priests

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Monday, 21 July 2025 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all called to trust in the Lord more and to believe wholeheartedly in Him and His Providence, and not to doubt His guidance and help. God will always be with those who trust in Him and those who have always kept strong in their commitment and devotion to Him. He will not abandon us in our time of great need, and will always stand by us even when everyone else abandoned us and left us behind. That is why we must always put our faith and trust in Him no matter what, and do our very best to walk ever more faithfully in the path that He has shown us, and not to be easily swayed by the temptations and pressures around us to abandon our faith in the Lord.

In our first reading today, we heard of the moment when the Pharaoh, the king and ruler of Egypt regretted having allowed the Israelites to go free and to go to their promised land. Earlier on, God had struck Egypt hard with the Ten Great Plagues, causing sufferings for the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, with the signs of clear Divine displeasure and works against the Pharaoh, the Egyptians and their gods. God showed His might and power against them and eventually the Pharaoh relented and gave in after the tenth and the greatest of the Ten Great Plagues, the death of all the firstborn of Egypt likely affected him personally, killing his own firstborn and heir, not withstanding the devastating effects of that plague and the other nine to the whole country.

However, the Pharaoh hardened his heart yet again and sent his hundreds of chariots after the Israelites with the desire to gather them all back and enslave them all again. And we heard how upon seeing the Pharaoh’s chariots, many among the Israelites were terrified and grumbled against Moses, asking him why he led them to their deaths there in the desert between the sea and the armies of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians. It was there that the Lord showed His power and might before His beloved people, reassuring them and reminding them all to have faith and trust in Him. Those Israelites had seen all the signs and wonders that God had done before them, with all the plagues that struck only the Egyptians and from which the Israelites were spared from, and yet they still failed to believe and have faith in Him and His Providence.

Then, lastly from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the exchange between the Lord Jesus and some Pharisees and teachers of the Law who asked Him to perform and show them some signs and miracles, to which the Lord responded, chiding their lack of faith and refusal to believe in what He had clearly shown them in many occasions. Contextually, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law often followed the Lord and His disciples around as they went to minister to the people and they also listened to and attended the Lord’s preaching and teaching. And yet, despite all of that, they still failed to believe in God and doubted Him, questioning His authority and works, and putting obstacles and even falsely accusing Him of wrongdoing and disobeying the Law.

It was for these attitudes that the Lord had criticised those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the ones who were supposedly the most knowledgeable and understanding of the Law of God and the Prophets, and hence, should have believed in all that the Lord Jesus Himself had said, the truth and Good News that He had brought into the world, fulfilling the prophecies of the prophets among other things, and in all the miracles and wonders that God had promised His people, and which had also been prophesied by the prophets as well. But they allowed their ego and pride to cloud their judgment, their ambitions and desires to drag them down the path of rebellion and disobedience against God.

That is why we are reminded through these readings of the Scriptures today not to allow ourselves to be swayed in a similar manner as well. If we allow ourselves to be tempted by these desires, ambitions and pride, like how the Pharaoh, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had been, then we will only bring ourselves towards doom and destruction. That is why as Christians we are all reminded and called to be humble, to listen to God and to obey Him rather than to follow the whim of our own desires and ambitions. We should always constantly align ourselves to what the Lord wants us all to do, by living a prayerful and holy life, ever centred and focused on the Lord rather than on worldly desires and ambitions, trusting in Him wholeheartedly at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, a Capuchin Friar and faithful servant of God, an Italian priest who was born in Brindisi in southern Italy to a family of merchants. He eventually joined the Capuchin friars and was ordained as a priest, and was noted for his great linguistic talents. In his many roles in the Capuchin order, as the superior and then eventually Vicar General, and using his many talents, St. Lawrence of Brindisi carried out many good works for the sake of the Lord and His Church. He continued to work even in the area of diplomacy in service of the Church and peace, as Papal Nuncio in some occasions and others. He did his best throughout his life to glorify God by what he has been blessed with, to the very end of his life, trusting in God for all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we remember the life and deeds of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, let us all continue to strive to be good and faithful disciples and followers of the Lord at all times. Let us all continue to live our lives with great faith and devotion, acting in ways that are aligned and attuned to the Lord, in all the things that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another and all those whom we encounter in life. May God bless us all and bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 21 July 2025 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 12 : 38-42

At that time, some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” Jesus answered them, “An evil and unfaithful people want a sign; but no sign will be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. In the same way, as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

“At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise with this generation, and condemn it; because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah, and here, there is greater than Jonah. At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon.”

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Monday, 21 July 2025 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 15 : 1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6

I will sing to YHVH, the Glorious One, horse and rider He has thrown into the sea. YHVH is my strength and my song, and He is my salvation.

He is my God and I will praise Him; the God of my father : I will extol Him. YHVH is a Warrior; YHVH is His Name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his army He has hurled into the sea; his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.

The deep covers them; they went down like a stone. Your hand, o YHVH, glorious and powerful, Your right hand, o YHVH, shatters the enemy.

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Monday, 21 July 2025 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 14 : 5-18

The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled; then Pharaoh and his ministers changed their minds with regard to the people. “What have we done,” they said, “in allowing Israel to go and be free of our service?” Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. There were six hundred of his best chariots; indeed he took all the Egyptian chariots, each one with his warriors.

YHVH had hardened the mind of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who set out in pursuit of the Israelites as they marched forth triumphantly. The Egyptians – all the chariots and horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army – gave chase and caught up with them when they had encamped by the sea near Pihahiroth, facing Baalzephon.

The Israelites saw the Egyptians marching after them : Pharaoh was drawing near. They were terrified and cried out to YHVH. Then they said to Moses, “Were there no tombs in Egypt? Why have you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done by bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not what we said when we were in Egypt : Let us work for the Egyptians. Far better serve Egypt than to die in the desert!”

Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stay where you are and see the work YHVH will do to save you today. The Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again! YHVH will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still.”

YHVH said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. You will raise your staff and stretch your hand over the sea and divide it to let the Israelites go dryfoot through the sea. I will so harden the minds of the Egyptians that they will follow you. And I will have glory at the expense of Pharaoh, his army, his chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am YHVH when I gain glory for Myself at the cost of Pharaoh and his army!”

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Monday, 14 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we received today, we are all reminded of the challenges and difficulties that we may have to encounter in our journey and path as Christians and as God’s holy and beloved people. This is because being a disciple and follower of the Lord does not mean that we will be free from hardships and challenges, trials and difficulties in life, unlike what some among us might have believed in. We must not delude ourselves into thinking that our lives will be absolutely happy and smooth after we have followed the Lord and been faithful to Him. Instead, we have to remind ourselves that we must be steadfast even in the face of the toughest challenges and trials.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard of the moment when the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob living in Egypt after Joseph brought his whole extended family there, began to suffer the persecutions and oppressions by the new Pharaoh, king of Egypt who according to the accounts did not know the good deeds and works which Joseph had done for the Egyptians. Historically, Biblical scholars and historians had attributed this to the change of government or dynasty in Egypt, with the Pharaohs favourable to the Israelites hailing from among the Hyksos people that conquered and ruled Egypt for a period before they were overthrown by the local Egyptians.

That was why when the new rulers of Egypt came to power, they feared the growing numbers of the Israelites, who grew rapidly in numbers, being blessed by God in the land of Egypt. And that was how the Israelites came to be subjugated and enslaved by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, who persecuted them badly and made use of them to do hard labour and works, beginning the period of enslavement, from which God would eventually save all of them from, through Moses, the one whom He would send to His beloved people to guide them out of the land of Egypt. And despite the efforts of the Pharaohs to eradicate and destroy the people of Israel, they kept on thriving regardless, as God was with them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we are all reminded that being disciples and followers of the Lord will likely require us to face challenges and difficulties, and for us to make sacrifices and efforts to follow the Lord faithfully. And the Lord also presented the reality of how we may even face opposition, rejection and hardships from those who are closest to us, our own family members and closest friends at times. The Lord was telling this to His disciples in particular because at that time, the common perception was that when the Messiah was to come into the world, many thought or expected that the Messiah or Saviour would bring an era of everlasting peace and joy, glory and greatness to the people of God, reestablishing the glorious Kingdom of Israel as how it once was during the reigns of King David and King Solomon.

The Lord wanted His disciples and followers, and hence also all of us here to realise that being His disciples and followers will likely entail obstacles and opposition because ultimately, the world and its ways hate the Lord and His truth, His ways and righteousness. And that is why His disciples and followers, all those who adhere to His path, all of these, including each and every one of us will be tested and made to endure hardships, instead of enjoying immediate joy and satisfaction in life. It does not mean that our lives will be completely miserable, but we must not have the unrealistic expectation that our lives will be totally free from trouble, or that everything that we want and desire will be fulfilled. We have to prepare and strengthen ourselves, our resolve and commitment that we may always be faithful as disciples of Christ.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Camillus de Lellis, the founder of the religious order of the Camillians, dedicated to the care of the sick, and was famous for his great efforts and works in caring for the ones who have suffered physical maladies and difficulties. He was born during the time of the Renaissance in Italy and he had a rather neglected childhood and upbringing as his mother passed away when he was young while his father as an army officer was rarely home. As he grew up, he followed his father in his career, serving in the military for a number of years, and after a rather tough period of time, and having lost his possessions through gambling, he sought to join the Capuchin friars only to be rejected because of a persistent leg wound he was suffering from.

And that was how he ended up establishing a new religious order with several others who were also called to minister to the service to the patients and the sick in the hospital, which would eventually be known as the Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm, known more popularly by their association with their founder, St. Camillus de Lellis himself, as the Camillians. Together, St. Camillus de Lellis and his fellow workers of the faith ministered to the people who were suffering from various sicknesses and committed to care for them until their dying moments, and they cared for many during the numerous occasions of epidemics that broke out throughout Italy at that time and beyond. While he himself was suffering from ailments, St. Camillus de Lellis did not allow those ailments to stop him from helping others who were in need, and it was told that he would even crawl when he was unable to walk towards his patients.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we recall the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we remember the inspiring examples and faith shown to us by St. Camillus de Lellis, we ought to keep in mind that each and every one of us are called and challenged to live our lives ever more faithfully in each and every moments, to serve God and to help one another, showing genuine love and concern as St. Camillus de Lellis and our many other holy predecessors had done in their lives and ministry. May the Lord continue to help and guide us, strengthen each one of us in our commitment to walk ever more faithfully in what the Lord Himself has called us to do, in each and every moments of our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 14 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Matthew 10 : 34 – Matthew 11 : 1

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Each one will have as enemies, those of one’s own family.”

“Whoever loves father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life, for My sake, will find it.”

“Whoever welcomes you, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes Him Who sent Me. The one who welcomes a prophet, as a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man.”

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is My disciple, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.”

When Jesus had finished giving His twelve disciples these instructions, He went on from there to teach and proclaim His message in their towns.

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Monday, 14 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 123 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-8

Had not YHVH been on our side – let Israel say – had not YHVH been on our side, when people rose up against us, then, they would have swallowed us alive; such was their anger against us.

A bit more, and the flood would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us; the raging waters would have swept us away. Blessed be YHVH, Who did not let us be devoured.

Like a bird, our soul escaped from the snare of the fowler; the snare that was broken and we were freed. Our help is in the Name of YHVH, Who made heaven and earth.

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Monday, 14 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Camillus de Lellis, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Exodus 1 : 8-14, 22

Then a new king who had not known Joseph came to power and said to his people, “The Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are. Let us deal warily with them lest they increase still more and, in case of war, side with our enemy, fight against us and escape from the land.”

So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. In that way they built the storage towns of Pithom and Rameses. But the more they oppressed the Hebrews the more they increased and spread, until the Egyptians dreaded the Israelites and became ruthless in making them work. They made life bitter for them in hard labour with bricks and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields. In all their work the Egyptians treated them harshly.

Pharaoh then gave this order to all the people : “Every infant boy born to the Hebrews must be thrown into the Nile, but every girl may live.”

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Wednesday, 9 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, 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 of the missions which the Lord had put into our paths and entrusted to each and every one of us, His disciples and followers. Each and every one of us have been put in certain places and given certain opportunities, talents or gifts in order to make good use of them in making it all a blessing for everyone, a grace for all those whom we encounter in life. All of us have been blessed with such great love by the Lord and hence, we should remember to love Him in the same way as well, and love all those who are around us, those who have been entrusted to us, and all those whom we encounter daily.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel, and his brothers were told to us. For the context of the story, in case we forget what happened earlier on before the events depicted in today’s passage, Joseph, one of the youngest sons of Jacob, born from his beloved wife Rachel, was one of his favourite, and was showered with lots of favour from Jacob, to the point that the elder brothers of Joseph became envious of him. There were also occasions when Joseph received dreams from the Lord where in that dream he was given respect and obeisance from his brothers and even his parents. No one knew it then, even Joseph himself, that this was in fact a premonition of things to come, many years and decades later, when everything actually came to happen just as Joseph dreamt of it.

Joseph’s brothers actually plotted to kill him out of jealousy, and they were only prevented from doing so by the eldest brother, Reuben, who wanted to protect Joseph. In the end, they all trapped Joseph and then sold him to a Midianite slaver who brought Joseph to the land of Egypt, where he first ended up as a slave and was even imprisoned, but by God’s grace and help, as He had planned it all from the very beginning, Joseph was rescued from the prison after he helped to interpret the dream of the Pharaoh of Egypt, and made to be the powerful Regent of Egypt, no less than the second most powerful person in the whole kingdom after the Pharaoh himself. And it was this powerful Regent that the brothers of Joseph met him, at that time, when the world was gripped in great famine and sufferings.

It was in fact part of God’s plan for His beloved ones, as through this action and turn of events, which was surely most unexpected for everyone, not only that God turned sufferings into greatness, but in His perfect timing and divine plan, He made everything to be wonderful, reuniting Joseph with his brothers and family in the end, and at the same time, his careful stewardship of Egypt’s resources and food allowed him to help countless people in Egypt and many other places to survive through the great seven years of famine. We can see how God made even wicked things that the brothers of Joseph had done to Joseph into great and wonderful things for so many, all the works of His hands, His wonderful and most loving deeds for us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus calling and dedicating His most important and closest collaborators, the disciples known as the Twelve, the members of His innermost circle of disciples. And we heard the Twelve being named for us, including the one that would betray Him in the end, Judas Iscariot. These people had been chosen and called by the Lord, from among those whom He had encountered and called, from different and diverse origins, and to them all He entrusted the power and authority to perform miracles and wonders, and to reach out to more and more of the people that He Himself would minister to, so that many more would come to know the Lord and His salvation, His Good News and love.

This is a reminder for all of us that as Christians, all of us have also been called like the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, and we have been given the unique and diverse gifts and opportunities which God had provided to each one of us so that we may make good use of them in whatever it is that He wants us to do in our respective lives, in our respective capacities in whatever we have encountered daily in life, in all those whom we have met, interacted with and spent time with. All of us ought to bear with us all the courageous and genuine witnessing of our Christian faith in all that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another, in our love that we show to those who are dear to us, and in our care for our fellow brothers and sisters, our neighbours around us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of China, commemorating all those faithful holy men and women who had courageously stood up for their faith and defended their commitment to God without fear and willing to suffer and die as faithful disciples and followers of Christ, particularly against terrible and harsh repressions and persecutions against them and the Church. St. Augustine Zhao Rong himself was born during the middle of the eighteenth century in China, and was one of the Christian converts during a time when the Imperial Chinese government and state was highly suspicious of Christians and the missionaries, and which carried out sporadic persecutions against them and the faithful.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong wanted to become a priest and he received training to be such, and in such extraordinary circumstances, only five years after his baptism, he was ordained as a priest, becoming one of the first local Chinese to be ordained a priest, and he spent many years in service to the people of God and to the works of mission of the Church in various places. Then, according to the historic tradition, under the Emperor Jiaqing in the early nineteenth century, more persecutions were carried out against Christians, and St. Augustine Zhao Rong was one of those who were arrested, and then tortured and eventually martyred for their faith. There were many other Christian faithful, both the missionaries and the converts who gave up their lives in their faithful commitment and obedience to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be renewed and strengthened in faith, and let us all continue to do our best to live our lives each day with the strong desire to glorify God by our lives, knowing that God is always with us, providing for us at every steps of our journey in life. And through the inspiration provided to us by the courage and faith of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his fellow companions in martyrdom, let us all continue to be faithful in all things and at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 9 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 10 : 1-7

At that time, Jesus called His Twelve disciples to Him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the Twelve Apostles : first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray Him.

Jesus sent these Twelve on mission, with the instruction : “Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town. Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of Heaven is near.”