Easter Triduum

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 11 : 23-26

This is the tradition of the Lord that I received and that in my turn I have handed on to you; the Lord Jesus, on the night that He was delivered up, took bread and, after giving thanks, broke it, saying, “This is My Body which is broken for you; do this in memory of Me.”

In the same manner, taking the cup after the supper, He said, “This cup is the new Covenant in My Blood. Whenever you drink it, do it in memory of Me.” So, then, whenever you eat of this bread and drink from this cup, you are proclaiming the death of the Lord until He comes.

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to Me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful. Truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s Son. You have freed Me from My bonds.

I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord. I will carry out My vows to the Lord in the presence of His people.

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Exodus 12 : 1-8, 11-14

YHVH spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt and said, “This month is to be the beginning of all months, the first month of your year. Speak to the community of Israel and say to them : On the tenth day of this month let each family take a lamb, a lamb for each house. If the family is too small for a lamb, they must join with a neighbour, the nearest to the house, according to the number of persons, and to what each one can eat.”

“You will select a perfect lamb without blemish, a male born during the present year, taken from the sheep or goats. Then you will keep it until the fourteenth day of the month. On that evening all the people will slaughter their lambs and take some of the blood to put on the doorposts and on top of the doorframes of the houses where you eat. That night you will eat the flesh roasted at the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.”

“And this is how you will eat : with a belt round your waist, sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand. You shall eat hastily for it is a Passover in honour of YHVH. On that night I shall go through Egypt and strike every firstborn in Egypt, men and animals; and I will even bring judgment on all of the gods of Egypt, I, YHVH! The blood on your houses will be the sign that you are there. I will see the blood and pass over you; and you will escape the mortal plague when I strike Egypt.”

“This is a day you are to remember and celebrate in honour of YHVH. It is to be kept as a festival day for all generations forever.”

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Chrism Mass (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this occasion today, which is typically celebrated in the morning of Holy Thursday just before the beginning of the most solemn Easter Triduum, the Church all around the world usually celebrates the Chrism Mass, in which the holy oils to be used in the various purposes in the life of the Church are blessed and sanctified, and the bishop of the diocese together with all the priests of the diocese together commit themselves anew to the Lord, in their priestly ministry, in ministering to the people of God, the flock of the Lord. In this morning’s Mass, the whole Church gathers together in prayer, united with the whole presbyterate and the bishop, in recalling the ministry of priesthood that Christ our Lord Himself has instituted on this day at the Last Supper that He had with His disciples.

In our first reading and Gospel passage today, we heard the passage from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord proclaimed His salvation and the coming of His grace and love into our midst, as He reassured all of His beloved people that He always remembers them, and He will never abandon any of them, as well as any of us, at any time, since He truly loves us all, and He wants us to be saved and be reconciled with Him. That was why, He revealed through the prophet Isaiah and His many other prophets and messengers, that He will send unto us His Holy One, His Messiah and Saviour, the One Who in our Gospel passage today, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man proclaimed before all the assembled people, that everything which God had promised them and their ancestors, all had become true and been fulfilled with His coming, Him being the Messiah long awaited.

Then, in the same readings we have also heard how this Holy One of God came unto us to bring us healing from God, healing for those who were sick and afflicted by various maladies and hardships, consolation and strength for those who were grieving and without hope, as well as the comfort of His truth and love, opening the eyes of the blind, both of our physical eyes and also for all those who are physically fit, the ‘eyes’ of our hearts and minds, that we all may see and recognise the truth of God. That was what the Lord Jesus has been tasked to do by His Heavenly Father, to be the One to bring the love, grace and salvation from God to His people, to be the Bridge that connects us all back to our loving God and Creator. And it is this same mission which the Lord then transmitted to His Apostles, Whom He appointed as the first priests of the Church, to be the servants of God forever.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, that is what the calling of a priest of the Lord is like, and as today all the priests of the dioceses in the world come together with their respective bishops, to renew their commitment and dedication to the service of God, all of them are reminded to follow the Lord more wholeheartedly and to remember that each and every one of them are truly the representatives of Our Lord Jesus Christ, first of all as the shepherds of the people of God, and during the celebration of the Holy Mass, as the representatives ‘in persona Christi’, acting in the person of the Lord Himself, in consecrating the bread and wine, offering them to the Lord and uniting them to the same Sacrifice made by the Lord on His Cross at Calvary, becoming the Lord’s own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, broken and outpoured unto us all, all of us who partake in His Covenant and His Most Holy Eucharist, the greatest gift that the Lord has given us.

All the priests of the Lord have given themselves and committed themselves to a life of sanctity and celibacy, dedicated completely to the Lord and to the service of His people, and they are all facing a lot of challenges and hardships, which only become more and more in these days, as many trials and attacks face our priests. Yet, despite all of these, they still have to continue to minister to the people of God, caring for them and giving them the guidance that they all needed, so that they may find their way to the Lord, their Chief Shepherd and Saviour. And all these are related to the holy oils that are being blessed in this Chrism Mass happening now as well. Those holy oils are used in many important and integral aspects of our Christian faith, and the priests are charged with the dutiful application of these oils in the many different stages of the lives of those of the faithful people of God, from their birth, right down to the end of their earthly lives.

There are three holy oils in total, namely the Oil of the Catechumens also known as Oleum Catechumenorum, the Sacred Chrism also known as Sanctum Chrisma, and the Oil of the Sick also known as Oleum Infirmorum. Each of these holy oils are important in the life journey of Christians, as the Oil of the Catechumens are used to anoint Catechumens who are preparing themselves to become Christians, in an occasion prior to their baptism. Oil of the Sick by its name, is used to anoint those who are gravely ill and sick, and are usually in the danger of death, as part of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, one of the Church’s seven Sacraments. Meanwhile, Sacred Chrism is used most extensively, in the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, as well as in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, in the dedication of churches and Altars, among many other uses. All of these are blessed today by the diocesan bishop, to be used for the good of the Church and the flock of the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we gather together as the whole Universal Church today, united with the bishops and their priests all around the world, let us all unite our prayers and renew our support for all those who have dedicated themselves to God. Our priests have dedicated their whole lives to the Lord and committed themselves, and they face many struggles and hardships, and are in need of the support of the whole Universal Church. We must remember that every members of the Church and the faithful have to be active partakers of the works and the actions of the Church. The bishops, priests and deacons, the ordained members of the Church cannot be the only ones who carry out the works of the Lord and obey God’s will, as each and every one of us are part of the same Church, the same Body of Christ, and hence, have a part to play in the works of the Church, in whatever missions that God has entrusted to each and every one of us.

Let us hence pray for our priests, for the bishops and all those who have been ordained for a specific ministry in the Church, so that the Lord may continue to guide and strengthen them, to resist the many temptations, pressures, coercions, and to endure trials and hardships all around them. Let us all pray for the sanctification of our ordained ministers, that they all may continue to serve the Lord and His people with all of their hearts and minds, and with particular attention to sanctity and purity in their lives and actions. May the Lord continue to bless His Church and all of us, His beloved people, and especially our priests, whom we remember today. May God bless us always, in our every good efforts and deeds, and may He particularly bless our upcoming Easter Triduum observances and commemorations. Amen.

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Chrism Mass (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 4 : 16-21

At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.”

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Chrism Mass (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Revelations 1 : 5-8

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the Firstborn of the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him Who loves us and has washed away our sins with His own Blood, making us a kingdom and priests for God His Father, to Him be the glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

See He comes with the clouds and everyone will see Him, even those who pierced Him; on His account all the nations of the earth will beat his breast. Yes. It will be so. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, He Who is, Who was and Who is to come : the Master of the universe.

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Chrism Mass (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 88 : 21-22, 25 and 27

I have found David my servant, and with My holy oil I have anointed him. My hand will be ever with him and My arm will sustain him.

My faithfulness and love will be with him, and by My help he will be strong. He will call on Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Saviour.’

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Thursday, 2 April 2026 : Holy Thursday, Chrism Mass (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 61 : 1-3a, 6a, 8b-9

The Spirit of the Lord YHVH is upon Me, because YHVH has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to the captives, freedom to those languishing in prison; to announce the year of YHVH’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God; to give comfort to all who grieve; (to comfort those who mourn in Zion) and give them a garland instead of ashes.

But you will be named priests of YHVH, you will be called ministers of our God. I will give them their due reward and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a race YHVH has blessed.

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Sunday, 27 April 2025 : Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we mark the occasion of the Second Sunday of Easter, which is also known as the Octave Day of the Easter Octave, the eighth day since the glorious Easter Sunday. On this Sunday all of us are called to continue to keep in mind the core belief of our Christian faith in the suffering, death and Resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We all believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God, the manifestation of God’s most wonderful and generous love in the flesh, through Whom God has made His will clear and evident, and by Whose victory and triumph over sin and death, all of us, the faithful and holy people of God, have been shown the clear and certain path to eternal glory and true happiness with God, our Lord and Master, our Mighty King and also our most Merciful and loving Father.

In our first reading passage this Sunday, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the account of the works of the Apostles, who continued to carry out the missions and works which the Lord Himself has entrusted to them, and we heard how they had performed many miracles and signs before the people much as how the Lord Jesus had done when He was still carrying out His ministry in this world. The fact that those miracles and signs, wonders and great works were performed by the Apostles even after the Lord had died and then risen in glory, and ascended into Heaven, is a clear evidence that God was still with His disciples and Church, and He still performed His many good works through the hands of His Apostles and other disciples, the missionaries of the Kingdom of God.

Through their works, the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord showed to all of God’s people, primarily and at first the Israelites and then the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles, the great love and compassion that God has for all of them, without exception. To the Jewish people, the descendants of the people of God, the Lord wanted to show them that He has fulfilled and accomplished all the promises that He had once made in the Covenant sealed with their forefathers, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and renewed again and again throughout history. And then, to the Gentiles, God shows that His salvation, His love and kindness are not reserved only for the Jewish people only, as everyone, through God’s Church have been made partakers of the same New and Eternal Covenant that the Lord Himself has established through His Son.

Then from our second reading passage taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle, we heard of the vision that St. John had received while he was exiled in the Isle of Patmos at his old age, during one of the episodes of persecutions against Christians by the Roman Empire. St. John saw the vision of the Lord, in all of His glory, appearing before Him in Heaven, the appearance of the Son of Man, that is Jesus Himself, in His heavenly glory, with His glorified Resurrected Body. The seven lampstands in the vision marked the seven Angels that always stand before the Holy Presence of God, and therefore, highlighting the Divinity of Christ, Who is truly fully Man and fully God alike. And in that vision, the Lord told St. John to record everything that he had seen so that he could propagate them to the Church communities then, and therefore to help the faithful to come to know God more.

Through what St. John experienced in that amazing heavenly vision, he saw the Lord Who proclaimed Himself as the Almighty God, Who has triumphed and conquered sin and death, overcoming the fetters and shackles keeping us mankind from reaching out to Him, by the incarnation of His Son in the flesh, and by Whose death and Resurrection all of us have been made partakers of the New and Eternal Covenant of God, sealed by the Most Precious Blood of the Son of God Himself. And the Lord did all of these because of His ever enduring and ever present love for each one of us, the love which He desires to share with us, and which He has manifested clearly before us through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the manifestation of God’s love and mercy in this world, making this love and mercy tangible and reachable to us.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Risen Lord appeared before His disciples, and gave them the gift of His Holy Spirit, revealing at the same time that He has truly risen from the dead and was not merely a spirit. He was truly indeed Risen in the Body and Spirit, and He gave them all the authority and power to forgive sins, to perform the many miracles and signs, just as we have heard in our first reading today. Then we also heard about how St. Thomas the Apostle, the one who often doubted the Lord was not there when the Risen Lord first made His appearance, and how he challenged the Risen Lord to appear before him so that he could ascertain whether he was truly Risen or not.

That was just precisely what the Lord did, as He appeared before all the disciples including that of St. Thomas, and asked the latter to do as he had wanted to do, to put his fingers and touch the marks of the nails and the wound at His side. We heard how St. Thomas finally believed and made the public profession of faith, ‘My Lord and my God’ before everyone. Through this event, we are yet again reminded that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God had truly risen from the dead and triumphed over sin and death. And through Him all of us shall receive the assurance of eternal life, which has been provided to us through what He had gone through on the Cross, and as He triumphantly rose from the dead, the manifestation of the Divine Love and Mercy of God, having been made accessible for all of us.

This is why on this Sunday as we celebrate the Second Sunday of Easter and also the Divine Mercy Sunday, we are reminded of this Aspect of the Lord in His most generous and rich mercy towards all of us. The Divine Mercy has revealed Himself to us through one St. Faustina Kowalska about a century ago, who made known the revelations through her diary, which went through many hurdles and struggles before finally being accepted by the Church as part of its official teachings. Today, the devotion to the Divine Mercy is one of the most popular devotions in the Church, with millions praying the devotion daily and more. This is truly a very heartening matter as through this particular devotion to the Divine Mercy, the Merciful Aspect of God, many people are coming towards the Lord seeking His forgiveness and healing.

For all of us members of the Christian faithful, we are reminded that if we seek God sincerely with a repentant and contrite heart, God, the Divine Mercy, in His infinite and boundless mercy will show us His compassion and love, and will heal us from all of our afflictions, our sins and wickedness, our corruptions and evils. And this is why as we commit ourselves anew to the Lord, the Divine Mercy, we should continue to do our best in this world to be truly faithful to Him in all things, becoming good role models and inspirations for one another and for others around us, to show the love and mercy of God to the world. And we are constantly reminded this Easter season that through God’s most wonderful love and mercy, we have been brought into the path towards eternal life and true happiness with God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore put our trust and faith in the Divine Mercy of God and continue to live our lives most faithfully in the manner that we all should do as Christians, that is as the disciples and followers of Christ. All of us are reminded that we should not remain idle in our faith and lives, but we must embody God’s love and mercy in our daily lives, in doing our very best to show love and compassion to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We must always practice love and charity in our everyday actions, in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another, to our brethren around us and even strangers in our midst. May the Lord, the Divine Mercy continue to bless us all and guide us with His compassion and love, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 27 April 2025 : Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 20 : 19-31

At that time, on the evening of the day when Jesus rose from the dead, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews. But Jesus came, and stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” Then He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy.

Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” After saying this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in the their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into My side. Do not be an unbeliever! Believe!”

Thomas then said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see Me, do you not? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

There were many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of His disciples, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Believe, and you will have life through His Name!