Sundays of Easter

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Tuesday, 14 May 2019 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the feast of one of the Twelve Apostles, although one who was not included in the original list of the Twelve Apostles, namely St. Matthias, who was chosen from among the ranks of the disciples, to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, who left the number of the Twelve Apostles after his betrayal of the Lord and subsequent suicide.

St. Matthias was chosen because he was among the first disciples whom the Lord had called and stayed on with Him all the way throughout His entire ministry. And upon being chosen, St. Matthias filled the gap that was created by Judas Iscariot, taking up the mantle of responsibility that the Lord has given to the Apostles. He carried on the important task of building and establishing the Church which God had built upon their foundation, and went from place to place proclaiming God’s truth.

It was told that St. Matthias went to places as far as Ethiopia and spread the message of the Gospels in places like Cappadocia in Asia Minor, and eventually was martyred in Jerusalem or in the land of Ethiopia according to the different Apostolic traditions and Church history. St. Matthias chose to devote himself completely and thoroughly to the cause of the Lord and served Him so totally so as to give himself wholly to the mission entrusted to him.

St. Matthias and the other Apostles are good examples and role models for us all to follow, as they have shown us what it truly means to live up to the faith and to be fully dedicated to God in all things. St. Matthias did not shy away from suffering through persecutions and challenges, through pains and tribulations, no matter how hard and difficult they are, he continued to persevere and tried his best to do what the Lord had entrusted to him to do.

Likewise, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we recall the glorious life and memories of the many works of St. Matthias as well as the other Apostles and disciples, we bring to attention our own lives and actions. Have we done with our lives in the way the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord had done with theirs? Have we allowed God to perform His wonders and works with us as He has done with the Apostles?

All of us have to realise that the works of the Apostles were aplenty, and they are still not yet done. Many people have followed in their footsteps throughout history, and many of them suffered in the same way that the Apostles and the early faithful members of the Church had done. But yet, they lived their lives with the same courage and faith, committing themselves completely and wholeheartedly to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect and think of what else we can do in our lives to devote ourselves to the Lord and commit ourselves to the will of God. We need to do what we can, imitating the good examples of the Apostles and doing what we can to be witnesses of the faith in the midst of our own respective communities. We can do that by practicing our faith with courage and devoting ourselves wholeheartedly.

If we are sincere and committed in living our lives, surely through our own examples and dedication, others will come to see the Lord being present in our lives, and we will become shining beacons of God’s truth for others to see and believe in. Let us all follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, and do our very best to serve the Lord and to love Him in all of our actions and deeds. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to bless us and be with us each and every moments of our live, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2019 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 15 : 9-17

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you. Remain in My love! You will remain in My love if you keep My commandments, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.”

“I have told you all this, that My own joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment : Love one another as I have loved you! There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends; and you are My friends, if you do what I command you.”

“I shall not call you servants any more, because servants do not know what their master is about. Instead, I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learnt from My Father. You did not choose Me; it was I Who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And everything you ask the Father in My Name, He will give you.”

“This is My command, that you love one another.”

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Tuesday, 14 May 2019 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of YHVH, praise the Name of YHVH! Blessed be the Name of YHVH now and forever!

From eastern lands to the western islands, may the Name of YHVH be praised! YHVH is exalted over the nations; His glory above the heavens.

Who is like YHVH our God, Who sits enthroned on high, but also bends down to see on earth as in heaven?

He lifts up the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap. He makes them sit with princes, with rulers of His people.

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Tuesday, 14 May 2019 : Feast of St. Matthias, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 1 : 15-17, 20-26

It was during this time that Peter stood up in the midst of the community – about one hundred and twenty in all – and he said, “Brothers, it was necessary that the Scriptures referring to Judas be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit had spoken through David about the one who would lead the crowd coming to arrest Jesus. He was one of our number and had been called to share our common ministry.”

“In the Book of Psalms it is written : ‘Let his house become deserted and may no one live in it.’ But it is also written : ‘May another take his office.’ Therefore, we must choose someone from among those who were with us during all the time that the Lord Jesus moved about with us, beginning with John’s baptism until the day when Jesus was taken away from us. One of these has to become, with us, a witness to His resurrection.”

Then they proposed two : Joseph, called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias. They prayed : “You know, Lord, what is in the hearts of all. Show us, therefore, which of the two You have chosen to replace Judas in this Apostolic ministry which he deserted to go to the place he deserved.”

Then they drew lots between the two and the choice fell on Matthias who was added to the eleven Apostles.

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Monday, 13 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, celebrated every thirteenth day of the month of May, marking the moment when Our Blessed Mother Mary appeared at Fatima in Portugal to three young shepherd children, bringing forth with her the message intended for mankind, for the salvation and liberation of man through God.

Mary is calling all of us to follow her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to repent from our sinful ways and from our wicked actions in life. She appeared several times over the few months in that same year before the three children, showing them visions of hell, and the warning of what would happen should mankind continue to live in sin. She gave the prophecies of what would happen, the suffering of many throughout the past century, due to the persecution of the Church and the faithful.

And today, we celebrate Mary, Our Lady of Fatima and remember her intense love for each one of us, that she appeared and showed her care and concern for us, as unless we make a change and difference in our lives, we will be lost forever to her Son, and to her as well. And God has entrusted us all to her, as her own children, just as He entrusted her to us as our own Mother. Which mother will not care for the well-being of her own children or be concerned about them?

That is why today, as we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, all of us are reminded to reflect on our lives and to think about how we have lived out our lives all these while. Have we been truly acting in a most Christian way in our daily living or have we instead been following the ways of the world all these while? We are challenged by the Lord to follow the good examples which His own mother Mary has shown us.

For Mary is the perfect disciple, one who has attuned herself so completely to the will of God, obediently following the will of God and submitting herself so perfectly, that she became the role model for each and every one of us Christians. She is so honoured and well-praised precisely because of her commitment to God, her devotion to do what God has willed and not of her own selfish desires in life.

That is why we are often so attached to Mary, for she is not just our Mother, but someone whom we can truly look up to in our daily living, as the example and the guiding light by which we can find our way towards God. And that is what we perhaps need to reflect today, as we continue to live our lives in this world. We should heed our loving Mother’s call and encouragement for us to turn away from sinful ways and to embrace wholeheartedly her ways, imitating her love and commitment for God in our own lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to embark through this holy and blessed season of Easter, let us all draw ever closer to God, through His mother Mary, our role model, intercessor and our loving Mother, who has appeared so many times in the past centuries, calling on all of us her children to turn towards her Son in a new faith and in a new life that is no longer subjugated by sin.

Let us all be role model ourselves, in how we live up to our lives, filled with faith and commitment to love and serve the Lord with all of our might. Let us all devote ourselves, our time and attention towards Him, and let us all be ever more committed, day after day, to be His true disciples and to be more like His mother Mary, that others may come to believe in Him also, through our role model and examples. May God be with us always in these endeavours. Amen.

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Monday, 13 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 10 : 1-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the shepherd of the sheep enters by the gate. The keeper opens the gate to him and the sheep hear his voice; he calls each of his sheep by name and leads them out.”

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather they will run away from him, because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this comparison, but they did not understand what He was saying to them.

So Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, I am the Gate of the sheep. All who came were thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them. I am the Gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved; he will go in and out freely and find food. The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, life in all its fullness.”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Fatima)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Monday, 13 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 41 : 2-3 and Psalm 42 : 3, 4

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?

Send forth Your light and Your truth; let them be my guide, let them take me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You reside.

Then will I go to the Altar of God, to God, my gladness and delight. I will praise You with the lyre an harp, o God, my God.

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Fatima)

Psalm 44 : 11-12, 14-15, 16-17

Listen, o daughter, pay attention; forget your father’s house and your nation, and your beauty will charm the King, for He is your Lord.

All glorious as she enters is the princess in her gold-woven robes. She is led in royal attire to the King, following behind is her train of virgins.

Amid cheers and general rejoicing, they enter the palace of the King. Forget your fathers and think of your sons, you will make them princes throughout the land.

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Monday, 13 May 2019 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 11 : 1-18

News came to the Apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, “You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!”

So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, “I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky.”

“Then I heard a voice saying to me : ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’ I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.’ A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying.”

“The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me and we entered into the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an Angel standing in his house and telling him : ‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.”

“I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said : ‘John baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ If, then, God had given them the same gift that He had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?”

When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, “Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well.”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Fatima)

Isaiah 61 : 9-11

Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a race YHVH has blessed.

I rejoice greatly in YHVH, my soul exults for joy in my God, for He has clothed me in the garments of His salvation, He has covered me with the robe of His righteousness, like a bridegroom wearing a garland, like a bride adorned with jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord YHVH make justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations.

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Sunday, 12 May 2019 : Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, Vocation Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, the fourth in the season of Easter we celebrate the special occasion of the Good Shepherd Sunday, alluding to the Gospel passage today in which the Lord Jesus revealed Himself as the one and true Good Shepherd of all, as the One Who leads all the people, the flock of God’s faithful ones, to Himself and into salvation and eternal glory.

And this Sunday is also known as the Vocation Sunday, as we are all reminded of the role of those who have been called by God to be His priests, that is to be called to be shepherds, shepherds for the flock of the people of God. They have all been called to be shepherds in the image of the one and true Good Shepherd, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in their service and ministry to the faithful.

The Lord used the imagery of a shepherd in delivering the truth about His own ministry and work to the people because at that time, many of the people were shepherds and those who dealt with the flock of sheep and goats, cattle and all animals reared for their meat, or fleece or for milk. And by making the use of allegory and approximation to the role of shepherd in managing the flocks of animals, He wanted to show us how truly He is leading us down the right path, while at the same time loving each and every one of us so tenderly and dearly.

In the Scripture readings today the meaning and significance of this Good Shepherd and Vocation Sunday are brought forth to us, beginning with the Good Shepherd Himself, our Lord Jesus, Who is the model of all the shepherds of God’s people, as He came into this world, calling upon all of His sheep to come to Himself. In another occasion in the Gospel, the Lord used the example of a shepherd and his sheep again to bring across this point, in the parable of the lost sheep.

In that parable, He mentioned how the Good Shepherd, one who is truly loving and caring towards the sheep will leave behind for a while all the ninety-nine sheep that he has shepherded, and go to search for the one sheep that was lost from him. He will not rest until the lost sheep has been found, and when he manages to find the lost sheep, the joy he has is far greater than the joy of having the other ninety-nine. This does not mean that the ninety-nine sheep worth less than the one lost sheep. But rather, without the one sheep, the joy of the shepherd is not complete.

And that is what He has called His Apostles and disciples to do, to be the shepherds in His image and following His example, to gather all the people of God, those who have been lost and scattered away from Him. In the first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard how the Apostles, St. Paul and St. Barnabas travelled from place to place proclaiming the Good News of God and preaching the Lord’s truth to the people.

The people listened to them and many became believers, leaving behind their pagan ways. This is what it means by the shepherds going out of their way to find the lost sheep. The lost sheep themselves are the people of God who have become lost in the darkness of this world, tempted by sin and by the darkness of this world. By calling upon them, the Apostles gathered the Lord’s flock and prevented them from being lost forever to the Lord.

And the works of the Apostles and the disciples of the Lord are far from being complete, as there are still always a lot of the Lord’s lost sheep in this world, all the time, even to this present day and world. In fact, in our present day and world, there are even more and more difficulties and challenges that the world is presenting us, as the threat of secularism and indifference towards God and faith are ever growing, and those who advocate the end of the faith and belief in God are growing ever more vocal and influential.

This is also compounded by the fact that fewer and fewer people are willing and interested to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His priests, all those who are the forefront of the Church’s mission and work among the people, the shepherds whom the Lord send out to gather the lost sheep of His flock. And in our present day world today, we are aware of the many challenges faced not just by our priests and all the ordained, but also by the lack of vocation in many places all around the world.

That is why on this Sunday, all of us remember both Christ, our loving Good Shepherd, Who knows each and every one of us, His beloved sheep, that He wants to gather us all and keep us away from the dangers of this world. He has done exactly what He Himself said the good shepherd would do, that is to lay down His life for the sake of His sheep. He laid down His life on the cross, enduring all the bitter suffering, pain and punishment for our sins, that all of us may live and not perish.

And then we also remember all of our priests, all those whom God had called to follow His examples, to the ministry of being shepherds of the Church. They have enormous task awaiting them, as well as many difficult challenges that often become great obstacles in their path, and which surely often make them sorrowful, sad, and even stressed. Our priests and all those whom God had appointed to be shepherds, including our bishops and the Pope need our support and our prayers.

Let us also last of all remember to pray for all those whom God had called, those who have embraced the call and entered the seminary formation, studying and preparing themselves to become one of the Lord’s shepherds, as well as those other young and courageous men of all kinds who have been stirred by God in their hearts and minds to follow Him. Let us all pray that they will be able to discern their path in life, and that they will have the courage to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles.

May the Lord be with our shepherds, that all of them will be like Him, our one and true, and loving Good Shepherd, that in all things, they will give their all to love the flock of God’s faithful, and bring us all closer to Him and His salvation. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 May 2019 : Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, Vocation Sunday (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 10 : 27-30

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, and no one will ever steal them from Me. What My Father has given Me, is greater than all things else. To snatch it out of the Father’s hand, no one is able! I and the Father are One.”