Saturday

by

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.

by

Saturday, 17 May 2025 : 4th 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, and as we continue to progress through this joyful time and season of Easter, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to continue proclaiming and revealing the truth of God to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, as part of our Christian calling and mission, in whatever way and areas that we have been entrusted and called to, in our various vocations in life as parts and members of God’s Church. We must always do the works of the Lord which we have been given, to the best of our abilities so that hopefully through our labours and works, many people may come to the salvation in God through us. As Christians, all of us should be the reflection of God’s light and hope, His hope and compassion, at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles where St. Paul and St. Barnabas were ministering to the people in the region of Pisidia, where St. Paul had earlier on spoken in the local synagogue to the members of the Jewish diaspora community. St. Paul and St. Barnabas reached out to the members of the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles because many among the Jews themselves were unwilling to listen to what they had brought to them, and some of them sided with the Pharisees on their opposition against the ways and teachings of Jesus, that is the Christian faith. But St. Paul and St. Barnabas continued God’s works and chose to minister to the Gentiles, some of whom were willing to accept God’s words and truth, and as we heard, some among the Gentiles believed in God because of this.

Of course as we have also heard, that St. Paul and St. Barnabas did not have it easy, as they had to face opposition from those who were annoyed at their works, from some among the Jewish community and from others that were against their evangelisation mission. And we heard how due to the plotting of their enemies, the ruckus and problems caused, St. Paul and St. Barnabas were forced to leave the region. Yet, their presence and works there were not in vain, as they had indeed managed to plant the seeds of faith among the people, both among the Jews and the Gentiles alike. And this would become the foundation of the Church and the community of the faithful in those areas in the future, as how it had happened in the places where the Apostles had encountered more successes too.

This is a reminder for all of us, once again, that God’s grace and salvation, His favour and blessings are given freely and generously to everyone, regardless whatever background or origins one may have, or whatever race or identity one belongs to. All of us mankind are truly beloved by God, Who has always loved us all from the very beginning, from when He created us, each and every one of us. After all, God did not create us only to destroy us afterwards, because He created us all out of love and also He wants us all to share in His love. Hence, that was why through His Son and through the Apostles and their successors, the Lord has reached out to us in this manner, that is to call us back to His Presence and to live wonderfully in our faith in God.

In our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, as we heard the interaction between the Lord and His disciples, with Him telling the disciples of the relationship that He, as the Son, had with His heavenly Father, all of us are reminded of the love of God that had been manifested in our midst through the incarnation of the Son of God in the flesh, Christ Himself Who made God’s love to become tangible, approachable and real before all of us. And the Lord Jesus as the obedient Son has come into this world to carry out everything that the Father had told Him to do, to bring all of the scattered people of God and to gather them all, bringing them once again into God’s Holy Presence and making them to be part of the same one flock of the Lord, the Church of God.

Through His obedience and commitment to His mission, all of us are reminded again today of the love which our God, our most loving Father and Creator has for us all. We are reminded just how loving He has been towards us that He extends His love through His Son so that He can reach out to us, loving us and showing us His compassion, soothing us and reassuring us of His company and presence even in the most difficult moments in our lives. And because of this, we should always strive and endeavour to love God first and foremost in our lives, to obey Him and to do His will at all times. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed easily by the many temptations present all around us, which may distract us from our attention and focus towards God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just heard from our Scripture passages today, reminding ourselves of the important responsibilities and opportunities that God had provided to all of us as Christians, that is as those whom He had called and chosen to be His own, to be the ones He sent into this world so that more and more people may come to know Him, to know of His love and truth. We should embrace what the Lord has entrusted to us and realise that our every efforts and contributions are important, as although our efforts may seem to be small and insignificant, but when all of these are combined together, plus the ripple effect of our good efforts may have, all these will amount to a huge impact on the world and everyone around us.

May the Risen Lord, our Saviour and King, continue to strengthen us all each day and help us so that we may continue to persevere through the many challenges, trials and hardships that we may encounter daily in life so that we do not end up easily giving up our faith in the Lord, and that we will always remain faithful in God no matter what happens. Let us all be good role models and inspirations, examples and guides for each other in faith, in how we live our lives each day and every moment. May God bless us in all of our good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

by

Saturday, 17 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 7-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you know Me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know Him, and you have seen Him.”

Philip asked Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.” Jesus said to him, “What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever sees Me sees the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?”

“All that I say to you, I do not say of Myself. The Father Who dwells in Me is doing His own work. Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do. Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in Me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father.”

“Everything you ask in My Name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon My Name, I will do it.”

by

Saturday, 17 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

by

Saturday, 17 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 44-52

The following Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to listen to Paul, who spoke a fairly long time about the Lord. But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose, with insults, whatever Paul said.

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying, “It was necessary, that God’s word be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it, and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we turn to non-Jewish people. For thus we were commanded by the Lord : I have set you as a light to the pagan nations, so that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Those who were not Jews rejoiced, when they heard this, and praised the message of the Lord; and all those, destined for everlasting life, believed in it. Thus the word spread, throughout the whole region. Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of the upper class, and the leading men of the city, as well, and stirred up an intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas.

Finally, they had them expelled from their region. The Apostles shook the dust from their feet, in protest against this people, and went to Iconium, leaving; the disciples, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this time and season of Easter, and as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly faithful to God and to put our trust in Him especially whenever we are faced with doubt and uncertainties in life. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by all those challenges and temptations that we end up losing our faith and focus in the Lord. Instead, we should continue to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord, committing ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to what the Lord has called us all to do in our own lives. Each and every one of us who are part of the Church of God have our own roles to play in the work of God’s salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard of the works of St. Peter the Apostle, who like the other Apostles were going around many places, visiting towns one after another to minister to the people of God in all those places. St. Peter performed many miracles and signs in his visits to the towns of Lydda and Joppa, healing the paralysed and bedridden man named Aeneas by the power of the Lord and through the man’s faith in God, and we have also heard how he raised the dead woman named Tabitha, who had been righteous and beloved by the community of the people for her loving actions to her fellow brethren around her. In both cases, we heard how God performed His wonderful works through St. Peter the Apostle to show His faithfulness to the promises which He had reassured them all.

By those signs and wonders, the Lord wanted to show His people just how He would always be with them, guiding them and being by their side. He would never abandon them to the darkness or to persecution and suffering alone by themselves. Those signs, the miracles and wonders showed that the power and the hands of the Lord were with His Church and His servants, strengthening both the Apostles, the disciples and the whole body of the faithful alike. The Lord never abandoned those whom He has loved, and He gave them all peace as mentioned in the same passage, after Saul the Pharisee, who had intensely persecuted the Church even miraculously and almost unbelievably turned over to the Christian faith himself, becoming a member of the Church and one of its greatest defenders in time.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the aftermath of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have heard in these past few days, where the Lord presented Himself fully and clearly before the people who listened to Him that He is truly the One Whom God had sent into our midst from Heaven, revealing the method by which He would do this. He would give all of them His Body and Blood to share and partake, to have Him as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven through which all of them would receive life from God, justification and liberation from their troubles and hardships. Through the giving of His own Precious Blood and Body, the Lord wants each and every one of us to be strengthened and empowered by His Presence in us, as with Him, truly there is no obstacle that is too great or too difficult to be overcome.

We should also keep our trust and faith in the Lord, even when things are not favourable for us. Often times in living our faith in our respective lives, we may encounter difficult and challenging moments, just as how the Lord Himself was abandoned and left by many of His followers who felt uncomfortable at the words that He had used in describing Himself as the Bread of Life, in how He would indeed give them all His own Most Precious Body and Blood to share and partake. Such a truth and reality was too hard for many among the disciples and followers of the Lord at the time to accept and embrace, and they chose to walk away from Him. But for us, should we do the same as well? Should we abandon the Lord and leave Him behind simply because what we believe in is something difficult for us to accept and embrace as well?

Today, the Church marks the Feast of St. John of Avila, a great and holy man of God, a truly inspiring example for all of us to follow in our own faith and life. He was born to a pious couple and was a pious young man himself dedicated to God since his youth. He eventually went through the priestly formation and became a priest, in which he dedicated his time and efforts to evangelise and inflame the hearts of the faithful, so much so that he was also known popularly as the ‘Apostle to Andalusia’. St. John of Avila worked hard in the many areas of Andalusia, and his sermons and works were always very well attended with packed churches and many flocking to listen to him. He was also critical of the debauchery and wickedness of the aristocracy and nobility, as well as the higher echelon of the Church, calling for reforms in their behaviour.

For all these, St. John of Avila did face obstacles and difficulties, and he was even imprisoned amidst those struggles. But all those things did not prevent or discourage this man of God from continuing to do his best for the Church and the faithful people of God. He continued with his ministry and works, and he was well-known with his numerous writings and works that still inspired many throughout the ages, right up to this very day. That was why after his passing, he was venerated by the people and was eventually canonised by Pope St. Paul VI in the year 1970, and very recently, in recognition for his many works of the matters of the faith, his writings and other inspirations, Pope Francis declared him to be one of the few Doctors of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples showed unto us by St. John of Avila and many others of our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to go forth in life proclaiming the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously, ever strengthened by His Real Presence in our midst, by our partaking of the Eucharist, that is the Lord Himself being truly present in our midst, giving us His strength, grace and love amidst the challenges and trials that we may have to face or endure in our daily living. Let us all therefore remain firmly faithful and committed to the Lord, now and always, and strive our best to do His will at all times. Amen.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 60-69

At that time, after the Jews heard Jesus, many of His followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”

Jesus was aware that His disciples were murmuring about this, and so He said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.”

From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray Him. So He added, “As I have told you, no one can come to Me unless it is granted by the Father.” After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed Him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?

Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 14-15, 16-17

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful.

O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 9 : 31-42

Meanwhile, the Church had peace. It was building up throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria with eyes turned to the Lord and filled with comfort from the Holy Spirit.

As Peter travelled around, he went to visit the saints who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralysed, and had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!”

And the man got up at once. All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. There was a disciple in Joppa named Tabitha, which means Dorcas or Gazelle. She was always doing good works and helping the poor. At that time she fell sick and died. After having washed her body, they laid her in the upstairs room.

As Lydda is near Joppa, the disciples, on hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter went with them. On his arrival they took him upstairs to the room. All the widows crowded around him in tears, showing him the clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Peter made them them all leave the room and then he knelt down and prayed. Turning to the dead body he said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

This became known throughout all of Joppa and many people believed in the Lord because of it.

by

Saturday, 3 May 2025 : Feast of St. Philip and St. James, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates not just one but two of the great Apostles of the Lord, two of the Twelve Apostles that the Lord had chosen to be His principal disciples and followers, the ones who belonged to His inner circle, those whom He had called and chosen to be the ones to continue to lead His works and all that He had entrusted to His Church. They are St. Philip and also St. James, the latter of which should not be confused with St. James the brother of St. John. The St. James that we are celebrating today is also known as St. James the Less, who was mentioned as such likely because of his smaller posture and not because of lesser in importance. Both of these great servants of God dedicated their lives to the Lord and did their best to carry out the missions entrusted to them.

First of all, let us look through our Scripture passages today before we delve into the lives and works of those two great Apostles. In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the region of Corinth, we heard of the testimony of faith by St. Paul himself who exhorted the people of God to share the faith which they have in God so that many more people may come to believe in Him as well, just as he shared how he himself had received the faith through encounter with the Lord and the other Apostles. Through what we have heard today in this passage from the Epistle to the Corinthians we are reminded that we should always be ready to proclaim our faith wherever we are and to whoever it is that we encounter in life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. In that account we heard the Lord Jesus interacting with His disciples who listened to Him teaching to them, and that was where St. Philip, whom we celebrate today, asked Him after He said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, for Him to show them the Father. The Lord then told the disciples that whenever they see Him, they had truly seen and known the Father, highlighting the special relationship between Him as the Son and the Heavenly Father. The Lord told them that since He came from the Father, and that He is indeed co-equal and co-eternal, consubstantial with the Father, therefore His Presence in their midst indeed shows the loving Presence of the Father, the Creator Lord Himself.

And this is why the Apostles, having witnessed the Lord Himself, being presented to them in the flesh, approachable and tangible to them, and having listened to the words and teachings of the Lord, the many miracles and signs that He has performed before them, they truly believed and had firm faith in the Lord. This firm and strong faith was what they passed on to the others around them, proclaiming the Risen Lord and His truth and Good News, touching the lives and hearts of many people, calling them to conversion and to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. This faith is what we have ourselves received through the Church, having been passed down to us through the many generations of Christians, many of whom have suffered and faced challenges and difficulties in living their faith in God.

For St. Philip and St. James themselves, they had devoted their lives in ministering to the people of God and to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to more and more people who have not yet heard of the Good News of God. St. Philip went to the region of Syria, Phrygia and Greece together with other Apostles like St. Bartholomew. St. Philip according to one Apostolic tradition was martyred together with St. Bartholomew in the city known as Hierapolis. It was told that through his preaching about the Lord and miracles that he performed, he converted the wife of the city’s pro-consul who was therefore enraged and ordered the Apostles to be arrested, persecuted and eventually martyred by crucifixion. But St. Philip remained firm in his faith to the very end, suffering martyrdom for the glory of God.

Meanwhile, St. James the Apostle, also known as St. James the Less was associated with other St. James the relative of Jesus and St. James, son of Alphaeus. The former was the first Bishop of Jerusalem, ministering to the faithful people of God in Jerusalem and Judea, while the other St. James also took part in missionary activities to the people in various places like that of St. Philip. Eventually, despite the relative lack of detailed evidence and historiography on these Apostles, what is certain is such that those holy servants of God gave their all in serving God, and they suffered persecutions and hardships from all those who hardened their hearts and closed the doors of their minds and hearts against the truth and Good News of God. St. James, like that of St. Philip also faced similar trials and sufferings. But both of them remained strong and courageous amidst the persecutions and kept their faith in the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we all reflect upon these words of the Scriptures and upon the lives of the Holy Apostles, St. Philip and St. James, who have dedicated themselves so wonderfully to the Lord and His cause, let us all also follow in their examples in how we ourselves should live faithful and committed lives as Christians, in loving God and in loving those whom we love and everyone else around us. We are the ones to continue the good works that the Apostles had started and there are indeed still a lot of areas where our contributions are important and needed. We must remember that our actions and efforts are part of the larger works and efforts of the Church, and hence we should be active in living our lives faithfully and contributing actively to the good of the Church, to the works of charity and evangelisation, among others.

May the glorious Risen Lord continue to be with us all, His faithful ones just as He has always guided His faithful servants, especially St. Philip and St. James, Holy Apostles, whose lives and works we remember today. May He continue to bless us in our every good works, our deeds and actions so that by our every endeavours, our dedication and commitment to Him, we may truly glorify Him and proclaim Him to our world today. Holy Apostles, St. Philip and St. James, pray for us all always. Amen.