Saturday

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Saturday, 18 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. John I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture speaking to us about the love that God has for each and every one of us and yet also reminding us of the unfortunate truth of those who refuse to embrace that generous and compassionate love that God has given to us, as shown in our first reading today in what happened between St. Paul and St. Barnabas and many of the Jews who lived in the places they visited.

St. Paul and St. Barnabas preached the truth of God, His love and all that He had done for the sake of His beloved people, His providence and companionship for them all throughout their lives and history. God has done everything to care for them and to protect them, to guide them to the right path, sending prophets after prophets, messengers and servants one after another, to call on them to follow Him and not to fall into the path of sin.

Yet, just as what many of the Jews who refused to listen to St. Paul and St. Barnabas had done, their predecessors persecuted and rejected the message of the prophets, preferring to believe in their own ways and their own pride, and therefore, closing their hearts and minds to God’s truth. And the Lord was not able to have much progress with them, just as the Apostles themselves have experienced.

We heard how the two Apostles were forced to leave the place and abandon their mission, by the way their enemies incited the people to reject them out. And this is a reminder for us all that we should not be blinded with ego and pride, with haughtiness and arrogance, with all sorts of things that prevents us from being able to welcome God’s love and presence into ourselves.

Instead, all of us should take heed of the Lord’s very own examples, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, where the Lord Jesus proclaimed before His disciples how He obeyed His Father’s will completely and came not of His own motive and will, but all united to the Father’s will and desire, to love and to save all of us, His beloved ones. It was through Christ’s perfect obedience that we have all been saved.

After all, had the Lord Jesus not been so obedient to the will of His Father, and had He not loved His Father and all of us so perfectly and compassionately, we would not have been saved, as it was exactly that obedience and love which allowed Him to endure the bitter suffering and torture, the pain of the nails and the whip, the burden of the Cross and the death He endured on Calvary.

The Apostles and the prophets of the past followed this same example that the Lord Himself set, in the enduring love and commitment to serve God’s greater glory and for the love of us mankind, all of God’s own people, that they have given themselves wholeheartedly, humbly and with lots of dedication to make sure that all of us may come to believe in the Lord and therefore may also be saved.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reflect then on our own lives. Have we been truly faithful and obedient to God, and have we loved Him as we should have? Or have we been selfish and prideful all these while, like many of the Jews in Antioch in Pisidia who rejected the message of the Apostles and persecuted them? Today, we also mark the feast of one of the Holy Popes, Pope St. John I, who died a martyr defending his faith and the faith of his flock against heavy oppression. And through his faith and dedication, many have been inspired to do the same, and we too, should do the same.

Let us all throw away all pride from our hearts and minds, and grow stronger instead in our humility and love for God and for our fellow men. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us all to be able to live courageously with faith, and to love Him all the days of our lives. Amen.

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Saturday, 18 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. John I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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.”

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Saturday, 18 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. John I, Pope and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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.

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Saturday, 18 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. John I, Pope and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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.

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Saturday, 11 May 2019 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the reminder which the Lord has spoken to us through the passages of the Scripture we have just heard, as He spoke before the people who listened to His teachings, and heard how He referred to Himself as the Bread of Life and that His flesh is real food and His Blood is real drink. They heard how He said that unless they partake in His Body and Blood, they can have no life and part in Him.

Naturally, the people who did not understand the truth behind His words refused to believe in Him and doubted Him, saying as mentioned in our Gospel passage today, ‘These words and language are very hard, how can anyone accept them?’ And yet, the Lord spoke firmly of the truth which He had brought into this world, without hesitation and without holding back anything or changing His words. And many of the people who used to follow Him, left Him behind.

In the first reading today then, from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the works of St. Peter, who went to the city of Joppa to visit the faithful community there, and performed the impossible, making a paralysed man to be able to walk again, by the power and authority which God had granted him and the other Apostles. And then, later on, he also raised Tabitha, a devout disciple of the Lord who had already passed away, back into life.

Again, in what St. Peter had done, we have heard and witnessed things that were impossible, and even in our modern day thinking still are impossible, and yet, the Lord through His servants performed what was considered impossible and made them possible. This is a reminder for us that what is impossible and seems to be foolish for us mankind, is not beyond the ability and power of God to do, and indeed, He showed us all that everything is possible for Him, the All-Powerful, Almighty God.

Yet, the Lord had all those who refused to believe in Him, because they thought of themselves and their intelligence to be greater than the wisdom and the power of God. They hardened their hearts and minds because of the pride within them, the ego of their hearts that prevented them from truly being able to accept the Lord and His truth, which requires faith, and therefore, humility and submission before God.

And this is an important reminder for each and every one of us, that all of us as Christians are called to serve the Lord our God, Who has brought with Him truth and revelation that may often be difficult for others in this world to believe. And for that, Christians throughout generations and ages have been persecuted, because of their enduring faith and commitment to God, for their commitment to remain true to the Lord, their God, Who has given them this truth.

There will be times and moments when it will indeed be a challenge for us to be true to our faith amidst the opposition and refusal from all those who refuse to believe in the truth of God, when people refuse to believe in the centre tenet of our faith, of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Son of God and Who has come into our midst, to suffer and be crucified and to die on the Cross, so that by His crucifixion, He might save us all from eternal damnation and death.

And there are those who also deny the truth about the Real Presence in the Eucharist, a central tenet of our faith. Just like the people of the time of Jesus, they refused to believe that the Eucharist is truly the Most Precious Body and Blood of the Lord, despite this perfect gift of love that He has given us, offering and sacrificing Himself on the Altar of the Cross, that by giving us His Body and Blood to be consumed, we will have a share in His eternal glory, and receive new life of grace from Him.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to guide us in our journey, now and forevermore. May all of us draw ever closer to Him, each and every days of our life. And be ever more committed to Him from now on. Amen.

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Saturday, 11 May 2019 : 3rd Week of Easter (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.”

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Saturday, 11 May 2019 : 3rd Week of Easter (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.

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Saturday, 11 May 2019 : 3rd Week of Easter (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.

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Saturday, 4 May 2019 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture reminding us of our respective responsibilities as the members of the Church, to help to build up a strong, vibrant and evangelising Church in our own respective communities, having been called by God to be the bearers of His truth and to be His witnesses among the nations and the peoples of this world.

We have been called by God to participate actively in the life of the Church, in its works and ministries, just as the Scripture passage today from the Acts of the Apostles in our first reading today, spoke of the selection of seven devout and dedicated men, members of the Church to serve the Church as deacons, marking the beginning of the Order of the Diaconate, those whom the Lord had called to serve the faithful.

This is when we should understand a bit more about the inner workings of the Church, its parts and respective responsibilities. First of all, together with the Order of Deacons, we have two other Holy Orders, those who have been ordained to the Order of Priests or the presbyterate, and those who have been ordained to the Order of Bishops or the episcopate. Each of these three holy orders, of the Episcopate, Presbyterate and the Diaconate represent important parts of the Church, as they were those who had been called to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles.

They are part of the ministerial priesthood, of which they have been called to serve the larger Church in their various functions and responsibilities. The bishops, also known as elders and overseers in the ancient times, were those who had been entrusted with the leadership of the Church, the guidance of the flock of the Lord’s people, while the priests or the presbyters ministered to the people in the smaller groups such as parishes and communities, and last of all, the deacons helped, as mentioned in the first reading today, in the distribution of goods to the poor and the needy in the community.

Each and every one of the members of these three holy orders are important, now as it was then in the days of the early Church. The scope of their work and responsibilities may have changed somewhat due to the changes of times and the needs of our contemporary society, but in the end, all of them are still doing the same work to which they have been called to do, succeeding the works of the Apostles.

But brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important that each and every one of us know, that it does not mean the role of the laity, or those who do not belong to the holy orders are not important. In fact, without the help of all those who are part of the laity, the bishops, priests and deacons cannot have done their works efficiently and well. It is the commitment, sacrifices and contributions made by the laity together with the commitment, sacrifices and contributions of those in holy orders that make up the entire effort and good works of the Church.

On this day therefore, all of us are called to reflect on our own lives, and think in what way, each and every one of us can contribute more to the works of the Church. Some among us have been called by God to be His followers and to serve Him, and these are those who have devoted their whole lives to serve the Lord faithfully as His bishops, priests and deacons. But as mentioned, this does not mean we are not able to dedicate ourselves, in our own ways, to serve the Lord faithfully through our own capacities, abilities and means.

In fact, all of us should think and contemplate, in what ways we will be able to commit ourselves to the good works of the Church, and devote more of our time, effort and attention in serving the Lord and in serving the greater community of the Universal Church. Let us all reflect on this, and commit ourselves more wholeheartedly, from now on, to become ever better Christians, in all of our ways, in all of our words and actions. Amen.

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Saturday, 4 May 2019 : 2nd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 16-21

At that time, when evening came, the disciples went down to the shore. After a while they got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea, for it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. But the sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing.

They had rowed about three or four miles, when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and He was drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, but He said to them, “It is I! Do not be afraid!” They wanted to take Him into the boat, but immediately the boat was at the shore to which they were going.