CHINESE NEW YEAR MASS - JANUARY 28, 2017

Saturday, 28th January, 2017

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

9:00 am  Chinese New Year Mass

(Chinese Mass @ 8:00 pm – Cancelled)

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13

3 Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the earth, who obey his commands. Seek uprightness, seek humility: you may perhaps find shelter on the Day of Yahweh's anger.

12 But in you I shall leave surviving a humble and lowly people,

13 and those who are left in Israel will take refuge in the name of Yahweh. They will do no wrong, will tell no lies; nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to alarm them.

“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

1 CORINTHIANS 1:26-31

26 Consider, brothers, how you were called; not many of you are wise by human standards, not many influential, not many from noble families.

27 No, God chose those who by human standards are fools to shame the wise; he chose those who by human standards are weak to shame the strong,

28 those who by human standards are common and contemptible -- indeed those who count for nothing -- to reduce to nothing all those that do count for something,

29 so that no human being might feel boastful before God.

30 It is by him that you exist in Christ Jesus, who for us was made wisdom from God, and saving justice and holiness and redemption.

31 As scripture says: If anyone wants to boast, let him boast of the Lord.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 5:1-12

1 Seeing the crowds, he went onto the mountain. And when he was seated his disciples came to him.

2 Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

3 How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

4 Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance.

5 Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill.

7 Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

11 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

3RD SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) – 22ND JANUARY, 2017

Saturday, 21st January, 2017

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

ISAIAH 8:23, 9:3

23 For is not everything dark as night for a country in distress? As the past humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, so the future will glorify the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, the territory of the nations.

3 For the yoke that weighed on it, the bar across its shoulders, the rod of its oppressor, these you have broken as on the day of Midian.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 27:1, 4, 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.

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

1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-13, 17

10 Brothers, I urge you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to have factions among yourselves but all to be in agreement in what you profess; so that you are perfectly united in your beliefs and judgements.

11 From what Chloe's people have been telling me about you, brothers, it is clear that there are serious differences among you.

12 What I mean is this: every one of you is declaring, 'I belong to Paul,' or 'I belong to Apollos,' or 'I belong to Cephas,' or 'I belong to Christ.'

13 Has Christ been split up? Was it Paul that was crucified for you, or was it in Paul's name that you were baptised?

17 After all, Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel; and not by means of wisdom of language, wise words which would make the cross of Christ pointless.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 4:12-23

12 Hearing that John had been arrested he withdrew to Galilee,

13 and leaving Nazara he went and settled in Capernaum, beside the lake, on the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali.

14 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

15 Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way of the sea beyond Jordan. Galilee of the nations!

16 The people that lived in darkness have seen a great light; on those who lived in a country of shadow dark as death a light has dawned.

17 From then onwards Jesus began his proclamation with the message, 'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.'

18 As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen.

19 And he said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.'

20 And at once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.

22 And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.

23 He went round the whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and illness among the people.

“The Gospel of the Lord”

2ND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A) – 15TH JANUARY, 2017

Saturday, 15^th January, 2017

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass in English

First Reading

ISAIAH 49:3, 5-6,

3 He said to me, 'Israel, you are my servant, through whom I shall manifest my glory.'

5 And now Yahweh has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and to re-unite Israel to him;-I shall be honoured in Yahweh's eyes, and my God has been my strength.-

6 He said, 'It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of earth.'

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

2 He pulled me up from the seething chasm, from the mud of the mire. He set my feet on rock, and made my footsteps firm.

4 How blessed are those who put their trust in Yahweh, who have not sided with rebels and those who have gone astray in falsehood.

7 then I said, 'Here I am, I am coming.' In the scroll of the book it is written of me,

8 my delight is to do your will; your law, my God, is deep in my heart.

9 I proclaimed the saving justice of Yahweh in the great assembly. See, I will not hold my tongue, as you well know.

10 I have not kept your saving justice locked in the depths of my heart, but have spoken of your constancy and saving help. I have made no secret of your faithful and steadfast love, in the great assembly.

Second Reading

1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-3

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and Sosthenes, our brother,

2 to the church of God in Corinth, to those who have been consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be God's holy people, with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord as well as ours.

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

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

JOHN 1:29-34

29 The next day, he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, 'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

30 It was of him that I said, "Behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me."

31 I did not know him myself, and yet my purpose in coming to baptise with water was so that he might be revealed to Israel.'

32 And John declared, 'I saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven and rest on him.

33 I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with water had said to me, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one who is to baptise with the Holy Spirit."

34 I have seen and I testify that he is the Chosen One of God.'

“The Gospel of the Lord”

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD – JANUARY 08, 2017

Saturday, January 07, 2017

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

5:00 pm  Novena to Our Lady

5:30 pm  Sunset Mass

First Reading

ISAIAH 60:1-6

1 Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.

2 Look! though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples, on you Yahweh is rising and over you his glory can be seen.

3 The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.

4 Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons coming from far away and your daughters being carried on the hip.

5 At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart will throb and dilate, since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you;

6 camels in throngs will fill your streets, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Saba will come, bringing gold and incense and proclaiming Yahweh's praises.

“The Word of the Lord”

PSALMS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13

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.

10 the kings of Tarshish and the islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Saba will offer gifts;

11 all kings will do him homage, all nations become his servants.

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.

Second Reading

EPHESIANS 3:2-3, 5-6

2 You have surely heard the way in which God entrusted me with the grace he gave me for your sake;

3 he made known to me by a revelation the mystery I have just described briefly-

5 This mystery, as it is now revealed in the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets, was unknown to humanity in previous generations:

6 that the gentiles now have the same inheritance and form the same Body and enjoy the same promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

“The Word of the Lord”

Gospel Reading

MATTHEW 2:1-12

1 After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east

2 asking, 'Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.'

3 When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem.

4 He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 They told him, 'At Bethlehem in Judaea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.'

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared

8 and sent them on to Bethlehem with the words, 'Go and find out all about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.'

9 Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and halted over the place where the child was.

10 The sight of the star filled them with delight,

11 and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

12 But they were given a warning in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

“The Gospel of the Lord”