Saturday

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Saturday, 11 April 2026 : Saturday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to all of us as the members of His Church, that is to go forth and to proclaim His truth and love to the people of the whole world, and to announce His Good News and salvation to all. As part of the same Church of God we share the same calling and mission to reach out to more and more people all around us, to bring forth the true joy of Easter, that is none other than the Risen Christ Himself, Our Saviour, to all of them. As Christians, all of us should spend the time and effort to proclaim the Risen Lord through our every actions and works, in our every works and good efforts, doing whatever we can to proclaim the truth and love of God to all those whom we encounter in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles the culmination of the story of the miraculous healing of the crippled beggar who was sitting by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem. That beggar had been crippled for a long time and the Apostles St. Peter and St. John had healed him from his afflictions in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the Risen Lord and Saviour. This immediately brought about a great amazement among the people, and an equally rapid attempt by the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, in trying to snuff out the fledgling and rapidly growing popularity of the Christian faith, the belief in the truth and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Resurrection and other things, which those chief priests, Pharisees and other members of the Sanhedrin found to be offensive and undesirable.

We heard how those same members of the Sanhedrin were astonished and amazed at the great wisdom shown by the two Apostles, who were merely fishermen from the lake of Galilee, illiterate and from poor background. Yet, they spoke with such wisdom and eloquence, inspired and strengthened by the Holy Spirit that God had sent to them, that they were conflicted because they had seen such great signs and wonders being performed in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and yet, on the other hand, they were still stubborn in their refusal to accept the truth and the teachings that the Lord had brought with Him, and they were still adamant in their opposition to the Lord, considering Him as a blasphemer, criminal and as a False Messiah. Yet, the Apostles spoke courageously despite them being alone in the chamber against the whole multitudes of the Sanhedrin, preaching the truth of Christ to all of them.

The Apostles still courageously and fervently proclaimed the Risen Lord despite having been warned and threatened by the members of the Sanhedrin, and blatantly spoke that they could not remain silent or not to speak of what they themselves had heard and seen, and that they had to obey the commandments and the missions that the Lord had entrusted to them, rather than to obey the earthly orders and enforcements from those Sanhedrin officials. St. Peter and St. John, together with the other disciples of the Lord therefore continued to labour hard for the greater glory of God, spending much of their time and efforts, their whole lives in the service of God. They travelled extensively from place to place, reaching out to the people of God, proclaiming the Risen Lord, His truth and resurrection to more and more people, including to many of the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people.

In the midst of all that ministry and work, the disciples of the Lord and the faithful missionaries encountered great successes, with many among the Jews and the Gentiles alike turning towards the Lord, becoming members of the Christian faithful. They also encountered many challenges and trials in the midst of performing their works, as they faced bitter opposition and challenges not just from the Jewish authorities, the same members of the Sanhedrin mentioned earlier, and the efforts that those people had done in placing obstacles and hardships in the path of the Lord’s Apostles and disciples, but not only that, as the missionaries and Christian servants also faced challenges and opposition from many of the local rulers and authorities in the many places that they had visited and ministered in. They also faced opposition and persecution from the mighty Roman overlords and rulers, who began to persecute Christians throughout the Empire, a persecution that would last several centuries.

Yet, despite all those trials and challenges, the faithful disciples of the Lord still went forth and proclaim the truth of God nonetheless, fearlessly and courageously much as how the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. John had done. Many had to encounter a lot of hardships and struggles, but they were inspired by the examples of those who had come before them and faithfully served the Lord despite the trials. Not few even gave their lives in martyrdom to defend their Christian faith and the truth of God, and this served to inspire even more people, passing down the fundamental beliefs that they had received from the Apostles themselves, continuing what the Lord in our Gospel passage today had told His disciples, that all of His disciples and followers ought to go forth to the whole world, proclaim His Good News and make all to be His disciples.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now, as we continue to progress through this season of Easter, let us ask ourselves if we are able to do what the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord had done, in doing what the Lord had told and entrusted to them to do, in all the wonderful and great things that each one of them had done in their various capacities and ministries. Each one of us have received various gifts, abilities, talents, opportunities, blessings and graces, through which we certainly can do our part to proclaim the truth of God more and more in our various communities and in the many opportunities presented to us. The question for us now is, are we willing to commit the effort and the time to do so? By looking at the great examples shown by our holy predecessors, can we all be inspired to follow them as well?

May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to strengthen and guide us all in our journey of life, so that each one of us may continue to serve Him faithfully, making good use of whatever He had presented to us, and doing whatever we can to glorify Him by our lives. Let us all be good examples and source of inspiration for everyone all around us, and let us all be the shining beacons of Christ’s Light, Hope and truth at all times. May God bless all of us and be with us always. Amen.

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Saturday, 11 April 2026 : Saturday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 16 : 9-15

At that time, after Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary of Magdala, from whom He had driven out seven demons. She went and reported the news to His followers, who were now mourning and weeping. But when they heard that He lived, and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After this He showed Himself in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. These men also went back and told the others, but they did not believe them. Later Jesus showed Himself to the Eleven while they were at table. He reproached them for their unbelief, and stubbornness, in refusing to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Then He told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.”

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Saturday, 11 April 2026 : Saturday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 117 : 1 and 14-15, 16ab and 17-18, 19-21

Alleluia! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Joyful shouts of victory are heard in the tents of the just : The right hand of the Lord strikes mightily.

The right hand of the Lord is lifted high, the right hand of the Lord strikes mightily! I shall not die, but live to proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has stricken me severely, but He has saved me from death.

Open to me the gates of the Just, and let me enter to give thanks. “This is the Lord’s gate, through which the upright enter.” I thank You for having answered me, for having rescued me.

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Saturday, 11 April 2026 : Saturday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 4 : 13-21

The Jewish leaders, elders and teachers of the Law were astonished at the boldness of Peter and John, considering that they were uneducated and untrained men. They recognised also, that they had been with Jesus, but, as the man who had been cured stood beside them, they could make no reply.

So they ordered them to leave the council room while they consulted with one another. They asked, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone who lives in Jerusalem knows that a remarkable sign has been given through them, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in the Name of Jesus.”

So they called them back and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the Name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s eyes for us to obey you rather than God. We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Then the council threatened them once more and let them go. They could find no way of punishing them because of the people who glorified God for what happened.

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Saturday, 28 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we approach the beginning of Holy Week which will begin tomorrow with the Palm Sunday, we are reminded what it is again that we are truly commemorating and marking during this upcoming Holy Week, which is focusing our attention on everything that the Lord had done for our salvation, His faithfulness to the Covenant which He had made with us, His beloved people, the promises that He has constantly repeated and reassured to us and our predecessors. And He bas fulfilled everything perfectly, even to the point of sending His own Beloved Son to us, to fully accomplish all that He had planned for the beginning of time.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the words of the Lord Himself to His people in exile in Babylon through the prophet Ezekiel who was called to minister to them there. And the Lord reassured and promised to His people that He would not leave them to suffer alone in those places of exile, and that He would gather them all back to their ancestral lands, restoring them to grace and favour once again. While those people ended up there in those places of exile because of their disobedience and therefore sins against God, but the Lord did not seek or plan to have them eradicated and destroyed on purpose, as He still loved them all, and their exile was in fact a way that the Lord had done in showing His love by chastising them from their mistakes.

Through what the Lord presented to the people by the words of the prophecy of the prophet Ezekiel, God was essentially going to restore them once again to grace and greatness, which had once been lost from them due to sin. They had been divided into two kingdoms and groups opposed to each other by their and their king’s refusal to obey the Law and commandments of God, preferring and choosing to follow their own ways and worshipping the pagan idols and false gods of their neighbours instead of trusting in their Lord and God, the One Who had constantly and repeatedly shown His love and kindness, ever greater patience and compassion towards each and every one of them. He would also gather them all back from their lands of exile

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, in which we heard of the discussion and debate among the leaders of the influential Pharisees and other elders of the community, the chief priests and others who made up the members of the Sanhedrin, also known as the Jewish High Council. Those people debated about what they ought to do because the Lord Jesus kept on making miraculous signs and works among the people, and increasingly more and more people came to believe in Him, and as this happened, the members of the Jewish High Council were gradually losing their influence and prestige within the community of the people of God as the Lord often clashed with them and they themselves also stubbornly refused to listen to Him.

They thought that being those who had been charged and entrusted with the guardianship and leadership over the people of God, then they were better, superior and more worthy of God than the others, and that they could not have been wrong in how they practiced their faith and believed, in their understanding and application of the Law of God that has been revealed through Moses and passed down through the generations. This prideful attitude, haughtiness and sense of self-importance were what ultimately became the great stumbling blocks in their path to accept what the Lord had taught and shown them all through His many actions, miracles and wonders, which many of them had witnessed with their own eyes.

That was why the Lord revealed to them their insecurities and their lack of true and genuine faith, as a warning to all of us that we should also not end up walking down this same path. And yet, the Lord was still very patient in dealing with them, and He still reached out to them and forgave them their sins nonetheless, just as He had been patient with their ancestors, the people of Israel and Judah in the past. Nonetheless, as we heard, the great opposition, plots and all the things which the Lord had to endure as His ministry was coming to its climax at that time as He approached the moment of His Passion, His suffering and death, preparing all of us with these things we heard, for the coming commemorations of next week’s Holy Week.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to these words from the Sacred Scriptures and as we reflect upon their meaning and importance to us, let us all therefore ponder on our own attitudes in life, in how we have lived our lives daily, on whether we have indeed been faithful to the Lord our God, on whether we are merely paying lip service to Him, outwardly faithful but on the inside, we are truly no better than those Pharisees and the chief priests, who served primarily themselves and their agenda, their ambitions and worldly desires, instead of listening to the Lord and obeying Him and His commandments. We are reminded not to harden our hearts and be humble and open-minded instead, and put our trust and faith in the Lord more.

May the Lord, our most loving God continue to help and strengthen us all through this journey of faith and life especially during this time of Lent and as we are about to enter into the solemn time of the Holy Week starting from tomorrow. May He continue to provide us all with the courage and strength to keep on going in living our lives with faith, doing our very best so that by our examples, actions and everything that we do, we will always inspire everyone around us, in continuing to move forward in life with great faith and courage, in doing our best to glorify God by our lives, in trusting in Him and believing in His promises, providence and love at all times. Let us all enter into the time and season of Holy Week with great enthusiasm and faith, and make best use of this time provided to us. Amen.

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Saturday, 28 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 11 : 45-56

At that time, many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw what He did; but some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called together the Council.

They said, “What are we to do? For this Man keeps on giving miraculous signs. If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him and, as a result of this, the Romans will come and destroy our Holy Place and our nation.”

Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all, nor do you see clearly what you need. It is better to have one Man die for the people than to let the whole nation be destroyed.” In saying this Caiaphas did not speak for himself, but being High Priest that year, he foretold like a prophet that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also would die to gather into one the scattered children of God. So, from that day on, they were determined to kill Him.

Because of this, Jesus no longer moved about freely among the Jews. He withdrew instead to the country near the wilderness, and stayed with His disciples in a town called Ephraim. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and people from everywhere were coming to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. They looked for Jesus and, as they stood in the Temple, they talked with one another, “What do you think? Will He come to the festival?”

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Saturday, 28 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coastlands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guard his flock.

For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.

Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.

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Saturday, 28 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 37 : 21-28

You will then say to them : Thus says YHVH : I am about to withdraw the Israelites from where they were among the nations. I shall gather them from all around and bring them back to their land. I shall make them into one people on the mountains of Israel and one king is to be the king of them all.

They will no longer form two nations or be two separate kingdoms, nor will they defile themselves again with their idols, their detestable practices and their sins. I shall free them from the guilt of their treachery; I shall cleanse them and they will be for Me a people and I shall be God for them.

My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all. They will live according to My laws and follow and practice My decrees. They will settle in the land I gave to My servant Jacob where their ancestors lived. There they will live forever, their children and their children’s children. David My servant will be their prince forever.

I shall establish a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I shall settle them and they will increase and I shall put My sanctuary in their midst forever. I shall make My home at their side; I shall be their God and they will be My people. Then the nations will know that I am YHVH Who makes Israel holy, having My sanctuary among them forever.

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Saturday, 21 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season and time of Lent, and as we are approaching the last two weeks of this Lenten season, we are reminded ever more through our Scripture readings of the things that happened around the Passion of Our Lord, building up towards the climax at the events we commemorate at the Easter or Paschal Triduum. We are reminded of all the plotting, hardships, trials and oppositions that the Lord encountered throughout His ministry and works, all of which came about because of the pride, ego and ambition of many among the people of God at that time, especially the leaders and elders of the people, all of whom sought to silence and destroy the Lord, seeing Him as a great threat to them and their status in the community.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which we heard the conversation between Jeremiah and God, where the prophet confided to God everything that the people had carried out against him, in their plots and designs to destroy him and to silence him despite everything that he had done for the good of the people of God, in bringing to them the warning from the Lord and also telling them at the same time of God’s continued patience and love for each and every one of them. And instead of appreciating what God had done for them through the labours of His prophet Jeremiah, they all tried to crush him and strike at him with all sorts of oppositions.

But God is a Just and Mighty God, Who is always kind, compassionate and caring towards those who are faithful to Him. He does not abandon His faithful ones to destruction and ruin, and He was certainly not silent when those who have held on to hope in Him faced challenges, trials and difficulties. He was always with each and every one of them, guiding and strengthening them all throughout their journey and struggles, carrying them and supporting them, providing them with the necessary courage and inspiration throughout those difficult moments. There were indeed times when the prophet Jeremiah almost lost it amidst all the plots and challenges facing him, and yet, in the end, he still trusted fully in the Lord and His Providence.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in which the continuation of the debates and the disagreements among the leaders and elders of the people, the elders and important persona of the Jewish community, were heard by us, as they gathered and debated about what the Lord Jesus had told them in their confrontation if we recall what it was as highlighted in our readings yesterday. The Lord rebuked those people for lacking faith and for not believing in Him despite everything that He has shown them and done before them all, all the miracles and wonders He had done, all the Wisdom that He had delivered to them, which they refused to believe out of pride and ego.

And they all debated as we heard in today’s Gospel passage, doubting and refuting Christ’s claim simply because they thought that it was impossible for someone like Him to have been the Messiah, thinking that they knew His background and identity, as a mere Son of a carpenter from Nazareth in Galilee, a region from which no prophet or Messiah was prophesied to come or originate from, but little did they know that the Lord was truly born in Bethlehem in Judea, and His foster-father was none other than the Heir of David himself, the King of Israel, and therefore, fulfilling perfectly all that God Himself had proclaimed and repeatedly reassured to all of His people through His many prophets and messengers.

The Lord has not withhold anything from us, and He gave us only the best of the best, none other than His own Beloved and Begotten Son, Whom He has sent into our midst to bring unto us the healing and reconciliation that is necessary so that we may find our way back to Him and His loving embrace. Having been separated from Him due to our disobedience and sins, we should have deserved death and destruction. And yet, God Who is always loving, kind and compassionate towards us always show us all His love, His ever present grace and His patient care, ever always reaching out to us all despite our stubborn attitudes and refusals to follow Him or listen to His words and reminders, as our ancestors had done to the prophets and to the Lord Himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to journey through this time and season of Lent, with the spirit and fervour in our hearts, doing our best in every time and moment, seeking to strengthen our connection and relationship with God once again, if we have not been doing so regularly so far. Let us all continue to strive to spend more good and quality time with the Lord and to reorientate our lives so that we may truly walk faithfully and courageously with the Lord, be it in good times or bad times, in times of plenty and in times of suffering. Let us all continue to be good role models and examples in our every actions, words and deeds, in our every efforts and endeavours in life.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to show us all His most generous mercy, love and kindness at all times, strengthening each one of us with the necessary courage and inspiration, the patience and perseverance necessary to continue pushing on regardless of the challenges and trials that we may be facing in life. Let us not lose hope and be overcome by fear whenever we encounter difficult moments and struggles, remembering that the Lord Himself has suffered the worst of sufferings and punishments for our sake. Even as we journey patiently through all these challenges, let us remember that God is always with us, and there are those whom He has placed to help and journey with us too. Therefore, let us all continue to trust in the Lord and follow Him wholeheartedly, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 7 : 40-53

At that time, many who had been listening to these words began to say, “This is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some wondered, “Would the Christ come from Galilee? Does Scripture not say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David? The crowd was divided over Him. Some wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

The officers of the Temple went back to the chief priests, who asked them, “Why did you not bring Him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this Man.” The Pharisees then said, “So you, too, have been led astray! Have any of the rulers or any of the Pharisees believed in Him? Only those cursed people, who have no knowledge of the Law!”

Yet one of them, Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier, spoke out, “Does our law condemn people without first hearing them and knowing the facts?” They replied, “Do you, too, come from Galilee? Look it up and see for yourself that no prophet is to come from Galilee.” And they all went home.