Eastertide

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Friday, 26 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 26-33

Paul said to the Jews in the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia, “Brothers, children and descendants of Abraham, and you also who fear God, it is to you that this message of salvation has been sent. It is a fact that the inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognise Jesus.”

“Yet in condemning Him, they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath but not understood. Even though they found no charge against Him that deserved death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. And after they have carried out all that had been written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.”

But God raised Him from the dead, and for many days thereafter He showed Himself to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They have now become His witnesses before the people. We ourselves announce to you this Good News : All that God promised our ancestors, He has fulfilled for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus, according to what is written in the second psalm : You are My Son, this day I have begotten You.”

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Mark, one of the Four Evangelists and a great missionary and leader of the early Church. St. Mark was known not only for his efforts and works in writing the Gospel attributed to him but also for his role in evangelisation and ministering to the faithful people of God, spreading the Good News of the Lord to the people in many places, and helping to establish the foundation of the Church, especially in Alexandria in Egypt, where a sizeable Christian community quickly formed in the earliest days of the Church from the Jewish diaspora community there and from the Greeks and local Egyptians in that region, who embraced Christ and His truth.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. Peter in which the Apostle spoke of the importance of humility as being a hallmark of being a Christian faithful and believer of the Lord. One cannot truly claim to be faithful to God and yet at the same time not being a person full of humility and obedience to God. At the same time, the Apostle also reminded the faithful people of God that the Lord was always with them and regardless of the challenges, trials and sufferings that they may all have to endure amidst their missions and lives, but in the end, should they remain faithful to the Lord, then they shall all be triumphant together with the Lord and receive from Him the assurance of eternal glory and life everlasting, which God has promised all of His faithful ones.

What St. Peter the Apostle told the faithful people of God were essentially reminders that in their faith and in how they lived their lives, all of them should not allow the temptations of the world, particularly that of the temptations of human pride and ego from misleading them down the wrong path. The greater the person is, and the more power he or she has, then the humble he or she should become, as ultimately all the greatness, power and glory came from the Lord and not meant for us to boast or to be prideful for. The Apostles themselves showed this by example, as although the Lord had entrusted them all with great power and authority, but they carried out their missions faithfully and did not allow worldly glory and pride to tempt them or to boast of their successes.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus Who was sending out His disciples and followers after He had risen from the dead, telling all of them that they should go forth to the nations, to tell of His truth and salvation to all the people they encounter so that all of those people may come to believe in the Lord as well, and may embrace God’s grace and love, and be saved through their acceptance of the Lord’s truth and salvation. This is the important mission which the Lord had entrusted to His Church, to all of those whom He had called and chosen, especially the Apostles and the other important disciples, some of whom like St. Mark and St. Luke, while not being Apostles, were important in their role as the Evangelists, the writers of the Holy Gospels, and in the case of St. Mark, as mentioned, establishing the Church of God in distant lands.

St. Mark the Evangelist according to the Sacred tradition of the Church was one of the seventy disciples that the Lord sent out to minister to the people of God, to go forth before Him and to prepare His path. St. Mark worked closely with the Apostles and having experienced the Lord Himself in the earlier years, could indeed write his experiences and the many works of the Lord as just how he recorded them in his Gospel of St. Mark. It was also the shortest among the four Holy Gospels, and according to the tradition and historical evidences, might have been among the first of the Gospels to be written and recorded. This was done just as St. Mark carried on with his own evangelising missions, firstly as part of the missionary party with St. Peter and the other Apostles, and then later on by himself.

St. Mark went on to the land of Egypt and according to veritable tradition of faith founded the Church of God in Alexandria, then the largest city in the whole Eastern part of the Roman Empire and all of Egypt. There, St. Mark helped to build the foundation of the Church amongst the Jewish diaspora as well as the diverse ethnic groups who called Alexandria and its region as their home. St. Mark was the first overseer and hence Bishop of Alexandria, and hence is honoured today among many Christian churches as the first Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria, the founder of one of the five great Ancient Sees of Christendom, that is the See of Alexandria, counting among his successors numerous great Church fathers and saints.

St. Mark himself continued to carry out his duties and works faithfully, caring for his flock and showing the Lord to more and more people through his efforts at evangelisation as well as through his writings and works, including the Gospel that he wrote. He also ministered to the flock and the faithful people of God placed under his care, helping many people to remain faithful to the Lord and to find their way to His salvation. In the end, just like most of the other Apostles of the Lord and His many other servants and disciples, St. Mark was martyred for his faith, several decades after he founded the See of Alexandria. Nonetheless, the legacy and works of St. Mark the Evangelist keep on surviving among Christians and throughout the Church till this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all commemorate the glorious memory and faith which St. Mark the Evangelist had shown to the Lord and all of us, let us all therefore realise that the works which the Lord had given to His Church and His disciples, including all of us are still not yet done. The missions and works of the Church are still ongoing and we must make good use of the opportunities provided to us so that we may indeed be faithful in living our lives and proclaiming His truth and Good News to the nations, just as the Apostles and the Evangelists like St. Mark himself had done. The question is, are we willing to commit ourselves to do what the Lord had called us to do, and are we willing to commit ourselves, our time and efforts to do what the Lord had entrusted in our care?

Let us all hence do our best in our lives as Christians, in our obedience to God and in all of our actions and deeds so that we may truly be great inspiration for everyone around us like that of St. Mark the Evangelist and many others of our holy predecessors, all of whom have shown us their own exemplary lives and actions, that we may also follow in their footsteps and live our lives most worthily in the Lord, our loving God and Father. May God continue to bless and strengthen us all in all things, and be with us always in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 16 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

“Signs like these will accompany those who have believed : in My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 6-7, 16-17

I will sing forever, o Lord, of Your love and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

The heavens proclaim Your wonders, o Lord; the assembly of the holy ones recalls Your faithfulness. Who in the skies can compare with the Lord; who of the heaven-born is like Him?

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Peter 5 : 5b-14

All of you must clothe yourself with humility in your dealings with one another, because God opposes the proud but gives His grace to the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God so that He will raise you up at the appointed time. Place all your worries on Him since He takes care of you.

Be sober and alert because your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Stand your ground, firm in your faith, knowing that our brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the world, are confronting similar sufferings. God, the Giver of all grace, has called you to share in Christ’s eternal Glory and after you have suffered a little He will bring you to perfection : He will confirm, strengthen and establish You forever. Glory be to Him forever and ever. Amen.

I have had these few lines of encouragement written to you by Silvanus, our brother, whom I know to be trustworthy. For I wanted to remind you of the kindness of God really present in all this. Hold on to it. Greetings from the community in Babylon, gathered by God, and from my son, Mark. Greet one another with a friendly embrace. Peace to you all who are in Christ.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures of our calling as Christians, that is as all those who have accepted and embraced the Lord’s call, and have faith in Him, to be truly committed to the missions and the vocation which the Lord had entrusted to each and every one of us, in every unique ministries and contributions that each one of us can give to help in the mission of the Church. God has entrusted to all of us the fate of our fellow brothers and sisters, many of whom had not yet known Him, and many of whom were still under the sway and power of sin, living in the darkness of sin and evil, not being aware of the Light, Hope and truth that God alone can bring into our midst. That is why we have to be the good and faithful bearers of Christ’s Light in our world today.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the works of the Apostles and the other disciples in spreading the faith in the Lord were narrated and told to us, and we continue to hear how the Church kept on growing and the faith kept on spreading despite the challenges and persecutions that they faced along the way. The efforts made by the Apostles especially by those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas were crucial in extending the reach of the Church and welcoming many more converts from among the non-Jewish community, or the Gentiles. Their efforts and works among the Greeks and others led to many embracing the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Master, leaving behind their old pagan idols and ways.

The Apostles entrusted the mission of the conversion and evangelisation of the Gentiles to those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, as well as their companions, and this was the foundation of the many missionary journeys that St. Paul would undertake for the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel. St. Paul went to many places, guided by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Risen Lord and managed to gain many new believers, who were convinced of the truth of Christ and who were also inspired by the great examples shown by the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, the early Christians who lived in great harmony and love for one another, showing the love of God manifested in their actions, words and deeds, in all of their interactions.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and all the other people who were following Him regarding what He had been telling them, and how He is truly the Son of God Incarnate, referring to God as His own Father, the Father Who is in Heaven. This was something that was taboo and forbidden among the Jewish people and tradition at that time, as God was seen as Almighty and incomparable, one and without equal, and for One like Jesus to claim to be the Son of God and calling God as His Father was akin to proclaiming blasphemy against God. However, this was because those who thought this way refused to accept the fact that there can be new revelation that was not found in the books of the Law or the Prophets. It was precisely what the Lord did, in revealing to everyone the fullness of God’s truth.

In truth, the Lord was telling everyone that God’s promises had indeed come into this world, and all had been perfectly fulfilled and manifested in Himself, in the Son and Word of God incarnate in the flesh as the Son of Man, through Whom God’s will had been made clear to us and by Whose Presence the love of God had been made tangible and approachable by us. Through His Son, the Lord has made His salvation and love manifested and real before us, and He showed it all to us through the Passion of our Lord and Saviour, as He suffered most grievously and endured a most painful death on the Cross, all for the sake of our salvation. Through Him, we have seen the Light and Hope of the Lord and we are all called to follow Him, embracing His salvation and love, as we are all expected to do as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, a great servant of God and one whose life and examples can serve as good inspiration for each and every one of us to follow, so that in looking upon what this man of God had done, we can then be more inspired and strengthened in our own efforts to glorify the Lord. St. Fidelis was born in what is today part of Germany and grew up to be an academic, learning about law and philosophy, becoming a lawyer and teacher of philosophy at the institute of his study. Eventually, disillusioned by the wickedness of worldly living and the corrupt nature of his work as a lawyer and the immoral behaviours of the other lawyers of his time made St. Fidelis to join his brother as a Capuchin religious.

St. Fidelis therefore became a priest and began his ministry in the time when the Church and Christendom was greatly ravager and affected by the blight of the Protestant reformation, where many people have fallen sway into the path of heresy and falsehoods. Through his works, St. Fidelis was successful in converting quite a few of the Calvinists in the region and this led to hostile reaction from the other Calvinists who began to threaten St. Fidelis. However St. Fidelis was not deterred or became fearful over those threats, and he began to prepare himself for martyrdom should it come to pass for him. It happened therefore on one day when a group of Calvinist soldiers and agitators went up against St. Fidelis, and when they failed to force him to renounce his true Christian faith, he was martyred at that place. The courage and faith of St. Fidelis nevertheless remained strong and became inspiration for many others, and some of his persecutors were even converted to the true faith.

Through the inspiration of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, his courage and dedication to God, may the Lord continue to help and guide us all in our journey so that by everything that He has provided unto us, we may continue to persevere in our journey and trials of faith, throughout all these moments in life. Let us all commit ourselves ever more thoroughly and courageously to be the worthy disciples and followers of Our Lord and God. May the Lord continue to bless us in our good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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.”

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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.

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Tuesday, 23 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. George, Martyr, and St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each one of us to continue to proclaim the truth of God in the midst of our community, to be truly committed and faithful to the calling and mission which the Lord had entrusted to each one of us as the ones whom He had called and chosen to be His disciples, followers and as His beloved people, whom He sent out into the world to proclaim His salvation to even more people out there who have not yet known about His works and salvation. Through our works and efforts, all the things done by the Church, we may lead many more towards the Lord and His truth.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the continued growth of the early Church which kept on spreading and growing rapidly despite the challenges, trials and difficulties that the early Christian community was facing from the Jewish authorities, the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council and all other opposition and obstacles that they had to face, including the opposition and refusal from some among the non-Jewish communities, the Gentiles to accommodate the teachings of the Lord Jesus and to listen to His truth and all the words that the Apostles and the many other disciples and missionaries of the Lord had brought upon them. This resulted in plenty of persecutions and hardships for the faithful people of God, and yet, it did not dampen the spirit of all those who were committed to proclaim the truth of God to more and more people among the nations.

As we heard in that same passage, we heard how the Apostles sent St. Barnabas, who was also considered as one of the Apostles, while not being member of the Twelve, to the city and region of Antioch, which was then one of the largest cities in the entire Roman Empire and the world, and was the largest city in the immediate region of Syria. Antioch at that time was a truly cosmopolitan city where its people had diverse origins and came from all the various parts of the Roman Empire and beyond. It was significant therefore that the community of the believers in Antioch was where they were first known as Christians, referring obviously to the belief that they all had in the person of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

This was a clear evidence that the Church was being universal and all-embracing in its nature, as it welcomed believers and followers of the Lord from all origins and backgrounds, and not being limited merely to just the people of Israel and their descendants. The Lord had called everyone to be His disciples and followers, and through the power and guidance, the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit, many people became convinced of the Lord’s truth and Good News, and therefore, embraced the Christian faith and dedicated themselves to be parts of the Church of God. We also heard how St. Barnabas went to nearby Tarsus and recruited Saul who had just been recently converted into the Christian faith, the future St. Paul the Apostle. It was through those works and actions that the Church greatly grew and flourished at that time.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and followers, and the Jewish people, representing likely those who adhered to the Pharisees and the teachings of the teachers of the Law and the elders, They all pressured the Lord to tell them plainly whether He was the Messiah or not, although from all that the Lord Himself had said and done in their midst, it would have been really obvious that He must have indeed been the One Whom the Lord had promised, the Saviour that would come into the world. However, it was their stubborn refusal to listen to the words of the Lord and their prejudices which likely prevented them from accepting the fact that everything which they had heard, seen and witnessed, all had proven that the Lord Jesus is indeed the Saviour of all the whole world, and the Son of God as He had said.

The Lord first sent His Son to the people of Israel and their descendants, His first chosen people, to fulfil the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob or Israel, calling on all of them to be His followers and His disciples. However, He ended up encountering a lot of difficulties, challenges and refusals from many of those people who hardened their hearts and minds, refusing to listen to God’s call and words. This problem continued on even after the Lord had suffered, died, risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven. While there were indeed quite a few successes in the process of conversion of some among the Jewish people to embrace the Christian faith and truth, but there were also many of those who opposed the efforts of the Lord and His disciples, oppressed them and persecuted them all. Yet, the Lord continued to guide and strengthen His disciples throughout the whole journey.

We are all reminded that each and every one of us as Christians are called to go forth and proclaim the truth of God to the people from all the nations, through our actions and way of life, from our words and all the things we do, in our every interactions with each other. We must always help others to come to know the Lord and to recognise Him through our own actions in life. It is through our own faith and actions that we can truly help everyone to come closer to the Lord and to find out more about Him, so that many more people may come to approach God’s Throne of Mercy, and embrace the fullness of His compassionate love. Each and every one of us are reminded that we have to be active in being part of the Church’s effort and outreach to the world.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of two great and holy servants of God, whose lives, examples and actions can indeed serve as inspiration and examples for all of us. St. George was a Roman military officer that went through martyrdom for the sake of his faith, renowned for his courage and commitment to the Lord, while St. Adalbert was a bishop and martyr who was known for his commitment to his faith and to the missionary works in the region now known as Czech Republic and the surrounding regions. Both of them dedicated themselves to follow the Lord in all things and to do His will, enduring difficulties and challenges, suffering and eventually martyrdom, giving up even their own lives for the glory of God in the midst of their obedience to God’s call and mission.

St. George, also known as St. George of Lydda, was renowned in Church tradition as a Roman soldier, but little was known beyond the fact that he lived and endured his martyrdom during the time of the Diocletianic persecution, the last great wave of persecutions against Christians in the Roman Empire about three centuries after the birth of Christ. According to tradition, he was arrested and tortured for his Christian faith, just like many others who were martyred during the same intense persecution. He was martyred by decapitation, but his legacy remained and endured for long, to this day, as a great symbol of courage and chivalry, and for his legendary slaying of a dragon. Many people and military institutions have St. George as their patron.

Meanwhile, St. Adalbert, also known as St. Adalbert of Prague was born in the region of Prague in today’s Czech Republic during the time when the lands then known as Bohemia had not long embraced the Christian faith. St. Adalbert eventually joined the priesthood and then became the Bishop of Prague at a rather young age succeeding his predecessor who died, and he became a courageous bishop and leader of his flock, against the often difficult political and social condition at the time, where rival families and groups bickered and struggled for power and glory, which St. Adalbert endured and struggled through. Then, later on, St. Adalbert chose to go forth in missionary work to the then still pagan land of Prussia, where he had some success, but facing great opposition from many of the pagans, he was eventually martyred by a pagan mob in the land of his mission.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the good examples and inspirations which St. George and St. Adalbert, and many others of our holy and dedicated predecessors had shown us. Let us all continue to follow the Lord faithfully as they had done and realise the important missions and calling which the Lord had entrusted to us. May our lives continue to glorify God at all times, and may we be ever courageous to proclaim Him to the whole world. Amen.