Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded yet again as we progress through this Season of Easter, of our mission and responsibilities in proclaiming the Risen Lord, our Saviour, to all those around us and everyone we encounter in life, in the various opportunities and circumstances we have been given so that we may always be evangelistic, missionary and faithful in carrying out whatever it is that the Lord has entrusted to us in our own various callings and vocations in life. We are entrusted by the Lord with the mission to proclaim His Good News and salvation, His truth and love to all the whole entire world, so that more and more people may come to know the Lord and be ever closer to His grace and love.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostle of the account of the aftermath of the time when the Apostles St. Peter and St. John healed the crippled man at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, which led to them being arrested and persecuted, questioned and faced the wrath of many of the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, who fiercely opposed the works and teachings of the Lord Jesus. At that time, with the news of the Lord’s Resurrection beginning to spread rapidly all throughout the community, those people in authority scrambled to try to stop the spread and even used bribes and lies to spread their own version of events of what happened, hoping that the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus would not continue spreading and take hold in the community.

Unfortunately for them, the Apostles like St. Peter and St. John did not fear the persecutions and hardships that they might have to face amidst their ministry and works among the people, as they kept on proclaiming the truth about the Lord, His works and His Resurrection, His triumphant victory over sin, evil and death, despite the threats, obstacles, hardships and persecutions that they had faced from various sources, particularly at that time from the Jewish authorities. As we heard in that passage from the Acts of the Apostles, the two Apostles courageously responded and defied the direct order from the members of the Sanhedrin telling them that they can no longer speak in the Name of the Risen Lord. They courageously said that they could not obey their authority over that of God and His commands.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard again of the account of the Lord’s Resurrection and what happened as He appeared first before the women who went to His tomb on Easter Sunday morning, and then how He appeared to the other disciples and made Himself truly present and visible to all of them, showing them that He was truly risen from the dead, fully Risen in the Body and was not just merely a spirit. The Lord showed all His disciples that everything which He told them had come true, and that He has reassured them of everything that He had taught and revealed to them, that His words are nothing less than God’s truth and the way to the salvation in God and eternal life in Him. That is what the Lord had done, and with the promise of the Holy Spirit to guide the disciples, the Lord sent them out to proclaim His Good News and truth, His salvation and love to the whole world.

Thus, after having been strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s Apostles and disciples went forth proclaiming everything that they themselves had witnessed, seen and heard. They went forth to share to everyone whom they encountered about the Risen Lord, calling on everyone to embrace the love that God has shown us all through His Son. They faced those challenges with gladness and eagerness, knowing that through the sufferings, they have also endured the same sufferings that their Lord and Master Himself had once suffered. They also helped and supported one another, being parts of the same one Church of God, by physical and real support, as well as through spiritual support and prayers, invoking God to help His beloved people and guide His servants in their journeys, efforts and struggles.

Through the many examples these holy predecessors of ours have shown us, we are reminded that each and every one of us also share in the same missions that the Lord had once entrusted to them, and the fact is that we cannot ignore these things which the Lord has also called us to do. As Christians we should not and indeed cannot be idle, and not speaking up about our faith in God, or showing them in our every actions and deeds throughout our whole lives. We must always be good role models and inspirations for others around us so that by our good and worthy lives we may indeed proclaim the truth and Good News of God to everyone.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect on our various and respective missions and vocations in life, and discern carefully our path going forward in life. Let us all discern on how we should embrace God’s call and do His works in our respective areas in life, in our various responsibilities and efforts that we do in our daily living. Let our way of life, our every actions, words and deeds bring about glory to God, and proclaim His truth before everyone all around us, so that by our works, our efforts and perseverance, we may indeed show the love of God, the Good News of God’s salvation and grace to more and more people, and help many to find their own way towards the Lord.

May the Risen Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our efforts, in our works and daily struggles in life. May He strengthen and encourage us all so that by our commitment and dedication, we may truly be worthy and fruitful in our actions as good and faithful Christians in each and every moments of our lives. May God be with us always and be our guide and encouragement, now and always, forevermore. Amen.