Seventh Week of Easter

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 17 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus prayed to God His Father, “I pray not only for these, but also for those who through their word will believe in Me. May they all be one, as You Father are in Me and I am in You. May they be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

“I have given them the glory You have given Me, that they may be one as We are One : I in them and You in Me. Thus they shall reach perfection in unity; and the world shall know that You have sent Me, and that I have loved them, just as You loved Me.”

“Father, since You have given them to Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, and see the glory You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You, and these have known that You have sent Me.”

“As I revealed Your Name to them, so will I continue to reveal it, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and also may be in them.”

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I bless the Lord Who counsels me; even at night my inmost self instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices; my body too will rest assured. For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will You suffer Your Holy One to see decay in the land of the dead.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence the fullness of joy, at Your right hand happiness forever.

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 22 : 30 and Acts 23 : 6-11

The next day the commander wanted to know for certain the charges the Jews were making against Paul. So he released him from prison and called together the High Priest and the whole Council; and they brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul knew that part of the Council were Sadducees and others Pharisees; so he spoke out in the Council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee. It is for the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial here.”

At these words, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the whole assembly was divided. For the Sadducees claim that there is neither resurrection, nor Angels nor spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all these things.

Then the shouting grew louder, and some teachers of the Law of the Pharisee party protested, “We find nothing wrong with this man. Maybe a spirit or an Angel has spoken to him.” With this the argument became so violent that the commander feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He therefore ordered the soldiers to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him back to the fortress.

That night the Lord stood by Paul and said, “Courage! As you have borne witness to Me here in Jerusalem, so must you do in Rome.”

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the Sacred Scriptures, we are again reminded just as yesterday of the need for all of us to continue to be well-attuned and connected to God, to trust in Him and in His Providence, to keep an active and dynamic prayer life, so that we may truly know what the Lord wants to do with our lives, as well as knowing where He is leading us towards. As Christians, that is as those who believe in Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we may encounter a lot of hardships and challenges, trials and even persecutions in our path, but we must not lose faith in the Lord, as we must remember, as what we have heard from our Scripture passages today, that the Lord is and will always be with us, journeying with us and providing all that we need.

In our first reading today, we continue to hear the farewell speech which St. Paul the Apostle told to the elders of the community and the faithful in the city of Ephesus during the time when he was to embark on his last missionary journey, one which eventually led him to the city of Rome and then his martyrdom there. He was on the way back to Jerusalem to address the accusations and the other matters that the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin and its members had been bringing up against him to the Roman governor. Hence, St. Paul chose to obey the Lord and follow His guidance, in choosing to go back to Jerusalem knowing full well that there he would likely face hardships and persecutions, instead of staying away and perhaps having a better life where he was accepted and embraced.

St. Paul encouraged the faithful community in Ephesus through his speech, reminding them all to stay faithful in all things, and especially to the elders to take good care of the flock that had been entrusted to them. St. Paul also highlighted the examples of his own mission and how he carried out his ministry, in trusting completely in the Lord, and in not seeking for material and worldly desires, or any kind of earthly glory, and desiring instead in giving of himself in love to the people to whom he had been ministering to, sharing the love of God to all of them. And he used this example to encourage them all to do the same as well in how they carry out their Christian life and missions, so that they may truly be good and faithful disciples and followers of the Lord at all times.

Then, we heard how St. Paul knelt and prayed together with them, and how the faithful in Ephesus were sorrowful and supported him, and were distressed because they likely would not see him again. And yet, through the words that St. Paul had imparted to them, this likely strengthened them for the challenges, trials and hardships that were to come, as there were many among those faithful who would encounter those persecutions in various forms in the early days of Christianity, the opposition from both the Jewish authorities, and later on, the official persecutions from the Roman state and government. It is also an important reminder for all of us that we must also be faithful to the Lord and put our trust in Him, so that even despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face, we will continue to keep up our faith in Him.

From our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the continuation of the prayer that the Lord Jesus had prayed for His disciples and followers, asking His heavenly Father to pray for the disciples, to strengthen and encourage them all so that despite all the challenges and persecutions, uncertainties and difficulties that they might have to endure and go through, particularly during the time of His Passion that He was soon to go through, those disciples would not lose faith and their path in the Lord, and that they would remain united as one faithful people and flock of the Lord. Through that prayer, the Lord wanted to reassure the disciples that God would always be with them, providing and protecting them, and they would never be alone.

The Lord also highlighted an important fact in that prayer, as He also reminded His disciples and followers how following Him would often mean that they would likely have to face rejection, oppression, hardships and trials from the world, because the same world had also rejected Him. The ways of the world are likely not compatible to the ways of the Lord, and this would make many among the disciples to face difficult moments where they might be tempted to give up their faith in God and instead conform to the expectations and ways of the world. But the Lord prayed for them so that hopefully their faith might be strengthened, and through encouragement and the right guidance, they may continue to persevere in their faith and commitment to Him, and that they will not lose their faith and path in life.

This is therefore an important reminder for all of us that as Christians, all of us must always care for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, ever always praying for those who are in need of them and extending our hands to actively help all those to whom we are in the position to help and assist. Like the faithful in Ephesus praying for and supporting St. Paul, we should always continue to be good and loving brothers and sisters to our fellow Christians, showing God’s love in all our words, actions and deeds, in all of our interactions with one another. We should always show sincerity and genuine love in our love and commitment to one another, to fulfil what the Lord has commanded us to do, to love one another just as we have loved Him with all of our heart and might.

May the Risen Lord, our Saviour and Master continue to help and strengthen us all in our own respective journeys and paths in life. May He continue to strengthen, empower and encourage each one of us in our progress forward in faith and life so that we may be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us. May God bless our every good efforts, endeavours and works, and may He continue to be with us and guide us through life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 11b-19

At that time, Jesus prayed to God His Father, “Holy Father, keep those You have given Me in Your Name, so that they may be one, as we also are. When I was with them, I kept them safe in Your Name; and not one was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this, the Scripture was fulfilled. And now I come to You; in the world I speak these things, so that those whom You gave Me, might have joy – all My joy within themselves.”

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world, I do not ask You to remove them from the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.”

“I have sent them into the world as You sent Me into the world; and for their sake, I go to the sacrifice by which I am consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 29-30, 33-35a, 35bc and 36c

Summon Your power, o God, with the strength You have wielded for us. To Your Temple in Jerusalem, kings will come with gifts.

Sing to God, o kingdoms of the world; sing praises to the Lord, to Him Who rides the ancient heavens, and speaks in the voice of thunder. Proclaim the might of God.

He is great in Israel, powerful in heavens. Blessed be God!

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 28-38

Keep watch over yourselves, and over the whole flock the Holy Spirit has placed into your care. Shepherd the Church of the Lord that He has won, at the price of His own Blood. I know that, after I leave, ruthless wolves will come among you and not spare the flock. And, from among you, some will arise, corrupting the truth, and inducing the disciples to follow them.

Be on the watch, therefore, remembering that, for three years, night and day, I did not cease to warn everyone, even with tears. Now, I commend you to God, and to His grace-filled word, which is able to make you grow and gain the inheritance that you shall share with all the saints.

I have not looked for anyone’s silver, gold or clothing. You, yourselves, know, that these hands of mine have provided for both my needs and the needs of those who were with me. In every way, I have shown you that by working hard one must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus Himself said, “Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.”

After this discourse, Paul knelt down with them and prayed. Then, they all began to weep and threw their arms around him and kissed him. They were deeply distressed because he had said that they would never see him again. And they went with him even to the ship.

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Tuesday, 3 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord through the Sacred Scriptures we are reminded of the need for all of us to continue to have faith in God and to put our trust and faith in Him, dedicating our efforts and attention towards Him, even in our most difficult and darkest moments. We must always have hope in the Lord, believing that with His light, hope and encouragement, with His guidance and strength, all of us can overcome the many challenges, trials and difficulties that we have to face in our journey each and every day. We should not turn away from the Lord when things does not go according to our plans, but instead we should listen to the Lord speaking to us and guiding us in our path, so that we may find the best way that the Lord wants to guide us through in our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard of the time when St. Paul the Apostle went to Ephesus during one of his last missionary journeys, and at that time he was heading towards Jerusalem from his ministry throughout various cities and places across the Mediterranean. St. Paul was responding to the Lord’s call, as He sent him to the last mission of his life, to go and face the members of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem that sought to prosecute him for his beliefs and works in propagating Christ’s truth and Good News among the people of God. He could have chosen to remain far from Jerusalem and avoid prosecution and avoid facing his opponents, but he entrusted fully in God’s plan and providence, and listened to His words calling on him to follow Him wherever He would lead him to.

Therefore, fully knowing of what he would likely have to endure in that final part of his journey, all the persecutions, hardships and more that he might have to go through, St. Paul was making a farewell speech to the elders and the faithful people of God in Ephesus, telling them that the Lord has always been with him in all of his works and endeavours, and they should also continue to have faith in the Lord despite all the challenges, trials and difficulties that they may have to encounter in life because of their Christian faith. This is also therefore a reminder for all of us to keep our faith and trust in God despite the obstacles and hardships we may be facing, and to keep on that strong relationship and connection with God at all times.

Then from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the prayer which the Lord Jesus made to His heavenly Father, asking Him to watch over His beloved disciples and followers at the time when many of them would be tested for their faith in Him, and would be scattered by what would soon happen to all of them. At that time, this prayer was made by the Lord just shortly before the commencement of His Passion, that is the moment of His ultimate suffering and leading to His death on the Cross. As we all know, when that happened, the Lord suffered greatly, betrayed by one of His own closest disciples, one of the Twelve, and all the other disciples were scattered when that happened, fearing for their lives and all.

Therefore, the Lord Jesus prayed for His disciples and followers, praying that the Father would strengthen each and every one of them in the upcoming struggles and hardships that they would all face, not only during the time and moment of His Passion, His suffering and death, but in fact also referring to what they all would have to suffer and face in continuing to do their works in ministering to the faithful and to the others, in their works of evangelisation and in their various ministries among the world. Just as the Lord Himself has been hated and persecuted by the world, therefore, the disciples would also face similar persecutions, rejections and hardships in their various journeys, and they would need the strength and courage from God to be able to continue onwards, and hence the Lord was praying for them.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important that we should also do the same in our own respective lives, that is in how we pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in faith, so that they may all be strengthened and encouraged despite the challenges, difficulties and obstacles that we may have to face in the midst of living our lives faithfully in God. We should also continue to show and give our support to everyone around us who are in need of our help and support. We should show the love of God generously to our brethren through our own love for one another, and this is indeed what we have been reminded to do each day as Christians, as those whom the Lord Himself has called and chosen to be His own people.

Today the Church also marks the occasion of the Feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, who were martyred in what is today Uganda, also known as the Holy Martyrs of Uganda. St. Charles Lwanga was the chief of the royal pages of the Kingdom of Buganda, which today still exists as a major part of the country of Uganda. At that time most of the kingdom was still practicing pagan beliefs, and the king and his court were living in a state of great sin. But when the Christian missionaries came to Uganda and began proclaiming the Good News of Christ and the salvation in God, some among the people, including that of St. Charles Lwanga were touched by their message of hope and righteousness, and eventually chose to be baptised as Catholics.

However, the king of Buganda began to see the growing number of converts within his domain as a threat to his power and to the community, and hence, he began to carry out systematic persecutions against Christians in his kingdom. Many among the faithful, both the foreign missionaries and the local converts alike were persecuted and not few were martyred among the missionaries for their great zeal and commitment to God, and also among the local converts for refusing to recant and abandon their faith in God. St. Charles Lwanga protected some of those Christian converts using his position, and his examples touched many others who therefore also chose to accept the Lord as their Saviour as well. In the end, St. Charles Lwanga himself and several others were martyred by burning on a stake, at the site where now the great Basilica of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda in Namugongo is standing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard and reflected from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and examples of St. Charles Lwanga and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of Uganda, let us all therefore do our very best to be faithful and committed disciples of the Lord at all times, in doing His will and in being courageous and strong in proclaiming our faith and belief in the Lord in every opportunities. Let us all not be easily distracted or discouraged by the many pressures, temptations and other obstacles around us, but instead we should continue to commit ourselves to the Lord, doing our very best at glorifying Him by our lives and actions, in everything that we say and do, at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen our resolve to live our lives well in accordance to His will, to proclaim His truth and Good News to all the nations. Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 17 : 1-11a

At that time, after Jesus said all that He had said to His disciples, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come! Give glory to Your Son, that the Son may give glory to You. You have given Him power over all humanity, so that He may give eternal life to all those You entrusted to Him. For this is eternal life : to know You, the only true God, and the One You sent, Jesus Christ.”

“I have glorified You on earth and finished the work that You gave Me to do. Now, Father, give Me, in Your presence, the same glory I had with You before the world began. I have made Your Name known to those You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they kept Your word. And now they know that whatever You entrusted to Me, is indeed from You.”

“I have given them the teaching I received from You, and they received it, and know in truth that I came from You; and they believe that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to You, and whom You have given to Me. Indeed all I have is Yours and all You have is Mine; and now they are My glory.”

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to You.”

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Tuesday, 3 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 67 : 10-11, 20-21

Then You gave a rain of blessings to comfort Your weary children. Your people found a dwelling and in Your mercy, o God, You provided for the needy.

Blessed be the Lord, God our Saviour, Who daily bears our burdens! Ours is a God Who saves; our Lord lets us escape from death.