Easter season

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Wednesday, 1 May 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 15 : 1-6

Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Because of this there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. For Paul told the people to remain as they were when they became believers. Finally those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the Apostles and elders.

They were sent on their way by the Church. As they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters. On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the Apostles and the elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them.

Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the law of Moses. So the Apostles and elders met together to consider the matter.

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Genesis 1 : 26 – Genesis 2 : 3

God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, to Our likeness. Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over the wild animals, and over all creeping things that crawl along the ground.” So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, over every living creature that moves on the ground.” God said, “I have given you every seed bearing plants which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that bears fruit with seed. It will be for your food. To every wild animal, to every bird of the sky, to everything that creeps along the ground, to everything that has the breath of life, I give every green plant for food.” So it was.

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning : the sixth day. That was the way the sky and earth were created and all their vast array. By the seventh day the work God had done was completed, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day He rested from all the work He had done in His creation.

Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Colossians 3 : 14-15, 17, 23-24

Above all, clothe yourselves with love which binds everything together in perfect harmony. May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this end you were called to be one body. And be thankful. And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus, the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, working for the Lord, and not for humans. You well know, that the Lord will reward you with the inheritance. You are servants, but your Lord is Christ.

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Tuesday, 30 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us in which the Lord wanted to remind us that we must always be strong amidst all the challenges and trials that we may face in our lives, in the midst of our works and efforts to proclaim His Good News and truth, at all times. We should not allow fear or indecisiveness, doubt or temptations of the world from dissuading and preventing us from following the Lord and doing His will. All those things can keep us from living in the manner that the Lord wants us all to live our lives, that is as worthy and righteous followers and disciples of His, in all that we say and do, in our every actions, words and deeds.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which we heard how the Apostles and disciples of the Lord faced hardships, struggles and difficulties in their path, as they encountered significant opposition in their efforts to proclaim the Lord’s truth and Good News to the various people they encountered throughout their ministry. The example given was the experiences endured by St. Paul and St. Barnabas who were persecuted by some of the Jews who refused to believe in the Lord, and incited the people to persecute and attack the two of them, leaving them almost dead in the process. And yet, this did not dampen the spirit and the willingness of the two of them to continue their mission and journey.

We heard how the Apostles and disciples of the Lord gathered and regrouped, supported and strengthened one another, reminding one another that each and every one of them ought to be strong in their ministry and calling in ministering to the people of God and in their missionary and evangelising work, proclaiming the truth and Good News of God to more and more people. The Lord Jesus Himself had told and forewarned His disciples of the challenges, trials and sufferings that they might have to face in the midst of their work and ministry, and the obstacles and enemies they might have to endure just as He Himself had faced many difficulties and oppressions, as shown by His Passion and death on the Cross.

This is the same reminder and reassurance that the Lord Himself had told His disciples as described and mentioned in our Gospel passage today, in which the Risen Lord made His appearance before the disciples, telling them that they should not be afraid, and that He has indeed truly risen from the dead just as He had said and predicted to them. And therefore, if He had told them truthfully of everything that would happen, including the kind of sufferings and tribulations that the disciples of the Lord, His Church, all of us faithful people of God would have to endure for the sake of the Lord, then therefore, He also reassured us all with His Presence, that He would never abandon us or leave us alone in our struggles.

He reminded the disciples and hence all of us that in Him alone we can have true and lasting peace, true satisfaction and joy in life, things that the world cannot provide us. We should not doubt the Lord’s providence and love, which He has always readily and generously provided towards us, as He continues to love each and every one of us with great and most sincere love, through His compassion and care for us, His desire to be reconciled with us and to provide us all with what we need. Through Him indeed we shall receive great favours and graces, and assured of the eternal life and glory which the Lord has prepared and reserved for all those who are faithful and committed to Him. Each and every one of us as Christians must always keep this in mind and make the conscious effort to continue loving the Lord with all of our strength and might.

Like what the Apostles and disciples of the Lord had done, we must continue to have faith and trust in the Lord, believing in His providence and guidance, allowing Him to lead us in the path that He has called us into, and doing our best to accomplish whatever it is that He has entrusted to us to do in our respective lives. We should be always ever ready to support one another in our various endeavours and efforts, and be there to support each other amidst the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may be facing in our paths as children of God. Our efforts and works should always be directed towards uniting our every actions, words and deeds, combining what we have done for the greater glory of God, and helping one another to persevere through the many challenges and trials present in our midst in this world, in answering God’s call and mission.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great saint and man of God, whose commitment and hard work for the Lord and His Church can be source of great inspiration for all of us in how we should live our own lives as well. Pope St. Pius V was remembered for his crucial role in steering and leading the Church through very difficult and turbulent times when the Church and the Christian communities were assailed both from within and outside, with threats and dangers facing many souls, both physically and spiritually at that time. It was a time of great trial and hardship for the people of God which were under threat from the forces of the unbelievers under the then powerful Ottoman Empire, bound for conquest and attacks against various parts of Christendom, and at the same time, the divisions caused by the Protestant ‘reformation’ was tearing the unity of the Church and the Christian faithful apart, as many fell into the heretical teachings and false ways advocated by those who had veered off from the true teachings of the Church.

Pope St. Pius V contributed greatly in his role in countering and leading the Church against those two great threats, uniting the Christian faithful against those who sought their destruction. He was instrumental in uniting Christendom and its various forces to build a mighty Crusade in opposing the forces of the Ottoman Empire, which would eventually lead to a great victory at the Battle of Lepanto, where the forces of Christendom crushed the forces of the Ottomans, and therefore averted great threat against the Church and the faithful people of God, beginning a reversal of fortune for Christendom against its external enemies. At the same time, through his efforts in concluding the Ecumenical Council of Trent, and enforcing its many reforms, Pope St. Pius V energised the Church and the Counter-Reformation, which managed to stem the tide of Protestant heresies, and reunited parts of the Church that had been separated from the Holy Mother Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the many contributions and efforts which Pope St. Pius V had shown us, all of us are reminded that we are also called in our own unique and diverse ways by the Lord to contribute to the good works of the Church’s efforts and missions, which we can do through our sacrifice and offerings of our efforts and endeavours, even in the smallest things we do. We must be encouraged that in whatever we do, even in those seemingly small and insignificant things, all of these will ultimately come together to great deeds and works that may be even beyond our imagination. As members and parts of this same Body of Christ, the Church, each and every one of us are called and reminded to do our part to glorify God by our lives, and to continue to proclaim Him in our world today, amidst all the trials and challenges facing us.

May the Risen Lord continue to be with us all, His Church and people. May He continue to strengthen and empower us all, in all the things we say and do. May our lives be great inspiration and light for others to follow, so that in all things, we may help to bring one another and everyone ever closer to the Lord, to His salvation, truth and love, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 30 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 27-31a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you! I give you My peace; not as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled; do not be afraid. You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, but I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”

“I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe. It is very little what I may still tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in Me that he can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the Father, and that I do what the Father has taught Me to do.”

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Tuesday, 30 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 21

All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o Lord, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your power.

That all may know of Your mighty deeds, Your reign and its glorious splendour. Your reign is from age to age; Your dominion endures from generation to generation.

Let my mouth speak in praise of the Lord, let every creature bless His holy Name, forever and ever.

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Tuesday, 30 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 14 : 19-28

Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against Paul and Barnabas. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, leaving him for dead. But when his disciples gathered around him, he stood up and returned to the town. And the next day he left for Derbe with Barnabas.

After proclaiming the Gospel in that town and making many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and on to Antioch. They were strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, for they said, “We must go through many trials to enter the Kingdom of God.”

In each Church they appointed elders and, after praying and fasting, they commended them to the Lord in Whom they had placed their faith. Then they travelled through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. They preached the Word in Perga and went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been commended to God’s grace for the task they had now completed.

On their arrival they gathered the Church together and told them all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the non-Jews. They spent a fairly long time there with the disciples.

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Monday, 29 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the Scripture readings today, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to remember that God is truly the centre and focus of our whole lives and existence. Each and every one of us as Christians must always remember that God is the reason for our existence in this world, and everything we have and all of our blessings and graces all originated from Him. It is important therefore that we must always remember that we should not be easily tempted by the corruptions of the world, all the temptations of pleasure, worldly glory and all the other things which may impede our path towards the Lord’s grace and salvation, and which may lead us down into the eternal damnation and destruction. That is why we should always continue to keep our gaze focused on the Lord, directing our whole lives towards Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the works of the Apostles, particularly that of St. Paul and his companion, St. Barnabas, were highlighted to us. And in today’s passage we heard how they went to the city and region of Lystra in Lycaonia, which is located in Asia Minor, in what is present day part of southwestern Turkey. In that region, there were then still few or no believers in Christ yet, and the two Apostles went to a community which were deeply steeped in their worship of the pagan Greek and local regional gods, as they embarked on a missionary journey to that region. It was there that we heard how St. Paul healed a paralysed man by the Name of the Lord Jesus, which miraculously healed the paralysed man.

And as we all heard, this amazing occurrence led to an immediate response from the townspeople, all of whom thought that St. Paul and St. Barnabas were the avatars or the human disguise that their pagan Greek gods were assuming as they walked in their midst. We have to understand the context that this was what the Greeks commonly believed at that time, that their so-called gods would come from time to time in human forms, doing things just as what they themselves were doing, and naturally as they saw the miraculous deeds done by the two Apostles, they would associate them with these gods of theirs. However, the reality was that St. Paul and St. Barnabas was representing a far greater Being, the One Who is the One and only True God, and not those false pagan gods that the Greeks in Lystra and elsewhere believed in.

We heard how the two Apostles tried in vain proclaiming the Lord Jesus and His truth to them, as the townspeople kept on honouring and treating them as how they treated their gods and idols. For one to experience so much glory, fame and praise, it must have indeed been very tempting for the two Apostles to immerse themselves in all the adoration and praise that they were receiving, and it was likely that Satan must have been busy in trying to tempt them, but they certainly paid no heed to him, as they remained focused on the Lord and committed to the mission which He had entrusted to them. The Lord had entrusted to both of the Apostles with the important task of proclaiming His truth, Good News and salvation to the people of all the nations, and to call on all of them to embrace His truth and love, rejecting the wicked and sinful ways of their past, and that was exactly what both of the Apostles had done.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the matter of following the commandments and Law of God, and how all those who profess to believe in Him and His truth have to truly be obedient to the commandments and the truths which the Lord Himself had brought and revealed into this world, to our midst. He told them all that first and foremost, they all must love Him and put Him above all else, and unless they do this, then they cannot truly be His disciples and followers. By loving Him, then they will come to know more about Him and His truth, as through His love, He has endeavoured to bring forth God’s love and truth into our midst, revealing everything that He had planned and desired for us from the very beginning of time.

Each and every one of us must always love the Lord first and foremost in all things and have Him as the centre and focus of our lives so that in everything, we will always keep in mind to follow Him and to obey whatever it is that He has commanded and entrusted to us to do in our respective lives. He has granted us the many opportunities and chances to live our lives in the manner that He Himself has shown us, to be the ones through whom God made His works and presence manifest in this world, as we have been guided and strengthened, empowered and led by the Holy Spirit, to be the shining beacons of God’s Light and truth, the bearers of His Good News to all the people of all the nations, just as He has entrusted to us, the primary mission of the Church, which is the evangelisation of the whole world.

If we have not first loved the Lord and focused ourselves and our whole lives on Him, how can we then go forth out there and proclaim the Lord and His truth? We must first be full of faith and love for the Lord, or else others will quickly see in us the lack of faith and true dedication to God, and the hypocrisy of our lacklustre faith and lack of love for Him. That is why, we must truly make the effort to live our lives with genuine love for God and also with love for our fellow brothers and sisters. Each and every one of us must always strive to bring the light of Christ, His salvation and grace to more and more people all around us, so that through us, God may indeed touch the lives of many more who have not yet known and experience His love and kindness.

Today, the Church commemorates the feast of a great woman and servant of God whose life and dedication to the Lord should serve as a great example and inspiration for all of us to follow. St. Catherine of Siena was a renowned saint who was already pious and committed to God from very early on in her life and having experienced mystical experiences throughout her life, as she received a vision from the Lord from when she was only six or seven years old. She resisted the efforts to get her to be married, and continued to commit herself to the path of the Lord, which eventually led to her family accepting her choice, and leading her to commit herself to a life of holy virginity committed to the Lord, declaring herself to the bride of the Lord, which she herself described in her writings as a ‘Mystical Marriage’.

St. Catherine of Siena dedicated herself completely to the service of God and His people, full of generosity and compassion for those who were suffering in the midst of her community. She frequently helped out in the hospital and the other establishments in her area, and her reputation for generosity, loving care and her great piety and holiness quickly gained her the respect and admiration of many people, and even the Pope came to respect her, and based on her many theological writings and works, her piety, wisdom and experiences, she was soon involved in many events in her community at the time. She was known for her travels throughout many parts of Italy, spreading her thoughts and experiences, settling issues and conflicts between various groups and political institutions. She also helped to mediate their conflicts and inspired many to come to seek the Lord. Even the Pope heeded her advice to return to Rome after a long period of time in Avignon. Her many writings and experiences still influenced us even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the great examples shown by St. Catherine of Siena let us all therefore be inspired to be faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord as she had done. Let us always strive to put the Lord first and foremost in all things, and let us all be ever more dedicated to Him, in doing His will and in answering His call, to do whatever missions He has entrusted to us in our respective lives. May the Lord continue to strengthen and guide us in our journey and efforts through life, and may He continue to bless our every efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory so that our every lives, actions, words and deeds will truly be worthy of Him, and be the shining beacons of His light, truth and salvation, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 29 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 21-26

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever keeps My commandments is the one who loves Me. If he loves Me, he will also be loved by My Father; I too shall love him and show Myself clearly to him.”

Judas – not Judas Iscariot – asked Jesus, “Lord, how can it be that You will show Yourself clearly to us and not to the world!” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word and My Father will love him; and We will come to him and make a room in his home.”

“But if anyone does not love Me, he will not keep My words; and these words that you hear are not Mine, but the Father’s Who sent Me. I told you all this while I was still with you. From now on the Helper, the Holy Spirit Whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I have told you.”

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Monday, 29 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 113B : 1-2, 3-4, 15-16

Not to us, o Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory, for the sake of Your love and faithfulness. Why should the pagans say, “Where is their God?”

There in heaven is our God; whatever He wishes, He does. Not so the hand-made idols, crafted in silver and gold.

May you be blessed by the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. Heaven belongs to the Lord, but the earth He has given to humans.

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Monday, 29 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 14 : 5-18

A move was made by pagans and Jews, together with their leaders, to harm the Apostles and to stone them. But Paul and Barnabas learnt of this and fled to Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued preaching the Good News.

Paul and Barnabas spent a fairly long time at Lystra. There was a crippled man in Lystra who had never been able to stand or walk. One day, as he was listening to the preaching, Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had the faith to be saved. So he spoke to him in a loud voice, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to stand up on your feet!” And the man stood up and began to walk around.

When the people saw what Paul had done, they cried out in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come to us in human likeness!” They named Barnabas Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Even the priest of the Temple of Zeus, which stood outside the town, brought oxen and garlands to the gate; together with the people, he wanted to offer sacrifice to them.

When Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their garment to show their indignation and rushed into the crowd, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are human beings with the same weakness you have and we are now telling you to turn away from these useless things to the living God Who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is in them.”

“In past generations He allowed each nation to go its own way, though He never stopped making Himself known; for He is continually doing good, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, providing you with food and filling your hearts with gladness.”

Even these words could hardly keep the crowd from offering sacrifice to them.

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Sunday, 28 April 2024 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we all celebrate the occasion of the Fifth Sunday of Easter, and as we continue to mark with great joy our Easter commemoration and festivities, we are all reminded to continue to place our focus and emphasis in life upon none other than Our Lord Himself, in all His truth and love, and in everything which He Himself has revealed and given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. On this Sunday all of us are reminded that if we truly call ourselves as Christians then we really have to centre our whole lives and existence, our every actions, words and deeds upon the Lord, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always be the good role models and inspirations for one another, helping many more people to come ever closer to God and His salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard of the moment when Saul, the former enemy of the Lord and His Church, began to do his work and ministry among the people of God in Jerusalem after he was converted through his dramatic encounter with the Lord on his way to Damascus earlier on. Saul had embraced the Lord wholeheartedly and turned away completely from his previously erroneous path, actions and way of life, no longer a persecutor of Christians, of God’s followers and people, but instead, becoming a great role model and champion for the same Christians instead, in proclaiming the truth of the Risen Lord, His teachings, His resurrection and His ways to everyone, to the surprise and astonishment of the Jewish authorities and the early Christian community alike.

St. Paul was called by the Lord to be His disciple and follower, and to be the one who would bear the truth of God to the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles. St. Paul, who was a Jew, was also born and spent his youth in Tarsus, in the area of the diaspora away from the lands of the Jews in Judea and Galilee, where he had lots of experiences and encounters early on with the Gentiles like the Greeks, Romans and other local populations living in the region. His experiences and expertise, his mission and vocation therefore is reasonably centred around the outreach towards all those people, opening the path of God’s salvation to more and more people, reminding everyone that the Lord loves all of His children, all those whom He had created, regardless of their race, background and origin, and thus, he began his ministry in proclaiming the truth of God to all the people of all the nations.

And it is this great missionary zeal and efforts which St. Paul carried out throughout his ministry, all that was how the Church kept on growing rapidly and from strength to strength despite the challenges and trials that they were constantly facing, simply because they were with the Lord, and the Lord guided and strengthened them all through all those difficult moments and struggles, the hands He guided St. Paul and the other disciples with. As long as the Lord was with His people, with His disciples and missionaries, the Church will overcome all things, even the greatest trials and challenges, just as He Himself had said, that not even the gates of hell will be able to hold against His Church which He has established in this world upon the foundation of the Apostles, and is the visible union of all of His faithful ones.

This is what St. John the Apostle also reminded all the faithful people of God in his Epistle, part of which is mentioned in our second reading passage today, where St. John told the faithful to continue living their lives in accordance to the commandments and the Law of God, obeying whatever it is that the Lord Himself has revealed to us through His Church and through the Holy Spirit, ever guiding us in our lives and actions, in each and every moments of our lives. All of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, those whom He has called and chosen, all of us must embody within us the true faith in Christ and everything that we have been taught and shown so that in all things and at every moment, we will always continue to do our best to glorify the Lord by our lives.

If we truly believe in the Lord and consider ourselves as Christians, then we will certainly do our utmost in order to live in accordance with the path and ways that God has shown us. Each and every one of us are reminded that in everything we say and do, we should always be filled with God’s love and grace, full of love firstly for the Lord our God Himself, and then surely for one another, for our fellow brothers and sisters, in how we interact with one another, with those whom we encounter in our daily lives. We have to be truly committed and full of compassion for our fellow men, in whatever we say and do, that by our examples, God’s love may touch more and more of those who have not yet known or realised His ever generous love, compassion and mercy.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus teaching His disciples using a parable, the Parable of the True Vine, in order to tell all of them to remain firmly attached to Him and His truth, and not to separate themselves from Him, or to follow their own path and desires. The Lord revealed Himself as the True Vine, the One through Whom all truth, all life shall come from, using the terms that were familiar to the people of the time, as vineyards were common in the lands of the Israelites, and the people, including the disciples themselves, would have recognised what is meant by the Lord’s parable. This is because if the grapes are not attached to the vine, then they would not only not grow, but they would perish and die. This is therefore an important message and reminder by the Lord to His Church, to all of us that we must always be firmly centred and attached to Him, in all of our faith and lives.

If we allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures, fame and ambition, we may end up falling away, further away from the true path of Christ. All the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, the early Church fathers and missionaries have remained firmly true in this path, in the missions and journey that they had undertaken in proclaiming the truth and salvation of God to the nations. There were however many others who have gone astray, who have embraced worldly ambitions and temptations, leading many into the false paths and evils, the path of heresy and disobedience against God. That was how many heresies sprung up in the early Church, leading to divisions in the Body of Christ, the Church of God, breaking the unity of the Church and leading to many people falling into the path of sin and darkness.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all realise that we must always adhere closely to the fullness of the teachings of the Lord as preserved and taught by His Church, and not to give in to the temptations to embark on our own ideals and interpretations that may lead us down the path of error and even heresy, as what many of our predecessors had done. We have to remember that as parts and members of the same Church of God, the Body of Christ, all of us are united in Our Lord and Saviour, and we ought to believe in Him and His truth wholeheartedly. Otherwise, if we allow ourselves to be swayed by those temptations and wicked desires all around us, then we may end up falling ever deeper into the path of sin and evil, and from there, we may find it hard to get out and return to the path towards the Lord and His salvation. We must remember that separated from the Lord, we can do nothing and there is absolutely no hope for any one of us.

Instead, let us all continue to embrace the Lord and remind ourselves to stay faithful to His Law and commandments, doing our very best to live our lives in accordance with His ways. Let us all continue to bear rich fruits of grace and righteousness, of virtue and love, of Christ’s light and truth, by our every good works and deeds, and by everything that we do, in our every endeavours and efforts, to glorify the Lord by our lives. May the Risen Lord continue to bless us all and may He continue to guide and strengthen us in our path in life, in whatever we do for the sake of His glory, and for all that He has called us to do in our respective lives, to be His worthy and good missionaries, all throughout our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.