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Saturday, 31 May 2025 : Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 12 : 2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

He is the God of my salvation; in Him I trust and am not afraid. YHVH is my strength : Him I will praise, the One Who saved me. You will draw water with joy from the very fountain of salvation.

Praise to the Lord, break into songs of joy for Him, proclaim His marvellous deeds among the nations and exalt His Name.

Sing to the Lord : wonders He has done, let these be known all over the earth. Sing for joy, o people of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

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Saturday, 31 May 2025 : Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zephaniah 3 : 14-18

Cry out with joy, o daughter of Zion; rejoice, o people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHVH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YHVH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day they will say to Jerusalem : Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YHVH your God is within you, YHVH, saving Warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for He has revived His love. For you He will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the Feast.

I will drive away the evil I warned you about, and you will no longer be ashamed.

Alternative reading

Romans 12 : 9-16b

Let love be sincere. Hate what is evil and hold to whatever is good. Love one another and be considerate. Outdo one another in mutual respect. Be zealous in fulfilling your duties. Be fervent in the Spirit and serve God.

Have hope and be cheerful. Be patient in trials and pray constantly. Share with other Christians in need. With those passing by, be ready to receive them. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not wish evil on anyone. Rejoice with those who are joyful, and weep with those who weep.

Live in peace with one another. Do not dream of extraordinary things.

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Friday, 30 May 2025 : 6th 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 Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded as always of the nature of our faith as Christians, as those who profess to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the One True Lord and Saviour of all, the One Who has been persecuted, suffered and died on His Cross, and then Risen gloriously from the dead, and ascending into the Heavenly glory as we have just celebrated yesterday in the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. And we are reminded that as Christians, all of us may also likely face similar sufferings, trials and hardships in our path because the world that has hated the Lord and despises His teachings and ways will also likely despise us and hate us all as well.

Yet, as we all heard from our first reading and Gospel passage today, all of us must always have faith and trust in the Lord. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed by the forces of darkness and by all those who seek to dissuade and tempt us away from following and committing ourselves to the Lord and His path. We are reminded that no matter what, the Lord is always ever with us, providing for us and journeying with us. We are never alone, and even after the Lord has ascended in glory to His heavenly Throne, He is still with us, by our side ever always, and the Holy Spirit that He has sent into our midst, dwelling among us and strengthening us and the Church continue to do great wonders in each day and opportunity, inflaming the hearts of countless faithful in their daily struggles in life against sin and darkness.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles on the continuation of the works of St. Paul the Apostle as we continue to follow his missionary journey throughout the then known world and the areas of the Mediterranean region. This time, St. Paul was at the area of Achaia in what is today central part of Greece, where he encountered troubles because of the actions of the Jewish diaspora there who were against St. Paul and his works, after he had ministered there for a period of a year and a half. Contextually, quite a number of the members of the Jewish diaspora sided with the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin which at that time and earlier had opposed the works and teachings of the Lord Jesus, and persecuted openly the Christian followers and missionaries.

Hence, those people who were opposing St. Paul and his works tried to get the local governor Gallio to act against St. Paul by casting false accusations and lies against him before the governor as we have heard in that passage from the Acts of the Apostles. Yet, Gallio the governor refused to act against St. Paul and despite the further efforts of histhe Jewish opponents to prosecute him, they were unsuccessful, and it was told that St. Paul continued to minister to the people of God in that region, in Corinth and elsewhere. All of these were proof and evidence that God was always with His faithful disciples and servants, who had encountered great difficulties and challenges along the way. No matter how difficult it had been for them, but the Lord was always by their side, journeying with them.

Had the Lord not been the foundation and backbone of their efforts and works, then whatever the Apostles and disciples had carried out, no matter how much effort and work they had put in, would have floundered and faltered just as with any other works that solely depended on the strength of men. But because the Lord was with them, and the Holy Spirit strengthened and encouraged them all, giving them all the Wisdom and power to continue despite the great challenges they had to face. That is why we ourselves must also put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times as well, entrusting all of our good works and efforts for His sake to Him, doing everything with prayer and faith, trusting that God will always be with us at every turn of the way.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the powerful reassurance from the Lord Jesus Himself to the disciples, as He told them the reality that they would all likely have to face sufferings, sorrows and mournings amidst their work and commitment to Him, but they should not lose faith or trust in God’s providence as the Lord would always be with them and good times will always come in the end, as the Lord knows well all those who have endured sufferings and hardships for His sake and glory, and He will always provide for them and their needs, protecting and guiding them through the greatest of challenges and trials, and even in the case of intense sufferings and martyrdom, which not few among the disciples of the Lord suffered, they all would all share in the eternal glory with God.

This is why all of us are reminded today that as the Lord’s disciples and followers, we must always be resolute in carrying out the missions and works which the Lord Himself has entrusted to us all, in each and every opportunities and circumstances that He has provided to us. We must always put our trust and faith in the Lord, knowing that with God everything is possible and that nothing is too difficult or impossible for us to do as long as we have God by our side, journeying with us and providing for us, fortifying our resolve and commitment even in the face of the greatest and most difficult adversaries and obstacles. We have to allow the Lord to carry out His good works in us, and we can do this by completely entrusting ourselves to Him and allowing Him to do His works through us by our faith and devotion to Him.

May the Lord therefore continue to help, strengthen and guide us all in our journey, empowering each and every one of us to walk ever more faithfully in our path, in whatever good works and missions that we do, so that we will always be worthy as the holy and devoted disciples of the Lord at all times. Let us all continue to put our trust and faith in God at all times, and be exemplary in our every efforts and commitments, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 30 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 16 : 20-23

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. A woman in childbirth is in distress because her time is at hand. But after the child is born, she no longer remembers her suffering because of such great joy : a human being is born into the world.”

“You feel sorrowful now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice; and no one will take your joy from you. When that day comes you will not ask Me anything.”

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Friday, 30 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 46 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Clap your hands, all you peoples; acclaim God with shouts of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared; He is a great King all over the earth.

He brings peoples under our dominion and puts nations under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us – the pride of Jacob whom He loves!

God ascends amid joyful shouts, the Lord amid trumpet blasts. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

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Friday, 30 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 18 : 9-18

One night, in a vision, the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid, but continue speaking and do not be silent, for many people in this city are Mine. I am with you, so no one will harm you.” So Paul stayed a year and a half in that place, teaching the word of God among them.

When Gallio was governor of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the court. And they accused him, “This man tries to persuade us to worship God in ways that are against the Law.”

Paul was about to speak in his own defence when Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of misdeed or vicious crime, I would have to consider your complaint. But since this is a quarrel about teachings and divine names that are proper to your own law, see to it yourselves : I refuse to judge such matters.”

Then the people seized Sosthenes, a leading man of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal; but Gallio paid no attention to it. Paul stayed on with the disciples in Corinth for many days; he then left them and sailed off with Priscilla and Aquila for Syria. And as he was no longer under a vow he had taken, he shaved his head before sailing from Cenchreae.

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Thursday, 29 May 2025 : Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, which takes place forty days from the time of the Resurrection of the Lord on Easter Sunday. On this day we remember how the Lord Jesus, after having spent that period of forty days appearing before His disciples and manifesting Himself in His Risen glory, then went on to ascend to Heaven in order to return to where He has come from. And although He has ascended into Heaven, He did not abandon any one of us, His disciples and His Church, as while He is no longer physically present and tangible, but He is always with His Church and followers, and through the Holy Spirit that was sent shortly after the Ascension, the Lord guided His faithful ones in the right path and was with them all.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Acts of the Apostles about the moment of the Ascension itself, where the Lord ascended into Heaven in the view of many of His disciples, and reassured them all of the guidance and providence that they all would receive through the Holy Spirit. The Lord told them all when they asked whether He would restore the Kingdom of Israel, that the hour is not known for them of when the Lord will do all that is intended by Him and how He will do these. The Lord told them all that through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, they all would be His witnesses to the whole world, to bring forth His Good News and truth to more and more people that they encounter in their lives and respective ministries.

Thus, the Lord entrusted the works of His Church and all that He has initiated and begun to the Apostles and the other disciples, who have witnessed all that He has done and taught to the people, and then from them to all of us, through the many generations of the faithful who have received and passed on the same faith and belief in the Risen Lord. That we believe in this same faith which the Apostles themselves had believed, came from the fact that countless people, our holy and committed predecessors had laboured hard to bring these revelations and truths to us, passing them down through the generations, even when things and conditions were tough and challenging for them, such as through persecutions and trials, oppositions and rejections.

We are all reminded that God’s works, His Providence and grace are far greater than all these challenges and trials, and nothing can prevent the Lord from accomplishing His works and His will, much as how the Church is still standing firm and strong even after so many challenges and hardships, trials and obstacles that have been facing the Church and all the faithful disciples and followers of the Lord. Many of our predecessors had suffered and even perished in martyrdom in the defense of their faith, in their commitment to remain true in their faith in God, as well as their commitment to their mission and love for God, their desire to proclaim the Good News and the truth and hope in the Lord, the One and only True God, our Lord and Master.

From our second reading passage today, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard of the words of the author of this Epistle, which many took to be St. Luke the Evangelist, among others, who spoke about the role of the Lord Jesus Who as the High Priest of all the faithful, the One True and Eternal High Priest of all, Who has entered into the Heavenly Sanctuary, and Who has taken upon Himself the most important role of offering on our behalf the most perfect and worthy sacrifice worthy in atonement of all of our many sins, wickedness and evils. He chose willingly and most lovingly to bear upon His own shoulders the heavy weight and burden of the Cross, so that by becoming at the same time, the Paschal Lamb of Sacrifice, by the offering of His own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood, He has given us all the perfect and only means worthy of our salvation.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, the reality and truth is such that Our Lord and Saviour, Who is both our High Priest and the Paschal Lamb of Sacrifice, has offered on our behalf the most perfect and worthy sacrifice and offering in atonement for our many sins, wickedness and evils, such that He has opened for us the gates of Heaven and offer us the sure path to salvation. If we truly believe in Him and put our faith in Him, then we shall indeed experience and receive the fullness of all that He has promised to us, all the love, kindness and grace that He has promised to everyone who believe in Him, out of His infinite love and compassion, His mercy and kindness to us, His beloved people and children. That is why we are reminded today of the great grace which we have received from the Lord, and how Our Lord has always loved us, and even as He ascended into Heaven, He did so in order to prepare the places for us in Heaven.

Then, lastly, from our Gospel passage taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, once again we are briefly reminded of everything that had happened at that time after the Lord’s Resurrection when He went around showing Himself to the disciples and many others who have seen the Risen Lord in person. From what we heard we are reminded that everything that we believe in, the Lord’s Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven really happened and occurred as how it was happening at that time. This is because of the many witnesses that had seen all that happened and which they testified courageously and fearlessly despite the opposition and obstacles they encountered in their journey and mission as the disciples and followers of Christ.

This is a reminder for all of us as Christians living in our world today that all of us ought to continue doing the great works of the Lord in proclaiming His Good News and truth, and in proclaiming His Resurrection to all. After all, the works of the Lord are still aplenty and have not been fully accomplished yet. Even when the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord had achieved so much and converted so many to the Lord, but there have always been a lot of areas and opportunities still awaiting us to explore and go forth in being missionary and evangelising in our faith, as there are many more out there who have not yet known the Lord, His Good News and truth, His salvation and all that He has offered and assured us all, in the eternal life that He has promised to us through His Passion, death and Resurrection.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all rejoice and greatly celebrate in the Lord’s glorious Ascension into Heaven today, let us all remember that while the Lord has ascended into Heaven, we are never alone, and the Lord Himself is still with us, in each and every moments of our respective journeys in life. That is why we have to trust in the Lord’s Providence and help, and trust in Him to lead and guide us in our respective missions and works so that by our efforts and good works, our commitments to proclaim Him and His truth, we will always be courageous and strengthened with the desire to always glorify Him by our lives, our actions and by our every interactions with those whom we meet and encounter daily in life.

May the Risen Lord, ascended into glory to Heaven, continue to bless us all and our missionary efforts, bless our every good endeavours and works, our interactions with everyone we meet in life, and may He continue to be with His Church and allow us all to go forth ever more courageously to the nations, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 29 May 2025 : Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 24 : 46-53

At that time, Jesus said, “So it was written : the Messiah had to suffer, and on the third day rise from the dead. Then repentance and forgiveness in His Name would be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. And that is why I will send you what My Father promised. So remain in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Jesus led them almost as far as Bethany; then He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And as He blessed them, He withdrew, and was taken to heaven. They worshipped Him, and then returned to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the Temple, praising God.

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Thursday, 29 May 2025 : Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 9 : 24-28 and Hebrews 10 : 19-23

Christ did not enter some sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the True One, but Heaven itself. He is now in the presence of God, on our behalf. He had not to offer Himself many times, as the High Priest does : he, who, may return every year, because the blood is not his own. Otherwise, He would have suffered many times, from the creation of the world.

But no; He manifested Himself only now, at the end of the ages, to take away sin by sacrifice, and, as humans die only once, and afterward are judged, in the same way, Christ sacrificed Himself, once to take away the sins of the multitude. There will be no further question of sin, when He comes again, to save those waiting for Him.

So, my friends, we are assured of entering the Sanctuary, by the Blood of Jesus Who opened, for us, this new and living way, passing through the curtain, that is, His Body. Because we have a High Priest in charge of the House of God, let us approach, with a sincere heart, with full faith, interiorly cleansed from a bad conscience, and our bodies washed, with pure water.

Let us hold fast to our hope, without wavering, because He, Who promised, is faithful.

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Thursday, 29 May 2025 : Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 46 : 2-3, 6-7, 8-9

Clap your hands, all you peoples; acclaim God with shouts of joy. For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared; He is a great King all over the earth.

God ascends amid joyful shouts, the Lord amid trumpet blasts. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a hymn of praise. For God now rules over the nations, God reigns from His holy throne.