Sunday Mass sermon

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Sunday, 4 June 2023 : Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Trinity Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, the Sunday after the Pentecost Sunday, all of us, the whole Church celebrates the occasion of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, also known as Trinity Sunday. This Sunday marks a very important celebration for the Church as it commemorates one of the most crucial, distinctive and central tenets of our Christian faith. It is our belief in the Holy Trinity that sets us apart from any other monotheistic faith and beliefs, because while we truly believe in the Oneness of God, and that there is no other God besides Him, but at the same time, we believe that our One and only God exists in Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That is what our belief in the Most Holy Trinity is all about, and which we focus on in this Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

It is also interesting that we always celebrate this Trinity Sunday at the Sunday immediately following the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday that marked the descent of the Holy Spirit on the people of God, on the Church. This is a reminder that all of us as part of the same Church of God has always been guided by the Lord all the same, willed into being by our Father and Creator, and with the Son having dwelled amongst us and walked with us, touching us all with His Presence in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and finally, the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Giver of life, have descended upon us, giving us the Wisdom, strength and courage to live our lives with great faith and commitment to God. Thus, in all aspects and parts of our lives, we always have God ever present by our side, with us, the same one and only True God.

Ever since the very beginning of the Church, the Apostles and the earliest Church fathers, bishops and priests and other Christians have testified and recorded the belief in the Triune God and in the Trinitarian nature of the Lord. While there were those who debated on whether the Lord Jesus was truly the Son of God or whether He was equal to the Father, or whether He was just like us, any other human beings, but most of the Church fathers and early Christians subscribed to the teachings and path that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was truly born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, His Mother, and yet, is not merely just the Son of Man, but also the Son of God in the flesh, assuming our human existence and our form so that He might make His love to become tangible, real and approachable by us. By the will of the Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit, dwelling within Mary, the Divine Messiah was conceived in her, as the Son of God Most High made Man.

If there were indeed many of those who refused to believe that this was possible, or that the historical Man named Jesus Christ was truly the Son of God, Equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, then we must remember that everything is possible for God. If He could make the blind to see again, restore the sick and those who were dying, casting out demons and evil spirits, and raising the dead back to life, and if He could make the barren ones like Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth to bear a child in their barrenness, and for Mary to have a Son without any human intervention and action, then everything is truly possible for God. Not only that but the Lord Jesus Himself has mentioned the Holy Trinity most clearly in the Great Commission that He entrusted to His disciples and followers, the mission of His Church which still continues to this very moment.

The Lord said, ‘Go and make disciples of all the nations, and baptise them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.’ Through this simple and direct instruction, the Lord has made it truly clear of the connection and the equal nature between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus has often referred to the Father in Heaven as His heavenly Father, and referring to Himself as the Son. If the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are referring to different beings, how can we then reconcile our believe in the one and only true God as the Church fathers and the old Jewish and Israelite faith and customs had believed? Therefore, each of the members of the Holy Trinity must indeed be referring to the same God, that has manifested in Three Divine Persons, namely the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the Scriptures, we can find clear indication how the Lord has revealed Himself in His identity as the Holy Trinity, the Triune God, One God consisting of Three distinct Persons, and Three Persons united indivisibly as One God. At the very beginning when God created all things, the three members of the Holy Trinity were already present, highlighting our belief in the Co-Equal and Co-Eternal nature of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and also their consubstantial nature, having the same Divine essence and substance, with the Father being fully God and Divine, and so is the Son and so is the Holy Spirit. At the beginning, God the Father willed all things to be created, from nothingness into being, and He did so, as we read in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, through His Word, and this was referred to at the beginning of the Gospel of St. John.

St. John began his Gospel with ‘In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God; He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing came to be.’ Through this part from St. John’s Gospel we are reminded that the Word of God was the means through which God created all of us, and this Word of God is the Son, just as St. John further continued on with, ‘And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.’ which highlighted to us that the Word of God, the Divine Logos Himself, has become Man, taking up our existence and appearance, becoming fully Divine and fully Man in the Person of Jesus Christ, the One through Whom God’s love and truth have been made tangible and approachable to all of us. The Lord Jesus Himself said to Nicodemus, that God so loved the world, that He sent unto us His beloved Son, to save the world, and He did indeed save the world, by His death on the Cross.

Then, the Holy Spirit, in the Book of Genesis was described as being present throughout the whole thing before existence and before creation, and through the Holy Spirit, the world has life, just as we said in the Creed, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Giver of Life’ and the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son, as the Holy Spirit came unto us from the Father, Who willed that His Spirit came unto us, and by His Word, everything came to be. At Pentecost, which we have just celebrated last Sunday, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord, strengthening them and empowering them just as the Lord Jesus, the Son, has promised that the Father would send them the Holy Spirit. It was through the same Spirit that all of us have received life as well, and those who have received the Holy Spirit, that is all of us, have received more fully the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Now, we can all see how the Holy Trinity has always worked together, in perfect harmony with each other. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all worked together and were united in purpose and action, as although They are Three distinct Persons, but They are indivisible and inseparable from each other, and is part of one Godhood. It is wrong to say that the Father is the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or vice versa as They are all distinct from each other. But They exist together in one perfect union of love that cannot be separated, by anyone or anything. The Father is fully God, just as the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is also fully God, all sharing the same Godhood, the one and only True God. This is something which some people find hard to accept or to understand, and some failed to believe it because they thought that they knew things better. But God and His mysteries are far more than what we can comprehend with our minds alone.

There are many ways for us to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity better, one of which is the famous shamrock or three-leaf clover that St. Patrick used in his missionary work in Ireland, as he utilised it to explain better the mystery of the Holy Trinity to those whom he was evangelising and preaching the Good News so that they may know God and His truth and identity better. The shamrock or the three-leaf clover is a leaf composed of three leaf blades conjoined together as one leaf. We can clearly see that there are three parts of the one leaf, that are distinct from each other and yet each of them are inseparable from each other without diminishing and changing the whole leaf. In the same way therefore, each of the members of the Holy Trinity are distinct from each other while at the same time being indivisibly united as One, and we cannot take One out of the Three without diminishing or changing the nature of God.

Another way is to use the symbolism of a flame, which can also be used to represent somewhat the concept of the Holy Trinity. Flame has three dimensions just as the Holy Trinity is composed of three Members or Persons. Flame consists of its heat, its light as well as its appearance and shape, all three of which makes up a flame as we all know it. We can feel the heat from the flame of a burning object, and we can see the illumination from the light given off by the flame, and we can see the shape of the flame itself as it burns brightly. If we are to remove the heat from the flame, it will indeed be very strange to be able to see a flame and yet without its heat, or if we remove the light instead, to see a flame with its heat, but not being able to see the light that it should have illuminated the room with. Through this comparison, we can see that each aspects of the flame are distinct from each other, and yet, each one of them describe what the whole full flame is all about, and we cannot subtract one from the whole or else we diminish or make the whole unrecognisable and different.

In the same manner therefore, the Holy Trinity is indeed composed of Three Divine Persons, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, each of Whom are equally Divine, equal in their substance and essence, equal in their Lordship and Existence from time immemorial, before even time and existence themselves began. They are Co-Equal and Co-Eternal, distinct from each other and yet at the same time, being perfectly united as the One and only One True God of all. That is what we believe in as Christians, in God Who is One but Three, and Who is also Three but One. One God, One Godhood but Three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each of the Three Divine Persons show the different aspects of the One Godhood, and which are perfectly united and are in harmony with each other in the perfect union of perfect love that is found in God alone.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, while we may try to make the concept of the Holy Trinity better understood, as how the Church fathers and others like St. Patrick had done, and as I had attempted to explain and elaborate on ways to understand the Holy Trinity mystery better, but the reality is that, this most important tenet of our faith is indeed a mystery that can never actually be fully understood by our minds and intelligence alone. We have to understand and appreciate the Holy Trinity through the eyes of faith, and by listening to God Himself speaking to us through the Wisdom He has given us through the Holy Spirit. That is how we can truly understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity, guided by the Lord and His love, His Wisdom and His providence.

And we should not try to seek to know the fullness of the truth behind the Holy Trinity, as St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the most brilliant among the Church fathers and a Doctor of the Church can show us, in how when he was pondering about the mystery of the Holy Trinity, he encountered a young boy by the seashore, pouring the water of the sea into a small hole using a seashell. When St. Augustine asked the boy, the boy responded saying that he was pouring the whole entire sea into the small hole, which was impossible, and when St. Augustine mentioned that to the young boy, it was when the young boy, which was a vision for St. Augustine to remind him, responded that the same applies therefore to his attempts to understand the Holy Trinity, as it is impossible for the limited human mind and intelligence to be able to contain and understand the full nature of the Holy Trinity.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect carefully on our faith in our God, the Most Holy Trinity of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Let us all do whatever we can to believe wholeheartedly in Him, and entrusting ourselves to His Providence so that we may truly live our lives worthy of God, guided by the will of the Father, led by the examples of the Son, and encouraged by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. May our lives be the shining beacons of light and truth of God to many others who journey together with us and encounter us at each and every moments. May our Lord, the Most Holy Trinity, continue to bless us and guide us throughout our lives, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 May 2023 : Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday marks the last day of the glorious and most joyful season of Easter, with this celebration of the Solemnity of the Pentecost Sunday, marking the time when the Holy Spirit came down upon all the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, bestowing upon them the many gifts that God has promised, as well as the Wisdom, guidance and courage that would strengthen many of those disciples in their ministry and works, marking the moment when the Church was truly born. That is why this Pentecost celebration is sometimes also known as the ‘Birthday of the Church’ as prior to the Pentecost moment, all the disciples were filled with fear and uncertainty, hiding from the Jewish authorities and others who opposed the Lord and their works. Through the Holy Spirit, the great Advocate and Helper from the Lord, God has truly given us all the renewal and the encouragement we all needed to embark in our mission as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard of the traditional account of the moment of the Pentecost from the Acts of the Apostles. detailing to us what happened on that day as the great tongues of flame of the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven upon all of the Apostles and the other disciples assembled in the same room, from which they immediately burst forth to proclaim courageously the truth and Good News of God to everyone who were assembled in Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival, that happened fifty days after the Passover. The Holy Spirit did not just give them the strength and courage to carry out the mission that they had been entrusted with, overcoming the fears in their hearts and minds, but also gave them the Wisdom and eloquence to speak the truth with great intellect and understanding of the truth, as well as the miraculous gift of speaking in tongues, allowing many people to understand them all at the same time.

The huge number of people who came to Jerusalem came from both the Jewish diaspora and also other foreigners who were interested to know more about the Lord, as were other travellers and people who came to enjoy the festivities, all coming from different parts of the world and speaking different languages, and yet all of them could miraculously comprehend what the disciples of the Lord were preaching to them. That is what the Holy Spirit had done upon us all as well, by bringing unto us the unity and harmony that restored our unity as one flock of the Lord, one Church of God. This unity had once been broken and shattered because of our sins and pride, our disobedience against God, like what one of the Old Testament passages from the Vigil of the Pentecost last night highlighted to us regarding the well-known story of the Tower of Babel, where human pride and arrogance led to them being scattered and their languages confused by God.

The Holy Spirit therefore came down upon us, uniting us and bringing us to once again live in harmony as one people of God, one Church, giving us the gifts to live worthily as Christians, as God’s people and to proclaim His Good News and truth to renew the world. The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that we all may carry on the missions entrusted by the Lord to His Church and disciples, to gather all the scattered people and those whom He loved from all over the whole world. Through the Holy Spirit, the Church was made tangible as the disciples no longer hid themselves but went forth with great courage to call on more and more people to turn back towards the Lord and to repent from their sins. Right from the very first day of the Church’s visible existence at Pentecost, according to the Acts of the Apostles, three thousand people chose to be baptised and therefore laid the foundations for the growing Christian community.

The Lord gave the Holy Spirit to His disciples, who then passed on the same Holy Spirit to the rest of the Church, giving all of its members, including all of us a variety of gifts and blessings, abilities and opportunities as we have heard from our second reading today, from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. Through the Holy Spirit, St. Paul mentioned that we have been given diverse and different gifts, graces and blessings, and made to be one people regardless of our origin and background. Thus, there should be no longer be discrimination or attitudes that show elitism or contempt within the Church from one to another just because a certain part or member of the Church felt that he or she is better and more pious compared to others, or more capable and worthy than their fellow brothers and sisters. All of us are equal before the Lord our God and we are equally beloved as well.

The Holy Spirit has given us all many gifts and this is what we should be reflecting on this day as we celebrate this glorious occasion, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birthday of the Church and the end of the glorious Easter season. We must first realise that the joy and the spirit of Easter must not end with today’s celebration. Rather, we have to carry on living our Christian lives with zeal and courage, to continue doing what we have done thus far, in doing God’s will and in carrying out whatever missions and opportunities we have been given. It is also an important reminder for each one of us that we have been given different calling and vocations in life, and this means that in whatever areas and in whichever vocation that we have, we should do what we can do to glorify God and to proclaim His Good News, and more often than not, this requires us to live our Christian lives well, to be genuinely and fully faithful in our lives to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence remind ourselves to let the Holy Spirit guide us and strengthen us each day and at every moments, so that we may always be good role models and sources of inspiration for one another in faith, continuing what the Lord has asked us to do, to be missionary and evangelising in our own respective communities. Let our actions, words and deeds, and our every interactions and works inspire more and more people, touch their hearts and minds so that they may come ever closer to God and that they may know the Lord and His truth better. Through all these, many more people and many more souls will come ever closer to God’s salvation, and each one of us have important parts to play in this. All of us are important in the Church’s efforts for the conversion of souls, and each one of our little actions do really matter.

May the Risen Lord be with us and His Church always, and may the Holy Spirit continue to guide and strengthen us, inflame and encourage us that we may always be firm in our faith and actions, and do our best to reach out to others with exemplary and shining faith in God. May the Holy Spirit lead us and help us to serve God ever more courageously and may all of us be strengthened in all things, now and always, forevermore. Come, Holy Spirit and renew the face of the Earth, and come to bless and strengthen us, give us the courage and desire to continue to do God’s will, at all times. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 May 2023 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we gather together this evening as one united Church, we all celebrate the Vigil of the Pentecost Sunday, marking the beginning of this great celebration and commemoration of the moment when the Holy Spirit came upon the Church and all the disciples of the Lord assembled back then in Jerusalem, fifty days after the glorious Resurrection of the Lord and ten days after He ascended gloriously to Heaven. This descent of the Holy Spirit fulfilled what the Lord has promised His disciples regarding the coming of the Advocate, or the Helper, Who is God the Holy Spirit, that the Lord Jesus Himself promised that the Father would send upon the disciples in order to strengthen and to guide them even after He was no longer physically with them.

The coming of the Holy Spirit marked a very important moment in the history and development of the Church as it marked the time when the disciples began a new phase in their ministry and work as they responded to the Lord’s call, encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, as they embarked on their missionary work and began proclaiming their faith openly without fear, as contrasted to how they had acted before. The disciples were full of fear and were in hiding from the Jewish authorities prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit. But after the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them, they became full of fire and zeal, strengthened and encouraged to proclaim the truth and the Good News of Christ without fear and without worry anymore, doing what the Lord has been entrusting to them, and with the Wisdom that the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon them.

In our first reading today, there are a few readings used that can be used in this Pentecost Vigil like that of the Easter Vigil, with multiple readings preceding that of the Epistle reading, highlighting the significance of the Solemnity of the Pentecost Sunday at the end of the glorious season of Easter and mirroring the most joyful celebrations that we have had in the Easter Vigil celebrations, in the Mother of All Holy Vigils. On this Pentecost Vigil, there used to be baptism performed just as commonly done on Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses. The readings used from the Old Testament also highlighted the significance of the actions and the descent of the Holy Spirit, in completing many of the works and plans that the Lord has for us, His beloved people, in bringing us ever closer to Him and in empowering us all in our ever present and challenging struggles of life in this world.

The first one from the Book of Genesis recounted to us the story from the moment when mankind, after the Great Flood of Noah, became proud and began to seek ambitiously to reach out to the heights of Heaven by building up a huge tower, which we know as the Tower of Babel. Back then, all of mankind were still speaking the same language and tongue, and could understand each others’ speeches. They were all working together on a very ambitious and prideful project of building a great tower surpassing all others and reaching even unto Heaven itself. For their pride and arrogance, God punished mankind and confused their language and tongue which caused them to abandon their project as none of them could understand each other or work together anymore. Thus, we saw how the fruits of sin and pride are divisions and confusion, while the fruits of the Holy Spirit are unity and harmony.

How so? That is how the coming of the Holy Spirit can be contrasted to the moment of the divisions due to the Tower of Babel. While the Tower of Babel event led to mankind being separated by linguistic and other barriers, the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord the Wisdom and the ability to comprehend other languages, and also the ability to speak in tongues. The Acts of the Apostles account of the Pentecost Sunday itself highlighted how the people then assembled in Jerusalem for the Festival of the Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover Feast, from various countries and origins, all with different tongues and languages, all could understand what the Apostles were speaking and preaching about, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Thus, we can see how through the coming of the Holy Spirit, God once again brought His divided and scattered people together into one flock, united in His Church.

Then, from the other reading taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the famous vision of the prophet in which he saw a vast valley filled with huge multitudes of human bones, all dry and without life. By God’s will and through the Spirit of God, the Spirit of life coming to dwell in them, the Lord showed Ezekiel how all those dry bones began to reassemble themselves and returned into a living state, as they returned into a more and more human state, and finally, as the Spirit of God returned life unto them, all of them became a massive assembly of a huge number of the people of God assembled all in that valley upon what Ezekiel saw in that vision. This was a prefigurement of the restoration of the people of God, which would be restored to a new life full of grace and love of God, no longer subject to the tyranny of sin and death, that His Son, Our Lord and Saviour would bring to us, and the Holy Spirit would complete through the Church.

Thus just as sin and evil that have entered into our hearts and minds with the temptations of Satan and our failure to resist those temptations, led to suffering and death, the loss of life and the grace of God, thus through His Son and by the gift of the Holy Spirit, God Himself has sent unto us the path of hope and towards eternal life, which He has reassured us, that through Him, all of us shall gain a new life and existence that are no longer under the dominion of sin and evil. Sin no longer has its power over us, and no one shall ever separate us from the love of God again. God has always loved us and He has lovingly reached out to us, desiring to be reconciled and reunited with us. However, it is often always us who reneged on our Covenant and promises to Him, and we have often ignored His love and kindness, choosing to allow ourselves to be swayed by the falsehoods and the temptations of this world.

That is why all of us need to be reminded that today as we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Church and all of us, the Holy Spirit that we have received through the Sacrament of Baptism, and then strengthened in grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit by the Sacrament of Confirmation, all of us are called to renew the commitment and the dedication which each and every one of us ought to have to the Lord. As the Temples of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Presence of God, all of us should do our best to live our lives as good role models and inspirations, as Christians, so that by our actions, efforts, words, works and interactions all of us may truly embody the gifts of the Holy Spirit within us, and that we may truly bear rich fruits of the Holy Spirit, in our every moments and actions, in all the opportunities that we have received.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this great Solemnity of Pentecost, let us all realise that each one of us as the members of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church all have the same responsibilities and calling, the mission to carry on what the Lord has told us to do, as what His Apostles, the innumerable saints and martyrs, courageous missionaries and faith role models had done before us. All of us should do our very best such that in each and every one of our actions, works, deeds and all the things we do, we always live our lives in the manner that the Lord has taught us, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in our journey of faith and in our actions. All of us share in the same Spirit of God the calling to do our part in glorifying the Lord by our lives, and in proclaiming the Good News to more and more of the people out there who have not yet known the Lord and His truth.

May all of us therefore, as part of the one Church of God, one flock of God’s people, united and made whole again, no longer scattered and separated because of sin, and empowered through the gift of the Holy Spirit, continue to do what we can to carry out the missions of the Church and to live our lives truly filled with the Holy Spirit, and continue to pass on the courage and the strength that the Spirit has granted to us. May the Risen Lord, our Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to be with us and keep on leading His Church, all of us, to the right path. May all of us remain ever faithful and dedicated as good and inspirational Christians, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 May 2023 : Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the whole Church celebrates the occasion of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, marking the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection from the dead, ascended in glory to His heavenly Throne. The Lord Jesus ascended in glory by His own power, leaving behind this world but not abandoning His disciples and followers. He ascended to prepare for us all our places by His side in Heaven, to welcome us all in the end of time, to prove to us that we all truly have something to look forward to in our faithful and dedicated life. Each and every one of us are reminded of this most joyous moment and time, emphasising to us that Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in Whom we have put our faith, truly came from the Father in Heaven, and has returned to His place in Heaven, the Son of God incarnate, showing us the love of God manifested in the flesh.

In our first reading today, we all heard from the Acts of the Apostles detailing to us how the Lord ascended to Heaven in glory, before His assembled disciples and followers, and promising to them all the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who would guide and strengthen them in their journey and work, and Who would lead them to go forth and fulfil the commands and mission that He has entrusted to them, to proclaim the Good News of God to all the people of all the nations, and to baptise them all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He ascended to Heaven afterwards and this was witnessed by His disciples, many of whom would suffer persecution and even martyrdom in subsequent years and decades, and they endured all those sufferings with faith, exactly because they have seen everything that the Lord had done, how He has risen from the dead and was with them, and ascended into Heaven.

If the Lord Jesus has not truly come from Heaven and if He had been a fraud and false Messiah as how some among His enemies and opponents claimed, then His disciples and followers would not have persevered and endured in their faith in such a manner. Many of them have experienced everything that the Lord had said and done, and witnessed His Resurrection and Ascension as mentioned, and therefore, they were willing to even die to defend their faith in the Lord. Everything also happened as how the Lord has promised the disciples, with the Holy Spirit coming down upon the Apostles and the other disciples, heralding the birth of the Church, and encouraged them all to go forth and proclaim the Good News, spreading the words of the Gospels of salvation to more and more people who also come to believe in the Lord Jesus and His truth.

In our second reading today, all of us heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians regarding how Lord has revealed to His Church, to all of us the revelation of His truth and glory, everything that He has told and brought upon us, and most importantly, how all of us believe in and follow this Lord and God, Who is the Almighty God, the Master and King of all Creation. Not only that, but it also reminded us that we believe in this Jesus Christ, as Christians, and that He is not just merely like any Man, or any other beings. By His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, the Lord has shown us all that He truly came from His heavenly abode, from eternity and glory, coming down upon each and every one of us so that by dwelling among us and by His appearance in this world, He might save each one of us from being destroyed and crushed by our sins and wickedness.

This reminds us all that our faith in the Lord is not something that is nonsense and imaginary. By the testimony of faith and the evidence that the Church as well as other historical records have passed down to us, all of us know that our God is real, and although He did not leave behind much earthly existence, because He has ascended into Heaven, but He was there for us all, has been with us and shown us the love of God manifested to us, and He is and will always be there for us, guiding and helping us all throughout the way. He has sent us all the Holy Spirit to guide us and to strengthen us, to encourage and empower us, just as how the Holy Spirit encouraged the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord to do what they had been sent forth to do, in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, the words of God’s salvation to His people.

In our Gospel passage today, that is what the Lord has told hIs disciples to do, to go forth to the nations and to all the people, and to proclaim God and His truth, His love and everything that He has done through the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ Himself, Who has shown us the love of God manifested and approachable in the flesh, and by Whose Passion, suffering and death has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life and glory. All these are brought upon us through Christ, and the Good News have to therefore be spread throughout the whole world, so that more and more people may come to believe in the truth that Christ Himself has proclaimed. And all of us as the members of the same Church of God are the bearers of this Good News and truth, which we have to proclaim in our own works and in whatever capacity and opportunities that the Lord has given us.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this great Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, all of us are reminded as well that forty days have passed in this joyful and glorious season of Easter. How have we been living through our Easter season? Have we been idling around and been ignorant of our calling and mission as Christians? Have our words, actions and deeds been reflective of our Christian faith and beliefs? If we call ourselves as Christians and yet we do not practice our faith, our carry out our actions, deeds and works, and if our words and interactions with each other are not reflective of our faith in God, then how can we expect others around us or those whom we encounter and interact with can become believers as well? Not only that, in fact, there had been many cases where people both within and outside the Church had been scandalised by the wicked and less-than-worthy actions by our fellow Catholics, who have not lived their lives the way they should have. The sad reality is that there are many Christians within the Church who have become lukewarm and even dead in the faith, abandoning the Lord for worldly pursuits and other things.

And lest we easily point finger and blame others, or think that this problem is what others have but not us, let us all look upon ourselves first, our way of life, our predisposition and our actions. If we truly have lived our lives in the most Christian manner, obeying the Law and commandments of God, showing love for both God and for our fellow men alike, then well done indeed, and we should continue doing that. It is by all these that we can truly be missionary and evangelising in the way how the Apostles and the many saints and holy missionaries in the past had done. Many became believers not only because of the miracles and wonders that they had done, but also because of the faith and dedication which our holy predecessors had shown in their lives, in how they committed themselves to God and to His path, and also in how they loved and cared for each other.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us are called to be the beacons of the light of God, which Christ our Lord has shown and passed on to us. Are we willing and able to commit ourselves to a virtuous and worthy life that all of us as Christians have been expected to do in our own respective lives? All of us should no longer be hesitant or ignorant to do as God has told us all to do, as our first and most important mission as Christians is evangelisation, to go forth and spread the faith to others, just as the Lord told His disciples in the Great Commission, ‘Go forth and make disciples of all the people of all the nations, and baptise them all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ And we do not have to seek for great things or worry that we have to aim for great achievements and wonders. We do not have to compare or worry, but instead let the Holy Spirit to help and lead us down the path, and entrust ourselves to God Who will show us how we can glorify Him by our lives.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, on this great Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, let us all remind ourselves that we have important mission in our lives, by doing our best in whatever we do in life, in whatever opportunities we have received and in whichever places that we have been called to, in our various respective ministries and vocations, be it as those called to the priesthood and holy orders, or those called to the religious and consecrated life, or those called to a life of holy singlehood and other forms of ministry associated with that, and of course as Christian couples and families tasked with the building of the faithful Christian families, the foundations of our Church and Christian faith, where our faithful future and young generations ought to be raised well in the Christian faith and truth of God. Each one of us should do our best to proclaim the Lord and His Good News, to those around us, both within and outside the Church, by our exemplary and faithful life.

May the Lord, ascended in glory onto His Throne in Heaven, most excellent and almighty, continue to guide us all His Church and all of us His beloved ones, in our path and way of life so that we may truly be the inspirational and worthy beacons of His light, truth and love. May all of us continue to strive to be faithful in all things, and do our best to be good role models and inspiration as the missionaries and disciples of our Lord in our world today. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 May 2023 : Seventh Sunday of Easter, World Social Communications Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded first and foremost of the need for all of us as Christians to be in communication with the Lord our most loving God and Father. And it is not a coincidence that this Sunday, the seventh one in the season of Easter, we also mark the occasion of the World Communications Sunday or the World Social Communications Sunday. On this Sunday, we keep in mind the importance of communication, especially with regards to the communication that we should have with the Lord, our most loving God. The Lord has always loved us and each one of us have always been so fortunate to be beloved in such a manner by God. Yet, many of us have not spent the time to reach out to the Lord and we have often forgotten about Him, ignored His love and attention towards us.

We often refused to embrace His love, hardened our hearts and minds against Him, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to His constant efforts in reaching out to us, in all the love that He has continuously shown us, all these while. The Lord has sent us His own beloved Son, incarnate in the flesh, the Son and Divine Word of God, Who came into our midst so that we may behold the fullness of God’s love manifested in the flesh. Through Him, all of us have experienced the presence of God so close to us, and it is part of His ever enduring desire to reach out to us, to communicate with us and to be with us all. He went through all these because He truly cares for each one of us, and wants us to be freed from the bondage due to our many sins and wickedness. He does not want us to fall into eternal damnation.

Hence, that is why He taught us all how to pray, like what we heard in our Gospel passage today. We heard the Lord Jesus speaking in prayer to His heavenly Father, glorifying and thanking Him in all that He had done, and in all of His wonders and glory. He also commended and entrusted His disciples and followers to His care and providence, asking Him to protect and guide them, to bless them and to be with them just as He has been with them. The Lord has always thought about us and He therefore asked His heavenly Father to bless us and to give us the strength and the courage, and through Him, the Father has sent unto us the Holy Spirit to be our guide and strength, leading us all to Himself. The Lord Jesus Himself has often communicated with His Father, spending time in prayer and in quiet solace, showing us what it truly means to communicate with our loving God and Father.

We may wonder why is it that Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Son of God Himself, had the need to communicate or pray to His heavenly Father. First of all, that is because it shows us how the Son and the Father are always in harmony, together with the Holy Spirit, in a perfect unity of the Three Divine Persons in one Godhead, the Most Holy Trinity. Not only that, but as the Son of God, He is also at the same time, the Son of Man, born to be one like us, sharing in our human likeness and nature, so that by being the Son of the Father, He may share with us all the same identity as sons and daughters, for each one of us so that we truly can call God as our Father as well. That is why, all of us call ourselves as brothers and sisters in Christ, the same children of our most loving God and Father.

Now, as we heard in our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard how the Apostles themselves spent time in prayer as they came back from witnessing the Lord’s glorious Ascension into Heaven, and while waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They all prayed seeking guidance from God and remaining in communication with Him, listening to Him speaking in their hearts and minds, and once the Holy Spirit came down upon them at Pentecost, they kept on praying and spending time to attune themselves with God, a connection ever strengthened by the Holy Spirit guiding them, as well as through their constant prayerful life and actions. The examples of these early Christians, our holy predecessors ought to become inspiration and good examples for each one of us to follow just as we ourselves seek to live our lives worthily of the Lord.

How about us then, brothers and sisters in Christ? As we commemorate this World Communications Sunday today, let us ask ourselves and remind ourselves whether we have already done what we should as Christians, first and foremost in communicating with God our Father? Many of us are often so busy and preoccupied with so many things in life that we may have forgotten about God, sidelining Him from our lives and ignoring Him. To not few among us, prayer is something done just as a last resort when all hope is lost, or that we desire that God must do something on our behalf, or for our own benefits. While it is indeed right for us to trust the Lord and ask Him for assistance and help, however, demanding for Him to do something for us and to help us is not alright at all. Unfortunately, that is often how many of us prayed, and instead of genuine communication which is what a prayer truly is, our prayers become litanies of supplications and demands.

We become angry when our prayers are not answered or when it seemed that God did not listen to our prayers, requests or desires. But we forget one important and most fundamental fact that the Lord was in no way answerable to us or obliged to answer us or give us what we demanded of Him. This is what happened when we do not have a strong and genuine faith in Him, and when our faith and commitment to Him is truly fleeting and temporary in nature, that prevented us from truly being able to grow into a truly wonderful, strong and enduring relationship with our most loving God and Father. When we pray and seek the Lord only when we have need for Him, then it is not truly building relationship with God, brothers and sisters in Christ. All of us have to strive to build a strong and lasting relationship with God, one that endures through even the most difficult moments and challenges.

And as Christians, all of us are also encouraged to build up strong and genuine relationships with our fellow Christians, our brothers and sisters in the same Lord, our God and Father. Our Christian faith is not something that thrives in isolation, as we need to be part of a vibrant and living Christian community, all in good communication and contact with each other, so that we may indeed become closer to each other and grow to love and care for our fellow brethren, just as the Lord has commanded all of us to do. Our Christian faith and obligation requires us to spend time not just with God but also with our fellow brethren, to communicate with them meaningfully and to develop strong, living and enduring relationships, through which we will become ever more enriched and stronger in faith and dedication to the Lord.

Let us all therefore do our best so that we may grow ever better in how we communicate with God through prayers and other means, and also how we communicate with each other, by spending quality time with those who are important and dear to us, and also spending time and effort to interact meaningfully and lovingly with one another, to our beloved ones, in our families and among our friends, and also with the strangers and acquaintances whom we encounter each day. Let us all do this, and commit ourselves to be effective communicators, knowing that by our exemplary lives and good communication skills, we may truly proclaim the Lord and His truth to more and more people from all the nations. May the Lord continue to guide and bless each one of us in our efforts to glorify Him, in each and every moments. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 May 2023 : Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the whole Church celebrates the occasion of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, marking the moment when the Lord Jesus Christ, forty days after His glorious Resurrection from the dead, ascended in glory to His heavenly Throne. The Lord Jesus ascended in glory by His own power, leaving behind this world but not abandoning His disciples and followers. He ascended to prepare for us all our places by His side in Heaven, to welcome us all in the end of time, to prove to us that we all truly have something to look forward to in our faithful and dedicated life. Each and every one of us are reminded of this most joyous moment and time, emphasising to us that Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in Whom we have put our faith, truly came from the Father in Heaven, and has returned to His place in Heaven, the Son of God incarnate, showing us the love of God manifested in the flesh.

In our first reading today, we all heard from the Acts of the Apostles detailing to us how the Lord ascended to Heaven in glory, before His assembled disciples and followers, and promising to them all the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who would guide and strengthen them in their journey and work, and Who would lead them to go forth and fulfil the commands and mission that He has entrusted to them, to proclaim the Good News of God to all the people of all the nations, and to baptise them all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He ascended to Heaven afterwards and this was witnessed by His disciples, many of whom would suffer persecution and even martyrdom in subsequent years and decades, and they endured all those sufferings with faith, exactly because they have seen everything that the Lord had done, how He has risen from the dead and was with them, and ascended into Heaven.

If the Lord Jesus has not truly come from Heaven and if He had been a fraud and false Messiah as how some among His enemies and opponents claimed, then His disciples and followers would not have persevered and endured in their faith in such a manner. Many of them have experienced everything that the Lord had said and done, and witnessed His Resurrection and Ascension as mentioned, and therefore, they were willing to even die to defend their faith in the Lord. Everything also happened as how the Lord has promised the disciples, with the Holy Spirit coming down upon the Apostles and the other disciples, heralding the birth of the Church, and encouraged them all to go forth and proclaim the Good News, spreading the words of the Gospels of salvation to more and more people who also come to believe in the Lord Jesus and His truth.

In our second reading today, all of us heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Ephesians regarding how Lord has revealed to His Church, to all of us the revelation of His truth and glory, everything that He has told and brought upon us, and most importantly, how all of us believe in and follow this Lord and God, Who is the Almighty God, the Master and King of all Creation. Not only that, but it also reminded us that we believe in this Jesus Christ, as Christians, and that He is not just merely like any Man, or any other beings. By His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, the Lord has shown us all that He truly came from His heavenly abode, from eternity and glory, coming down upon each and every one of us so that by dwelling among us and by His appearance in this world, He might save each one of us from being destroyed and crushed by our sins and wickedness.

This reminds us all that our faith in the Lord is not something that is nonsense and imaginary. By the testimony of faith and the evidence that the Church as well as other historical records have passed down to us, all of us know that our God is real, and although He did not leave behind much earthly existence, because He has ascended into Heaven, but He was there for us all, has been with us and shown us the love of God manifested to us, and He is and will always be there for us, guiding and helping us all throughout the way. He has sent us all the Holy Spirit to guide us and to strengthen us, to encourage and empower us, just as how the Holy Spirit encouraged the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord to do what they had been sent forth to do, in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, the words of God’s salvation to His people.

In our Gospel passage today, that is what the Lord has told hIs disciples to do, to go forth to the nations and to all the people, and to proclaim God and His truth, His love and everything that He has done through the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ Himself, Who has shown us the love of God manifested and approachable in the flesh, and by Whose Passion, suffering and death has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life and glory. All these are brought upon us through Christ, and the Good News have to therefore be spread throughout the whole world, so that more and more people may come to believe in the truth that Christ Himself has proclaimed. And all of us as the members of the same Church of God are the bearers of this Good News and truth, which we have to proclaim in our own works and in whatever capacity and opportunities that the Lord has given us.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this great Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, all of us are reminded as well that forty days have passed in this joyful and glorious season of Easter. How have we been living through our Easter season? Have we been idling around and been ignorant of our calling and mission as Christians? Have our words, actions and deeds been reflective of our Christian faith and beliefs? If we call ourselves as Christians and yet we do not practice our faith, our carry out our actions, deeds and works, and if our words and interactions with each other are not reflective of our faith in God, then how can we expect others around us or those whom we encounter and interact with can become believers as well? Not only that, in fact, there had been many cases where people both within and outside the Church had been scandalised by the wicked and less-than-worthy actions by our fellow Catholics, who have not lived their lives the way they should have. The sad reality is that there are many Christians within the Church who have become lukewarm and even dead in the faith, abandoning the Lord for worldly pursuits and other things.

And lest we easily point finger and blame others, or think that this problem is what others have but not us, let us all look upon ourselves first, our way of life, our predisposition and our actions. If we truly have lived our lives in the most Christian manner, obeying the Law and commandments of God, showing love for both God and for our fellow men alike, then well done indeed, and we should continue doing that. It is by all these that we can truly be missionary and evangelising in the way how the Apostles and the many saints and holy missionaries in the past had done. Many became believers not only because of the miracles and wonders that they had done, but also because of the faith and dedication which our holy predecessors had shown in their lives, in how they committed themselves to God and to His path, and also in how they loved and cared for each other.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us are called to be the beacons of the light of God, which Christ our Lord has shown and passed on to us. Are we willing and able to commit ourselves to a virtuous and worthy life that all of us as Christians have been expected to do in our own respective lives? All of us should no longer be hesitant or ignorant to do as God has told us all to do, as our first and most important mission as Christians is evangelisation, to go forth and spread the faith to others, just as the Lord told His disciples in the Great Commission, ‘Go forth and make disciples of all the people of all the nations, and baptise them all in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ And we do not have to seek for great things or worry that we have to aim for great achievements and wonders. We do not have to compare or worry, but instead let the Holy Spirit to help and lead us down the path, and entrust ourselves to God Who will show us how we can glorify Him by our lives.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, on this great Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, let us all remind ourselves that we have important mission in our lives, by doing our best in whatever we do in life, in whatever opportunities we have received and in whichever places that we have been called to, in our various respective ministries and vocations, be it as those called to the priesthood and holy orders, or those called to the religious and consecrated life, or those called to a life of holy singlehood and other forms of ministry associated with that, and of course as Christian couples and families tasked with the building of the faithful Christian families, the foundations of our Church and Christian faith, where our faithful future and young generations ought to be raised well in the Christian faith and truth of God. Each one of us should do our best to proclaim the Lord and His Good News, to those around us, both within and outside the Church, by our exemplary and faithful life.

May the Lord, ascended in glory onto His Throne in Heaven, most excellent and almighty, continue to guide us all His Church and all of us His beloved ones, in our path and way of life so that we may truly be the inspirational and worthy beacons of His light, truth and love. May all of us continue to strive to be faithful in all things, and do our best to be good role models and inspiration as the missionaries and disciples of our Lord in our world today, ever inspired, strengthened and guided by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Sunday, 14 May 2023 : Sixth Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are called and reminded to live our lives worthily of the Lord as Christians, whom God had called and chosen from this world. Through our shared Christian baptism, all of us have become parts and members of the Church of God, the one Body of Christ where all those who profess to be faithful in Christ are part of this Communion of unity, united as one people, living a new and blessed life with the grace of God as a community. All of us have been reminded of the life of the early Christian communities so that we may be inspired to pursue the same life filled with holiness and devotion to God, and that we may no longer be obsessed with all sorts of worldly temptations and evils, desires and attachments.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, the account of how the Apostles worked to proclaim the Good News and the words of the Lord, His salvation and grace to all the people in various places. St. Philip the Apostle went to the region of Samaria, proclaiming the word of God likely to the Samaritans who lived in that area, who had earlier on responded favourably to the Lord and his teachings and truth. There were many great signs and wonders that happened, as the Apostle carried out his ministry, performing miracles and wonders, and many among the people listened attentively to the words of truth as proclaimed by St. Philip. And then we heard how St. Peter and St. John came to the Samaritans, who had been baptised, and sent the Holy Spirit to come down upon them as well.

Historically, there had been a rather tense and hostile relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans due to conflicting claims on the heritage of the people of Israel, and for their differing viewpoints with regards to faith practices and customs, with each side often blaming the other side for having become wayward in their way of living their faith, and each one of them claimed that their way was the right one while the other one was wrong and heretical. The Jewish people, particularly the Pharisees back then took great pride on their status as God’s people, inheriting the claim of the Israelites as God’s first called and chosen people. However, the problem was that this ended up with them being condescending, elitist and uncharitable in their attitudes and interactions with others, as exemplified by how the Pharisees considered that all those who did not follow their ways and beliefs would be doomed and damned.

This is in tandem with what we have heard from the readings we have listened to in the past few weekdays, which focused on the divisions and disagreements within the early Church where those who belonged to the group of the hardline Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were against those who sought to help and make it easier for the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles to become a member of the Church. The former demanded that all of the faithful people of God must embrace and obey the full entire range of extensive rules, laws, precepts, practices and customs of the Jewish Law, which the Jewish people themselves had found it hard to be followed and obeyed, which would have pushed many of the non-Jewish people away from the Church and the Christian faith, should they have succeeded in having their way done.

Instead, the Lord guided His Church through the hands of the Apostles and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in moderating the extreme demands of those who had their preconceived ideals and thoughts that were incompatible with what the Lord had taught us all. He has shown them what His disciples and followers should all do, and how His Church should be like. The Church is One and Universal, as contained within its character as the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Therefore, as one community of the faithful people of God, all called to a holy life and existence, just as our Lord and God is Holy, there cannot be prejudices, bias and all other things that bring about division and disunity within the community of the faithful, and that is why the Church is Catholic, which means Universal in nature. There is no favouritism or preference for a certain custom or practice within the Church, as everyone is truly equal before the Lord.

Then, we must also remember that the Church is also Apostolic in nature, which is reflected in the works and mission of the Apostles and the other missionaries of the faith. The word ‘Apostle’ itself came from the Ancient Greek word ‘Apostolos’ which means the ‘one who is sent off’, highlighting that the Church is also missionary in nature, all of us are sent out to proclaim the truth and Good News to more and more people out there who have not yet known about the Lord yet. The actions of the Apostles St. Philip, St. Peter and St. John who went to the Samaritans to work amongst them, proclaiming the Good News and giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit were just some of the examples of how our Church is truly Apostolic or missionary in nature. The Church always extends it hands to reach out to more and more of the people, not enclosing ourselves within a bubble of self-righteousness and intolerance of differences.

Now, today, we also happen to celebrate the Feast of St. Matthias the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles, whose life and actions, inspirations and examples should be able to inspire us to follow in his examples and works, and that of the other Apostles and innumerable saints out there as well. St. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot, the traitor who had betrayed the Lord Jesus, as one of the Twelve Apostles. And as a member of the Twelve, St. Matthias was extensively involved in the missionary efforts of the Church like that of the other Apostles, in them going forth from place to place, proclaiming the Good News and truth of God to more and more people, and converting many more to the Lord and His cause. According to the Apostolic traditions, St. Matthias went to the regions of Cappadocia in Asia Minor, parts of the Caspian Sea coast region, and even as far as Ethiopia, gaining much success while also facing hardships and persecutions. Eventually, he was martyred for his faith, and died faithfully defending his commitment to God.

The Apostles had carried out what the Lord had told them all to do, as we heard it ourselves from our Gospel passage today. The Lord told them all that all those who loved Him would do the commandments and obey the Law of God, and that is what He has called them all to do, the commandments that the Lord Himself has summarised into two main key points, that is the Law that leads us all to a new, loving existence, with God at the centre of our lives and with us dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly and thoroughly to Him, and then at the same time, also being filled with the same love and compassion for one another, for our fellow brothers and sisters. That is our Christian calling and mission, and all of us are expected to live our lives worthily and faithfully as Christians at all times, to be good examples, inspirations and role model for others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, hopefully all these serve to remind us all of our important calling and mission as Christians, for each and every one of us to do our part in living our lives faithfully and worthily as Christians at all times. Unless we carry out what the Lord had told us to do, and practice our faith with genuine and sincere desire to love Him and to walk in His path, doing what is right and just according to His Law and commandments, how can we convince others to believe in God as well? If our own actions contradict our faith and beliefs, then are we not just like hypocrites and unbelievers? If our actions, works and deeds, our words and interactions contradict what we believe in, then we may even end up driving others further from the faith, and causing divisions within the Church like how some of our predecessors had done.

Therefore, let us all discern carefully our path as we reflect upon the words of the Scriptures this Sunday, so that we may be inspired to live our lives more worthily and be able to commit ourselves more to the path that the Lord has shown us. Let us all continue to do our best, to live our lives to the best we can, so that our every actions, our every words and deeds, our interactions may be the best means through which we may introduce the Lord, His truth and Good News to all the people all around us. May the Holy Apostles, especially St. Matthias, pray and intercede for us all, and may the Lord continue to guide us all and His Church, and bless our good works and labours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 May 2023 : Fifth Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded yet again of why we celebrate most joyfully this holy and blessed season of Easter. We celebrate it because of the ever enduring Love of God Who has sent unto us His most beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Risen Lord, through Whom we have received the fulfilment of the promises of God, and through Whom we have been redeemed and saved from the impending destruction and damnation due to those many sins and wickedness that we have committed. God reached out to us with His love which endured even through the most difficult moments, and He patiently cared for us all and He still loved us despite of our frequent stubborn attitude and rebelliousness, which had often hampered us in the path towards salvation and true grace in God.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord told His disciples that they all have to trust in Him and to listen to Him, and be reassured with everything that He has said and promised to them, as He would do whatever He had told them, and that even though they might not see Him for a little while, as He predicted His own suffering and demise, but He would never abandon them. Not only that, but this Sunday, as we come ever closer to the ending of the Easter season and particularly the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, we are all reminded that God is still there with us, protecting and guiding us throughout our journey. As He Himself said in the same Gospel passage today, that He would go on forward to prepare the places and rooms for us in Heaven, in the presence of God. By His Ascension, the Lord went up in glory, returning to His rightful place and Throne, and is now there reigning gloriously while still remembering each and every one of us.

Christ, our Risen Lord, by His suffering and death on the Cross has lifted us up from the deepest depth of our darkness and misery. He has unlocked for us the gates of Heaven and the path to reconciliation with God our loving Father and Creator, leading us down the sure path to redemption. The Lord has reached out to us with His most wonderful love, loving us most generously and with the gift of His Son, He has shown us all just how beloved and fortunate we are, that despite of our attitude and our mistakes and faults, God’s love still triumphed and overcame even all of those things. He despises our sins and wickedness, but He loves each and every one of us, His beloved children, and there is nothing that can separate us from His love, unless it is we ourselves who have consciously and purposefully refused His love and rejected His mercy.

All of us always have the choice whether to follow the Lord or to turn away from Him. But today we are reminded yet again therefore of God’s love and naturally, because God has loved us so much, then all of us should love Him in the same way as well, and have this love in our lives, in our actions and way of life, in how we interact with one another, in our every words and commitments in life. We are reminded that all of us Christians are a people that God had called and embraced with love, and we have been consecrated and chosen by Him, to be His tools and means through which His light, truth and love may be propagated ever more to our communities and to our societies today in the world that we are living in. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the opportunities and the time for us to show forth the way of the Lord and His truth in our own lives.

As we heard in our second reading today from the Epistle of St. Peter, all of us as Christians are a chosen race, a community of priest-kings, a consecrated nation, and a people that God has made His own to proclaim His wonders. What St. Peter told all the faithful in this Epistle passage is a reminder for us all that through our baptism, in which we have become part of the Church of God, entering into this one community of believers and the faithful in the Lord, we have been sanctified and consecrated, marked with the very mark of the Living God, and all of us have entered into the New and Eternal Covenant that God has established with us through the works and sacrifice that His own beloved Son, Our Risen Lord, had done on the Cross. We have been called and brought into a new existence through Christ, a new life and existence that is full of God’s grace and free from sins.

Again, St. Peter had spoken about how the Lord was rejected by the people that He had been sent to, persecuted, arrested and made to suffer and die, because of the stubbornness of all those who have refused to listen to Him and His truth, all those who have allowed the vices of this world and their pride and ego to get the better of them. Yet, the Lord did not let all these to stop Him, and instead, He gave it all for our sake, by enduring the worst of persecutions and humiliations on our behalf, that through His perfect obedience and love, He might show to us what it truly means to live our lives worthily of the Lord, and to be a good and genuine Christian, full of faith and love for our loving God and Creator. He has become the Cornerstone, the Foundation of His Church, establishing His kingdom and dominion in this whole world, freeing us from the power and dominion of sin and death.

Therefore, each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy people, all of us are called to live our lives well and worthily as how Christians should be like, in doing the will of God and in obeying His Law and commandments at all possible opportunities. Each and every one of us have been blessed and given various talents and abilities, and we have been called to different vocations in life. But all of us are reminded to dedicate ourselves and our lives to the Lord in the manner how our Lord Himself, Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Saviour, had dedicated His life, work and ministry, in perfectly obeying the will of His heavenly Father, in doing what He had been sent into this world for, even to the point of laying down His life for us, because He truly loves each and every one of us. He is the perfect role model for all of us Christians in how we should live our lives.

Then, in our first reading today, we heard lastly from the Acts of the Apostles of the time when the Church under the leadership of the Apostles decided to appoint holy and devout men as the first Deacons of the Church, instituting therefore the Order of Deacons, which role is to assist the Apostles and their successors in the management and the daily running of the Church in its various ministries. Seven holy and worthy men were chosen from among the followers of the Lord, including the well-known St. Stephen, who would become the Protomartyr, or the very first martyr of the Church, who died in defending his faith in the Lord and in proclaiming the Good News and truth to the people. All of the deacons were appointed and charged with the mission to help in the care of the faithful, and later on in assisting the bishops and priests in their own ministry.

Through what we have heard today, all of us are reminded to do what the Lord has entrusted to each one of us to do in our own lives as well. The deacons had been called with a particular mission to serve the Church and the faithful, just as the Apostles and their successors, the bishops as well as the priests have their own missions and vocations to carry out throughout their respective lives. Then, there are also those who have been called to religious and consecrated life, dedicating themselves to a life of prayer, virtue, poverty and common life in certain communities and groups, as well as those others called to married life, to give glory to God through their families and by raising up children and new generations of faithful Christians. There are yet others called to holy single life, to the work of missions among others, called to glorify God in their own ways.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us ask ourselves, what is our own vocation in life? What have we been called to do and what have we committed ourselves to do with our lives? Let us all spend the time today and afterwards to discern carefully how we can live our lives better as Christians, in embracing more fully our various respective vocations in life, and doing the will of God in all things. Let us all do our best to carry out our Christian calling and obligations, our respective missions in life, making good use whatever opportunities, time and chances that God has presented to us. All of us have been entrusted by the Lord to do His will, to do our best in our lives and proclaiming His Good News and truth at all times. Our lives should serve as inspiration and guide for others all around us so that they may be inspired to follow our examples as well.

May the Risen Lord continue to guide and strengthen each one of us, and may He empower all of us to live our lives to the best of our abilities, to glorify Him by our lives and works. May God be with His Church and all of His faithful ones, at all times. May He bless our works and efforts, and remain with us always. Amen.

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Sunday, 30 April 2023 : Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday and Vocation Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in the season of Easter, the Church celebrates together the occasion known as the Good Shepherd Sunday, or also known as Vocation Sunday, due to the readings today, which highlighted the Lord as our Good Shepherd, and all of us being the sheep of His flock. The Lord is indeed our Good Shepherd, as the One Who has come into our midst, embracing us all with His most generous love and compassion, to gather all of us into His one flock so that none of us will be lost again to damnation because of our many sins and wickedness. As our Good Shepherd, the Lord has always loved each and every one of us, and we are reminded today of this great love that He has always given us, even when we have constantly disobeyed Him and disregarded His love and kindness.

In our first reading this Sunday, all of us heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the works of the Apostles and disciples of the Lord led by St. Peter the Apostle in their first ever evangelising mission as the Church, right on the day of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended down upon the disciples of the Lord gathered in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit strengthened and invigorated the Lord’s disciples, all of whom had been hiding before that in fear of persecution and oppression by the chief priests and all those who opposed the Lord and His teachings. They went forth out from their hiding places and began to proclaim about the Risen Lord, the Crucified Messiah, through Whom everyone had received the sure hope and assurance of eternal life because of everything that He had done, in obeying perfectly the will of His heavenly Father, and in offering Himself as the perfect and worthy offering for the salvation of everyone’s souls.

Those Apostles and disciples of the Lord spoke courageously, without fear and with determination, reaching out to all the people who were then assembled in Jerusalem for the Pentecost, explaining about the Lord and His teachings to them, and thanks to the great courage and the wisdom that the Lord had passed to them, as we heard in our first reading today, a total of three thousand people at least gave themselves to be baptised and henceforth became the earliest members of the Christian Church, together with the Lord’s Apostles and disciples. This was why Pentecost Sunday is also celebrated as the ‘birthday’ of the Church as it was on that day, that the Church began to manifest itself to the whole world, as the tangible Body of Christ, the Communion of all those who believe in God and follow Him wholeheartedly, belonging to this same community, and this same flock that the Lord has assembled.

The Apostles and the other disciples were indeed shepherds, called and chosen, and made to be shepherds in the image of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Himself. They were called to follow in the examples of the Good Shepherd, in caring for the well-being of the Lord’s flock, all of the sheep that has been lost and scattered away from the Shepherd and His flock. Those three thousand who were baptised that day at Pentecost were the lost sheep that had been found, and had been led to return to the one flock of the Lord. This is what we are all reminded of this day, of the Church which we are part of, being the flock of the Lord and all of us His beloved sheep, whom He had called and gathered from among the nations, through His servants, His disciples and their successors, especially all those who have been appointed as shepherds responsible in taking care of the sheep of the Lord’s flock.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard then of the reading which gave this Sunday its name, as the Good Shepherd Sunday. We heard the Lord telling the people about the sheep in a flock and their shepherd. He told them about how the shepherd knew his sheep and vice versa, and the sheep will not respond to a robber or thief. This means that all those who have kept their faith and belonged to the Lord, they will not respond to the falsehoods and the wayward things of this world, and they will only respond to the Lord, their one and only Shepherd. The Lord also told the people and His disciples that He is the Gate of the sheep, and therefore the only way for one to enter into the flock is through Him and not through others. This in fact is a revelation and premonition of what He Himself would do as our Good Shepherd, in enduring the sufferings of the world so that by His suffering and death, He might rescue us from our own destruction.

This is related to another passage regarding the Good Shepherd which the Lord Himself told His disciples, in which He said that ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep’ and this is a reminder that all of us, the sheep of the Lord’s flock, has been gathered by Him from all over the whole world, called by Him and He has willingly embraced us with His great love because all of us are precious to Him, without exception. All of us have been separated from the Lord because of our disobedience which led us into sin, and because of sin, we have been sundered from God and His love and grace. Yet, our Lord, as our Good Shepherd cares for each one of us, and to that extent, He went all the way to look out for us, finding us amongst the dark crannies and nooks of this world, especially those among us who have been ostracised and rejected, cast aside and lost in the darkest corners and parts of the world.

He went forth looking for all of His lost sheep, and went between us and the Enemy, who have waited and was ever ready to strike us down through our sins and wickedness, dragging us with him into the eternal darkness and damnation. Our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Good Shepherd therefore suffered for us, just as St. Peter had mentioned in one of his Epistles that we heard as our second reading today. We are reminded of everything that the Lord had experienced and endured because of His love for us and His desire to see us freed and liberated from the bondage and tyranny of sin and death. He took up His Cross, was tortured and endured the worst of humiliations and punishments, all so that we do not have to suffer all those punishments due for our own mistakes and faults, and through His wounds and pain, we have been healed of our own wounds and stripes.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we focus our attention on the Lord, our Good Shepherd this Sunday, on everything that He has done for us, remembering the sacrifice and the hardships that He had gone through in order to reach out to us and find us, His lost sheep, let us all therefore do our part as members of the Christian faithful, the flock of the Lord, first of all to remain truly faithful to our Lord, to His Law and commandments. Though all of us have been saved and brought together by the Lord into His Church, to become part of His flock, but it does not mean that we can be idle and ignorant of our calling as Christians to be missionary and evangelising in our lives, and to always be vigilant and careful in our lives so that we do not end up falling again and again into the path of sin.

That is because although we have indeed become part of the Church and become a member of God’s flock, but as long as we still remain in this world, we are still susceptible to the temptations and pressures to commit sin against God. The devil is still busy trying to lure us away from the Lord, through his various temptations and efforts, through various means such that we end up falling deeper and deeper into the wrong paths. That is why, all of us are reminded to keep our faith in the Lord strongly and resist the many temptations and coercions all around us, trying to lead us astray and pull us away from the salvation in God through His Church, His one flock of the faithful. That is why, as we recall our identity as Christians, each one of us are reminded that we have to do our part in maintaining the unity in the Church, in doing the will of God and in living our lives worthily of the Lord.

Each and every one of us should also help and take part in the works of the Church, and pray for all those whom God had called to be shepherds like Him, those whom He has entrusted with the daily care of His flock, namely our priests, bishops and all others who have been entrusted with the role of shepherds in our community. That is why this Sunday is also known as the Vocation Sunday, in reminding us in particular of those who have been called especially to the vocation of priesthood and dedicated themselves fully to the Lord, to the care of the Church and the Lord’s flock. Being a priest requires not just a lot of dedication and efforts, but also a great perseverance and courage, and the constant ability to resist the many temptations and things that are always threatening to pull them away from their path.

The devil, our great Enemy and all those who seek our destruction know this all too well, and that is why, the harder they have tried, are trying and will try to destroy our shepherds. That is because if they strike at the shepherd, and manage to destroy the shepherd, the sheep may end up getting scattered and lost, and it is then easier for the enemies of the faithful to strike at them and leading us into our downfall with them. On the other hand, if we remain strong in our solidarity and support for our priests and all the shepherds that the Lord had given us, then as one strong and committed body of disciples and followers of the Lord, there will barely be any means or avenue for those wicked ones to come and strike at us. Our Pope, bishops and priests all need our support and prayers, as their roles as our shepherds and guides are truly a very challenging one.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, first of all we pray for more vocations among us all for those who are called to the priesthood, that those who have been called may grow more discerning to consider and discern carefully the Lord’s calling for them. However, not only that, we also pray for those whose family members and relatives have been called as well, as it is often that the biggest obstacles to the vocation of priesthood and also consecrated life, is the opposition from our family members and those who are close to us. Let us all pray that each one of us can understand better what it means for each and every one of us to have our own vocations in life, and that some among us can indeed be called to serve the Lord in the way of being priests and religious, dedicating their lives wholly to the Lord and to the service of the people of God.

But let us also not forget that each and every one of us amongst the laity, all of us also have our own responsibilities and obligations as members of the Church, and it does not mean that the laity is any less important than the members of the clergy. Each and every parts of the Church are important as without the laity or those in the presbyterate, the works of the Church cannot be fully completed and carried out. All of us have our own calling and vocation in life, and that is why, although we focus our attention and prayer to support our priests and those who have dedicated their lives to the Lord, at the same time we cannot ignore or put aside the role that the laity has in the works and mission of the Church. This Vocation Sunday is a reminder for all of us to embrace our various respective vocations and mission in life, to do what the Lord has called on us to do with the gifts and blessings that He has granted us.

May the Risen Lord, Our Good Shepherd and guide, continue to be with us and guide us all, strengthen and encourage us with the power and strength needed for us to endure through the challenges and trials that we may have to face amidst our lives as Christians in this world today. Let us all be good role models for one another, and be good sources of inspiration that through our role model and examples, many more people may come to believe in the Lord through us. Let us all do our part, in our respective vocation and calling in life, to glorify the Lord by our lives, in each and every one of our works and dealings. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 April 2023 : Third Sunday of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we enter into the celebration of the Third Sunday of Easter, all of us are reminded yet again of the very reason why we celebrate joyfully during this time and season of Easter. We are reminded that particularly during this time of Easter, all of us should focus our attention on the Risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who has won for us such a great victory through His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, and then through His glorious Resurrection from the dead. Through all of that, Christ our Lord and Saviour has opened for us the pathway to eternal life, the road to eternal glory and true joy with Him. We are no longer separated and sundered from the love and compassion of God, and we have been brought closer once again to God.

In our first reading today, we heard the testimony of faith by St. Peter who proclaimed to all the people assembled in Jerusalem at that time, of the truth regarding Jesus Christ, the One Who had been crucified and put to death, just weeks prior to that time, and which according to the Apostles and the other eyewitnesses, had risen from the dead in glory, and appeared to them, showing them all the fulfilment of God’s promised salvation, and the triumph that He had shown us in our battle against sin and death. St. Peter told all of the people assembled of the Messiah that the Lord has promised His people, and how everything has been fulfilled through this same Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Crucified One. He and the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord went forth courageously, encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the Risen Lord to all.

Most importantly, this Messiah’s story did not end with His death. Indeed, many of those same people had witnessed how the Lord Jesus was condemned to death and was crucified by the Romans, with the support of the Jewish authorities, who gave Him off to the Romans in the first place. But, the Lord Jesus rose gloriously from the dead, and His Resurrection has proved to be the fulfilment of everything that God has promised to His people, to all of us. For through His Resurrection, the Lord has cast out and destroyed the chains and the dominion of sin and death over all of us, and He has made His sacrifice and death a most worthy offering to His heavenly Father, for the atonement and forgiveness of all of our multitude of sins. The Lord has become the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of the New and Everlasting Passover and Covenant that God has established with us.

This is what St. Peter himself also testified and spoke of in one of his Epistles, that is our second reading today. The Apostle spoke of how all of us have been saved through the Precious Blood of the Lamb, the Paschal Lamb, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and saved by the One Who has risen from the dead, and Who raises the dead with Him, to share in the eternal life and inheritance meant for all of us from the very beginning. Through this, all of us are reminded of just how important the Resurrection of the Lord is to our faith and belief in the Lord, for without the Resurrection, then Christ’s death on the Cross would have been meaningless. Without the Resurrection, then it would have been proven that no one could escape the power of death, and yet, the Lord’s glorious Resurrection overcame that. Without the Resurrection, the death of the Lord Jesus would just be the sad and tragic death of a Man condemned to death because of the jealousy and political intrigues within the Jewish community back then.

It was truly the Lord’s Resurrection that made it all possible for us to have hope once again, and to be lifted up out of our despair and the darkness surrounding us. This has happened as we heard in our Gospel passage today, when the Lord appeared to two of His disciples who were travelling on their way to the village of Emmaus, very shortly after the Lord’s Resurrection. Both of those two disciples had been distraught and demoralised by the persecution and the death of the Lord, and despite hearing the words of the women who went to the tomb of the Lord and telling them of the Resurrection, they still could not believe that the One in Whom they had placed their hopes in, would have been crushed and killed in such a way. It was there that the Risen Lord appeared to them, as He came by them on their way from Jerusalem to Emmaus. The Lord discussed the passages of the Scriptures with them, particularly the part where it concerned the suffering and the hardships that the Messiah had to suffer, in referring to what had happened to Himself.

And as we heard in that same Gospel passage, the Risen Lord encouraged and strengthened the spirit and the faith of the two disciples as they went on their journey with Him towards Emmaus, before finally revealing Himself to them at the breaking of the bread with them. That was what brought the two disciples to rush back immediately all the way to Jerusalem, to tell all the other disciples of what they had just witnessed about the Risen Lord appearing to them in the flesh. This amongst other evidence of the Resurrection, and the fact of how many of the Apostles and disciples of the Lord were willing to die and suffer for this truth, are more than enough proofs that the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, has truly risen from the dead, and did not remain in the tomb, in death. Despite the efforts by the members of the Sanhedrin to silence and hide the truth about the Lord’s Resurrection, even to the point of bribing the guards who were at the tomb of the Lord, they failed to contain the continuously and rapidly growing Christian faith and believers.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from all the Scripture readings today, let us all be reminded that as Christians, that is as members of God’s Church and as those who belong to Him, as His beloved sons and daughters, we have the responsibility and duty to be good role models and inspiration to one another in our way of life and faith. It means that each and every one of us have to lead lives that are in accordance to our faith in the Lord and not to scandalise the Church and the Holy Name of Our Lord by our inappropriate and sinful actions, works and deeds. This is why, all of us are reminded that we all should be Christians in truth and reality, in all things and not just in name or for formality only. Unless we commit ourselves wholeheartedly and completely to the Lord, to His path and His Law and commandments, we may end up being easily distracted and tempted by the many temptations all around us.

This Sunday, as we have entered into the third week of the Easter season, let us all ask ourselves, whether we have truly made good use of the time we had these past two weeks during this joyful season of Easter, or whether we have squandered the time and opportunities presented to us. All of us are reminded that we are all the people whom the Lord had loved and redeemed from sin, and by our common baptism, all of us have been made partakers of the New and Eternal Covenant that He had sealed by His own Most Precious Blood. Therefore, all of us should follow in the examples of our holy predecessors, the Holy Apostles, the innumerable saints and martyrs, who have courageously stood up for their faith and proclaimed their dedication to the Lord, as they endured challenges and trials, one after another, in their ministry and lives. They proclaimed the Risen Lord, His love and truth to the world, through their every actions, words and deeds.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be missionary and evangelising in our every words, actions and deeds as well, and let our every efforts bring more and more people closer towards the Lord, that all those who witness our works and actions, heard our words and experienced our interactions with them, may experience the truth and love of God through us. Let us all inspire our fellow brothers and sisters much as how the Apostles themselves had inspired us with their courage and dedication to God. May all of us continue to carry on living our lives with zeal, with commitment and devotion, and may each and every one of us be good role models and examples in our Christian faith and living. May the Risen Lord, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, continue to guide us all and give us the strength and courage to proclaim His truth and Resurrection to the world. Amen.