SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD – JANUARY 01, 2017

Saturday, December 31, 2015

SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD 

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

NUMBERS 6:22-27

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

23 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and say: "This is how you must bless the Israelites. You will say:

24 May Yahweh bless you and keep you.

25 May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

26 May Yahweh show you his face and bring you peace."

27 This is how they must call down my name on the Israelites, and then I shall bless them.'

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

2 Then the earth will acknowledge your ways, and all nations your power to save.

3 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations praise you.

4 Let the nations rejoice and sing for joy, for you judge the world with justice, you judge the peoples with fairness, you guide the nations on earth.

5 Let the nations praise you, God, let all the nations praise you.

6 The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God has blessed us.

7 May God continue to bless us, and be revered by the whole wide world.

Second Reading

GALATIANS 4:4-7

4 but when the completion of the time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law,

5 to redeem the subjects of the Law, so that we could receive adoption as sons.

6 As you are sons, God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of his Son crying, 'Abba, Father';

7 and so you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir, by God's own act.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

LUKE 2:16-21

16 So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.

17 When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him,

18 and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them.

19 As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20 And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.

21 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.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

CHRISTMAS VIGIL AND CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES 2016

Saturday, December 24, 2016

CHRISTMAS VIGIL

9:00 pm  Christmas Vigil Mass in Multilingual

Sunday, December 25, 2016

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.

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 A) – DECEMBER 18, 2016

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year A

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

ISAIAH 7:10-14

10 Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:

11 Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.

12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.'

13 He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too?

14 The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

1 [Psalm Of David] To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live there;

2 it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, on the flowing waters fixed it firm.

3 Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? Who shall take a stand in his holy place?

4 The clean of hands and pure of heart, whose heart is not set on vanities, who does not swear an oath in order to deceive.

5 Such a one will receive blessing from Yahweh, saving justice from the God of his salvation.

6 Such is the people that seeks him, that seeks your presence, God of Jacob.

Second Reading

ROMANS 1:1-7

1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle,

2 set apart for the service of the gospel that God promised long ago through his prophets in the holy scriptures.

3 This is the gospel concerning his Son who, in terms of human nature

4 was born a descendant of David and who, in terms of the Spirit and of holiness, was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ, our Lord,

5 through whom we have received grace and our apostolic mission of winning the obedience of faith among all the nations for the honour of his name.

6 You are among these, and by his call you belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To you all, God's beloved in Rome, called to be his holy people. Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 1:18-24

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;

“The Gospel of the Lord”

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year A) – DECEMBER 11, 2016

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Third Sunday of Advent – Year A

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

ISAIAH 35:1-6, 10

1 Let the desert and the dry lands be glad, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom; like the asphodel,

2 let it burst into flower, let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; then they will see the glory of Yahweh, the splendour of our God.

3 Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees

4 and say to the faint-hearted, 'Be strong! Do not be afraid. Here is your God, vengeance is coming, divine retribution; he is coming to save you.'

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,

6 then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy; for water will gush in the desert and streams in the wastelands,

10 For those whom Yahweh has ransomed will return, they will come to Zion shouting for joy, their heads crowned with joy unending; rejoicing and gladness will escort them and sorrow and sighing will take flight.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

6 who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He keeps faith for ever,

7 gives justice to the oppressed, gives food to the hungry; Yahweh sets prisoners free.

8 Yahweh gives sight to the blind, lifts up those who are bowed down.

9 Yahweh protects the stranger, he sustains the orphan and the widow. Yahweh loves the upright,but he frustrates the wicked.

10 Yahweh reigns for ever, your God, Zion, from age to age.

Second Reading

JAMES 5:7-10

7 Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord's coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains!

8 You too must be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord's coming will be soon.

9 Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates.

10 For your example, brothers, in patiently putting up with persecution, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name;

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 11:2-11

2 Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,

3 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?'

4 Jesus answered, 'Go back and tell John what you hear and see;

5 the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor;

6 and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.'

7 As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No?

8 Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.

9 Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet:

10 he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.

11 'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year A) – DECEMBER 04, 2016

Saturday, December 03, 2016

Second Sunday of Advent – Year A

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

YESAYA 11:1-10

1 A shoot will spring from the stock of Jesse, a new shoot will grow from his roots.

2 On him will rest the spirit of Yahweh, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and power, the spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh:

3 his inspiration will lie in fearing Yahweh. His judgement will not be by appearances. his verdict not given on hearsay.

4 He will judge the weak with integrity and give fair sentence for the humblest in the land. He will strike the country with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips bring death to the wicked.

5 Uprightness will be the belt around his waist, and constancy the belt about his hips.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the panther lie down with the kid, calf, lion and fat-stock beast together, with a little boy to lead them.

7 The cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like the ox.

8 The infant will play over the den of the adder; the baby will put his hand into the viper's lair.

9 No hurt, no harm will be done on all my holy mountain, for the country will be full of knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.

10 That day, the root of Jesse, standing as a signal for the peoples, will be sought out by the nations and its home will be glorious.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

1 [Of Solomon] God, endow the king with your own fair judgement, the son of the king with your own saving justice,

2 that he may rule your people with justice, and your poor with fair judgement.

7 In his days uprightness shall flourish, and peace in plenty till the moon is no more.

8 His empire shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the limits of the earth.

12 For he rescues the needy who calls to him, and the poor who has no one to help.

13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the needy from death.

17 May his name be blessed for ever, and endure in the sight of the sun. In him shall be blessed every race in the world, and all nations call him blessed.

Second Reading

ROMANS 15:4-9

4 And all these things which were written so long ago were written so that we, learning perseverance and the encouragement which the scriptures give, should have hope.

5 Now the God of perseverance and encouragement give you all the same purpose, following the example of Christ Jesus,

6 so that you may together give glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one heart.

7 Accept one another, then, for the sake of God's glory, as Christ accepted you.

8 I tell you that Christ's work was to serve the circumcised, fulfilling the truthfulness of God by carrying out the promises made to the fathers,

9 and his work was also for the gentiles, so that they should give glory to God for his faithful love; as scripture says: For this I shall praise you among the nations and sing praise to your name.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 3:1-12

1 In due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea,

2 'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.'

3 This was the man spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said: A voice of one that cries in the desert, 'Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.'

4 This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather loin-cloth round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

5 Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him,

6 and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.

7 But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, 'Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution?

8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance,

9 and do not presume to tell yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones.

10 Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so that any tree failing to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire.

11 I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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

“The Gospel of the Lord”

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year A) - NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Saturday, November 26, 2016

First Sunday of Advent – Year A

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

ISAIAH 2:1-5

1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 It will happen in the final days that the mountain of Yahweh's house will rise higher than the mountains and tower above the heights. Then all the nations will stream to it,

3 many peoples will come to it and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.' For the Law will issue from Zion and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

4 Then he will judge between the nations and arbitrate between many peoples. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, no longer will they learn how to make war.

5 House of Jacob, come, let us walk in Yahweh's light.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

1 [Song of Ascents Of David] I rejoiced that they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of Yahweh.'

2 At last our feet are standing at your gates, Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem, built as a city, in one united whole,

4 there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, a sign for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

5 For there are set the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, prosperity for your homes!

7 Peace within your walls, prosperity in your palaces!

8 For love of my brothers and my friends I will say, 'Peace upon you!'

9 For love of the house of Yahweh our God I will pray for your well-being.

Second Reading

ROMANS 13:11-14

1 Besides, you know the time has come; the moment is here for you to stop sleeping and wake up, because by now our salvation is nearer than when we first began to believe.

12 The night is nearly over, daylight is on the way; so let us throw off everything that belongs to the darkness and equip ourselves for the light.

13 Let us live decently, as in the light of day; with no orgies or drunkenness, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy.

14 Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop worrying about how your disordered natural inclinations may be fulfilled.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 24:37-44

37 'As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes.

38 For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark,

39 and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes.

40 Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left;

41 of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left.

42 'So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.

43 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house.

44 Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

34TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C) – NOVEMBER 20, 2016

Saturday, November 19, 2016

34th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C

Solemnity of Our Lord, JESUS CHRIST,

King of the Universe

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

Second Samuel 5:1-3

1 All the tribes of Israel then came to David at Hebron and said, 'Look, we are your own flesh and bone.

2 In days past when Saul was our king, it was you who led Israel on its campaigns, and to you it was that Yahweh promised, "You are to shepherd my people Israel and be leader of Israel." '

3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a pact with them in Yahweh's presence at Hebron, and they anointed David as king of Israel.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS  122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

1 [Song of Ascents Of David] I rejoiced that they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of Yahweh.'

2 At last our feet are standing at your gates, Jerusalem!

3 Jerusalem, built as a city, in one united whole,

4 there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, a sign for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.

5 For there are set the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.

Second Reading

Colossians 1:12-20

12 giving thanks with joy to the Father who has made you able to share the lot of God's holy people and with them to inherit the light.

13 Because that is what he has done. It is he who has rescued us from the ruling force of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son that he loves,

14 and in him we enjoy our freedom, the forgiveness of sin.

15 He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation,

16 for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers -- all things were created through him and for him.

17 He exists before all things and in him all things hold together,

18 and he is the Head of the Body, that is, the Church. He is the Beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that he should be supreme in every way;

19 because God wanted all fullness to be found in him

20 and through him to reconcile all things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by making peace through his death on the cross.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

Luke 23:35-43

35 The people stayed there watching. As for the leaders, they jeered at him with the words, 'He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.'

36 The soldiers mocked him too, coming up to him, offering him vinegar,

37 and saying, 'If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.'

38 Above him there was an inscription: 'This is the King of the Jews'.

39 One of the criminals hanging there abused him: 'Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well.'

40 But the other spoke up and rebuked him. 'Have you no fear of God at all?' he said. 'You got the same sentence as he did,

41 but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong.'

42 Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'

43 He answered him, 'In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”