Tuesday

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Tuesday, 9 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded today of the joy of the Lord’s salvation which He has revealed and passed on to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour. In His glorious Resurrection from the dead that we celebrate during this time and season of Easter, and we are all also reminded of the love which He has shown us through His Son as ultimately, everything that He had done for us, He did them all because He truly loves us all from the very beginning, and He never stopped loving us and He never gave up on us. That is the essence of what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, reminding us what it truly means for us to be Christians, to be always full of love for the Lord, our ever loving and generous God, as well as to love our fellow brothers and sisters all around us, in our community.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard about the lives of the early Christians who lived their lives with great grace of God present in their midst, living their lives obediently as how the Lord and His Apostles had taught them. They shared their possessions and goods among them, with the Apostles governing over them and helping them to manage their lives. All of them showed love, care and concern for their fellow brothers and sisters, and did not stock the riches of the world or the material possessions for their own use and purpose, but rather, sharing them generously with one another, so that everyone have enough for themselves and are well taken care of by the whole community of the faithful. This is used as a good example of Christian charity and love, and as an inspiration for all of us in how we should act towards our fellow brothers and sisters.

However, we need to take note the context and situation of the Christian community at that time so that we can understand better how the Christian faithful at the time lived their lives in the described manner. At that time, the Christian community was still relatively small and closely knit together and hence it was relatively easy for them to gather and share their resources, all the materials and goods they need in the manner that they had done. However, this way of living soon encountered many challenges, as if we read on further in the Acts of the Apostles, there were disagreements and complaints because certain members of the Christian community were overlooked, particularly those from the non-Jewish origins, which was why the Apostles later on instituted the order of the Diaconate or the Deacons to help serve the rapidly growing Christian community.

Yet, what we should learn from the lives of the earliest Christian communities is how they had great love and compassion for one another, where they truly cared for the well-being of their fellow Christians around them. They trusted in the Lord and in one another, living with their focus and emphasis in the Risen Lord and in His ways, and not in amassing worldly wealth, possessions, or in seeking the glory and the pleasures of the world. They truly embody the joyful spirit of Easter, living righteously and worthily as the chosen people of God, being the good and worthy beacons of His Light, Hope and Salvation to everyone, through their exemplary and inspirational lives, which drew many others to come to believe in God as well. While the circumstances and conditions are different now, but it does not mean that we cannot strive to live in the manner that enriches the faith of everyone around us by our own exemplary way of life.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. John where the interactions and conversations between Nicodemus the Pharisee and the Lord Jesus Himself was recorded. Nicodemus was a member of the Pharisees, a group of very influential and powerful block of power that existed at the time during the time of the life and ministry of the Lord, two millennia ago. They, together with the Sadducees, another influential group, formed the governing body of the Jewish community, as many of their members were part of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council. The Pharisees themselves were those who were intellectual, knowledgeable about the Law of God as revealed through Moses, and also were very particular about keeping the commandments, rules, precepts and the details of the Law of God, to even the smallest of details.

And since the Pharisees tend to be very strict in their interpretation and enforcement of the Law, all of its rules and tenets, hence, that was why many of them often opposed the Lord and His teachings, refusing to listen to the wisdom and the words of truth which He had brought into the midst of the people of God. Yet, it does not mean that all of the Pharisees rejected and opposed the Lord, as Nicodemus himself had shown us. Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees who was in fact attracted to the Lord’s teachings and was drawn to the truth of God. He came to the Lord at night in order to avoid being seen with Him, which would have caused complications, but he truly had questions in his heart and mind, which he asked of the Lord. The Lord therefore told Nicodemus part of the truth of what He would be doing for the salvation of mankind, prefiguring His Passion, His crucifixion and death.

Yes, as we heard in that same Gospel passage today, we heard how the Son of Man, Jesus Himself would be raised up and shown to everyone as the Sign of Salvation, just as Moses once raised the bronze serpent on the standard back when the people perished because of their disobedience against God. This is a reference for His Passion and death on the Cross, as He was raised up on the Cross at Calvary, suffering and dying for our sins and faults, offering Himself, His own Precious Body and Blood as the perfect and worthy offering for our salvation. This is something that Nicodemus certainly recalled, as the same Nicodemus was also mentioned after the Passion and death of the Lord, because together with another secret disciple of Jesus from among the Pharisees, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus helped to take down the Body of the Lord from the Cross and prepare Him for burial.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, having been reminded of the examples from the loving and faithful lives of the early Christian communities and also from the faith and readiness to listen which Nicodemus the Pharisee had shown us in our Scripture readings today, let us all therefore strive to follow the Lord and live our lives as Christians in the same manner. Let us all be exemplary and worthy in each and every moments of our lives so that by our good examples and our every moments in life, we may inspire more and more people to come ever closer to God, and that we may truly proclaim the Risen Lord, His truth and salvation through our own lives, our every actions, words and deeds, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 3 : 7b-15

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again from above. The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus asked again, “How can this be?” And Jesus answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things! Truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we witness to the things we have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony. If you do not believe when I speak of earthly things, what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven except the One Who came from heaven, the Son of Man.”

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

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Tuesday, 9 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

YHVH reigns, robed in majesty; YHVH is girded with strength.

The world now, is firm; it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o YHVH; from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your House, day after day, without end, o YHVH.

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Tuesday, 9 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 4 : 32-37

The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions; but rather, they shared all things in common. With great power, the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace.

There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the Apostles, who distributed it, according to each one’s need. This is what a certain Joseph did. He was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the Apostles called Barnabas, meaning : “The encouraging one.” He sold a field which he owned and handed the money to the Apostles.

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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.”