those whose life is blameless.

Second Reading

First Corinthians 3:9-13, 16-17

9 After all, we do share in God's work; you are God's farm, God's building.

10 By the grace of God which was given to me, I laid the foundations like a trained master-builder, and someone else is building on them. Now each one must be careful how he does the building.

11 For nobody can lay down any other foundation than the one which is there already, namely Jesus Christ.

12 On this foundation, different people may build in gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw

16 Do you not realise that you are a temple of God with the Spirit of God living in you?

17 If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy that person, because God's temple is holy; and you are that temple.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

LUKE 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was going through the town

2 and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.

3 He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd;

4 so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him, 'Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.'

6 And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.

7 They all complained when they saw what was happening. 'He has gone to stay at a sinner's house,' they said.

8 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.'

9 And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham;

10 for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”

31ST SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) – NOVEMBER 02, 2014

Sunday, November 02, 2014

31st Sunday of Ordinary Time  – Year A

ALL SOULS DAY

First Reading

ISAIAH 25:6-9

6 On this mountain, for all peoples, Yahweh Sabaoth is preparing a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of succulent food, of well-strained wines.

7 On this mountain, he has destroyed the veil which used to veil all peoples, the pall enveloping all nations;

8 he has destroyed death for ever. Lord Yahweh has wiped away the tears from every cheek; he has taken his people's shame away everywhere on earth, for Yahweh has spoken.

9 And on that day, it will be said, 'Look, this is our God, in him we put our hope that he should save us, this is Yahweh, we put our hope in him. Let us exult and rejoice since he has saved us.'

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 27:1, 4,, 7-9, 13-14

1 [Of David] Yahweh is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? Yahweh is the fortress of my life, whom should I dread?

4 One thing I ask of Yahweh, one thing I seek: to dwell in Yahweh's house all the days of my life, to enjoy the sweetness of Yahweh, to seek out his temple.

7 Yahweh, hear my voice as I cry, pity me, answer me!

8 Of you my heart has said, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Yahweh, I seek;

9 do not turn away from me. Do not thrust aside your servant in anger, without you I am helpless. Never leave me, never forsake me, God, my Saviour.

13 This I believe: I shall see the goodness of Yahweh, in the land of the living.

14 Put your hope in Yahweh, be strong, let your heart be bold, put your hope in Yahweh.

Second Reading

ROMANS 5:5-11

5 and a hope which will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

6 When we were still helpless, at the appointed time, Christ died for the godless.

7 You could hardly find anyone ready to die even for someone upright; though it is just possible that, for a really good person, someone might undertake to die.

8 So it is proof of God's own love for us, that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

9 How much more can we be sure, therefore, that, now that we have been justified by his death, we shall be saved through him from the retribution of God.

10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more can we be sure that, being now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

11 What is more, we are filled with exultant trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus exclaimed, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children.

26 Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.

27 Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”