Day: April 2, 2016

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Friday, 1 April 2016 : First Week of Easter, Friday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the two Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. John who gave great testimony in front of all the elders, the leaders, the elites, the teachers of the Law and all those who were influential among the Jewish society at the time, the testimony of their faith in Jesus, through Whom God had brought into this world a great new light.

Those leaders and elders refused to believe in Jesus, and they thought that by sentencing Him to death on the cross, handing Him over to the Romans and after having rejected Him, and turned their backs from Him, humiliating Him and forcing Him to suffer a most painful death, they thought that they have finally succeeded in getting rid of the One Whom they thought to be their rival.

But in the Gospel, we were shown again, how amazing was our Risen Lord, our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world Who had conquered death itself. He showed Himself to have risen from the dead to the Apostles in several occasions, reassuring them and strengthening their faith, that all was not lost, but in fact was the beginning of a new time of grace.

By His death and resurrection, Jesus has opened the gates to salvation, and He has opened the path for us all to walk in, from the darkness into the light. Through Him, mankind who once thought that everything was lost to them, and that there is no hope to escape from the pain of death, now they all have received a new hope, an assurance of life and everlasting peace, joy and harmony through Him, so long as they make the choice to trust in the Lord and follow Him.

And this is where He also laid the work ahead for all of us, just as He had shown it through His Apostles. Today’s event of the miraculous fishing in the Lake of Tiberias is very important as well as meaningful, because it represents the Church, and all of its works to gather the people from all over the world, from many nations, to the Lord and to His salvation.

For you see, the boat represents the Church, and the Apostles are the servants of God and the members of the Church who have been saved by their faith and by their commitment to God. The net represents the efforts and works of the Church in the evangelisation and conversion of the world. The many fishes represent the people of God coming from different countries, origins and places, having different races, languages and cultures.

Remember that Jesus has called His disciples at the beginning of His earthly ministry, calling simple fishermen such as St. Peter, St. John, St. Andrew and St. James? He called them that they may no longer be just fishing for fish and for sustenance, but instead, from then on, to fish for men, that is to look for the lost souls of mankind, and bring them to the salvation in God.

And their works are not yet done even today, brothers and sisters in Christ, and thus we have a long way ahead of us, and a very important mission through which many of our fellow brethren may be saved and may find their way to the Lord. Thus, in this Easter season, as we all rejoice together in the joy of the resurrection and the promise of the life to come for all of us the faithful ones, we have to realise that we have to bring this joy also to those who have not seen the Lord and His truth, that they too may be saved.

May God awaken in all of us the spirit and the desire to love Him by loving one another, and by helping one another on our path towards redemption and eternal life. Let us seek to bring God’s salvation to all, through our words, actions and deeds that will become examples for all to see. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 1 April 2016 : First Week of Easter, Friday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 21 : 1-14

At that time, after Jesus had appeared to His disciples, He revealed Himself to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. He appeared to them in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas who was called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together; and Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They replied, “We will come with you.” And they went out and got into the boat, but they caught nothing that night.

When day had already broken, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus called them, “Friends, have you anything to eat?” They answered, “Nothing.” Then He said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something.” When they had lowered the net, they were not able to pull it in because of the great number of fish.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” At these words, “It is the Lord!” Simon Peter put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and jumped into the water. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish; they were not far from land, about a hundred metres.

When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed into the boat and pulled the net to shore. It was full of big fish – one hundred and fifty-three – but, in spite of this, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” And not one of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” for they knew it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples after rising from the dead.

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Friday, 1 April 2016 : First Week of Easter, Friday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 117 : 1-2 and 4, 22-24, 25-27a

Alleluia! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. Let Israel say, “His loving kindness endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His loving kindness endures forever.”

The Stone rejected by the builders has become the Cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing and we marvel at it. This is the day the Lord has made; so let us rejoice and be glad.

Save us, o Lord, deliver us, o Lord! Blessed is He Who comes in the Lord’s Name! We bless You from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God; may His light shine upon us.

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Friday, 1 April 2016 : First Week of Easter, Friday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 4 : 1-12

While Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the Temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them. They were greatly disturbed because the Apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming that resurrection from the dead had been proved in the case of Jesus.

Since it was already evening, they arrested them and put them in custody until the following day. But despite this, many of those who heard the Message believed and their number increased to about five thousand. The next day, the Jewish leaders, elders and teachers of the Law assembled in Jerusalem. Annas, the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and all who were of the high priestly class were there.

They brought Peter and John before them and began to question them, “How did you do this? Whose Name did you use?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke up, “Leaders of the people! Elders! It is a fact that we are examined today for a good deed done to a cripple.”

“How was he healed? You and all the people of Israel must know that this man stands before you cured through the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarean. You had Him crucified, but God raised Him from the dead. Jesus is the Stone rejected by you the builders which has become the Cornerstone.”

“There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other Name given to humankind all over the world by which we may be saved.”

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Thursday, 31 March 2016 : First Week of Easter, Thursday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, what the Scriptures spoke to us this day is the fact about the existence of the crisis of unbelief among many of us, where we lack that we ought to have in the Lord. We have this crisis of unbelief when we look upon how we all mankind believe in the Lord, just as it was during the time of Jesus our Lord and His Apostles.

The people, especially the Jews, the elders and the leaders of Israel refused to believe in Jesus, even after they have witnessed what He has done for them, all the miracles which He had performed, all of His words and teachings which had stirred their hearts because these were speaking the truth about God and about how He loved us all so much, that He was willing to descend into our darkened world and bring it into the light again.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this, we can see our greatest enemy, that is fear, the fear of losing what we have obtained in this world, as well as greed, the greed for earthly things, our earthly possessions and worldly things. It is all these things which had held back the elders of Israel, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law from being able to open themselves and believe in Jesus and His teachings and truth.

These people were too deeply entrenched in their prejudices and preconceived judgmental attitudes, that they refused to see anything else other than their own views and thoughts as what were correct. And therefore, thus was the opposition which they fielded against Christ and against His Apostles and all those who placed their trust in Him.

But the Apostles themselves were also not free from such moments of fear, of lacking faith and of doubt against the Lord. They too huddled in fear after the suffering and death of our Lord on the cross, thinking that they had been abandoned behind without hope. But the Lord appeared to them and showed them that He Himself had conquered death, and there is truly nothing to be feared.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all these are lessons for all of us, that we should not put too much of our trust in the worldly things or in the power of men, that is our own might, our own intellect and our own resourcefulness. We should instead trust in the Lord Who is ever faithful and Who always loves us all with great tenderness. It may seem that His path is the one that is more challenging and less rewarding, but in truth, it is only in Him that we shall find true satisfaction.

Therefore, in this season of Easter, all of us are called to realise the love of God present in each and every one of us, the hope which have come into this world through Christ our Lord. We have been blessed with the light and hope of our Lord’s resurrection, and as the members of His Church, His Blessed Body, we are all obliged and have that responsibility and calling to bring forth this hope and joy of Easter to the nations.

Let us all therefore be agents of the Light, to bring the Lord’s salvation to the nations. And let us through our actions and sincere works bring forth redemption especially to all those whose hearts had been shut tight against the Lord, and all those who have refused the offer of God’s redemption and mercy. May God help us in our endeavours and strengthen us all in our faith. God bless us all. Amen.