Easter season

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Friday, 19 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 9 : 1-20

Meanwhile Saul considered nothing but violence and death for the disciples of the Lord. He went to the High Priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues of Damascus that would authorise him to arrest and bring to Jerusalem anyone he might find, man or woman, belonging to the Way.

As he travelled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” And he asked, “Who are You, Lord?” The voice replied, “I am Jesus Whom you persecute. Now get up and go into the city; there you will be told what you are to do.”

The men who were travelling with him stood there speechless : they had heard the sound, but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground and, opening his eyes, he could not see. They took him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. He was blind and he did not eat or drink for three days.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, to whom the Lord called in a vision, “Ananias!” He answered, “Here I am, Lord!” Then the Lord said to him, “Go at once to Straight Street and ask, at the house of Judas, for a man of Tarsus named Saul. You will find him praying, for he has just seen in a vision that a man named Ananias has come in and placed his hands upon him, to restore his sight.”

Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem, and now he is here with authority from the High Priest to arrest all who call upon Your Name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go! This man is My chosen instrument to bring My Name to the pagan nations and their kings, and the people of Israel as well. I Myself will show him how much he will have to suffer for My Name.”

So Ananias left and went to the house. He laid his hands upon Saul and said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me to you so that you may receive your sight and be filled with Holy Spirit.” Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he could see; he got up and was baptised. Then he took food and was strengthened.

For several days Saul stayed with the disciples at Damascus, and he soon began to proclaim in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God.

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Thursday, 18 April 2024 : 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 Scriptures, we are all presented with the reminders that each and every one of us as Christians should continue to heed the Lord’s call as He sent us forth in our respective lives to go and proclaim His salvation and Good News to all the nations. Each and every one of us have been entrusted and empowered, in unique and diverse opportunities, blessings and gifts, by the Lord in our respective areas of responsibility and in our circles of relationships and friendships, so that through us and our every actions, words and deeds we may truly proclaim our Lord and His great and wonderful works among the whole world. In every small little things that we do, we should always seek to glorify the Lord at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when St. Philip the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles, went to the region between Jerusalem and Gaza, where he encountered the travelling party of an Ethiopian official who came to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. Based on the Biblical and historical connections between Ethiopia and the land of Israel, it was likely that the Ethiopian official was a believer of God as a convert, or was a member of the Jewish diaspora in Ethiopia appointed by the Queen of Ethiopia as one of her officials. It was common at that time for the people in the Jewish diaspora to return back to Jerusalem especially for important festivals and celebrations, at which moment they reconnected with their ancestral roots and faith in God.

It was there then St. Philip the Apostle enlightened the Ethiopian official, as at the Divinely appointed time the latter was reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah detailing about the sufferings and the works of the Messiah, the Holy One of God, all of which had been fulfilled completely and perfectly by the Lord Jesus Christ, the One Whom St. Philip was proclaiming and revealing about to the Ethiopian official. Through the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit, St. Philip explained everything that had happened and how the Scriptures and the words of the Prophets were all directing towards the Lord Jesus, Who had suffered, died and rose again just as the prophets like the prophet Isaiah had spoken and proclaimed. St. Philip convinced the Ethiopian official that the One he ought to put his faith and believe in is none other than the Risen Lord, the Saviour of all.

With the baptism of the Ethiopian official by St. Philip the Apostle and how that official likely brought the Christian faith and teachings back to his homeland in Ethiopia, this was one of the occasions highlighted in the Acts of the Apostles showing how although the Church and the early Christian community at that time had been facing great trials, sufferings and persecutions at the hands of their enemies, like the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin and the chief priests, and also from the actions of the overzealous and misguided Saul the Pharisee, the future St. Paul the Apostle, who at that time persecuted the Christian faithful quite brutally, leading to the deaths of many among the people of God. But this did not stop the growth and spread of the Church which continued on despite the persecutions and hardships facing the people of God.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life by the Lord to the assembled people, as He taught them all that He is indeed the Bread of Life that He Himself mentioned, having come down from Heaven itself, as the Son of God incarnate in the flesh, revealing to everyone the love of God manifested and made accessible to us. Through Him everyone shall receive new life and rejuvenation, the promise of everlasting life unlike those who have eaten the heavenly bread or manna, also known as the bread of the Angels, which the Israelites had once eaten during their forty years sojourn in the desert on their way towards the Promised Land of Canaan. This gift of new life that Christ has revealed, has indeed been fulfilled through our baptism, by which we have been welcomed into the Church, and then later on becoming partakers of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

This is related to what we have heard in our first reading today, in which the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian official had been told to us. The Ethiopian official received the truth and Good News of God through the actions and words of St. Philip the Apostle, who shared with him the truth of God, His teachings and truth, and ultimately, opening his heart and mind to welcome the Lord Himself to come into them, transforming him through the gift of the Sacrament of Baptism, by which he received the Holy Spirit, and thus, becoming part of the same Body of Christ, the Church of God. All of us as Christians during this time and season of Easter, we are all reminded of our own baptism and membership in this same Body of Christ, as we have all partaken in the Holy Eucharist and received the Holy Spirit.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, what we are all then reminded to do is that of our missions and calling as Christians, just as we have been shown the examples of the labour of the Apostles through what St. Philip himself had done. Each and every one of us as Christians have to be truly committed in our various areas of responsibilities and in the many opportunities that God had given us, so that by everything that we say and do, we may help to bring more and more people ever closer to the Lord. Likewise, our actions and words, our deeds and interactions cannot and should not lead to scandal that can make others to be prevented from coming towards the Lord, as we have all well heard and seen happening in the Church and in our world today, within our own Christian communities and all.

This is why today we are all reminded that we should renew our focus and commitment to the Lord, to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly, rejecting the temptations and the pressures of sin and evil. We should strive to keep ourselves truly holy and worthy, in all things so that we may truly be good and holy people of God, His faithful disciples and followers, showcasing His light, hope and truth to our world, illuminating all those who are still living in the darkness of sin and in the ignorance of God’s love and compassionate mercy. Let us all continue to do our best so that our lives and our every efforts and endeavours will continue to glorify God and proclaim Him to our world today. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 44-51

At that time, Jesus said to the Jews, “No one can come to Me unless he is drawn by the Father Who sent Me; and I will raise Him up on the last day. It has been written in the Prophets : They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to Me.”

“For no one has seen the Father except the One Who comes from God; He has seen the Father. Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died. But here you have the Bread which comes from heaven, so that you may eat of it, and not die.”

“I am the Living Bread which as come from heaven; whoever eats of this Bread will live forever. The Bread I shall give is My flesh, and I will give it for the life of the world.”

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Thursday, 18 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 65 : 8-9, 16-17, 20

Praise our God, o nations, let the sound of His praise be heard, for He has preserved us among the living and kept our feet from stumbling.

All you who fear God, come and listen; let me tell you what He has done. I cried aloud to Him, extolling Him with my tongue.

May God be blessed! He has not rejected my prayer; nor withheld His love from me.

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Thursday, 18 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 8 : 26-40

An Angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south towards the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert road.” So he set out and it happened that an Ethiopian was passing along that way. He was an official in charge of the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians; he had come on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was on his way home. He was sitting in his carriage and reading the prophet Isaiah.

The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and catch up with that carriage.” So Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah; and he asked, “Do you really understand what you are reading?” The Ethiopian replied, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He then invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

This was the passage of Scripture he was reading : He was led like a sheep to be slaughtered; like a lamb that is dumb before the shearer, He did not open His mouth. He was humbled and deprived of His rights. Who can speak of His descendants? For He was uprooted from the earth.

The official asked Philip, “Tell me, please, does the prophet speak of himself or of Someone else?” Then Philip began to tell him the Good News of Jesus, using this text of Scripture as his starting point. As they travelled down the road they came to a place where there was some water. Then the Ethiopian official said, “Look, here is water; what is to keep me from being baptised?”

And Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Then he ordered the carriage to stop; both Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water and Philip baptised him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away. The Ethiopian saw him no more, but he continued on his way full of joy.

Philip found himself at Azotus, and he went about announcing the Good News in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

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Wednesday, 17 April 2024 : 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 Scriptures, we are all reminded again that as we rejoice and celebrate Our Lord’s glorious Resurrection this season and time of Easter, we must always keep our focus in the Lord and trust in Him, regardless of whatever trials, challenges and hardships that we may have to encounter in our journey of faith and life as Christians. Our holy predecessors have shown us both the sufferings that they had to endure amidst their faithful lives of service to God, and at the same time, also the dedication and actions which they had undertaken in living their lives and missions throughout their lives, in fulfilling what the Lord had entrusted to each and every one of them. We should do well to heed their examples and learn from them.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment after the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the very first martyr of the Church, which story we heard for the past few days. At that time, persecutions and hardships began to build up against the early Christian community and faithful, led by a particular Saul of Tarsus, a young Pharisee and member of the Jewish community who was overzealous and misled in his efforts and drive to destroy the Church and the Christian faith. We heard how this young man persecuted the early Christians with often brutal and wicked methods, seeking the destruction of lives of Christians, and all those suspected of having sympathy or belief in the Risen Lord. They were persecuted by the actions of Saul, who made it really difficult for all those Christian believers. This is the same person who would later on be known as Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, prior to his conversion.

But at the same time, in the same passage we heard how the disciples of the Lord still continued their works and mission regardless. St. Philip, one of the Twelve Apostles went to the region of Samaria, proclaiming the Good News of God and His salvation, performing miracles and wonders, which resulted in continuous growth of the Church and the community of believers in various places despite the trials and challenges facing the Church at that time. The Lord was with His Church and those who were faithful to Him, guiding and strengthening them with His guidance and Holy Spirit. Through this, the Lord had helped the Apostles and the other disciples in showing the truth and revelation about His salvation to many more people.

It is an important reminder for all of us that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed or dissuaded by the many temptations and hardships we may face amidst our journey of faith and life as Christians. The Lord will always be by our side and He will always give us the guidance and strength so that whatever difficulties and hardships we face, we may be able to endure them, and like those Apostles, the other disciples such as St. Stephen, even in suffering and martyrdom, they would glorify the Lord by their lives and examples. As such, through them, we may hopefully be more encouraged to live our lives ever more worthily in the manner that Our Lord Himself and His disciples and followers themselves have shown us. Through us and our works, we can bring God’s salvation to more and more people.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the continuation of the moment when the Lord told the assembled people of the truth of Himself as the Bread of Life, the One Who has brought new life and existence to everyone in this world by His coming, His entry into this world. This was also a foreshadowing and revelation of what He Himself would experience in the midst of fulfilling and completing the plans which the Lord had prepared for our salvation. Through His Crucifixion, His suffering of the Cross and His sacrifice, as He allowed Himself to be emptied of all glory and power, and was subjected to the ultimate punishment and humiliation, He has made Himself available to everyone, by the giving and sharing of His Most Precious Body, as well as His Most Precious Blood, shared to us through the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist in the Church, through the Holy Mass.

This is why all of us as Christians truly believe in the Real Presence of God in the Holy Eucharist, of the Lord Himself Who has given us all His Body to eat and His Blood to drink, and just as the Lord has told all the people there, that all who partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Bread of Life, they shall live forever, and shall receive the fullness of God’s grace at the appointed time. This is what we are assured of, brothers and sisters in Christ, as long as we receive Him, in His Body and Blood, worthily and properly, we shall receive the fullness of God’s grace, love and blessings, as He comes into us, dwelling within us, and through Him we shall be strengthened and empowered to do all the things which He had entrusted to us, like how the Apostles and the many other disciples of the Lord had continued carrying out His missions faithfully.

However, we must also be wary, as if we do not receive Him worthily, then we shall be judged by that, and this happens if we do not treat our own bodies, our souls and our whole beings, the Temples of God’s Holy Presence, His dwelling place and the Temple of the Holy Spirit with proper respect and honour that they deserve. This is why we are all reminded that we should distance ourselves from the corruptions of worldly desires, greed and ambitions, all the vile things and wickedness present all around us, which can lead us into our downfall, if we allow them to corrupt and turn us away from the path of the Lord. We should always focus our attention and gaze always upon the Lord, through Whom we shall receive justification and liberation from all the darkness and the stranglehold of sin and evil. Regardless of the trials and challenges that we may have to face, we should always keep our focus on the Lord, as always.

May the Risen Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen and guide us in our journey of faith and life, so that by His blessings and power, we may continue the good works which the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, and His whole Church throughout time and history had done, for the benefit and salvation of countless souls. Let us all be the good role models and inspirations for one another, in helping everyone to come ever closer to the light of God, His truth and grace, by our exemplary living, our every words, actions and deeds that are filled with true faith and dedication to the Lord. May He continue to bless our Easter journey and our struggles, in showing His truth and light to the world. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 35-40

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty. Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen. Yet all those whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of the One Who sent Me.”

“And the will of Him Who sent Me is that I lose nothing of what He has given Me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

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Wednesday, 17 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 65 : 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a

Shout with joy to God, all you on earth; sing to the glory of His Name; proclaim His glorious praise. Say to God, “How great are Your deeds!”

All the earth bows down to You, making music, in praise of You, singing in honour of Your Name. Come, and see God’s wonders; His deeds, awesome for humans.

He has turned the sea into dry land, and the river was crossed on foot. Let us, therefore, rejoice in Him. He rules by His might forever.

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Wednesday, 17 April 2024 : 3rd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 8 : 1b-8

This was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem. All, except the Apostles, were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church. He entered house after house and dragged off men and women, and had them put in jail.

At the same time, those who were scattered went about, preaching the word. Philip went down to a town of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. All the people paid close attention to what Philip said as they listened to him, and saw the miraculous signs that he did. For, in cases of possession, the unclean spirits came out shrieking loudly. Many people who were paralysed or crippled, were healed. So there was great joy in the town.

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Tuesday, 16 April 2024 : 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 Scriptures, we are all presented with the continuation of the story of the martyrdom of the very first martyr of the Church, namely that of St. Stephen the protomartyr, and we heard how this faithful man of God had to endure the persecutions, stubborn rejection and refusal by all the enemies of the Lord in hardening their hearts and in stubbornly refusing to embrace God’s truth and Good News in the person of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. We also heard the reminders of the Lord Who is our Bread of Life, the One and only Source of our Hope and Life, the One Whom we should focus our attention and efforts upon. This reminds us that as long as we centre our lives upon the Lord, then we shall have nothing to worry about, and we should not be concerned about how we will turn out to be, because the Lord Himself is with us, guiding us and strengthening us.

In our first reading today, as mentioned, we heard the continuation of the martyrdom of St. Stephen, after he had spoken courageously and fearlessly before all the assembled people who were all against him. Those people had hardened and closed their hearts and minds against the Lord and His words, and even though St. Stephen had spoken with great wisdom and eloquence, explaining to them in vain about the works of the Lord in His salvation of the whole world. St. Stephen spoke at length about how God had been with His people, guiding and empowering them, despite their many rebellions and refusals to follow Him faithfully. God continued to patiently lead them by hand through His many prophets, messengers and appointed leaders, who helped them all to remain faithful to Him, and which culminated in the sending and arrival of His own Beloved Son, the One to be the Saviour of all.

Yet, as St. Stephen pointed out, the people had rejected the great grace of God, His patient love and salvation, persecuting the very One Whom God had sent to help and save them. They crucified the Lord, persecuted His servants and disciples, and tried to stop the works of God being done, harassing the disciples at every turn of the way, like what they had done with St. Stephen himself. Yet, the Lord was still being patient with the people, and through St. Stephen, despite seemingly futile, He was still trying to reach out to them and convince them to believe in Him. This did not happen though, and those people persecuted St. Stephen, whom they punished and stoned to death, a punishment that was reserved for blasphemers and sinners. Yet, despite being the righteous one, St. Stephen, like that of the Lord Himself before him, forgave all of his persecutors and murderers.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the beginning of the Lord’s discourse of the Bread of Life, as He described how the ancestors of the people to whom He had been sent to, the Israelites of the time of the Exodus, received the heavenly bread, known as the manna, that God provided to the Israelites for the entirety of the forty years period when they were journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land, including the entire time that they were sojourning in the desert as a chastisement and consequence of their rebelliousness and lack of faith. Yet, despite all the evils and wickedness that the people had done, God still ultimately loved them and cared for them, and hence, He still fed them and gave them the bread from Heaven itself. This came up after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men, in which the Lord miraculously fed the many multitudes of people with unending supply of food.

Thus, yet again, we can see the great and enduring love of God, in His perseverance and persistence to love each and every one of us, reaching out to us sinners, despite us having repeatedly disobeyed Him, disregarded His Law and commandments, refusing to believe in His truth and love. He still sent to us His only begotten Son, the One and only Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, Who has come into our midst, manifesting perfectly the love of God in the flesh, becoming approachable and accessible to us, bridging the gap between God and all of us, a gap created by our disobedience and sins. Through His loving sacrifice on the Cross, Christ has not only bridged the gap that once existed between us and God, but through the breaking of His Body and the outpouring of His Blood, He has shared with us the Bread of Life and the Blood that sanctifies us, sealing the New and Eternal Covenant between us and God.

Through what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, we are all reminded that each and every one of us should always first of all be grateful because God has always been so kind, patient and loving towards us despite our many disobedient actions and sins, and despite our frequent refusal to follow Him and His path. God has always patiently reached out to us and embraced us all, again and again, that while we may fall from time to time due to our faults, mistakes and frailty, our inability to resist the temptations of sin, but as our loving Father, God has continuously and persistently led us all to enter into His loving embrace, guiding us and showing the way for us to follow so that we may find the right path towards Him and His salvation, and that we may no longer be lost to Him.

And then, we are also reminded that we have to be ever courageous and committed as the holy people of God, not to be easily swayed by the temptations of the world, by the many pressures, trials and challenges present all around us. All those things may lead us to give up on our efforts and struggles to do God’s will, but as St. Stephen has shown us, through his fearless efforts and his perseverance despite the many trials and oppositions he faced, all of us should also be strengthened and encouraged in our own lives and dedication as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. We cannot be idle and ignorant of our calling and missions as those whom God had called and chosen. To each one of us God has entrusted the responsibilities and the missions to proclaim His truth and salvation to the nations.

The question now is, what are we then going to do in fulfilling our missions and calling in life? Are we going to embrace God’s call and follow Him in His path, doing what He has called on us to do, so that in each and every moments of our lives we will continue to live our lives with the right actions and convictions, with the strong and enduring desire to walk in God’s path without losing focus and hope on His promises and truth. Let us all ever be worthy of God in all things, and do our best so that our every actions, words and deeds, our whole lives may glorify the Lord, now and always. Amen.