Saturday

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Saturday, 30 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard first about the works of St. Paul who went about many cities and towns across regions of the Eastern Mediterranean. He went preaching the word of God and the Good News, telling many people of the need to repent from their old, sinful ways and to follow the Lord our God from then on. And he encouraged the faith of the many communities of the faithful whom he visited along the way.

If we read more of the entirety of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles as a whole, we would realise just how difficult his works were, and how dangerous they were. Indeed, many of the faithful welcomed him along his journeys and they listened to him. But in many of those places, he also encountered those who opposed his works, those who opposed the faith and the Church, and refused to believe in God.

The Jews, especially the hardliners among the priestly clans and the Pharisees refused to believe in Jesus and made life difficult for St. Paul and the Apostles. In a few occasion they even harassed them and incited the whole city to go against them. Their works were disturbed and they were even stoned and assaulted. But with the grace of God, they were able to persevere amidst the persecution.

And some of the Greeks and the pagans who refused to believe in God also made their case against St. Paul and the Apostles, thinking of his teachings and the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as threats to their traditional way of life, their culture and as insult and affront to their traditional gods. And thus, many people and groups ganged up against St. Paul, the Apostles and the faithful.

This is a fulfilment of what Jesus Himself had told His disciples at the Last Supper, about how the world would hate them for what they had done for the sake of the Lord, and because they belong to the Lord and no longer belonging to the world. They would suffer rejection, challenges and persecution because of their dedication to the Holy Name of God, and for the salvation of God’s people.

But God reassured them at the same time, for He told them that it was indeed a great privilege to be able to suffer for the sake and for the cause of the Name of the Lord. And they suffered because they refused to bend to accommodate the demands of this world, and they therefore gained glory and righteousness through what they have done in good faith in the Lord Jesus.

This is especially important for all of us today, as we have to realise and we have to constantly remember that the works of the Church and thus the same works of the Apostles have not been completed, but instead, it is still in progress, and we are the ones who have been entrusted with the same works as what the Apostles had been entrusted with.

Now we have to ask ourselves, are we up to the challenge? Are we able to give of ourselves just as the Apostles have given themselves for the sake of evangelisation and preaching the Good News to those who have yet to hear of it, or to sinners awaiting for the redemption and salvation in God? We have to make a conscious choice and effort to put ourselves at the forefront of the works of the Church, to bring more and more souls to salvation in our God.

Now, let us today remember the example of this pious saint whose feast day is celebrated today, Pope St. Pius V, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, and the leader of the entire Universal Church approximately five centuries ago. Pope St. Pius V lived through a time of great difficulty for the Church, and he led the Church through those very turbulent and trying times, where people were also martyred for their faith, and many false prophets were lying around seeking prey from among the people of God.

At that time, the Church and the faithful people of God were under siege and under constant threat from the inside and from the outside. The pagan and godless Ottoman Turks were rising and became mighty, seizing territories after territories, enslaving more and more people under their iron rule, and the whole Christendom was under great fear of this great rising power.

And besides that external threat, from the inside, the Church was assailed by the heretics and the people who called themselves as Protestants, following false teachings and the heretical thoughts of men planted by the devil himself to destroy the Church and its unity. Many souls were lost to heresy, and many people fell along the way, as they were tempted by the temptations of those heretical teachings and left the truth of God behind.

During that very trying and turbulent times, Pope St. Pius V led and steered the Church with great patience and effort, keeping control of the faithful and ensuring that works were done to prevent more and more souls from being lost to the damnation of hell. And thus, he helped conclude the very important Council of Trent, a gathering of the leaders of the Church designed to rejuvenate and purify the faith, so that the Church would be far better able to resist the attacks of the heretics.

Through his efforts, many of the lost souls and heretics repented their sins, and by the hard works of the various missionaries sent to reclaim these lost souls, many were restored to the grace and salvation in God. And Pope St. Pius V was also instrumental in his role in encouraging and organising a great defence of Christendom, culminating in a total and crushing victory of the forces of Christ against the heathen Ottomans at the battle of Lepanto.

Inspired by Pope St. Pius V and his tireless dedication to the faithful, his hard works amidst the difficulties and challenges, just as St. Paul and the Apostles had encountered, for the sake of the salvation of as many souls as possible, therefore all of us should also follow in their footsteps and help to bring one another, all the lost sheep in this world to return together to our Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us all vow and renew our efforts to become each and every one of us, as good and ever better Christians, not just by mere words, but also through real and concrete action. Let us all commit ourselves to the Lord through His Church and bring all the peoples to salvation and grace in the Lord. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 18-21

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “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, 30 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (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, 30 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Pius V, Pope (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 of 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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Saturday, 23 April 2016 : Fourth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. George, Martyr and St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about the opposition which the Jews and the Pharisees showed to the works of St. Paul and the other Apostles as they went about to preach about the Lord. These people were not happy that the Apostles were preaching their teachings and were gaining plenty on followers, many people who abandoned their old ways and listened to the truth, believing in Jesus and became members of the Church.

And in addition, those Jews and influential Pharisees were also irritated at the fact that St. Paul and the other Apostles, St. Barnabas and others, who preached the faith and salvation also to the non-Jews, or the Gentiles. These people at that time would refer to the Greeks, the Romans and all others whom the Jews regarded as those who did not belong to the chosen race of Israel, and also those who did not obey the laws of Moses as they did.

In order to understand this, we have to understand the dynamics of the society and the communities of the people of God at that time. The people at the time of Jesus, especially in Judea and in some other regions were divided between the Jews and the Gentiles or the non-Jews. The Jewish people, or the descendants of the people of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel kept the laws of Moses faithfully, all the ordinances, rules and laws descended through the generations to them.

And the Jews often kept to themselves and observed those laws strictly, and in many occasions, many of them kept the laws without truly knowing the true intention of those laws as originally intended by God when He gave it to His people through Moses. And in the end, because of the fact that God had chosen them to be His people, they developed the superiority feelings and attitude in their dealings with the Gentiles.

How is this so, brethren? The Jews often treated the Gentiles as those who were not worthy of God’s salvation, and that they alone were worthy to receive God and His grace. And those others were not chosen by God and therefore were heathens and pagans. This is one of the explanation why the Jews were not happy when St. Paul and the other Apostles were preaching that the non-Jews could also be saved by believing in Jesus.

Even within the Church itself at that time, there were Pharisees who believed in God, who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. And yet, if we read through the subsequent parts of the Acts of the Apostles, we will see in some parts, the tension and disagreements between them and St. Paul and the Apostles based on their works with the Gentiles and about their salvation in Jesus.

In all these, we see how mankind often placed their trust in things other than God. Even though the laws of Moses were originally given to the people of Israel by God, but over the many centuries that followed, its true meaning and purpose had been twisted beyond recognition by the many different interpretations and modifications that those people throughout the ages had done to the Law of God.

And these people resisted any change or modification to what they thought was right, and they refused to believe in the truth revealed by God through Jesus His Son. And when the Apostles tried to continue the good works of God, by preaching that same truth to them and to those who have not yet heard of it, they resisted and even persecuted the Apostles and the holy servants of God.

It is a reminder for us all that each and every one of us as those who have believed in God and who have been charged with the same responsibility to preach the Good News to all mankind, will not have it easy for us to live this life in good faith. We will encounter difficulties, challenges and even persecution for enduring to be faithful and remaining committed to God and His cause.

But we should not give up or give in to the world and its demands, just as in the past, St. Adalbert and St. George, the saints whose feasts we are celebrating today, have been devoted to God and were committed to a holy life, and for the salvation of their fellow brethren, even though they were threatened with suffering and even with a painful death.

St. George the Martyr was a great soldier, a soldier in the Roman army, who served during the time of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was renowned for his particularly oppressive attitude against the Church and all Christians. But St. George did not hesitate at all to resist the Emperor, when he pronounced the persecution of Christians throughout the Empire. And when he ordered all the soldiers to renounce their former gods and offer sacrifices to the Emperor and the pagan gods, St. George refused to do so.

Thus, St. George courageously stood by the faith which he had in the Lord even in the face of suffering and death. He faced his death without fear, knowing that the Lord would be with him, and through his examples, many others would be inspired to remain strong in their faith as well, and thus avoid damnation and destruction which is awaiting all those who refuse to believe in God.

St. Adalbert on the other hand was a renowned bishop of Prague, known also as St. Adalbert of Prague. He was a great servant of the Lord, a faithful worker who spread the Good News among the then still pagan peoples of the region known as Bohemia and Prussia, in what is now northern Germany and western Poland. St. Adalbert continued to minister to the people there despite challenges and opposition, and even when his life was threatened, he did not give up.

And thus, when he was martyred in the midst of doing his works, he did not fear and he was filled with joy knowing that, just as St. George had done before him, and just as many other holy saints and martyrs had done before him, he will be rewarded gloriously for all that he has done for the sake of the people of God, out of love for his Lord and Master.

Let us all also therefore be inspired to live faithfully as these holy saints had lived, and let us all fill our lives with good deeds and commit ourselves to God in all that we do. May this Easter season be a time of renewal for us all, that we may draw ever closer to the Lord our God, and be closer to His saving grace. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 23 April 2016 : Fourth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. George, Martyr and St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 14 : 7-14

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “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.”

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Saturday, 23 April 2016 : Fourth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. George, Martyr and St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

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

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

The Lord 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 the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

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Saturday, 23 April 2016 : Fourth Week of Easter, Memorial of St. George, Martyr and St. Adalbert, Bishop 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 Holy Spirit.

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Saturday, 9 April 2016 : Second Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, we heard how the Apostles assigned the first seven men to be what is called the order of Deacons, to serve the community of the faithful by distributing to them food and the daily rations, as the faithful at that time, if we read the rest of the Acts of Apostles, lived together as a community, sharing their goods and blessings with one another.

And then we heard in the Gospel about Jesus Who appeared to His disciples in the midst of a storm and walked on the water to reach out to them. The Apostles were scared and doubtful, thinking that they had seen a ghost. Their faith was still weak and wavering, and doubt was in their hearts. And this happened just after Jesus had fed the multitudes of five thousand men and countless other women and children with just five loaves of bread and two fishes.

The disciples then were still not able to comprehend the divine nature of our Lord Jesus, their Lord and Master. They were still in conflict on the nature and the truth which Jesus had told them about Himself. They thought that such miraculous works would have been possible and beyond human ability to comprehend. That was why they were doubtful, fearful and scared as they witnessed what the Lord had done.

But remember what Jesus had told them? Do not be afraid! And that was what He had told them all. It is I, your Lord and Master, do not be afraid! To Thomas, one of His Apostles, who have doubted about His resurrection, and who refused to believe that He had risen from the dead, Jesus also appeared to him, and told him, do not be an unbeliever! Believe!

We can clearly see the transformation between the Apostles at the time when Jesus was still walking with them on earth, and how they were after He had risen from the dead and sent them the Holy Spirit. They were thoroughly transformed, from those who were doubtful and whose faith were easily shaken, have become the pillars of the Church, as the foundation upon which God’s Church were gathered and where it could expand outwards from.

The lesson which all of us can learn from this is that, as all of us are members of the Church, we too have the same obligation as the Apostles to continue to carry on their good works for the people of God, our fellow brothers and sisters in the same Lord Jesus Christ. And each and every one of us can play our part to contribute to the good works of the Lord made through His Church.

We may have our fears, doubts, apprehensions and other things that are in fact obstacles to our active participation in the works of the Church, but this is precisely where we need to make a stand and change our lives for the better. We are just like the Apostles too, as after all, we are all still human beings, with our imperfections, our shortcomings and our weaknesses.

But God made the weak strong, and encouraged those who were downtrodden and without hope. He aroused in all of us the Spirit of love, the Spirit of hope, and the Spirit of faith, His own Holy Spirit through which He brings in us the best of our efforts to care for our brethren, and to show compassion to the weak, the poor and the unloved. And from all this, God will make us the instruments of His grace to the world.

Let us no longer be fearful or doubtful, and instead, let us all step forward filled with faith in our future, as we embark on this journey of faith, and as we celebrate the joy of this Easter season. Let us all be examples of faith to our brethren around us, and awaken in one another the strong desire to love our Lord, and at the same time, the spirit of charity and compassion to each other.

May God strengthen us in our resolve to live our lives with faith, and let us all embark on this journey to bring ourselves and one another closer to God and closer to His salvation. God bless us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 April 2016 : Second Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 16-21

At that time, after Jesus fed five thousand men, 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.