Easter Homily

by

Monday, 12 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we continue to progress through this joyful time and season of Easter, listening to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are constantly being reminded of God’s wonderful love and kindness to all of us His beloved people. We are reminded that all of us, regardless of our background and origin, all of us are equally beloved and precious to God, Who has willingly loved us all, given us His attention and time, His ever present concern and care for all of us, His beloved children and people. Therefore, that is why He has always shown us His patient guidance and leading us all tirelessly towards Him, as our most loving and patient Shepherd, the Good Shepherd Who knows all of His sheep and flock by name, Who truly cares and loves for all of us without any exception.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the story of how there were some disagreements between the early Christians in the community in Jerusalem and Judea, as some of them belonged to the group of the Pharisees, the ones who were particularly rigid and strict in how they observed the Law of God, and who were also often prejudiced and judgmental against the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles, seeing themselves being the direct descendants of Abraham and the Israelites to be superior to that of the other people. As such, because of the disagreements and divisions, which saw the Pharisees accusing those who mingled and interacted with the Gentiles as being mistaken and sinful, thus St. Peter told them all about the moment when he received a vision from God while he was at Joppa, in the land of the Gentiles.

In that vision which St. Peter received, shortly before he met and encountered a family of believers from among the Gentiles, likely influential Romans named Cornelius, St. Peter saw all sorts of animals which the Jewish laws and customs considered as unclean and impure, and which therefore should be avoided. However, he heard the Lord asking him to eat from those unclean animals, which St. Peter hesitated, and the same thing happened three times, as the Lord told him that what He deemed as clean, he should not deem as unclean. This, together with the encounter with Cornelius and his family which happened immediately afterwards served as an example which St. Peter presented to the assembly of the faithful that everyone are truly equal before God, without the need for distinction and prejudice between the Jews and the Gentiles.

This is why as Christians, it is important that we must not be prejudiced or judgmental against anyone, or adopt an attitude that is elitist and exclusivist in nature, thinking that we are somehow superior and better than others around us simply because we are the chosen people of God or because we have known the faith ahead of others. We must not be proud or arrogant because of this, but rather, we have to be like the Lord Himself, Who has loved each and every one of us equally, even the greatest sinners in our midst. God has always loved us and He does not want any one of us to be lost to Him, and that was why He has always kept the doors of His mercy and compassionate love open for us, reaching out to us through various means in calling us to return to Him, and we ourselves therefore should follow in His examples in how we help our fellow brethren around us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the Gospel of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist about the Lord referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, the One Whom God had sent into this world to gather all of His scattered children and people, who have been lost to Him due to the sins we have committed, the darkness of evil and all the distractions and temptations of the world which had kept us away from the Lord and His love. The Lord referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd because He truly knows us all as His sheep, many of whom have been lost to Him, and which He patiently guided towards Him. The Lord also referred to Himself as the Gate of the sheep, and His sheep recognised Him, and would not respond to those false shepherds and all those who did not truly care for the well-being of the sheep and the flock.

This reminds us again of the great love of God that He has shown to all of us, in His patient and ever enduring love that He has generously poured out on us, His disciples and followers. He has reached out to us and tried to find us in places where we have been lost at, all those places where darkness had misled us to, the forces of evil and sin misleading and coercing us into, that we become lost from our Lord’s loving and tender care. But God did not give up on us and He still constantly sought us out, reaching out to us and tirelessly trying to be reconciled and reunited with us, giving us so many opportunities for us to return to Him by various means. And we should not take this great and most generous love and compassion from the Lord for granted.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of several saints, holy men and servants of God, whose lives and dedication to God can serve as good inspiration and role models for us all as Christians in our own lives in this world. They are St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, who were martyred during the early decades of Christianity, being the eunuchs and chamberlains of a niece of the Roman Emperor Domitian, who was well-known for his intense persecution of Christians. According to the Church tradition, they accompanied this niece of the Emperor, named Flavia Domitilla, who became a Christian, and altogether they were martyred for their faith after they were sent into exile. Meanwhile, St. Pancras, also known as St. Pancratius, was a young Christian man who was beheaded for his persistent faith in God during the terrible years of the intense Diocletianic Persecution.

We can see how from the examples of these great martyrs of the faith, that they had dedicated themselves to God and loved Him to the point of suffering even martyrdom for their faith in Him. They should inspire us all to be good and worthy role models for our fellow brethren, imitating the examples of Our Lord and Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ Himself. Let us all hence strive to do our best in each and every moments of our lives so that our lives, our every actions and words, our deeds and interactions may truly bear witness to the Lord, showcasing His love, truth, hope and Good News to everyone whom we encounter daily in life. May our lives be truly full of the love of our loving Good Shepherd, so that by our generous love, everyone may know God through us, and share in the same love that He has given us. Amen.

by

Sunday, 11 May 2025 : Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday and Vocation Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter and it is also commonly known as the Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocation Sunday. On this Sunday we remember the Lord as the Good Shepherd, the One Who guides all of the faithful people of God, the sheep of the Lord’s flock to return to God our loving Father and Creator, gathering us all from being scattered all throughout the whole world, so that we are no longer lost to Him. On this Sunday we also keep in mind all those who are discerning their vocation in life, and while we often put a lot of focus and emphasis on those who are being called to the priesthood, this day is in fact also a reminder of our various vocations in life, be it as those called to priesthood or consecrated life, as well as those who are part of the laity, in our diverse callings in life.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the actions and works of St. Paul the Apostle and his companion in ministry, St. Barnabas, who was also an Apostle. Both of them went through the regions of Perga and Pisidia which were in Asia Minor, what is now part of modern day Turkey, where they ministered to the people of God, both amongst the Jews in the diaspora communities there, as well as among the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people. St. Paul in particular was well-known for his outreach and efforts to proclaim the Good News of God among the Gentiles, and was very adamant in the equality between the Jews and the Gentiles, and how there should be no distinction between the two groups of people as God loves everyone of His followers equally and and wonderfully.

But many among the Jewish community, even in the diaspora, particularly thosewho who belonged to the school of the Pharisees and their supporters, namely those who upheld a very strict and rigid observance of the Law of God, and who were often very elitist and exclusivist in their faith, considering that God’s salvation and grace were meant only for the people of Israel and their descendants, and all the other people were doomed to condemnation and destruction unless they would adopt completely and entirely the whole Jewish customs and practices, that essentially therefore turned them into a Jew. This is something that is very difficult for the Gentiles, consisting of the Romans, the Greeks, Egyptians and many other local people, whose own customs and practices were very different from the Jews, and many of the Jewish customs and practices such as circumcision were abhorrent and disgusting to the Gentiles.

That was why St. Paul and St. Barnabas reached out to the Gentiles, since some if not quite a few among the Jewish populations in those cities they visited were not very keen or welcoming on the words and teachings that they had been bringing with them. But as we heard, this incited jealousy among the Jewish people in the region because St. Paul and St. Barnabas proclaimed salvation for all the people, both Jews and Gentiles alike, which were not agreeable to those among the Jewish people who upheld the ideas I mentioned earlier. They stirred up trouble and unrest and led to St. Paul and St. Barnabas to be expelled from the region. Nonetheless, both Apostles had already succeeded in planting the seeds of faith among the people, and they continued on their works despite all those challenges and trials that they had to face in their journey.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle in which the heavenly vision of St. John was highlighted to us. In that vision, St. John saw the multitudes of people, millions upon millions of people who had been found worthy by the Lord because they had been persecuted, facing difficulties and hardships, trials and challenges, and yet remained faithful to the Lord regardless to the very end. All of those people had washed themselves in the Blood of the Lamb, either in sharing His death through their martyrdom or by patiently enduring those sufferings in all of their various forms. Through this vision, God wanted us all to know through St. John the Apostle that there is hope for all of us and regardless of the sufferings and challenges that we may encounter in our paths in life, we will eventually be triumphant with God and freed from all those troubles.

There had been many challenges and trials facing the Church from the very beginning of its existence. Persecutions and trials, betrayals and many other hardships had been facing the faithful people of God from the very beginning of the Church, and there were many episodes and moments throughout the history of the Church, in all of its two thousand years, that numerous people who have committed themselves to the Lord faced a lot of troubles and hardships because of their faith. Some of them faltered and gave up their faith, and yet there were others who remained firm in their faith. And even among those who have given up their faith, some of them eventually repented and returned to the faith, and were willing to be persecuted again for their faith and trust in God.

This passage is a reminder to all of us that as Christians we must always have faith in the Lord, and we should not be afraid of the trials and persecutions that we may encounter in our path and journey as Christians, in being faithful to the Lord. We must trust in the Lord and in His Providence, in all that He has assured and repeatedly reassured us again and again, in everything that we shall receive and enjoy in the end after our earthly struggles and hardships have come to an end. Whatever sufferings and trials that we may be facing now in this world are not permanent, and the Lord Himself is always faithful to His Covenant and to the great and ever generous love that He has for each and every one of us. We should put our trust fully in His love and do our very best to commit ourselves to Him wholeheartedly at all times.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard the short account of the Lord’s words to His disciples telling them that He is as the Good Shepherd of the Lord’s flock, He knows His sheep well and conversely, His sheep also knows Him. This is a reminder for all of us again of God’s great love and commitment to us, in His ever enduring and present love for us, in His patient guidance and companionship with us as our loving and most dedicated Shepherd. He has come into our midst to find us all, to gather us all from being scattered all throughout this darkened world so that we may once again be reunited with God, and become members of this same flock, this same Church of God, the one united Body of Christ, which He has established in this world.

And He has shown His great love for us through His actions and most selfless love, by accepting on our behalf the punishments due for our sins and wickedness. He took upon Himself the blame and the punishment due for our sins, which He bore upon the Cross that He took on His shoulders. That is what the Good Shepherd has willingly done for His sheep, as He Himself said, that ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.’ Essentially this means that a true and good shepherd will always care for his sheep no matter what, and will even put his life on the line for the ones who are truly precious to him. That is indeed the essence of true and genuine Christian love, love that is truly selfless and beautiful, and which all of us are called to follow in our own lives and examples. As Christians we should embody the selfless love of Christ, our Good Shepherd.

It means that we should help one another in  journeying towards the Lord and His salvation, and we share the responsibility of the Good Shepherd in being good role models and inspirations for each other in our respective lives. We should remind one another that every actions and words, deeds and interactions which we make in our lives are all very important, in ensuring that our every efforts, good works and endeavours are always focused on the Lord, and that we will continue to do our best to proclaim Him to everyone we encounter in life, in whatever circumstances and opportunities. And as today we also pray for our priests and all those who are discerning their vocations in life, may all of us be truly discerning in what we are planning to do in our lives, and pray that the Lord will guide us in making careful and well-discerned choice in our lives. May God bless us always. Amen.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this time and season of Easter, and as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly faithful to God and to put our trust in Him especially whenever we are faced with doubt and uncertainties in life. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by all those challenges and temptations that we end up losing our faith and focus in the Lord. Instead, we should continue to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord, committing ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to what the Lord has called us all to do in our own lives. Each and every one of us who are part of the Church of God have our own roles to play in the work of God’s salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard of the works of St. Peter the Apostle, who like the other Apostles were going around many places, visiting towns one after another to minister to the people of God in all those places. St. Peter performed many miracles and signs in his visits to the towns of Lydda and Joppa, healing the paralysed and bedridden man named Aeneas by the power of the Lord and through the man’s faith in God, and we have also heard how he raised the dead woman named Tabitha, who had been righteous and beloved by the community of the people for her loving actions to her fellow brethren around her. In both cases, we heard how God performed His wonderful works through St. Peter the Apostle to show His faithfulness to the promises which He had reassured them all.

By those signs and wonders, the Lord wanted to show His people just how He would always be with them, guiding them and being by their side. He would never abandon them to the darkness or to persecution and suffering alone by themselves. Those signs, the miracles and wonders showed that the power and the hands of the Lord were with His Church and His servants, strengthening both the Apostles, the disciples and the whole body of the faithful alike. The Lord never abandoned those whom He has loved, and He gave them all peace as mentioned in the same passage, after Saul the Pharisee, who had intensely persecuted the Church even miraculously and almost unbelievably turned over to the Christian faith himself, becoming a member of the Church and one of its greatest defenders in time.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the aftermath of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have heard in these past few days, where the Lord presented Himself fully and clearly before the people who listened to Him that He is truly the One Whom God had sent into our midst from Heaven, revealing the method by which He would do this. He would give all of them His Body and Blood to share and partake, to have Him as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven through which all of them would receive life from God, justification and liberation from their troubles and hardships. Through the giving of His own Precious Blood and Body, the Lord wants each and every one of us to be strengthened and empowered by His Presence in us, as with Him, truly there is no obstacle that is too great or too difficult to be overcome.

We should also keep our trust and faith in the Lord, even when things are not favourable for us. Often times in living our faith in our respective lives, we may encounter difficult and challenging moments, just as how the Lord Himself was abandoned and left by many of His followers who felt uncomfortable at the words that He had used in describing Himself as the Bread of Life, in how He would indeed give them all His own Most Precious Body and Blood to share and partake. Such a truth and reality was too hard for many among the disciples and followers of the Lord at the time to accept and embrace, and they chose to walk away from Him. But for us, should we do the same as well? Should we abandon the Lord and leave Him behind simply because what we believe in is something difficult for us to accept and embrace as well?

Today, the Church marks the Feast of St. John of Avila, a great and holy man of God, a truly inspiring example for all of us to follow in our own faith and life. He was born to a pious couple and was a pious young man himself dedicated to God since his youth. He eventually went through the priestly formation and became a priest, in which he dedicated his time and efforts to evangelise and inflame the hearts of the faithful, so much so that he was also known popularly as the ‘Apostle to Andalusia’. St. John of Avila worked hard in the many areas of Andalusia, and his sermons and works were always very well attended with packed churches and many flocking to listen to him. He was also critical of the debauchery and wickedness of the aristocracy and nobility, as well as the higher echelon of the Church, calling for reforms in their behaviour.

For all these, St. John of Avila did face obstacles and difficulties, and he was even imprisoned amidst those struggles. But all those things did not prevent or discourage this man of God from continuing to do his best for the Church and the faithful people of God. He continued with his ministry and works, and he was well-known with his numerous writings and works that still inspired many throughout the ages, right up to this very day. That was why after his passing, he was venerated by the people and was eventually canonised by Pope St. Paul VI in the year 1970, and very recently, in recognition for his many works of the matters of the faith, his writings and other inspirations, Pope Francis declared him to be one of the few Doctors of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples showed unto us by St. John of Avila and many others of our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to go forth in life proclaiming the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously, ever strengthened by His Real Presence in our midst, by our partaking of the Eucharist, that is the Lord Himself being truly present in our midst, giving us His strength, grace and love amidst the challenges and trials that we may have to face or endure in our daily living. Let us all therefore remain firmly faithful and committed to the Lord, now and always, and strive our best to do His will at all times. Amen.

by

Friday, 9 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that even in the greatest darkness and in the worst of hardships, if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, then we shall be strengthened and rescued from all of our troubles. And for the Lord there is truly nothing impossible or beyond belief, as the Scripture passages today had presented to us, firstly with the story of the conversion of Saul the Pharisee, who embraced the Lord as his Saviour and Master, something that seemed to be impossible given how passionate Saul was in persecuting the early Christians, and then from our Gospel passage today where the Lord spoke the truth about His present of His own Most Precious Body and Blood to the people, that He, as the Bread of Life, would share His own Flesh and Blood as real food and drink for the people to share.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Acts of the Apostles where it was told that Saul the Pharisee, the overzealous persecutor and great enemy of the Church and the earliest Christians wanted to eradicate the Christians further, striking even beyond the land of Judea and Galilee, seeking permission to arrest and persecute the Christians in Damascus in Syria beyond the land of the Israelites. But what transpired there was beyond his imaginations or desires, as he encountered the Lord Jesus Himself on the way to Damascus, and after that encounter, where the Lord asked Saul why he persecuted Him and His Church, and became blinded, eventually through one named Ananias, a faithful disciple of the Lord, Saul was converted to the true faith in God, turning from a great enemy of the Church into one of its greatest defenders.

Such a conversion was truly remarkable and was indeed very unbelievable because Saul was truly a very ardent believer of the ways and teachings of the Pharisees, many among whom were hostile and critical of the teachings and works of Jesus. Saul in particular was also rather violent and harsh in his actions and methods in striking against the early Christian converts especially among the Jewish people, and he had a role in the martyrdom of St. Stephen as well, the first martyr of the Church. That he would make a complete turnaround and becoming one of the Church’s and the Lord’s greatest defenders is no less than mindboggling and completely baffling to many, so much so that Ananias himself could not believe it at first when the Lord asked him to help this man Saul and heal him from his blindness, so that he could become His faithful disciple.

Yet, that was what had happened, and the Lord did touch the heart of Saul, turning him over completely into a new life blessed by His grace, erasing all the past hatred and misunderstandings of His truth and Good News. Through the gift of baptism, the empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Saul, who would then take on the new name Paul to signify his conversion, became a great and most ardent defender of the Lord and the Christian faith, and becoming one of its greatest missionaries, as the Apostle to the Gentiles. He wrote many Epistles to the various communities of the Church in the many places that he had visited, just as he has also went on several missionary journeys to proclaim the Lord and His salvation to more and more people, especially to the Gentiles, or the non-Jewish people.

We can see from this example how the Lord performed His work in such a marvellous and wonderful way, beyond our imagination, that even things that seemed to be impossible have become possible for Him. After all, we must not forget that the Lord our God is the Almighty and All-Powerful God, and how can we say that something is impossible for Him? Everything that is within His will, and all things are possible for Him, and the conversion of St. Paul is just one of the many wonderful things that He had done, from something seemingly impossible into a great and wonderful boon for the Church of God. Then, this is also linked to what we have heard in our Gospel passage in the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life as we have heard it in these past few days.

For in that occasion mentioned in today’s Gospel passage, the Lord clearly presented His Body and Blood to the people as real food and drink for them to partake and share, and hearing all these, many of the people became disgusted and appalled, as they thought that it must have been crazy and even blasphemy for the Lord Jesus to mention sharing His own Body and Blood for them to eat and drink in such a way, and also claiming to be the Bread of Life, the Heavenly Bread that had come down from Heaven itself. That was why as mentioned, many of the Lord’s disciples stopped following Him after this event, and many left Him disappointed and disgusted at Him. It was left to just the Twelve, who have always been by His side, and perhaps some other disciples. When the Lord asked them if they would also go too, St. Peter represented them in saying that they still believed in Him, as the Holy One of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this discourse on the Bread of Life, and then even more importantly on the Real Presence in the Eucharist, in the gift of the Most Precious Body and Blood of the Lord that had been made real and tangible before us in the transformation of the bread and wine at the Holy Mass, or also known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we are reminded of one of the most central and most important core tenet of our Christian faith, that is the belief in the dogma of Transubstantiation, that we believe the Lord Himself is truly present in the Eucharist, that while the appearance of bread and wine remained the same, but in its reality, essence and everything else, the bread and wine consecrated by the power of the Holy Spirit through the hands of the celebrant in the Holy Mass had indeed become the Body and Blood of the Lord Himself.

Let us all therefore renew our faith and trust in the Lord, in He Who makes things impossible into something possible, by His own Almighty power and will. Let us all put our trust in Him, allowing the Lord to lead us all in our lives, so that if we continue to follow His path, we will truly be able to find our way to Him, and to the true happiness, satisfaction and eternal life that He has promised to all of us, all who have shared and partaken of the great heavenly banquet of His own Body and Blood, the Bread of Life that has come down from Heaven. May the Lord be with us always, and bless us all in our every good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

by

Thursday, 8 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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.

by

Wednesday, 7 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us are reminded today through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the reality of being the followers and disciples of the Lord, to be Christians, in living our lives faithfully each day and in our dedication towards God. To be a Christian is not for us to expect that our lives will be fully happy and uneventful. Instead, the reality is such that as Christians, more likely than not we will be facing difficulties and hardships in our path. This is because the ways of the Lord and His truth are not compatible with those of the world and the forces of evil present all around us in this world. Therefore, if we choose to be faithful to God and follow Him wholeheartedly, there will likely be hardships, trials, tears and sorrow that we will have to endure in our path.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the account of what happened in the immediate aftermath of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, one of the seven holy Deacons appointed and chosen by the Holy Spirit to be the ministers of the Church. St. Stephen was martyred after he courageously stood up for his faith in God before the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council and all those plotting his downfall and destruction because they despised what he was teaching and preaching before the people of God. Thus, St. Stephen was stoned to death by the angry mob and all those who were opposed to him. Yet, despite all the sufferings, he followed the Lord’s example and forgave those who have persecuted him, asking the Lord not to hold their sins against them.

Then we heard how the persecutions continued throughout Judea and Jerusalem, led especially by one particular Saul, a very zealous young Pharisee, whom we also know as Paul later in his life after his conversion to be a committed and faithful Christian. At that time Saul was very ardent in his misguided zeal to destroy and eradicate all those who followed Jesus and His teachings, and he went around the whole area and using violent methods, arresting and striking against all those early Christian believers, many of whom had to go into hiding and be scattered throughout the land. Yet, as we have also heard how the Apostles and disciples of the Lord still continued with their works and ministries, spreading the words of the Lord and His Good News of salvation to everyone whom they encountered.

This is a reminder for all of us that while we may indeed have to face a lot of challenges and hardships in our path as Christians, but we should not give up our struggle and efforts to carry out the missions and works which the Lord Himself has entrusted to us, and as He Himself has promised and reassured us, He would always be with His Church, with His faithful ones, and He would not let us all to fail in our missions and works, as in the end, despite the many challenges and struggles, hardships and trails that we all have to face in our path and ministries, but with God and His guidance and providence, all of us will be strengthened and helped in our works and efforts, and we will be protected and guarded against the efforts of the evil ones seeking our downfall and destruction. But we must really have faith in the Lord, have trust and faith that He will provide for us.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we continue to hear the discourse on the Bread of Life that we have started hearing from yesterday. In that passage, we heard how the Lord Jesus continued to refer to Himself as the Bread of Life, the Heavenly Bread that has come from the Father in Heaven. We heard how He reassured all those who believe in Him that they will all be blessed and be given the promise of eternal life. Such is indeed what the faithful people of God, all of us as Christians have received from the Lord this wonderful gift, the gift of the Living Bread, the Bread that will satisfy us forever and give us true happiness, joy and eternal life with Him.

And this promise of everlasting life is something which many of us as Christians have held up strongly in our own lives, in our own conviction to follow Him and dedicate ourselves to His cause. Like so many of our predecessors before us, they have all trusted in the Lord’s promise and been strengthened by the reassurances that they have received from God Himself, that their earthly existence, their many sufferings and hardships will eventually be vindicated, and through the guidance and providence of God, all of us as His people would be led to the eternity of true happiness and joy with Him. That is why we must not allow ourselves to be overcome by fear and doubt, uncertainty or insecurity because we think that we suffer all these things alone. God is always by our side, guiding and providing for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore put our trust in God and renew our faith in Him, trusting in whatever it is that He has planned for us. God has always been by our side, journeying with us and giving us the strength and courage to carry on this journey. Through His Presence in our midst, in His Real Presence in the Eucharist, in His Most Precious Body and Blood, the Lord has shown His ever-constant and present love, His ever enduring and persistent faithfulness to the Covenant which He had made with all of us. He has shown us that His promises and reassurances are not mere empty words, but are truly genuine and sincere commitment which He has made to us all, to His beloved children and people, whom He wants to love wholeheartedly, and which therefore we should reciprocate with our own love and devotion.

May the Risen Lord, our most loving God and Saviour continue to guide us all in our path and journey in faith and life. May He, the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven, continue to provide for us all whatever we need in this journey, which may be heavy and difficult. The challenges and hardships that we may encounter in our path should not make us to doubt the Lord’s Providence and Presence in our midst. Instead, we should continue to be reminded of His love and grace, of everything that He has given us all, of all the kindness and compassionate love which He has granted to us. May He bless us all in our every good efforts and works, our every endeavours, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 6 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today, as we all continue to progress through this joyful and glorious season of Easter, we are all reminded of our Christian calling to be the faithful and committed disciples and missionaries of our faith in the Lord, in our belief in the Lord Who has manifested Himself in the flesh before us, embracing our human nature and becoming for all of us the source of our eternal life and salvation. And yes, as we listen to the Gospel passage later today, we will begin to hear from today and for the next few days, the discourse of the Bread of Life from the Lord, reminding all of us that through Jesus and everything that He had done for us, we have been given access to this most wonderful gift of the Bread of Life, by which we have been assured of the promise of eternal life and true happiness with God if we all remain truly faithful to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of the account of the martyrdom of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, as we have heard since yesterday. In that occasion, St. Stephen, one of the seven original Deacons appointed by the Church with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, before the High Priests and other priests, and members of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, many of whom were hostile against the Lord and His disciples, and when they all brought false accusations and witnesses against St. Stephen in trying to silence and discredit him in his works and efforts at evangelisation among the people, St. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, courageously stood up for his faith before all of his opponents, and with great wisdom, spoke of the truth about the works of Christ and everything that He had done, and how He had been persecuted because of the stubbornness of those same people who were persecuting him.

St. Stephen courageously spoke such words because the Sanhedrin had been quite persistent in trying to silence the truth about the Lord’s Resurrection, even to the point of bribing the guards at the Lord’s Tomb to spread lies about how the disciples had stolen the Body of the Lord and claiming that He had risen from the dead. That was why St. Stephen, likely having witnessed the Resurrection himself as one of the earliest disciples and followers of the Lord, or at least having received the faith through the Apostles and the Holy Spirit, chose to remain steadfast and courageously proclaimed the truth as the Light that pierced through the darkness of the lies and falsehoods that the members of the Jewish High Council and their supporters had been spreading in the community. In doing so, he welcomed the sufferings and the martyrdom that he eventually experienced.

Then in our Gospel passage today, as I had just mentioned earlier, we heard of the beginning of the discourse of the Bread of Life by the Lord Jesus, Who told all the people who had come to follow Him after He had miraculously fed them with the multitudes of bread, that He is truly the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven that had come into our midst, descending upon this world to show the love of God manifested perfectly through His Son, Who has come into our midst, walking among us and becoming for us the source of our salvation. Through His own willing sacrifice on the Cross, Christ has opened for us the path to eternal life, in sharing His own Most Precious Body and Blood for us all to partake and share.

He gave us all freely His own Body and Blood for our salvation, which He has made available for us through His gift of the Eucharist to us, which He has instituted at the Last Supper, at the moment when He gave us all this perfect gift of love, breaking His Body and outpouring His Blood, a sacrifice accomplished and completed perfectly on the Cross, on the Altar of Calvary, offering Himself as the Paschal Lamb of sacrifice, by Whose Body and Blood we have been healed, strengthened and empowered, delivered from the power of darkness and the shackles of sin. And all of us who have received this grace from God should indeed appreciate just how greatly all of us have been beloved by our Lord and loving Father. We should not allow this wonderful gift from God to be neglected and ignored, but we should instead make great use of what we have been given.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be truly faithful to God in all things and strive to do our best so that we may always centre our lives upon the Lord and His teachings and ways just as St. Stephen and our many other holy predecessors had done before us. Each and every one of us are called to be the disciples and followers of the Lord, in our every moments in life. We have been given such great love by the Lord, Who gave us all the gift of His own Body and Blood, so that He may be present with us and within us, in journeying together through this challenging and difficult journey in life. We must not easily give in to the temptations of evil and worldly ambitions and desires, but strive instead to live lives that are truly centred on God at all times, loving one another just as God has loved us.

That is what each and every one of us are called to do as Christians, to be truly loving and committed to each other and towards God, showing our faith by our examples and inspirations in life to one another. As Christians we should always be filled with genuine and generous love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, so that everyone may come to know God through us and our examples in life. Let us all be truly worthy as God’s disciples and followers, in our commitment to Him and in our righteousness and virtues, by which we may continue to serve Him faithfully through our every words, actions and deeds, through our every interactions with everyone around us, like what our holy predecessors had done before us.

May our loving God and Father, our Risen Lord and Saviour continue to guide us in our journey of faith and life. May He strengthen us all with the gift of His Body and Blood, He Who is the Bread and Source of all Life, so that we may always remain firmly faithful in Him, and not be distracted with any kind of temptations and pressures in life all around us. May all of us continue to be ever faithful and devoted to the Lord, and may all of us be blessed in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

by

Monday, 5 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the nature of our faith as Christians, and the reality of how we may have to face challenges, difficulties, trials and obstacles in our paths as we continue moving forward in life as disciples and followers of God. It is inevitable that we will encounter and may have to suffer from all those things, but we must always remember that God is always by our side, providing for us and journeying with us, and by His grace and strength, we can persevere and remain strong despite those many trials and challenges, and we must not easily lose faith and sight on what is truly important in our lives, that is to continue to remain faithful to God and to be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us by our own commitment to live our lives with genuine love for God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which we heard of the ministry of St. Stephen, who was one of the seven original holy deacons of the Church selected through the guidance of the Holy Spirit to minister to the faithful people of God. St. Stephen was preaching about the Lord and did wonderful deeds among the people of God through the power of God and the Holy Spirit that had filled Him. And this brought about opposition from the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council. That was why they arrested St. Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin and their supporters, with false witnesses and accusations meant to bring him down and accusing him of blasphemy before all the assembly.

However as we heard, St. Stephen, full of power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, responded with great wisdom and intellect, and none of those false witnesses and accusations could be levied against him. No matter what happened, St. Stephen remained firm in his commitment to the Lord and in his courageous defence of his faith. He was standing up against the whole might of the Sanhedrin, filled with many people who were against him and his beliefs in the Lord, and who were angry and hostile against him and what he had preached and presented to them. But St. Stephen trusted fully in the Lord and allowed Him to guide him in his actions and words, that he would not abandon his faith in the Lord or proclaim falsehoods against Him just so that he could evade trouble and persecution.

This was eventually followed by the martyrdom of St. Stephen, who was stoned to death by the angry members of the Sanhedrin and the mob that was gathered there. But St. Stephen in his great faith to the very end trusted in the Lord, and he even prayed to the Lord to forgive all those who have brought those sufferings and martyrdom upon him, much as the Lord Jesus Himself had done from His Cross. He showed all of us the great example of faith and inspiration, in what we ourselves should do in order to follow the Lord as His faithful and worthy disciples and followers. As Christians, all of us should always be filled with the courage to proclaim our faith in the Lord and be ready to dedicate ourselves to Him even amidst the many challenges and hardships in life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the story of the moment when the Lord was followed by many people who came to seek Him after He had performed the wondrous miracle of the feeding of the five thousand people and more with merely just five loaves of bread and two fishes. And the Lord told them that they were looking for Him because of the food and the wondrous things that He had provided them, and this must be understood as our natural desire to seek something that pleases us like food, pleasures of the world and other forms of satisfaction. Thus, what the Lord was telling the people was that their faith in Him was still being mostly superficial in nature, as if those incentives and good things were to disappear, then they would likely abandon and leave Him behind.

Instead the Lord was calling on all of them to seek not the food and satisfaction of the world, but lasting sustenance and true joy that can only be found in the Lord alone. The Lord wanted all of them to listen to Him and to find the path to true satisfaction and joy in God, which they can find through true obedience and commitment to God, by genuine faith and trust in Him. The Lord wanted them all to grow in true faith and desire to seek God and not just seeking superficial pleasures in food and sustenance, good things and other forms of comforts of the world. This is what will lead the people to the true path towards salvation and liberation from all of their shackles of sin and evil. The Lord showed them all the love of God manifested before them, and calling on all of them to be faithful and loving towards God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore we are called and reminded to put our complete faith and trust in the Lord, to come towards Him with great commitment and dedication. We are reminded that when we face hardships and challenges in life because of our faith or due to other reasons, like St. Stephen and the many other saints and martyrs have shown us, we must remain firm in our resolve to follow the Lord and to keep our faith in Him. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations of comfort and worldly desires, and be pressured by the coercions and threats levied by those who seek to make us conform to the ways of the world and to abandon our faith in God. Let our faith and perseverance be good examples and inspirations to all around us.

May our Risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Our Lord continue to strengthen and inspire us all to live our lives each day and in every moments full of confidence and trust in Him. May He grant us the courage to continue becoming good role models, examples and inspirations to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. May God be with us always and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, works and all other things that we do for His greater glory. Amen.

by

Sunday, 4 May 2025 : Third Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, the Third Sunday of Easter, all of us are reminded of the great faith and courage that the Lord’s Holy Apostles had shown amidst the challenges, oppressions and trials that they were facing, because they truly believed in the Lord and His truth, and having witnessed His great wonders and signs, especially that of the Resurrection, having seen the Risen Lord Himself in person, interacting and spending time with Him, and knowing that everything did indeed happen just as the Lord Himself has predicted it all. That was why, strengthened further by the Holy Spirit, all of them courageously stood up for their faith in the Risen Lord, even amidst the opposition and threats from the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council that opposed them.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the Apostles were arrested and brought before the members of the Sanhedrin led by the High Priest, who questioned them on their works and actions, in which they continued to teach and preach in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the One Who had risen from the dead, and yet, such facts were denied by the Sanhedrin. At that time, the High Priest and the members of the Sanhedrin, who earlier on had accused the Lord Himself of blasphemy and treason against Caesar, such that He was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, wanted to keep silent on the news on the Resurrection, as if such news were to spread among the people, that would have led to the total loss of their leadership and credibility as the leaders of the people of God.

But even when the Apostles, led by St. Peter, were threatened and coerced not to teach and preach, or carry out any more works in the Name of the Risen Lord, they all resoundedly refused to do so, as they committed themselves to the mission which they had been entrusted with by the Lord, and they, led by St. Peter spoke courageously before the High Priest and the other members of the Sanhedrin, that they would rather obey God rather than to obey the orders of men. That is also because the orders of the Sanhedrin, led by the High Priest, while being the legitimate religious authority of that time, directly contradicted the mission and orders which the Lord Himself directly told them all to do, to proclaim His truth and Good News, His Resurrection and salvation ton all the people of all the whole world.

That was why the Apostles and many other disciples of the Lord, and later on, their successors, to whom they had passed on their faith and accounts of the Lord’s Resurrection and other events and teachings, continued to labour hard in their various ministries and they did their best to proclaim the Lord to everyone whom they encountered in their lives. They have believed in what they had witnessed and seen for themselves, and those who have not seen the Lord and His works directly, His miracles and Resurrection were inspired by the examples of their predecessors, their courage and commitment to proclaim the Lord faithfully even to the cost of their own comforts and safety in life, as many among them were persecuted, oppressed and tortured, and many were martyred for their faith.

In our second reading this Sunday from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, we then heard of the heavenly vision of the Apostle St. John which he received while he was being exiled in the Island of Patmos, where he saw the vision of countless millions and multitudes of people who have been found worthy by the Lord in Heaven, where they sing of the glory of God for eternity and rejoice in the true happiness and joy that can be found in the Lord alone. And all those things had been made possible by the sacrifice and loving offering of the Lamb of God, that is Christ our Lord and Saviour, Whose selfless and perfect offering that He had made on the Altar of His Cross had brought about liberation and healing to all of us sinners who have been afflicted and made to suffer due to our sins and wickedness.

We are all reminded that at the end of our earthly journey, we shall be reunited with God, and if we are truly faithful to Him, then we shall indeed share in the glory of His saints and the joy of the Angels, as what St. John himself had witnessed in his vision. We should not be worried or fearful of what may happen if we continue to commit ourselves in this path towards God. The ever faithful Lord will bring us all to His Presence and we shall share in the glory of the Apostles. Even if we should suffer persecutions and hardships in this life, nothing can truly separate us from the love and grace of God, and in the end, by our faith and commitment to God we will be vindicated and share in the eternity of true joy that God has promised and reassured all of us.

Then, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the passage from the Gospel of St. John in which the account of the moment when the Risen Lord appeared to His disciples in Galilee was recounted to us. In that occasion, we heard how the Lord appeared to the disciples at the shores of the lake where they had all been out fishing throughout the night without having any success. And when the Lord told the disciples to do as He said, and they immediately caught so many fishes, St. John was the first to recognise the Lord, but St. Peter was the one who immediately went down to the water and swim to seek the Lord. And afterwards, after having witnessed the Risen Lord Himself, and experiencing having eaten with Him, knowing that He was truly risen from the dead, then the Risen Lord had a time with St. Peter and conversed with him.

In that conversation, it was evident that this was a reversal of what had happened at the moment of the Lord’s Passion, when St. Peter denied knowing the Lord three times. Despite having been denied by Peter not just once but thrice, this did not stop the Lord from continuing to love him, and that was why He wanted to extend that opportunity for reconciliation and reaffirmation of the love that he has for Him, by asking Peter not just once but also thrice, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’ Peter himself must have realised what the Lord had done, and he must have felt guilty and sad hearing those questions, but he courageously confessed his undying love for the Lord, all three times before Him, committing himself wholly to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard from our Scripture passages this Sunday, let us all therefore remind ourselves of the need for each one of us as Christians to be truly committed to the Lord, and to keep our faith and trust in Him, in His Resurrection and all the promises and reassurances that He has provided to us. The Lord has always been loving towards us, forgiving and compassionate, and it is time for us to embrace His love and mercy, to be truly committed to Him in everything that we do in this life. Let us all be ever more faithful and exemplary in how we live our lives each day and every moments so that in our every actions and words, our deeds and interactions with one another we will always show the love of God in all things.

May the Risen Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey through life in faith, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us such that we may do our best in every situations in life, in being good and faithful disciples of His, in doing our best to glorify His Name and proclaim His Good News through our own lives and examples. May God bless us always in everything that we say and do, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Saturday, 3 May 2025 : Feast of St. Philip and St. James, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates not just one but two of the great Apostles of the Lord, two of the Twelve Apostles that the Lord had chosen to be His principal disciples and followers, the ones who belonged to His inner circle, those whom He had called and chosen to be the ones to continue to lead His works and all that He had entrusted to His Church. They are St. Philip and also St. James, the latter of which should not be confused with St. James the brother of St. John. The St. James that we are celebrating today is also known as St. James the Less, who was mentioned as such likely because of his smaller posture and not because of lesser in importance. Both of these great servants of God dedicated their lives to the Lord and did their best to carry out the missions entrusted to them.

First of all, let us look through our Scripture passages today before we delve into the lives and works of those two great Apostles. In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Corinth, we heard of the testimony of faith by St. Paul himself who exhorted the people of God to share the faith which they have in God so that many more people may come to believe in Him as well, just as he shared how he himself had received the faith through encounter with the Lord and the other Apostles. Through what we have heard today in this passage from the Epistle to the Corinthians we are reminded that we should always be ready to proclaim our faith wherever we are and to whoever it is that we encounter in life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. In that account we heard the Lord Jesus interacting with His disciples who listened to Him teaching to them, and that was where St. Philip, whom we celebrate today, asked Him after He said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, for Him to show them the Father. The Lord then told the disciples that whenever they see Him, they had truly seen and known the Father, highlighting the special relationship between Him as the Son and the Heavenly Father. The Lord told them that since He came from the Father, and that He is indeed co-equal and co-eternal, consubstantial with the Father, therefore His Presence in their midst indeed shows the loving Presence of the Father, the Creator Lord Himself.

And this is why the Apostles, having witnessed the Lord Himself, being presented to them in the flesh, approachable and tangible to them, and having listened to the words and teachings of the Lord, the many miracles and signs that He has performed before them, they truly believed and had firm faith in the Lord. This firm and strong faith was what they passed on to the others around them, proclaiming the Risen Lord and His truth and Good News, touching the lives and hearts of many people, calling them to conversion and to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. This faith is what we have ourselves received through the Church, having been passed down to us through the many generations of Christians, many of whom have suffered and faced challenges and difficulties in living their faith in God.

For St. Philip and St. James themselves, they had devoted their lives in ministering to the people of God and to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to more and more people who have not yet heard of the Good News of God. St. Philip went to the region of Syria, Phrygia and Greece together with other Apostles like St. Bartholomew. St. Philip according to one Apostolic tradition was martyred together with St. Bartholomew in the city known as Hierapolis. It was told that through his preaching about the Lord and miracles that he performed, he converted the wife of the city’s pro-consul who was therefore enraged and ordered the Apostles to be arrested, persecuted and eventually martyred by crucifixion. But St. Philip remained firm in his faith to the very end, suffering martyrdom for the glory of God.

Meanwhile, St. James the Apostle, also known as St. James the Less was associated with other St. James the relative of Jesus and St. James, son of Alphaeus. The former was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, ministering to the faithful people of God in Jerusalem and Judea, while the other St. James also took part in missionary activities to the people in various places like that of St. Philip. Eventually, despite the relative lack of detailed evidence and historiography on these Apostles, what is certain is such that those holy servants of God gave their all in serving God, and they suffered persecutions and hardships from all those who hardened their hearts and closed the doors of their minds and hearts against the truth and Good News of God. St. James, like that of St. Philip also faced similar trials and sufferings. But both of them remained strong and courageous amidst the persecutions and kept their faith in the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we all reflect upon these words of the Scriptures and upon the lives of the Holy Apostles, St. Philip and St. James, who have dedicated themselves so wonderfully to the Lord and His cause, let us all also follow in their examples in how we ourselves should live faithful and committed lives as Christians, in loving God and in loving those whom we love and everyone else around us. We are the ones to continue the good works that the Apostles had started and there are indeed still a lot of areas where our contributions are important and needed. We must remember that our actions and efforts are part of the larger works and efforts of the Church, and hence we should be active in living our lives faithfully and contributing actively to the good of the Church, to the works of charity and evangelisation, among others.

May the glorious Risen Lord continue to be with us all, His faithful ones just as He has always guided His faithful servants, especially St. Philip and St. James, Holy Apostles, whose lives and works we remember today. May He continue to bless us in our every good works, our deeds and actions so that by our every endeavours, our dedication and commitment to Him, we may truly glorify Him and proclaim Him to our world today. Holy Apostles, St. Philip and St. James, pray for us all always. Amen.