Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all presented with the reminders that each and every one of us as Christians should continue to heed the Lord’s call as He sent us forth in our respective lives to go and proclaim His salvation and Good News to all the nations. Each and every one of us have been entrusted and empowered, in unique and diverse opportunities, blessings and gifts, by the Lord in our respective areas of responsibility and in our circles of relationships and friendships, so that through us and our every actions, words and deeds we may truly proclaim our Lord and His great and wonderful works among the whole world. In every small little things that we do, we should always seek to glorify the Lord at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when St. Philip the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles, went to the region between Jerusalem and Gaza, where he encountered the travelling party of an Ethiopian official who came to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Based on the Biblical and historical connections between Ethiopia and the land of Israel, it was likely that the Ethiopian official was a believer of God as a convert, or was a member of the Jewish diaspora in Ethiopia appointed by the Queen of Ethiopia as one of her officials. It was common at that time for the people in the Jewish diaspora to return back to Jerusalem especially for important festivals and celebrations, at which moment they reconnected with their ancestral roots and faith in God.

It was there then St. Philip the Apostle enlightened the Ethiopian official, as at the Divinely appointed time the latter was reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah detailing about the sufferings and the works of the Messiah, the Holy One of God, all of which had been fulfilled completely and perfectly by the Lord Jesus Christ, the One Whom St. Philip was proclaiming and revealing about to the Ethiopian official. Through the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit, St. Philip explained everything that had happened and how the Scriptures and the words of the Prophets were all directing towards the Lord Jesus, Who had suffered, died and rose again just as the prophets like the prophet Isaiah had spoken and proclaimed. St. Philip convinced the Ethiopian official that the One he ought to put his faith and believe in is none other than the Risen Lord, the Saviour of all.

With the baptism of the Ethiopian official by St. Philip the Apostle and how that official likely brought the Christian faith and teachings back to his homeland in Ethiopia, this was one of the occasions highlighted in the Acts of the Apostles showing how although the Church and the early Christian community at that time had been facing great trials, sufferings and persecutions at the hands of their enemies, like the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin and the chief priests, and also from the actions of the overzealous and misguided Saul the Pharisee, the future St. Paul the Apostle, who at that time persecuted the Christian faithful quite brutally, leading to the deaths of many among the people of God. But this did not stop the growth and spread of the Church which continued on despite the persecutions and hardships facing the people of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life by the Lord to the assembled people, as He taught them all that He is indeed the Bread of Life that He Himself mentioned, having come down from Heaven itself, as the Son of God incarnate in the flesh, revealing to everyone the love of God manifested and made accessible to us. Through Him everyone shall receive new life and rejuvenation, the promise of everlasting life unlike those who have eaten the heavenly bread or manna, also known as the bread of the Angels, which the Israelites had once eaten during their forty years sojourn in the desert on their way towards the Promised Land of Canaan. This gift of new life that Christ has revealed, has indeed been fulfilled through our baptism, by which we have been welcomed into the Church, and then later on becoming partakers of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

This is related to what we have heard in our first reading today, in which the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian official had been told to us. The Ethiopian official received the truth and Good News of God through the actions and words of St. Philip the Apostle, who shared with him the truth of God, His teachings and truth, and ultimately, opening his heart and mind to welcome the Lord Himself to come into them, transforming him through the gift of the Sacrament of Baptism, by which he received the Holy Spirit, and thus, becoming part of the same Body of Christ, the Church of God. All of us as Christians during this time and season of Easter, we are all reminded of our own baptism and membership in this same Body of Christ, as we have all partaken in the Holy Eucharist and received the Holy Spirit.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, what we are all then reminded to do is that of our missions and calling as Christians, just as we have been shown the examples of the labour of the Apostles through what St. Philip himself had done. Each and every one of us as Christians have to be truly committed in our various areas of responsibilities and in the many opportunities that God had given us, so that by everything that we say and do, we may help to bring more and more people ever closer to the Lord. Likewise, our actions and words, our deeds and interactions cannot and should not lead to scandal that can make others to be prevented from coming towards the Lord, as we have all well heard and seen happening in the Church and in our world today, within our own Christian communities and all.

This is why today we are all reminded that we should renew our focus and commitment to the Lord, to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly, rejecting the temptations and the pressures of sin and evil. We should strive to keep ourselves truly holy and worthy, in all things so that we may truly be good and holy people of God, His faithful disciples and followers, showcasing His light, hope and truth to our world, illuminating all those who are still living in the darkness of sin and in the ignorance of God’s love and compassionate mercy. Let us all continue to do our best so that our lives and our every efforts and endeavours will continue to glorify God and proclaim Him to our world today. Amen.