holy apostles

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Monday, 28 October 2024 : Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the great Feast of not just one but two of the Lord’s Twelve Holy Apostles, namely that of St. Simon the Apostle and also St. Jude the Apostle. St. Simon the Apostle was also known as Simon the Zealot, and was a member of the radical Zealots who were very much opposed to the Romans and their rule and occupation of the lands of the Jewish people at the time. Meanwhile, St. Jude the Apostle should not be confused with the traitor Judas Iscariot, as he is also known as Judas Thaddeus or Jude Thaddeus. Sometimes this St. Jude the Apostle is also identified by some Church historians and scholars with Jude, one of the relatives of the Lord. Both of these Apostles had extensive work and ministry after the Lord commissioned and sent them during His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven.

First of all, let us all look through the Scripture passages which we have heard and receive today, reflecting and pondering upon the messages and words that the Lord wants to remind us all as His followers and disciples. In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard of the Apostle telling the faithful there about how they have all been made parts of the Church of God, becoming God’s holy people, having been called and chosen from the world to be truly beloved and holy in Him, and tofo share together the mission that God has entrusted to His Church, because all of them are part of this same one Church of God, as we all are as well. Too us all of us, God has entrusted the same missions which He has entrusted to His Apostles and His Church.

In this Epistle, all of us as the disciples and followers of the Lord, we are all reminded that we are all as parts of the one Church of God have been made to be the Temples and Houses of God’s Holy Presence, as the Lord Himself has come into our midst, dwelling in us and giving us all the gift of His Holy Spirit, and through Him coming into us and dwelling within us, each and every one of us should always remember to keep ourselves truly holy and worthy of God by our actions and deeds, our contributions and efforts that mark as truly as those whom God had called and chosen. If we are idle in living our lives as Christians and if we do not do what we can do in order to follow the Lord and obey His commandments, then how can we be worthy part of the Temple of God, this one Church of God that is His Body?

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the Lord calling His Apostles, choosing the Twelve of them from among all of His disciples, and which St. Luke introduced each by their names, including that of St. Simon and St. Jude whose feasts we are celebrating today. We heard how the Lord chose them to continue His works and to extend whatever He has been doing in our midst, reaching out to the people of God, healing those who are sick and troubled, proclaiming the Good News of God to those who have not yet heard them, and to prepare the way for the Lord, to reach out to the people and to bring them to God. And through these actions that the Lord Himself had done, He has shown by His own examples, what each and every one of us as Christians should be doing in our own lives.

Linking to what we have heard and discussed earlier today in our first reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians, this is therefore what each and every one of us as Christians need to do in order for us to do what God had entrusted to us to do, to commit ourselves wholeheartedly and to do His will, to show His love, compassion and kindness manifested through our own exemplary lives and actions, by each and every one of our loving actions towards our fellow brothers and sisters around us. All of us as Christians must always practice and show the love of God and embody His Good News and truth in everything that we say and do, in every opportunities and occasions, and that is how we take part in the efforts and works of the Church, which the Apostles had begun and which all of us ought to continue and carry on.

And now, after having discussed and discerned on the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, let us all discuss further about the lives of the two Apostles whose feast we all celebrate today. St. Simon the Apostle as mentioned was a member of the radical Zealots who often attacked and sabotaged the Roman rule in Judea and Galilee, and he was likely part of this efforts and uprisings before he came to know of the Lord and became His follower. After he followed the Lord, it was likely that he was no longer involved in the activities of the Zealots, and gave himself wholly to the service and cause of the Lord, and after the Lord has risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven, he together with the other Apostles, strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit, went to proclaim the Lord in many places and regions.

St. Simon the Apostle according to Church history and tradition went to various places all around Judea and Galilee in the Holy Land, as well as further regions like Lebanon and Armenia, Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as traditions that showed that he was also involved in ministry and evangelisation in areas even further like Africa and Britain, where he likely encountered many people who have not yet known the Lord in very distant places, and he brought the seeds of Christian faith to all those people, telling them of the salvation and eternal life that Christ has offered and reassured them with, and which St. Simon himself had heard and witnessed. Eventually, like most of the other Apostles and the early disciples of the Lord, he was persecuted and martyred in Georgia in the Caucasus, during one of his missionary trips.

Meanwhile, St. Jude the Apostle, also known as St. Jude Thaddeus as mentioned, had different stories and legends depending on who he was associated with in history. He was known either as St. Jude of James or son of James in the Gospel of St. Luke today and in the Acts of the Apostles also written by St. Luke, or as the brother or relative of the Lord as mentioned. Nonetheless, regardless of the actual identity of the St. Jude we honour and celebrate today, he went to many regions to proclaim the Lord and His Good News, travelling all throughout the regions of Judea, Samaria and Idumaea around Jerusalem, preaching among the Jews and Gentiles alike, and also further afield in Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya, travelling to those places and bringing the Good News of God to many people.

St. Jude was credited as one of the first missionaries to bring the Christian faith and teachings to the region now known as Armenia, where he revealed the Good News of Christ to many of the people in the region, many centuries before Armenia was to become the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as the official faith. Eventually, like St. Simon the Apostle and the many other Apostles and disciples of his time, St. Jude the Apostle was persecuted and eventually martyred in the region of Beirut in what is today part of Lebanon. According to one tradition, it was also where St. Simon the Apostle was martyred, and why they were usually celebrated together. Regardless, the commitment and dedication that St. Jude the Apostle showed, with that of St. Simon the Apostle should serve as good example and inspiration for all of us to follow in our own life as Christians.should serve as great inspiration for all of us to follow in our own lives as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have listened through the life and examples of St. Simon the Apostle and St. Jude the Apostle, their commitments to God and their dedication in proclaiming His Good News and truth, let us all realise that we are all also part of this same Church of God, entrusted with the same mission to do God’s will and to proclaim Him faithfully at all times, in our various groups and communities and among everyone that we have encountered daily in our lives. May all of us continue to exhibit the strong faith, dedication and commitment like what St. Simon and St. Jude, holy Apostles of the Lord have shown us. And may the Lord continue to bless us in our every good and faithful works, endeavours and efforts, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Monday, 28 October 2024 : Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Luke 6 : 12-19

At that time, Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God. When day came, He called His disciples to Him, and chose Twelve of them, whom He called ‘Apostles’ : Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.

Coming down the hill with them, Jesus stood in an open plain. Many of His disciples were there, and a large crowd of people, who had come from all parts of Judea and Jerusalem, and from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. They gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. And people troubled by unclean spirits were cured.

The entire crowd tried to touch Him, because of the power that went out from Him and healed them all.

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Monday, 28 October 2024 : Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

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Monday, 28 October 2024 : Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Ephesians 2 : 19-22

Now, you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow citizens of the holy people : you are of the household of God. You are the house, whose foundations are the Apostles and prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In Him, the whole structure is joined together, and rises, to be a holy Temple, in the Lord.

In Him, you, too, are being built, to become the spiritual Sanctuary of God.

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Monday, 7 October 2024 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 1 : 12-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen minute walk away. On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

All of these, together, gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women, and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

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Wednesday, 25 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 9 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus called His Twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to drive out all evil spirits and to heal diseases. And He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He instructed them, “Do not take anything for the journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even take a spare tunic.”

“Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. And wherever they do not welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet : it will be as a testimony against them.”

So they set out, and went through the villages, proclaiming the Good News and healing people everywhere.

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Tuesday, 10 September 2024 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 12-19

At that time, Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God. When day came, He called His disciples to Him, and chose Twelve of them, whom He called ‘Apostles’ : Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.

Coming down the hill with them, Jesus stood in an open plain. Many of His disciples were there, and a large crowd of people, who had come from all parts of Judea and Jerusalem, and from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. They gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. And people troubled by unclean spirits were cured.

The entire crowd tried to touch Him, because of the power that went out from Him and healed them all.

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Saturday, 24 August 2024 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of one of the Twelve Holy Apostles of the Lord, namely that of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. The name Bartholomew had its origin from the patronymic name, Bar-Tholomew, indicating that this St. Bartholomew was the son of someone named Tholomew, Tholomaios or Talmai. In the Scriptures and Apostolic tradition, he was also known and associated with Nathanael, as we all heard his story today from the Gospel according to St. John. Regardless of his actual name, on whether it is Bartholomew or Nathanael, or whether it is Nathanael bar Talmai/Ptolemy or Nathanael son of Talmai/Ptolemy as some Biblical scholars proposed, what matters is that this faithful servant of God has lived his life in commitment to God and has done many wonderful deeds in His service.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John about the vision of St. John the Apostle who saw the vision of the great city of New Jerusalem, the City of God that has come down from Heaven. This vision of the heavenly and new Jerusalem is the symbol of the coming of the eternal Kingdom of God, the restoration of everything that had fallen into disarray by our disobedience and sins. Everything would be restored to how God had intended it to be at the beginning of time and creation. God had always meant for us all to enjoy the fullness of His love and grace, to share in everything that He had created and prepared for us, the eternal joy and happiness which He has meant for us to have with us. And St. John saw the vision of the twelve gates of the city decorated richly with precious stones, with the names of the Twelve Apostles written on them.

From what we have heard in this account of the heavenly vision of St. John the Apostle, we heard of the ultimate destination which we all have in our lives, that is to be reunited completely and fully with God, with our loving Father and Creator. The heavenly and new Jerusalem present at the end of time, after all the tribulations, trials and sufferings which St. John witnessed in his visions, showed us all the end of all of our journeys and hardships, as we endure all those in our path to seek God’s salvation and to be reunited with Him. We must not give up easily on this journey, as in the end, all of us will have a share in the eternal glory of God, and we are meant to live and exist with Him in an eternity of joy, free from all hardships and sufferings. The Apostles themselves have also received this same assurance, and they would indeed be the ones by the side of the Lord, honoured greatly as the pillars of His Church.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus called the person named Nathanael to Him, and when He convinced this same Nathanael to join Him in His mission to the people of Israel. As mentioned earlier, this Nathanael is likely the same as Bartholomew, by his patronymic ‘son of Talmai or Ptolemy’, and this Nathanael was a rather wise and learned man, as someone who was knowledgeable in the Scriptures and the prophets. When it was mentioned that the Lord Jesus hailed from the area of Galilee, Nathanael knew that no prophet or great man would come from that region, showing his knowledge and understanding of the prophets and the Scriptures, but he did not know that the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea just as the prophets had prophesied about Him and His coming.

The Lord then told Nathanael that He knew of what he was doing and where he was, a truly supernatural experience and ability which convinced Nathanael that the Lord Jesus was truly the One Whom the prophets and the Scriptures had predicted, the Messiah or the Saviour of the whole world. He told them that he and the other Apostles would see even more great and wonderful things, all the signs and wonders that He would perform before them, and ultimately, in the end of their respective journeys, they would be among the first to experience the beatific vision of Heaven, of the Angels of God glorifying the Lord, the One Whom St. Bartholomew himself had seen, witnessed and interacted with. His faith and commitment to the Lord would truly be rewarded by the Lord, and they would share in the glory of their Lord and Master just as St. John had seen and shared with us.

St. Bartholomew according to the Apostolic traditions would go on to carry out the mission which had been entrusted to him by the Lord after He has accomplished His works, His Passion and death, and after He has risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven. St. Bartholomew went on missionary journeys to many places, such as Mesopotamia, Parthia, Armenia, Lycaonia, Ethiopia and even as far as India. He worked tirelessly to proclaim the word of God to those places, ministering to the people of God and proclaiming God and His truth to many more people who have not yet known Him. St. Bartholomew spent his life to do whatever he could to evangelise the truth of God to more people, committing himself to the service of God.

According to Apostolic tradition, St. Bartholomew went to Armenia where he managed to convert Polymius, the local Armenian king, who became a Christian. This resulted in the riot and rebellion from the local pagan population, which led to the king’s brother to order the arrest, torture and execution of St. Bartholomew. Yet another related and popular tradition stated that St. Bartholomew was martyred in the nearby region of what is today Azerbaijan, where he was skinned alive and then beheaded. Regardless of the details of the sufferings and martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, what was clear is that he has truly devoted himself to the service of God, proclaiming His truth and Good News to the far ends of the world, suffering many things amidst his efforts and works, not fearing the persecutions, oppressions and tribulations that he had to face in the midst of doing so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of St. Bartholomew the Apostle and remember that each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we have the shared responsibilities to continue the good works and ministry which the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, our predecessors have started. We should continue to do our best in whatever opportunities that have been given to us so that we may always be exemplary and good role models for our fellow brethren, and that our whole lives may truly shine with God’s ever present and wonderful light. May God continue to empower and bless us all in all of our endeavours, and may St. Bartholomew, Holy Apostle of the Lord continue to intercede and pray for us sinners still struggling and persevering daily in this world today. Amen.

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Saturday, 24 August 2024 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 1 : 45-51

At that time, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets : He is Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, He said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked Him, “How do You know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.”

Nathanael answered, “Master, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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Saturday, 24 August 2024 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 17-18

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.

Righteous is YHVH in all His ways, His mercy shows in all His deeds. He is near those who call on Him, who call trustfully upon His Name.