For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
3 Jan 2016 – Epiphany
4 Jan 2016 – Monday after Epiphany
5 Jan 2016 – Tuesday after Epiphany
6 Jan 2016 – Wednesday after Epiphany
7 Jan 2016 – Thursday after Epiphany
8 Jan 2016 – Friday after Epiphany
Posted in Christmas, Holy Family, Housekeeping, Octave, Sunday, Weekday
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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
27 Dec 2015 – Holy Family
28 Dec 2015 – The Holy Innocents, Martyrs – Feast
29 Dec 2015 – 5th day within the octave of Christmas
30 Dec 2015 – 6th day within the octave of Christmas
31 Dec 2015 – 7th day within the octave of Christmas
1 Jan 2016 – Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity
Posted in Advent, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Housekeeping, Sunday, Weekday
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For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
20 Dec 2015 – 4th Sunday of Advent Year C
21 Dec 2015 – 21 December – Season of Advent
22 Dec 2015 – 22 December – Season of Advent
23 Dec 2015 – 23 December – Season of Advent
24 Dec 2015 – Christmas Eve – Midnight Mass
25 Dec 2015 – Christmas Day – Mass During the Day
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
13 Dec 2015 – 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
14 Dec 2015 – Monday of the 3rd Week of Advent
15 Dec 2015 – Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent
16 Dec 2015 – Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Advent
17 Dec 2015 – 17 December – Season of Advent
18 Dec 2015 – 18 December – Season of Advent
When a person is imprisoned in a dark cell for quite a while, the person may sometimes lose track of reality or what is actually taking place outside. Sometimes, the person’s mind could start playing tricks on him or her, and it could be quite a challenge to remain sane and cheerful. This may have been the case with John the Baptist, to the point that he began to wonder whether Jesus is really the messiah or not. Perhaps John the Baptist may not have fully understood what sort of messiah Jesus really was, so that is why he summoned two of his disciples, and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’
Jesus reassured John that He is the messiah by giving this response to John the Baptist: “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.” Jesus is not the kind of messiah which some may have expected, certainly not a political messiah which some may have hoped would rescue Israel from Roman oppresion, but Jesus is the kind of messiah which brings salvation and forgiveness of sins to the world. In a way, Jesus was helping John to understand that John had prepared the way for spiritual salvation to all, and not wonder, lose faith or doubt any longer, but trust and believe in Him.
What about us? Have we had doubts or wondered whether Jesus is really going to save us from our sins? When we face difficulties, persecution or problems, some of us may have been tempted to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for someone else?’ Let us set aside any doubts in our minds, and put our trust and confidence in Jesus, knowing that He is truly our messiah and He will be our help and guide.
Throughout our lives, we have been given plenty of opportunities to change and experience a conversion, so that we may grow closer to God. However, we are not forced to change, since we have a choice to grow closer to God, or to remain as we are. Of course, we should know that our time on this earth is short, and we do not know when we would be called to face the Lord. No matter how hard we try, we cannot escape judgement, and hopefully during our lifetime on this earth, we had been maintaining a good and healthy relationship with God and with others.
However, there are still some among us who seem to think that we have plenty of time to change, or that we have become so preoccupied with earthly things, that we have neglected our spiritual life and our soul. This is where prophet Zephaniah in today’s reading warns us: “Trouble is coming to the rebellious, the defiled, the tyrannical city! She would never listen to the call, would never learn the lesson; she has never trusted in the Lord, never drawn near to her God.” Let us not be caught unprepared or under the illusion that all would be well, since trouble will come to us if we are not ready to meet the Lord. Are we risking our eternal future through our neglect or “tidak apa” or “don’t care” attitude?
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
6 Dec 2015 – 2nd Sunday of Advent Year C
7 Dec 2015 – Monday of the 2nd Week of Advent
8 Dec 2015 – The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Solemnity
9 Dec 2015 – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Advent
10 Dec 2015 – Thursday of the 2nd Week of Advent
11 Dec 2015 – Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent
How many of us have got steadfast and great faith that Jesus would be able to help us and heal us? Some of us say that we have faith, but when help or healing does not happen, we begin to doubt and begin to look for other ways or means of help. Some of us say we have faith, but in our minds we are already having a defeatist attitude, thinking that we are only kidding ourselves. How many of us are willing to be patient and let Jesus do what is best for us, for the glory of God?
In today’s Gospel, the paralysed man was fortunate to have friends who had great faith in Jesus. They had so much faith in Jesus that they were even willing to take the trouble and: “went up on to the flat roof and lowered him and his stretcher down through the tiles into the middle of the gathering, in front of Jesus.” This is because “the crowd made it impossible to find a way of getting him in.” Because of the great faith of such friends, the paralysed man was cured.
If people could have such great faith in Jesus and go through so much trouble to help the paralysed man be cured, what about us? Are we willing to put aside our fears, our doubts, and our insecurities and let Jesus be our help and guide? Do we not trust in God’s providence? Let us be persistent and consistent in trusting God, since He can help us according to His terms and for His glory.
For your easy reference, the following is a list of weeks and years with their corresponding date:
29 Nov 2015 – 1st Sunday of Advent Year C
30 Nov 2015 – Saint Andrew, Apostle – Feast
1 Dec 2015 – Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent
2 Dec 2015 – Wednesday of the 1st Week of Advent
3 Dec 2015 – Saint Francis Xavier, Priest – Patron of Missions – Feast
4 Dec 2015 – Friday of the 1st Week of Advent
How much do we really care about others? Do we care about the people around us? Do we care about the people in our neighbourhood? Do we care about what is going on in our country? Many of us may say we care, but how much do we care? Just a little? A bit more? A lot? Saying that we care is easy, since words are cheap. But what have we done or are doing to show we care? Sometimes, some of us may just give a few Malaysian ringgit or dollars for the needs of people around us, but is that all we are willing to do? Or are we willing to do much more than that? How many of us are willing to give not only financial help, but also our time and talents so that others may learn to grow and change? Are we willing to even give all that we have, for the glory of God?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus not only cured the lame, blind, crippled, dumb and many others, He also fed them. Jesus shows us what it means to go that extra mile for another person, instead of just dealing with the person’s immediate needs and be done with it. May we be willing to learn from our loving Lord, and be loving and caring to others, just as He is loving and caring to all of us.