Eastertide

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Wednesday, 20 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians we have received from the Lord Himself the gift, assurance and the revelation of His most generous love and kindness, all of which He has constantly shown to us, and which He has manifested to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. We are reminded that the Lord Himself will always be with us, especially through the Holy Spirit that He Himself has sent to be in our midst, in our Church and within each and every one of us. And we are called to stay faithful and strong, to persevere and to continue to be courageous and true to our faith and beliefs in the Lord despite all the trials and challenges that we may be facing and which we will continue to encounter in our paths in life.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard the conclusion of the narrative of St. Paul the Apostle and his farewell to the faithful people of God in Ephesus, which we have heard for the past few weekdays. At that time, St. Paul and also many other missionaries had been facing a lot of successes as well as obstacles in their missionary and evangelisation efforts, as the early Church of God grew rapidly and gained many members and followers, and continued to spread further and further despite the many obstacles, trials and hardships that they had to endure, facing rejection and refusal from many among the authorities. Both the Jewish authorities, the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, as well as local governors and authorities, and others who were opposed to the Christian faith, made it difficult for the Christian missionaries to carry out their work.

St. Paul the Apostle had laboured hard to establish the reach and the foundations of the Church in many places he had visited together with the other disciples and missionaries, and faced trouble from some of the Jewish authorities in the places he visited, and he was accused falsely of crimes and things that he did not commit, and was on his way to Jerusalem to face those allegations and accusations. St. Paul could very well have chosen to flee and to stay away from those who sought to oppose and crush him, but he chose to follow the Lord, Who called on him to trust in Him and to follow where He was leading him to go to. The Lord told St. Paul that he would be His witness and missionary in Rome, at the capital and very heart of the Roman Empire, to proclaim the Good News of God and where he would also face sufferings and martyrdom, for the greater glory of God.

Thus, St. Paul reassured all the faithful in Ephesus and others who knew of his story and works, the challenges that he had faced and encountered, that being a faithful disciple of the Lord, while it may indeed be difficult and challenging for them, but the Lord would guide them and protect them throughout their path and way. Those who placed their faith and trust in the Lord would never be disappointed, and everything that they did and carried out in their lives will be blessed by God, and God will remember and know everything that they had done for His sake, and everything that even perhaps we do not know or did not realise. God has provided for us everything, even not sparing from us His own most beloved Son, Who had come down into our midst, in the flesh, showing unto all of us, the full and perfect manifestation of His ever enduring love and kindness.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, praying to His heavenly Father asking Him to bless and guide His disciples and followers, and to be with them all throughout their journey. The Lord Himself also promised them all the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who indeed came to descend upon the world, upon the disciples and the Church, empowering all of them and strengthening them, giving them the courage and hope to proclaim the Good News of God. That was how the Church continued to grow rapidly and remained firm despite the many challenges and trials that it and many of the faithful had faced throughout time and history. The many inspiring examples of those who have suffered and remained firmly faithful to the Lord inspired many others who were therefore encouraged to keep steady in their faith as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy servants of God, whose life should be an inspiration and example for all of us as Christians, namely that of St. Bernardine of Siena, a great priest and man of God. He was born in what is now Italy in the early days of the Renaissance era, in which time there were a lot of great excesses and corruption in the Church as well as in the general society. He lived through tumultuous and turbulent times, as there were great scandals and political struggles at that time, which affected even to the highest echelons of the Church and the civil society at that time. It was in that time and occasion that St. Bernardine of Siena was called by God to be His servant, to proclaim His truth to a wayward people and to remind all of them of everything that they had wickedly done, and how they should turn away from all those evil ways.

St. Bernardine of Siena became a member of the Franciscan Order and eventually became a friar and ordained as a priest, after which he led a life of great missionary works, preaching and ministering to the people of God. St. Bernardine spent over thirty years working among the people, preaching to them directly and speaking to them, calling upon all of them to turn over a new life and to discard their wayward and wicked ways, calling on them to return to the virtuous and blessed path of being Christians, stopping whatever activities and things that have kept them separated from God and corrupted, such as gambling, excesses of wealth and hedonistic lifestyle among others. He spoke out against corruption and against all sorts of other vices, and through him, not few turned back to the Lord. Nonetheless, it did not mean that St. Bernardine’s work was smooth, as he had to encounter quite a few challenges and opposition to his works, but regardless, he faced it all with faith and courage.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the faith and examples of St. Bernardine of Siena, and look upon our own lives, thinking and discerning in what manner we may be able to serve our Lord with greater fidelity and zeal. Are we willing and able to commit ourselves in the manner of how St. Bernardine of Siena had dedicated his life to serve the Lord, to proclaim His truth and Good News and in persevering in doing so even when he encountered stiff and often bitter resistance from the people that he had been ministering to? Are we willing and able to embrace faithfully our respective calling as Christians, in doing what we must do in order to do our part as members of the same Church of God, to do our best to be His faithful and dedicated beacons of His light and truth to the nations?

May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to be with us and bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, and may He empower each and every one of us to be ever stronger and more committed in the path that He has shown us all. May God be with His Church and may all of us remain in His favour and love, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 11b-19

At that time, Jesus prayed to God His Father, “Holy Father, keep those You have given Me in Your Name, so that they may be one, as we also are. When I was with them, I kept them safe in Your Name; and not one was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this, the Scripture was fulfilled. And now I come to You; in the world I speak these things, so that those whom You gave Me, might have joy – all My joy within themselves.”

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world, I do not ask You to remove them from the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.”

“I have sent them into the world as You sent Me into the world; and for their sake, I go to the sacrifice by which I am consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”

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Wednesday, 20 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 29-30, 33-35a, 35bc and 36c

Summon Your power, o God, with the strength You have wielded for us. To Your Temple in Jerusalem, kings will come with gifts.

Sing to God, o kingdoms of the world; sing praises to the Lord, to Him Who rides the ancient heavens, and speaks in the voice of thunder. Proclaim the might of God.

He is great in Israel, powerful in heavens. Blessed be God!

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Wednesday, 20 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 28-38

Keep watch over yourselves, and over the whole flock the Holy Spirit has placed into your care. Shepherd the Church of the Lord that He has won, at the price of His own Blood. I know that, after I leave, ruthless wolves will come among you and not spare the flock. And, from among you, some will arise, corrupting the truth, and inducing the disciples to follow them.

Be on the watch, therefore, remembering that, for three years, night and day, I did not cease to warn everyone, even with tears. Now, I commend you to God, and to His grace-filled word, which is able to make you grow and gain the inheritance that you shall share with all the saints.

I have not looked for anyone’s silver, gold or clothing. You, yourselves, know, that these hands of mine have provided for both my needs and the needs of those who were with me. In every way, I have shown you that by working hard one must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus Himself said, “Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.”

After this discourse, Paul knelt down with them and prayed. Then, they all began to weep and threw their arms around him and kissed him. They were deeply distressed because he had said that they would never see him again. And they went with him even to the ship.

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Tuesday, 19 May 2026 : 7th 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, each one of us are reminded of the need for us to trust in the Lord our God, in His providence, love and care for us, in all the things that He will do for us, to guide and strengthen us throughout our journey of faith and life. All of us are reminded that the Lord has always been with us, by His Presence and through the Holy Spirit that He has sent to us, by His dwelling within us through His Real Presence in the Eucharist. We must not lose hope or faith, and we must not abandon our faith in God, no matter what challenges and trials, and all the hardships that we may have to endure in the path of our obedience to God, just as the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord have shown us through their own faith, endurance and experiences.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the conversation which St. Paul the Apostle had with the faithful people of God and the Church in Ephesus, as he related to them the challenges and experiences that he had, in everything that he had encountered and endured, from the successes he had gathered as well as the hardships, trials, failures and persecutions that he had to face in the midst of his journey and ministry all throughout the regions, towns and places that he has visited, in his tireless and constant efforts to proclaim the Good News and the truth of God to more and more of the people especially to those who have not yet known the Lord, His truth, love and compassionate kindness for each and every one of us. St. Paul told the people all these in order to strengthen them in their faith, and for them to pray together to one another for their respective missions.

St. Paul was saying his farewells to the faithful in Ephesus, to all those who supported him there and those who cared for him, to the elders and those who have been entrusted with the care of the Church there, as he prepared to embark on his last mission, answering the Lord’s call, who had called on him to follow Him, and to suffer for His sake, in proclaiming the Good News and in facing the tribulations and challenges, as he went to Jerusalem to answer those who accused him falsely of crimes and wrongdoings, especially the Jewish authorities, the members of the Sanhedrin and others who sought to oppose St. Paul and stop everything that he had laboured and done in the Name of the Lord. St. Paul dedicated his life to the Lord and followed Him to wherever he was being led to, and although he could have chosen not to go to Jerusalem and stay somewhere else where he could be safe, he chose to follow the Lord and put his trust in the Lord.

Therefore, St. Paul told the faithful in Ephesus to be strong and committed to God, that everything happened as the Lord has willed it to be, and the Holy Spirit that had been given to all of them would be with them and strengthen them in their hour and time of need. They would not be left alone and wanting, and they would be provided with help and assistance, as long as they entrust themselves to the Lord. And should they face tribulations, suffering and even martyrdom, as St. Paul himself was prepared to face, the Lord would raise them up and bring them to Him, to enjoy the eternal fruits of their labours and their faith, to be glorified with Him forever. Those who remain faithful in the Lord shall triumph in the end, and will not be disappointed, and they shall be found worthy of the Lord’s grace and kindness, and the eternal life awaiting them.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus praying to His heavenly Father, a continuation of what we have heard in the past few weekdays. We can see how the Lord Jesus Himself often prayed to His Father, and communicate with Him, exactly what St. Paul and the disciples in Ephesus were doing as well. Back then, the Lord Jesus Himself was about to face His greatest challenge and trial, as He would have to endure the most intense and harsh of all persecutions, oppressions and hardships, and He would have to suffer the worst of sufferings, pains and be humiliated so bad that He would have to face being treated less than a human being, as the worst of criminals. And yet, He trusted completely in His Father and devoted Himself thoroughly to the mission that has been entrusted to Him, a spirit of obedience, faith and love which St. Paul and many other disciples of the Lord followed as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we spend some time to reflect upon what we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures today, let us all hence learn to trust in the Lord, commit ourselves to His path and do everything within our abilities and power to follow God’s commands, to listen to Him and to be exemplary in how we live our lives so that we may be good role models and inspiration to all the others around us. As Christians, this is our calling and mission in life, our responsibility and our vocation to do whatever we can to help one another to come ever closer to God. And we must have that strong and genuine faith in God first so that others may also come to believe in Him, through what we believe and through our way of life among many other things that we may do for the greater glory of God.

Today, as we all continue to progress through this blessed season and time of Easter, and although we are coming close to the end of it with the upcoming Solemnity of the Pentecost Sunday, but we all must realise that this does not mean that our journey of faith, our missions and works have come to an end. There are many areas where our works and contributions are still needed, and it is through our works and efforts that many people are still able to come to the Lord and to His salvation. There are indeed still a lot of works and expectations for us as Christians, in the many things that we are expected to do, in our every moments and times, and in all the opportunities that God has granted to each one of us, having been blessed with the various talents and abilities to reach out to others, to inspire them in faith much as Our Lord Himself and St. Paul, and many others among our holy predecessors had done.

May the Risen Lord, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, our most loving God and Good Shepherd, be with us always, be with His Church, and may the Holy Spirit be our inspiration, strength and guide. May the Lord bless our every works and good efforts for His greater glory, and may He help us all to persevere through all the hardships and challenges that we may have to face in this world. May He, the One and only True God, shine the light of His truth and love to the whole of this darkened world, and may He continue to inspire us all to show genuine love in all of our actions particularly in how we interact with one another, especially to those most dearly beloved and dearest to us. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 1-11a

At that time, after Jesus said all that He had said to His disciples, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come! Give glory to Your Son, that the Son may give glory to You. You have given Him power over all humanity, so that He may give eternal life to all those You entrusted to Him. For this is eternal life : to know You, the only true God, and the One You sent, Jesus Christ.”

“I have glorified You on earth and finished the work that You gave Me to do. Now, Father, give Me, in Your presence, the same glory I had with You before the world began. I have made Your Name known to those You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they kept Your word. And now they know that whatever You entrusted to Me, is indeed from You.”

“I have given them the teaching I received from You, and they received it, and know in truth that I came from You; and they believe that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to You, and whom You have given to Me. Indeed all I have is Yours and all You have is Mine; and now they are My glory.”

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to You.”

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Tuesday, 19 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 10-11, 20-21

Then You gave a rain of blessings to comfort Your weary children. Your people found a dwelling and in Your mercy, o God, You provided for the needy.

Blessed be the Lord, God our Saviour, Who daily bears our burdens! Ours is a God Who saves; our Lord lets us escape from death.

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Tuesday, 19 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 17-27

From Miletus Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, how I served the Lord in humility through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me.”

“You know that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes, and I urged Jews and non-Jews alike to turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.”

“But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me. Indeed I put no value on my life, if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, to announce the Good News of God’s grace.”

“I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of God will ever see me again. Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you. For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you God’s will.”

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Monday, 18 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. John I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each one of us are called to continue to live our lives faithfully as Christians and continue to carry out what the Lord had commanded us to do, to live our lives in the manner that He has taught us all to do, so that in everything we say and do, we will always be the worthy bearers of His light and truth, and that we may be inspiration and good role models for others around us, proclaiming the Good News and truth of God through our own lives and works, through our every words and interactions. All of us should do what we can to spread God’s message and ways to others whom we encounter in our lives. This is our calling and vocation as Christians, regardless whichever specific vocation that we have been called to.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles about the works of St. Paul the Apostle among the faithful in the region of Ephesus in Asia Minor. Ephesus was one of the early centres of Christianity, and the faithful there grew rapidly in numbers as both Jews and Gentiles alike embraced the new faith in God. The Lord has called on all of them to be His followers, and He spread to them His Good News and truth through His disciples and missionaries like St. Paul, who went to their region to proclaim the Good News and the truth of God. St. Paul was speaking to some of those disciples who were likely to have belonged to the Jewish diaspora there, who believed in the teachings of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah. As was evident from the accounts from the Acts of the Apostles and the other parts of the New Testament, St. John the Baptist and his teachings were quite widespread around the region.

However, those disciples like the ones in Ephesus have not yet received the fullness of truth as what the early Christians have received, and hence, the Lord called on His Apostles and disciples to evangelise and spread the Good News to all of those people who have not yet heard of this truth and Good News. St. Paul taught them about the teachings and truth of the Lord, proclaiming to them the Good News and the Gospel of salvation. Those disciples believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and received Him as their Saviour and Master, and were baptised by St. Paul. The Holy Spirit came down upon them and many great miracles happened, as St. Paul continued to minister to all the faithful there and carrying out the good works that God had planted among them. That was how the Church kept on expanding and growing at that time in Ephesus and elsewhere.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples when they told Him that He was finally telling them the truth and no longer was using parables, hidden meanings and other forms of story-telling through which those who listened to the Lord had not been able to discern fully what He wanted to tell them. But this was because the Lord did not want them all to know everything at once, and wanted them to journey with Him, and to discover their faith in God gradually through their experiences and by listening to the word of God speaking in their hearts and through the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit stirring in them, prodding them to follow the path that the Lord has shown them, and for them to find out about the truth which He has presented and brought before all of them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, essentially through what we have received in our Scripture readings today, all of us are reminded that each and every one of us who have received the same truth and revelation of the Good News of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, all of us have the obligation and calling, the mission and vocation to proclaim the truth of God to more and more of the people whom we encounter daily, at each and every moments. In our every works, our words and actions, in our every deeds and interactions with one another, all of us should do our part in living our lives worthily so that we may indeed bear our Christian faith and truth to others who interact with us and witness our work and actions. All of us bear within us this calling and mission, with whatever it is that the Lord has blessed and entrusted us with, in our various areas and competencies in life.

Today, just as we are reminded to remain faithful to the Lord, we are presented with the great examples from Pope St. John I, a holy Pope and Martyr who remained firmly faithful in the Lord despite him being caught squarely in the middle of political and theological conflicts at the time. As Pope, Pope St. John I led the Church in the time of great turbulence as the Church in Rome and Italy were under the state control of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, whose ruler, Theoderic the Great was an Arian, following a heresy that was in opposition to the true Christian belief and faith. Meanwhile many of the people were following the Nicene Christian belief, the same belief which we still believe to this day. These divisions and differences often led to great strife and difficulties in the Church and affected many of God’s people.

Pope St. John I was sent as a delegate to the court of the Roman Emperor in Constantinople by Theoderic with the aim to resolve the political and religious tensions existing between the Romans and the Ostrogoths. The Emperor treated and respected the Pope well, although the embassy was unsuccessful in pursuing the Ostrogoth king’s demands. Upon Pope St. John’s return to Rome and Ravenna, the Ostrogothic capital, Theoderic ordered his arrest and it was there that the Pope eventually died from neglect and poor health, dying a martyr to the true Christian faith. Despite this, the great courage and commitment which Pope St. John I had shown, in following the great examples of his predecessors, the martyrs of the early Church are inspirations for all of us to follow in our own respective struggles and trials in life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of Pope St. John I, the many other saints and martyrs, and all those who have dedicated their lives to serve the Lord, all who have kept themselves close to God and remain firm in their full love and dedication to His way. As Christians, let us all be inspiration to one another, and help each other to be committed to God, and not to fall into the path of sin, or to be swayed by other worldly matters. Let us all realise the missions and the various opportunities which the Lord had placed before us and entrusted to us so that we may truly devote ourselves, our time and attention to do what is right, worthy and just in showing forth our Christian faith at all times and leading many more ever closer towards God. May God bless us in our every efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 18 May 2026 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. John I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 16 : 29-33

At that time, the disciples said to Jesus, “Now You are speaking plainly and not in veiled language! Now we see that You know all things, even before we question You. Because of this we believe that You came from God.”

Jesus answered them, “You say that you believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with Me. I have told you all this, so that in Me you may have peace. You will have trouble in the world; but courage! I have overcome the world.”