Day: April 12, 2015

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Tuesday, 14 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard how the community of the first Christians lived, and how they shared all their possessions among themselves in a society filled with the love of God and in full obedience to the Law of God. And in the Gospel, we heard how Nicodemus continued his discussion with Jesus at night time, when Jesus told him how the Son of Man was to be raised up as the salvation for all just as Moses raised the bronze serpent in the past.

All these point out to the fact that we Christians should heed the teachings of the Lord and profess His death and resurrection at all times in our life and also in how we live as a community of the faithful ones in God. There is great symbolism in the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the very important and singular most important moment together with the Resurrection, which is the moment when God triumphed against the forces of sin and darkness, once and for all.

Our Lord was raised up between the heaven and the earth, for all to see, the suffering which He had endured, the sins for which He had been punished for, which are all our sins and our iniquities, that He had borne in our place. The consequence of sin is death, destruction and annihilation, for we have disobeyed the Master of Life, and by right therefore, we do not deserve to live.

And yet, God is willing to forgive us, providing that we are sincere and genuine in repenting for those sins that we have committed. When the people of Israel walked through the desert during their Exodus out of Egypt, they rebelled and disobeyed against the Lord, such that the Lord sent fiery serpents to strike at those sinful people, and many died. The people repented and cried out to the Lord through Moses, and He told Moses to raise a bronze serpent, and all who had been bitten and looked at the serpent would live.

Thus, all those who have been bitten by sin, that is all of us mankind without exception, except for Christ Himself, is bound to die, and we are supposed to be destroyed and annihilated forever, without hope for redemption. But God’s love for us caused Him to show His mercy in the most spectacular and yet humblest of ways. He raised Himself up on the cross, that all of us who witness His resurrection by what we have received in faith, shall live.

We shall no longer die, that is eternal death. This means that while we still will die at the end of our earthly lives, but just as Christ rose from the dead in glory, we too shall be raised in glory and join Him in body and soul to the heavenly inheritance waiting for us. We shall live, and it is this hope and this joy for a new and everlasting life that we rejoice for this Easter.

But, another significance to today’s readings is also that because we are all a community of the faithful, and as people of the Light who had been saved from the world, and as we have heard and understood the word of God and His teachings, then we too should also showcase that faith through real commitment, real actions and deeds, that others can see and thus be saved too.

We cannot be passive in our faith. Remember what Lord Jesus told His disciples, that if salt loses its saltiness or light is hidden under a cover then these two have no meaning or use? It is the same with all of us. Having shared in the Lord, we too have been charged with the obligation and responsibility to shine with the light of Christ within us, so that all who see us may turn away from their sinfulness and be converted to the truth of Christ.

If we do not act in accordance to the way of the Lord, then it will be a scandal for us, and we may be held responsible for having turned people away from the Lord instead of bringing them closer. We have a lot of homework to do, and indeed, we have to reevaluate our lives and our ways in life. Have we been truly devoted to God and practice our faith genuinely in our actions? Let us ask the Lord for His continuing guidance, so that we may ever walk in His path. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 3 : 7b-15

At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again from above. The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus asked again, “How can this be?” And Jesus answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things? Truly, I say to you, We speak of what We know and We witness to the things We have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony. If you do not believe when I speak of earthly things, what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven except the One who came from heaven, the Son of Man.”

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

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Tuesday, 14 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

The Lord reigns, robed in majesty. The Lord is girded with strength.

The world now is firm, it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o Lord, from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your house day after day without end, o Lord.

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Tuesday, 14 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 4 : 32-37

The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but rather they shared all things in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace.

There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the Apostles who distributed it according to each one’s need.

This is what a certain Joseph did. He was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the Apostles called Barnabas, meaning, “The encouraging one.” He sold a field which he owned and handed the money to the Apostles.

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Monday, 13 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how Nicodemus, one of the upright and righteous Pharisee, who believed in Jesus, came to Him and asked Him about the truth which Christ had brought into the world, which truly intrigued him and made him to reevaluate all of his ways in the world. And in that occasion as well, Jesus made it clear what we need to do in order to be able to attain the fullness of salvation.

In the phrase often used in this Easter season, which is part of the Preface itself, before the most solemn moment when the bread and wine are transformed into the Real Body and Blood of our Lord, that is, “By dying He destroyed our death, and by rising from the dead, He restored our life.” In this we can see how Christ our Lord, the Saviour of the world had freely given up Himself, so that by sharing our humanity, in His triumphant victory against death, He also may bring us all from the snares of death.

And by His resurrection, He has proved to us that death has lost its sting, and that is life and hope beyond the darkness of death. If we put our trust on the Lord, then we have no need to fear or worry, for our Lord Himself had even conquered death and sin, and broke free forever the bonds that once shackled us and doomed us. What indeed is there to fear if we trust in the Lord?

The problem lies in the inability of many of us mankind to resist the poison of fear and doubt in our hearts. Fear made us to do things irrationally and without due concern for others. It makes us selfish and act in self-preservation, that is to put our own interests and needs above that of others. While this is sometimes necessary, but it often becomes a source of suffering for others, as we often may not hesitate to take up actions that bring about discomfort and disadvantage for others around us.

The elders, the Pharisees, the chief priests and all who opposed Jesus and His good works did so because of the same fear, and the same worldly concerns. They feared that they would lose their prestigious position in the society, the fame and praise they received because of their esteemed position. It is just like how we act when we feel jealous of someone, because that person is seemingly better than us. We try our best to bring about the other’s downfall.

Today we celebrate the feast of Pope St. Martin I, the Vicar of Christ and Martyr of the Faith, who was embroiled in a bitter struggle with the Emperor of the Roman Empire, who albeit being a Christian, but he espoused and supported the cause of heretics. These heretics championed ideas contrary to the faith, and these came about because of their inability to resist worldly temptations.

Pope St. Martin I adamantly refused to give in to the heretics and to the Emperor as well. He refused to allow any nonsense and any influences of the devil to harm the souls of the faithful, the Church entrusted by God to his care and leadership. As a result, he was persecuted, and later abducted, tortured and eventually martyred for the cause of the Faith. He died a full life, having defended the faith which was so precious to him and saved countless souls from damnation.

All these came about because they did not put their trust in God, and they rather placed their trust only in themselves. This brought them to their doom, and it will be the same for us, unless we wake up to the reality of how dangerous our souls are close to condemnation if we continue to walk in the same path. That is what God wants us to realise, that unless we truly change our ways totally and commit ourselves to a new life in God, we are always still in danger of hell.

By our baptism, we have shared in the death and resurrection of our Lord, and by receiving His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we also share in our Lord together as one people, sharing the inheritance and the grace which He had promised all those who believe in Him. But without genuine sincerity and commitment in our faith, we cannot go far. Our faith is not one that is passive or dead, but instead, it is one of action and real devotion.

Thus, we have to be reborn again, not in physical terms, but in terms of our spirituality, our heart and our soul, that while we once lived according to the manners of the world, we now change ourselves, so that while we were once selfish, we now care more for others around us and devote ourselves sincerely in faith, loving both our Lord and our fellow men. God be with us all, and may He guide us always on our path. Amen.