Tuesday

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Tuesday, 2 April 2024 : Tuesday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures we are reminded yet again this Easter season that all of us as Christians are called to be worthy and genuine witnesses of the Risen Lord, in proclaiming the truth about Him and His Resurrection and everything that He had done for the sake of the salvation of the whole world. All of us are called and reminded to be the ones to proclaim the Good News of the Lord’s salvation which He has willingly and generously offered to all of us through His Passion, namely His suffering and death, and ultimately through His glorious Resurrection. As Christians we have to be genuine in our actions, words and deeds so that everyone who witness us all will come to know of the Lord and His salvation through us and our exemplary lives.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation from the account of the Acts of the Apostles in which St. Peter the Apostle spoke to the assembled people coming from various countries, the Jewish diaspora population and other visitors who came to Jerusalem to attend the Festival of the Pentecost. Prior to this event, the disciples had been in hiding, being afraid of the repercussions and the persecutions from the Jewish authorities and the many people who opposed the Lord and His efforts, those who had persecuted Him and condemned Him to death, crucified Him and henceforth continued to resist, refusing to believe that the Lord Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. They were afraid because those same authorities had attempted to silence them and spread their own version of events, claiming that the disciples of the Lord stole His Body from His tomb and hid the Body.

But with the strength of the Holy Spirit, the encouragement and wisdom that they had received, the Lord’s Apostles and disciples had received the encouragement and the drive they needed to go forth without fear anymore, to testify before everyone what they themselves had seen and witnessed, in all the glorious things that they had experienced in the presence of the Resurrected Lord, Who had overcome death itself, and showed them all His Divine and Risen glory, no longer hidden from them as before His Passion, suffering and death. They had also witnessed how the Lord ascended into Heaven in glory, and promised to them that He will one day return at the end of time, and not before sending them out, commissioning them and entrusting them with the important mission of going forth to the whole world and to proclaim His Good News, baptising all the people in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It is what St. Peter therefore had shown us all, in his courageous stand for the Risen Lord, for all that He had shown His disciples, and thus, in the message which St. Peter proclaimed to the people, convincing so many among those people, astounded by their words and wisdom, and many of them able to understand the words of the Apostles because of the gift of tongues that the Holy Spirit had given them. We heard how three thousand people gave themselves to be baptised on that day, and that marked the beginning of the public face of the Church, which was unveiled to the whole world on Pentecost. This also reminds us all of the important mission and calling that we ourselves have as Christians, to be God’s faithful disciples and followers, and to do His will in all opportunities, as much as possible.

Then in today’s Gospel passage, we heard from another account of the appearance of the Risen Lord to His disciples, and this time it was the appearance of the Lord to Mary Magdalene, one of His closest disciples, who was distraught outside the tomb of the Lord, having discovered that His Body had gone missing from the tomb. She was desperate and lost, and did not know what to do, although the Angels of God at the tomb on Easter Sunday morning had told her and the other women with her that the Lord had indeed risen from the dead as He Himself had predicted it earlier. It was there then that the Lord appeared to her, while initially she did not recognise Him. Eventually, Mary Magdalene recognised the Lord when He revealed Himself to her, and told her to proclaim His message to all of His disciples.

Through what we have received in today’s Scripture readings, we are all reminded that each and every one of us as Christians must always put our faith and trust in the Lord, remembering everything that He had done for our sake, in His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross, that He has brought unto us the hope of everlasting life and salvation, liberation from the tyranny and dominion of sin and death. By His Resurrection, He has shown and reminded all of us that sin and death do not have the power or the say over us any more, and as long as we adhere closely to Him, following everything which He had done, we shall have no need to fear about anything. We may face hardships and persecutions, trials and oppressions like the Lord and His disciples themselves had faced, but we are reassured of triumph and victory with God in the end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all therefore come together today to commemorate the glorious celebrations of Easter, which still continues on until the Solemnity of the Pentecost, let us all hence remind ourselves of our calling and mission as Christians, to be truly faithful and committed to the Lord, in all of our way of life, our every words, actions and deeds. We have to strive to live our every moments in life in service to God, in doing His will and in being truly worthy of Him, as best as we can so that by our lives we may indeed be good inspiration and role models for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should always be committed to live our lives in the manner that God has shown us so that our lives may truly proclaim our Risen Lord to all.

Let us remember that through our baptism we have been made parts of the Church, the one united Body of Christ. And as part of what we have been entrusted to do, we are to go forth to proclaim the Lord to all the people of all the nations, and we can do this in our own small little ways, in each and every moments of our lives, by carrying out our duties and responsibilities faithfully as Christians in even the smallest things we do, and in our every interactions with our brothers and sisters around us. May the Risen Lord continue to bless us all and guide us, and may He give us the strength and courage to proclaim His Resurrection, truth and Good News like His Apostles and disciples. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 April 2024 : Tuesday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 20 : 11-18

At that time, Mary stood weeping outside the tomb; and as she wept, she bent down to look inside. She saw two Angels in white, sitting where the Body of Jesus had been, one at the head, and the other at the feet. They said, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She answered, “Because they have taken my Lord and I do not know where they have put Him.” As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not recognise Him. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”

She thought it was the gardener and answered Him, “Lord, if You have taken Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will go and remove Him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned, and said to Him, “Rabboni!” – which means Master. Jesus said to her, “Do not touch Me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and say to them : I am ascending to My Father, Who is your Father, to My God, Who is your God.”

So Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord, and this is what He said to me.”

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Tuesday, 2 April 2024 : Tuesday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 32 : 4-5, 18-19, 20 and 22

For upright is the Lord’s word and worthy of trust is His work. The Lord loves justice and righteousness; the earth is full of His kindness.

But the Lord’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving-kindness to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.

In hope we wait for the Lord for He is our help and our shield. O Lord, let Your love rest upon us, even as our hope rests in You.

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Tuesday, 2 April 2024 : Tuesday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 2 : 36-41

Peter said, “Let Israel then know for sure that God has made Lord and Christ this Jesus Whom you crucified.” When they heard this, they were deeply troubled. And they asked Peter and the other Apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?”

Peter answered : “Each of you must repent and be baptised in the Name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise of God was made to you and your children, and to all those from afar whom our God may call.”

With many other words Peter gave the message and appealed to them saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who accepted his word were baptised; some three thousand persons were added to their numbers that day.

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened through our Scripture passage today, we are all reminded of the important events of this great Holy Week, and what we are all called to commemorate and remember, so that we may truly be able to immerse ourselves in the whole extent of the many things we ought to focus ourselves on during this period of time. We are reminded that we have been separated from God through our disobedience and lack of faith, which led us to sin against Him, and because of this, we have not enjoyed the fullness of His grace and love. This week as we focus ever deeper on the important events in the history of our salvation, let us all do our part so that we can continue to deepen our faith as well as coming to a greater realisation of just how sinful we are, and how much we are in need of God’s mercy, forgiveness and love.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, in which the prophet spoke of the salvation of God which had been prepared and given to us, and which He has promised and proclaimed to His beloved people from much earlier on, telling on all of them that despite their rebelliousness and sins, that He still loved them nonetheless, desiring to be reunited and reconciled with them, and He would send unto them His deliverance and salvation, through the One Who would come into our midst, to bring us all back once again into God’s loving embrace and grace. God has always been patient in looking out for us, in reaching to us with His ever generous forgiveness and mercy. He sent unto us His own Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour so that through Him all of us may have the hope and assurance of eternal life.

We are also reminded through the words of the prophet Isaiah that God’s salvation, His love and blessings have been extended to everyone, and not just to the race of the Israelites, who were God’s first chosen people. Through His Son, the Lord revealed His love manifested and made approachable to all of us, and He has extended His ever generous love and mercy to all of us, to all the sons and daughters of mankind, without exception. Each and every one of us are truly beloved by God, and we have to keep this in mind, remembering everything that He has done for our sake, in reaching out to us, in sending us His Son, and everything that the Son had to endure for the sake of our sins, His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the account from the Gospel of St. John of the moment when the Lord predicted how He would be betrayed by one of His own closest disciples, at the moment when He and His disciples were having the Last Supper. The Lord foretold that Judas Iscariot would be the one to betray Him, but at that time no one understood the significance of what He was saying, and no one thought that Judas Iscariot would have betrayed his own Lord and Master, being one of His own closest disciples and collaborators. And yet, we heard of how our faith can be weak and unsettled, so much so that the devil can come in and stir us into committing sin against God, just as what Judas Iscariot himself had done.

Not only that, but the Lord Jesus also predicted how Peter, one of his staunchest disciples and supporters, would also lose faith and deny Him not once but three times. This would eventually come true when Peter was faced with the challenge from the people present at the courtyard of the Temple at the moment when the Lord Jesus was persecuted and being condemned to death. He lost his faith and courage, and denied his Lord and Master three times out of self-protection, desiring not to be found out that he was one of the Lord’s chief disciples, when he himself had proclaimed before the Lord and the others that he would gladly die and give his life up for Him. All these reminded us all that sin can indeed be very harmful and dangerous for us, leading us into this path of disobedience against God.

But lest we are quick to point fingers upon others and blame them, or discriminate against them for their sins, let us all first remember that we ourselves are sinners too, having also committed things that are against God’s Law and commandments, disobeyed Him at some point of time in our lives. We ourselves have also been unworthy before God, and what Judas Iscariot and St. Peter the Apostle had done, we ourselves had done them as well in various ways. During this time of Holy Week therefore we should do what we can in order to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, humbly beseeching Him to help and guide us through these difficult moments in our journey of faith. We must always focus our attention on the Lord, keeping in mind that it is in Him alone that we can have hope and healing, fulfilment and liberation from all of the sins and all the chains that have been keeping us down all these while.

This is why, as we continue to journey through this sacred and solemn commemoration of the Holy Week, let us all remember that through everything that He had done for us, Our Lord, our most loving God and Saviour has given us all the means through which we can approach Him, finding our path towards the salvation and assurance of eternal life which we shall receive if we remain true and faithful to the Lord. Let us all turn away from the path of sin and evil, rejecting all the wickedness and evils that had caused us to be separated from God. Let us all remember the wonderful and ever enduring love that God has always had for us, and which He had kept renewed, strengthened and living in His interactions with us, giving us all the perfect manifestation of His love through His Son, Who has suffered andd died for us, and which we remember this Holy Week.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and forgiving God and Father, continue to be with us all and help us all throughout our struggles and journey, giving us the strength and courage to continue carrying on living our lives with faith, with the strength and the commitment needed for all of us to follow His path at all times. May our Holy Week observances and our heightened emphasis and focus on the Lord continue to help us to deepen our relationship with Him, and to be able to strive living our lives ever more faithfully and worthily at all times. May God bless us always in our every good endeavours and deeds, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 13 : 21-33, 36-38

At that time, after He said a discourse to His disciples after He washed their feet, Jesus was distressed in Spirit, and said plainly, “Truly, one of you will betray Me.” The disciples then looked at one another, wondering whom He meant. One of the disciples, the one Jesus loved, was reclining near Jesus; so Simon Peter signalled him to ask Jesus whom He meant.

And the disciple, who was reclining near Jesus, asked Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “I shall dip a piece of bread in the dish, and he to whom I give it, is the one.” So Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And as Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus then said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

None of the others, reclining at the table, understood why Jesus said this to Judas. As Judas had the common purse, they may have thought that Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or “Give something to the poor.” Judas left as soon as he had eaten the bread. It was night.

When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. God will glorify Him, and He will glorify Him very soon. My children, I am with you for only a little while; you will look for Me, but as I already told the Jews, so now I tell you : where I am going you cannot come.”

Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but afterwards you will.” Peter said, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I am ready to give my life for You.”

“To give your life for Me?” Jesus asked Peter, “Truly I tell you, the cock will not crow, before you have denied Me three times.”

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 70 : 1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17

In You, o Lord, I seek refuge; let me not be disgraced. In Your justice help me and deliver me, turn Your ear to me and save me!

Be my Rock of refuge, a Stronghold to give me safety, for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o Lord, have been my Hope, my Trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

My lips will proclaim Your intervention and tell of Your salvation all day, little though it is what I can understand. You have taught me from my youth and until now I proclaim Your marvels.

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Tuesday, 26 March 2024 : Tuesday of Holy Week (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Listen to me, o islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. YHVH called me from my mother’s womb; He pronounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in His quiver.

He said to me, “You are Israel, my servant, through you I will be known.” “I have laboured in vain,” I thought, “and spent my strength for nothing.” Yet what is due me was in the hand of YHVH, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of YHVH, and my God is my Strength.

And now YHVH has spoken, He Who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel to Him. He said : “It is not enough that you be My servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that My salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”

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Tuesday, 19 March 2024 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we mark and celebrate the great occasion of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Joseph according to the Scriptures and Church traditions was a carpenter living in the town of Nazareth of Galilee, who was the husband of Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, Son of God and our Saviour. Therefore, as the Spouse of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, St. Joseph is the foster-father of Our Lord and Saviour Himself, and also an integral member and part of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. St. Joseph is also the Heir of David, being descended after many generations from King David through the kings of Judah and their descendants, as the one through whom God’s promises to David would be fulfilled.

And as St. Joseph was legally married to Mary, the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour, thus this made the Lord to be the legal heir of St. Joseph and hence, making Him the Heir and Son of David as in accordance to the Law of Moses. St. Joseph was also remembered as a great and righteous man, who was upright and just in all of his works and deeds, in all of his ways and obedience to God. He is therefore a great role model for us all and not merely meriting that great honour which had been given to him solely from being the foster-father of Our Lord. St. Joseph’s virtues and righteousness made him to be a truly ideal person to be the protector and guardian, and as an essential member of the Holy Family, as he carried out his responsibilities with great faith and commitment.

St. Joseph was upright, just and caring for others because as mentioned in the Scriptures, he could have divorced Mary or cancelled his engagement to her upon knowing that she had become pregnant. Before he knew more about it, he decided to do things quietly because if everyone else had known that Mary became pregnant outside of marriage and that the Child did not belong to St. Joseph, the young Mary could have been condemned and stoned to death according to the Law of Moses, as she would have then been accused of adultery and sin. But St. Joseph cared about Mary and wanted her to avoid that predicament. That was when the Lord told St. Joseph of everything that He had planned, and the true identity of the Child that Mary bore within her.

St. Joseph willing took up and shouldered the responsibilities that had been entrusted to him by the Lord. He took Mary as his own wife and accepted the Lord Jesus, the Child that Mary bore within her as his own even though He was not his biological Son. He devoted himself to a life of service to God, being the protector and head of the Holy Family henceforth, facing many struggles and difficulties, and helping both Mary and her Child to endure and persevere through all those issues all throughout their journeys. I am sure we are all well aware of how St. Joseph helped Mary on their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem when they were all expected to be part of the Roman Emperor’s great Census, while Mary was heavily pregnant and was almost due to give birth.

We all know how St. Joseph helped Mary to find a lodging in Bethlehem, despite having difficulties to get one because all the inns and houses were full. He helped the Holy Family to face the struggles and difficulties thereafter, evading Herod the Great’s efforts to destroy the young Messiah, the Lord Jesus, when he heard of His coming through the Magi. St. Joseph patiently and obediently led the Holy Family to seek refuge in Egypt, staying there until Herod had died, and then returning back to Nazareth. The last time he was heard in the Scriptures was in our Gospel passage today, where we heard how St. Joseph led the twelve years old Lord Jesus and His mother Mary to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, and it was there that Jesus purposefully stayed behind in His Father’s House.

We heard how Mary and St. Joseph went to look for the missing Jesus, and found Him at the Temple of Jerusalem, speaking with the priests and others assembled there at the Temple. Throughout the whole thing, St. Joseph was shown as being the quiet one, but the Gospels recorded how the Lord Jesus went back to Nazareth together with His parents, and subjected Himself to their authority. It was likely from St. Joseph that the Lord learnt many skills in this world, as well as other knowledge and also understanding of God’s Law and commandments. He was not mentioned anymore after that, and it was likely that he had passed away before the Lord began His ministry, and yet, St. Joseph had done so much for the Lord, for His mother Mary and had become great role model and example for all of us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore on this great Feast and celebration of St. Joseph, head and protector of the Holy Family, Foster-father of Our Lord and Saviour, and the Spouse of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, let us all be inspired by all the good examples, righteousness and faith which St. Joseph has shown each and every one of us. St. Joseph has also been declared as the Patron and Protector of the Universal Church by Blessed Pope Pius IX over a century and half ago, and in that role, he continued to intercede on behalf of the Church, for all of us living in this world, as members of the Church, that his watching eyes and guidance continue to help us in living our lives and in doing what God had commanded us to do, just as St. Joseph himself had done earlier.

Let us all hence continue to live our lives faithfully as Christians, as God’s holy people, in all righteousness and justice, in following His Law and commandments, in being responsible towards our many commitments, responsibilities and missions in life, following the good and inspiring examples shown by St. Joseph himself. Great and holy Patron, St. Joseph, pray for all of us and pray for the Church of God, so that we will continue to be good role models and inspirations to everyone through our way of life, actions and works. May God be with us all and may He empower us to continue living our lives faithfully at all times. Amen.

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Tuesday, 19 March 2024 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus Who is called the Christ – the Messiah.

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the Angel of the Lord had told him to do.

Alternative reading

Luke 2 : 41-51a

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, He went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the Boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.

They thought He was in the company, and after walking the whole day they looked for Him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for Him, and on the third day they found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw Him, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for You.” Then He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them.