Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 104 : 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Look to the Lord and be strong; seek His face always. Remember His wonderful works, His miracles and His judgments.
You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the Lord our God; His judgments reach the whole world.
He remembers His covenant forever, His promise to a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, the promise He swore to Isaac.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Genesis 17 : 3-9
Abram fell face down and God said to him, “This is My covenant with you : you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer will you be called Abram, but Abraham, because I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you more and more famous; I will multiply your descendants; nations shall spring from you, kings shall be among your descendants.”
“And I will establish a covenant, an everlasting covenant between Myself and you and your descendants after you; from now on I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you, for generations to come. I will give to you and your descendants after you the land you are living in, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession and I will be the God of your race.”
God said to Abraham, “For your part, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.”
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture passages we listened again about the healing and liberation that come from God, as we heard in our first reading passage today from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel about the vision he received of the glorious heavenly sanctuary, of the wonderful place and how everything exists in God’s grace and bliss. And then in the Gospel passage we heard another healing miracle of the Lord, as He healed a paralytic man and made him whole once again.
Through all of these passages we have heard today, God wants to remind us all that this Lent, we are called to reflect on our own lives, on how we have lived these lives of ours so far, in our attitudes, actions and life. We are called to remember that our ultimate destination in life is heaven, as God showed to the prophet Ezekiel in the vision. And in truth, heaven is more than just a place, for it is a state of pure bliss and joy of being fully reconciled and reunited with God, where there will be no more sorrow but only pure joy of being with God, enjoying the fullness of His love for eternity.
Unfortunately, all of us mankind have been prevented from enjoying all these things and wonders in this present life, because of our disobedience against God and His will. And the fruits of disobedience are our sins, which have corrupted us and made us to be sick. We are just like the paralytic man who was lying down, unable to move and afflicted at the Pool of Siloam. And no one helped him for the entirety of the thirty-eight years he was there.
And we see how there were many people afflicted by various diseases coming to the Pool of Siloam because of the miraculous healing that happened to all the first person who went into the water when the water was stirred by God’s Angel. But no one bothered to help the paralytic man to go to the water to be healed, and everyone just bothered about their own selves, in wanting to be healed. That was how the paralytic man suffered there for thirty-eight years long.
Jesus knew how long the man had suffered and waited for the day of his healing which did not seem to come at all. But Jesus knew his faith and willingness to be healed, and thus, He approached the man and asked about his willingness to be healed. The man showed that he clearly wanted to be healed, but no one bothered to help him at all in order to be healed. And so, Jesus showed us all an example by reaching out to the man, and healed him even on the day of the Sabbath.
Jesus showed us all what each and every one of us need to do, especially during this penitential season of Lent, a time of renewal and reconciliation with God. First of all, He is calling on us to seek Him for Him to heal us all from our sins. For it is God alone Who is capable of freeing us from the bondage and sufferings of our sins. We cannot heal ourselves from the plight of sin, just like the paralytic man who could not heal himself.
And we know how loving and forgiving God is, that He was so willing to reach out to us, embracing us with His love, and healing us from our pains and sufferings because of sin. That is what each and every one of us can expect, if we are able and willing to turn towards God and seek His forgiveness and mercy. We shall be made whole and good once again, freed from our sins and wickedness, from our pains and trials.
Secondly, which is not less important, is the fact that all of us are not suffering alone in this world. Each and every one of us are equally sinners before God. All of us are afflicted and are corrupted by the taints of sin. And unless we come to seek God’s help and providence, we shall perish and suffer eternal death due to sin. But sadly, many of us are so blinded by pride as well as by selfishness and greed, that we often acted as how the people in the Pool of Siloam acted.
What does that mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that we should not turn a blind eye to the sins and sufferings of our fellow brethren. We must instead show the same love and compassion that the Lord has shown to the paralytic man. It is through our actions and our obedience to God that we can inspire others around us to also follow in our examples and good actions, that together we may be saved.
Today, we should also be inspired by the good examples shown by the holy and devout, loving and compassionate St. Francis of Paola, an ascetic friar and hermit who devoted his whole life to God, serving the people through prayer, through humility and plenty of self-sacrifice, by being exemplary in faith and in all of his words and actions. St. Francis of Paola, as well as many other saints whose life we know about, show us how each one of us can become like them in holiness, for they themselves were once sinners, but they sought God’s healing and were healed and transformed.
May the Lord be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us that we may live faithfully from now on, and be able and willing to commit ourselves to a life of holiness, virtue and faith. May God bless us all, now and forevermore. Amen.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
John 5 : 1-16
At that time, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, there is a pool (called Bethzatha in Hebrew) surrounded by five galleries. In these galleries lay a multitude of sick people : blind, lame and paralysed.
(All were waiting for the water to move, for at times an Angel of the Lord would descend into the pool and stir up the water; and the first person to enter the pool, after this movement of the water, would be healed of whatever disease that he had.)
There was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him, and because He knew how long this man had been lying there, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” And the sick man answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; so while I am still on my way, another steps down before me.”
Jesus then said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk!” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his mat and walked. Now that day happened to be the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had just been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and the Law does not allow you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The One Who healed me said to me, “Take up your mat and walk!”
They asked him, “Who is the One Who said to you : Take up your mat and walk?” But the sick man had no idea who it was Who had cured him, for Jesus had slipped away among the crowd that filled the place. Afterwards Jesus met him in the Temple court and told him, “Now you are well; do not sin again, lest something worse happen to you.”
And the man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had healed him. So the Jews persecuted Jesus because He performs healings like that on the Sabbath.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Psalm 45 : 2-3, 5-6, 8-9ab
God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the seas.
There is a river whose streams bring joy to the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, the city cannot quake, for God’s help is upon it at the break of day.
For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our refuge. Come, see the works of the Lord – the marvellous things He has done in the world.
Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet
Ezekiel 47 : 1-9, 12
The man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the Temple and flowing eastwards. The Temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the Temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing the east and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.
The man had a measuring cord in his hand. As he went towards the east he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water which was up to my ankles. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me cross the water which came to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and we crossed the water which was up to my waist. When he had again measured a thousand cubits, I could not cross the torrent for it had swollen to a depth which was impossible to cross without swimming.
The man then said to me, “Son of man, did you see?” He led me on further and then brought me back to the bank of the river. There I saw a number of trees on both sides of the river. He said to me, “This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome.”
“Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful and the sea water will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound. Near the river on both banks there will be all kinds of fruit trees with foliage that will not wither and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop because the water comes from the Temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings are reminders for us all that we ought to go forth and preach the Good News of God to all the peoples, and not to be afraid or to be fearful of repercussion and the persecution by the world. The world may not like us and what we believe in, but remember, brethren, that they have not welcomed the Lord Jesus either, and neither had they welcomed the Apostles and the disciples of our Lord.
We are often not aware that being Christians does not mean just being passive and knowing that all of us have been saved. There are so many things that all of us can still do, and indeed, are expected to do. The Apostles certainly did not remain quiet and passive during the days and months after Jesus had risen from the dead and after He had ascended into heaven.
They healed the people from their sickness, performing many miracles in the Name of the Lord, and they most importantly, preached the truth and the salvation in Jesus Christ to the people, despite the staunch and fervent opposition from the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law, the chief priests and the elders, those who had been against the Lord Jesus once, and now also opposed the good works of God continued through His Apostles and disciples.
But even though they were persecuted and put to trial, mocked and cast out from the society, imprisoned and tortured, they continued to keep up their faith, and they resisted the attempts of those who were trying to persuade them otherwise, either through persuasion or through force. They stood up for the Lord, and for all those who deserve salvation from hearing the word of truth that they preach.
The problem lies in that many of us may think that their work has been completed, and seeing the state of our Church today, with its over a billion members, then surely everything is good, the Church is thriving, and there is nothing much that we need to do, as after all, we are no longer in those eras when the Church and the faithful ones were persecuted. But is this the case? Is it true that there is nothing that we need to do, or that we can do?
No, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important that we remember how the Lord Jesus commissioned His disciples to spread forth the Good News of salvation to all the peoples all over the world, preaching to them and showing them the truth. But while this have been mostly done, and countless people have heard and been saved by believing in Jesus and His truth, but there are still so many others who are out of reach of the salvation in Christ.
And inside the Church itself, are we confident to say that all of us Christians are truly believing in God and obeying all of His laws and commandments? Do we even realise how many of us in the Church actually do not believe in all of the teachings of the Church, picking only what we want to believe, or like to believe and rejecting those which we do not like? That is not what a true Christian should be.
And how many of us are lukewarm about our faith? How many of us do not see the importance of doing what the Lord had taught us and shown us through His many teachings, and all the truth which He had spoken? This is important, brethren, as if we are not careful, the temptations of the world and even persecution to come, may just be strong enough and persuasive enough to pull us away from the path towards God’s salvation.
Let us all in this Easter season commit ourselves anew to God and to His ways, and in our words, our deeds and actions, in all the things that we do in our respective lives, in our interactions with one another, let us all devote ourselves, our time and effort to bring ourselves closer to God, and to help lead one another into the salvation found only in Christ our Lord. May God help us and bless us in our endeavours always. Amen.
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.”
Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 117 : 1 and 14-15, 16ab-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.
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 had happened.
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 