Mary Help of Christians

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church commemorates in particular the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians and also Our Lady of Sheshan, the popular Marian site in Shanghai region of China, remembering in particular the persecution of Christians, our fellow brothers and sisters in faith throughout the world, but more especially so in the Church in China, where persecutions still often happen daily and where Christians are still being persecuted for their faith and belief in Christ, just it has also happened elsewhere in the world as well. We remember these brethren of ours in our prayers today and ask the intercession of Mary, the Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan so that her prayers and intercession may move the Lord to intervene on their behalf and protect them in their struggles and trials.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles we heard of the continuation of the works that St. Paul carried out in the ministry of the Word of God, in proclaiming the Good News and works of the Lord to the people in various places, as he went from one place to another in spreading the truth of God, gaining more and more followers and disciples day after day, as the Church kept on growing in each and every efforts that the Apostles and the other missionaries undertook in their good works in the Lord. This is a reminder for all of us that we must be ready to continue the works of the Apostles, which they had begun and which still continued on even to this very present day, as they carried on proclaiming the Good News of the Lord to more and more people they encountered in their journey.

This is also a reminder that the primary mission of the Church is indeed one of evangelisation, of the mission which the Lord Himself had entrusted to His Church through His disciples in the Great Commission, that is the command for all the faithful disciples and followers of the Lord to go forth to all the people of all the nations, and to proclaim therefore the Good News of the Lord, and to baptise all of them in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, gathering all the scattered lost children of God, the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock to the one united Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. This is the mission which all of us are sharing in the Church and which we should courageously and devotedly carry out in each and every opportunities presented to us.

Therefore, this is why we should continue to do the works that the Lord has entrusted to each and every one of us in whatever capacities and opportunities that He had presented to us. We should always be courageous in living our lives in the most Christ-like way, in doing our best to glorify the Lord by our exemplary lives and actions. All of us should make good use of the time, opportunities and blessings that He has granted to us so that by our commitment and works, we may truly be His faithful disciples and followers, spreading the truth and Good News of God to more and more people we encounter in each and every moments, leading more and more people and souls towards the Lord, our most loving God and Father. We have to continue to commit ourselves to these good works even amidst persecutions and hardships in our journey.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples of the reality of them following Him and the kind of difficulties, hardships and persecutions that they might have to endure in their ministry and journey as Christians, as the disciples and followers of His in the world. And the Lord told them that just as He has been persecuted and faced all sorts of challenges and difficulties, therefore the world would also persecuted all those who follow in the Lord’s path and all those who carry out His works. This is something that we must keep in mind especially if we think that following Christ our Lord will be something that is enjoyable, smooth-sailing and easy, as the reality will hit us as being otherwise.

Yet, at the same time, the Lord also reassured His disciples, and therefore all of us because we do not suffer all those sufferings and persecutions alone, as He is always there carrying the Cross with us, by our side, providing for us and not leaving us all alone. And His Blessed Mother, the Help of Christians, Our Lady of Sheshan is always by our side as well, just as she has faithfully walked by the side of her Son during His Passion and sufferings, on the Way of the Cross to His Crucifixion. That is why we should put our trust in the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, who will always pray for us on our behalf, asking her Son by His Throne in Heaven, to be moved to our plight, sufferings and difficulties. We will never be found wanting or alone, abandoned or without anyone to listen to us, as our prayers are very well heard by the Lord Himself and also through His Blessed Mother.

Let us all offer our prayers today, asking for the Blessed Mother of God, Our Lady of Sheshan and Help of Christians to help and provide for us in the hour of our need, and in particular we pray for all those people who have been persecuted for their faith, our own brothers and sisters, who have endured lots of sufferings and hardships in living their faith daily, especially keeping in mind our brethren who are still suffering and being persecuted in the Church in China, where there are still sporadic persecutions facing the faithful, as the government there tried to put the Church and the local faithful community under their control. But the Lord was always with them and all of us, and He has given us all His own Mother to be our guide and support as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do our best in our various capacities and opportunities provided to us as Christians so that in our every moments in life and in each and every one of our encounters and efforts, we will always be full of faith and love in Christ our Lord, and show this faith we have by our good examples, commitment and dedication. Let us all therefore be the shining examples and role models for our fellow brethren all around us, showing the path for all to reach the Lord, Our Saviour and King. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 18-21

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that the world hated Me before you. This would not be so if you belonged to the world, because the world loves its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you from the world; because of this the world hates you.”

“Remember what I told you : the servant is not greater than his master; if they persecuted Me, they will persecute you, too. If they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. All this they will do to you for the sake of My Name, because they do not know the One Who sent Me.”

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 99 : 2, 3, 5

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God; He created us and we are His people, the sheep of His fold.

For the Lord is good; His love lasts forever and His faithfulness through all generations.

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 16 : 1-10

Paul travelled on to Derbe and then to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy lived there, whose mother was a believer of Jewish origin but whose father was a Greek. As the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him, Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. So he took him and, because of the Jews of that place who all knew that his father was a Greek, he circumcised him.

As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, for the people to obey. Meanwhile, the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number every day.

They travelled through Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

There one night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and begged him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” When he awoke, he told us of this vision and we understood that the Lord was calling us to give the Good News to the Macedonian people.

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Friday, 24 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to remember once again the Law and commandments of the Lord, and our obligations and responsibilities as Christians in obeying God’s will and in doing what the Lord had entrusted to us and what He had taught us to do. Each and every one of us as Christians must always strive to be truly committed to God in all of our words, actions and deeds, to be great role models and inspirations for one another in the way and the manner that we live our lives, so that by our great examples in life and by our worthy way of life, we may truly embody what believe in as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle in which the Apostle continued with his exhortations to the faithful people of God, as part of his reminders to all of them not to live their lives following the wicked ways and temptations of the world, all of which could lead them astray and prevent them from attaining true happiness, joy and salvation in the Lord. All those worldly temptations and glory, fame and pleasures of the world, the pleasures of the flesh and all sorts of gratification and corruption all may lead us down the slippery slope into the path of sin and evil, out of which we may find it quite difficult to escape. Many of our predecessors had been tempted such and fell away from the path of God’s righteousness and grace.

That was why St. James told the faithful to be truly genuine in their faith, and to be truly committed to God. They should no longer be idle in their faith but be truly committed to God in all things, in everything that they all say and do, so that by their lives, the truth and glory of God may indeed be revealed to all. The Lord has called on all of His beloved people, His followers and disciples to be the bearers of His truth and Good News, and the best way for us to do this and to proclaim the Lord, His Good News and truth is to practice our faith in our everyday living, in our every actions, words, deeds, interactions with one another, down to the smallest things we say and do in each and every moments of our existence. That is our calling and responsibility as Christians.

And St. James in particular made a point in his Epistle, that our faith has to be made alive through our concrete actions and works, for faith that is without works is dead. We are all justified by our faith in the Lord, but this faith cannot be one that is lacking in genuine commitment, love and actions, grounded and based upon the faith that we have in the Lord. Otherwise, if we do not act in the manner that our faith has called us to be like, and if we worse still commit things that are in opposition and contradictory to the Law of God, to His will and commandments, then essentially we are hypocrites, who profess this faith in God, and yet we do not live up to our faith as we should have. This kind of faith is dead, and will not lead us into eternal life and salvation. We must remember that our baptism is not the end of the road but rather the beginning of a new life in Christ, a new journey that is complete with its various trials and challenges.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark where the Lord was in a deep discussion with the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were debating about the matter of marriage and divorce according to the Law of Moses. We heard how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law tested and debated the Lord on the matter of marriage and divorce, because according to the Law of God revealed through Moses and the commandments and laws provided with it, divorce was allowed as long as the necessary proceedings were done. But the Lord rebuked those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, telling them all that they had essentially twisted the purpose, meaning and intention of the Law. What Moses did in making compromises at that time to accommodate the stubbornness of the Israelites had become an excuse for the people of God to disobey God by using the technicalities of the Law.

Essentially, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord Jesus wanted to remind not just the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, but also all of us as Christians, that we all should not end up being superficial in our faith, but rather we must truly be genuine in believing everything that the Lord has taught us. Many among the Pharisees at that time had become too legalistic and literal in their interpretation and application of the Law of God, choosing to focus on the details and rituals involved in the Law and the customs of the people of God, but forgetting why those laws and customs were made in the first place. It is again like those who profess to believe in something and yet act in a different manner, which is why the Lord Jesus often criticised many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law as hypocrites. As Christians, we must remember that our every actions and commitments are important in ensuring that we truly are living our lives with true and living, genuine and vibrant faith in God.

Today, the Church celebrates the event of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians, as well as Our Lady of Sheshan, who is the celebrated form of Mary Help of Christians popularised by the pilgrim site of Sheshan Basilica in the area of Shanghai. This site of Sheshan Basilica today, also known as the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, was built where the early Christian missionaries established themselves in China during the time when China began to open itself to the outside world after years of severely restricting the activities of Christian missionaries. About a century and a half ago, Catholic missionaries began working in and around Shanghai area, where there was a rapidly growing Catholic community owing to the foreign settlement in Shanghai.

Jesuit missionaries built the church in that area to serve as a focal point of the missionary efforts, and to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary for her protection from the tumultuous events, conflicts and wars that happened at the time due to the Taiping Rebellion and other hardships facing the Christian faithful in the region. Thus, the Church was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Our Lady of Sheshan in thanksgiving for her patronage and protection of the missionaries and the faithful people of God from harm. Thus the devotion to Our Lady of Sheshan began and many more people would flock to this Basilica in the years and decades to come. And at the same time, for those period, the Church and the Christian faithful continued to face lots of obstacles and hardships, persecutions and challenges.

That is why today in particular we remember first of all the Catholic Church in China, which had been under a lot of persecutions and trials in the past few decades, facing threats to its existence and also persecution from the officials and government who wanted to take over and control the Church and all the faithful, even to the extent of separating the Church from the greater Communion with the Universal Church by operating under close supervision and attachment to the communist and officially atheistic government. All these had led to a lot of grievances to the Church and the faithful people of God in China over these many years, and yet, many if not most of the members of the Church of God in China still continued to be faithful and dedicated to the Lord regardless of the sufferings that they would have to face.

Throughout the world, there are also many challenges and trials that our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord have to experience in each and every moments of their lives. If we are able to celebrate our faith and live our lives as Christians openly and freely, then we must consider ourselves very fortunate as there are many places where to be Christians, as it was in the past and now in the present world, may include hardships and sufferings, and there are also many who has to brave through dangers and even martyrdom in order to be able to worship the Lord and to proclaim Him in their communities and groups. And yet, our faithful brothers and sisters persevered on and they continued to hold on to their faith in God despite the challenges facing them.

Hence, brothers and sisters in Christ, inspired by the great examples of our brothers and sisters who have to go through great trials and hardships to faithful to God, let us all strive to be truly faithful to the Lord in our own lives. Let us all not be merely faithful on the exterior but dead in faith on the inside. Let us all live our lives worthily and faithfully in the manner how we have believed in the Lord, proclaiming the glory of God and revealing His truth and Good News to all the people through our own exemplary and faithful lives. May the Lord bless us all and our every good efforts and endeavours, and may His Blessed Mother, Mary, Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, continue to intercede for us all, her beloved children, especially for those who suffer daily in living up to their Christian faith and missions. Amen.

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Friday, 24 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan)

Mark 10 : 1-12

At that time, Jesus then left that place and went to the province of Judea, beyond the Jordan River. Once more crowds gathered around Him and once more He taught them as He always did. Some (Pharisees came and) put Him to the test with this question, “Is it right for a husband to divorce his wife?”

He replied, “What law did Moses give you?” They answered, “Moses allowed us to write a certificate of dismissal in order to divorce.” Then Jesus said to them, “Moses wrote this law for you, because you are stubborn. But in the beginning of creation God made them male and female, and because of this, man has to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body. So they are no longer two but one body. Therefore let no one separate what God has joined.”

When they were indoors at home, the disciples again asked Him about this, and He told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against his wife, and the woman who divorces her husband and marries another also commits adultery.”

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Friday, 24 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger; He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

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Friday, 24 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan)

James 5 : 9-12

Beloved, do not fight among yourselves and you will not be judged. See, the Judge is already at the door. Take for yourselves, as an example of patience, the suffering of the prophets, who spoke in the Lord’s Name. See how those who were patient are called blessed. You have heard of the patience of Job and know how the Lord dealt with him in the end. For the Lord is merciful and shows compassion.

Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth, or make a habit of swearing. Let your yes be yes and your no be no, lest you become liable for judgment.

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Wednesday, 24 May 2023 : 7th Week of Easter, World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church marks the occasion of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians and also the Feast of Our Lady of Sheshan in China. On this day in particular therefore we remember all the faithful people of God all around the world who have been facing persecutions and oppressions, hardships and trials in remaining true to their faith in the Lord, in all that they have to endure as those who have embraced the salvation and the hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we ought to support one another such that we will not easily fall into despair and losing faith in God, and then falling into the wrong path in life. We must remind ourselves that none of us are ever alone in our journey and struggle of faith as Christians, because the Lord is ever always by our side, and He will never abandon us no matter what. We also have our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, some of whom may even have suffered more than us.

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.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us have to realise that sufferings, hardships and persecutions of the Church still continue even right up to this day. There are still areas and places where being Christians is a difficult situation and condition, and not just that, but they even were actively persecuted and some even faced death threats and not few were martyred for being followers of Christ. One of such places is the region of Mainland China, which had endured for over seven decades of constant government intervention into their faith, belief and Church governance, and there had been a lot of hardships and challenges faced by the faithful people of God in that place, as they were torn between obedience to the Universal Church and its laws, with the ever increasing control from the officially Communist government that was hostile against the true expressions of the Christian faith.

That is why today, we also mark the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, as we remember our brothers and sisters who are currently suffering and enduring hardships in China, who had to face difficulties and challenges in living their Christian lives and in being true to the full expression of their Christian faith. We pray for all of them and reminding ourselves that we are all part of the same One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. All of us are part of this indivisible and united Church, that is truly Universal in nature, and that is why it is important that we should support and pray for our brethren in trouble whenever we can. We should remember those who are less fortunate than us, those who did not have it easy like us who may be having better days and moments in living our lives as Christians and in expressing ourselves in our faith.

Let us also remember all the others all around the world who are also perhaps facing hardships and challenges, difficulties and other things in life for being Christians, that is for believing in the Lord and His truth. Let us all support one another as parts and members of the one united Church of God, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. May the Lord continue to bless us all and guide us, and be with us all His Church, at all times. May He empower all of us to remain firm in our faith, despite the many trials, challenges and hardships facing us, so that our lives and actions, everything we say and do will always reflect our Christian faith and beliefs, that many others may also be inspired to follow after us in following God’s path as well. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 May 2023 : 7th Week of Easter, World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan (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.”