St. Mark, Evangelist, Saturday, 25-04-2026

1 Peter 5:5-14 / Mark 16:15-20    

St. Mark, whose feast we celebrate today, was not one of the apostles.

Nonetheless, he was one of the disciples of St. Peter, and he was mentioned in the 1st reading as a "spiritual son" of St. Peter.

He could also possibly be one of the followers of Jesus and later on became a disciple of St. Peter and he eventually wrote the account of the life and ministry of Jesus, which became one of the gospels of the Church.

In his gospel, St. Mark captured the core and essence of the ministry and message of Jesus.

As we heard it in the gospel, and what is often called the "Great Commissioning", the way St. Mark puts it across straight and sharp in just a few words.

"Go out, proclaim the Good News, believe or be condemned, cast out devils, work signs and miracles, heal the sick".

As we hear this, we might be thinking - proclaim the Good News sounds ok, healing the sick sounds ok, work signs and miracles ... hmmm ... cast out devils ...

Well, the gospel is not a supermarket for us to pick and choose whatever we like.

It is one whole message; it's either we take all or we take all.

To understand and accept the Good News and the commissioning of Jesus, we need to "Go out" like St. Mark did.

Because when we are out there, and there is no dependency and certainty but Jesus Himself, then we will truly experience the power of the Good News and become true disciples of Jesus Christ.

3rd Week of Easter, Friday, 24-04-2026

Acts 9:1-20 / John 6:52-59       

One of the common traits in people is stubbornness.

For a stubborn person, it is almost impossible to change his mind.

Even if all the facts show that he is wrong, he may not even budge.

It is quite amazing the conviction that a stubborn person has .

In the 1st reading, Saul was so resolute about his conviction that only way of stopping the spread of Christianity was by capturing and slaughtering the Lord’s disciples.

Nothing could change his mind, until that strange encounter on the road to Damascus.

That voice asking him "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" was enough to break his conviction.

But even before that, the prayer of the Christian community cannot be discounted.

They would have prayed for protection against Saul, and in a way, they may have also slipped in a prayer for his conversion, which they thought may have been unlikely.

Even Ananias was hesitant when the Lord told him to go to lay his hands on Saul to give him back his sight.

This account in the history of the early Church tells us this.

In life, we will encounter wicked people doing evil deeds and we are affected.

We must turn to the Lord and pray for protection.

At the same time, we also must pray for the conversion of wicked sinners.

The Lord will do His part in breaking their stubbornness and lead them to conversion.

We then must do our part in accepting them and help them see the beautiful love of God.

3rd Week of Easter, Thursday, 23-04-2026

Acts 8:26-40 / John 6:44-51   

In life, we meet a lot of people.

Some people we had wanted to meet and we make plans as to how to meet them.

Some people just happen to come along as we move on in life.

But whether we intended to meet them or they just happen to come into our lives, we have various experiences with them.

Some were happy and memorable, some were hi-and-bye and forgettable.

In the 1st reading, the meeting between Philip and the Ethiopian officer was a happy and memorable one.

It was the Spirit who arranged the meeting between the two of them and it was also an experience of the presence of Jesus.

Though they never met again after that, it was a moment of rejoicing in their lives.

In the gospel, Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless that person is drawn by the Father who sent Him.

But it can also be said that the people that God sent to us in our journey of life will have an influence in our lives.

Let us thanks for the people that God sent into our lives.

May we have happy and memorable moments with them, and may we also share with them the presence of Jesus.

3rd Week of Easter, Wednesday, 22-04-2026

Acts 8:1-8 / John 6:35-40   

There is no doubt that life is difficult and it has its troubles.

And the difficulties can be anything from frustrations with others to serious troubles that erupt into violence between groups of people.

Even if we have faith in God, when these difficulties and troubles occur, we will question God as to why such things happen.

And if things happen for a reason, then we will surely want to know what is that reason.

In the 1st reading, a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church.

In the face of such violence and hostility, the early Church would have asked why this was happening and why isn’t God protecting them.

But the amazing thing was that those who have escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News.

And with that began the missionary activity of the early Church.

So a crisis was turned into an opportunity, and with the grace of God, the early disciples worked miracles, and cured the sick and cast out evil spirits.

And there was even great rejoicing at the proclamation of the Good News.

And all this is possible because the early Church believed that Jesus is the Bread of life, and that He will sustain them and help them to overcome all difficulties and troubles.

We too share that same belief as the early Church, and may we also see the miracles that God will work for us when we meet with difficulties and troubles.

3rd Week of Easter, Tuesday, 21-04-2026

Acts 7:51 - 8:1 / John 6:30-35   

Everyday we use a lot of words, and we may wonder what effects do they have.

Words can be powerless, but they can also be powerful.

When someone uses a lot of words but if they are pointless or unclear, disorganized, illogical, or difficult to understand, then those words are powerless and meaningless.

But words can be powerful when they evoke or bring about a feeling, memory, image, or reaction and even an action.

In the 1st reading, when Stephen spoke to the people, the elders and the scribes, his words were sharp but truthful, and it brought about a hostile reaction.

The listeners were infuriated and they ground their teeth at him.

What Stephen said was inspired by the Holy Spirit, but the people were so angered by it that they decided to kill him so as to silence him forever.

Such is the power of words and it cost Stephen his life.

In the gospel, Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life, and whoever comes to Him will never be hungry, and whoever believes in Him will never thirst.

Those are powerful words of truth and we must decide what our response will be.

We can be indifferent to it or even ignore it.

But when we believe in the words of Jesus, we will be filled with life and love.

And our words will also be words of truth that will echo the Word of God.

3rd Week of Easter, Monday, 20-04-2026

Acts 6:8-15 / John 6:22-29  

When nature takes its course, it will show us marvels as well as surprises.

An example would be planting a seed. The seed germinates and grows in harmony with the course of nature.

The beauty of this world follows a course of nature that is beautiful as well as mysterious.

And when our lives are in harmony with the course of nature, then we can find directions and meaning.

The deacon Stephen had the responsibility of distributing food to the poor of the community.

But in the 1st reading, Stephen seemed to have a further calling.

He was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people.

Some might say that Stephen should just do what he was called to do.

But the ways of God are mysterious, and when Stephen hear the call, he let nature take its course and went along God’s ways.

In the gospel, Jesus told the people that they were looking for Him not because they have seen and understood the signs but because they had all the bread they wanted to eat.

The people were just interested in having bread to eat, but they don’t seem to understand the sign of the miracle of the loaves.

God is calling us to reflect further about the course of life that we are in by reflecting on the signs of life.

Those signs point to the ways of God.

When we go along the ways of God, we will be in harmony with the course of life and with our calling.

3rd Sunday of Easter, Year A, 19.04.2026

Acts 2:14, 22-28 / 1 Peter 1:17-21 / Luke 24:13-35  

There was a popular song in the early 1980s that was played over the radio almost every day. 

It was a high energy disco-type of dance song, and it was heard in every discotheque during that era. 

Most of us would have heard of that song. The title is “One-way ticket”. 

At that time, the lyrics of songs were not that easily available. 

What mattered was the upbeat music, and the people of that era just like to hear it and dance to it. 

But when we look at the lyrics, it is actually quite a sad song about heartbreak and the loneliness and turmoil after that. 

Well, the lyrics say it all: “one-way ticket to the blues, gonna take a trip to lonesome town, gonna stay at heartbreak hotel”. 

But the 1980s version of that song was so upbeat, so energetic that we just want to get up and dance, and never mind what the song is about. 

In the gospel, the two disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, which was 7 miles from Jerusalem. 

As they walked along, they talked about all that had happened. 

But it was a sad and disappointed journey to Emmaus. It was like a one-way ticket. 

Even when Jesus came to walk along with them, they could not recognise Him. 

Maybe their sadness and disappointment were so deep that all they could see was hopelessness and darkness. 

As they walked along, they shared with Jesus how they had placed all the hope in Him. 

But with His death on the Cross, their hopes were shattered, to the point that there were not even broken pieces to pick up. 

So, their journey to Emmaus was like a one-way ticket to a lonesome town and to stay at some heartbreak hotel. 

Beyond Emmaus, they seem to have no further plans other than to go away as far as possible from Jerusalem. 

As they talked about their disappointment, sadness and hopelessness, Jesus listened, but He did not remain silent. 

He spoke to them about the full message of the prophets, that the Christ should suffer and so enter into His glory. 

And starting from Moses and going through all the prophets, Jesus explained to them the passages in the Scriptures that were about the Christ. 

Meanwhile, as Jesus spoke, something was happening in the hearts of the two disciples. 

Their hearts began to burn as Jesus explained the Scriptures to them. 

And then at the breaking of bread, their eyes were opened, and they recognised Jesus. 

They immediately set out and returned to Jerusalem, and told the disciples about what had happened on the road to Emmaus, and how they recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread. 

So, in short, it was a story of brokenness and hopelessness turning into hopefulness and gladness. 

It was not a one-way ticket into terminal disappointment, but a return ticket into gladness and consolation. 

All that is possible because the God we believe in will not let hopelessness be a one-way ticket into desolation. 

The God we believe in is the God of the Resurrection. 

He raises those who are bowed down, and He lifts up the lowly. 

We may feel that our lives and our faith are like mundane, going flat, and sliding down a one- way journey into desolation. 

But let us keep doing that little bit to keep that little flame of our faith alive by coming regularly for Mass. 

One day, our ears will be opened to listen to the voice of God in the Scriptures. 

One day our eyes will be opened and our hearts will burn, and we will tell others how we have experienced Jesus in our disappointment and desolation. 

But most of all, may we recognise Jesus at the Mass where bread is broken. 

Yes, the Bread of Life is broken, so that hearts that are broken will come back to life and will burn with love.