Easter season

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Sunday, 28 April 2024 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the True Vine and My Father is the vine grower. If any of My branches does not bear fruit, He breaks it off; and He prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.”

“You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in Me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you do not remain in Me. I am the Vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in Me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from Me you can do nothing.”

“Whoever does not remain in Me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burnt. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit : it is then that you become My disciples.”

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Sunday, 28 April 2024 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 3 : 18-24

My dear children, let us love, not only with words and with our lips, but in truth and in need. Then, we shall know that we are of the truth, and we may calm our conscience in His presence. Every time it reproaches us, let us say : God is greater than our conscience, and He knows everything.

When our conscience does not condemn us, dear friends, we may have complete confidence in God. Then, whatever we ask, we shall receive, since we keep His commands and do what pleases Him. His command is, that we believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and that, we love one another, as He has commanded us.

Whoever keeps His commands remains in God and God in him. It is by the Spirit God has given us, that we know He lives in us.

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Sunday, 28 April 2024 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 21 : 26b-27, 28, 30ab, 30c-32

I will fulfil my vows before all who revere YHVH. The lowly will eat and be satisfied. Those who seek YHVH will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!

The whole earth will acknowledge and turn to YHVH; the families of nations will worship Him.

Before Him, all those who rest in the earth will bow down, all who go down to the dust.

My soul will live for Him. My descendants will serve Him and proclaim YHVH to coming generations; they will announce His salvation to a people yet unborn, “These are the things that He has done.”

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Sunday, 28 April 2024 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 9 : 26-31

When Saul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples there, but they were afraid of him, because they could not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles. He recounted to them, how Saul had seen the Lord on his way, and the words the Lord had spoken to him. He told them, also, how Saul had preached boldly in the Name of Jesus.

Then Saul began to live with them. He moved about freely in Jerusalem and preached openly, in the Name of the Lord. He also spoke to the Hellenists; and argued with them. But they wanted to kill him. When the believers learnt of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

Meanwhile, the Church had peace. It was building up throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, with eyes turned to the Lord, and filled with comfort from the Holy Spirit.

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Saturday, 27 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we all listened to the words of the Scriptures in which we are reminded yet again of the responsibilities and the calling we have as Christians to proclaim the Risen Lord to all the people, just as He has told His Apostles and disciples to do, and which works and ministries have not yet been completed. In this world today, there are still many more opportunities and occasions in which we have been provided with in order to proclaim the Lord and His truth to the many people all around us, in our workplaces and schools, and in the various other occasions and places where we may be in our lives, where many people have yet to know the truth about Christ, our Risen Lord and Saviour, and have yet to witness His light and truth, experience His love and grace.

In our first reading today, we heard from Acts of the Apostles in which the Apostles St. Paul and St. Barnabas were mentioned as ministering to the faithful and proclaiming the truth of Christ to the people during their missionary journey and time in the region known as Pisidia in Asia Minor, where there were both Jews and Gentiles alike who responded positively to the message which both Apostles were bringing and proclaiming to them. St. Paul had spoken at length earlier on about everything that the Risen Lord Jesus had done for the salvation of all the whole world, and convinced quite a few among the Jewish diaspora to become the followers and believers in Christ, while the others among the Jewish population refused to believe in the Lord, hardening their hearts and minds against Him and His Apostle.

That was why from those Jewish diaspora population who resisted the Lord and His truth, the two Apostles faced a lot of opposition and obstacles. This was likely because those Jewish people belonged to the group of the Pharisees, many of whom rejected the Lord, refused to believe in Him and stubbornly persecuting Him and His disciples simply because they did not agree with the Lord’s way and teachings. The Pharisees believed and adopted a very strict and rigid interpretation of the Law of God, immersing themselves in the intricate details and rules of the Law and its practices, all the rituals and observances which made them to criticise almost everything that the Lord and His disciples had done, thinking that they were better and knew things better, or more worthy in the eyes of the Lord.

In addition, many of them also held the belief that the descendants of Israel, the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the first chosen people of God were superior and preferred than everyone else. They took it to the extreme by thinking that salvation and grace of God only belonged to the Jewish people, and that the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles had no place in God’s Kingdom, unless and only unless they adopted the whole entirety of the Jewish customs and practices, laws and rules, essentially making them to be part of the Jewish nation and people. Some of the early Christians who converted from among the Pharisees shared this view and attempted to enforce Jewish customs and practices on all the early Christians and the Church, but the Apostles led by St. Peter decided against this erroneous path and idea.

St. Paul and St. Barnabas were among those who championed better outreach and support for the none-Jewish people, embracing them and not enforcing the Jewish customs and practices on them, requiring them only to obey the central tenets of the Christian faith as taught by the Lord and agreed and decided by the authority of the Church through the Apostles. As we heard, this quickly earned the ire and opposition from the Jewish people who opposed the teachings of the Lord, when they heard how the two Apostles proclaiemd that the Lord’s salvation was also given to the Gentiles, and how the Lord’s grace and love have been extended to everyone, and not just to the Jewish people only. This led to the friction and hardships endured by St. Paul and St. Barnabas, who were cast out of the town by the efforts of those Jewish opponents of the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the conversation between the Lord Jesus and His disciples, represented by St. Philip the Apostle, who asked the Lord to show them the Father, which the Lord responded with some frustration and disbelief at how His disciples still failed to appreciate what He had been doing all those while, having told them everything about the Father and having shown them the love of the Father manifested in Himself, as the Son of God, the perfect manifestation of God’s Love in the flesh, having been shown to us, made approachable and tangible that while once God is One Who is infinitely far beyond us, now we can truly experience His love and compassion, through what His Son had provided to us. The Lord told all of His disciples and followers that everything that He had revealed to them truly came from the Father, and is the absolute truth.

This is therefore the same truth which St. Paul and St. Barnabas had proclaimed as mentioned in our first reading today, and which the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord had also proclaimed throughout their various missionary journeys and works. Through their efforts, their works and sacrifices, the time that they spent in telling the people about the Risen Lord and the salvation that God had promised through His Son, all these had brought many people to come towards His grace, opening the doors of His mercy and forgiveness to countless people who have come to seek His love and mercy. They courageously went forth to do so despite the challenges and oppositions that they had to encounter from the enemies of the Lord and from all those who rejected His love and truth.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us as Christians are therefore reminded of the important obligations that we have in proclaiming Christ our Lord and Saviour through our way of life, our every actions, words and deeds. May the Risen Lord continue to strengthen and encourage us all in our every path, and in what we do, for His greater glory, so that by our exemplary lives and efforts, we may truly bring the Lord and His truth, His salvation and grace ever closer to all those whom we encounter in life, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 27 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 7-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you know Me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know Him, and you have seen Him.”

Philip asked Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.” Jesus said to him, “What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever sees Me sees the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?”

“All that I say to you, I do not say of Myself. The Father Who dwells in Me is doing His own work. Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do. Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in Me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father.”

“Everything you ask in My Name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon My Name, I will do it.”

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Saturday, 27 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Saturday, 27 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 44-52

The following Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to listen to Paul, who spoke a fairly long time about the Lord. But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose, with insults, whatever Paul said.

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying, “It was necessary, that God’s word be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it, and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we turn to non-Jewish people. For thus we were commanded by the Lord : I have set you as a light to the pagan nations, so that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Those who were not Jews rejoiced, when they heard this, and praised the message of the Lord; and all those, destined for everlasting life, believed in it. Thus the word spread, throughout the whole region. Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of the upper class, and the leading men of the city, as well, and stirred up an intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas.

Finally, they had them expelled from their region. The Apostles shook the dust from their feet, in protest against this people, and went to Iconium, leaving; the disciples, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

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Friday, 26 April 2024 : 4th 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 Scriptures, we are all reminded to keep our trust and faith in the Lord, our Saviour in Whom all of us have believed in, that we must always embody our faith in Him in all of our actions and ways of living our lives. Each and every one of us must continue to testify our faith in the Risen Lord, in proclaiming His Good News and salvation to everyone we encounter in our daily lives, and showing the examples of our faithful lives through our commitment and dedication to God’s path. All of us must first of all be committed to the Lord before we can expect others to follow the Lord as well. If our own lives and actions do not adhere to the truth of God and if we wander off from His path, then how can we expect others to believe in the Lord as well? Worse still, if we scandalise our faith and the Lord, we may keep others away from God and His salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which St. Paul the Apostle during one of his missionary journeys to the cities in Asia Minor was visiting the Jewish community in Pisidia, and in their synagogue he taught them about the events that happened surrounding the Lord Jesus’ life and ministry and how He had been persecuted by the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, by the members of the Jewish High Council or the Sanhedrin, who arrested Him and handed Him to the Roman authorities, crucified to death. St. Paul spoke courageously to the Jewish community there, revealing the identity and truth about this Messiah or Saviour, Who in truth was not just a mere Man or Prophet, but was in fact the Son of God incarnate in the flesh, by Whose coming and by Whose actions He had redeemed all the whole world.

Some of the Jews there in the diaspora community were receptive of the message and embraced the Lord and His truth, becoming some of the members of the early Christian community while some others were not so receptive. St. Paul received good response in some occasions while in others, he did not have such a good response, and was rejected by the Jewish community, persecuted and opposed. In Pisidia, St. Paul received a generally warm welcome from the community and quite a few of the people believed in Christ through what the Apostle had told them. St. Paul was taking a great risk in proclaiming the Risen Lord among the Jewish community, given that the Jewish authorities had specifically ordered that the disciples of the Lord must not teach in the Name of the Risen Lord.

Nonetheless, St. Paul remained firm in his conviction and commitment to proclaim the Lord and His truth despite the challenges and tribulations that he had to face amidst his mission. He did not allow all those things to keep him from doing what is best in accordance to the mission entrusted to him. The Lord guided, helped and strengthened St. Paul throughout his journeys and efforts, so that despite the oppositions and threats he encountered, all the failures and obstacles he faced, he continued enduring them all and moving onward nonetheless, showing many others the inspiration and good example in how one ought to live their lives as good and committed Christians, in proclaiming God’s love, truth and Good News through their actions, words and deeds.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, reassuring His disciples and followers that He is and will always be with them, regardless everything that may happen to them and all the sufferings and trials that they may have to endure amidst their ministry and works. The Lord has reassured all of them that He has prepared the path forward for them, and He was preparing the way for them, for the eternal and true glory with Him, referring to the ultimate triumph and victory which they shall all enjoy with Him at the end of time. Despite all the trials and hardships that they themselves would have to endure just as the Lord Himself had suffered, the Lord would always be with His faithful ones, and with His beloved Church, the sheep of His flock.

The Lord has sent out all of His disciples and followers, and that includes all of us, His beloved people, to be His missionaries and servants, to proclaim His truth and Good News to the whole entire world. He has entrusted to us this very important mission so that more and more people may be saved and brought out from the depth of darkness and damnation, which His light and grace alone can provide. If we ignore and abandon our responsibilities and works, and all the opportunities which the Lord had provided to us, then many people may end up remaining lost and separated from the Lord. All of us have been entrusted with this responsibility to help our fellow brothers and sisters to find their way to the Lord, our loving God and Creator.

Therefore, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that as the disciples and followers of Our Lord and God, we must always strive to do our best in all things, to commit everything we do to the Lord, and to be the shining beacons of His light and truth, to allow His light to shine in us, and that our lives may be the bright shining examples for everyone around us, that through us, the Light of God may help many others to overcome the darkness present in this world, which threaten to lead us into our downfall and destruction. However, if we always strive to do what is according to God’s will and path, and resist the temptations of sin and evil, we will be able to find the way out of the darkness and into the Light of God.

May the Risen Lord continue to help us in our path and journey as faithful and dedicated Christians. Let us all not be afraid to proclaim Him faithfully in our lives, doing our best to live our lives each day that we may help more and more souls to come ever closer towards the Lord. May He empower and strengthen us all to be able to persevere and endure the challenges and trials in our lives and path. May He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not be troubled! Trust in God and trust in Me! In My Father’s house there are many rooms; otherwise, I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to Me, so that where I am, you also may be. Yet you know the way where I am going.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”