Tuesday

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Tuesday, 19 May 2015 : 7th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the farewell address by St. Paul to the elders and the faithful of the Church in the city of Ephesus. In that address, St. Paul thanked the people for their continued devotion and faith to God, and he reassured them that, although he foretold that he would no longer see them anymore, for he was going to his martyrdom in the defence of his faith.

And in the Gospel today, similarly, we heard about Jesus who was about to embark on His Passion, the very reason why He came into the world. He prayed for all of His disciples, that God His Father will continue to bless them and take good care of them as He had always done to them. He was going to meet the sufferings which were intended for us, and took them up upon Himself, to suffer and die on the cross that we may be saved.

In all these readings, the narrations and what had happened, we knew and we heard how God does not abandon all those whom He loves dearly. As long as we remain faithful to Him and cling unto Him with utmost dedication and faith, then we have nothing to be worried about, for God will continue to care for us in His own way. The saints and martyrs all went to their martyrdom and death with joy and courage, not with fear and uncertainty, because they know that God is with them.

And that was the same attitude that St. Paul showed his fellow brethren in faith in Ephesus. He was not fearful and he showed the courage he had, facing death with certainty, knowing that doing so brings about the glory of God, and it was preordained that he should die in the way so as to bring about the salvation of even more souls and the salvation of the world.

Remember that Jesus said to His disciples how those who were worried about their lives in this world will lose it, because they were likely too self-centred and egoistic to think about anything else other than themselves. And those who do not mind to lose their lives for the sake of the Lord, will gain the everlasting life and the glory of heaven. This is what the Lord had promised all those who do His will and are faithful to His cause.

And it was by their dedication and fearless preaching of the Good News, their testimony and defence of the faith by action and true devotion that they have caused so many people to be converted to the true faith, including even those who have persecuted them. The blood of martyrs indeed became the seeds of Christians. Many people had come to believe and endure the same persecution because they have seen the martyrs and their faith in God, and how true was the truth which the martyrs taught them.

Brethren in Christ, it does not mean that we have to purposefully seek martyrdom in the Name of the Lord. Rather, it means that in all things, we should learn on how to trust in the Lord in all things. Too many times in our lives that we worry about ourselves, about our lives, and about what we are to do, or what we are to gain every single days of our life. But such things do not bring us to true peace and closure in life.

Let us all learn to put our faith and trust in God, for He is ever faithful and He will give us all that we ever need. Let us grow less in our ego and in our pride, and instead grow sharper and deeper in our humility and readiness to accept the Lord in our lives, surrendering all things to Him, and trusting Him in all the things we do in life. May God guide us on this path, so that we may remain ever faithful to Him. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 May 2015 : 7th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 1-11a

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

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

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

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

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Tuesday, 19 May 2015 : 7th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 10-11, 20-21

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

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

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Tuesday, 19 May 2015 : 7th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 17-27

From Miletus Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, how I served the Lord in humility through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me.”

“You know that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes and I urged Jews and non-Jews alike to turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.”

“But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me. Indeed I put no value on my life, if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, to announce the Good News of God’s grace.”

“I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of God will ever see me again. Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you. For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you God’s will.”

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Tuesday, 12 May 2015 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martrys, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how God is ever faithful and how He will always provide for all those who continue to cling on to Him and not swayed by the tides of the world. In the first reading we heard how St. Paul and Silas his companion were freed from prison by a great earthquake when their enemies plotted against them to destroy them, and in the process the jailer himself was converted to the faith.

And in the Gospel we heard how our Lord Jesus promised the coming of the Helper, the Advocate and the Guide of all things, that is the Holy Spirit, which He would send to His Apostles and therefore to His Church after His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven. This is to remind us that while this coming Thursday we are going to commemorate our Lord’s glorious ascension into heaven, He is always with us wherever we are.

God dwells in us and He is always with us, and even though we are always disobedient and rebellious, but He is ever faithful. And to all those who keep their faith in Him, He will grant such great favours and graces so as to mark them apart from all others who have not given Him their love and dedication. So we are truly very fortunate if we can count ourselves as one of the faithful ones of God.

God is always with His people, with all of His children that is all of us. He is always on our side, blessing us and giving us His graces from time to time. We have to think about this every time we breathe and have life, every single day of our life. Remember that the Lord, who is Lord and Master of all life have been so gracious and kind so as to overlook our sins and faults, to give us the opportunity for repentance.

It is very easy for the Lord to just destroy us and cast us away from His presence forever. After all, we all have betrayed His trust and His love, and chose to side with Satan and rebel together with him. But His love for us overcomes His anger at us, and His wrath is overcome by the care and pity which He has for us, His children, who are like lost sheep wandering in the darkness of this world.

Thus, He has called us out of this darkness, and to those of us whom He had called, He also entrusted us to call our brethren out of the same darkness. That is why, He gave us His Spirit, which encourages us and gives us the strength and will to overcome all the forms of indecision, fear and apathy, so that we all may help one another to be ever closer to our Lord and be saved by His mercy and grace.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Nereus, St. Achilleus and St. Pancras, all of whom are martyrs of the faith. They are all the holy defenders of the faith, who did not give up their faith despite the threat of persecution and death by those who were opposed to the Lord and to the truth they were preaching by their words and actions. St. Achilleus and St. Nereus were members of the Roman army while St. Nereus was a noble who all lived at the time of the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, infamous for his great and harsh persecution of all Christians.

St. Nereus and St. Achilleus was once pagan soldiers who took part in the persecution of the faithful, but after witnessing the example of the faith of many those whom they have persecuted, they themselves became believers and refused to obey anymore orders to persecute the faithful ones. As a result, they were tortured and put to great suffering, until eventually they were beheaded for their refusal to embrace the pagan gods.

St. Pancras was a young noble who was baptised at a young age and who led an exemplary Christian life, donating his goods and possessions to the poor and practicing the faith in his actions, and although he was discovered because of this, he refused to recant his faith in God despite being offered much wealth and power by the Emperor himself. As such, he was also beheaded for his faith after great sufferings.

All the holy martyrs might have met their death and end at the hands of their persecutors and those who do not believe in God, but they receive great and rich rewards in heaven, and through their bravery, courage and examples, they inspired countless others to believe in God and thus saved many more souls for the Lord.

These things are examples that we can adopt and discern on, as we all have also been called to walk in the same path that they have walked. It does not mean that we must antagonise others and face martyrdom, but rather that we all have to trust the Lord fully and completely, and place all of our hope in Him, and be courageous and proactive in how we live out our faith.

May Almighty God guide us and strengthen us in our faith, that by the Holy Spirit which He had sent us, we may become ever more courageous and stronger in our commitment and devotion to spread the word of God to many more people and thus lead more people towards salvation and new life in God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 May 2015 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martrys, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 16 : 5-11

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “But now I am going to the One who sent Me, and none of you asks Me where I am going; instead you are overcome with grief, because of what I have said. Believe Me, it is better for you that I go away, because as long as I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you.”

“But if I go away, it is to send Him to you, and when He comes, He will vindicate the truth before a sinful world; and He will vindicate the paths of righteousness and justice. What is the world’s sin, in regard to Me? Disbelief. What is the path of righteousness? It is the path I walk, by which I go to the Father; and you shall see Me no more.”

“What is the path of justice? It is the path on which the prince of this world will always stand condemned.”

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Tuesday, 12 May 2015 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martrys, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 137 : 1-2a, 2bcd-3, 7c-8

I thank You, o Lord, with all my heart, for You have heard the word of my lips. I sing Your praise in the presence of the gods. I bow down towards Your holy Temple and give thanks to Your Name.

For Your love and faithfulness, for Your word which exceeds everything. You answered me when I called; You restored my soul and made me strong.

You save me from the wrath of my foes, with Your right hand You deliver me. How the Lord cares for me! Your kindness, o Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the work of Your hands.

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Tuesday, 12 May 2015 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martrys, and St. Pancras, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 16 : 22-34

So the Jews set the crowd against Paul and Silas and the officials tore the clothes off them and ordered them to be flogged. And after inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them safely. Upon receiving these instructions, he threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly a severe earthquake shook the place, rocking the prison to its foundations. Immediately all the doors flew open and the chains of all the prisoners fell off.

The jailer woke up to see the prison gates wide open. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself, but Paul shouted to him, “Do not harm yourself! We are all still here.” The jailer asked for a light, then rushed in, and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas. After he had secured the other prisoners, he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.” Then they spoke the word of God to him and to all his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer took care of them and washed their wounds; and he and his whole household were baptised at once. He led them to his house, spread a meal before them and joyfully celebrated with his whole household his newfound faith in God.

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Tuesday, 5 May 2015 : 5th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we come together and witnessed how God was with the Apostles and the disciples as they went forth and spread the message of the Gospel and its Good News to the regions which have yet to hear the message, and the Church continued to grow at that time, despite opposition and persecution from the Jewish authorities and the Romans and local authorities alike.

There were challenges and trials facing the Apostles and all the other disciples who went to many places to spread the word of God. Jesus Himself had warned His disciples that this would happen to them, because of the opposition of the world that did not know Him and His ways. But God is with them, and He sent to His faithful ones the Helper, or the Advocate, that is the Holy Spirit, as aid and guide, to help them to overcome the mentioned challenges and difficulties.

The disciples took their duties and missions very seriously, and they walked on many paths to deliver the message of God’s truth to many nations. They did not mind or fear persecution, rejection or opposition because they knew that no matter what happens, Satan and his forces could not harm them, for God is with them and protecting them at all times. Satan, the prince of this world and ruler of all that is wicked can only harm the flesh but not the soul.

Thus, the Apostles, St. Paul and many other disciples rejoiced at the thought of having to suffer persecution for the sake of the Lord and in being rejected by the world, for this showed that they truly belonged to the Lord and not to the world, for the world does not know God and thus, what the Apostles had done is an aversion to it. And great is the reward of those who have walked in the path of righteousness and those who bring goodness to others around them by preaching and examples of faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings remind us that there are still many things that we can do as the members of His Church in this world. Much like the time of the Apostles, this world is still covered in darkness, and even worse that many who had once been faithful to the Lord are turning their backs against Him and betrayed Him for the many idols of this world.

There is always a need for faithful disciples to carry out and continue the works of the courageous and holy Apostles who first preached the Good News to the multitudes living in the darkness. We are all called by our baptism and therefore by our membership and shared responsibility in the Church of God, to be witnesses of the Good News of God through not just our words and preaching, but also through all our deeds and actions that make alive all that we have spoken in the Name of the Lord.

On this day, therefore, let us all sincerely and deeply reflect in our hearts, on whether we have done anything or if we have done enough to merit being called the children of God and a member of His Church. If we have not done enough, then perhaps it is time for us to do more, and devote ourselves more to the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ by loving our brethren more and showing mercy and compassion to all who need them.

May Almighty God be with us always and bless all of our dealings and works, that in all of them we may always be justified by them, and therefore be worthy to receive God’s salvation and the eternal life and true joy that He had promised all those who are faithful to Him. Amen.

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Tuesday, 5 May 2015 : 5th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 27-31a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you! I give you My peace; not as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled; do not be afraid. You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, but I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”

“I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe. It is very little what I may still tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in Me that he can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the Father, and that I do what the Father has taught Me to do.”