Third Sunday of Easter

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Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this time and season of Easter, and as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly faithful to God and to put our trust in Him especially whenever we are faced with doubt and uncertainties in life. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by all those challenges and temptations that we end up losing our faith and focus in the Lord. Instead, we should continue to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord, committing ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to what the Lord has called us all to do in our own lives. Each and every one of us who are part of the Church of God have our own roles to play in the work of God’s salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard of the works of St. Peter the Apostle, who like the other Apostles were going around many places, visiting towns one after another to minister to the people of God in all those places. St. Peter performed many miracles and signs in his visits to the towns of Lydda and Joppa, healing the paralysed and bedridden man named Aeneas by the power of the Lord and through the man’s faith in God, and we have also heard how he raised the dead woman named Tabitha, who had been righteous and beloved by the community of the people for her loving actions to her fellow brethren around her. In both cases, we heard how God performed His wonderful works through St. Peter the Apostle to show His faithfulness to the promises which He had reassured them all.

By those signs and wonders, the Lord wanted to show His people just how He would always be with them, guiding them and being by their side. He would never abandon them to the darkness or to persecution and suffering alone by themselves. Those signs, the miracles and wonders showed that the power and the hands of the Lord were with His Church and His servants, strengthening both the Apostles, the disciples and the whole body of the faithful alike. The Lord never abandoned those whom He has loved, and He gave them all peace as mentioned in the same passage, after Saul the Pharisee, who had intensely persecuted the Church even miraculously and almost unbelievably turned over to the Christian faith himself, becoming a member of the Church and one of its greatest defenders in time.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the aftermath of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have heard in these past few days, where the Lord presented Himself fully and clearly before the people who listened to Him that He is truly the One Whom God had sent into our midst from Heaven, revealing the method by which He would do this. He would give all of them His Body and Blood to share and partake, to have Him as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven through which all of them would receive life from God, justification and liberation from their troubles and hardships. Through the giving of His own Precious Blood and Body, the Lord wants each and every one of us to be strengthened and empowered by His Presence in us, as with Him, truly there is no obstacle that is too great or too difficult to be overcome.

We should also keep our trust and faith in the Lord, even when things are not favourable for us. Often times in living our faith in our respective lives, we may encounter difficult and challenging moments, just as how the Lord Himself was abandoned and left by many of His followers who felt uncomfortable at the words that He had used in describing Himself as the Bread of Life, in how He would indeed give them all His own Most Precious Body and Blood to share and partake. Such a truth and reality was too hard for many among the disciples and followers of the Lord at the time to accept and embrace, and they chose to walk away from Him. But for us, should we do the same as well? Should we abandon the Lord and leave Him behind simply because what we believe in is something difficult for us to accept and embrace as well?

Today, the Church marks the Feast of St. John of Avila, a great and holy man of God, a truly inspiring example for all of us to follow in our own faith and life. He was born to a pious couple and was a pious young man himself dedicated to God since his youth. He eventually went through the priestly formation and became a priest, in which he dedicated his time and efforts to evangelise and inflame the hearts of the faithful, so much so that he was also known popularly as the ‘Apostle to Andalusia’. St. John of Avila worked hard in the many areas of Andalusia, and his sermons and works were always very well attended with packed churches and many flocking to listen to him. He was also critical of the debauchery and wickedness of the aristocracy and nobility, as well as the higher echelon of the Church, calling for reforms in their behaviour.

For all these, St. John of Avila did face obstacles and difficulties, and he was even imprisoned amidst those struggles. But all those things did not prevent or discourage this man of God from continuing to do his best for the Church and the faithful people of God. He continued with his ministry and works, and he was well-known with his numerous writings and works that still inspired many throughout the ages, right up to this very day. That was why after his passing, he was venerated by the people and was eventually canonised by Pope St. Paul VI in the year 1970, and very recently, in recognition for his many works of the matters of the faith, his writings and other inspirations, Pope Francis declared him to be one of the few Doctors of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples showed unto us by St. John of Avila and many others of our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to go forth in life proclaiming the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously, ever strengthened by His Real Presence in our midst, by our partaking of the Eucharist, that is the Lord Himself being truly present in our midst, giving us His strength, grace and love amidst the challenges and trials that we may have to face or endure in our daily living. Let us all therefore remain firmly faithful and committed to the Lord, now and always, and strive our best to do His will at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 60-69

At that time, after the Jews heard Jesus, many of His followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”

Jesus was aware that His disciples were murmuring about this, and so He said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.”

From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray Him. So He added, “As I have told you, no one can come to Me unless it is granted by the Father.” After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed Him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?

Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

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Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 14-15, 16-17

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful.

O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord.

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Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 9 : 31-42

Meanwhile, the Church had peace. It was building up throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria with eyes turned to the Lord and filled with comfort from the Holy Spirit.

As Peter travelled around, he went to visit the saints who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralysed, and had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!”

And the man got up at once. All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. There was a disciple in Joppa named Tabitha, which means Dorcas or Gazelle. She was always doing good works and helping the poor. At that time she fell sick and died. After having washed her body, they laid her in the upstairs room.

As Lydda is near Joppa, the disciples, on hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter went with them. On his arrival they took him upstairs to the room. All the widows crowded around him in tears, showing him the clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Peter made them them all leave the room and then he knelt down and prayed. Turning to the dead body he said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

This became known throughout all of Joppa and many people believed in the Lord because of it.

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Friday, 9 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that even in the greatest darkness and in the worst of hardships, if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, then we shall be strengthened and rescued from all of our troubles. And for the Lord there is truly nothing impossible or beyond belief, as the Scripture passages today had presented to us, firstly with the story of the conversion of Saul the Pharisee, who embraced the Lord as his Saviour and Master, something that seemed to be impossible given how passionate Saul was in persecuting the early Christians, and then from our Gospel passage today where the Lord spoke the truth about His present of His own Most Precious Body and Blood to the people, that He, as the Bread of Life, would share His own Flesh and Blood as real food and drink for the people to share.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Acts of the Apostles where it was told that Saul the Pharisee, the overzealous persecutor and great enemy of the Church and the earliest Christians wanted to eradicate the Christians further, striking even beyond the land of Judea and Galilee, seeking permission to arrest and persecute the Christians in Damascus in Syria beyond the land of the Israelites. But what transpired there was beyond his imaginations or desires, as he encountered the Lord Jesus Himself on the way to Damascus, and after that encounter, where the Lord asked Saul why he persecuted Him and His Church, and became blinded, eventually through one named Ananias, a faithful disciple of the Lord, Saul was converted to the true faith in God, turning from a great enemy of the Church into one of its greatest defenders.

Such a conversion was truly remarkable and was indeed very unbelievable because Saul was truly a very ardent believer of the ways and teachings of the Pharisees, many among whom were hostile and critical of the teachings and works of Jesus. Saul in particular was also rather violent and harsh in his actions and methods in striking against the early Christian converts especially among the Jewish people, and he had a role in the martyrdom of St. Stephen as well, the first martyr of the Church. That he would make a complete turnaround and becoming one of the Church’s and the Lord’s greatest defenders is no less than mindboggling and completely baffling to many, so much so that Ananias himself could not believe it at first when the Lord asked him to help this man Saul and heal him from his blindness, so that he could become His faithful disciple.

Yet, that was what had happened, and the Lord did touch the heart of Saul, turning him over completely into a new life blessed by His grace, erasing all the past hatred and misunderstandings of His truth and Good News. Through the gift of baptism, the empowerment by the Holy Spirit, Saul, who would then take on the new name Paul to signify his conversion, became a great and most ardent defender of the Lord and the Christian faith, and becoming one of its greatest missionaries, as the Apostle to the Gentiles. He wrote many Epistles to the various communities of the Church in the many places that he had visited, just as he has also went on several missionary journeys to proclaim the Lord and His salvation to more and more people, especially to the Gentiles, or the non-Jewish people.

We can see from this example how the Lord performed His work in such a marvellous and wonderful way, beyond our imagination, that even things that seemed to be impossible have become possible for Him. After all, we must not forget that the Lord our God is the Almighty and All-Powerful God, and how can we say that something is impossible for Him? Everything that is within His will, and all things are possible for Him, and the conversion of St. Paul is just one of the many wonderful things that He had done, from something seemingly impossible into a great and wonderful boon for the Church of God. Then, this is also linked to what we have heard in our Gospel passage in the continuation of the discourse on the Bread of Life as we have heard it in these past few days.

For in that occasion mentioned in today’s Gospel passage, the Lord clearly presented His Body and Blood to the people as real food and drink for them to partake and share, and hearing all these, many of the people became disgusted and appalled, as they thought that it must have been crazy and even blasphemy for the Lord Jesus to mention sharing His own Body and Blood for them to eat and drink in such a way, and also claiming to be the Bread of Life, the Heavenly Bread that had come down from Heaven itself. That was why as mentioned, many of the Lord’s disciples stopped following Him after this event, and many left Him disappointed and disgusted at Him. It was left to just the Twelve, who have always been by His side, and perhaps some other disciples. When the Lord asked them if they would also go too, St. Peter represented them in saying that they still believed in Him, as the Holy One of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in this discourse on the Bread of Life, and then even more importantly on the Real Presence in the Eucharist, in the gift of the Most Precious Body and Blood of the Lord that had been made real and tangible before us in the transformation of the bread and wine at the Holy Mass, or also known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we are reminded of one of the most central and most important core tenet of our Christian faith, that is the belief in the dogma of Transubstantiation, that we believe the Lord Himself is truly present in the Eucharist, that while the appearance of bread and wine remained the same, but in its reality, essence and everything else, the bread and wine consecrated by the power of the Holy Spirit through the hands of the celebrant in the Holy Mass had indeed become the Body and Blood of the Lord Himself.

Let us all therefore renew our faith and trust in the Lord, in He Who makes things impossible into something possible, by His own Almighty power and will. Let us all put our trust in Him, allowing the Lord to lead us all in our lives, so that if we continue to follow His path, we will truly be able to find our way to Him, and to the true happiness, satisfaction and eternal life that He has promised to all of us, all who have shared and partaken of the great heavenly banquet of His own Body and Blood, the Bread of Life that has come down from Heaven. May the Lord be with us always, and bless us all in our every good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 9 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 52-59

At that time, the Jews were arguing among themselves, “How can this Man give us flesh to eat?” So Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you. The one who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood lives eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

“My Flesh is really food, and My Blood is truly drink. Those who eat My Flesh and drink My Blood, lives in Me, and I in them. Just as the Father, Who is life, sent Me, and I have life from the Father, so whoever eats Me will have life from Me. This is the Bread which came from heaven; not like that of your ancestors, who ate and later died. Those who eat this Bread will live forever.”

Jesus spoke in this way in Capernaum when He taught them in the synagogue.

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Friday, 9 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 116 : 1, 2

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Friday, 9 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 9 : 1-20

Meanwhile Saul considered nothing but violence and death for the disciples of the Lord. He went to the High Priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues of Damascus that would authorise him to arrest and bring to Jerusalem anyone he might find, man or woman, belonging to the Way.

As he travelled along and was approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” And he asked, “Who are You, Lord?” The voice replied, “I am Jesus Whom you persecute. Now get up and go into the city; there you will be told what you are to do.”

The men who were travelling with him stood there speechless : they had heard the sound, but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground and, opening his eyes, he could not see. They took him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. He was blind and he did not eat or drink for three days.

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, to whom the Lord called in a vision, “Ananias!” He answered, “Here I am, Lord!” Then the Lord said to him, “Go at once to Straight Street and ask, at the house of Judas, for a man of Tarsus named Saul. You will find him praying, for he has just seen in a vision that a man named Ananias has come in and placed his hands upon him, to restore his sight.”

Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem, and now he is here with authority from the High Priest to arrest all who call upon Your Name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go! This man is My chosen instrument to bring My Name to the pagan nations and their kings, and the people of Israel as well. I Myself will show him how much he will have to suffer for My Name.”

So Ananias left and went to the house. He laid his hands upon Saul and said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me to you so that you may receive your sight and be filled with Holy Spirit.” Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he could see; he got up and was baptised. Then he took food and was strengthened.

For several days Saul stayed with the disciples at Damascus, and he soon began to proclaim in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God.

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Thursday, 8 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we continue to progress through this joyful and blessed season of Easter, we are all reminded yet again of our faith in the Risen Lord, in our Saviour and Master, which we should proclaim to everyone around us, in how we live our lives as Christians, as God’s followers and disciples, faithfully in each and every moments. All of us should always strive to proclaim the salvation of God and His Good News to everyone whom we encounter in life. Such is our calling as Christians, our obligations and duties as those whom God had called and chosen from this world, to be the ones showing the light of Christ’s salvation to the world.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, in which the tale of the works of St. Philip, one of the Apostles were highlighted to us. At that time, there were persecutions and hardships facing the faithful people of God, with the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council and all those seeking to destroy the nascent early Church. St. Stephen had been martyred as we heard from our readings earlier in the week, and Saul the young and zealous Pharisee was chasing after the Christians, persecuting, arresting and torturing them to seek to destroy the Church of God. And yet, the Lord continued to be with His Church, guiding and protecting His disciples, inspiring His Apostles like St. Philip with the wisdom, courage and strength to carry out His missions and works.

St. Philip encountered the official of the Ethiopian queen, who was on his way from Jerusalem back to his homeland. Tradition was that since the days of the Queen of Sheba coming to Jerusalem, the Ethiopians had come to know of the Lord and share in the faith of the Israelites, or at least some among them showed interest in the teachings and knowledge of the Lord. At that time, by God’s grace and timing, the Ethiopian official was reading through the words of the prophet Isaiah who was prophesying about the Messiah or Saviour, which St. Philip therefore explained to the Ethiopian official as referring to Christ, the One Who had just been persecuted and crucified in Jerusalem, rose from the dead and ascending in glory to Heaven.

Through his explanations and teachings, St. Philip enlightened the Ethiopian official, helping him to understand that everything that had happened in Jerusalem recently at that time was in fact the fulfilment of everything which the Lord had revealed through the prophet Isaiah. And through this opportunity and exchange, that was how St. Philip as an Apostle continued to do the good works of God even during those difficult moments when the Church was being persecuted and the faithful people of God were arrested and tortured for being those who believed in the Risen Lord and His truth and Good News. He touched the heart, mind and soul of the Ethiopian official who agreed to be baptised and therefore becoming a disciple of the Lord, bringing the Christian faith to his homeland in Ethiopia, where the Church still remains strong to this day.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist where the Lord Jesus continued with His discourse on the Bread of Life which we have heard these past few days. The Lord told the people who were listening to Him about how He as the Son of the Father has revealed to them all about the Father, the loving Heavenly Father Who seeks to be reunited with all of us, to be reconciled with us and which was why exactly He sent to us His Son, to be the bearer of this assurance of salvation and eternal life, the One to lead us to Himself, to give us all the providence and strength to journey towards Him with genuine love and contrite hearts. That is what Our Lord Himself had done, by offering Himself to us as the Living Bread from Heaven.

The Lord Jesus made a mention of the heavenly bread manna that the Israelites had received and shared from the Lord in the past, and how although they had been provided this sustenance of the bread of Angels for a whole period of forty years, but they all still perished in the end, and what He was offering to them was far greater than the manna, as the Living Bread that He was offering them was none other than His own Most Precious Body, and the Most Precious Blood which He willingly offered and laid down for all of us. This gift of His own Body and Blood has been made real for us through the Eucharist, the most Holy Sacrament that He has provided to us through His Church and which we receive at the every celebration of the Holy Mass.

For truly, as we receive the Eucharist, the Living Bread and the Precious Blood of the Lord Himself, all of us are united to Him and to one another, all of us as members of God’s Church, to be the ones to share in the promise of happiness and true joy which the Lord Himself has promised and reassured to us. By this most wonderful gift that He has given us, the Lord has strengthened and reassured us, giving us the sustenance needed for us to continue in persevering through the many challenges and hardships in life. This is why we should not allow ourselves to be easily struck down by the many challenges and trials present around us. We should always remember that God is always with us, journeying with us and providing for us, encouraging and strengthening us all the way.

Therefore, let us all pray that the Lord, our Saviour and our Living Bread from Heaven will continue to guide and strengthen us all through the gift of His own Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist, so that all of us who partake of His Body and Blood may be strong in our faith and be committed to God in all things, and that we may be good and worthy bearers of His Good News and salvation. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us in all of our endeavours, good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 8 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 44-51

At that time, Jesus said to the Jews, “No one can come to Me unless he is drawn by the Father Who sent Me; and I will raise Him up on the last day. It has been written in the Prophets : They shall all be taught by God. So whoever listens and learns from the Father comes to Me.”

“For no one has seen the Father except the One Who comes from God; He has seen the Father. Truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the Bread of Life. Though your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, they died. But here you have the Bread which comes from heaven, so that you may eat of it, and not die.”

“I am the Living Bread which as come from heaven; whoever eats of this Bread will live forever. The Bread I shall give is My flesh, and I will give it for the life of the world.”