Easter 2024

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Friday, 5 April 2024 : Friday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we must always be strong in our faith in the Lord, in being His disciples, witnesses and missionaries in our world today, so that in whatever challenges, trials and difficulties we may encounter throughout our lives, especially in living our lives faithfully as Christians and in proclaiming God’s truth and Good News, we will continue to be strong and be able to persevere through whatever trials and challenges that we may encounter in our respective paths in life. We should not easily be swayed to give up our struggles and commitments to God just because we encounter stubborn opposition and hardships in our journey of faith and life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. John, who had performed a great miracle of healing on a crippled man at the Temple of God in Jerusalem, healing him in the Name of the Risen Lord, and afterwards they proclaimed with great courage and vigour the Resurrection of Christ and everything that God had done through His Son, to all those who had been present there to witness the remarkable event. We then heard of the chief priests and the Temple authorities, the influential members of the Jewish community like the Sadducees who refused to believe in the Lord, His teachings and works, and also His Resurrection, despite the many signs and evidences pointing to the contrary. They went to arrest the two Apostles and brought them before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council.

Those authorities questioned the two of them about what they had done and put pressure on them because they did not want any further spread of the words and teachings of the Lord Jesus Whom they had condemned to death. At that time, the news about the Lord’s Resurrection had spread quickly to many people, and He has also shown Himself to many of His disciples, who eagerly went forth after Pentecost to proclaim what the Lord had told them to preach joyously, of the salvation which He has reassured us, and of His glorious Resurrection by which He has conquered death itself, and broken forever the chains and dominion of sin over all of us. Many of the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the members of the Sanhedrin refused to believe in the Lord because of their differences with what the Lord taught and stubborn attitudes.

The Pharisees opposed the Lord because they disagreed with Him regarding how the Law of God should be observed, practiced and enforced. They adopted a very strict interpretation of the Law and commandments of God, which led them to be criticised by the Lord for their failure to appreciate and understand the true purpose and meaning of the Law of God, as He Himself revealed to everyone the truth about the Law, and what the Law is truly all about, bringing God’s people closer to Him and teaching them to love Him and one another instead of being an oppressive set of excessive rules and regulations that made it difficult for many to follow the Lord. Meanwhile, the Sadducees who did not believe in the concept of resurrection, refused to believe in the Resurrection of the Lord, and did what they could to oppose the spread of this fact.

The Gospel passage today then reminded all of us that despite all of those challenges and difficulties, we must always remain firm in our faith in God, as the Lord will guide us to our destination and path, providing us with help and assistance along the way. He will not abandon us to the darkness or destruction, but will show us the advice and help so that we may find our way to Him, just as we heard in that Gospel passage. In that account from the Gospel of St. John we heard of the moment when the disciples of the Lord went to Galilee just as the Lord had instructed to them. There, they had been spending the night fishing at the Lake of Galilee without much success, catching no fish at all despite all of their efforts throughout the whole entire night.

That was when the Risen Lord appeared to them by the shore, telling them how to get good catch, and we heard how they immediately got so many fishes that their boats almost sank. That was when St. Peter immediately recognised the Risen Lord and went right to Him, swimming towards Him from the boat. This moment was an important one for the Lord’s disciples and for us because through that, we are reminded that by following the Lord, His will and commandments, we will have His blessings and help throughout our journey and struggles in life, and with God and His grace, our works and efforts will eventually bear many rich fruits and products. Without the guidance of God, like how the disciples failed to catch any fish earlier on, then no matter what efforts we put in, all of them may be futile in the end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that we must always keep our focus in the Lord, and trust Him in His providence and guidance. We must not allow worldly temptations, challenges and difficulties to distract us and to persuade or coerce us to give up our faith in God. Instead, all those trials, tribulations and challenges should in fact strengthen our commitments to God, as we should recall how the Lord Himself has suffered and endured the same kind of persecutions, challenges and trials throughout His ministry and then later on with His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross. We are not alone in this journey, suffering and tribulations, as we are carrying our crosses together with the Lord.

That is why it is important that we continue to be faithful to God in all things, trusting in Him to lead and guide us down the right path, and helping us to overcome the many challenges around us, persevering through whatever opposition, persecutions and rejections that may come our way. May the Risen Lord continue to be with us, guiding and strengthening us so that in each and every moments, we will always continue to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence, becoming good and worthy witnesses of His Resurrection and truth, at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 5 April 2024 : Friday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 21 : 1-14

At that time, after Jesus appeared to Thomas and His disciples, He revealed Himself to them 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, 5 April 2024 : 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, 5 April 2024 : 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 being 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, 4 April 2024 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to proceed through this joyful period of this Easter Octave, we are all continuously being reminded of what we believe in the Resurrection, that Our Lord Jesus Christ has truly risen from the dead, has not remained in the tomb, and as the Church has always preserved and taught it, that the Risen Lord has led us all to triumph against the power of sin and death by His glorious Resurrection, and we truly rejoice because of this great and triumphant victory that we have gained through the Risen Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. Each and every one of us as Christians have the important mission of proclaiming this same truth and Good News of God’s salvation to everyone all throughout the whole world, to all those whom we encounter each day and moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the account from the Acts of the Apostles in which St. Peter and St. John miraculously healed a crippled man from birth at the gate of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. They offered the crippled man God’s healing, His love and mercy through the power and authority of the Name of the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Through His Name, they made the crippled man whole again, and made many people who witnessed the event to become astonished at the power of God. St. Peter and St. John as we heard in that passage from the Acts of the Apostles today testified courageously about the Risen Lord, proclaiming the salvation of God which had been accomplished through everything that His Son had done in this world, in the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Lord.

They spoke about the events that had recently happened with the Lord’s Crucifixion, when He suffered with the persecution and oppression by the Jewish authorities, the chief priest and all those who refused to believe in Him, condemning Him to death and handing Him over to the Romans, only for Him to rise again on the third day, just as He had predicted before all those events were to happen. Those chief priests and many of the members of the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin, attempted to silence the Apostles and the other disciples, bribing the Roman guards and others to spread a false story of how the disciples stole the Body of the Lord from His tomb and hid the Body, and claiming that the Lord had risen from the dead. But this event showed that St. Peter and St. John, like the other disciples of the Lord, empowered and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, were no longer willing to remain silent and idle.

They therefore testified before everyone about the Risen Christ, not fearing the repercussions and oppressions that they might be facing, as they knew that the Lord was with them, and no matter what they might encounter, they were God’s chosen disciples and missionaries, to proclaim forth His truth. They called on all the people of God to heed to His call and to embrace His message of truth, His salvation and love, by walking in the path that the Lord has shown them, and turning away from their sinful ways, having the Lord Jesus, Who has risen from the dead, as their Lord and Saviour. They told the people to believe in the One Whom God has sent into their midst to save them all, firstly for the Jewish people, to whom St. Peter and St. John were addressing to at that time, and then for all the other, non-Jewish people as well.

In our Gospel passage today we then heard of the aftermath of the encounter between the Risen Lord and His two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus. The Risen Lord Himself appeared before the assembled disciples in Jerusalem who had just heard from those two disciples who hastened back on their way from Emmaus after they themselves witnessed in person the Risen Lord revealing Himself to them. The Risen Lord appeared before them miraculously, showing them that His Resurrection was indeed the truth and not a story that was brought up by those women who went to the tomb of the Lord in the early Easter Sunday morning. He showed Himself to them to remind all of them that the Resurrection is not just a myth but a reality, that had indeed happened precisely as He had predicted it.

He encouraged and strengthened them much as He had done so with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus earlier on, teaching them and reassuring them, reminding them that the prophets of God had been prophesying about all that had happened earlier on, but many were unable to see the truth of what they had preached and spoken about, that neither the disciples nor even the teachers of the Law and the chief priests were able to comprehend the fact that the Lord was indeed the One Whom God had promised to the whole world as the One through Whom everyone would be saved, and how all that entailed the suffering, the Passion and the death of the same Saviour, and ultimately through His glorious Resurrection from the dead.

All of us as Christians are reminded today that each one of us are the same witnesses of the Lord’s Resurrection, His truth and Good News much as the Apostles and disciples of the Lord then had been entrusted with this same truth and revelation. They had seen the Risen Lord, suffered and many of them died in martyrdom in defending that truth, but that never stopped them from continuing to go forth and proclaim the Risen Lord to the best of their abilities, so that by their great dedication and courage, many more had come to know of the Risen Lord and the salvation which had been given to them through the same Risen Christ. Thus, all of us have also received this same truth, and we are entrusted with the same mission as members of the same Church of God, to proclaim Him faithfully.

Let us all hence go forth and do our very best, in whatever opportunities that God had provided to us so that we may continue to do what we can in order to proclaim the Risen Lord at all times. Let us all be good role models of our lives and faith to everyone, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, we will be able to share the joy of the Resurrection to everyone, especially to our brethren who are still suffering in the darkness of sin and evil, that they too may come to see the Light of the Risen Christ. May God be with us always, and bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Thursday, 4 April 2024 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 24 : 35-48

Then the two disciples told what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how Jesus had made Himself known, when He broke bread with them. While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood in their midst. (He said to them, “Peace to you.”)

In their panic and fright they thought they were seeing a ghost, but He said to them, “Why are you upset, and how does such an idea cross your minds? Look at My hands and feet, and see that it is I Myself! Touch Me, and see for yourselves, for a ghost has no flesh and bones as I have!” (As He said this, He showed His hands and feet.)

In their joy they did not dare believe, and were still astonished; so He said to them, “Have you anything to eat?” And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish. He took it, and ate it before them. Then Jesus said to them, “Remember the words I spoke to you when I was still with you : Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

And He said, “So it was written : the Messiah had to suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead. Then repentance and forgiveness in His Name would be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.”

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Thursday, 4 April 2024 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 8 : 2a and 5, 6-7, 8-9

O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your Name throughout the earth! What is man that You be mindful of him, the Son of Man, that You should care for Him?

Yet You made Him a little lower than the Angels; You crowned Him with glory and honour and gave Him the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet.

Sheep and oxen without number and even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and all that swim the paths of the ocean.

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Thursday, 4 April 2024 : Thursday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 3 : 11-26

While the once crippled man clung to Peter and John, all the people, struck with astonishment, came running to them in Solomon’s Porch, as it was called. When Peter saw the people, he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if it was by some power or holiness of our own that we made this man walk?”

“The God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified His servant Jesus Whom you handed over to death and denied before Pilate, when even Pilate had decided to release Him. You rejected the Holy and Just One, and you insisted that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Master of life, but God raised Him from the dead and we are witnesses to this.”

“It is His Name and faith in His Name, that has healed this man whom you see and recognise. The faith that comes through Jesus has given him wholeness in the presence of all of you. Yet I know that you acted out of ignorance, as did your leaders. God has fulfilled in this way what He had foretold through all the prophets, that His Messiah would suffer.”

“Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out and the time of refreshment may come by the mercy of God, when He sends the Messiah appointed for you, Jesus. For He must remain in heaven until the time of the universal restoration which God spoke of long ago through His holy prophets.”

“Moses foretold this when he said : The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people; you shall listen to Him in all that He says to you. Whoever does not listen to that Prophet is to be cut off from among his people.”

“In fact, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel onward, have announced the events of these days. You are the children of the prophets and heirs of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors when He said to Abraham : All the families of the earth will be blessed through your descendant. It is to you first that God sends His Servant; He raised Him to life to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

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Wednesday, 3 April 2024 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Scriptures which we are again reminded of the great joy that we are celebrating during this time of Easter when we rejoice most wonderfully because of Our Lord having Risen from the dead, triumphed over sin, evil and death. And as He has shown us therefore the path to eternal life and salvation, all of us are reminded again this day of what it truly means for us to be Christians, that is to be filled with joy of the Resurrection, to be free from the dominion and attachments to sin and darkness present all around us so that we are truly an Easter people, a people full of God’s Light, Love and Hope, armed and strengthened with the knowledge that God has triumphed, and we too shall be triumphant with Him if we remain true and faithful to Him, despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to face.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. John, came to the Temple of God in Jerusalem and encountered a man who was crippled from birth, and who asked them for some money, begging for his livelihood. We heard how St. Peter and St. John instead miraculously cured the man from his ailments, in the power and Name of the Risen Lord, showing the grace and love of God, which He has shown to those who have faith in Him and in His Providence. The Lord healed the crippled man through His Apostles, and with that, many of the people saw firsthand the power of God’s healing through His Risen Son, proving everything that the Apostles had been proclaiming about in those days regarding the Resurrection of the Lord.

The Apostles had testified before the people of God about everything that they themselves had heard, witnessed and seen from the Risen Lord, having experienced the glory of the Resurrected Christ and beheld Him with their very own eyes. The Lord had also commanded them all to proclaim His truth, Good News and His Resurrection to all the whole world, calling on them to go forth and to reveal Him to the people of all the nations, which the Apostles and disciples took up faithfully, courageously going forth to the various places where they spoke fearlessly about the Lord and everything that He has taught them. Thus, we heard the testimony of faith of St. Peter and St. John, who proclaimed God’s healing and salvation by the healing of the crippled man, among other works.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke the account of what happened on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection, when the disciples first heard about the Lord Jesus having risen from the dead, and then how two disciples of the Lord who were on their way towards the village of Emmaus just outside of Jerusalem were debating and discussing about what they had heard about the Lord’s resurrection. Those two disciples could not agree and were still in disbelief at everything that had happened during those momentous few days since the Lord’s crucifixion, and then later on with His glorious Resurrection from the dead. The Risen Lord then appeared to them, albeit in the form that the two disciples could not yet recognise at first, and He journeyed with them down that road to Emmaus.

We heard how the Lord discussed the matter with the two disciples throughout the journey, and how He quoted the Scriptures and the words of the prophets, to highlight to them that everything had happened exactly as how the Lord Himself had wanted it to be, and just as how the prophets had proclaimed earlier on. He strengthened their faith and gave them courage through His words and what He had gone through with them, and finally, at the end, revealed Himself to them, that He was indeed the Lord, having risen from the dead, and was no longer in the tomb. This was one of the many incidences and moments when the Risen Lord appeared to His disciples, showing them that He has indeed risen as the others had said, and many became witnesses of His Resurrection, His triumph against sin, evil and death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in today’s Scripture readings, all of us are reminded of the Resurrection of the Lord, which is one of the core beliefs and tenets of our Christian faith. At every moments and times when we profess our faith in the Creed, we always mention our faith in the Lord Who has risen from the dead after His crucifixion and death. But do we truly believe in this truth, brothers and sisters? Do we really embody this faith we have in the Risen Lord, believing that through Him we can be free from the tyranny and dominion of sin, and receive the assurance of everlasting life and true joy with Him. Do we truly trust in Him and allow Him to lead us in our lives so that by walking in the path that He has shown us, we may enter into the more holy and worthy existence in God’s Presence?

Let us all be strengthened and encouraged by what we have heard from the Scripture passages today, being reminded as always that what we believe in is truly the truth. The Apostles and disciples of the Lord had themselves witnessed all these in person, and many of them willingly endured sufferings and hardships, trials, imprisonments and martyrdom, all because they truly believed in the truth of God, His love and everything that He had done for our salvation, which culminated in His glorious Resurrection. Had there been no Resurrection of the Lord, then their movement and efforts would have floundered and fizzled off just as what had happened to the many False Messiahs that were aplenty at that time. The fact that the message of God’s truth and His Resurrection remains strong till this very day is a reminder for all of us of this immutable truth and the mission which we all have, that is to proclaim His Resurrection and Good News to the whole world.

May the Risen Lord continue to help and strengthen us in our respective missions and vocations in our lives, that we may always strive to be truly worthy and good in all of our every actions, words and deeds, so that we may be good role models and inspirations to everyone all around us. May all those who witness us, our words and works may continue to be inspired and called to follow the Lord ever more worthily, so that through our lives we may be the shining beacons of God’s Light and salvation, and more and more people may come closer to Him, to be touched by His light and grace, and come out from the darkness and sin that is all around us in this world. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 April 2024 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 24 : 13-35

At that time, on the same day Jesus rose from the dead, two followers of Jesus were going to Emmaus, a village seven miles from Jerusalem, and they talked about what had happened. While they were talking and arguing about what had happened, Jesus came up and walked with them. But their eyes were not able to recognise Him.

He asked, “What is it you are talking about?” The two stood still, looking sad. Then the one named Cleophas answered, “Why, it seems You are the only traveller to Jerusalem who does not know what haw happened there these past few days.” And He asked, “What is it?”

They replied, “It is about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a Prophet, You know, mighty in word and deed before God and the people. But the chief priests and our rulers sentenced Him to death. They handed Him over to be crucified. We had hoped that He would redeem Israel. It is now the third day since all this took place.”

“It is also true that some women of our group have disturbed us. When they went to the tomb at dawn, they did not find His Body; and they came and told us that they had had a vision of Angels, who said that Jesus was alive. Some of our people went to the tomb and found everything just as the women had said, but they did not find a Body in the tomb.”

He said to them, “How dull you are, how slow of understanding! Is the message of the prophets too difficult for you to understand? Is it not written that the Christ should suffer all this, and then enter His glory?” Then starting with Moses, and going through the prophets, He explained to them everything in the Scriptures concerning Himself.

As they drew near the village they were heading for, Jesus made as if to go farther. But they prevailed upon Him, “Stay with us, for night comes quickly. The day is now almost over.” So He went in to stay with them. When they were at table, He took the bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave each a piece.

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised Him; but He vanished out of their sight. And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts filled with ardent yearning when He was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures?” They immediately set out and returned to Jerusalem.

There they found the Eleven and their companions gathered together. They were greeted by these words : “Yes, it is true, the Lord is risen! He has appeared to Simon!” Then the two told what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how Jesus had made Himself known, when He broke bread with them.