priests

by

Tuesday, 20 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 27-31a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you! I give you My peace; not as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled; do not be afraid. You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, but I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”

“I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe. It is very little what I may still tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in Me that he can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the Father, and that I do what the Father has taught Me to do.”

by

Tuesday, 20 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 144 : 10-11, 12-13ab, 21

All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o Lord, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your power.

That all may know of Your mighty deeds, Your reign and its glorious splendour. Your reign is from age to age; Your dominion endures from generation to generation.

Let my mouth speak in praise of the Lord, let every creature bless His holy Name, forever and ever.

by

Tuesday, 20 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Bernardine of Siena, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 14 : 19-28

Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against Paul and Barnabas. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the town, leaving him for dead. But when his disciples gathered around him, he stood up and returned to the town. And the next day he left for Derbe with Barnabas.

After proclaiming the Gospel in that town and making many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and on to Antioch. They were strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain firm in the faith, for they said, “We must go through many trials to enter the Kingdom of God.”

In each Church they appointed elders and, after praying and fasting, they commended them to the Lord in Whom they had placed their faith. Then they travelled through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. They preached the Word in Perga and went down to Attalia. From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had first been commended to God’s grace for the task they had now completed.

On their arrival they gathered the Church together and told them all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith to the non-Jews. They spent a fairly long time there with the disciples.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this time and season of Easter, and as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be truly faithful to God and to put our trust in Him especially whenever we are faced with doubt and uncertainties in life. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by all those challenges and temptations that we end up losing our faith and focus in the Lord. Instead, we should continue to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord, committing ourselves ever more wholeheartedly to what the Lord has called us all to do in our own lives. Each and every one of us who are part of the Church of God have our own roles to play in the work of God’s salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard of the works of St. Peter the Apostle, who like the other Apostles were going around many places, visiting towns one after another to minister to the people of God in all those places. St. Peter performed many miracles and signs in his visits to the towns of Lydda and Joppa, healing the paralysed and bedridden man named Aeneas by the power of the Lord and through the man’s faith in God, and we have also heard how he raised the dead woman named Tabitha, who had been righteous and beloved by the community of the people for her loving actions to her fellow brethren around her. In both cases, we heard how God performed His wonderful works through St. Peter the Apostle to show His faithfulness to the promises which He had reassured them all.

By those signs and wonders, the Lord wanted to show His people just how He would always be with them, guiding them and being by their side. He would never abandon them to the darkness or to persecution and suffering alone by themselves. Those signs, the miracles and wonders showed that the power and the hands of the Lord were with His Church and His servants, strengthening both the Apostles, the disciples and the whole body of the faithful alike. The Lord never abandoned those whom He has loved, and He gave them all peace as mentioned in the same passage, after Saul the Pharisee, who had intensely persecuted the Church even miraculously and almost unbelievably turned over to the Christian faith himself, becoming a member of the Church and one of its greatest defenders in time.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the aftermath of the discourse on the Bread of Life which we have heard in these past few days, where the Lord presented Himself fully and clearly before the people who listened to Him that He is truly the One Whom God had sent into our midst from Heaven, revealing the method by which He would do this. He would give all of them His Body and Blood to share and partake, to have Him as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven through which all of them would receive life from God, justification and liberation from their troubles and hardships. Through the giving of His own Precious Blood and Body, the Lord wants each and every one of us to be strengthened and empowered by His Presence in us, as with Him, truly there is no obstacle that is too great or too difficult to be overcome.

We should also keep our trust and faith in the Lord, even when things are not favourable for us. Often times in living our faith in our respective lives, we may encounter difficult and challenging moments, just as how the Lord Himself was abandoned and left by many of His followers who felt uncomfortable at the words that He had used in describing Himself as the Bread of Life, in how He would indeed give them all His own Most Precious Body and Blood to share and partake. Such a truth and reality was too hard for many among the disciples and followers of the Lord at the time to accept and embrace, and they chose to walk away from Him. But for us, should we do the same as well? Should we abandon the Lord and leave Him behind simply because what we believe in is something difficult for us to accept and embrace as well?

Today, the Church marks the Feast of St. John of Avila, a great and holy man of God, a truly inspiring example for all of us to follow in our own faith and life. He was born to a pious couple and was a pious young man himself dedicated to God since his youth. He eventually went through the priestly formation and became a priest, in which he dedicated his time and efforts to evangelise and inflame the hearts of the faithful, so much so that he was also known popularly as the ‘Apostle to Andalusia’. St. John of Avila worked hard in the many areas of Andalusia, and his sermons and works were always very well attended with packed churches and many flocking to listen to him. He was also critical of the debauchery and wickedness of the aristocracy and nobility, as well as the higher echelon of the Church, calling for reforms in their behaviour.

For all these, St. John of Avila did face obstacles and difficulties, and he was even imprisoned amidst those struggles. But all those things did not prevent or discourage this man of God from continuing to do his best for the Church and the faithful people of God. He continued with his ministry and works, and he was well-known with his numerous writings and works that still inspired many throughout the ages, right up to this very day. That was why after his passing, he was venerated by the people and was eventually canonised by Pope St. Paul VI in the year 1970, and very recently, in recognition for his many works of the matters of the faith, his writings and other inspirations, Pope Francis declared him to be one of the few Doctors of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples showed unto us by St. John of Avila and many others of our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to go forth in life proclaiming the Lord ever more faithfully and courageously, ever strengthened by His Real Presence in our midst, by our partaking of the Eucharist, that is the Lord Himself being truly present in our midst, giving us His strength, grace and love amidst the challenges and trials that we may have to face or endure in our daily living. Let us all therefore remain firmly faithful and committed to the Lord, now and always, and strive our best to do His will at all times. Amen.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 60-69

At that time, after the Jews heard Jesus, many of His followers said, “This language is very hard! Who can accept it?”

Jesus was aware that His disciples were murmuring about this, and so He said to them, “Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.”

From the beginning, Jesus knew who would betray Him. So He added, “As I have told you, no one can come to Me unless it is granted by the Father.” After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed Him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Will you also go away?

Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 14-15, 16-17

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful.

O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord.

by

Saturday, 10 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. John of Avila, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 9 : 31-42

Meanwhile, the Church had peace. It was building up throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria with eyes turned to the Lord and filled with comfort from the Holy Spirit.

As Peter travelled around, he went to visit the saints who lived in Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas who was paralysed, and had been bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed!”

And the man got up at once. All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. There was a disciple in Joppa named Tabitha, which means Dorcas or Gazelle. She was always doing good works and helping the poor. At that time she fell sick and died. After having washed her body, they laid her in the upstairs room.

As Lydda is near Joppa, the disciples, on hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter went with them. On his arrival they took him upstairs to the room. All the widows crowded around him in tears, showing him the clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.

Peter made them them all leave the room and then he knelt down and prayed. Turning to the dead body he said, “Tabitha, stand up.” She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up. Peter gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called in the saints and widows and presented her to them alive.

This became known throughout all of Joppa and many people believed in the Lord because of it.

by

Monday, 28 April 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scripture today we are all reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we should always strive to take refuge in God and to believe wholeheartedly in Him. All of us should remember how in this world we often face a lot of challenges and hardships, trials and difficulties in living our lives faithfully as the disciples and followers of God. Yet, we must not lose faith in Him and we should continue to dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord for it is in Him alone that we have the sure hope of salvation and true satisfaction, fulfilment and liberation from all the darkness around us that have kept us chained and shackled from true freedom that can be found in God alone.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the moment when the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. John, was released from the custody and incarceration by the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council after they performed a miracle at the gate of the Temple of Jerusalem. They also spoke courageously among the people of God about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Who had just risen from the dead. Such things had been expressly forbidden by the Jewish elders and leaders, as they did not want the disciples to be preaching, teaching or performing miracles in the Name of Jesus, Whom the Sanhedrin had labelled as a False Messiah and blasphemer, and which by their actions and machinations had managed to condemn to death through the Romans, only for Him to rise gloriously from the dead on the third day after, and continuing His works through His disciples.

But despite the many threats and oppositions against them, the two Apostles, St. Peter and St. John did not let those to deter them from doing what the Lord had entrusted to them. They stood courageously before the whole Sanhedrin and spoke fearlessly in the truth of the Risen Lord, and as we heard in our first reading passage, they went forth free and back to the Christian community with the great joy and courage from the Lord, as they strengthened each other and prayed for God’s guidance and protection, for His providence and the strength to persevere through the many challenges and difficulties that had surrounded them, to persevere against the oppressions and difficulties which they had faced as God’s people, in being oppressed for their faith in the Lord and His truth. The Apostles prayed as a reminder to all of the people of God, and hence to all of us that we are all not alone in our struggles in this world as God’s followers and disciples.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we listened from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in which the interaction between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus was recounted to us, where Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisee and the Sanhedrin, one of the few that were favourable and friendly to the Lord, came to the Lord at night in order to avoid being found out by the other Pharisees and Sanhedrin member. And Nicodemus asked the Lord with regards to His teachings and what He had brought into the midst of the people of God. The Lord told him about the matter of being ‘born again in the Spirit’ which confused Nicodemus at first because he was thinking of the natural birth that every humans went through, and how could man be born again in that manner. But the Lord was truly speaking about the rebirth that all the people of God experienced when they received the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us who have been baptised in the Lord and become members of His Church have truly been born again in the Spirit, and have received the grace of God in us, and therefore, by this great gift of grace and salvation from God, all of us are reminded to remain firm in our faith in God and not to be easily swayed and tempted by the ways of the world around us. We should not give in to the pressures and the threats of the world around us to conform to worldly ways and attachments. Instead, we should always strive to live lives that are truly worthy of God, doing our very best to be good and worthy role models for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, and also for all those whom we encounter daily in life, in our workplaces and others. This is how we proclaim the Risen Lord and His truth to the world, just as He has commanded us to do.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Chanel, and also St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, and both of these holy men of God lived their lives in the manner that were truly extraordinary, in their dedication to God and to the people of God. St. Peter Chanel was a French priest and missionary who received the calling to become a missionary, proclaiming God’s Word and Good News to the people in distant lands after having read the inspiring stories shared by the letters sent by the missionaries working in America, in the New World among the natives there. St. Peter Chanel joined the seminary and was eventually ordained as a priest, becoming a missionary just as he has always wished. Initially however, he was assigned a role as a parish priest in France, which he did wonderfully before he was able to go for his mission.

Then, St. Peter Chanel eventually joined the missionary Society of Mary, where he was sent with some other missionaries to the region of southwestern Pacific, where after a very long journey from France, eventually reached Tahiti, then Tonga and Futuna. It was at Futuna where St. Peter Chanel would carry out the rest of his mission, as he preached to the local people. And when quite a number of the locals began to embrace the Catholic faith, including that of Futuna’s king’s son, therefore the initially warm welcome the king extended to St. Peter Chanel and the other missionaries became hostile, and it ended up with St. Peter Chanel being martyred by the king’s son-in-law and others who were hostile to the Christian faith.

Meanwhile, St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort was another renowned French priest who was particularly noted for his great influence and writings on Mariology, emphasising a lot on various Marian devotions and practices as ways for the faithful to reach the Lord. Like St. Peter Chanel, he was also inspired since his youth to be a missionary, and for him, he was called to minister to the poor and the less fortunate, and after having joined the seminary, with his great devotion to Mary in particular, St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort grew in his faith and experience, eventually becoming a great priest and preacher, spending many years proclaiming the Word of God and the Good News to the people around him and in all the regions where he ministered in. He worked tirelessly for many years until he passed away after intense sixteen years of service to the Lord as a priest.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence be truly faithful Christians in all the things that we say and do, and follow in the footsteps of our holy predecessors, particularly that of St. Peter Chanel and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. We do not have to go far or do what they themselves had done, as each one of us were called by the Lord in our own unique ways, with the various gifts and talents that He had provided and presented to us. Let us all be the shining beacons of Christ’s Light and truth, the hope and the salvation that He has presented to the world and to all the people, and let us all, in our own small little ways in life, in our actions and deeds, in our every words and interactions, be good role models and examples for one another, now and always. Amen.

by

Monday, 28 April 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 3 : 1-8

At that time, among the Pharisees there was a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God to teach us, for no one can perform miraculous signs like Yours unless God is with Him.”

Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above.” Nicodemus said, “How can there be rebirth for a grown man? Who could go back to his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you : No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

“Because of this, do not be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again from above.’ The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

by

Monday, 28 April 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 2 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-9

Why do the nations conspire? Why do the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth brace themselves and the rulers together take their stand against the Lord and His Anointed. They say, “Let us break their bonds! Let us cast away their chains!”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord looks at them in derision. Then in anger He speaks to them, terrifying them in the fury of His wrath : “Behold the King I have installed, in Zion, upon My holy hill!”

I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to Me : “You are My Son. This day I have begotten You. Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall rule them with iron sceptre and shatter them as a potter’s vase.”