Holy Week of the Lord’s Passion

by

Friday, 10 April 2015 : Friday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 4 : 1-12

While Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captains of the Temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them. They were greatly disturbed because the Apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming that resurrection from the dead had been proved in the case of Jesus.

Since it was already evening, they arrested them and put them in custody until the following day. But despite this, many of those who heard the Message believed and their number increased to about five thousand. The next day, the Jewish leaders, elders and teachers of the Law assembled in Jerusalem. Annas, the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and all who were of the high priestly class were there.

They brought Peter and John before them and began to question them, “How did you do this? Whose Name did you use?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke up, “Leaders of the people! Elders! It is a fact that we are being examined today for a good deed done to a cripple. How was he healed? You and all the people of Israel must know that this man stands before you cured through the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarean. You had Him crucified, but God raised Him from the dead.”

“Jesus is the stone rejected by you the builders which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is no other Name given to humankind all over the world by which we may be saved.”

by

Thursday, 9 April 2015 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we all heard about how Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection from the dead, and how He dispelled their uncertainties and doubts, by proving that He is indeed the Risen Lord, the suffering Messiah who had been lifted up to glory, in fulfillment of all that the prophets had spoken about.

He is the fulfillment of God’s promise for a long time, and indeed what St. Peter and St. John had testified in front of the Council of the elders and the High Priests was a reminder of that fact, and how God had loved His people so much, even when the people refused to acknowledge Him or to follow Him. God has given so much for us, even when we have given Him so little or nothing, or even contempt in return.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Easter season, we are all reminded of the great mercy and forgiveness which our Lord had shown us, and which He will always show us and offer to us, for the sake of our salvation and redemption, destroying our sins and our iniquities which have barred our way to Him. And therefore, having been renewed in the Lord, we are worthy to receive the heavenly inheritance and great graces which have always been intended for us.

But this does not come about easily, brethren, for the salvation of the Lord does not require just passive waiting for God’s mercy or to think that no matter what we have done, God will surely forgive us. Forgiveness does not come about without repentance and sincere intention on our part so that we devote ourselves to sin no more and walk from then on always in the ways of God.

Just think about it, brethren, that if we profess to be faithful to the Lord our God, and in our actions we show otherwise, then would it not indeed be a great scandal, both in the eyes of God and men alike? Man cannot serve two masters, and indeed, we cannot both serve God and our desires. We cannot serve both God and Satan at the same time. We have to make a conscious and clear choice between the two.

Doubt, uncertainties, fears and all the things which the Apostles encountered, experienced and felt, are all human nature, and so was with the Pharisees, the elders, the chief priests and all who plotted against Jesus and condemned Him to be crucified. It was because of their inability to detach themselves from the desires and from the temptations of the world that they had committed such a great sin.

We have to remember, brothers and sisters, that all of us are sinners, and that there is no sin which has been counted beyond what God had borne upon Himself as He carried that cross to Calvary. Every single sin we committed, even the smallest ones had been taken up by Jesus, and through His death and His resurrection from the dead, He offered to us all the great opportunity and grace which God had promised to His people.

Therefore, as we continue to celebrate and rejoice through this blessed season of Easter, let us remember that we should try to keep ourselves as immaculate and pure as possible. Do not let evil desires and wickedness to affect us and corrupt us. It is very important that we should do as what is expected of us as the children of God. May Almighty God therefore bless us and guide us in all our ways. God be with us all forever. Amen.

by

Thursday, 9 April 2015 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 24 : 35-48

At that time, the two disciples from Emmaus told what had happened on the road to there, and how Jesus had made Himself known, when He broke bread with them.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood in their midst. He said to them, “Peace to you.” In their panic and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost, but He said to them, “Why are you upset, and how does such an idea cross your minds? Look at My hands and feet, and see that it is I Myself! Touch Me, and see for yourselves, for a ghost has no flesh and bones as I have!” As He said this, He showed His hands and feet.

In their joy they did not dare believe, and were still astonished; so He said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish. He took it, and ate it before them. Then Jesus said to them, “Remember the words I spoke to you when I was still with you : Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

And He 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.”

by

Thursday, 9 April 2015 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 8 : 2a and 5, 6-7, 8-9

O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your Name throughout the earth! What is man that You be mindful of him, the Son of Man, that You should care for Him?

Yet You made Him a little lower than the angels; You crowned Him with glory and honour and gave Him the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet.

Sheep and oxen without number and even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air,  the fish of the sea, and all that swim the paths of the ocean.

by

Thursday, 9 April 2015 : Thursday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 3 : 11-26

While the healed beggar clung to Peter and John, all the people, struck with astonishment, came running to them in Solomon’s Porch, as it was called. When Peter saw the people, he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if it was by some power or holiness of our own that we made this man walk?”

“The God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified His servant Jesus, whom you handed over to death and denied before Pilate, when even Pilate had decided to release Him. You rejected the Holy and Just One, and you insisted that a murderer be released to you.”

“You killed the Master of life, but God raised Him from the dead and we are witnesses to this. It is His Name, and faith in His Name, that has healed this man whom you see and recognise. The faith that comes through Jesus has given him wholeness in the presence of all of you.”

“Yet I know that you acted out of ignorance, as did your leaders. God has fulfilled in this way what He had foretold through all the prophets, that His Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out and the time of refreshment may come by the mercy of God, when He sends the Messiah appointed for you, Jesus. For He must remain in heaven until the time of the universal restoration which God spoke of long ago through His holy prophets.”

“Moses foretold this when he said : ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people; you shall listen to Him in all that He says to you. Whoever does not listen to that Prophet is to be cut off from among His people.'”

“In fact, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel onward, have announced the events of these days. You are the children of the prophets and heirs of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors when He said to Abraham : ‘All the families of the earth will be blessed through your descendant.'”

“It is to you first that God sends His servant; He raised Him to life to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

by

Wednesday, 8 April 2015 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to rejoice in the Easter season and through this octave or eight days of great joy for our Lord’s resurrection and triumph, we heard about the story of how Peter and John, our Lord’s Apostles, who healed the beggar who could not walk at the Temple, at the Name of Jesus. The beggar could walk again and the people were astonished.

And in the Gospel reading, we heard about the disciples of Jesus who encountered the Risen Lord on their way from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. They started with heavy heart, uncertainty and sorrow, when they left Jerusalem, bereft and without hope, having witnessed their supposed Lord and Saviour rejected by the people, condemned and died a criminal’s death on the cross.

But Jesus came into their midst and even though they did not realise it at first, and even though they did not recognise Him at first, and He healed the problems of their heart. He lifted up their spirit and encouraged them at heart with the words of the Scriptures made clear through His own words and teaching. It was like the moment when the veil of great darkness was torn apart and light gushes forth like a torrent, the moment of truth and hope which all of them had been waiting for.

And thus, this is also the essence of our celebration of this Easter. Easter is not just about rejoicing, partying and merrymaking without clear reason why we do so. Easter is truly about the moment of truth, where all lies and darkness fail, and the truth of our Lord’s salvation and love for us was made real through Jesus. This is the true joy, knowing that our Lord cares for us greatly, and He will not let us to fall into damnation, unless it is we ourselves who purposefully look for it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we heard today in the Scriptures are proofs of God’s love for us, and the healing He wanted to bring to all of us, the healing of the body, mind and spirit. And the most important of which is the healing of the spirit, and of the soul. For while external and physical afflictions and diseases may cause great discomfort and pain, they do not last forever, and there will indeed be a time when we all shall be free of those, but the effects of the illness and sickness of the soul, shall last forever if we are not vigilant.

The sickness of the soul is sin, and sin is a taint upon our otherwise immaculate soul. The pure and clean soul had been dirtied by the presence of sin, through our greed and human desires, through our pride and selfishness, and through the many acts we had committed which were not in accordance to the will and to the teachings of the Lord. These things distanced ourselves from God, and in time, they will bring about condemnation for us.

And that is why, all of us should realise that we still have the chance and opportunities given to us by the Lord, to change our ways and repent. If we accept fully His Laws and commandments, and committing ourselves to reject all forms of sin and wickedness, in our daily life and actions, then truly, we have hope. It is therefore, a reminder to all of us this Easter season, that we ought to conquer sin and wickedness in this time of grace, just as Christ had conquered death itself.

Let us take up this opportunity to renew and strengthen our faith to the Lord, and let us make real the renewal of our baptismal promises which we have just made on the Easter Sunday. Let us not be afraid anymore, or be uncertain in any way, for indeed our Lord had triumphed, and He shall bring us all healing and succour. Just as through His Name the beggar was healed, and just as the two disciples on their way to Emmaus were strengthened and healed in spirit, we too will receive the same healing and grace. God bless us all. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 8 April 2015 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 24 : 13-35

That same day, two followers of Jesus were going to Emmaus, a village seven miles from Jerusalem, and they talked about what had happened. While they were talking and arguing about what had happened, Jesus came up and walked with them, but their eyes were not able to recognise Him.

He asked, “What is it you are talking about?” The two stood still, looking sad. Then the one named Cleophas answered, “Why, it seems You are the only traveller to Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there these past few days.” And He asked, “What is it?”

They replied, “It is about Jesus of Nazareth. He was a Prophet, You know, mighty in word and deed before God and the people. But the chief priests and our rulers sentenced Him to death. They handed Him over to be crucified. We had hoped that He would redeem Israel.”

“It is now the third day since all this took place. It is also true that some women of our group have disturbed us. When they went to the tomb at dawn, they did not find His Body; and they came and told us that they had had a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive. Some of our people went to the tomb and found everything just as the women had said, but they did not find a Body in the tomb.”

He said to them, “How dull you are, how slow of understanding! Is the message of the prophets too difficult for you to understand? Is it not written that the Christ should suffer all this, and then enter His glory?” Then starting with Moses, and going through the prophets, He explained to them everything in the Scriptures concerning Himself.

As they drew near the village they were heading for, Jesus made as if to go farther. But they prevailed upon Him, “Stay with us, for night comes quickly. The day is now almost over.” So He went in to stay with them. When they were at table, He took the bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave each a piece.

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised Him; but He vanished out of their sight. And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts filled with ardent yearning when He was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures?” They immediately set out and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and their companions gathered together.

They were greeted by these words : “Yes, it is true, the Lord is risen! He has appeared to Simon!” Then the two told what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how Jesus had made Himself known, when He broke bread with them.

by

Wednesday, 8 April 2015 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 104 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds.

Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and be strong; seek His face always.

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the Lord our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

He remembers His covenant forever, His promise to a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the promise He swore to Isaac.

by

Wednesday, 8 April 2015 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 3 : 1-10

Once when Peter and John were going up to the Temple at three in the afternoon, the hour for prayer, a man crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day they would bring him and put him at the Temple gate called “Beautiful”; there he begged from those who entered the Temple.

When he saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple, he asked for alms. Then Peter with John at his side looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.” So he looked at them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you : In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, walk!”

Then he took the beggar by his right hand and helped him up. At once his feet and ankles became firm, and jumping up he stood on his feet and began to walk. And he went with them into the Temple walking and leaping and praising God.

All the people saw him walking and praising God; they recognised him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and they were all astonished and amazed at what had happened to him.

by

Tuesday, 7 April 2015 : Tuesday within Easter Octave, Memorial of St. John Baptist de La Salle, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard two stories from the Scriptures. Our first reading, the reading from the Acts of the Apostles showed us how the Church of God was born, through the testimony which Peter showed the people in Jerusalem at the time of the Pentecost, and converted three thousand people who gave themselves to be baptised.

And in the Gospel from the Gospel according to St. John, we heard about the story of how Mary Magdalene, the faithful woman who was among the chief female disciples of Jesus, who grieved because she thought someone had stolen the body of Jesus, only for Jesus Himself to show Himself to her, as a proof that His body was not lost or stolen, but instead He had risen in glory, in Body and Spirit, just as the prophets had foretold about Him.

All these showed us that while once we were unsure of what is to become of us, and while we were once sorrowful and grieving because of our sins and wickedness, but because Christ is risen from the dead, we can rejoice once again, because we now know that death does not have the final say over us. We have no need to fear death, because death is just the beginning of a new life filled with joy and happiness with God, and not the end.

Through baptism, we have died to our old selves, our sinful past and our wicked nature, and we have been brought into a new life founded upon the Law and precepts of the Lord. Through baptism we have shared in the death of our Lord Jesus, cast away all of the impurities of our old selves, and then share in the resurrection of our Lord, reborn anew in a body of grace and filled with the light of God.

But one thing we cannot forget is that, while we all have been saved and made whole, there are many others who are still left behind in the darkness, and many of them do not know the way to go in order to reach the Lord their God. Thus they remain lost in the darkness, condemned and forsaken. Many remained lost and many have not yet heard the Good News of our Lord and His truth. Many remains unloved and uncared for, even rejected by the society for their sins.

Today we celebrate the feast day of St. John Baptist de la Salle, a French priest who lived a few hundred years ago, who was the founder of the order of the Brothers of Christian Schools, missionaries and people dedicated to the service of God and His people, especially in the field of Catholic education, educating countless masses and people throughout the world.

St. John Baptist de la Salle was from a privileged background and had a wonderful career as a priest and canon of the Cathedral of Rheims, a well-respected position and assured career, but he heard a higher call and decided that there was still so many things he could do in order to help all those people who were poor, lowest and least in the society, many of whom have not been saved due to their sins and wickedness.

And by what he had started then, many people and many souls had been saved from the brink of disaster, rescued from the darkness and brought into the light. We too should follow in his footsteps and realise how much we can do in order to change the fate of so many others around us. We cannot be apathetic to their cause, for we are all brethren in the same Lord.

And did the Lord Jesus not command His disciples to spread the Good News of salvation to all of the world? Yes, this He did, and it is therefore, our duty and obligation, for us to preach the Good News of God and carry it far and wide. Thus, let us make this Easter more meaningful by using it to deepen our faith and devotion, through real action in bringing the Good News of God to those who have yet heard it, so that they too may be saved. God bless us all. Amen.