Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 10
Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His Name.
Proclaim His salvation day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 15 : 7-21
As the discussions became heated, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that from the beginning God chose me among you so that non-Jews could hear the Good News from me and believe. God, who can read hearts, put Himself on their side by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them and cleansed their hearts through faith.”
“So why do you want to put God to the test? Why do you lay on the disciples a burden that neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry? We believe, indeed, that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.”
The whole assembly kept silent as they listened to Paul and Barnabas tell of all the miraculous signs and wonders that God had done through them among the non-Jews. After they had finished, James spoke up, “Listen to me, brothers. Symeon has just explained how God first showed His care by taking a people for Himself from non-Jewish nations.”
“And the words of the prophets agree with this, for Scripture says, ‘After this I will return and rebuild the booth of David which has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again. Then the rest of humanity will look for the Lord, and all the nations will be consecrated to My Name.’ So says the Lord, who does today what He decided from the beginning.”
“Because of this, I think that we should not make difficulties for those non-Jews who are turning to God. Let us just tell them not to eat food that is unclean from having been offered to idols; to keep themselves from prohibited marriages; and not to eat the flesh of animals that have been strangled, or any blood. For from the earliest times Moses has been taught in every place, and every Sabbath his laws are recalled.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we hear again on the parable of the vine, where Jesus compared Himself to a vine, which was tended by the vinegrower, who is the Father in heaven. We are His branches, that come out branching from the vine. This is a very good and indeed perfect representation of how God does His work in this world and in all of us.
We who are living have all been created by the Lord, who then breathed life into us through the Spirit. All of us share the same life that God had granted us, and this life is a blessing. We are all like the branches that share the same life and are sustained by that life which the stem and the vine provides. If the branch falls of from the stem and vine, then it will die, for it no longer has any connection with the life-giving vine.
Thus, without the Lord, we can have no life in us, and we ought to be thankful for this life which He had granted us. And then, we are all also part of His living Church, that is His Body. With Christ as the Head of the Church, we are all united as part of this same Body, united by the communion we share with His Most Precious Body and Blood, which we all receive regularly through the Most Holy Eucharist.
That is why, all of us when we receive the Eucharist, it is important for us to realise how crucial this is, that we have received the Lord, who is Life and the sources of all life, into ourselves, that we have Him inside us, and therefore, as Jesus Himself once said to the Samaritan woman, that whoever drinks the water He provides will never be thirsty again, for indeed, He dwells in us all and become an eternal spring of water and life that satisfy us and make us to never be lacking again.
This means that as long as we adhere ourselves to the ways and the teachings of the Master of Life, then we will have life in us. And His way is love, that is to love both God and men alike. The way of the Lord is simple, and yet difficult to be done as it is very easy for us all to be tempted away from the truth and into the falsehoods of Satan, the pleasures of the flesh and the other factors that make it difficult for us to execute the will of God faithfully and courageously.
The most important matter is for us to achieve a state of harmony in our hearts and our being with the way of the Lord. This means that in all of our words, deeds and actions we must always proclaim the Lord and testify for His truth. If the Lord dwells in us, then our actions must profess Him and show that we are truly faithful to Him. In the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, we saw how there were tensions between the believers of Jewish and non-Jewish origins. And the tension is on the matter of whether the laws of Moses should be observed by the non-Jews as well.
Those laws, while centred on the Law of God, given through Moses, had many human additions and embellishment that were placed in, for the sake of the maintenance and preservation of the practices and customs of the Jews. Those who argued that the non-Jews had to also fulfill the entirety of the laws of Moses failed to see that truly, to be God’s followers and disciples, it would not be enough to just fulfill the outward application of the Law of God, but more importantly, is the conversion of our inner beings that we are truly the followers of God in all things.
Many of the laws of Moses deal with the purity of the exterior and appearances, and while these may be good, they often may distract us from the true goal, that is to be righteous and just in the presence of God, obeying His will and practicing our faith through real words, deeds and actions. That is why, St. Paul and the Apostles, led by St. Peter, eventually judged that the whole world does not have to observe the fullness of the laws of Moses, but as long as they do what is expected of them as the members of the Church of God and one of the faithful, then it would be enough.
Therefore, it is a good lesson for us, that we should not think of something big and beyond our means to do, as we live out our faith. But indeed we must begin with small and simple things, that in every small and little actions that we do, we must proclaim and glorify the Lord. Let us all therefore take small but concrete steps to change our lives for the better and walk more in the way of the Lord. May Almighty God be with us, guide us and strengthen us in our faith. God bless us all. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 15 : 1-8
Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the True Vine and My Father is the Vinegrower. If any of My branches does not bear fruit, He breaks it off; and He prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.”
“You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in Me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you do not remain in Me.”
“I am the Vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in Me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from Me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in Me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.”
“If you remain in Me and My words in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit : it is then that you become My disciples.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!
Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord.
The assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 15 : 1-6
Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Because of this there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. For Paul told the people to remain as they were when they became believers. Finally those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others to go up to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the Apostles and elders.
They were sent on their way by the Church. As they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters. On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the Apostles and the elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them.
Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. So the Apostles and elders met together to consider this matter.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we come together and witnessed how God was with the Apostles and the disciples as they went forth and spread the message of the Gospel and its Good News to the regions which have yet to hear the message, and the Church continued to grow at that time, despite opposition and persecution from the Jewish authorities and the Romans and local authorities alike.
There were challenges and trials facing the Apostles and all the other disciples who went to many places to spread the word of God. Jesus Himself had warned His disciples that this would happen to them, because of the opposition of the world that did not know Him and His ways. But God is with them, and He sent to His faithful ones the Helper, or the Advocate, that is the Holy Spirit, as aid and guide, to help them to overcome the mentioned challenges and difficulties.
The disciples took their duties and missions very seriously, and they walked on many paths to deliver the message of God’s truth to many nations. They did not mind or fear persecution, rejection or opposition because they knew that no matter what happens, Satan and his forces could not harm them, for God is with them and protecting them at all times. Satan, the prince of this world and ruler of all that is wicked can only harm the flesh but not the soul.
Thus, the Apostles, St. Paul and many other disciples rejoiced at the thought of having to suffer persecution for the sake of the Lord and in being rejected by the world, for this showed that they truly belonged to the Lord and not to the world, for the world does not know God and thus, what the Apostles had done is an aversion to it. And great is the reward of those who have walked in the path of righteousness and those who bring goodness to others around them by preaching and examples of faith.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings remind us that there are still many things that we can do as the members of His Church in this world. Much like the time of the Apostles, this world is still covered in darkness, and even worse that many who had once been faithful to the Lord are turning their backs against Him and betrayed Him for the many idols of this world.
There is always a need for faithful disciples to carry out and continue the works of the courageous and holy Apostles who first preached the Good News to the multitudes living in the darkness. We are all called by our baptism and therefore by our membership and shared responsibility in the Church of God, to be witnesses of the Good News of God through not just our words and preaching, but also through all our deeds and actions that make alive all that we have spoken in the Name of the Lord.
On this day, therefore, let us all sincerely and deeply reflect in our hearts, on whether we have done anything or if we have done enough to merit being called the children of God and a member of His Church. If we have not done enough, then perhaps it is time for us to do more, and devote ourselves more to the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ by loving our brethren more and showing mercy and compassion to all who need them.
May Almighty God be with us always and bless all of our dealings and works, that in all of them we may always be justified by them, and therefore be worthy to receive God’s salvation and the eternal life and true joy that He had promised all those who are faithful to Him. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White
John 14 : 27-31a
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you! I give you My peace; not as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled; do not be afraid. You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, but I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
“I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe. It is very little what I may still tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in Me that he can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the Father, and that I do what the Father has taught Me to do.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 21
All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o Lord, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your power.
That all may know of Your mighty deeds, Your reign and its glorious splendour. Your reign is from age to age; Your dominion endures from generation to generation.
Let my mouth speak in praise of the Lord, let every creature bless His Holy Name, forever and ever.
Liturgical Colour : White
Acts 14 : 19-28
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against them. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, leaving him for dead. But when his disciples gathered around him, he stood up and returned to the town. And the next day he left for Derbe with Barnabas.
After proclaiming the Gospel in that town and making many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and on to Antioch. They were strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, for they said, “We must go through many trials to enter the Kingdom of God.”
In each Church they appointed elders and, after praying and fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had placed their faith. Then they travelled through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. They preached the Word in Perga and went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been commended to God’s grace for the task they had now completed.
On their arrival they gathered the Church together and told them all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the non-Jews. They spent a fairly long time there with the disciples.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 