NEW YEAR’S EVE THANKSGIVING MASS – DECEMBER 31, 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015

New Year’s Eve Thanksgiving Mass

8:00 pm  Mass in multilingual

First Reading

First John 2:18-21

18 Children, this is the final hour; you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and now many Antichrists have already come; from this we know that it is the final hour.

19 They have gone from among us, but they never really belonged to us; if they had belonged to us, they would have stayed with us. But this was to prove that not one of them belonged to us.

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

21 I have written to you not because you are ignorant of the truth, but because you are well aware of it, and because no lie can come from the truth.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 96:1-2, 11-12, 13

1 Sing a new song to Yahweh! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!

2 Sing to Yahweh, bless his name! Proclaim his salvation day after day,

11 Let the heavens rejoice and earth be glad! Let the sea thunder, and all it holds!

12 Let the countryside exult, and all that is in it, and all the trees of the forest cry out for joy,

13 at Yahweh's approach, for he is coming, coming to judge the earth; he will judge the world with saving justice, and the nations with constancy.

Gospel Reading

JOHN 1:1-18

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

2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.

4 What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men;

5 and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.

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

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

8 He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light.

9 The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him.

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

12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name

13 who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself.

14 The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.'

16 Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received -- one gift replacing another,

17 for the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

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

“The Gospel of the Lord”

FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH – DECEMBER 27, 2015

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Feast of Holy Family of Jesus,

Mary and Joseph

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Mass in English

First Reading

Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14

2 for the Lord honours the father above his children and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons.

3 Whoever respects a father expiates sins,

4 whoever honours a mother is like someone amassing a fortune.

5 Whoever respects a father will in turn be happy with children, the day he prays for help, he will be heard.

6 Long life comes to anyone who honours a father, whoever obeys the Lord makes a mother happy.

12 My child, support your father in his old age, do not grieve him during his life.

13 Even if his mind should fail, show him sympathy, do not despise him in your health and strength;

14 for kindness to a father will not be forgotten but will serve as reparation for your sins.

“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

Colossians 3:12-21

12 As the chosen of God, then, the holy people whom he loves, you are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion, in generosity and humility, gentleness and patience.

13 Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.

14 Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond.

15 And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together in one body. Always be thankful.

16 Let the Word of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God;

17 and whatever you say or do, let it be in the name of the Lord Jesus, in thanksgiving to God the Father through him.

18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as you should in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be sharp with them.

20 Children, be obedient to your parents always, because that is what will please the Lord.

21 Parents, do not irritate your children or they will lose heart.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Luke 2:41-52

41 Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover.

42 When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual.

43 When the days of the feast were over and they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it.

44 They assumed he was somewhere in the party, and it was only after a day's journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances.

45 When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

46 It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions;

47 and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.

48 They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, 'My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.'

49 He replied, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?'

50 But they did not understand what he meant.

51 He went down with them then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with people.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

CHRISTMAS VIGIL AND CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES 2015

Thursday, December 24, 2015

CHRISTMAS VIGIL

8:30 pm  Carolling

9:00 pm  Christmas Eve Mass in Multilingual

Friday, December 25, 2015

CHRISTMAS DAY

10:00 am  Mass in Multilingual

First Reading

ISAIAH 62:1-5

1 About Zion I will not be silent, about Jerusalem I shall not rest until saving justice dawns for her like a bright light and her salvation like a blazing torch.

2 The nations will then see your saving justice, and all kings your glory, and you will be called a new name which Yahweh's mouth will reveal.

3 You will be a crown of splendour in Yahweh's hand, a princely diadem in the hand of your God.

4 No more will you be known as 'Forsaken' or your country be known as 'Desolation'; instead, you will be called 'My Delight is in her' and your country 'The Wedded'; for Yahweh will take delight in you and your country will have its wedding.

5 Like a young man marrying a virgin, your rebuilder will wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS  89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29

4 I have made your dynasty firm for ever, built your throne stable age after age.'Pause

5 The heavens praise your wonders, Yahweh, your constancy in the gathering of your faithful.

16 In your name they rejoice all day long, by your saving justice they are raised up.

17 You are the flower of their strength, by your favour our strength is triumphant;

27 So I shall make him my first-born, the highest of earthly kings.

29 I have established his dynasty for ever, his throne to be as lasting as the heavens.

Second Reading

ACTS OF APOSTLES 13:16-17, 22-25

16 Paul stood up, raised his hand for silence and began to speak: 'Men of Israel, and fearers of God, listen!

17 The God of our nation Israel chose our ancestors and made our people great when they were living in Egypt, a land not their own; then by divine power he led them out

22 he deposed him and raised up David to be king, whom he attested in these words, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will perform my entire will."

23 To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David's descendants, Jesus, as Saviour,

24 whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel.

25 Before John ended his course he said, "I am not the one you imagine me to be; there is someone coming after me whose sandal I am not fit to undo."

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 1:1-25

1 Roll of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham:

2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,

3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram,

4 Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon,

5 Salmon fathered Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse;

6 and Jesse fathered King David. David fathered Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,

7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa,

8 Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah,

9 Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,

10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah;

11 and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers. Then the deportation to Babylon took place.

12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,

13 Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor,

14 Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud,

15 Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob;

16 and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.

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

18 This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

19 Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally.

20 He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.

21 She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'

22 Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:

23 Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'.

24 When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home;

25 he had not had intercourse with her when she gave birth to a son; and he named him Jesus.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year C) – DECEMBER 20, 2015

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

Micah 5:1-4

1 But you (Bethlehem) Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, from you will come for me a future ruler of Israel whose origins go back to the distant past, to the days of old.

2 Hence Yahweh will abandon them only until she who is in labour gives birth, and then those who survive of his race will be reunited to the Israelites.

3 He will take his stand and he will shepherd them with the power of Yahweh, with the majesty of the name of his God, and they will be secure, for his greatness will extend henceforth to the most distant parts of the country.

4 He himself will be peace! Should the Assyrian invade our country, should he set foot in our land, we shall raise seven shepherds against him, eight leaders of men;

“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

Hebrews 10:5-10

5 and that is why he said, on coming into the world: You wanted no sacrifice or cereal offering, but you gave me a body.

6 You took no pleasure in burnt offering or sacrifice for sin;

7 then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming,' in the scroll of the book it is written of me, to do your will, God.

8 He says first You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the cereal offerings, the burnt offerings and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them;

9 and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to do your will. He is abolishing the first sort to establish the second.

10 And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ made once and for all.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Luke 1:39-45

39 Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah.

40 She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

43 Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?

44 Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy.

45 Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year C) – DECEMBER 13, 2015

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Third Sunday of Advent – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

Zephaniah 3:14-18

14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!

15 Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have nothing more to fear.

16 When that Day comes, the message for Jerusalem will be: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp.

17 Yahweh your God is there with you, the warrior-Saviour. He will rejoice over you with happy song, he will renew you by his love, he will dance with shouts of joy for you,

18 as on a day of festival. I have taken away your misfortune, no longer need you bear the disgrace of it.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6

2 Look, he is the God of my salvation: I shall have faith and not be afraid, for Yahweh is my strength and my song, he has been my salvation.'

3 Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of salvation

4 and, that day, you will say, 'Praise Yahweh, invoke his name. Proclaim his deeds to the people, declare his name sublime.

5 Sing of Yahweh, for his works are majestic, make them known throughout the world.

6 Cry and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, For the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness.'

Second Reading

Philippians 4:4-7

4 Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful.

5 Let your good sense be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near.

6 Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude,

7 and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Luke 3:10-18

10 When all the people asked him, 'What must we do, then?'

11 he answered, 'Anyone who has two tunics must share with the one who has none, and anyone with something to eat must do the same.'

12 There were tax collectors, too, who came for baptism, and these said to him, 'Master, what must we do?'

13 He said to them, 'Exact no more than the appointed rate.'

14 Some soldiers asked him in their turn, 'What about us? What must we do?' He said to them, 'No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!'

15 A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to wonder whether John might be the Christ,

16 so John declared before them all, 'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

17 His winnowing-fan is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.'

18 And he proclaimed the good news to the people with many other exhortations too.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year C) – DECEMBER 06, 2015

Saturday, December 05, 2015

Second Sunday of Advent – Year C

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

Baruch 5:1-9

1 Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, PUT on the beauty of God's glory for evermore,

2 wrap the cloak of God's saving justice around you, PUT the diadem of the Eternal One's glory on your head,

3 for God means to show your splendour to every nation under heaven,

4 and the name God gives you for evermore will be, 'Peace-through-Justice, and Glory-through-Devotion'.

5 Arise, Jerusalem, stand on the heights and turn your eyes to the east: see your children reassembled from west and east at the Holy One's command, rejoicing because God has remembered.

6 Though they left you on foot driven by enemies, now God brings them back to you, carried gloriously, like a royal throne.

7 For God has decreed the flattening of each high mountain, of the everlasting hills, the filling of the valleys to make the ground level so that Israel can walk safely in God's glory.

8 And the forests and every fragrant tree will provide shade for Israel, at God's command;

9 for God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with the mercy and saving justice which come from him. A copy of the letter which Jeremiah sent to those about to be led captive to Babylon by the king of the Babylonians, to tell them what he had been commanded by God:

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

1 [Song of Ascents] When Yahweh brought back Zion's captives we lived in a dream;

2 then our mouths filled with laughter, and our lips with song. Then the nations kept saying, 'What great deeds Yahweh has done for them!'

3 Yes, Yahweh did great deeds for us, and we were overjoyed.

4 Bring back, Yahweh, our people from captivity like torrents in the Negeb!

5 Those who sow in tears sing as they reap.

6 He went off, went off weeping, carrying the seed. He comes back, comes back singing, bringing in his sheaves.

Second Reading

Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

4 and every time I pray for you all, I always pray with joy

5 for your partnership in the gospel from the very first day up to the present.

6 I am quite confident that the One who began a good work in you will go on completing it until the Day of Jesus Christ comes.

8 For God will testify for me how much I long for you all with the warm longing of Christ Jesus;

9 it is my prayer that your love for one another may grow more and more with the knowledge and complete understanding

10 that will help you to come to true discernment, so that you will be innocent and free of any trace of guilt when the Day of Christ comes,

11 entirely filled with the fruits of uprightness through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Luke 3:1-6

1 In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar's reign, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the territories of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

2 and while the high-priesthood was held by Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah, in the desert.

3 He went through the whole Jordan area proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

4 as it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaiah the prophet: A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight!

5 Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be levelled, winding ways be straightened and rough roads made smooth,

6 and all humanity will see the salvation of God.

“The Gospel of the Lord”