Weekday Homily

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Friday, 21 April 2023 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the love and compassion, the kindness and all of the things which our Lord and Saviour has always shown us, in being present with us and for us, in our every journeys and paths, in all the roads that we are travelling through within our respective lives. God has always been ever present in all of that, and He will not abandon us no matter what. Everything that the Church and the Christian brothers and sisters had done, all have been guided and protected by the Lord. God will not abandon all those who put their trust and faith in Him. His love and kindness have always been shown to us, and none of us will be left without help, in our hour and time of need. For if we depend solely only on our own power, we will likely face defeat and failure, but with God’s help, everything is possible.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the time when the Sanhedrin, or the Jewish High Council was pondering on what to do with the Apostles who had courageously opposed them and refused to follow their orders not to proclaim and teach in the Name of the Risen Christ, with many of the members of the Sanhedrin were desiring to destroy those Apostles, angry and inflamed as they were with the Apostles who defied them and spoke with great Wisdom and courage, in resisting the pressures and coercions levied against them. But with the rising tension and passionate anger, one figure came forth seeking calm and rationale argument, namely the highly respected Gamaliel, a renowned and highly respected teacher of the faith, an elder Pharisee of great reputation. This Gamaliel told the Sanhedrin members to listen to reason and wisdom, and not persecute the Apostles.

The reasons presented by Gamaliel were very compelling, as he brought up the recent so-called False Messiahs, all those who have claimed to be the Messiah or the Saviour sent by God, and how their following and works quickly disappeared and were scattered after their leaders were put to death. Thus, following the same logic and example, Gamaliel convinced the other members of the Sanhedrin to let the Lord’s disciples be, as if their Lord and Master had indeed been a False Messiah like the others before Him, His movement and the works of His disciples would have quickly disappeared and they would be quickly scattered. On the other hand, as what was actually the case, if their Lord and Master was truly the true Messiah, the Saviour of the world, then no matter what efforts or persecutions the Sanhedrin would carry out against them, the works of the Lord would continue and triumph in the end.

That is why, all of us are called and reminded to put our trust and faith in the Lord, remembering that He has always been by our side, guiding us and providing for us, protecting and helping us even in ways that we may not realise at first. The Lord has always been with His Church and His disciples, and as we also then heard from our Gospel passage today, He has provided for us all that we need by His love and compassion towards us. In that Gospel passage we heard of the time when the Lord Jesus performed His well-known miracle of the feeding of the five thousand men and more people, by the multiplication of the five loaves and two fishes that He was offered with. This great miracle showed to all of us that God really cared very much about us, and He truly loved all of us, providing for us not just spiritually but also physically, as a wholesome guidance and providence to us.

The Lord showed pity on all those people who were following Him, as they were hungry without sustenance and food, and had been following Him for many days, as they listened to Him teaching and preaching to them. It was in the countryside and wilderness, and there was no food readily and easily available for them to buy and eat. Hence, the Lord told His disciples to provide for all of them food to eat, which when the lack of food was told to Him, He gathered the five loaves of bread and two fishes presented to Him, and miraculously multiplied them before everyone, as the bread and fishes did not run out despite the huge number of people assembled, at least five thousand men and many thousands more of the women and their children. The Lord showed all of these to His people and those disciples to show them that He has always been with them and that He would not abandon them in their time of need.

This is why each and every one of us are called today to renew our faith and trust in the Lord, remembering His love and providence towards us, which will not change and which will always be by our side. All of us are reminded that as Christians, we have all been chosen by the Lord and called to follow Him, and each and every one of us should dedicate ourselves, our time and effort, our whole entire being to the Lord. Let us all turn towards the Lord with love and devotion, with faith and commitment, as we commit ourselves to walk down His path and to proclaim His truth and commandments, His Law and providence to all the people, to all of mankind. Let us all dedicate ourselves to the Lord with renewed vigour and zeal this Easter, and follow Him, as vigorously as the Apostles themselves had done. And today, we have yet another good role model and example to follow.

St. Anselm, whose feast day we celebrate today, also known as St. Anselm of Canterbury was a great and dedicated servant of God, who committed himself to the ministry and the calling that he had been entrusted with. The Lord has called him to be His servant, becoming eventually a monk and abbot, and then after years of faithful work and ministry, he was appointed a bishop and was sent to minister the faithful as shepherd, which during his time of leadership and ministry, had become a great centre of learning and many were touched by his dedication and efforts. St. Anselm eventually was sent to England, to become the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the leader of all the faithful in all of England. He faced great trials and challenges throughout his ministry, and even went through exile during his work, having to endure persecution and rejection from his enemies. Yet he continued to dedicate himself and kept on going in his works and ministry regardless, entrusting himself to the Lord wholeheartedly.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can we be inspired by the courage and the hard work shown by all those holy predecessors of ours, in all the trust and faith in the Lord which they had shown us through their lives. Let us all be courageous and committed as they had done in their own lives. Let us all commit ourselves to the Lord and do our best to follow Him in all of our lives, doing whatever we can even in the smallest things, to proclaim and glorify Him by our exemplary lives. May God, our Risen Lord and Saviour be with us always and may He empower each one of us to live ever more faithfully in His Holy Presence, now, always and forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 20 April 2023 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us are bearers of the truth of God, in everything that He Himself has revealed to us, through His Church and the holy Spirit. All of us as Christians believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the Messiah sent by God into this world to save all of us, and that He is the Son of God, the Divine Word incarnate in the flesh, giving us all His own life, so that by doing so, He restored us all to a new life and existence, one that is once again attuned and connected to God, by His triumph and victory over sin and death. That is what we celebrate and are most joyful in during this blessed and glorious season of Easter, a time of celebration and rejoicing indeed.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the confrontation between the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council and the Apostles. The Sanhedrin, composed of the most powerful and influential members of the Jewish community, including the chief priests, elders, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, many of whom were against the teachings and works of the Lord, had been persecuting the Lord’s disciples ever after the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of the Lord. They had always been jealous and fearful of the popularity and influence of the Lord, and they closely guarded the special influence and privileges they had built up for themselves among the Jewish people, and that was also the reason why they arrested the Lord Jesus and handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified, in order to protect themselves and these privileges.

As we heard in the first reading today, the Sanhedrin was very much against the Apostles and their works, and ordered them all to stop teaching and preaching in the Name of the Lord Jesus. In fact, quite a few among the members of the Sanhedrin wanted to kill the Apostles if not for the timely intervention of Gamaliel, a respected member of the Sanhedrin and a renowned teacher of the Law himself, who according to Christian traditions, was a secret convert to the Christian faith. In the end, the assembly of the Sanhedrin agreed to scourge the Apostles and to let them go with the stern warning against any attempts to proselytise and proclaim the Risen Lord. This was met with great indignation and refusal by the Apostles, who chose to remain firm in their faith and resisted the attempts of those who sought to pressure them into giving up their efforts and works in proclaiming the Risen Lord.

They had witnessed the Risen Lord Himself, and received the direct commandment and mission to proclaim His truth and Good News among the nations, and hence, it was inconceivable for them to disregard the Lord’s direct commandment and mission in saving themselves and preventing them from getting into trouble, by obeying the commands of the worldly Sanhedrin, who was mostly concerned more about their own worldly attachments and matters rather than to follow the Lord. After all, the Lord had spent a lot of time and effort, showing and proclaiming Himself and His good works to them, only to be repeatedly rebuffed and rejected because many of them could not resist the temptations of sin and evil, the temptations of worldly glory, fame, ambition and their own ego and pride. Thus, the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord continued to do what the Lord had commanded them to do despite the oppositions they encountered.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel about the testimony of faith by St. John the Baptist who spoke to his disciples and followers about what he himself has received from the Lord, who sent him into this world in order to prepare the way for coming of His Son, the long awaited Messiah. St. John the Baptist, like the Lord’s own disciples after him, had also spoken about the Lord, and yet, many of those same people who persecuted the Lord also refused to believe in him, despite the many signs and the wisdom that these faithful servants of God had shown. St. John the Baptist spoke courageously nonetheless, dedicating himself to the ministry that he has been entrusted with by the Lord, and he did not hesitate even to go against those corrupt Pharisees, teachers of the Law and elders when they questioned and doubted his works, calling them all ‘brood of vipers’.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, it is clear that each and every one of us as Christians, as faithful and dedicated servants of the Lord, would often have to face prejudice, resistance and stubborn opposition to our works and ministry. Yet, we are reminded to be firm in our faith and conviction, and not to give up our efforts and works amidst all these challenges. We have believed in the same Lord and in the same truth that the disciples of the Lord had suffered and even given their lives in defending, as they carried out the missions entrusted to them with great fidelity and commitment. Can we do the same as well in our lives, brothers and sisters in Christ? Can we also commit ourselves, our time, effort and attention to glorify the Lord and to proclaim His truth and Resurrection in our world today?

The best way for us to proclaim the Lord and His truth is by our own actions and deeds. If we ourselves have not done and acted in the way that we believe in, or if we have only had superficial faith only, then naturally we cannot expect anyone else to believe in the Lord as well. In fact, if our actions and deeds, our works and words, our interactions and dealings show only wickedness and disobedience against God, that is essentially going to cause scandal for our faith, and instead of bringing the people closer to the Lord, we are going to cause many people to distance themselves from the Lord and His Church. Is that what we have been called to do, brothers and sisters? Certainly not. And this is why we really need to do some self-introspection in our lives and look deeply into our own way of life and actions. We need to see if our lives have been lived in the way that we should do as Christians, or whether we have allowed worldly temptations, attachments, desires and pride to get in our way and mislead us down the wrong path.

May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower us all to live ever more faithfully and worthily in His presence. May He continue to bless us and love us in all things, and bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours for His greater glory, at all times. May He bless our Easter joy and observance, and help us to have a truly blessed and fruitful Easter season. Amen.

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Wednesday, 19 April 2023 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded to be courageous in living our lives as Christians, to proclaim the Risen Lord as the Hope, Light and Salvation of the whole entire world. Without Christ, all of us would have perished and we would have to suffer the consequences and the punishments for our many sins. But thanks to His kindness, generosity and compassion, and through the ever-enduring Mercy that He has shown us, the Risen Lord has shown us His great love manifested in the Person of His Son, through Whom we have received the fullness of God’s Love, as He reached out to us, desiring to be fully and completely reconciled with us. Although we have indeed sinned against the Lord and disobeyed Him, but God’s love for us surpasses even the disgust He had against our sins and wickedness.

That is why through our Scripture passages today, all of us are reminded of how God’s love that transcends all things allowed us to come close once again to His embrace and loving Presence. Once we have been cast out of the Light as we have chosen darkness and sin but God has shown us His mercy and love through His Son, as He opened the gates of Heaven by His death and Resurrection, reconnecting and reconciling us by the breaking of His own Most Precious Body and by the outpouring of His own Most Precious Blood. That is what the Lord Himself has foretold to His disciples as well as to Nicodemus, the Pharisee who sympathised with the Lord and would eventually become one of His disciples. As we heard in our Gospel passage today, the Lord told Nicodemus that God so loved the world that He sent us all His own beloved Son, so that all who believe in Him will not perish, and have eternal life.

In another part of this conversation of the Lord Jesus with Nicodemus, He also mentioned how He would be raised up high just like that of the bronze serpent made by Moses, when great plague of fiery serpents struck the Israelites for their sins and disobedience against God. And the Lord Jesus willingly embraced His Cross, punished for our many transgressions and sins against God and our fellow brothers and sisters, to be nailed on that Cross and raised as a Sign for everyone, to all the faithful people of God, that the Salvation of God has indeed come through His Son, the Suffering and Crucified Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has not hold all these back from us, and He did all that He could in order to gather us all and save us. He has endured the greatest trials and hardships, persecutions and oppressions, humiliations and troubles all so that He might redeem and liberate us all from our fated destruction because of our sins.

That is what each and every one of us have been reminded of, as we heard of the Lord’s words to Nicodemus today. He proclaimed the salvation of God that has finally appeared and come into our midst, through the Passion, death and Resurrection of God’s own beloved Son, sacrificed and offered for our own benefit, as the perfect and worthy sacrifice, the Paschal Lamb slain on our behalf, and by Whose Precious Blood all of us have been washed clean, through our baptism. However, this does not mean that we can do whatever we want, as sin and the temptations to sin are still common all around us, and if we are not careful, we may end up falling deeper and deeper into the trap of sin, into which many of our predecessors had often fallen into, as they lapsed again and again into sin. We can even look on our own actions in life, and see just how frequent we have been disobeying God all these while.

That is why we should make use of the opportunities provided to us so that we may not lose sight and focus on our true emphasis and attention on the Lord, our Saviour and God. We should always do what we can to realign our focus and attention on the Lord and do not let ourselves be distracted by the many worldly temptations and pressures present all around us, all of which may lead us astray in our journey towards the Lord, our loving God and Father. Unless we make the effort to resist those temptations and pressures, we may easily be swayed to follow the whims of worldly desires and attachments that we have, and end up walking down the wrong path in life. We have to realise that without God and His guidance, we will easily lose sight on what is truly important in our lives, and it is easy for us to do things that are contrary to God’s will.

That was exactly the things that the members of the Sanhedrin, or the Jewish High Council were doing against God’s works and the works of His disciples. Many of them often resisted the Lord and criticised Him for many of His miracles and works, persecuting Him and His disciples. They were also the same ones who have arrested the Lord and condemned Him to death, handing Him to the Romans to be crucified. They refused to believe in the truth and all the words of Wisdom that the Lord Himself has shown them, patiently and consistently, as the Lord had always done, in reaching out even to those who have resisted and rejected Him. From His Cross, the Lord prayed for the sake of those who persecuted and condemned Him to death, and He did die for all of them as well. No one is truly beyond God’s forgiveness and mercy, and He has always been generous in giving us His love and mercy.

However, it requires us all to embrace God’s mercy and love for us to gain the full benefit of His kindness and mercy. God gave us His compassion and forgiveness freely, but unless we accept His mercy and love, we will not be reconciled with Him. Without God’s forgiveness and grace, none of us can attain salvation and eternal life on our own, for it is by God’s grace and guidance alone that we can live our lives truly worthily of Him, and become closer to Him. Unless we open our hearts and minds to the Lord and allow Him to guide us in our path forward, the likelihood of us coming close to the Lord becomes truly minuscule, as our stubbornness and arrogance often got in our way of walking towards God’s love and grace, as what had happened to the Pharisees and the other members of the Sanhedrin.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence renew our faith in God, and let us all be the committed and loving disciples of the Lord once again. Let us all turn towards Him and focus our attention on Him, our Risen Lord and Saviour. May the Risen Lord continue to bless and guide us in our journey of faith, and may He continue to be generous in His mercy and love, and help us to humble ourselves and to put our trust in Him so that all of us may truly follow Him wholeheartedly, and allow Him to lead our path in life. May He bless our Easter observances and joyful actions, and guide us always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 18 April 2023 : 2nd Week of Easter (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, all of us are reminded of what it means for us to be Christians, that is as faithful disciples and followers of Our Lord and Saviour, living our lives in the path and ways that He has shown and revealed to us. The Lord Himself has revealed His teachings and truth, through His Church and His disciples and their successors, our bishops and priests, who have handed down to us what the Lord Himself has given to His Apostles and disciples. That is why each and every one of us are called to turn once again towards Him and His truth, distancing ourselves from sin and wickedness, and from all the things which have often separated us from the love of God, all the temptations and forces which have kept us from embracing God’s most generous love and compassion, all these while.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles about the life of the early Christian community, which members were filled with love and compassion for one another, as they shared their goods and properties, their blessings with those who have less with them so that none among them lived in want or in misery. In their way of life, those early Christians highlighted what it truly means to be followers and disciples of Christ, in their obedience to God’s will and adherence to His commandments and Law. They loved the Lord and placed Him at the centre of their community and their lives, and they also loved one another and cared for the needs of those around them, instead of selfishly seeking only to satisfy themselves. They are our role models and examples in how we should live our own lives in this world, and all of us should indeed make good use of the time and opportunities presented to us so that we may also live our lives worthily of the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the passage from the Gospel of St. John in which we listened to the story of the time when Nicodemus the Pharisee came to meet Jesus at night time, and discussed about many things, including the identity of the Lord and what He has come into this world for. In that passage we heard how the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that everything which He had revealed to the latter was in fact the revelation of the Spirit, and in order for one to truly be able to believe in what He has spoken, then he or she would have to allow the Spirit to perform His works within them, transforming and guiding them to the path of truth. Without this openness and willingness to let the Lord and His Spirit to guide us in our path and way of life, unfortunately, we will likely end up walking down the wrong path in life and fall into sin.

That is why, all of us are reminded that we should be inspired by the examples of the Holy Apostles, the disciples of the Lord, and those early Christians, all of whom have given themselves to the service of God. All of us are called to show our faith in our way of life and in our every actions and deeds, so that we ourselves may become good source of inspiration for each other, and that we may help to lead more and more people to the Lord, as good and faithful Christians, dedicated and committed missionaries. That is why all of us are reminded of this, when we heard these Scripture passages today, so that we may truly live our lives genuinely as Christians and not just merely in formality only. It is easy for us to fall to the trap of doing what we are expected to do, but lacking in the true appreciation and understanding of what being Christians is truly all about.

As we continue to progress through this season of Easter, all of us should spend some time at least to reflect on what Easter truly means for us. Easter is a time of celebration and rejoicing because we have seen the light of the Risen Lord, all that He had done for our sake, in lifting us all up from the depth of the darkness of sin, into the light of God’s salvation and grace. Through Easter, all of us have been shown the promise of God’s providence and faithfulness, in ensuring that we have the sure path to eternal life through Him. The Resurrection of the Lord proved to us that not even death can separate us from the love of God. As long as we continue to place our trust in the Lord and do whatever we can to be faithful to the Lord’s commandments and path, we shall be assured of an everlasting happiness and joy with Him.

However, in our world today, there are truly a lot of distractions and things that can become serious obstacles and challenges for us in our path, and there are plenty of temptations and false sources of joy and pleasures which can lead us astray from the path of the Lord. That is why we are always constantly reminded to be vigilant and to be strong amidst all of these distractions and challenges, so that we do not easily falter in our journey of faith and life. All of us have to strengthen our relationship with God, and deepen our understanding of our Christian faith and truth, so that we can resist the temptations and the things that the devil and all of those seeking our destruction may send our way. We must always have the faith that God is always by our side, and that with Him, there is indeed plenty of hope and redemption.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our part as Christians, as we continue to carry on living our lives in this world, and let us be good role models and examples in all things so that through our works, actions and deeds, we may inspire many more people to come to believe in the Lord. Let us all strive to be the good disciples and followers of our Lord, doing our best to proclaim the truth of God, the glory of Our Lord and Saviour in our every actions and words. Let all of our lives, in in the smallest and simplest things, be the shining beacons of Christ’s Light and Hope, illuminating all those who are still living in the darkness, and are still lacking hope and strength. Let our actions and interactions with our fellow brothers and sisters in need help us to show them the path to the true hope and eternal joy in the Lord.

May the Risen Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey of life, that we may resist the many temptations and pressures all around us. May the Lord be with us and may He empower each one of us to be prepared and ever ready to do His will, and may continue to inflame us with His Holy Spirit, to allow us to walk with faith in the Lord. May God bless us always in all things, in our every good works and deeds, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 17 April 2023 : 2nd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of God’s great providence and love to all of us, His beloved people. He has sent His Son into this world, Our Risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to be the One to redeem all of us from our fallen state of sin, and to raise us up with Him into a new life and existence, filled with grace and blessings of God. Each and every one of us have been called by God to follow Him and to commit ourselves to His path, entrusting ourselves and our lives to Him. We should also allow His Spirit to come to us and transform our lives, changing our outlook and way of life for the better, to be more in alignment with the Lord and His commandments and Law, to do what He has taught and commanded all of us to do in our own lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the time after St. Peter and St. John had been released from the custody and questioning by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, which sought to restrain and prevent them from preaching or teaching anything in the Name of the Lord Jesus. But despite the threats, pressures and coercions, none of those could deter the Apostles from teaching the people and delivering to them the truth of God. This is the same spirit and encouragement that they shared with the other disciples of the Lord, and we heard how they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, praying fervently together to God with one voice, seeking His guidance, providence and protection against the forces of the evil ones and those who persecuted them. They asked the Lord to remember all of those who have been faithful to Him, so that they will be guarded against those with malicious and evil intent on them.

The Apostles and the disciples through their prayers reminded us all of the love that God has always shown His people throughout time and history, how He has always stood by those who were faithful and committed to Him. The Lord remembered His faithful ones despite the constant trials and challenges that they have always faced, reaching out to them and providing for them throughout their journey, and He did not let them to falter and fail. The very fact that His Church and works had endured all these while despite efforts and concerted attempts by many throughout history to destroy the Church and to prevent the success of the works of the Lord, in the end, the Church still prevailed and endured the past two millennia even when governments, regimes, kingdoms and peoples rose and fall, and even as many of those who oppressed the Church faltered and failed, and some of them still even became disciples of the Lord and believers themselves.

That is why, as we listened to our Gospel passage today, we are reminded yet again by the Lord Himself that each and every one of us must allow ourselves to be guided by Him and by the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of courage and counsel, as we continue living our lives in this world. Unless we allow ourselves to be guided by the Lord and His counsel, we may end up failing miserably and terribly, as we cannot solely just depend on worldly things to get us to what we want and desire to happen, and in doing the will of God. Instead, we have to spend a lot of our time and effort in discerning what God wants us to do with our lives, through everything that He has provided and given to us, the many gifts, graces and blessings that He has bestowed upon us. The Lord has granted us the opportunities and the abilities to do what we can to proclaim Him, His truth, love and compassion to everyone.

That is what our mission is as Christians, as the members of God’s Church. Each and every one of us in truth share the responsibility and mission to go forth and proclaim the Gospels and the Good News of God, and it is not just the responsibility and the duty of the ordained ministers, the priests and all the others to do the will of God. In fact, each and every one of us, the members of the laity, are integral and important parts of the Church, without which the Church cannot truly function and do what it has been called to do. The ordained ministers cannot do the works of the Lord without support from the laity, and vice versa. But what is important is that we ought to know that each one of us have been given unique and powerful gifts, graces and opportunities to do what the Lord wants us to do. However, more often than not we are ignorant of this and we do not realise what each one of us are supposed to do as part of our ministry as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now as we are reminded of this need for us to follow the Lord and to entrust ourselves to His guidance and help, let us all therefore discern carefully so that in our daily living, each and every one of us may spend the precious time and energy to do what is right and just, appropriate and worthy for all of us as Christians. Each and every one of us are the parts of the same Body of Christ, the Church of God, and every one of us should have the unity of purpose and work, and we should really do our best to be exemplary and worthy in all things, and not to be just faithful merely in name only. Unless we do our part and strive to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, how can we then be faithful and dedicated disciples of the Lord, in everything that we have done and in our every actions and interactions with others all around us?

Let us all truly be inspirational and good role models for our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, and even also for many others who witness our works and interact with us. Let our path and actions be guided by the Holy Spirit and by the Wisdom of God, as we open ourselves wholly to the Lord, allowing Him to lead and guide us down the right path. Let us all strengthen our devotion and commitment to glorify the Lord in each and every moments presented to us, and let us help one another in our journey of faith, particularly during this blessed time and season of Easter, when we should remind ourselves of our true Easter joy in seeing and receiving the fullness of God’s grace and love through the Passion, death and Resurrection of His only begotten Son, Our Risen Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, our Light, Hope and Source of inspiration and strength.

May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, continue to be with us and help us in our journey of faith, so that we may continue to be strong and courageous in our ministry in the Church, in whatever it is that we have been called into, in our perseverance in living our faith with zeal and in loving one another with genuine love and compassion. Let us all be the shining beacons of the Resurrected Christ and His Light, that many more people may come to believe in Him and His salvation through us and our exemplary living. May the Risen Lord bless us always, and may He bless our Easter season and celebrations, bless our loved ones always. Amen.

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Sunday, 16 April 2023 : Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us have come to the completion of the glorious Easter Octave, the Second Sunday of Easter, as we continue to embark on this joyful journey and time, and as we gather together to celebrate joyfully the Lord’s glorious Resurrection, we are reminded as always of the love and kindness that He has always shown us. Through His Passion and death, His glorious Resurrection, the Risen Lord has brought us all from the darkness into the light, and He has rejuvenated all of us, restored hope to all of us who have been suffering in the darkness, so that each and every one of us may once again live with Him in true joy and happiness. This is why, Pope St. John Paul II through his decision, named this Second Sunday of Easter as the Divine Mercy Sunday, in reference to the vision of St. Faustina Kowalska on the Aspect of the Lord as the Divine Mercy, focusing on the merciful and compassionate nature of our loving God and Father.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the early beginnings and the early days of the Church, after we have heard in the past week of the many deeds of the Apostles in proclaiming the truth about the Lord’s Resurrection, and how many people have become convinced that the Lord is the Saviour of the world, and believed in Him. That was the beginning of the Christian Church and community, and we heard how the early Christians lived, sharing their goods and properties, living in wonderful peace and harmony with each other. They lived in God’s grace and cared for each other, living righteously and faithfully in God’s path. They truly embodied the spirit of being true disciples and followers of the Lord. They did what they had been taught by the Apostles and the Christian missionaries, striving to do what they could to glorify the Lord by their lives, by their every actions, words and deeds.

They trusted in the Lord and obeyed Him, focusing themselves and their lives on the Risen Lord, and in loving one another in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown His love upon them, that everyone who witnessed them and their works, their lives and actions were indeed touched by the love of God made manifest and real through the actions of His called and chosen people, those who are called Christians. They embodied what we heard in our second reading today from the First Epistle of St. Peter. The Apostle spoke of how Lord has shown all of us, His beloved people the hope and salvation through the Resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord and Saviour, through Whom all of the people faithful to the Lord had been brought to reconciliation and reunion with our beloved Father and God. St. Peter also spoke of how each and every members of the Church ought to put our trust in the Lord, and hold fast onto this faith we have in Him.

St. Peter also mentioned how putting our trust in the Lord is much better and far more important, a wiser and better choice than putting our trust in worldly means, by comparing between gold and faith, and how gold provided something that will not last forever while faith gives us things that the world cannot give and lasts forever. For while gold, wealth, riches and the resources of this world may fail us and may be destroyed and lost from us, as long as we entrust ourselves to the Lord and remain faithful to Him, the Lord will always be by our side, guiding us in our path and providing for us, even in the midst of our darkest and most difficult moments. The Resurrection itself was the strongest proof of this, as coupled with the Passion and death that Our Lord and Saviour endured on His Cross, it proves that God’s love endured even through His death, and through His Resurrection, we have seen once again His love and compassion for us, undimmed and shown to us in all its fullness.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the example of how the Lord showed His beloved ones that He truly remembered all of them and loved them, appearing before them at the moment when they were still confused and lost at what had just happened in the preceding days. Back then, right after the Resurrection, the disciples of the Lord were still filled with fear and uncertainty, as they experienced a great whirlwind of events from the moment when the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem, hailed and glorified like a King, only to be betrayed by one of His own disciples, abandoned by everyone and rejected by the same ones who had welcomed Him with such great joy and festivities. They witnessed how the Lord was persecuted, tortured and broken, forced to carry His Cross to Calvary, pierced with nails and suffered until His death, and His Body interred in a tomb. Then, a most bewildering news were told to them by the women who went to the Lord’s tomb, telling them that the Lord had risen from the dead.

In truth, the Lord Himself has predicted that all these would happen, but none of the disciples realised the truth until everything had happened. The Lord appearing before those same disciples therefore revealed all of the truth that He has been telling them all the while, and relighted the hope in the hearts of those who have been afflicted by fear and darkness. The Lord appeared to all of them except for St. Thomas who have been away during the time that the Lord appeared to His disciples. We heard of how St. Thomas refused to believe what the other disciples had told him, and refused to believe that the Lord had indeed risen from the dead, even to the point of proclaiming that unless he could verify everything right up to touching and putting his fingers into the Lord’s wounds, he refused to believe in the resurrection of the Lord.

It was there then that the Lord proved Himself and His Risen glory to St. Thomas, appearing before him and the other disciples and telling him to do exactly as what he had wanted to do. St. Thomas was awestruck, and he immediately professed his faith in the Lord, with the words that we are now familiar with, ‘My Lord and my God’. These are the exact same words that we usually say whenever the Most Holy Eucharist, the Most Holy and Precious Body and Blood of Christ is presented before us, at the moment when the Eucharist is elevated by the celebrant, at the Consecration during the Eucharistic Prayer. We utter the same words as St. Thomas, ‘My Lord and my God’ and more significantly, just as the Lord had said, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed.’ Unlike St. Thomas, who have seen the Risen Lord Himself and believed in Him, we have not seen the Risen Lord and yet we believed.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in essence that is what our Christian faith is all about. Our Christian faith is the belief we have in the salvation and eternal life that we have been offered most generously by the merciful and compassionate love of God, the Divine Mercy. This Sunday that is the reason why we commemorate this Divine Mercy Sunday, to remind us all that the Resurrection of the Lord is the proof of the Lord’s ever enduring Love and Mercy towards us, in His ever loving actions and works to reach out to us and to reconcile us to Himself. He has sent us all His own beloved Son after all, to suffer most grievous injuries and hardships, persecution, humiliations and rejection so that by His wounds, pains and sufferings, He might save us all and redeem us from our many sins and faults. By His sorrowful Passion, the Lord, our most loving and compassionate Divine Mercy have redeemed us and healed us from our fallen state of sin.

Now, as we celebrate the Divine Mercy of God and this joyful Easter season, let us all therefore spend our time to proclaim the most Divine Mercy of Our Risen Lord to the whole world, to all those whom we encounter in life. All of us as Christians have the solemn obligation and mission to proclaim the Lord to the world, and the best way that we can do this, is by doing His will, obeying His Law and commandments, and living our lives in the manner that is truly worthy of the Lord, much as how the early Christians mentioned in our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles had lived their lives. We have to show that we truly believe in the Lord, truly present in our midst, and by Whose works of mercy we have been redeemed from our terrible state in life. Do we truly believe in the Risen Lord like how the disciples, the numerous saints and martyrs of the Church, our holy predecessors, had done? Or do we doubt Him like how St. Thomas once doubted Him?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore ask the Lord, our Resurrected Saviour and God, to show us all His mercy and forgiveness, pouring down from His own Most Sacred Heart upon each and every one of us. What St. Faustina Kowalska had seen in her visions, and the words she has received reminded us that the Lord first and foremost loved us all, although He despised our sins and wickedness. He wants us all to change our way of life for the better, so that we may truly embrace His mercy in full. Forgiveness and healing for our many sins can come from the Lord alone, and it is in Him therefore that we should put our full trust in, entrusting ourselves wholeheartedly from now on if we have not yet done so. Let us all draw ever closer to Him, to the Divine Mercy, to the Lord’s Throne of Mercy, beseeching Him to remove from us the blight of these sins we have committed. May the Risen Lord, the Divine Mercy continue to bless and guide us all to Himself, and may He remain with us always, now and at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 15 April 2023 : Saturday 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 Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to all of us as the members of His Church, that is to go forth and to proclaim His truth and love to the people of the whole world, and to announce His Good News and salvation to all. As part of the same Church of God we share the same calling and mission to reach out to more and more people all around us, to bring forth the true joy of Easter, that is none other than the Risen Christ Himself, Our Saviour, to all of them. As Christians, all of us should spend the time and effort to proclaim the Risen Lord through our every actions and works, in our every works and good efforts, doing whatever we can to proclaim the truth and love of God to all those whom we encounter in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles the culmination of the story of the miraculous healing of the crippled beggar who was sitting by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem. That beggar had been crippled for a long time and the Apostles St. Peter and St. John had healed him from his afflictions in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the Risen Lord and Saviour. This immediately brought about a great amazement among the people, and an equally rapid attempt by the members of the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, in trying to snuff out the fledgling and rapidly growing popularity of the Christian faith, the belief in the truth and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His Resurrection and other things, which those chief priests, Pharisees and other members of the Sanhedrin found to be offensive and undesirable.

We heard how those same members of the Sanhedrin were astonished and amazed at the great wisdom shown by the two Apostles, who were merely fishermen from the lake of Galilee, illiterate and from poor background. Yet, they spoke with such wisdom and eloquence, inspired and strengthened by the Holy Spirit that God had sent to them, that they were conflicted because they had seen such great signs and wonders being performed in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and yet, on the other hand, they were still stubborn in their refusal to accept the truth and the teachings that the Lord had brought with Him, and they were still adamant in their opposition to the Lord, considering Him as a blasphemer, criminal and as a False Messiah. Yet, the Apostles spoke courageously despite them being alone in the chamber against the whole multitudes of the Sanhedrin, preaching the truth of Christ to all of them.

The Apostles still courageously and fervently proclaimed the Risen Lord despite having been warned and threatened by the members of the Sanhedrin, and blatantly spoke that they could not remain silent or not to speak of what they themselves had heard and seen, and that they had to obey the commandments and the missions that the Lord had entrusted to them, rather than to obey the earthly orders and enforcements from those Sanhedrin officials. St. Peter and St. John, together with the other disciples of the Lord therefore continued to labour hard for the greater glory of God, spending much of their time and efforts, their whole lives in the service of God. They travelled extensively from place to place, reaching out to the people of God, proclaiming the Risen Lord, His truth and resurrection to more and more people, including to many of the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people.

In the midst of all that ministry and work, the disciples of the Lord and the faithful missionaries encountered great successes, with many among the Jews and the Gentiles alike turning towards the Lord, becoming members of the Christian faithful. They also encountered many challenges and trials in the midst of performing their works, as they faced bitter opposition and challenges not just from the Jewish authorities, the same members of the Sanhedrin mentioned earlier, and the efforts that those people had done in placing obstacles and hardships in the path of the Lord’s Apostles and disciples, but not only that, as the missionaries and Christian servants also faced challenges and opposition from many of the local rulers and authorities in the many places that they had visited and ministered in. They also faced opposition and persecution from the mighty Roman overlords and rulers, who began to persecute Christians throughout the Empire, a persecution that would last several centuries.

Yet, despite all those trials and challenges, the faithful disciples of the Lord still went forth and proclaim the truth of God nonetheless, fearlessly and courageously much as how the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. John had done. Many had to encounter a lot of hardships and struggles, but they were inspired by the examples of those who had come before them and faithfully served the Lord despite the trials. Not few even gave their lives in martyrdom to defend their Christian faith and the truth of God, and this served to inspire even more people, passing down the fundamental beliefs that they had received from the Apostles themselves, continuing what the Lord in our Gospel passage today had told His disciples, that all of His disciples and followers ought to go forth to the whole world, proclaim His Good News and make all to be His disciples.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now, as we continue to progress through this season of Easter, let us ask ourselves if we are able to do what the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord had done, in doing what the Lord had told and entrusted to them to do, in all the wonderful and great things that each one of them had done in their various capacities and ministries. Each one of us have received various gifts, abilities, talents, opportunities, blessings and graces, through which we certainly can do our part to proclaim the truth of God more and more in our various communities and in the many opportunities presented to us. The question for us now is, are we willing to commit the effort and the time to do so? By looking at the great examples shown by our holy predecessors, can we all be inspired to follow them as well?

May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, continue to strengthen and guide us all in our journey of life, so that each one of us may continue to serve Him faithfully, making good use of whatever He had presented to us, and doing whatever we can to glorify Him by our lives. Let us all be good examples and source of inspiration for everyone all around us, and let us all be the shining beacons of Christ’s Light, Hope and truth at all times. May God bless all of us and be with us always. Amen.

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Friday, 14 April 2023 : Friday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the time of the Easter Octave and the Easter season, a most joyful time of celebration and happiness because of the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead, we are constantly being reminded each day and at every moments also, that as Christians, as God’s beloved and chosen people, all of us have the responsibility and obligation to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters, and to proclaim the truth of God, His glorious Resurrection and work of salvation among His people, as missionaries and evangelisers of our Christian faith and beliefs. This Easter season all of us are reminded to be truly exemplary in our way of life so that in whatever we do, we will always be truly inspirational in our faith, and truly can proclaim our faith by our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the opposition and hardships which the Apostles faced in the midst of their ministry, as they were arrested by the chief priests and the members of the Sanhedrin, who have often been adamantly and stubbornly against the Lord, His truth and teachings. The chief priests and the Sanhedrin asked them incessantly and repeatedly on whose authority that they had preached and taught the people, and how they had performed the miracles they had done, despite those same people obviously having experienced and heard about the Lord Jesus and His teachings and miracles many times previously. They themselves had witnessed everything that the Lord had done, with their own eyes no less, and yet, still refused adamantly to believe in Him and His truth. They had seen, heard and witnessed so much, and yet in their pride, arrogance and stubborn hearts and minds, they had allowed all those vices to shut themselves off from the Lord.

St. Peter and St. John courageously defended the truth and their belief in the Risen Lord before the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin, despite themselves being alone against all the whole multitudes of those who were opposed against them and their Lord. They reiterated their faith and their stand on the side of the truth, proclaiming about the Resurrected Messiah or Saviour, that is the same One that all those people had rejected and condemned to death, handed over to the Romans to be crucified. Despite them having heard that this One had risen from the dead and showed Himself to many people, they refused to believe because of their stubborn hearts and minds, and hence, the two Apostles spoke courageously of the truth, to tell them yet again that it was by the Holy Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the Risen One, that the crippled beggar had been healed.

In particular, if we remember St. Peter for who he was prior to that, it must have been a truly amazing transformation. St. Peter was a mere fisherman of the Lake of Galilee, whom the Lord had called to follow Him and to become His disciple. He was an illiterate and brash man, who often said and did things without much thinking, and yet, this same St. Peter stood before the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin, filled with the most intellectual and powerful members of the Jewish community, and put them all to shame with his great wisdom and understanding, given to him by the Holy Spirit and the Lord. The same illiterate fisherman from Galilee had proclaimed all the great works of the Lord, and spoke of His teachings and truth, which must have amazed and surprised many of the members of the Sanhedrin, which would have remembered many of the Lord’s disciples being uneducated and mostly coming from the peripheries of the Jewish community.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard about the account of the Risen Lord appearing before His disciples in Galilee, just as He had foretold and revealed to them, just as they were about done fishing all night long without any results at all. The Risen Lord told them all to follow His instructions, and while they were tired, they listened to Him nonetheless and did as they were told to do, and immediately a huge number of fishes were caught in their nets. It was then that the same St. Peter and St. John recognised the Risen Lord, with St. Peter immediately jumping into the water to seek the Lord and to find Him. This account of the encounter between the Lord and His disciples serve as a reminder for us that the Risen Lord has called on His servants, the disciples, to embark on the mission to proclaim His Good News and truth to the world, to be the fishers of men as how the Lord had called St. Peter and the other fishermen of Galilee in the beginning.

What we heard in that Gospel passage was also highly symbolic and revealing of the Lord’s intentions for His Church and disciples, as the moment that He told them how to catch the fish, the disciples immediately gathered such a large number of fish, and yet, the two boats they were in did not sink. The boats represent the Church of God, while the disciples inside the boat represent the servants of the Lord, themselves and their successors, who have been entrusted with the management of the Church of God, while then the fishes themselves represent the people of God, who have been called to follow the Lord through His disciples, the Apostles and their successors, the bishops and all those who have dedicated themselves as priests and missionaries of the Church, spreading the Word of God and His truth to all those who have not yet heard of His truth and salvation.

Then, just as the Lord had said earlier on when He called on them the first time, He was sending them all as the ‘fishers of men’, to go forth to the nations, and to all the people and to bring them all back towards God’s embrace and love, proclaiming to all of them everything that He Himself has revealed to His disciples. This mission is the primary mission of the Church, just as He proclaimed to them at the moment just before He ascended into Heaven, to ‘go forth to the nations and to baptise all the people in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ They did so through many hours of tireless labours and works, spending their time and effort to proclaim the Lord and His Good News, reaching out to those who were oppressed and who were without hope, and risking even their own lives in the process. Not few of the disciples of the Lord perished throughout those difficult early years, and even beyond, right up to this day, as martyrs of the faith.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all then ask ourselves, whether we are willing and ready to follow in the footsteps of those faithful disciples of the Lord, in doing God’s will and embracing His calling and mission? Are we willing, able and ready to be part of the missionary and outreach efforts of the Church, and to share our Easter joy to those whom we encounter each day in life? It then depends on us to do what we can to live our lives worthily of the Lord and to be exemplary and inspirational in our way of life, so that not only all those within the Church but also even those outside who witness our works and actions, our way of life, our words and interactions, may come to be stirred to seek the Lord, and to believe in Him as well. This is what we have been called to do, to be the bearers of Christ’s truth and Good News to the world.

May the Risen Lord continue to help and guide us in our journey throughout life, and may He empower and strengthen us all that we may persevere amidst the most difficult challenges and hardships, trials and difficulties we may encounter in our path and journey as faithful Christians and evangelising disciples of the Lord. Let us all commit ourselves anew to the Lord and let us all go forth with zeal and love for God, doing all that we can to proclaim the salvation of God and His Resurrection, His truth and love for us, by living our lives in the way that is aligned with God and His path, and to do what we can to lead many others towards Our Lord and Saviour, the Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. May the blessings of the Risen Christ, our Lord be with us always this Easter season, with our loved ones, always! Amen.

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Thursday, 13 April 2023 : Thursday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we continue to progress through the season of Easter, all of us are reminded of God’s great grace and providence for all of His beloved people, all of us, as He showed us all the hope and light of salvation in His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has shown us that He is truly Risen from the dead, and nothing can prevail against Him, not even sin, evil and death. Through what we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded that the Lord is truly Risen, and He has always been with us throughout. Through Him, His Church and His disciples, the Lord has shown His power and might, in healing us and in reaching out to us with most generous love, mercy and compassion. He has not abandoned us all to the darkness and sin, but through His love, His efforts and works, and by suffering and dying for us on the Cross, and eventually by His Resurrection, He has gathered us all into a new life blessed by God.

In our first reading today, we heard the brave and courageous Apostles St. Peter and St. John speaking to the people of God assembled who witnessed the works of the Lord in healing the crippled beggar sitting by the Temple of Jerusalem’s Beautiful Gate, as they saw how he was miraculously healed and made whole. St. Peter spoke courageously and preached about the Risen Lord Jesus, in Whose Name he has invoked healing and miracle to make the crippled man whole again. And despite the stern and strict ban against the teaching or preaching or even the mention of the Name of Jesus by the chief priests and the members of the powerful Jewish High Council, the two Apostles were fearless in their courageous proclaiming of the truth that God has brought amidst His people, in showing His power and miracles before all the assembled people, telling them that everything had been done by the same Saviour that they had just condemned to death merely moments earlier.

The Apostle also called on the people to repent from their sinful ways, and to embrace the forgiveness and mercy which God generously granted us all through His Son, the same Saviour Who had suffered and died on the Cross, and then rose in glory on Easter Sunday, the One Whom St. Peter and St. John was proclaiming about, and in Whose Name, the crippled man had been healed. All of us are reminded that our Saviour lives, and because He lives, and has risen from the dead, then we too shall overcome sin and death together with Him. We are reminded then this Easter that we are all called to a new life and existence in God, one that is free from sin and evil, and one that is truly dedicated and filled with joy of being one with God. All of us as Christians are God’s own beloved people, whom God had called and chosen from among the nations, and we have responded to that call with faith.

As we heard in our Gospel passage today, we are reminded again of the truth about our Lord’s Resurrection, as we heard how the Risen Lord appeared to His disciples gathered in Jerusalem. He appeared to them just after He appeared to the two disciples who were journeying to the village of Emmaus, and who did not recognise Him at first until He revealed Himself to them and unveiled their eyes, allowing them to see the truth about Him. The Risen Lord appeared to all the disciples, proving to them that whatever they have heard from the two disciples and from the holy women who went to His tomb earlier that Sunday were indeed true and not fabricated news. He came to reassure them that everything which He had told them, about Him having to suffer and to be persecuted, and dying for the sake of all, then to rise again from the dead, are all indeed true.

He asked them for something to eat, and He ate the piece of broiled fish which they offered Him, which indicated to all of them that He was indeed Risen before them, appearing to them in all of His Risen glory in the flesh, and not just a Ghost or Spirit. This is because ghosts and spirits would not have been able to consume or partake any food, or do anything that He had done. The Lord showed His disciples that He was indeed with them, and never left them even though those disciples had earlier on abandoned and left Him during the time of His Passion, out of fear and doubt in their hearts. And having seen and witnessed all these, and touched the Risen Lord, all of the disciples hence were empowered and strengthened, together with the Holy Spirit that had been sent to them on Pentecost, that they went forth in great joy and with great courage to proclaim the salvation of the world in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, Who has Risen from the dead in glory.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now, as we heard all of these words from the Scriptures, all of us are then reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us share the same mission from the Lord, for us to proclaim the Risen Lord in our various communities and in our places, in whatever we are doing and in our every interactions with each other, with people who have not yet known the Lord or His truth. Much like St. Peter and St. John who courageously proclaimed the Risen Lord before the assembled people despite the ban enforced by the Sanhedrin against them and the Lord’s teachings, all of us as Christians are also called to be the faithful disciples and missionaries of our Christian faith in our respective communities, in our schools, workplaces, among our friends and families, our relatives and even to the strangers and acquaintances we encounter each day in our lives.

Let us all therefore do whatever we can to live our lives worthily of the Risen Lord, so that in whatever we say and do, we will always glorify God and proclaim His truth, and that we may be true and genuine beacons of His light, hope and truth amidst our darkened world, filled with sin and wickedness. Not only that we should do this to all those who have not yet known the Lord, but we should do this even to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, who have perhaps lapsed in their faith and become lukewarm in how they live their faith lives. Let us all encourage them and inspire them to renew their faith so that together with us, our faith may burn brightly with sincere love and zeal for the Risen Lord, as we commit ourselves, our time, our actions, efforts and good works and more for the greater glory of God. All of us are called to follow the Lord with conviction and commitment, as those who have been entrusted by Him with the mission to proclaim His truth and resurrection among the nations.

May the Risen Lord, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, continue to be with us and help us in our journey of faith, so that we may continue to be strong and courageous in our ministry in the Church, in whatever it is that we have been called into, in our perseverance in living our faith with zeal and in loving one another with genuine love and compassion. Let us all be the shining beacons of the Resurrected Christ and His Light, that many more people may come to believe in Him and His salvation through us and our exemplary living. May the Risen Lord bless us always, and may He bless our Easter season and celebrations, bless our loved ones always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 12 April 2023 : Wednesday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Wednesday we continue to progress through the Easter Octave and the Easter season, as we still continue to mark our Easter joy, a great joy for our Lord’s Resurrection and triumph against sin, evil and death. We are reminded that the Risen Lord has shown us the love of God, the healing and the mercy shown to us, as He reached out to us, embracing us and loving all of us ever so tenderly and wonderfully. God has sent His disciples and followers into the world to proclaim His Resurrection, the salvation, Hope and Light that He has promised to all of us. God has not abandoned us into the darkness, but He has reminded us again and again of His ever loving presence and kindness. That is what we are rejoicing for this Easter season, a great joy that celebrates the love and kindness of Our Lord and Saviour, Who has saved us from certain destruction and death, and bringing unto us the assurance of eternal life and glory with Him.

That is what we have heard in our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles. We heard how St. Peter and St. John came by the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem, and healed the paralysed man who had been waiting and begged at that gate. The two Apostles told the beggar that they had nothing to offer him, but gave him the gift of salvation and healing through Jesus Christ, healing him in His Holy Name. That was how the beggar was healed and giving praise to God, that surprised and awed many people who remembered the beggar and were amazed at how he was healed. The chief priests and the members of the Jewish High Council had been strict in their enforcement of the ban and the opposition against the works of the Lord and His disciples, persecuting all those who have proclaimed His Name or did anything in His Name, or preached and spoke in His Name, teaching about all that He had done or by being associated in any way with Him.

Yet, all those things could not stop the Apostles who carried out doing their good works in His Name, preaching His truth, proclaiming everything that Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world had done. They would not be silenced by the efforts of those who still continued to stubbornly resist the works of the Lord, His truth and mercy. The Holy Spirit that they had received guided them and strengthened them, led them to do the wonders just as we have heard and witnessed. The Apostles shared the joy they had in seeing and knowing about the Resurrection, and all that God had done for us, to the world, to all the people who have gathered all around them, all willing and curious to know more about the Lord and His salvation. This is what they had themselves seen and witnessed, as they heard of the Risen Lord from the two disciples that came back from the way to Emmaus, having encountered the Lord Himself on their way towards that village.

Not only that, but as we heard from our Gospel passage today, we listened to how the disciples witnessed on their own how the Risen Lord appeared before their very own eyes, as He appeared fully in the flesh before them, all in His Risen glory, truly alive and truly living. The Risen Lord has appeared before them, proving to them that He has indeed Risen from the dead and overcame death itself, and not even death can hold Him. He fulfilled everything that He has promised to His disciples, that He would come back after He suffered, was persecuted and condemned to death, and that He would be with them forever. No one can indeed separate us from the love of God, and He has shown us this Himself through His own beloved Son, Who has come into this world, to lead us by His own hands, and to help and guide us in our journey towards our most loving Father and Creator, our God and Saviour. Through His Resurrection, the Lord has opened the path for us to full and complete reconciliation with God.

Having witnessed all of those themselves, and encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, it was what drove the disciples to go forth and to proclaim proudly and openly the Risen Saviour, the One Whom the chief priests and the elders had tried to silence and to keep from being known by the people. They proclaimed the Risen Lord, revealing His truth and many believed in Him, giving themselves to be baptised and becoming members of the Church. The Lord has spread His truth and teachings through His Apostles and disciples, that were then passed down through His Church, as the community of the faithful continued to grow and spread, expanding the reach of the Church and the works that they had done. Through them, and through the generations, all of us have received the same truth, the truth about the Lord and His love for us, and all that He had done for us, and His glorious Resurrection.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having received this truth of God, and having believed in Him, all of us as Christians, as members of God’s Church are called to be part of His Church’s mission, in reaching out to the nations, to all the peoples all around us, to everyone we interact with and encounter in our daily living, that we may proclaim His truth and salvation to everyone we encounter, through our every words, actions and deeds, which are exemplary and full of faith in the Lord. If we are not genuine in how we live our Christian faith, then how can we convince others to believe in God? Worse still, if our actions, our words and interactions are in fact contrary to what we believe in, and we cause others and even our own fellow brothers and sisters to lose faith in the Lord, this is indeed scandal for the Church, for our faith and for the Lord’s Holy Name. As Christians, we have indeed a rather heavy responsibility to lead others towards the Lord, and the best is through our own good examples in life.

Now, as we continue to progress through this Easter season, are we able to commit ourselves anew to the Lord, dedicating ourselves, our time, effort, attention and more to glorify the Lord by our lives? Can we follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, who had given their time, effort and even their lives in the service of God? All of us have been given the time, the opportunity and the chance to do what we can in proclaiming the Lord by our own faithful lives, and we should indeed use this time and opportunity to do what we can in proclaiming the Lord and His truth, His Resurrection and everything that He has revealed and taught to us, so that more and more can be saved and can find their way to God and His saving grace. Let us no longer be ignorant of what we should and what we can do in living our lives faithfully as Christians, as members of His Church.

May the Risen Lord continue to guide and inspire us in our daily living, so that we may find our way and have the courage and strength to proclaim His Gospels and Good News by our exemplary lives and actions. May God be with us always and may He continue to bless us all in our every efforts, good works and endeavours. May God continue to empower and encourage us all to serve Him ever more faithfully each day of our lives. Wishing all of us a most blessed Easter season ahead. Amen.