Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.
YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.
The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 13 : 44-52
The following Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to listen to Paul, who spoke a fairly long time about the Lord. But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose, with insults, whatever Paul said.
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying, “It was necessary, that God’s word be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it, and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we turn to non-Jewish people. For thus we were commanded by the Lord : I have set you as a light to the pagan nations, so that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Those who were not Jews rejoiced, when they heard this, and praised the message of the Lord; and all those, destined for everlasting life, believed in it. Thus the word spread, throughout the whole region. Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of the upper class, and the leading men of the city, as well, and stirred up an intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas.
Finally, they had them expelled from their region. The Apostles shook the dust from their feet, in protest against this people, and went to Iconium, leaving; the disciples, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day let us all spend some time to reflect on what we have just heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, in which we are called to have that genuine and strong faith in God, to be passionate and dedicated in how we live our lives so that we may truly be examples and inspiration for each other in our way of living our faith. We are called to devote our time and attention to the Lord in our daily living as best as we can. As Christians, it is an important mission of all of our lives to be the beacons of God’s Light, truth and love in our world today, and we have to do it through our actions and examples in each and every moments of those lives we are living.
In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard about the work of the Apostles especially that of St. Paul and St. Barnabas in going to various places in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as they went to the various Jewish and Gentile communities to spread the Good News of God to all of them. The Lord gave them the strength, courage and wisdom to carry out His will and the mission entrusted to them, and the Apostles and other disciples prayed over all the missionaries before they embarked on their journey. It was indeed a difficult and arduous journey that they all had to encounter and experience, but that did not discourage them and with God’s providence and help, they persevered through the many challenges facing them with faith.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we have heard in our Scripture passages today highlight how all those very dedicated and committed servants of God laboured for the sake of the Lord and His Church during the early days of the Church. Unlike today, at that time, most places that the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord visited were truly places where the Lord, the faith and His truth were still completely ignorant of the truth of God, full of pagan practices and in some cases even immorality. It was indeed very difficult for the Apostles and all the missionaries to carry out their missions, as they had to contend with various obstacles and challenges throughout their journey. They had to risk a lot during their mission and their journey, just as the other Christians also often had to hide and persevere through many persecutions against them. Yet, all of them seemed to be passionate and committed regardless, and there does not seem to be any logical reasons for those many martyrs of the faith who chose to remain faithful even to the point of facing death.
And that is because they know that they belong to the Lord, and the Lord will always be by their side and will be faithful to the Covenant which He has made with all of them. God is always loving and committed to us, and we can indeed trust Him and put our lives in His hands. That was what those early Christians had in their minds and in their hearts whenever they were going through tribulations and difficult challenges. They trusted the Lord and followed Him wherever He guided them to. That gave them the necessary strength and encouragement to keep on going even when they perhaps wanted to give up the struggle and the efforts to continue going forth in proclaiming the Good News of God and in doing what the Lord had entrusted to them to do. We ourselves can gain encouragement from what our predecessors had done.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, even till this very day, all these still hold true, as we are God’s people and He is our Lord and Shepherd. And the fact is that the works of the Apostles and the missionaries of the Lord are far from over. In fact, in our world today there remain an even greater need for the Lord’s truth to be brought to all the peoples of all the nations. Many people are still living in ignorance of God’s truth, and this also apply even, sadly, to those within the Church and many of those who call themselves as Christians. Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, at present, there are plenty of lukewarm attitude in how many among us Christians are living our lives and our faith. We treat the faith as nothing more important than a side activity, or even as a chore and formality, something that should not have been the case. But this is the sad reality and truth, knowing how so many among us treat the Lord and our Christian faith with such lukewarmness, apathy, ignorance and even disdain. It is sad that quite a few treat their faith as nothing more than a formality.
This is why, in these days we are living now, we have this same challenge facing the Church and all of us, to continue the works of the Apostles in being the bearers of the Good News and the Lord’s truth in our world today, even among our own Christian communities. We are all called to be the good and faithful witnesses of our faith to our fellow brothers and sisters, by living our lives with genuine commitment to our Christian faith and following what the Lord has commanded and taught us to do. We have to be faithful ourselves if we want to convince others to be faithful. That is why we are called today to reflect on the faith of our many predecessors, all those Christians who had endured such difficult persecutions and challenges, and all those missionaries and bringers of the truth of the Gospel who had laboured hard for the sake of God and His Church in this world. Are we able to follow in their footsteps, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to commit ourselves and our lives for the Lord?
Therefore, we should follow the good examples of the Apostles and the many other saints, holy men and women of God, including that of St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Catherine of Siena was known for her great piety and dedication to God, in her holy way of life, in her commitment to live a holy and devout life aligned with God and His Law and commandments. She refused the efforts of her parents to marry her off to a man who was her elder sister’s widower. She spent her time fasting and keeping herself pure despite the efforts of those around her to make her to do otherwise. She dedicated herself to the Lord completely, and offered herself as a perpetual Virgin consecrated to God. Her great piety and dedication to God inspired many others to follow her inspiration and examples, and her great intellect and ability to connect to various peoples of different origins led her to be involved in many of the political discussions and struggles during her time.
St. Catherine of Siena was well-known for her involvement amidst the often politically tense situations in the region, acting as peacemaker and bridge builder in connecting the rivals and the conflicting parties. She was even involved in the efforts and was instrumental in bringing the Pope back to Rome after having reigned from the enclave in Avignon for many decades. She helped other parties to work together towards peaceful solutions amidst their conflicts, among many other efforts that she had done. St. Catherine of Siena was also known for her many letters and writings, which influenced many people after her time, and her great and exemplary faith became inspiration for many others as well, inspiring many of the people of God to follow Him more faithfully and to carry out the similar works as what this great and holy woman of God had done.
May the Risen Lord, our God and Saviour Jesus Christ continue to be with us and guide us always, and may He continue to empower and strengthen us so that we may persevere faithfully and continue to commit ourselves to His path, much as how our early Christian predecessors had done, in their missionary and evangelising zeal. May all of us be drawn to love the Lord more and to dedicate ourselves to a holy life and existence much as St. Catherine of Siena has shown us with her great and exemplary life, in loving God with all of our might and in loving others with the same sincerity and intensity. May God be with His Church always, and bless its every works and good efforts. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 12 : 44-50
At that time, yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, “Whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. And whoever sees Me, sees Him Who sent Me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness.”
“If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I am not the One to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects Me, and does not receive My word, already has a judge : the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.”
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; the Father, Who sent Me, has instructed Me in what to say and how to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed Me.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 66 : 2-3, 5, 6 and 8
May God be gracious and bless us, may He let His face shine upon us, that Your way be known on earth and Your salvation among the nations.
May the countries be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with justice and guide the nations of the world.
May the people praise You, o God, may all the peoples praise You! May God bless us and be revered, to the very ends of the earth.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 12 : 24 – Acts 13 : 5a
Meanwhile the word of God was increasing and spreading. Barnabas and Saul carried out their mission and then came back to Jerusalem, taking with them John also called Mark.
There were at Antioch – in the Church which was there – prophets and teachers : Barnabas, Symeon known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul.
On one occasion while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.” So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
These then, sent by the Holy Spirit, went down the port of Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. Upon their arrival in Salamis they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogue.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we heard the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are called to put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, the Bread of Life and Son of God, Who has willingly offered Himself and gave Himself for us, to be the sustenance and the providence through which He shared with us the grace of new life blessed and provided for by His love. All of us have been guaranteed a share of this divine grace and love, and what we need to do is to accept Him fully as Our Lord and Saviour. We are reminded that every time we receive Him in the Eucharist at the celebrations of the Holy Mass and elsewhere, we are strengthen by His Real Presence within us, with the gift of grace and love.
However, as we heard in our Scripture passages today, this is much easier said than done. There are many who still refuse to believe in the Lord or to embrace Him fully, and there were many who had even persecuted those who believed in the Lord. As we heard in the persecution and martyrdom of St. Stephen in our first reading today taken from the Acts of the Apostles that the Sanhedrin and many of its members who opposed the works of the Apostles condemned St. Stephen to death and stoned him just as they had earlier on condemned the Lord Himself to death. There were many of those who were opposed to the Lord and His teachings, and which was why they persecuted and condemned Him to death in the first place.
Even as St. Stephen spoke most eloquently and wonderfully with the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and even as his arguments and words were most convincing and unrefuteable, those who opposed him still hardened their hearts and closed off their mind, blatantly closing off their ears and covering them to shut the words of St. Stephen, charging at him and stoned him to death. Their pride and ego prevented them from seeing the truth of God. And therefore, just as they had persecuted the Lord, they also ended up persecuting St. Stephen and all those who have spoken up in His Name, proclaimed His truth and teachings courageously against the opposition of the Jewish authorities and the chief priests.
It was a similar attitude showed by the people whom the Lord spoke to in our Gospel passage today. They showed doubt and refusal to believe that the Lord is the Bread of Life when He spoke to them referring to Himself as that. Contextually, the Lord had just fed the multitudes of over five thousand men and thousands of others who were gathered miraculously with only five loaves of bread and two fishes. He revealed Himself as the Bread of Life to pre-empt and show what He would do for the salvation of all. Through the Incarnation of the Son of God in the flesh, God Himself has come and dwelled among us all, reaching out to us, seeking us all to love all of us most wonderfully and generously as He has always intended for us.
But the people still doubted and refused to believe that this Man could have fed them, especially with His own Flesh and Body as He mentioned. And in the end, after the events mentioned in today’s Gospel, many of those who followed the Lord initially left Him and abandoned Him. They could not take the hard truth and reality that He has revealed to them, and chose to walk away from that truth. It was no surprise therefore that St. Stephen faced the same issues and problems when he spoke of the same truth to the people gathered against Him. This is because of their pride and ego, which were holding them back from believing. They either could not accept the fact that what the Lord spoke about was the truth, or that they thought they knew it better.
This is why as Christians, all of us are reminded that it is often our faith will bring us into contradiction and opposition against the world, and what we may face along the way, may indeed be discouraging for us and hard for us to accept. Yet, that is the reality of our Christian faith and what we have been called to do as those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Lord, our Master and our Saviour. We are all called to be His faithful disciples, and to be His witnesses in our daily living, that we may, through our words, actions and deeds truly proclaim that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah, the Saviour of the world. We are the ones to continue bearing the truth and love of Christ our Lord into this world, manifesting all these through our own lives and actions.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we willing and able to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, the saints and martyrs, like that of St. Stephen who had devoted himself thoroughly to even suffer and die for the Lord’s sake? As Christians, we are yet again reminded that we cannot remain idle in our faith, but instead our faith must be one of giving, the generous giving of ourselves in reaching out to all those who hunger for the truth of God, and as the beacons of the light of God to those who are still living in the darkness, that through the light we bring forth, we may illuminate the path for many on their way to God. And today we have a good role model and source of inspiration to follow in St. Anselm.
St. Anselm, whose feast day we celebrate today, also known as St. Anselm of Canterbury was a great and dedicated servant of God, who committed himself to the ministry and the calling that he had been entrusted with. The Lord has called him to be His servant, becoming eventually a monk and abbot, and then after years of faithful work and ministry, he was appointed a bishop and was sent to minister the faithful as shepherd, which during his time of leadership and ministry, had become a great centre of learning and many were touched by his dedication and efforts. St. Anselm eventually was sent to England, to become the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the leader of all the faithful in all of England. He faced great trials and challenges throughout his ministry, and even went through exile during his work, having to endure persecution and rejection from his enemies. Yet he continued to dedicate himself and kept on going in his works and ministry regardless, entrusting himself to the Lord wholeheartedly.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all pray that God will guide and strengthen us all with faith, and with the courage so that we may embark ever more faithfully and courageously to live our lives at each and every moments as devout and committed Christians, so that as far as possible, our every actions and our very lives will proclaim God’s truth and show that we are truly God’s children, His beloved and chosen people. May the Lord bless us and our many good works, that through us, He may bring His light and salvation to more and even more people, our fellow brothers and sisters. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 6 : 30-35
At that time, the Jews said to Jesus, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe You. What sign do You perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says : They were given bread from heaven to eat.”
Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven. The Bread God gives is the One Who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they said to Him, “Give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 30 : 3cd-4, 6ab and 7b-8a, 17 and 21ab
Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.
Into Your hands I commend my spirit; but I put all my trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, for You have seen my affliction.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your love. In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from human wiles; You keep them in Your dwelling.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 7 : 51 – Acts 8 : 1a
Stephen said to the Council, “But you are a stubborn people, you hardened your hearts and closed your ears. You have always resisted the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did. Was there a prophet whom your ancestors did not persecute? They killed those who announced the coming of the Just One Whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the Law through the Angels but did not fulfil it.”
When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”
But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he knelt down and said in a loud voice : “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he died. Saul was there, approving his murder. This was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 