Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we continue to progress through this joyful and blessed season of Easter, we are all reminded yet again of our faith in the Risen Lord, in our Saviour and Master, which we should proclaim to everyone around us, in how we live our lives as Christians, as God’s followers and disciples, faithfully in each and every moments. All of us should always strive to proclaim the salvation of God and His Good News to everyone whom we encounter in life. Such is our calling as Christians, our obligations and duties as those whom God had called and chosen from this world, to be the ones showing the light of Christ’s salvation to the world.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, in which the tale of the works of St. Philip, one of the Apostles were highlighted to us. At that time, there were persecutions and hardships facing the faithful people of God, with the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council and all those seeking to destroy the nascent early Church. St. Stephen had been martyred as we heard from our readings earlier in the week, and Saul the young and zealous Pharisee was chasing after the Christians, persecuting, arresting and torturing them to seek to destroy the Church of God. And yet, the Lord continued to be with His Church, guiding and protecting His disciples, inspiring His Apostles like St. Philip with the wisdom, courage and strength to carry out His missions and works.

St. Philip encountered the official of the Ethiopian queen, who was on his way from Jerusalem back to his homeland. Tradition was that since the days of the Queen of Sheba coming to Jerusalem, the Ethiopians had come to know of the Lord and share in the faith of the Israelites, or at least some among them showed interest in the teachings and knowledge of the Lord. At that time, by God’s grace and timing, the Ethiopian official was reading through the words of the prophet Isaiah who was prophesying about the Messiah or Saviour, which St. Philip therefore explained to the Ethiopian official as referring to Christ, the One Who had just been persecuted and crucified in Jerusalem, rose from the dead and ascending in glory to Heaven.

Through his explanations and teachings, St. Philip enlightened the Ethiopian official, helping him to understand that everything that had happened in Jerusalem recently at that time was in fact the fulfilment of everything which the Lord had revealed through the prophet Isaiah. And through this opportunity and exchange, that was how St. Philip as an Apostle continued to do the good works of God even during those difficult moments when the Church was being persecuted and the faithful people of God were arrested and tortured for being those who believed in the Risen Lord and His truth and Good News. He touched the heart, mind and soul of the Ethiopian official who agreed to be baptised and therefore becoming a disciple of the Lord, bringing the Christian faith to his homeland in Ethiopia, where the Church still remains strong to this day.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist where the Lord Jesus continued with His discourse on the Bread of Life which we have heard these past few days. The Lord told the people who were listening to Him about how He as the Son of the Father has revealed to them all about the Father, the loving Heavenly Father Who seeks to be reunited with all of us, to be reconciled with us and which was why exactly He sent to us His Son, to be the bearer of this assurance of salvation and eternal life, the One to lead us to Himself, to give us all the providence and strength to journey towards Him with genuine love and contrite hearts. That is what Our Lord Himself had done, by offering Himself to us as the Living Bread from Heaven.

The Lord Jesus made a mention of the heavenly bread manna that the Israelites had received and shared from the Lord in the past, and how although they had been provided this sustenance of the bread of Angels for a whole period of forty years, but they all still perished in the end, and what He was offering to them was far greater than the manna, as the Living Bread that He was offering them was none other than His own Most Precious Body, and the Most Precious Blood which He willingly offered and laid down for all of us. This gift of His own Body and Blood has been made real for us through the Eucharist, the most Holy Sacrament that He has provided to us through His Church and which we receive at the every celebration of the Holy Mass.

For truly, as we receive the Eucharist, the Living Bread and the Precious Blood of the Lord Himself, all of us are united to Him and to one another, all of us as members of God’s Church, to be the ones to share in the promise of happiness and true joy which the Lord Himself has promised and reassured to us. By this most wonderful gift that He has given us, the Lord has strengthened and reassured us, giving us the sustenance needed for us to continue in persevering through the many challenges and hardships in life. This is why we should not allow ourselves to be easily struck down by the many challenges and trials present around us. We should always remember that God is always with us, journeying with us and providing for us, encouraging and strengthening us all the way.

Therefore, let us all pray that the Lord, our Saviour and our Living Bread from Heaven will continue to guide and strengthen us all through the gift of His own Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist, so that all of us who partake of His Body and Blood may be strong in our faith and be committed to God in all things, and that we may be good and worthy bearers of His Good News and salvation. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us in all of our endeavours, good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.