Saints

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Wednesday, 12 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Wisdom 6 : 1-11

Listen, o kings, and understand; rulers of the most distant lands, take warning. Pay attention, you who rule multitudes and boast of the numerous subjects in your pagan nations!

For authority was given you by the Lord, your kingship is from the Most High Who will examine your works and scrutinise your intentions. If, as officials of His kingdom, you have not judged justly or observed His law or walked the way God pointed our, He will oppose you swiftly and terribly; His sentence strikes the mighty suddenly.

For the lowly there may be excuses and pardon, but the great will be severely punished. For the Lord of all makes no distinction, nor does He take account of greatness. Both great and lowly are His work and He watches over all, but the powerful are to be judged more strictly.

It is to you then, sovereigns, that I speak, that you may learn Wisdom and not stumble. For those who keep the holy laws in a holy way will be acknowledged holy, and those who accept the teaching will find in it their defence. Welcome my words, desire them and they will instruct you.

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Tuesday, 11 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that God had never intended for us all to be facing and enduring these sufferings that we have in this world as He has always meant for us to enjoy the good fruits of His blessings and graces from the very beginning, but sin came in the way and hence caused us to fall into this great predicament. At the same time, since we are also God’s creatures, we are also His servants and people, and this comes with expectations and responsibilities that are demanded and required for us to follow. Each and every one of us should always do our part in living our lives so that we will always do God’s will and serve Him faithfully at all times as we should.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of how each and every one of us created in God’s own image and likeness have been meant to exist in perfect bliss and harmony with God, and not to suffer from the many trials that we are currently facing in this world. Yet, because of our disobedience against Him, we have become separated from God and the fullness of His love, as sin corrupted us and our souls, our whole beings, and prevented us from truly being together with God. And yet, even though we mankind have fallen into such a state, God did not neglect or abandon us, or seek for us to be destroyed and annihilated for our mistakes and faults.

On the contrary, God continues to love each one of us nonetheless, opening wide the doors of His mercy, compassion and love, providing help and assistance at each and every moments so that we may be able to return to Him and be fully reconciled with Him. He has done this through the giving of His own Beloved Son to us, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has also provided and sent us His Holy Spirit to nurture and guide us in our paths so that we may continue to journey towards Him, with the Wisdom and gentle guidance that He has provided to each one of us. God calls us all to follow Him and gave us that desire to seek Him and to be fully reunited with Him in the end.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples telling them that all of them, and also all of us, as the followers of the Lord, are all His servants and we are therefore expected to do what He has told and instructed us to do, and hence, we have to do what we are required and expected. In each and every moments of our lives, we should always do our best such that we are always doing what God, our Lord and Master wants us to do in each opportunities and circumstances. The question is, are we all willing to commit ourselves to do what God has instructed and shown us to do in our lives?

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great saint of God, a great and dedicated servant of God whose righteous deeds and works, outstanding and exemplary life can become great examples and inspirations for us all to follow in how we live our own lives with faith in God. St. Martin of Tours was a soldier turned man of God, who was renowned for his commitment and faith in God, his virtuous life and actions, from even before he gave everything to the Lord. St. Martin of Tours was once a soldier in the Roman army during the late period of the Roman Empire, and it was told that he was called by God during his time as soldier, and one of that unique experiences is when he encountered the Lord Himself disguised as an old man in a blizzard.

At that time, according to the story, St. Martin of Tours was travelling on horseback in his centurion’s armour, and he encountered an old man in the midst of a blizzard or cold weather, who was naked and had nothing to protect him against the cold. It was there and then that St. Martin of Tours cut half of his cloak with his own sword, and then used that half of the cloak to cover the old man’s body. Later on, as he was sleeping, St. Martin of Tours encountered a vision of the Lord appearing to him, and revealing to him that the old man was after all, the Lord Himself in disguise. Through this experience and others, St. Martin of Tours eventually left his life as an army centurion behind, and thereafter, he dedicated himself to God, following the teachings and examples of another great saint, St. Hilary of Poitiers.

Eventually, he became a hermit and preacher, committing himself to preach the word of God and to evangelise to the people, in which many people were convinced and became believers in Christ. Later on, he was chosen by acclamation by the people to become the Bishop of Tours, in which capacity, St. Martin continued to do his best in caring for the needs of the flock entrusted to him. He cared for their spiritual needs and served them well, and established good administration and missionary works in his Diocese, while protecting his flock from the effects of various heresies and falsehoods running rampant at that time. Right up to the end of his life, St. Martin of Tours dedicated himself completely to God and to the people whom He had been entrusted with, truly a great example and role model for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the good examples set by St. Martin of Tours and do our part such that we may continue to be faithful in all things and at all circumstances, following the good examples and inspiration from St. Martin of Tours and many other examples from our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to walk faithfully in the Presence of God at all times, allowing Him to gently guide us through this journey of life towards Him. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner’? No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward.'”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'”

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Tuesday, 11 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 16-17, 18-19

I will praise YHVH all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in YHVH; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

The eyes of YHVH are fixed on the righteous; His ears are inclined to their cries. But His face is set against the wicked, to destroy their memory from the earth.

YHVH hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. YHVH is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught.

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Tuesday, 11 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Wisdom 2 : 23 – Wisdom 3 : 9

Indeed God created man to be immortal in the likeness of His own nature, but the envy of the devil brought death to the world, and those who take his side shall experience death.

The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them. In the eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their going is held as a disaster; it seems that they lose everything by departing from us, but they are in peace.

Though seemingly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope. After slight affliction will come great blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy to be with Him; after testing them as gold in the furnace, He has accepted them as a holocaust.

At the time of His coming they will shine like sparks that run in the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will be their King forever. Those who trust in Him will penetrate the truth, those who are faithful will live with Him in love, for His grace and mercy are for His chosen ones.

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us are called to be truly and genuinely faithful to the Lord in all things, in embracing the fullness of God’s wisdom and guidance, through the Holy Spirit that He has sent upon us. And through this Wisdom we have received important guidance and strength to carry out our activities and our works with faith, to do what God has called us to do and to fulfil everything that He has entrusted to us, to lead others towards Himself through our good examples and by being inspiration for everyone around us.

In our first reading today as mentioned, we heard from the Book of Wisdom how God’s Wisdom has come to dwell in us through His Spirit, and how this Wisdom has guided us through this journey in life, showing us the path going forward and how we ought to navigate the various twists and challenges in life. If we allow God to show us the path going forward, then surely we will be able to find the right path through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the Wisdom which He has imparted to us through the same Spirit which inspires us and moves us gently along in life towards what God wants us to be, and where He wants us to contribute as members of His Church.

We are reminded that as Christians we should not easily allow ourselves to be swayed and misled by the temptations, pressures and the coercions of worldly desires and ambitions, attachments and all the other negative things surrounding us. We must not let ourselves be led by the currents of this world, but instead through our firm faith in God, we ought to have that very strong anchor in faith, in doing whatever is needed to resist the many temptations and pressures from all around us to conform to the ways and manners of this world. But we really need to put our full faith in the Lord, in trusting His Wisdom and guidance at all times and circumstances.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples about the dangers of those who have not truly been faithful and had been hypocritical in their faith, all those who have caused scandal for the Lord and the faithful by their actions and way of life, which is wicked and unworthy, which lead to others falling into sin as well. God does not look kindly upon those who have lived their lives in such a manner and hence, He reminded His disciples that they all ought to live their lives with genuine faith and dedication, committing themselves and each moments of their lives with true sincerity in their faith in the Lord at all times.

It is an important reminder to all of us as Christians that we should not take lightly our responsibility to live our lives in each and every moments ever more courageously and with great dedication as genuine Christians. We should continue to live wholeheartedly at all times and in all circumstances showing what our faith truly is all about, and how we can be better Christians, better disciples and followers of the Lord, by showing this faith through real and concrete actions in our daily lives. We should not be ignorant of those whom God had placed in our lives and in our paths for us to care for, especially more so those who are precious and dear to us, as they are indeed our responsibilities as good and faithful Christians, to love as God has loved us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Leo the Great, one of the great leaders of the Church and a renowned Pope, whose contributions and deeds were so great that he was indeed one of the very few Popes known with the epithet, ‘the Great’. Pope St. Leo the Great was one of the longest reigning Popes in the Church, reigning over the whole Church over a period of over two decades, during an important and tumultuous time both for Christendom and in the secular world. His efforts, works and deeds had inspired many and helped many people to remain firmly faithful to the Lord despite the many trials and challenges facing them at that time. Pope St. Leo the Great helped to lead the Church through those difficult times, and his leadership, actions and numerous writings, which made him to be honoured as a Doctor of the Church, should inspire us all to be ever more faithful to God as well.

Pope St. Leo the Great led the Church through a divisive time in Christendom, as there were numerous heresies and disagreements which had not been completely resolved and settled by the preceding Ecumenical Councils, such as the ones at Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus. Pope St. Leo the Great wrote extensively and sent his ambassadors and legates to the Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon in the Year of Our Lord 450, ten years into the reign of Pope St. Leo the Great, condemning the heresies of monophysitism that were rampant in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Then, in the secular side, Pope St. Leo the Great was also well-renowned for having led the Church and the city of Rome through two difficult time periods, first was when the King of the Huns, Attila, came to the city, and the Pope came to see him personally, and managed to make the Hunnic king to turn away back to his lands, sparing Rome from destruction. He was less successful with the Vandals that came few years afterwards and sacked Rome, but he managed to reduce the extent of the destructions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the life and contributions of Pope St. Leo the Great, as well as from the words of the Sacred Scriptures earlier, we are reminded that we are called to be genuine, faithful and loving Christians at all times and circumstances. We should not be merely outwardly faithful or pious but lacking in genuine and deep understanding of the faith or genuine love for God. Let us all continue to walk in faith at all times, inspiring one another to become ever better disciples and followers of the Lord by doing our best to do so in our own lives. May God bless us always in all of our endeavours and good works. Amen.

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.”

“Listen carefully : if your brother offends you, tell him, and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in one day, but seven times he says to you, ‘I am sorry,’ forgive him.”

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it will obey you.”

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is formed in my mouth, You know what it is all about, o YHVH. From front to back You hedge me round, shielding me with Your protecting hand. Your knowledge leaves me astounded, it is too high for me to reach.

Where else could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I flee from Your presence? You are there, if I ascend the heavens; You are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there, Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand shall hold me safely.

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Wisdom 1 : 1-7

Love justice, you who rule over the world! Think rightly of God, seek Him with simplicity of heart, for He reveals Himself to those who do not challenge Him and is found by those who do not distrust Him. Crooked thinking distances you from God; and His Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.

Wisdom does not enter the wicked nor remain in a body that is enslaved to sin. The Holy Spirit Who instructs us shuns deceit; it keeps aloof from foolishness and is ill at ease when injustice is done. Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man, and will not leave the blasphemous unpunished, because God knows his innermost feelings, truly sees his thoughts and hears what he says.

For God’s Spirit has filled the whole world; and He Who holds together all things, knows each word that is spoken.

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Tuesday, 4 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us ought to put our faith and trust wholeheartedly in the Lord and to do His will at all times and in all circumstances. Each and every one of us should always strive to do what God has taught and shown us to do in all of our lives, doing our best to glorify Him by even the smallest things that we do. We should always strive to be exemplary in everything that we do so that by our good examples and faith we may indeed lead many more people towards the Lord, by our good and inspiring examples. This is what we are all called to do as Christians, and what we should constantly keep in mind.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome where the Apostle spoke of the need for all of the faithful people of God, for Christians to live ever more faithfully and with greater commitment to the true message of the Gospel of Christ our Lord, reminding us all that in our lives we must always live up to our faith at every possible opportunities, doing our part to glorify God by our lives and actions. We have been given many talents, abilities and opportunities for us to use, and we ought to use them well for whatever it is that the Lord had entrusted to us. Otherwise, we are not exercising our obligations and responsibilities faithfully as we should have done.

It is important that we should have that willingness to live our lives in a most authentic way possible, in being good examples of our faith in our daily actions, words and deeds. All of us should always embody our beliefs and faith in God, and not merely just having outward expressions and piety without true, internal and complete understanding, appreciation and embodiment of the faith that we have. We should continue to live our lives with sincerity in our actions, in the every moments we spend each day to do God’s will. We should make sure that we walk the talk and we are truly honest and sincere in what we do so that others who witness our actions, listens to our words and encounters us in whatever way it may be, may come to know God through us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples a parable about a feast that a man organised and made for his guests, and then, when the invitations had been sent out, those who were invited to the feast refused to turn up, and they made all sorts of reasons to refuse attending the feast. Hence, the man who organised the feast went into a great rage and told the servant he sent to remind the invited guests to go forth instead to the streets and to find anyone whom the servant could find to bring them instead to the banquet that had been prepared, stressing that the servant should gather even the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These group of people were the ones who were often marginalised and ostracised back then, and in fact even still to this say as well.

This is a reminder to all of us not to take God’s ever great and generous love for granted. God has always been patient in loving us all and like the man in the parable, who had been preparing a big feast and celebration for his invited guests, only for his invitations to be rebuffed and rejected by those guests who took his kindness and generosity for granted. That is precisely how we mankind have treated God so often all these while, as we tend to disregard His love and kindness, taking Him for granted every time and not realising just how blessed all of us actually are. If we only realise just how fortunate, blessed and wonderful our situation have been, then we certainly would not take God’s love for granted or ignore Him and His efforts to reach out to us.

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan, and a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. And today as we rejoice in the memory of this great and renowned saint, hopefully we can be inspired by the many good examples set by this great servant of God, and emulate his examples in how he exercise great stewardship over whatever it is that God had entrusted under his care, in all the missions and works that he had done throughout his life. St. Charles Borromeo was a brilliant young nobleman who completed his studies and was eventually made as a Cardinal of the Church by his uncle, who was elected as Pope. In his capacity as Cardinal, he assisted the Pope in the many areas of governance of the Church. He helped the Church reforms, rooting out worldly excesses and corruptions from among the clergy and the members of the Church.

He was also later on appointed to be the Archbishop of Milan, which after Rome was probably the most influential and important Episcopal See. As Archbishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo launched a great campaign of reform in rooting out the debauched corruptions and condition in which the clergy and laity of the Milanese See had ended up in after many decades without proper leadership as previous archbishops had not resided in Milan at all. St. Charles Borromeo rooted out all those lingering corruptions and worldliness that had crept into the very heart of the Church, leading the faithful on a path towards renewal and rejuvenation of their faith. He pressed on despite the challenges and trials that he had to encounter along the way, and he did not give up his struggle and hard work to the end.

And as Archbishop and Cardinal, he still remained humble and simple in his lifestyle, contrary to the many other people of his class and office. He dedicated much of his time to visit the poor and care for the sick, establishing institutions, hospitals and schools for the betterment of his flock. He spent a lot of time and effort to care for the sick and dying when a plague struck at Milan and the surrounding regions even when the ruler and the local governors all fled from the area, leaving the sick and the poor to fend for themselves. St. Charles Borromeo dedicated his life for the sake of those who have been entrusted to him as we have heard, and this should be what each one of us should be doing as well, as faithful and dedicated Christians, throughout our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to these words from the Scriptures and as we reflect on the life and works of St. Charles Borromeo, let us all therefore continue to do our best in living our lives with great faith and dedication like how St. Charles Borromeo had done before us. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to bless our every efforts and good endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.