Saints

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Friday, 27 December 2024 : Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 1 : 1-4

This is what has been from the beginning, and what we have heard and have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, I mean the Word Who is Life…

The Life made Itself known, we have seen Eternal Life and we bear witness, and we are telling you of it. It was with the Father and made Himself known to us. So we tell you what we have seen and heard, that you may be in fellowship with us, and us, with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

And we write this that our joy may be complete.

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today is the day after the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the actual day of Christmas, and it is celebrated in the Church as the Feast of St. Stephen, the Protomartyr of the Church. On this day we may wonder why is it that after the festive celebration of Christmas and the fact that this is still during the joyful Christmas season that we commemorate this feast of the very first martyr or protomartyr of the Church. Indeed, this is in fact a reminder for all of us that our celebration and festivities cannot be separated from the focus we ought to have in Christ, and as Christians, each and every one of us amidst our living as faithful and devoted Christians, we may encounter difficulties, challenges, obstacles, rejection, disapproval, and even persecutions for our faith, for what we believe in, and for our works and efforts.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story of the last ministry of St. Stephen, who would become the first martyr of the Church. Now, St. Stephen was one of the disciples of the Lord, likely to be among those disciples who have followed the Lord during His ministry and when He was still in this world. He was one of the seven original Deacons selected and tasked by the Apostles to be the ones to carry out the ministry of the diaconate and service to the people of God, as at that time, with the rapidly growing number of converts and Christian believers, the expansion of the Church in terms of size, numbers and geographical extent made it increasingly difficult for the Apostles to do everything by themselves in ministering to the Church as well as in governing and leading the faithful.

Not only that, but they also still have their primary mission which has been entrusted to them by the Lord Himself, and that is the ministry of evangelisation. Therefore, the Apostles prayed over the matter and inspired by the Holy Spirit, they resolved to choose seven holy and worthy men to be the first deacons with the primary mission to distribute the goods of the Church and the property needed to support the members of the faithful. There was in fact a strife and division among the members of the community who were divided between the Jewish converts and the Greek converts, and there was unhappiness because apparently those Greek converts had been neglected in the distribution of goods and property, as the earliest Christian communities lived in a communal manner, sharing their goods and property with one another.

Thus, the seven holy men and deacons were selected to be the impartial distributors of those resources and as ministers to the needs of the people of God. St. Stephen was one of those seven men, and was also the most prominent one among them, not less due to his early martyrdom, the tale of which was partly highlighted to us in our first reading passage today. Earlier before this part of the passage, St. Stephen was confronted by his enemies, who made false accusations against him as he was doing his works, and they even employed false witnesses against him, accusing him of having uttered and committed blasphemy against God. And that was how St. Stephen was set up for a confrontation against the whole entire Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council and their supporters.

Yet, St. Stephen, encouraged and full of the Holy Spirit, courageously stood up before the whole assembly and spoke up about the salvation which God has shown to His people through Jesus Christ, telling them about the story of the people of God and the history of salvation, and how everything which God had promised His people and which He has spoken through His prophets and messengers, all the prophecies and predictions came true in Christ, the same One Whom those chief priests and elders, the members of the Sanhedrin had rejected and persecuted, and given to the Romans to be crucified at Calvary. It must have taken great courage for St. Stephen to speak of those words of great truth and wisdom, and yet, he did so, to the bewilderment and total surprise of everyone who listened to him.

St. Stephen gladly accepted suffering and death when all those who listened to him refused to accept the truth that he has presented to them, and stoned him accusing him of blaspheming against God. He was stoned to death by all the assembled people who were overcome with rage and anger against the words that St. Stephen had spoken to them, refusing to believe him even though he has spoken with such wisdom and convincing truth, as they had hardened their hearts and closed off their minds, allowing their pride, ego and ambitions to mislead them to the wrong path. But St. Stephen did not become angry at them or blamed them for all of that, and in fact, just as the Lord Himself had done at the time of His crucifixion, St. Stephen forgave those who persecuted and killed him, and prayed to God on their behalf.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist the account of the words which the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples exactly about all these things that would come to pass and which would happen to many of them, how they would all face persecutions, struggles and challenges in the midst of their lives as Christians and disciples of the Lord. And yet, they must not be afraid, fearful or doubtful, as the Lord Himself would be with them, encouraging and strengthening them all in their path and in whatever that they would have to endure and go through. That was what St. Stephen himself has experienced, and his examples should serve as a good example and inspiration for all of us as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do our best to follow the faith and the inspiration of St. Stephen, the first or protomartyr of the Church. Let us all remember that as we rejoice in this Christmas season we must always keep in mind that Christ is truly at the centre of all of our festivities, rejoicing and celebration, and we must also put Him as the focus and the centre of our whole lives, in each and every moments. We must be strong and prepared for whatever trials, challenges, difficulties and obstacles that we may have to encounter in our journey, as we continue to go forth and live our lives worthily as Christians, and as we continue to proclaim the Lord and His Good News to more and more people. May the Lord continue to strengthen us all in our faith, and may His holy servant, St. Stephen, Holy Protomartyr, continue to intercede for us all as well. Amen.

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 17-22

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of Me, so you may witness to them and the pagans.”

“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn again parents and have them put to death.”

“Everyone will hate you because of Me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 30 : 3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed me, o Lord, faithful God. I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, for You have seen my affliction.

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your love.

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 6 : 8-10 and Acts 7 : 54-59

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Some persons then came forward, who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

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Thursday, 26 December 2024 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 6 : 8-10 and Acts 7 : 54-59

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Some persons then came forward, who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

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Monday, 23 December 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures and as we are about to come to the end of this Advent season, the time of preparation for Christmas, we heard of the prophecy and the fulfilment of the coming of God’s salvation which He has repeatedly promised and renewed to us through His prophets and messengers, everything came true beginning with the coming of the one to prepare the way for the Saviour, the one whom the prophet Malachi had spoken about in our first reading passage today, and which was fulfilled with the arrival of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah into this world.

As mentioned, in that first reading passage from the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi spoke about the moment when the Lord was sending His salvation, heralded by the coming of the Envoy who would prepare the way, straightening His path, the one who would call on all the people of God and their leaders to turn away from their many sins and wickedness, from all the things that prevented them from returning towards the Lord their God. The prophet Malachi was sent to the people at the time after the return of the Israelites from their exile in the distant lands of Mesopotamia, Assyria and Babylon during the reign and dominion of the Persians, who allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland and rebuild their cities and the Temple in Jerusalem.

At that time, the people of God had regained their lands and their cities had been reestablished, and God sent the prophet Malachi to reaffirm what He has always told them in the previous centuries, of everything that He would do for their sake, the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah or Saviour, the One Who would restore the greatness of the people of God, reconcile them all to Him, and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of God and His people. And as the prophet Malachi mentioned, the Envoy of the Messiah would be sent to precede His coming, and this Envoy would either be the prophet Elijah or the one like Elijah, who was taken from the world by the Lord in a flaming chariot.

Therefore, Elijah did not suffer from physical death, and was one of the few who was taken up to Heaven in this manner. The people believed that the prophet Elijah would come again to bring God’s salvation and promises to His people, and all of these would come true with the coming of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah that was long awaited. A few centuries after the prophet Malachi, who was one of the last or the last among the long line of God’s prophets, the Hope and Light that God has promised to His people has finally arrived and dawned with the arrival of this servant of God into the world, and we are reminded of this today so that we may also realise that this same Hope has been given to us all as well.

From the Gospel passage taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard the account of the time when St. John the Baptist was born into this world. After a miraculous pregnancy that happened when Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist was already old and way beyond childbearing age, the servant of God was born and all his relatives and other people, neighbours and all came to celebrate his birth. At the moment of his circumcision, we heard how they all wanted to name him after his father, but Elizabeth intervened and said that he ought to be named as John or Yohanna as per what the Angel of God, likely the Archangel Gabriel had told Zechariah, his father. And the moment that Zechariah confirmed this fact, he was miraculously able to speak again.

The great events surrounding the birth of this Herald of the Messiah preceded all the great things that he would do for the people of God, in how he devoted himself thoroughly to God’s cause, living in the wilderness as one consecrated to God and then calling upon everyone to return to God with repentance and the genuine desire to be forgiven from their sins and wickedness. He baptised many people at the River Jordan, with that water baptism as the sign of commitment by those who went through it to do the necessary penance and to follow through the path of God’s forgiveness and mercy. He would also call on more and more to come back towards God, while also courageously rebuking the chief priests and the Pharisees for their wicked attitudes.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John of Kanty, also known as St. John Cantius, who hailed from the region of Kanty near the city of Krakow in what is today part of Poland. He eventually became a priest and academic, teaching in the local university. He was well known for his generosity and love for the poor people throughout the city especially towards the poor students who were studying at the university. He lived humbly and without much glamour, while being generous and loving, caring and compassionate towards all of those who were in need. He also spent long hours doing many good works for the sake of the Lord and His Church, showing great charity and generosity in His interactions towards everyone around him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by great courage and faith showed by the holy servants of God, our predecessors, namely St. John of Kanty in his virtues and great faith, as well as by St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah in obeying the commandments of God and in committing himself to the mission which God has entrusted to him. Let us all as Christians strive to be the bearers of God’s hope, light, truth and love in our daily lives, and also in how we celebrate our upcoming Christian celebrations and festivities so that hopefully we may showcase the love and generosity of our ever loving God and Father in everything that we do, and share the generous love of God, our joy and blessings to everyone around us, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 23 December 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 57-66

When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her. When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.”

They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they asked the father, by means of signs, for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name is John,” and they were very surprised. Immediately Zechariah could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.

A holy fear came on all in the neighbourhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea the people talked about these events. All who heard of it pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.

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Monday, 23 December 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.

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Monday, 23 December 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Malachi 3 : 1-4, 23-24

Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The Envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of YHVH comes, for it will be a great and terrible day. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come.