Semana Santa

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Sunday, 10 May 2020 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, the Fifth Sunday in the season of Easter, all of us are called as Christians to turn our focus on Christ, our Lord and Saviour, to put our faith and trust fully in Him as our Master and to entrust ourselves in His providence, for the love and mercy He has shown each and every one of us. The Lord has shown us His ultimate proof of love and commitment, through the gift of His Son to be our Saviour. By His suffering, crucifixion and death, Jesus has delivered us all from the certainty of death and destruction.

Everything has been revealed to us through Christ and His disciples, as He Himself revealed it all before His Apostles and disciples throughout His ministry, and therefore from them, the truth has been passed on through the Church and the faithful for countless generations and finally the same truth has also been handed down to us, as the faith we all now believe in. We all believe in the same faith that the Apostles themselves believed, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah or the Saviour Whom God has sent into the world, and that He is also the Divine Son of God, incarnate in the flesh as the Son of Man.

But as we can see, the disciples themselves were not able to fully comprehend at first all that they have heard and witnessed from the Lord and His actions, and as shown by St. Philip the Apostle, many among the disciples did not yet fully comprehend and appreciate the fact that the One Who had been with them all the while, was none other than One of the Holy Trinity Himself, God incarnate in the flesh. That was why St. Philip, who was in fact one of the most intelligent and educated among the Apostles asked the Lord to ‘show them the Father’, to the Lord’s dismay.

St. Thomas, ever the doubter and the last to believe, also showed his lack of faith, even saying things like ‘we do not know even where You are going’, as a clear sign that he did not really have a strong faith in his heart, and he was not committed to the Lord. And we also should remember how the same Apostles also abandoned the Lord in fear when He was arrested, even after all of them had just promised Him in the Last Supper of their faith and fidelity, with St. Peter even saying that he would readily give his life for Him.

Yet, this was before they were given the help from the Advocate, as the Lord promised His disciples that He would send them the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, Who would give them wisdom, courage and strength, as well as the guidance in what they ought to do in carrying out His commandments and His will. The Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and the disciples on the day of the Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of the Lord and ten days after He had ascended into Heaven.

With the gift and help of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles and the disciples carried out and fulfilled what the Lord Himself had told them, that they would do works even far greater than what He had done in His brief earthly ministry. He has commanded all of them with His Great Commission to go forth to the nations and baptise them all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, before He ascended to Heaven, that while He ascended and they could not see Him anymore, but He would always still be with them, and He would guide them to do whatever He has commanded them to do.

The Lord helped and strengthened them, and they began the foundation of the Church, with more than three thousand people being baptised on the Pentecost alone, and many more came to believe in the Lord through whatever the Apostles had done, in their courageous preaching and testimony of faith, in the miracles they have done in the Name of the Lord, among many others. And as the community of Christians across Judea, Jerusalem and other places grew, so did the Church and its supporting structures.

That was why in our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the institution of the Holy Order of the Diaconate, as the Apostles appointed seven holy and devout men to be the first Seven Holy Deacons of the Church. And the most renowned among them was St. Stephen, who would later on became the very first martyr of the Church, as described in detail in the same Acts of the Apostles. St. Stephen defended his faith vigorously and with devotion when he was faced with bitter opposition and false accusation by the enemies of the Church, and died a martyr.

The Holy Spirit gave St. Stephen great wisdom and courage that stunned even his most ardent and stubborn enemies, as they could probably not believe the courage that this deacon had shown when he was alone facing all of those who were crying out for his death. And the same happened to the other Apostles as well, as they carried out their missions with great joy and dedication, suffering and dying in martyrdom in distant lands in various occasions. The only Apostle to die of old age, St. John the Apostle himself endured many trials, sufferings and prisons all throughout his years of ministry.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us are called to remember the great courage of the Apostles, as well as that of St. Stephen and the many other saints and martyrs of the Church. Many of them were simple, regular people, and many among the Apostles were poor people, uneducated and unknown, ordinary and as we have discussed earlier, had lots of fear and doubt, and unable to commit themselves. But they turned to the Lord, put their faith in Him and chose to follow Him wholeheartedly even though at first they were unsure, doubtful and afraid.

In turn, the Lord strengthened them, gave them great wisdom and courage, helping them to persevere through the challenges each of them had to face. When we heard all the amazing stories of faith and the dedication of the many martyrs of the Church, they all showed courage and fearlessness even in the midst of suffering and death, and many among them still did what they could to do the will of God and show their faith to convince others to also believe in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of these were possible because they all trusted God and put Him at the centre of their lives and existence, trusting Him to guide their lives and their path, and they had therefore that genuine faith which all of us Christians should also have in our own lives. However, the sad truth and reality is that so many of us have been lukewarm in our faith, and many of us have treated the Lord as One Who is distant and to be sidelined. We only remember God when we are in great need, and when we do not need Him, we leave Him behind and continue with our own worldly concerns and works.

We have become too preoccupied with many worldly and materialistic concerns and thoughts, and we have no time or attention to be spared for the Lord as we should have. When we need Him is the only time we actually remember Him, and we demand Him to quickly come and intervene for our sake and benefit, and when we do not get what we want, we often become angry with God and abandon Him ever the more. This is not what we should be doing, brothers and sisters in Christ.

On this day, we are all thus called to remember the examples of the early Christians, as well as the many holy saints and martyrs who had given their all to the Lord, who have put their trust in God and dedicated themselves to God. We are called to see how the Apostles and those whom the Lord had called to be His followers, had been transformed from a people filled with fear and uncertainties, with doubts and infidelities, with sin and darkness in them, into people who are truly belonging to the Light of Christ, virtuous and exemplary in their piety and courage.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all realise that God can transform each and every one of us in the same manner, and indeed, we are called to walk in the same path that the Apostles and the saints and martyrs of the Lord had walked on, and we are called to continue the mission which He has entrusted to us all, His beloved people and Church. He has sent us all to go forth to the people of all the nations, to proclaim His truth and salvation to everyone, that more and more may come to believe in Him and have eternal life.

Let us all pray to the Lord today, that He will continue to guide us and strengthen us with the Holy Spirit, that with His wisdom and encouragement, we will be drawn ever closer to His presence and that we will be able to dedicate ourselves to do whatever we can in our capacity and respective areas of responsibilities, in our communities and in our families and among our friends, to be the bearers of the Good News of God and the witnesses of His truth and resurrection by our own good examples and faithful life.

Let us all be the beacons of light and hope for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ especially during these few weeks and months when there are so many people out there who are troubled and without hope, who are in difficulties and who have encountered even personal tragedies and troubles. Let us bear God’s light and hope to them and share our hope, faitu and joy with one another, that we will endure these together with God. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 10 May 2020 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 1-12

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not be troubled! Trust in God and trust in Me! In My Father’s house there are many rooms; otherwise, I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to Me, so that where I am, you also may be. Yet you know the way where I am going.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 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.”

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Sunday, 10 May 2020 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Peter 2 : 4-9

He is the living Stone rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to Him; set yourselves close to Him so that you, too, become living stones built into a spiritual temple, a holy community of priests offering spiritual sacrifices that please God through Jesus Christ.

Scripture says : See, I lay in Zion a chosen and precious Cornerstone; whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed. This means honour for you who believed, but for unbelievers also the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone and it is a stone to stumble over, a rock which lays people low. They stumble over it in rejecting the Word, but the plan of God is fulfilled in this.

You are a chosen race, a community of priest-kings, a consecrated nation, a people God has made His own to proclaim His wonders. For He called you from your darkness to His own wonderful light.

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Sunday, 10 May 2020 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

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.

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Sunday, 10 May 2020 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

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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Saturday, 9 May 2020 : 4th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this occasion today as we continue to live through the glorious season of Easter, each and every one of us are continuously reminded that as Christians all of us have the obligation to be the bearers of God’s truth in our lives and within our every communities. We are all called to follow the Lord with all of our hearts and to show our faith through our every words, deeds and actions. We must no longer be lukewarm in our faith but instead we must live our faith with ever greater enthusiasm and zeal from now on.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us have known God and the truth about Him has been revealed to us all through His Church, through the same Apostles to whom God Himself had revealed Himself. Those Apostles and many other disciples had followed the Lord, witnessed His many wonderful works and miracles, and through the revelation of truth and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit they had received knowledge and understanding of the Truth and the salvation of God through Christ.

It is from these Apostles then that all of us, many people had received the truth and the Good News of salvation of God. St. Paul and St. Barnabas among the many other missionaries of the faith had travelled far and wide, and preached the Good News in various places and communities. But at the same time, as we heard in our first reading today, they did not have it easy and had a lot of challenges as they carried out their mission. They encountered tough opposition from the Jewish community in one of the cities they visited during their missionary travels.

At that time, many of the cities and towns across various parts of the Mediterranean region and beyond had sizeable Jewish populations and communities, as the descendants of the Israelites spread during the few centuries since their exile in Babylon and in further lands, and during the past few centuries of increased openness and migration patterns during the Hellenistic era that lasted through the early years of the Christian Church and faith. Just like the Jews in Judea, Jerusalem and Galilee, the Jewish diaspora communities were also divided in their outlook of things, their way of life and the diversity of their thoughts.

Quite a few among the Jews were open minded and they were very receptive of the foreign practices of the Greeks, the Romans and the other Gentiles, and in fact some even adopted some of these practices themselves, while others had been pretty much assimilated into their respective greater societies. Meanwhile, there were also quite a few among the Jews who were still very conservative then, keeping closely to the traditions and customs of the Jewish people, much like the Pharisees in the land of Israel. In fact, some of these Jewish diaspora were themselves likely to be member of the Pharisees, like that of St. Paul himself before his conversion.

That was why, the Apostles encountered a lot of resistance during some parts of their travels and works, as some of the Jews carried on the same attitude and prejudices of the Pharisees, while others might have heard the news of what had happened in Judea and Jerusalem, and toed in the line of the Sanhedrin and the Jewish elders in rejecting Jesus and His teachings. This went even to the extent of those people inciting a riot in the city and also spread false news in order for the whole town to reject and cast the Apostles out of their place.

This was just some of the challenges that the Apostles and the disciples then had to face, as they also encountered tough challenges and oppositions from the Gentiles. While quite a few among the Gentiles were willing to learn more about the faith and some were very enthusiastic in welcoming Christ into their hearts and into their communities, there were also quite a few of those who disliked the Christian faith and viewed it as a threat against their own pagan faith, worship and also way of life. And hence, persecution, challenges and oppressions came from many origins for our first Christian brothers and sisters.

Yet, these did not dampen their spirits or their courage to continue to preach the Good News and reaching out to others, even to those who have rejected and persecuted them. The first Christians, the many saints and martyrs walked in the path of the Apostles and that of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, fearlessly being witnesses of their faith in God in all occasions, and because of this, countless souls had been saved and many more were brought closer to God’s salvation.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been entrusted with the responsibilities to carry on the good works of our devoted predecessors. Are we able and willing to follow in their footsteps in serving God? Are we able to spend the time and effort to be the bearers of the Good News and the witnesses of our Lord’s truth and resurrection to all those whom we encounter in life? Let our every words, actions and deeds be exemplary and bring hope to many people around us.

May the Lord be with us always and may He strengthen us in our resolve and courage to live our lives with faith and dedication from now on. May the Lord bless us all and may He guide us in our journey of faith, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 9 May 2020 : 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.”

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Saturday, 9 May 2020 : 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.

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Saturday, 9 May 2020 : 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.

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Friday, 8 May 2020 : 4th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us heard the message of truth and hope, the message of God’s salvation that He has revealed to us through Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. In what we have heard today, we heard the reassurances from God that He will always be faithful to the Covenant which He had made with us and He will always provide for us and what we need, and He will not abandon us to destruction.

In our first reading we continue to hear the story of the encouragements that St. Paul spoke to the Jewish community in Antioch in Pisidia, telling them of bow although the people in Jerusalem had treated Jesus, the Messiah and Lord badly, rejecting Him and condemning Him to death, a most painful and humiliating death on the Cross, but God has turned all of that into joy and salvation, as everything had indeed been part of His plan of saving us mankind.

God has loved us so much and provided us with so much all these while, brothers and sisters in Christ, and we have to understand and appreciate all of these. But God has been always so patient with us despite all of our disobedience and lack of faith. He has given us reassurances again and again, as He said to His disciples in our Gospel passage today, to trust Him and to put their faith in Him despite the doubts they might have had. St. Thomas, one of the Apostles, ever the doubter and last one to believe expectantly asked the Lord if they should trust in Him.

And the Lord said that He is indeed the Way, the Truth and the Life. It means that the Lord is the only Way for us to go forward, and He is the Truth that all of us should be following, and the Life that we have all been looking for. The Lord is the heart of our existence and everything we have, have come from Him. It is just that many of us have been ignorant of this truth, and we prefer to follow our own path and way rather than to trust in God and obey Him.

That is why on these days, when the world is indeed filled with so much darkness, uncertainty and fears all abound, when everyone are so frightened and worried over so many things, we must be the bearers of the Good News of the Lord’s hope, truth and salvation. We must be the beacons of God’s light in the midst of all these darkness, at we may shine God’s light on all who have been afflicted by the darkness, that everyone may have hope again, and hope that lasts because this hope comes from God.

There are many people out there who are in despair and low on hope, low on love and care, and it may be up to us to show them the way out of their despair, and to bring God’s love, compassion and encouragement to them. This is why we should really have that strong and genuine faith in each one of us that we may truly proclaim God’s glory through our every day lives and actions. As Christians we have been called to bring hope to our fellow men in their moments of distress and to help others to know God and to find Him when they are in need.

Let us therefore put our complete trust in God from now on, knowing that in Him alone we can find true way and path out of the predicaments and trials we are facing now. We must believe that God will help and guide us in our journey, and if we trust in Him we shall not be disappointed. We must ourselves be patient, because everything will happen as God wills it, and God wants only the best for us. Let us all keep up our hope in Him and trust in Him no matter how difficult our lives and conditions may be at the moment.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all bring the hope of Christ into our lives, by living our lives to the fullest, showing care and concern for the least, the last and the lonely among us. Let us touch the lives of others around us, through our own faith and inspiring examples. Let us fear no more and follow the Lord in the path that He is showing us. Let us trust in Him, our Way, our Truth and our Life from now on.

May God be with us always and may He guide us in this journey of faith and in our lives. May He bless us all, now and always in our every good works and endeavours, and may He help us all to bring His hope and light to our fellow brothers and sisters that the Light He has brought unto us may triumph over the darkness of our lives. Amen.