Wednesday

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Wednesday, 29 April 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 12 : 24 – Acts 13 : 5

Meanwhile the word of God was increasing and spreading. Barnabas and Saul carried out their mission and then came back to Jerusalem, taking with them John also called Mark.

There were at Antioch – in the Church which was there – prophets and teachers : Barnabas, Symeon known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul. On one occasion while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them.”

So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. These then, sent by the Holy Spirit, went down to the port of Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. Upon their arrival in Salamis they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogue; John was with them as an assistant.

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Wednesday, 22 April 2015 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the words of the Sacred Scriptures, telling us firstly how the persecution against the faithful in Jerusalem and throughout Judea and even Samaria began, not long after the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Faith, and then in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus spoke of Himself as the Bread of Life, and those who clung in faith to Him, He will not lose, but bring to eternal life and He will raise them up on the last day.

Today’s readings highlighted the fact that Jesus shall never abandon those whom He had obtained for Himself, and whom He had gathered into His fold and presence, unless if those who had been saved from the world sought to make themselves be lost. God had always given us many chances and opportunities, one after another. He always gives us chances even though we often spurned His love and efforts.

Therefore, it is truly sad to see how many people continues to ignore the repeated calls made by our Lord for us to change our ways and repent from our sins. Many of us continued to live in our sinful state and commit all sorts of wickedness, as if we do not worry about what will happen to us if we continue to walk on the same path. God gave us His truth through Jesus, and through all of the things that He had taught us through His disciples, so that we may believe and may turn away from all of our faults and sins.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have to see how in the Acts of the Apostles, the people of the Faith who even though they were persecuted harshly and greatly for their belief in Jesus, they persevered through and braved through the difficult times and challenges in going forth to preach the Good News to all those who have yet to hear the truth of Christ’s salvation of all peoples. Just as St. Stephen himself had spoken out courageously in the defense of his faith, despite knowing that doing so would mean his certain death at the hands of his enemies, he continued to do what is right.

Therefore, we too, who believe in the Lord Jesus as our Lord and God, as our King and Redeemer, must also have the same spirit and courage as St. Stephen, in the passion and the fire that they feel inside them to carry the truth of Christ to all of the world. Do we have the same passion in us? Do we feel the urge and the need to ensure that every one of us are saved in the Lord Jesus? These are the questions which we should constantly ask ourselves.

The examples of St. Stephen and the many other martyrs and saints of the Faith showed us that God is always with us, no matter what happens. God will always ensure our well-being, may not be in this world and on this earth, but at least and most importantly, our eternal well-being in the world that is to come is assured. Seek not what is temporary and illusory, that is the pleasures of the flesh and the world, but seek instead the treasure, true treasure that will not disappear.

Certainly, if we walk down the path of faith, it will not be easy for us. Challenges will be part and parcel of our life, as we all well know that the way of this world does not sit well with the path of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if we persevere, our reward will be rich in heaven. St. Stephen and the other holy martyrs and saints were glorified, not because they succumbed to the world and listened to the whims of the world, but instead they stood up for the Lord and preached His salvation to all, even when they were persecuted for doing so.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all heed our Lord’s call, for us to change our way of life and our perception of what our faith is. Let us no longer be passive in our faith, but practice that faith with great courage and hope. May Almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ guide us in all of our actions and in our deeds, so that in whatever we say, do and act, we may bring great glory to God. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 22 April 2015 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 35-40

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty. Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen. Yet all those whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of the One who sent Me.”

“And the will of Him who sent Me is that I lose nothing of what He has given Me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father, that whoever sees the Son and believes in Him shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

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Wednesday, 22 April 2015 : 3rd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 65 : 1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a

Shout with joy to God, all you on earth; sing to the glory of His Name; proclaim His glorious praise. Say to God, “How great are Your deeds!”

All the earth bows down to You, making music in praise of You, singing in honour of Your Name. Come and see God’s wonders, His deeds awesome for humans.

He has turned the sea into dry land, and the river was crossed on foot. Let us, therefore, rejoice in Him. He rules by His might forever.

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Wednesday, 22 April 2015 : 3rd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 8 : 1b-8

This was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem. All, except the Apostles, were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. Saul meanwhile was trying to destroy the Church; he entered house after house and dragged off men and women and had them put in jail.

At the same time those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to a town of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. All the people paid close attention to what Philip said as they listened to him and saw the miraculous signs that he did.

For in cases of possession, the unclean spirits came out shrieking loudly. Many people who were paralysed or crippled were healed. So there was a great joy in that town.

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Wednesday, 15 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard about how the Apostles of our Lord were delivered from their distress, when they were arrested by the Jewish leaders and the elders of the people. They were freed from prison and brought into deliverance to continue once again to teach the word of God to all the people. And in the Gospel, we heard how Jesus made clear God’s love for us, in the famous phrase of the Gospel of St. John Chapter 3, Verse 16.

That God so loved the world, that is all of us mankind, that He was willing to send His own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, into this world so that all who witness Him and His life, His death and resurrection and then believe in Him, may be saved and not be lost. For God has decreed that all whom He had gathered upon Himself, He would not lose again, unless if we are the ones who want to be lost ourselves.

The essence of this is that, if we put our trust in the Lord, we shall not be disappointed. We shall have no need to fear for anything, as God will guard us and protect us in His own way. God will shield us from harm and bring us to safety. Such is His love and dedication to all those who have put themselves at His care. After all, He had given Himself and none less, for our salvation by His death on the cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, it is often difficult for us to comprehend the fullness of  God’s mercy and love for us. And it is often easy for us to fall into the temptations of this world and to walk down the path of corruption, that is the path of worldliness. And because we trust so much in the things of the world, such as power, fame, prestige, influence and human praise, then we cannot part from these.

We have our fears in this life because of these worldly attachments, and indeed not just attachments, but these had gone further to be addictions. Many times we mankind act in certain ways because we want to preserve ourselves and avoid being harmed in any way. And on the other hand, some of us even acted in a way that bring about harm and pain to others just so that we may preserve ourselves.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be awakened to the truth of Christ, that what we truly need is not all the worldly things that this world often impose on us. We have to be courageous in our life so that we may say no and reject all the falsehoods and the traps which Satan had set on our path. We must be able to overcome all this, and despite the challenge, if only that we can trust in God, then the path will be opened for us.

This Easter is a time for us to realise how much is the love which God had showered us with, the perfect and eternal love which He had shown us through Jesus, whom by His death had broken us free from the bonds of sin and death, and by His resurrection, had promised us the eternal promise of eternal life with Him. It is indeed time for us to change our lives for the better, and become better and more devoted disciples of our Lord.

May our Risen Lord, Almighty God, be with us always and guide us in all the ways of our lives. May He bless us and give us strength to carry out His will in this world, and resist the temptations of Satan, resist all of our fears and worries, for in God we can trust, and He will always be faithful. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 15 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 3 : 16-21

At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Yes, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world; instead, through Him the world is to be saved. Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned. He who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the Name of the only Son of God.”

“This is how the Judgment is made : Light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For whoever does wrong hates the light, and does not come to the light, for fear that his deeds will be seen as evil. But whoever lives according to the truth comes into the light, so that it can be clearly seen that his works have been done in God.”

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Wednesday, 15 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

Oh, let us magnify the Lord, together let us glorify His Name! I sought the Lord, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress.

The Lord’s angel encamps and patrols to keep safe those who fear Him. Oh, see and taste the goodness of the Lord! Blessed is the one who finds shelter in Him!

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Wednesday, 15 April 2015 : 2nd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 5 : 17-26

The High Priest and all his supporters that is the party of the Sadducees, became very jealous of the Apostles; so they arrested them and had them thrown into the public jail. But an angel of the Lord opened the door of the prison during the night, brought them out, and said to them, “Go and stand in the Temple court and tell the people the whole of this living message.” Accordingly they entered the Temple at dawn and resumed their teaching.

When the High Priest and his supporters arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin, that is the full Council of the elders of Israel. They sent word to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. But when the Temple guards arrived at the jail, they did not find them inside, so they returned with the news, “We found the prison securely locked and the prison guards at their post outside the gate, but when we opened the gate, we found no one inside.”

Upon hearing these words, the captain of the Temple guard and the high priests were baffled, wondering where all of this would end. Just then someone arrived with the report, “Look, those men whom you put in prison are standing in the Temple, teaching the people.”

Then the captain went off with the guards and brought them back, but without any show of force, for fear of being stoned by the people.

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Wednesday, 8 April 2015 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to rejoice in the Easter season and through this octave or eight days of great joy for our Lord’s resurrection and triumph, we heard about the story of how Peter and John, our Lord’s Apostles, who healed the beggar who could not walk at the Temple, at the Name of Jesus. The beggar could walk again and the people were astonished.

And in the Gospel reading, we heard about the disciples of Jesus who encountered the Risen Lord on their way from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. They started with heavy heart, uncertainty and sorrow, when they left Jerusalem, bereft and without hope, having witnessed their supposed Lord and Saviour rejected by the people, condemned and died a criminal’s death on the cross.

But Jesus came into their midst and even though they did not realise it at first, and even though they did not recognise Him at first, and He healed the problems of their heart. He lifted up their spirit and encouraged them at heart with the words of the Scriptures made clear through His own words and teaching. It was like the moment when the veil of great darkness was torn apart and light gushes forth like a torrent, the moment of truth and hope which all of them had been waiting for.

And thus, this is also the essence of our celebration of this Easter. Easter is not just about rejoicing, partying and merrymaking without clear reason why we do so. Easter is truly about the moment of truth, where all lies and darkness fail, and the truth of our Lord’s salvation and love for us was made real through Jesus. This is the true joy, knowing that our Lord cares for us greatly, and He will not let us to fall into damnation, unless it is we ourselves who purposefully look for it.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we heard today in the Scriptures are proofs of God’s love for us, and the healing He wanted to bring to all of us, the healing of the body, mind and spirit. And the most important of which is the healing of the spirit, and of the soul. For while external and physical afflictions and diseases may cause great discomfort and pain, they do not last forever, and there will indeed be a time when we all shall be free of those, but the effects of the illness and sickness of the soul, shall last forever if we are not vigilant.

The sickness of the soul is sin, and sin is a taint upon our otherwise immaculate soul. The pure and clean soul had been dirtied by the presence of sin, through our greed and human desires, through our pride and selfishness, and through the many acts we had committed which were not in accordance to the will and to the teachings of the Lord. These things distanced ourselves from God, and in time, they will bring about condemnation for us.

And that is why, all of us should realise that we still have the chance and opportunities given to us by the Lord, to change our ways and repent. If we accept fully His Laws and commandments, and committing ourselves to reject all forms of sin and wickedness, in our daily life and actions, then truly, we have hope. It is therefore, a reminder to all of us this Easter season, that we ought to conquer sin and wickedness in this time of grace, just as Christ had conquered death itself.

Let us take up this opportunity to renew and strengthen our faith to the Lord, and let us make real the renewal of our baptismal promises which we have just made on the Easter Sunday. Let us not be afraid anymore, or be uncertain in any way, for indeed our Lord had triumphed, and He shall bring us all healing and succour. Just as through His Name the beggar was healed, and just as the two disciples on their way to Emmaus were strengthened and healed in spirit, we too will receive the same healing and grace. God bless us all. Amen.