Friday Within Easter Octave, 09-04-2021

Acts 4:1-12 / John 21:1-14        

The mystery of the Resurrection of Jesus is certainly the greatest mystery of our faith.

It is with faith that we continue to contemplate the mystery of the Resurrection and to enter deeper into that mystery.

That will certainly take time but with prayer and meditation, we will slowly grow in our understanding of who Jesus is.

And we may even wish that we are able to "see" the Risen Lord Jesus, just as the disciples did, and then we will be able to understand what the Resurrection is about. 

But will "seeing" help us to believe immediately and that there will be no more questions?

For the disciples in the gospel, even though the Risen Lord Jesus had appeared to them before, they were still in a daze over what had happened.

Even when Jesus appeared to them again, they were still unsure and uncertain about what to do, although they knew quite well it was it Risen Lord Jesus.

But in the 1st reading, those same disciples have come to a conviction about Jesus and His Resurrection and proclaimed Him in the presence of the rulers, elders and the scribes.

May we reflect and meditate on the Resurrection of Jesus and who He is for us and may we come to a conviction about Jesus and be empowered to be His witnesses.

Thursday Within Easter Octave, 08-04-2021

Acts 3:11-26 / Luke 24:35-48     

The most important and profound and defining experience for the disciples and the early Church is undoubtedly the Resurrection of Jesus.

It was certainly not an abstract belief or teaching but a real experience and that formed the basis for the mission of Christianity.

So the signs and wonders of the early Church were obviously not of their own making but the work of God.

And that was why, in the 1st reading, Peter said this to the people: Why are you so surprised at this? Why are you staring at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or holiness?

That man was crippled from birth and he was healed when Peter commanded him, in the name of Jesus, to stand up and walk.

In the gospel, the Risen Jesus commissioned His disciples to go forth and preach repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and to be His witnesses.

We too have received that same commission. May we too experience the Risen Jesus and be empowered to go forth and to be His witnesses. 

God will work the signs and wonders when our witnessing directs people to Him.

Wednesday Within Easter Octave, 07-04-2021

Acts 3:1-10 / Luke 24:13-35    

In the journey of life, we don't walk alone or walk just by ourselves.

In the journey of life, we walk with others or at least we walk with someone.

In the gospel, we heard of the two disciples on the journey from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus.

Although they had each other for company, it was a miserable journey.

They were downcast about what had happened to Jesus and they were disappointed and their hopes in Jesus were lost.

Jesus came to walk with them and much later at the breaking of bread, He revealed Himself to them. Their hearts were on fire as they returned that instant to Jerusalem to tell the Good News to the rest of the disciples

In the 1st reading, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple, when they came across a crippled man begging from them.

And Peter made this profound statement: I have neither silver nor gold; but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk! And the crippled man was healed.

In life, we walk with each other and we walk together with Jesus. 

We share the love of Jesus with each other and we share that love with those we meet along the way.

With Jesus and with His love, the journey of life is a beautiful and wonderful journey.

Tuesday Within Easter Octave, 06-04-2021

Acts 2:36-43 / John 20:11-18  

The gospel began with Mary staying outside the tomb weeping.

The gospel ends with Mary of Magdala going forth to tell the disciples that she had seen the Lord.

In between, something very personal, something very intimate, happened to Mary.

She heard the Risen Lord call her by her name, and she responded in Hebrew, her mother tongue, a language that was most intimate to her.

Before that, she was a broken person - weeping, grieving and lost.

But the experience of the Risen Lord gave her back her identity and a mission; she was Mary of Magdala and she had seen the Lord.

Similarly, the Peter who spoke on the day of Pentecost was a different person from the one who denied Jesus three times and wept.

Something happens when people experience the Risen Lord. They regain their identity and find a new purpose and mission in life.

So when we feel that life has come to a standstill, our dreams are broken, and we have more fears than hopes, the Risen Lord comes to us.

He calls out to us just as He called Mary. Mary responded with her heart.

We can't be always standing outside the tomb of emptiness or the tombs of pleasure, wealth and power and sin.

The Risen Lord calls us by our names. Let us respond with our hearts so that our lives can have a meaning and a mission.

Monday within Easter Octave, 05-04-2021

Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Matthew 28:8-15

For the past 6 weeks of the season of Lent and especially over the Holy Triduum, we had gone through a flurry of activities.

There were Stations of the Cross on Fridays, and fasting and abstinence and penance, and Reconciliation services.

All these makes the season of Lent seem like a very busy time.

Now that the season of Easter is here, it seems that so much has been scaled down and there is nothing much to do.

Yes, there is actually nothing much to do. We are just like the disciples who also do not know what to do when they heard the news of the resurrection.

In fact the ones who were scurrying about trying to do something were the guards and the elders, as we heard in the gospel.

They had to do something to cover up the truth. But the truth can never be concealed or suppressed. And that is the power of the resurrection.

As we heard Peter say in the 1st reading - You killed Him, but God raised Him up to life, freeing Him from the pangs of Hades, for it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

The power of the resurrection will lead us to the truth. We just have to let go of our sinfulness and false securities and let God raise us up to life.

Easter Sunday, 04.04.21

 Acts 10:34, 37-43 / Colossians 3:1-4 / John 20:1-9

One year ago, and that is not that long ago, we may remember what Easter was like, or how we celebrated Easter. 

But if we can't remember what Easter was like or how it was celebrated last year, it is not because our memory has failed us.

Because last year, Easter came and went with churches closed and all religious activities were suspended. 

So, if we had no recollection of what Easter was like last year, it was because we didn't come to church at all; we couldn't come to church at all. 

And if we went online last year for the Easter Vigil Mass at the Cathedral, we will remember seeing the Archbishop with just one server walking into an empty Cathedral. That scene reflected the reality of the situation last year. 

Well, for this year, the situation is slightly lighter and brighter. We can come for Mass, although the numbers are still restricted. And there are several other things that we still can't do. 

Nonetheless, and over and above everything else, we want to give thanks to God for the reopening of churches and the resumption of religious activities. 

Oh yes, we rejoice that we can come to Church for Mass and for the celebration of Easter. 

The imagery of the stone being rolled away and the empty tomb is an image that we will remember for this Easter. 

Yes, the stone is rolled away, Christ is risen, and He wants to lift us up and to rise with Him in victory over sin and death. 

And with that, the stones covering the entrances of the churches are also rolled away so that the voices of prayer can be heard again with acclamations of “Alleluia!”. 

But we also must be aware that the stone can also roll back and cover the entrances of churches, if we are complacent and not compliant to the essential safety measures. 

But more than just complacency, we must also be conscious of those stones that are blocking the entrances of our hearts. 

The Risen Christ wants to roll away the stones of our hearts so that the light of His Resurrection can shine into our hearts and to scatter the darkness of sin and fear. 

Those stones must be rolled away so that the blood and water from His pierced side can flow into our hearts and renew our faith, strengthen our hope and deepen our love.

And that is why Easter is the time when we renew our Baptismal Promises, which is essentially to renounce sin and to be faithful to God. 

And after that we are sprinkled with Holy Water as a reminder of our Baptism in Christ. 

That brings us to a reflection of stone and water. In the encounter between flowing water and stones, the water always win, not by strength or by force, but by persistence and perseverance. 

And as the waters flow, the stones are smoothened and even polished, so much so, we can say that the waters have made the stones beautiful. 

Even if it is just dripping water, it will wear out the stone, and again, not by strength or by force, but by persistence and perseverance. 

The Book of Proverbs 21:1 has this line: The heart of the king is in the hands of the Lord. As the waters of the river, the Lord turns it wherever He wishes. 

So, may the waters that will be blessed and given out during this Easter celebration, soften our hearts and make it like living waters in the hands of the Risen Lord, so that we will always flow with the will of God. 

May these waters that remind us of our Baptism, also roll away the stones that are blocking our hearts, so that we will come out of the darkness of sin and fear, and rise in love and holiness with the Risen Lord Jesus.

Good Friday 2021, 02.04.2021

Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 / Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 / John 18:1 - 19:42

As we enter into the second day of the Holy Triduum, we are confronted with the reality of the Cross. 

As we contemplate on the sufferings of Jesus, the reality of the Cross comes with it full force. 

Jesus was nailed to the Cross, and He hung on it till he died. 

So, the cross meant suffering, pain and death. That was the reality of the Cross and we see that reality happening to Jesus. 

But even as Jesus died on the Cross, the Cross does not have the final say. 

Not only does it not have the final say, the whole tragic meaning and reality of the Cross was changed because of Jesus. 

As the gospel mentioned, “not one bone of his was broken” and “they will look on the one they have pierced”. 

Yes, we look at Jesus nailed to the Cross and we believe that through the Cross, He has conquered sin, evil and death. 

So later we will adore the Cross on which hung the Saviour of the world. 

And we will also pick up our cross and carry it and follow Jesus our Saviour. 

Because in the cross is our salvation.