Wednesday

by

Wednesday, 11 May 2016 : Seventh 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.

by

Wednesday, 4 May 2016 : Sixth Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are presented with the very interesting account of how St. Paul spoke to the Athenians about their religious beliefs at the common forum known as the Areopagus, where all peoples were free to utter their thoughts and share them with everyone. St. Paul preached about the Saviour of the world in that occasion, revealing to them the truth about what they ought to believe in.

The Athenians, as were the Greeks at the time, including many others such as the Romans and other peoples embracing pagan beliefs, they all believed in the multitude and variety of divine beings whom they referred to as gods. They associated natural phenomena and other strange and unexplainable observations as divine interventions and as signs of the presence of the divines themselves.

Therefore, that was why if we looked at the pagan gods, the pantheons of the Greek pagans and other forms of paganisms in the other cultures, we can see how those gods were associated with those natural phenomena, which those people were incapable of fully explaining or understanding. They personified the power of lightning and the skies in Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, and with similar thunder gods in the other pantheons. There were myriads, countless other examples as well.

But ultimately, all of these were mankind’s futile attempts in trying to comprehend the wonders of creation, the greatness of the cosmos and the amazing things that surround them and are present from time to time, which intrigued their attention and interest. They feared and revered those things they did not understand, and in the process they became entangled in the worship of the false gods and idols.

It was all of these things which St. Paul wanted to make clear by his preaching to them of the word of God and of the truth which God had revealed to the world through him. He asked the Athenians about the monument which they had established for the unknown God, as a penchant and clear indication of the folly that they had followed thus far.

They did not know the true God, the Creator of all, and yet what they were following and worshipping, was merely the creations of the Creator. They worshipped the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, thunder, lightning and the seas, and all these because they were awed by their greatness and majesty, but they failed to see that all these simply bring even greater glory and majesty to the one who created all of them.

The words of St. Paul revealed to all of them the truth about God, the Lord and Creator of all. The Lord Himself in the Gospel today reminded His disciples of the promise which He frequently made, especially at the end of His earthly ministry, of the coming of the Spirit of truth which would reveal to them all of the truth which He had spoken but they were then yet incapable of fully understanding the meaning.

And that Spirit of truth is none other than the Holy Spirit, the Spirit that God has sent to all those whom He had chosen and deemed to be worthy of His presence. And through that same Spirit, the Spirit inflamed the hearts of the Apostles and the disciples of Christ, giving them the strength and the courage to carry out the mission which our Lord had entrusted them, bringing the truth of God to many peoples of various nations.

If they had not been so courageous in proclaiming the faith, they would not have brought many people who would not have been saved otherwise. Because of what St. Paul had spoken at the Areopagus, some of the people there believed in them, even though many people there refused to believe and even ridiculed St. Paul and his teachings. The people who believed there would become the foundations of the Church in that area and brought the salvation to more people.

In this time and era, there are still many people who are in need of the truth, for many people have lived in darkness and in ignorance for long enough. If we do not play our part to bring the word of God to them, by our words and actions, then we may be dooming many souls to eternal damnation, and if God sees our lack of action that had made these fallen into the darkness, what do you think will He do to us? We will be held liable for not helping these brethren of ours when we could have helped them.

Let us all thus commit ourselves anew to the Lord and His cause. Let us all do all things that we can in order to show God’s truth to our fellow brethren. Let us commit ourselves to bring the salvation of God to ever more and more people. May His Holy Spirit strengthen us and be our inspiration always. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 4 May 2016 : Sixth Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 16 : 12-15

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “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.”

by

Wednesday, 4 May 2016 : Sixth 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 given a praise to His faithful, to Israel, the people close to Him. Alleluia.

by

Wednesday, 4 May 2016 : Sixth 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.

by

Wednesday, 27 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the parable of the vine and its branches, and of the vineyard and its grower from our Lord Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel of St. John. In this parable, Jesus was speaking about Himself and God His Father, and how if mankind were to have true life in them, then they must be attached to Him, and continue to be attached to Him.

The Vinegrower of the field is God the Father Who created all things and all life. And through His Word He has created all things at the beginning of time. The Word was through which God created all and gave life to all. And that Word has been incarnate to be one of men, as the Vine referred to in the Gospel today by Jesus. Jesus Himself is the Vine, through which all of its branches has life and are able to grow.

Those who keep themselves solidly attached to the Vine that is our Lord, will receive true life and grace. They will remain in God’s love and grace, and His blessings will be with them always. But those who severed themselves from the Vine, would therefore be excluded from the grace of God, and they shall be cast out into the utter darkness and damnation, unless they repent and change their ways.

The branches refer to all of us, brothers and sisters in Christ, for all of us who have believed in the truth of Jesus our Lord, and all of us who have received baptism as the Sacrament of sanctification and as the seal of faith, shall be joined to the Lord as the members of His one Body, the Church. Jesus Himself mentioned in another occasion, how the Church is one united Body, with all of its members comprising all of us who believe in the Lord.

And as members of that Church, the one Body of Christ, we should realise that all of us have been brought together by God, just as in the days of Noah, when God sent the great flood to wipe out all those men and creatures who were wicked and evil, all those who refused to listen to God and who refused to walk in His ways. Only those who were brought and gathered in Noah’s Ark, namely only Noah and his immediate family were saved.

Therefore, in the same manner, only those who God have gathered in His Church will be saved and receive the guarantee of safety and eternal life from God. Those who consciously chose to remain outside the Church of God, is like lost sheep lying outside the flock. And when the Shepherd comes, all those who are inside the flock will be saved, and those who are outside shall be left behind.

Therefore, if we are not part of the Church, and all those who are outside the bounds of the Church, then all of us will have no part in the salvation which God is promising to those who are faithful to Him. Only by being connected, and staying connected to God, the One and True Vine, that we will have life in us, and only through Him that we will receive salvation and eternal life.

Therefore, if we have been separated from the love and grace of God by our sins, then we should realise that it is up to us, whether we want to continue our current path and walk further and further away from God, or whether we want to turn around now, and turn away from all of our sinful ways. It is our choice, whether we want to be separated from God or to be reunited with Him. What matters now is do we want to be loved by God?

Let us all remind one another, that we may find the way to be reconciled with God our loving Creator and Father. Let us all seek to be ever closer to God and to walk forever always in His ways, and never again be separated from Him. May our sins be cleansed and our flesh and souls be purified from all the darkness that have enveloped us all. God bless us all. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 27 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper, “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.”

by

Wednesday, 27 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!

Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There the tribes go up.

The tribes of the Lord, the assembly of Israel, to give thanks to the Lord’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.

by

Wednesday, 27 April 2016 : Fifth Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 15 : 1-6

Some persons who had come from Judea to Antioch were teaching the brothers in this way, “Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Because of this there was trouble, and Paul and Barnabas had fierce arguments with them. For Paul told the people to remain as they were when they became believers. Finally those who had come from Jerusalem suggested that Paul and Barnabas and some others go up to Jerusalem to discuss the matter with the Apostles and elders.

They were sent on their way by the Church. As they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they reported how the non-Jews had turned to God, and there was great joy among all the brothers and sisters. On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church, the Apostles and the elders, to whom they told all that God had done through them.

Some believers, however, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees, stood up and said that non-Jewish men must be circumcised and instructed to keep the law of Moses. So the Apostles and elders met together to consider this matter.

by

Wednesday, 20 April 2016 : Fourth Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, all of us have been shown the truth about the Lord, Who through Jesus Christ His Son, has come into the world as the great Light, which is the guidance and the pathway for many who are now, and many others who once wandered throughout the great darkness of this world. Through Him, all those who have believed in God have received the guarantee and the promise of salvation and eternal life.

Those who accepted the words of our Lord have received life in them, because the Word Himself, the Word of God, Divine Incarnate had entered into the world through Jesus, the Son of God, Who have then given up Himself for our sake on the cross, laying down His life for us, and giving to us His own flesh and blood, His Body and His Precious Blood as our life-giving eternal sustenance.

The Apostles worked hard around the clock, going from places to places, and sometimes even to faraway and dangerous places, so that they might bear this truth and the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ to all those who lived far and have not yet heard about the salvation which God offered to all those who would put their complete trust in Christ, Who died for all that they might live.

In the first reading today taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard how God had chosen His servants and sent them to evangelise to the peoples and communities of the people of God, so that they might hear the words of the Lord and come to believe in Him. And thus all those who believe in God would receive the redemption promised to them, and they would be made worthy of eternal grace and life.

The Church leaders supported one another, and they laid their hands on those whom God had chosen. This act represents the passing down of the Holy Spirit and the gifts which God had given them through the same Spirit. God blessed them with the authority over the spirits of this earth and beyond, and authority to forgive sins and to absolve the souls of men from their faults.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is now therefore we are all called to pay attention to what all of us are expected to do as members of the Church. The laying of the hands on the heads of the Apostles and the saints represent the continuous chain and the continuity from the Apostles themselves to our very own priests today, who all receive their ordination and authority from the bishops, who then received the same authority passed down to them from the Apostles, and then from our Lord Jesus Himself.

And of course all of us who are part of the Church also needs to play our part to commit ourselves to help the Church to spread and continue its good works to many others who are in need of salvation and liberation from their troubles. We also that same obligation to do what Jesus our Lord had commanded His disciples to do, that is to bear His word of truth, and spread them to the very ends of the earth, and preach the salvation in Him to all mankind.

Let us all therefore use this time and opportunity for us to reflect on our own lives and our actions. Let us all renew our commitment to help one another, especially those who lay in danger of falling into the darkness and eternal damnation of being separated from the love of God because of their actions that come to be contrary to the ways of the Lord.

May God help us in our endeavours, and may He strengthen our faith together as one people, belonging to the one and only Church through which He will save us from the eternal darkness and sufferings in hell. God bless us all and keep us in His grace forevermore. Amen.