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Wednesday, 3 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in our passages today, we are all reminded that we should always be courageous and strong in persisting in faith, in doing our best to live our lives in accordance with God’s Law and commandments, in being good role models and examples to everyone around us, so that we may indeed inspire others and be the good examples to help everyone to know what they all need to do in order to be truly faithful and dedicated to God at all times. We are reminded that God is also always by our side, and that we should continue to live our lives in testifying the truth about the Good News and the salvation which He has brought into our midst, in all of our actions each day and at every moments.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy, we heard of the words of the Apostle reminding his protege, St. Timothy of the gift of the Holy Spirit and the various other gifts that the Lord has granted to all of them, the spirit of strength, love and good judgment, all of which had been given to them so that they all might go forth and courageously proclaim the truth and Good News of God in all circumstances, even through all the challenging moments and occasions. He encouraged his protege and indirectly many other missionaries of the Lord and messengers of the Good News to remain strong and steady in their commitment to be the bearers of God’s light and truth in a world filled with darkness and sin, so that by their works and ministry, they may bring about God’s salvation to many more people.

St. Paul exhorted St. Timothy to pass on the flame which had been given to him, a reference of the Holy Spirit, reminding him and the other missionaries of the Lord, the bishops, priests, deacons and the ministers of the Gospel to continue to go forth spreading the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the whole world by calling many more people to come to the Lord and to be baptised in the Name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit just as He has commanded all of them to do. And in order to fulfil all these, it was often necessary that those who walk in the path of the Lord had to suffer and endure difficulties, challenges and trials. But St. Paul reminded them all of the power of God’s providence and guidance, and how through His works made evident by their hands, they would indeed do great and wonderful things beyond imagination.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the confrontation between the Lord Jesus and the Sadducees who opposed Him, all those who were doubtful and refusing to believe in the teachings and doctrine of the resurrection from the dead. For the context, the Sadducees were historically the ones who held the reins of power and many of them were belonging to the priestly caste and they were the ones from which the chief priests were chosen from. We may find it quite strange and contradictory that the priests and chief priests were the ones who were most militant in their opposition and refusal to believe in the teachings and beliefs like the resurrection from the dead and the afterlife, or in any other spiritual matter. But this can be better understood from the context of how they were steeply involved in worldly matters and livelihood, in the governance of the people and the Temple.

As such, many among them likely developed strong attachments to the world and to all the privileges that they have enjoyed in life. Therefore, this is why many if not most of them believed that this life in this world was the only one that they would have and which they ought to enjoy, rejecting any notion of the afterlife or another existence which to them is a separation from all the joy, pleasures and the good things which they had been enjoying in life. That was why the Lord showed them all when those Sadducees asked using the example of a woman who had married seven brothers as her husbands, of whose man that she would belong to as wife, that the eternal life that is to come is not like that of this world, and is truly beyond all of those worldly ambitions, desires and pursuits. It is an important reminder for all of us not to seek for things of this world that do not last, but instead we must focus on the Lord and His promise of everlasting life.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and his holy companions in martyrdom, collectively known as the Holy Ugandan Martyrs. They all dedicated themselves to the Lord, missionaries, local priests and faithful laymen and laywomen alike, who were persecuted for their faith in God, and remained firmly resolute and committed in their faith in God to the very end, despite the temptations, coercions and threats that they were facing. Back then, St. Charles Lwanga himself was the chief page and an important servant of the King of the Kingdom of Buganda in what is today Uganda. He encountered the Christian faith through the missionaries who proclaimed the Lord and His Good News among the people there in that region. Back then, the King was a great pedophile who preyed on the young pages of the kingdom, and the opposition from Christian missionaries against such practices caused the king to conduct massacres against them.

St. Charles Lwanga himself was convinced of the truth that the Lord had delivered through the Catholic missionaries, the White Fathers who were there, and St. Charles Lwanga along with many others among Buganda’s court members and servants were also baptised together as Christians. St. Charles Lwanga also protected the pages, the young boys under his care from the king’s perverted and wicked actions. It was then that the king and those among his courtiers that had become Christians came to a point of contention, as the former condemned some of them to death, which led to St. Charles Lwanga and the other servants to stand up for their faith publicly, and they were therefore led to be martyred by being burnt alive. At the site where he and others were martyred now stands the great Basilica of the Holy Ugandan Martyrs at Namugongo, where the relics of those faithful martyrs are enshrined. Their fidelity and commitment to God served as great examples and inspirations to all of us Christians in how we ourselves should live up to our Christian calling and mission in our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect on these words of the Scriptures that we have heard and received, and also on the lives of our holy predecessors, particularly those of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda, in their most courageous defence of their faith and commitment to the Lord’s truth and righteousness. Are we willing and able to commit ourselves in the same way as well, brethren? Are we willing and able to carry our own crosses in life, in following the Lord ever more faithfully in each and every passing moments? Let us all discern our path forward well and carefully so that we may continue to inspire many others to walk in God’s Presence and to be steadfast in our obedience and commitment to Him.

May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to guide and strengthen us all in our respective journeys in life. May He empower each and every one of us in living our lives virtuously, in proclaiming His truth and Good News at all times, doing our very best to glorify Him by our lives. May He lead us all into the everlasting life of true happiness and joy that He has promised and reassured all of us with, and strengthen us ever always in our faith. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 12 : 18-27

At that time, the Sadducees also came to Jesus. Since they claim that there is no resurrection, they questioned Him in this way, “Master, in the Scriptures Moses gave us this law : if anyone dies and leaves a wife but no children, his brother must take the woman, and with her have a baby, who will be considered the child of his deceased brother.”

“Now, there were seven brothers. The first married a wife, but he died without leaving any children. The second took the wife, and he also died leaving no children. The same thing happened to the third. In fact, all seven brothers died, leaving no children. Last of all the women died. Now, in the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife? For all seven brothers had her as wife.”

Jesus replied, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, men and women do not marry, but are like the Angels in heaven. Now, about the resurrection of the dead, have you never had thoughts about the burning bush in the book of Moses?”

“God said to Moses : I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is the God not of the dead but of the living. You are totally wrong.”

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Wednesday, 3 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 122 : 1-2a, 2bcd

To You, I lift up my eyes; to You, Whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master.

As the eyes of maids look to the hand of their mistress, so our eyes look to YHVH our God, till He shows us His mercy.

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Wednesday, 3 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Timothy 1 : 1-3, 6-12

From Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, for the sake of His promise of eternal life, in Christ Jesus, to my dear son Timothy. May grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God, the Father, and Christ Jesus Our Lord.

I give thanks to God, Whom I serve with a clear conscience, the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers. For this reason, I invite you to fan into a flame, the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment.

Do not be ashamed of testifying to Our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in labouring for the Gospel, with the strength of God. He saved us and called us – a calling which proceeds from His holiness. This did not depend on our merits, but on His generosity and His own initiative.

This calling, given to us from all time, in Christ Jesus has just been manifested with the glorious appearance of Christ Jesus, Our Lord, Who destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light, in His Gospel. Of this message, I was made herald, Apostle and teacher.

For its sake, I now suffer this trial, but I am not ashamed, for I know in Whom I have believed, and I am convinced, that He is capable of taking care of all I have entrusted to Him, until that day.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we have to continue to uphold our faith and hope in the Lord at all times, remembering that God is never far and distant from us. He has always been with us, supporting, guiding and strengthening us all, empowering us all with the courage and the necessary strength to remain firm in our journey, patiently helping us with the gift of His Wisdom that He has sent unto us through His Holy Spirit. God has always been with us even through the most difficult and darkest moments, and that is why, because of His great love for us, which we may not truly realise the full extent of, we too should strive to love Him and to give our love and focus onto Him as best as we can.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Peter, we heard the continuation of the exhortation of the Apostle to the faithful and the Church, reminding them all to remain strong, firm and steady in their faith in God because the Lord would always be with them, guiding and strengthening them through all the challenges, trials and hardships that they would have to face in their journey, all the trials that they were enduring through at the time. At that time, it was indeed difficult for one to be a Christian, having encountered opposition and oppression from both the Jewish and Roman authorities, as well as from the other local authorities and pagan believers. This was why St. Peter reminded the faithful to remain strong in their faith because in the end, God will vindicate and rescue them all from their troubles.

God truly is always with each and every one of those who have been faithful to Him, keeping them and guiding them in their steps, but it is the temptations and pressures from all around us in this world which often distract us from the path that God has led us through, and which had kept us from truly being able to follow Him wholeheartedly and courageously. Each and every one of us are reminded that we must always trust in God’s Providence and in His guidance even when we may be facing lots of uncertainties and disturbances in our paths. The reality is such that this path that each and every one of us are walking through, are often not an easy one, and in fact, the more that we commit to the path that is truly faithful to God, the more challenges we may face in this path we have. But with God, everything is truly possible for us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the exchange between the Pharisees and the members of the party of Herod, or his supporters, with the Lord and His disciples, in which the former were asking about the matter of paying taxes to Caesar, a truly sensitive and difficult topic to be discussed at that time. The intentions of the Pharisees and the Herodians were clear, that they were working together in order to put a trap to the Lord, in getting Him to give an answer that they could use against Him, trapping Him in a dangerous dilemma designed to discredit Him and to get Him into trouble. In their mind and in what they plotted, they thought that no matter what the Lord answered, they could use His answer against Him.

Why is that so? That is because should the Lord tell them that it was alright to pay the taxes to Caesar, then those Pharisees and Herodians could discredit the Lord among many among the people of God, because many among them despised the Romans and even the rulership of the Herodian dynasty itself as the taxes that they had to pay among other things were considered as humilaiting and oppressive by the Jews. Therefore if the Lord had supported paying taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees and the Herodians could have accused the Lord among the people of being a supporter of the Roman rule and hence losing His credibility, support and popularity among the people of God. On the other hand, if the Lord had told them that they should not be paying the taxes to Caesar, then He could be accused of sedition and treason against the Romans, and He could end up in great trouble.

However, the Lord in His infinite Wisdom responded truly well to this attempt to trap Him, by saying that since as the coins that they ought to be using to pay the taxes with bear the image of Caesar, as was typical of the Roman coins of the time, then it is indeed right and just to pay what is due to Caesar just as one ought to pay what is due to God. Through this perfect and wise answer, the Lord silenced His critics and enemies, preventing them from taking advantage of the situation or His responses for their own benefits. He was speaking the truth, reminding the people of God to give their dues to the state authorities entrusted by God for their leadership and rule, and at the same time, most importantly, not forgetting to give God what is right and due too. This is a reminder for all of us to do the same in our own lives as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints whose lives, actions and dedication to God hopefully can inspire each one of us to be faithful to the Lord in the similar manner as well. St. Marcellinus and St. Peter were faithful Christians who were persecuted for their faith, and they were, according to the Christian traditions, either priests or ministers of the faith, with St. Marcellinus reputedly being a priest and St. Peter was an exorcist, who were arrested and tortured during one of the most brutal episodes of Christian persecutions under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. According to the same traditions, the two saints gladly faced martyrdom and prepared the site where they were then beheaded and buried, in a place that was purposefully kept hidden so that they could not be venerated by the other Christians later on.

Nonetheless, according to Church traditions, the Lord inspired two women, named Lucilla and Firmina to discover the martyrdom and burial site of the two great martyrs, and they were properly buried, becoming great inspiration for many other Christians of the later era, right up to our time. The tale of their courageous and unwavering faith amidst the intense trials, hardships and challenges that they had to face as servants and followers of the Lord would inspire countless people of God throughout the subsequent years, decades and centuries, and being commemorated even in the Roman Canon amongst the few martyrs listed there highlighted just how influential both St. Marcellinus and St. Peter had been in the history of the Church throughout the ages. Their lives and examples should therefore also serve as inspirations and examples for us all as well.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our Saviour and King continue to help and guide us throughout our journey, and may the inspiration and good examples showed by His great servants, the martyr saints, St. Marcellinus and St. Peter continue to lead us down the path of faith and righteousness, Christian virtues and dedication so that we may grow ever closer in our relationship with God and in our faith in Him. May our own actions, words and deeds, our every good works and interactions be filled with true Christian faith and way of life, and may we glorify the Lord in each and every moments of our lives, in our obedience to Him and in being good and law-abiding citizens at all times. May God bless us all in everything we do, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Mark 12 : 13-17

At that time, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees with members of Herod’s party, with the purpose of trapping him by his own words. They came and said to Jesus, “Master, we know that You are truthful; You are not influenced by anyone, and Your answers do not vary according to who is listening to You, but You truly teach God’s way. Tell us, is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them or not?”

But Jesus saw through their trick and answered, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a silver coin and let Me see it.” They brought Him one and Jesus asked, “Whose image is this, and whose name?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus said, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they were greatly astonished.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 89 : 2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16

Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

Seventy years to our life, or eighty if we are strong; yet, most of them are sorrow and trouble; speeding by, they sweep us along.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

2 Peter 3 : 12-15a, 17-18

As you wait for the day of God, and long for its coming, when the heavens will dissolve in fire, and the elements melt away in the heat. We wait for a new heaven and a new earth, in which justice reigns, according to God’s promise.

Therefore, beloved, as you wait in expectation of this, strive, that God may find you rooted in peace, without blemish or fault. And consider, that God’s patience is for our salvation. So then, dearly beloved, as you have been warned, be careful, lest those people who have gone astray, deceive you, in turn, and drag you along, making you stumble, and finally fall away.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : to Him be glory, now, and to the day of eternity. Amen.

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Monday, 1 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that we should always be vigilant in living our lives, in striving to be always living with virtue, temperance and moderation, in following what the Lord Himself had taught us to do, and in resisting the many pressures, temptations and many other worldly desires, ambitions and all the things that can leaf us astray in our respective paths towards the Lord. As Christians, all of us are reminded that we should always do our best in showing good examples of our actions, words and deeds, rooted firmly in our faith in God so that by our each and every one of them, we may inspire many more people to follow God and to know Him through us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle in which the Apostle spoke about the fact of how the faithful people of God, those to whom the Apostles and the missionaries had proclaimed and introduced the salvation in Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour, had received the revelation of God’s love and truth, as well as the guidance and wisdom through the gift of the Holy Spirit that had been imparted to them at their baptism, so that each and every one of them might indeed know how they all ought to live their lives according to the way and manner that God Himself has shown and taught them, and inspired them all through the Holy Spirit. And each one of them were indeed called to put their trust and faith in God, and to live virtuously.

Therefore St. Peter encouraged the faithful in the various communities that he addressed this letter and epistle to, in order to encourage and strengthen their faith, to be willing to walk ever more courageously in the path that the Lord had led them through. There would indeed be plenty of trials and challenges, hardships and difficulties in their paths, but they need to continue to uphold their beliefs and what they had been called to do, to be truly righteous, virtuous and just in everything that they do, in doing what is right for them as the people of God. And this is therefore a reminder to all of us as well so that we may also do our best in living our lives in this way so that we may touch the hearts and the lives of others around us, by our faith and our dedication to God, and by the love we show to those whom we love and care for.pe

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples with the parable of the wicked and evil tenants, in which story was highlighted how the tenants who were entrusted with the care of the lands and fields that the landowner had put in their care and responsibilities, acted up against him and refused to fulfil their part of the obligation, refusing to pay their fees and dues unlike what they had already agreed and likely had signed contracts on as part of their tenancy agreement. It was likely implied that their greed, ambition and desires had led them to commit such heinous and wicked actions as described in that parable.

We heard how they refused to listen to the servants sent to them to remind them, persecuting, attacking and even murdering them. And it culminated in them committing an even greater error in attacking and murdering the son of the landowner whom the latter had sent to them, thinking that they would at least respect and listen to his son. If we carefully look through the parable again, we can see how the Lord Jesus used this parable to highlight what had happened and how the people of God themselves had treated the prophets and messengers that God had sent to them to remind them, represented by those servants, while also predicting at the same time how they would treat the Son of God, referring to Himself, in how they would persecute Him and crush Him with sufferings and death.

Through what we have heard in today’s passage from this parable of the evil and wicked tenant, we are reminded that it is also by our own wickedness and evils, our attachments to worldly ambitions, greed and desires that we have behaved like those evil and wicked tenants. And yet, God still sent to us, again and again so many help and reminders, despite our rejections and attitudes in refusing to listen to Him. God’s love for us is truly unconditional, especially in how He has loved us all and gave us all the best and ultimate gift in His own Son, Whom He had given us all to be our Saviour. Through His wounds, all the hurts and sufferings that He had endured, Christ our Lord and Saviour had brought us all the assurance of eternal life and salvation, opening the path to Heaven itself.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Justin, a great saint and man of God and a holy martyr of the Church and the Christian faith. St. Justin is a great example for all of us in how he completely dedicated his life to the service of God and in his persistence in enduring all the challenges and persecutions he faced, even right up to the moment of his martyrdom, always full of faith and commitment to God. St. Justin was a Greek man who converted to the Christian faith when he encountered an old man, who was likely a Syrian Christian by the seashore, and engaged with him in a dialogue about God, convincing him that the faith in God, His prophets and messengers are far better and superior than engaging in the wisdom and debates of the philosophers, as St. Justin was searching for the meaning of life and truth back then.

Afterwards, St. Justin dedicated himself wholly to the pursuit of the Good News, convinced fully of the message of the truth which Christ Our Lord has brought unto us, and which the Lord has revealed to us with His coming, and through the Holy Spirit that has been sent unto us all. St. Justin proclaimed the Lord henceforth, all of His truth and Good News, and began teaching as a Christian philosopher, gathering quite a number of people who were convinced by what he has been preaching about the Lord, with great wisdom and zeal. St. Justin and some of his students, according to Church traditions, were persecuted and martyred by the Roman authorities during one of the episodes of the persecution of Christians. He remained firm and resolute in his faith right up to the very end, inspiring countless generations of Christians afterwards.

May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us to live ever more graciously and with greater commitment in His Presence, according to His will, and be inspired by the great examples of our holy predecessors, His great servants, like St. Justin and many others. May He help us to overcome the temptations of worldly greed, ambitions and desires, and help us to follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully at all times, in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, at all times. May He bless our works and efforts, and all of our endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 1 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 12 : 1-12

At that time, using parables, Jesus went on to say, “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watch tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad. In due time he sent a servant to receive from the tenants his share of the fruit. But they seized the servant, struck him and sent him back empty-handed.”

“Again the man sent another servant. They also struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another and they killed him. In the same way they treated many others : some they beat up and others they killed. One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last of all, he sent him to the tenants, for he said, “They will respect my son.”

“But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him and the property will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

And Jesus added, “Have you not read this text of the Scriptures : The stone which the builders rejected has become the keystone; this is the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it?”

They wanted to arrest Him, for they realised that Jesus meant this parable for them, but they were afraid of the crowd; so they left Him and went away.