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.
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.
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are all reminded that as the disciples and followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour of all, each and every one of us must always be ready to stand by our faith in Him and to do whatever it is that He has entrusted to all of us. As those whom the Lord had entrusted with His truth, Good News and revelation, and as the ones that He had called and chosen from this world, we are all expected to live our lives truly worthily of Him, and to do our part as the members of this same Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. To His Church, the Lord had given the mission to proclaim this salvation and liberation which He Himself had brought into our midst, so that more and more people may come to know Him and seek to embrace His love and mercy, that everyone may be gathered together in His Presence.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the Apostles continued their ministry and works, as the persecutions and hardships, trials and challenges against the Church abated at that time with the conversion of Saul the Pharisee, and with the end of his so-called ‘witch hunt’ and efforts to eradicate the early Christians and the Church, the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council lost their greatest champion. As mentioned, the Church had a moment of peace and reprieve from the persecutions and challenges it faced, and the growth of the Church continued just as it had been during the times of troubles. The Lord continued to guide His disciples to go forth and proclaim His truth and Good News to more and more people. The Apostles were going round to minister to the faithful in various places.
And it was during some of these mission trips that we heard in today’s passage, how St. Peter performed a great miracle by the power of God when he visited the faithful community in the city of Lydda, where he healed a man named Aeneas who was paralysed, and upon seeing the miraculous healing of the man from his illness, many more people came to believe in the Lord and embraced the Christian faith. Then, we heard after that of the illness and death that claimed a certain Tabitha, a good and faithful woman, who had been well-known in the community for her righteousness and virtues. St. Peter came to her place, prayed over her and raised her up from the dead, by the Name and authority of the Risen Lord Himself, showing to everyone how the Lord truly is the Lord and Master over life and death, and has authority over all things. Even more people came to believe in the Lord by these miracles and events, and the Church continued to grow rapidly.
This is a reminder that God has always been with His Church, and while many of its members might have to suffer because of the opposition that many in the world held stubbornly against the Lord, and just as the Lord Himself had faced bitter persecutions and hardships, thus the Church would have to face sufferings and difficulties, challenges and trials as part of its journey. God has always guided all the faithful towards Himself, and as they all carried their crosses in life, they were carrying their crosses with the Lord. And with every actions and deeds which they had done, those disciples of the Lord had proclaimed the truth and the revelation of His salvation, and more people came to be part of the Church, just as the popular saying goes, that the ‘blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians’, with more and more people being convinced to follow the Lord by the exemplary courage of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord.
In our Gospel passage today, we heard the conclusion of the discourse of the Bread of Life by the Lord to the people which we have heard in the past week or so. In that discourse, we heard how the Lord highlighted His role as the Bread of Life, the Heavenly Bread Who would share His own Most Precious Body and Blood with everyone, so that they all may have eternal and new life, new existence full of grace with Him. But as we heard, the people refused to listen to the Lord and hardened their hearts and minds, saying to the Lord that how can He, as a mere Man, could give to them His own Body and Blood for them to eat and drink. In fact some of them if not many among them were likely disgusted at those words, but they failed to understand what the Lord meant, and they did not have faith in Him, choosing to use their own limited understanding and appreciation of the matter for them to judge Him instead.
This was why as mentioned in that same Gospel passage, many of the Lord’s disciples stopped following Him and abandoned Him. They refused to accept those teachings which they found difficult to follow or to understand using their understanding and appreciation. But those who were closest to Him, like the Twelve and some others stayed by His side and continued to follow Him despite the reservations and the questions that they themselves might have also had in their hearts and minds. It was these same truths which they later on proclaimed courageously and fearlessly among the people of God, like what St. Peter the Apostles, the other Apostles and disciples had done as they ministered to the people, performing the same miracles and wonders that the Lord had done in their midst. They trusted in the Lord and allowed Him to lead them in their mission and calling, to glorify the Lord by their lives and works.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore this is why all of us are also called and reminded to put our faith and trust completely in the Lord. Each and every one of us should continue to embrace Him and His love, and strive to do whatever we can such that by our commitment and dedication, we may truly be the good role models and examples for one another, and be the shining beacons and light of God’s truth, illuminating the path for many around us, so that they may come to believe in the Lord as well. This is why each and every one of us must always be truly sincere and genuine in how we follow the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives, in our every actions so that by all of those we may help many more people to come to the Lord. It is through our actions, words and deeds that the light of God, His truth and Good News are made manifest and real to many, who experienced God through us and our lives.
May the Risen Lord continue to help and lead us in our journey of faith and life, so that as we continue to persevere and endure amidst all the challenges and trials that we may face, and that we may continue to obey Him and do His will in our world today, being active part of the Church’s mission in proclaiming the Good News and Christ’s salvation in our world today. May the Lord continue to bless our every efforts and endeavours, our every actions and works, our interactions and all that we do to proclaim His Name and His truth to all the people around us. May He remain with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.
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.”
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.
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.
Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to continue to put our trust and faith in the Lord, focusing our efforts and attention on the Lord, doing whatever we can so that in each and every moments of our lives we will always continue to walk in the path that the Lord has shown us and staying faithful to Him. This is because during our journey in life we may encounter many moments when our faith and trust in the Lord may be tested and put on trial, as we face the challenges and difficulties present in our path and the many obstacles we may have to face as we journey together in proclaiming the Good News and truth of the Lord in our daily lives.
In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the moment when the order of deacons were instituted in the Church because there were discrepancies in the distribution of the resources and goods for the faithful especially among those who came from non-Jewish or Gentile origins. At that time, we must understand the situation and the context such that the earliest Christian communities lived communally and pooled together their resources just as described by the same Acts of the Apostles. At the time, there were some expectations that the Lord would return again soon, and hence, many among the community of the believers chose to live their lives in shared existence and means, abandoning private ownership and goods, sharing them with one another instead.
However, this system was not sustainable and was ultimately no longer used as the Christian community kept gaining large number of converts to the faith, which resulted in many more resources needed to sustain them all. And while it lasted, this system was also biased as many among the early Christians belonged to the Jewish converts, some of them from the Pharisees who held firmly to the Jewish traditions and customs, and had inherent prejudices against those who did not fully subscribe to their way of observing the Law of God and also against the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles. They favoured their own Jewish background, practices and customs, and it was likely that those entrusted to share the resources shared them more with their own fellow Jewish converts rather than with those converts originating from among the Gentiles.
That was why the Apostles decided to institute the order of deacons, appointing first of all seven men who were deemed worthy from among the faithful, to be the ones to minister to the people of God as the first deacons of the Church. This was how the Lord guided His Church and faithful ones amidst the many challenges that they had to endure as they navigated the intricacies of living amidst the rule of the Romans and having the Jewish authorities harassing and oppressing them at every possible turns. Many of those faithful servants of God, including those deacons had to bear the brunt of the sufferings and persecutions, like that of St. Stephen, who was the very first martyr or protomartyr of the Church, killed because he was oppressed for his faith in God.
Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord appeared to His disciples at the Lake of Galilee where a storm with strong waves and wind were battering at their boat, and they were all very afraid that the boat would sink and then they perished in that lake. But it was at that time the Lord appeared to them and walked on the water, and He told them all not to be afraid, calming the waves and the wind, bringing them all to safety at the shore where they were going to. This was very symbolic and important reminder for all of us that no matter whatever hardships and dangers, trials and tribulations that we may face amidst our struggles in faith, in our commitment to the Lord, He will always be there by our side, guiding and strengthening us, leading us all to the right path.
This is because the boat with the disciples inside it is a representation of the Church of God, which is often represented as a boat, like that of Noah’s Ark that saved Noah and his family, with the other living things inside it, from the Great Flood. The waves and the wind represented the challenges and trials that the Church of God would be facing, the sufferings, persecutions and hardships that the Christian faithful would have to suffer in the path of their lives and ministry as God’s faithful people and missionaries. But all of us must not be afraid, as the Lord, Who is the Head of the Church is with us, and with Him as the Guide and the Leader of all of us, not even the greatest challenges and trials can overcome us, the Church of God, which He has built in this world. This is why we must always keep our focus firmly directed towards God at all times.
Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of Pope St. Martin I, a great leader of the Universal Church and the last among the Popes who died as a martyr for his faith and commitment to God. Pope St. Martin I is a good example of a great leader of the faithful and a role model for all of us in how we should continue to persevere in faith despite the challenges and trials that we may be facing in life. He was an abbot earlier on in life, and eventually becoming the Apostolic Legate of several Popes at the court of the Roman Emperor in Constantinople before being elected as Pope and Successor of St. Peter the Apostle, as leader of the whole Universal Church. And as Pope, he stood firm amidst the heresies and challenges that were rampant among the Imperial court at the time.
At that time, the heresy of Monothelitism was widespread, in which this heresy believed falsely that Christ, Our Lord and Saviour has only one single will, as contrary to the accepted truth and teaching of the Church that Christ has two wills, that corresponds to the two distinct natures He has, that is Divine and Human, though inseparable due to perfect union of love in the Person of Jesus Christ. Yet, this Monothelite heresy brought many people to abandon the true Church teachings, and had the support of even the then Roman Emperor in Constantinople and other powerful members of the court and society. Pope St. Martin I strongly condemned the Monothelite heresy, and convened the Lateran Council in the year of Our Lord 649 to address this heresy. As a result, he was arrested by the Emperor with false accusation of treason, was imprisoned and eventually banished, where he died as a martyr of the Church.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Scripture readings today and the examples of the life and ministry of Pope St. Martin I showed and reminded us all that we are likely to face sufferings, difficulties and hardships amidst our lives and journey of faith as Christians, and unless we remain focused on the Lord, Our Hope and Guide, then it may be easy for us to be swayed and to be tempted to abandon the Church, where we may then end up being swept away by the currents of worldly temptations into our downfall and destruction. Instead, all of these should remind us to keep firmly faithful in our commitment to the Lord, to proclaim Him ever more faithfully at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to help and lead us in our journey of faith, and in our respective missions as Christians, now and always. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)
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.
Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)
Psalm 32 : 1-2, 4-5, 18-19
Rejoice in the Lord, you who are just, praise is fitting for the upright. Give thanks to Him on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises.
For upright is the Lord’s word and worthy of trust is His work. The Lord loves justice and righteousness; the earth is full of His kindness.
But the Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving-kindness to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.
Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)
Acts 6 : 1-7
In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the so-called Hellenists complained against the so-called Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
So the Twelve summoned the whole body of disciples together and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God to serve at tables. So, friends, choose from among yourselves seven respected men full of Spirit and wisdom, that we may appoint them to this task. As for us, we shall give ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”
The whole community agreed and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and Holy Spirit : Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenus and Nicolaus of Antioch who was a proselyte. They presented these men to the Apostles who first prayed over them and then laid hands upon them.
The Word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly and even many priests accepted the faith.
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