Wednesday

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the Sacred Scriptures, we are again reminded just as yesterday of the need for all of us to continue to be well-attuned and connected to God, to trust in Him and in His Providence, to keep an active and dynamic prayer life, so that we may truly know what the Lord wants to do with our lives, as well as knowing where He is leading us towards. As Christians, that is as those who believe in Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we may encounter a lot of hardships and challenges, trials and even persecutions in our path, but we must not lose faith in the Lord, as we must remember, as what we have heard from our Scripture passages today, that the Lord is and will always be with us, journeying with us and providing all that we need.

In our first reading today, we continue to hear the farewell speech which St. Paul the Apostle told to the elders of the community and the faithful in the city of Ephesus during the time when he was to embark on his last missionary journey, one which eventually led him to the city of Rome and then his martyrdom there. He was on the way back to Jerusalem to address the accusations and the other matters that the Jewish authorities, the Sanhedrin and its members had been bringing up against him to the Roman governor. Hence, St. Paul chose to obey the Lord and follow His guidance, in choosing to go back to Jerusalem knowing full well that there he would likely face hardships and persecutions, instead of staying away and perhaps having a better life where he was accepted and embraced.

St. Paul encouraged the faithful community in Ephesus through his speech, reminding them all to stay faithful in all things, and especially to the elders to take good care of the flock that had been entrusted to them. St. Paul also highlighted the examples of his own mission and how he carried out his ministry, in trusting completely in the Lord, and in not seeking for material and worldly desires, or any kind of earthly glory, and desiring instead in giving of himself in love to the people to whom he had been ministering to, sharing the love of God to all of them. And he used this example to encourage them all to do the same as well in how they carry out their Christian life and missions, so that they may truly be good and faithful disciples and followers of the Lord at all times.

Then, we heard how St. Paul knelt and prayed together with them, and how the faithful in Ephesus were sorrowful and supported him, and were distressed because they likely would not see him again. And yet, through the words that St. Paul had imparted to them, this likely strengthened them for the challenges, trials and hardships that were to come, as there were many among those faithful who would encounter those persecutions in various forms in the early days of Christianity, the opposition from both the Jewish authorities, and later on, the official persecutions from the Roman state and government. It is also an important reminder for all of us that we must also be faithful to the Lord and put our trust in Him, so that even despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face, we will continue to keep up our faith in Him.

From our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the continuation of the prayer that the Lord Jesus had prayed for His disciples and followers, asking His heavenly Father to pray for the disciples, to strengthen and encourage them all so that despite all the challenges and persecutions, uncertainties and difficulties that they might have to endure and go through, particularly during the time of His Passion that He was soon to go through, those disciples would not lose faith and their path in the Lord, and that they would remain united as one faithful people and flock of the Lord. Through that prayer, the Lord wanted to reassure the disciples that God would always be with them, providing and protecting them, and they would never be alone.

The Lord also highlighted an important fact in that prayer, as He also reminded His disciples and followers how following Him would often mean that they would likely have to face rejection, oppression, hardships and trials from the world, because the same world had also rejected Him. The ways of the world are likely not compatible to the ways of the Lord, and this would make many among the disciples to face difficult moments where they might be tempted to give up their faith in God and instead conform to the expectations and ways of the world. But the Lord prayed for them so that hopefully their faith might be strengthened, and through encouragement and the right guidance, they may continue to persevere in their faith and commitment to Him, and that they will not lose their faith and path in life.

This is therefore an important reminder for all of us that as Christians, all of us must always care for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, ever always praying for those who are in need of them and extending our hands to actively help all those to whom we are in the position to help and assist. Like the faithful in Ephesus praying for and supporting St. Paul, we should always continue to be good and loving brothers and sisters to our fellow Christians, showing God’s love in all our words, actions and deeds, in all of our interactions with one another. We should always show sincerity and genuine love in our love and commitment to one another, to fulfil what the Lord has commanded us to do, to love one another just as we have loved Him with all of our heart and might.

May the Risen Lord, our Saviour and Master continue to help and strengthen us all in our own respective journeys and paths in life. May He continue to strengthen, empower and encourage each one of us in our progress forward in faith and life so that we may be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us. May God bless our every good efforts, endeavours and works, and may He continue to be with us and guide us through life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 11b-19

At that time, Jesus prayed to God His Father, “Holy Father, keep those You have given Me in Your Name, so that they may be one, as we also are. When I was with them, I kept them safe in Your Name; and not one was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this, the Scripture was fulfilled. And now I come to You; in the world I speak these things, so that those whom You gave Me, might have joy – all My joy within themselves.”

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world, I do not ask You to remove them from the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.”

“I have sent them into the world as You sent Me into the world; and for their sake, I go to the sacrifice by which I am consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 29-30, 33-35a, 35bc and 36c

Summon Your power, o God, with the strength You have wielded for us. To Your Temple in Jerusalem, kings will come with gifts.

Sing to God, o kingdoms of the world; sing praises to the Lord, to Him Who rides the ancient heavens, and speaks in the voice of thunder. Proclaim the might of God.

He is great in Israel, powerful in heavens. Blessed be God!

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Wednesday, 4 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 28-38

Keep watch over yourselves, and over the whole flock the Holy Spirit has placed into your care. Shepherd the Church of the Lord that He has won, at the price of His own Blood. I know that, after I leave, ruthless wolves will come among you and not spare the flock. And, from among you, some will arise, corrupting the truth, and inducing the disciples to follow them.

Be on the watch, therefore, remembering that, for three years, night and day, I did not cease to warn everyone, even with tears. Now, I commend you to God, and to His grace-filled word, which is able to make you grow and gain the inheritance that you shall share with all the saints.

I have not looked for anyone’s silver, gold or clothing. You, yourselves, know, that these hands of mine have provided for both my needs and the needs of those who were with me. In every way, I have shown you that by working hard one must help the weak, remembering the words that the Lord Jesus Himself said, “Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.”

After this discourse, Paul knelt down with them and prayed. Then, they all began to weep and threw their arms around him and kissed him. They were deeply distressed because he had said that they would never see him again. And they went with him even to the ship.

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Wednesday, 28 May 2025 : 6th 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, we are all reminded of the truth and Good News of God which we have all received from Him, and which we therefore should always be ready to share with all those whom we encounter in our daily lives, in how we live our lives worthily in the Lord’s Presence at all times, becoming exemplary disciples and followers of the Lord at all times. Each and every one of us have been called to be good and worthy witnesses of Our Lord’s Resurrection, His Good News, love and hope to everyone we encounter, and we must not forget of this mission and calling which the Lord has entrusted to us. In each and every moments, we have to strive and do our best to fulfil what we have been called to do.

In our first reading today, we heard of the account from the Acts of the Apostles in which St. Paul the Apostle went to Athens in Greece, at the centre of the Greek philosophy and also paganism at that time. He went to the place called the Areopagus, which in Athens was the place where all the philosophers went to openly say their opinions and debate with one another on various issues. It was there that St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke about the Lord, the One and only True God before the people assembled at the Areopagus, to introduce and let Him be known to all of them, so that they may all come to know Who this God and Lord is, beyond what worldly philosophies, discussions and all other material matters that they had commonly discussed and debated about.

Essentially, St. Paul presented to all of them the knowledge and truth of the Unknown God Who had been not known and not identified to those people in Athens, who at that time believed in a variety of deities, gods and goddesses, according to the Greek and other mythologies of the region. All those deities were often personification of various natural phenomena and bodies, such as sky, thunder, sea and earthquakes, among many others, but St. Paul presented to all of them the one and only True God, the One Who has until then been unknown and indiscernible to them, the One Who created the Heaven and the Earth and the whole Universe, including all the wonderful things that the Greeks and others had been modelling their gods and goddesses upon.

And through the great Wisdom of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul managed to convince some amongst those people of the truth, who became intrigued at wanting to know more about the Lord, God and Master of all the Universe. There were indeed those who refused to believe and made fun of St. Paul and what he taught, but the Lord was with him and through his efforts, the Good News began to spread to the land of Greece, in Athens and many other cities and towns, where Christian communities of believers began to spring up despite the often difficult and hostile conditions that the faithful had to face in the midst of opposition and persecutions against them, which led to many of them suffering greatly and many were also martyred for their faith. And yet, these led to even more courageous efforts at evangelisation and mission.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples and reassuring all of them, telling them that the Holy Spirit will come upon them, strengthening and encouraging them amidst all the trials and challenges that they might have to face in their path and journey, in their missions and works as Christians. It is a powerful assurance and message of hope from the Lord to His disciples, reminding them that they will never be alone in their ministry and works, and the Lord Himself would always be with them, guiding and inspiring them, empowering them at every stage of their journey and ministry. The Lord will never leave them all by themselves, and He will be with them even in the darkest moments.

As what the Apostles and the disciples themselves would experience, they would face the greatest trials and challenges, hardships and evils, and yet, because of their faith in the Lord and in the assurances which He Himself has given to them, they did not give in to fear, doubt or despair, but they continued to go forth courageously in proclaiming the Good News of God and His truth to all the people of all the nations to whom they ministered. The Holy Spirit guided them all in all that they said and acted on, and they did not allow the temptations and pressures of the world, the trials, challenges and hardships that they faced to discourage them from their works and ministry. Instead, they kept on going with faith, with great confidence that came from the Lord Himself, performing many good works for God and His people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just heard and received today from the Word of God. As the disciples and followers of Christ, all of us should indeed be courageous and joyful in proclaiming the Good News and truth that God has entrusted to all of us. But it is not enough that we just proclaim the Lord’s words and truth, but even more importantly, we must live our Christian lives each day with great commitment and dedication, that in each and every one of our actions, we will always be good role models and examples for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We must continue to be good and worthy in our every actions, words and works, so that by our lives and examples, we may truly glorify God in all things.

May the Risen Lord, our Lord Who has loved us all so wonderfully and reassured us all again and again of His hope and love, continue to bless our every good works, efforts and actions, so that we may continue to glorify Him and do many great works in Him at all times, in everything that we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 28 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 16 : 12-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. When He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into the whole truth. He has nothing to say of Himself, but He will speak of what He hears, and He will tell you of the things to come.”

“He will take what is Mine and make it known to you; in doing this, He will glorify Me. All that the Father has is Mine; because of this, I have just told you that the Spirit will take what is Mine, and make it known to you.”

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Wednesday, 28 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 148 : 1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heavenly heights. Praise Him, all His Angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.

Kings of the earth and nations, princes and all rulers of the world, young men and maidens, old and young together.

Let them praise the Name of the Lord. For His Name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.

He has given His people glory; He has a praise to His faithful, to Israel, the people close to Him. Alleluia.

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Wednesday, 28 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 17 : 15, 22 – Acts 18 : 1

Paul was taken as far as Athens by his escort, who then returned to Beroea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible. Then Paul stood up in the Areopagus hall and said, “Athenian citizens, I note that in every way you are very religious. As I walked around looking at your shrines, I even discovered an altar with this inscription : To an unknown God. Now, what you worship as unknown, I intend to make known to you.”

“God, Who made the world and all that is in it, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, being as He is Lord of heaven and earth. Nor does His worship depend on anything made by human hands, as if He were in need. Rather it is He Who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone.”

“From one stock He created the whole human race to live throughout all the earth, and He fixed the time and the boundaries of each nation. He wanted them to seek Him by themselves, even if it were only by groping for Him, succeed in finding Him. Yet He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being, as some of your poets have said : for we too are His offspring.”

“If we are indeed God’s offspring, we ought not to think of divinity as something like a statue of gold or silver or stone, a product of human art and imagination. But now God prefers to overlook this time of ignorance and He calls on all people to change their ways. He has already set a day on which He will judge the world with justice through a Man He has appointed. And, so that all may believe it, He has just given a sign by raising this Man from the dead.”

When they heard Paul speak of a resurrection from death, some made fun of him, while others said, “We must hear you on this topic some other time.” At that point Paul left. But a few did join him, and believed. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus court, a woman named Damaris, and some others. After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

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Wednesday, 21 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received today, we are all reminded that all of us as Christians, as the disciples and followers of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are all part of the same Body of Christ, the Church, and as such we are also called to remain true and faithful to the ways and teachings of the Lord, so that we do not end up separating ourselves from the true path of the Lord. We are reminded that ultimately all of us must always be focused and centred on God, and not on our man-made rules and laws. And whatever rules and laws we have should be attuned harmoniously with the Law of God, so that in our way forward in life we will always be truly truly committed to God and not be distracted into the wrong path.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the disagreements and conflicts between the members of the early Christian community from Judea, likely those who originated from among the Pharisees, with that of the other members of the faithful and the Apostles, particularly that of St. Paul and his companions. This was because the former group taught that unless the Christian faithful followed the whole set of the commandments, laws, rules and customs observed by the Jewish people, the Law as revealed through Moses and which was further expanded throughout history by the passing down of the rules and laws through the Israelites, then they could not be saved. This was contrary to the more open-minded attitude adopted by those like St. Paul and his companions, who spent a lot of time and effort reaching out to the Gentiles.

For the context, the Jewish customs and practices involved circumcision, relatively strict dietary restrictions and practices, among others, many of which were seen as abhorrent, disgusting and even barbaric by many among the Gentile populations like the Romans and the Greeks. Had such rules and customs, practices and ways were imposed upon the early Church, it would have severely curtailed the spread of the Christian faith as many of the converts among the Gentiles would have found it difficult to live their lives with such regulations and practices that their own community found abhorrent, foreign and unacceptable. That was why St. Paul and his companions like St. Barnabas spoke up firmly and courageously against those who attempted to impose such ways on the Church, citing the experiences and examples that they had encountered in their mission along the way.

They said that those rules and customs of the Jews, especially those practiced and imposed by the Pharisees should not be imposed on the faithful, especially to those who were from the non-Jewish background, mirroring what the Lord Jesus Himself had actually often criticised the Pharisees for during the time of His ministry, especially in how those Pharisees imposed very heavy burden on the people of God, and not helping the people to carry this burden, by the overly rigid and excessive interpretation and imposition of the many rules, customs, rites and other practices that were superfluous and in fact preventing the people from truly realising the true purpose and intention of the Law of God. The Law of God was in fact meant to show the people of God how they ought to love Him and commit themselves to Him, and not to make their lives very difficult or impossible to carry on.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard a related story in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples using a parable, the Parable of the True Vine to highlight to them the nature of His teachings and ways as the ways of the Lord, how He is the True Vine that came from the Father, the Almighty God, Creator and Master of all. And using this comparison to the vine, to the people who must have been quite accustomed to viticulture or the growing of grapes for the wine, the Lord wanted to tell them all that in all of their ways and beliefs, they have to be firmly connected to Him, and centred upon Him. The relationship between the Lord and all of us as He Himself had highlighted with that parable is indeed like that of the Vine and the branches. For without the connection to the Vine, the branches cannot have life on their own, and will perish.

That is why, as the Lord Himself has explained to His disciples, that if they keep on their focus and connection to HIm, in their actions and way of life, in adhering to His Law and commandments, then they will flourish and prosper, and they shall all be truly blessed by God, and will not be found wanting or unworthy. On the other hand, as the Lord Himself said, all those who separate themselves from Him, the True Vine, will wither and perish, and they will have no part with Him at all. This is a reminder that we must always trust in the Lord and His teachings, His ways and commandments as the Church has preserved it, and not to break away from these teachings and traditions, which the Apostles and their successors had sustained for the past two millennia.

As Christians, it is important that we must always remain united in Christ and not be easily divided against each other in our ideologies and beliefs, in our preferences, prejudices and biases which may end up leading us to be separated from the true path of the Lord. And this is not what the Lord wants from us, as He wants us all to remain united to Him as the one united Body of Christ, His Church, that should remain firmly united and established strongly against the many currents and pressures of this world. We must not allow ourselves to be fractured and shattered in our unity because we fail to resist the pressures and temptations of worldly ambitions, glory and other pursuits that lead us away from God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Christopher Magallanes, holy priest and martyr of the Faith, and his companions in martyrdom whose faith and commitment to God were truly exemplary even in the midst of heavy persecutions and hardships. St. Christopher Magallanes lived and ministered during the time of heavy persecution against the Church in Mexico, where the government at that time was very strongly against the Church, pursuing a rather extreme anticlerical and anti-Catholic stance, where many of the faithful, especially the members of the clergy were persecuted heavily and even martyred. Nonetheless, this did not discourage St. Christopher Magallanes and his companions, both the clergy and laity alike, who continued to do the works of the Lord and persisted in faith despite the persecutions, even if they were to lose their lives in martyrdom. They inspired many others who are suffering for their faith in our world today too.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us should continue to focus ourselves on what is important, that is our faith and trust in the Lord, and not to be tempted by worldly glory and ambitions, or be divided by our pursuits and ideals in life, or be fractured by our disagreements and conflicts. This is because none of these will last forever, no matter how much worldly power we accumulate, and our ideologies and superficial divisions do not elevate our faith and magnify the Lord, but instead bring about rupture in the unity of the Lord’s Body, the Church, a serious sin that we commit in His Presence that we will have to account for. Let us all instead be inspired by the humility and dedication of the Holy Martyrs of Mexico, St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions, that we may ever be more faithful in following God, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 21 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 15 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the True Vine and My Father is the Vinegrower. If any of My branches does not bear fruit, He breaks it off; and He prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.”

“You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in Me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you do not remain in Me. I am the Vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in Me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from Me you can do nothing.”

“Whoever does not remain in Me is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burnt. If you remain in Me and My words in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit : it is then that you become My disciples.”