1 December Year C
First Sunday of Advent
Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the
tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.
Luke 21:25-28,34-36
Sunday is the beginning of a new liturgical year with the First Sunday of Advent. The first reading from the Book of
Jeremiah offers a comforting promise of safety to beleaguered Israel: “those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall
dwell secure.” Luke's gospel offers us a repeat of several of the daily gospels, advising us to be alert and vigilant,
watching for signs. “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Tuesday is the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, the legendary Jesuit missionary. Saturday is the Memorial of Saint
Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church.
During the first part of Advent - we focus on the first reading. This week it is from the Prophet Isaiah. These readings
are about promises. Isaiah is consoling, building up and preparing his people to have hope. “In the days to come,” he
says over and over. When the day of promise comes, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into
pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” Even though
King David's line, and that of his father, Jesse, are almost wiped out, Isaiah proclaims hope: “On that day, a shoot shall
sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” Who would believe even a peace in nature -
lion lying down with the lamb? “There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled
with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.” God's unique ways of favouring the poor, which Mary comes to
know and proclaims in her Magnificat, are seen when Isaiah says, “He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city
he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust.” Even Jesus' own statement about his mission is
seen in the powerful images Isaiah uses to give us courage and hope: “On that day the deaf shall hear ... the eyes of the
blind shall see ... the lowly will ever find joy in the LORD ... ” “On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his
people.”
The gospels for this first part of Advent are chosen from several gospels. They are meant to match the first readings and
to show that the promises are fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus brings healing. He raises up the childlike. And Jesus calls and
sends the twelve apostles to continue his ministry.
“Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendour of glory from God forever.” Those words
from Baruch are in the first reading for the Second Sunday of Advent. Luke's Gospel offers us a first look at the promise
of John the Baptist as he cries out, “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The
winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Daily Prayer This Week
Despite all of the distractions at this time of year, we really can focus on Advent during these weeks. We seem to get
very busy, and at times have to go to a number of social events or wrestle with budgets and shopping, but the heart of
this season is all about expectant hope. So, we begin our Advent journey by giving ourselves some time - just a few
minutes each day - to reflect on how much God promises us.
Each morning this week, while we are first coming to consciousness, we can name a desire, name an emptiness or
feeling of anxiety or worry that we can feel. It is into the raw places in our lives such as these, that our Lord came to be
with us. So, this week, we can begin to invite our Lord to be Incarnate in our lives, in the places we need him the most.
Our goal this week is to let ourselves feel like those to whom the promises of our God are made. We want to get in touch
with ourselves, especially those parts of ourselves that are in need of a Savior. We do this by keeping our focus on the
places that feel like a desert, the places that feel like we've been through a war, the places that feel like a lifeless stump.
When we have a hard time seeing, we ask for the grace to be able to believe the promise that we shall see. When we
seem deaf, we place our trust in the One who assures us that we will hear. And when we feel beaten down and awfully
lowly, we turn to the One who promises that we will “find joy in the Lord.” And, who among us doesn't have days on
which we are aware of various kinds of wounds? On the day of promise, “the Lord binds up the wounds of his people.”
As we let these deep realities of our daily, busy lives come into focus and interact with the readings, something
wonderful happens. We become more and more aware of our need for God. Very naturally and quite spontaneously, a
prayer comes forth from deep within us, which we can say in the smallest moments of our busiest days. “Come, Lord.”
“Come and save me.” “Come and be with me in all of these messy, empty, dry and disordered places in my life.” “Come,
Lord. I feel my longing for you grow. I feel my hope grow. And, as I place my hope in your promises, Advent begins to
come alive in me.”
All of this preparation can happen in the simplest way, before the first Christmas decoration goes up. And, for each
moment of each day that we encounter a place that we desire, that we long for our Lord's coming, we can express our
thanksgiving. Each night we might pray:
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” (Ps. 27)
Taken from the "Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer" on the Creighton University's Online Ministries web site:
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.htm
Beginning Advent - What am I experiencing in my life, as Advent begins?
Many of us are in an ideal place to begin Advent, but we don’t know it. It can be tempting to think that, because we are
struggling these days, we can’t enter into Advent without a big change in our mood or without distancing ourselves from
our real experience. Nothing could be further from the truth. Advent is about letting God come to us. We do the letting
and God does the coming. And, the whole mystery of our faith is that God is not reluctant to come into an unusual
relationship (like Mary and Joseph’s) or to be born in the poverty of a makeshift stable. We are tempted to prepare for
Advent by cleaning everything up first – by, in effect, saving ourselves first. Our opening to Advent is to realize we need
saving and to accept the saving love of our God.
So, what are we experiencing? That is the first Advent question. If we chew that question, then the Isaiah reading will
sound so good to our ears. Are we the people “who walk in darkness” or have “thick clouds” over us? Is the way before
us full of valleys and hills? Does it seem like we are in a desert? Are there wild beasts out there who are ready to devour
us? Have we been guilty of some things we aren’t proud of? Have we lost touch with who we really want to be? Has our
fidelity become a bit shabby? Then, Isaiah proclaims that our God is ready to come and save us. And, none of the things
that I see as barriers even matter to God.
Then, is Advent a passive season? No, we have work to do, but it is different from what we first think it is. It starts with
understanding what our preparation is. If we haven’t prepared our hearts to be open to asking for salvation, we’ll never
shout, beg, plead, “Come, Lord, Jesus!” Our work is to become who we are. Advent is a humble season, a season of
self-awareness. To say it another way, before we decorate our homes for Christmas, we have to clear away some of the
false masks we might wear. These made up identities help us be more “presentable” to others, and at times they even
fool us. When I look in the mirror, which “me” do I see? There is nothing wrong with putting our best foot forward in
public, and it is quite understandable when we want others to see our best selves. But, before our own consciences and
before God, we want to be transparent and real. We want to have no illusion. If there is struggle in my life – and there
has to be some struggle in all our lives – then we want to acknowledge that before our God and to let that struggle be
the door into Advent’s graces.
How can we have hope and expect God will come to us? The readings of Advent open up a whole series of promises,
full of powerful images, that keep reminding us that our God will come to save us. They free our imaginations to see
and experience that coming with drama and joy – a banquet with “choice wines and rich, juicy food.” They invite us to
imagine when “a time will come for singing.” They give us the opportunity to hope beyond our wildest hopes in the past
– “the lion will lie down with the lamb” and “they will prepare for war no more.” They open our hearts to imagine the
love of our God embracing us in the coming of one like us, who knows our life and its struggles and offers us the hope
of the Spirits presence with us every day, in every moment.
What are the key first steps to enter into Advent? We can all slow down. We can all breathe more deeply. We can all
begin to trust that this will be a blessed time. Then, when we let ourselves be who we are, and hear the Scriptures, we
can begin to quietly pray, “Come, Lord, Jesus.” We might expand that prayer, in quiet moments of our days ahead,
“Come into my life. I trust you don’t mind if it is still messy. I believe you love me, because I need your love. I don’t
fear you can’t find the way to my heart. Come and fill me with peace and the love only you can give.” Some of us will
want to open our hands on our laps or hold up our arms in the privacy of our rooms and say out loud, “Come, Lord,
Jesus, come into this house, into my family, into our struggles. Come and heal us, and give us joy again. Come and unite
us and let us experience, each in our own way, a bit of the joy you are offering me now.”
And, before a single decoration goes up, we have prepared for Christmas’ message with the foundation of faith, with
the mystery of Advent’s gift. God wants to be with us. Advent is letting God’s will be done in our hearts and in our
everyday lives.
Source: https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/beginning-Advent.html
GIFT 2024: Giving in Faith & Thankfulness for Our Church. We are called
to perform different roles, and are gifted with different skills and talents, to
work together for one common mission – to build the Church of Christ. In
the annual appeal for the Catholic Foundation’s GIFT (Giving in Faith &
Thankfulness) programme, all of us are invited to support the work of
several organisations, the building of the Catholic Hub and other key
projects of the Archdiocese. Watch the video to see how you can play a part.
Pick up a GIFT 2024 envelope or visit catholicfoundation.sg (QR code to
video will be shared with your parish secretary)
Advent Calendar
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21 23 24
By the students from Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Encountering the Child Jesus:
A Contemplative Journey Towards
the Gi�t of Love and Humility at Christmas
14 - 23 December 2024
Weekday 5.30pm, Saturday 5pm & Sunday 3.30pm
Day 2
Day1 Day3
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Childlike Confidence in
Day 4
St. Teresa of Ávila the Infant Jesus Venerable Margaret of
Trust in God's Providence 15 Dec (Sun) the Blessed Sacrament
through the Child Jesus The Humility of Christ
14 Dec (Sat) in the Manger
16 Dec (Mon)
Day 7 St. Francis of Assisi
Poverty of Spirit in the
Christmas Mystery
17 Dec (Tue)
Please
note that there
will be
no IJ Devotion
St. Padre Pio & Mass on
Confidence in the Power 18 Dec (Wed)
of the Infant Jesus
21 Dec (Sat)
Day 8
Day 5
Blessed Anne St. Faustina
Catherine Emmerich Kowalska
The Mystery of the Divine Mercy Revealed
Incarnation in the Infant Jesus
22 Dec (Sun) 19 Dec (Thu)
Day 9 Day 6
St. John of the Cross
St. Bonaventure Divine Love Manifested
Adoration of the in the Incarnation
Christ Child 20 Dec (Fri)
23 Dec Mon)
SCAN TO SIGN UP
COME ! SPEND TIME WITH JESUS.
The Catholic Prayer Society invites all to lunchtime mass at these locations in the city:
Wednesdays @ 12.15pm
Medical Alumni Association, 2 College Road, Level 1 Theatrette
137 Cecil Street, Cecil Building (room will be indicated at lift lobby)
Fridays @ 12.15pm
(3) One Raffles Quay, Level 49 North Tower
(4) Grand Hyatt Hotel, 10 Scotts Road (room will be indicated at hotel lobby)
Visit us at www.cps.org.sg
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SCAMMERS LURKING AROUND!
Advisory on Giving Money to People in Church
The Parish Office has been informed that some of the people that have been asking for
money in and/or around our Church compound are actually swindlers or fraudsters.
Please be aware and be cautious of these people and do not handout money. Please
refer them to Catholic Welfare Services, which is at Level 6 of the Catholic Centre on Wa-
terloo Street or leave their particulars with the Office for Society of St Vincent de Paul to
contact then.
关于对乞讨者的忠告
堂区办事处获悉，一些在我们教堂内和/或周围乞讨的人实际上是骗子或欺诈者。请注
意并谨慎对待这些人，不要分发钱财。请将他们转介到位于滑铁卢街天主教中心6楼的
天主教福利服务处，或将他们的联络方式交给堂区办事处，以便圣文生仁爱会联系。
FULLY ALIVE IN GOD RETREAT (FAR)
Date: 26 Dec 2024
Time: 9am - 5pm (with Mass)
Fully Alive in God
An ACCS & CLC retreat
Venue: Catholic Junior College, Specially for Educators
Training & Development Centre
Cost: $30/- (lunch & GST included)
after $45 subsidy by ACCS
ARCHDIOCESAN COMMISSION FOR
Register at: www.catholicleader.sg
EPHESIANS 6: ARMOUR OF GOD RETREAT (EPH6)
Date & Time: 8 – 9 Feb 2025
Mode: In-person 2D/1N Stay-
in Retreat
Address: St. Francis Xavier
Retreat Centre, 199 Punggol \
Seventeenth Ave
Cost: $320/- (ensuite single-
room & meals included)
Register at: www.catholicleader.sg
“Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks,
he distributed them to those who were seated.” - John 6:11
HUMANITARIAN
MONTH
Small Gifts,
Miraculous Impact
Learn more:
bit.ly/
charis-haf
Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS), is making its annual appeal for their
Humanitarian Aid Fund which supports the Archdiocese’s overseas humanitarian aid and disaster relief
efforts. Your small gifts can transform into miraculous impact for our brothers and sisters in need.
Donation envelopes are available in the parish. Alternatively, you can send a crossed cheque payable
to “Humanitarian Aid Fund” with your name and contact information to: CHARIS, 55 Waterloo
Street, #07-02 Catholic Centre, Singapore 187954. Please contact CHARIS at 6337-4119 or scan the
QR code to visit their website for more information.
This course, spanning over 6 half-day sessions on
weekends, is designed to help couples build strong
foundation for a lasting fulfilling marriage.
Q1 09 Feb - 16 Mar
Q2 04 May - 08 Jun
Q3 20 Jul - 31 Aug
Q4 05 Oct - 09 Nov
Couples intending to celebrate
your union in the Catholic Church
are encouraged to attend MPC as
early as possible before your
wedding date.
For more info: www.mpcsingapore.com
To make contributions to the CHURCH:
Method 1: via PayNow (online transfer)
Parish UEN: T08CC4030K
Account Name: Church of SPP Operating Fund
Method 2: via Cheque
Please cross cheque and make payable to “Church of Saints Peter and Paul”
Mail cheque to 225A Queen Street Singapore 188551.
To make contributions to the
CARMELITE FRIARS (SINGAPORE)LTD:
via PayNow (online transfer)
UEN: 201706443H
To make MASS OFFERINGS
(Mass offering contribution/stipend is $10 per Mass per name)
Method 1: via PayNow (online transfer)
Step 1: Make contribution via PayNow using Parish UEN: T08CC4030K
For PayNow Reference, please state “Mass Stipend – <Your Name>”.
Make a screenshot of the PayNow transaction.
Step 2: Email to [email protected] with subject title: Mass Offering.
Please state in email: Date of Mass, Name of the Person the Mass is intended for,
the Intention, Your Name (as the requester), Your Contact Number.
Please include the screenshot of the PayNow Transaction.
Method 2: via Cheque
On a piece of paper, please state: Date of Mass,
Name of the Person the Mass is intended for,
the Intention, Your Name (as the requester), Your Contact Number.
Please crossed cheque and make payable to
“Church of Saints Peter and Paul”
Mail cheque to 225A Queen Street,
Singapore 188551.
Please DO NOT
mail cash.
Sunset Mass : 5.30pm (English)
Sunday Masses : 8.30am (Mandarin), 11.00am (English), 4.00pm (English)
2.00pm (Cantonese)
Weekday Masses : 7.20am (Monday to Saturday) preceded by morning prayer at 7.00am
6.00pm (Monday to Friday)
MASS TIMING for Public Holiday
WEEKDAY MASSES
8.00am (English) preceded by Morning Prayer at 7.40am.
There will be NO Evening Mass on a public holiday if it falls on a weekday
NOTE: There will be no evening mass every 3rd Wednesday of the month
Infant Jesus Devotion : Thursday, 5.30pm followed by Mass
Rosary : 4.30pm (Saturday)
Divine Mercy Devotion : 3.00pm - 4.00pm (Monday - Friday), English
11.00am - 12.30pm (Sunday), Mandrin
Sion Adorers - Holy Hour: 4.00pm - 5.00pm (Saturday)
No Devotions/Prayers if it fall on Public Holiday
SECRETARIAT’S OPERATING HOURS:
Monday to Friday : 9.30am - 7.30pm
Saturday : 9.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday : 9.00am - 12nn
Public Holidays : Closed
COLUMBARIUM OPENING HOURS:
Monday to Friday : 7.00am – 7.00pm
Saturday/Sunday : 7.00am – 5.00pm
Public Holidays : 7.00am – 7.00pm (car park closed)
CHAPEL OF THE INCARNATION OPENING HOURS
Monday to Friday : 8.00am – 9.00pm
Saturday/Sunday : 8.00am – 6.00pm
Closed on Public Holidays
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION - Confessions will be heard half an hour before weekday
evening and weekend Masses. Do note, however, that the Sacrament will not be available on Thursday evenings
in view of the Infant Jesus devotion, and before the Sunday 8.30am Mandarin Mass.
Parish Priest : Rev Fr Jeffrey Tan OCD
Asst Parish Priest : Rev Fr Bernard Wee, OCD
Friars in Residence : Fr. Anselm Phang, OCD (General Delegate)
Fr. Ferdinand Purnomo, OCD (House Superior)
Fr Benedict Mary, OCD
Fr Bartolo Maria, OCD
Bro Christopher S.,OCD (SA to OCDS)
Parish Office Staff : Winnie Sim, Lillian Ong (Sacraments), Joyce Phang (Columbarium)
Parish Office email : [email protected]
Church Donations - Please make your cheque payable to:
(i) Church of Sts Peter & Paul:
for contributions/donations for general maintenance of our Church and Mass offerings
(ii) Carmelite Friars (S) Ltd:
for contributions/donations to the Friars Formation and Community
(iii) Soc of St Vincent de Paul (Conf St Peter):
for donations to the Society of St Vincent de Paul for the poor and needy.
Church of Saints Peter & Paul: 225-A Queen Street, Singapore 188551
Tel: +65 6337 2585 Fax: +65 6334 5414 www.sppchurch.org.sg
