Saints

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Monday, 29 April 2024 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 14 : 5-18

A move was made by pagans and Jews, together with their leaders, to harm the Apostles and to stone them. But Paul and Barnabas learnt of this and fled to Lycaonian towns of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued preaching the Good News.

Paul and Barnabas spent a fairly long time at Lystra. There was a crippled man in Lystra who had never been able to stand or walk. One day, as he was listening to the preaching, Paul looked intently at him and saw that he had the faith to be saved. So he spoke to him in a loud voice, “In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to stand up on your feet!” And the man stood up and began to walk around.

When the people saw what Paul had done, they cried out in the language of Lycaonia, “The gods have come to us in human likeness!” They named Barnabas Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Even the priest of the Temple of Zeus, which stood outside the town, brought oxen and garlands to the gate; together with the people, he wanted to offer sacrifice to them.

When Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their garment to show their indignation and rushed into the crowd, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are human beings with the same weakness you have and we are now telling you to turn away from these useless things to the living God Who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is in them.”

“In past generations He allowed each nation to go its own way, though He never stopped making Himself known; for He is continually doing good, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, providing you with food and filling your hearts with gladness.”

Even these words could hardly keep the crowd from offering sacrifice to them.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Mark, one of the Four Evangelists and a great missionary and leader of the early Church. St. Mark was known not only for his efforts and works in writing the Gospel attributed to him but also for his role in evangelisation and ministering to the faithful people of God, spreading the Good News of the Lord to the people in many places, and helping to establish the foundation of the Church, especially in Alexandria in Egypt, where a sizeable Christian community quickly formed in the earliest days of the Church from the Jewish diaspora community there and from the Greeks and local Egyptians in that region, who embraced Christ and His truth.

In our first reading today, we heard from the first Epistle of St. Peter in which the Apostle spoke of the importance of humility as being a hallmark of being a Christian faithful and believer of the Lord. One cannot truly claim to be faithful to God and yet at the same time not being a person full of humility and obedience to God. At the same time, the Apostle also reminded the faithful people of God that the Lord was always with them and regardless of the challenges, trials and sufferings that they may all have to endure amidst their missions and lives, but in the end, should they remain faithful to the Lord, then they shall all be triumphant together with the Lord and receive from Him the assurance of eternal glory and life everlasting, which God has promised all of His faithful ones.

What St. Peter the Apostle told the faithful people of God were essentially reminders that in their faith and in how they lived their lives, all of them should not allow the temptations of the world, particularly that of the temptations of human pride and ego from misleading them down the wrong path. The greater the person is, and the more power he or she has, then the humble he or she should become, as ultimately all the greatness, power and glory came from the Lord and not meant for us to boast or to be prideful for. The Apostles themselves showed this by example, as although the Lord had entrusted them all with great power and authority, but they carried out their missions faithfully and did not allow worldly glory and pride to tempt them or to boast of their successes.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus Who was sending out His disciples and followers after He had risen from the dead, telling all of them that they should go forth to the nations, to tell of His truth and salvation to all the people they encounter so that all of those people may come to believe in the Lord as well, and may embrace God’s grace and love, and be saved through their acceptance of the Lord’s truth and salvation. This is the important mission which the Lord had entrusted to His Church, to all of those whom He had called and chosen, especially the Apostles and the other important disciples, some of whom like St. Mark and St. Luke, while not being Apostles, were important in their role as the Evangelists, the writers of the Holy Gospels, and in the case of St. Mark, as mentioned, establishing the Church of God in distant lands.

St. Mark the Evangelist according to the Sacred tradition of the Church was one of the seventy disciples that the Lord sent out to minister to the people of God, to go forth before Him and to prepare His path. St. Mark worked closely with the Apostles and having experienced the Lord Himself in the earlier years, could indeed write his experiences and the many works of the Lord as just how he recorded them in his Gospel of St. Mark. It was also the shortest among the four Holy Gospels, and according to the tradition and historical evidences, might have been among the first of the Gospels to be written and recorded. This was done just as St. Mark carried on with his own evangelising missions, firstly as part of the missionary party with St. Peter and the other Apostles, and then later on by himself.

St. Mark went on to the land of Egypt and according to veritable tradition of faith founded the Church of God in Alexandria, then the largest city in the whole Eastern part of the Roman Empire and all of Egypt. There, St. Mark helped to build the foundation of the Church amongst the Jewish diaspora as well as the diverse ethnic groups who called Alexandria and its region as their home. St. Mark was the first overseer and hence Bishop of Alexandria, and hence is honoured today among many Christian churches as the first Patriarch and Pope of Alexandria, the founder of one of the five great Ancient Sees of Christendom, that is the See of Alexandria, counting among his successors numerous great Church fathers and saints.

St. Mark himself continued to carry out his duties and works faithfully, caring for his flock and showing the Lord to more and more people through his efforts at evangelisation as well as through his writings and works, including the Gospel that he wrote. He also ministered to the flock and the faithful people of God placed under his care, helping many people to remain faithful to the Lord and to find their way to His salvation. In the end, just like most of the other Apostles of the Lord and His many other servants and disciples, St. Mark was martyred for his faith, several decades after he founded the See of Alexandria. Nonetheless, the legacy and works of St. Mark the Evangelist keep on surviving among Christians and throughout the Church till this very day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all commemorate the glorious memory and faith which St. Mark the Evangelist had shown to the Lord and all of us, let us all therefore realise that the works which the Lord had given to His Church and His disciples, including all of us are still not yet done. The missions and works of the Church are still ongoing and we must make good use of the opportunities provided to us so that we may indeed be faithful in living our lives and proclaiming His truth and Good News to the nations, just as the Apostles and the Evangelists like St. Mark himself had done. The question is, are we willing to commit ourselves to do what the Lord had called us to do, and are we willing to commit ourselves, our time and efforts to do what the Lord had entrusted in our care?

Let us all hence do our best in our lives as Christians, in our obedience to God and in all of our actions and deeds so that we may truly be great inspiration for everyone around us like that of St. Mark the Evangelist and many others of our holy predecessors, all of whom have shown us their own exemplary lives and actions, that we may also follow in their footsteps and live our lives most worthily in the Lord, our loving God and Father. May God continue to bless and strengthen us all in all things, and be with us always in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 16 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

“Signs like these will accompany those who have believed : in My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 6-7, 16-17

I will sing forever, o Lord, of Your love and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

The heavens proclaim Your wonders, o Lord; the assembly of the holy ones recalls Your faithfulness. Who in the skies can compare with the Lord; who of the heaven-born is like Him?

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

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Thursday, 25 April 2024 : Feast of St. Mark, Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Peter 5 : 5b-14

All of you must clothe yourself with humility in your dealings with one another, because God opposes the proud but gives His grace to the humble. Bow down, then, before the power of God so that He will raise you up at the appointed time. Place all your worries on Him since He takes care of you.

Be sober and alert because your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Stand your ground, firm in your faith, knowing that our brothers and sisters, scattered throughout the world, are confronting similar sufferings. God, the Giver of all grace, has called you to share in Christ’s eternal Glory and after you have suffered a little He will bring you to perfection : He will confirm, strengthen and establish You forever. Glory be to Him forever and ever. Amen.

I have had these few lines of encouragement written to you by Silvanus, our brother, whom I know to be trustworthy. For I wanted to remind you of the kindness of God really present in all this. Hold on to it. Greetings from the community in Babylon, gathered by God, and from my son, Mark. Greet one another with a friendly embrace. Peace to you all who are in Christ.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures of our calling as Christians, that is as all those who have accepted and embraced the Lord’s call, and have faith in Him, to be truly committed to the missions and the vocation which the Lord had entrusted to each and every one of us, in every unique ministries and contributions that each one of us can give to help in the mission of the Church. God has entrusted to all of us the fate of our fellow brothers and sisters, many of whom had not yet known Him, and many of whom were still under the sway and power of sin, living in the darkness of sin and evil, not being aware of the Light, Hope and truth that God alone can bring into our midst. That is why we have to be the good and faithful bearers of Christ’s Light in our world today.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the works of the Apostles and the other disciples in spreading the faith in the Lord were narrated and told to us, and we continue to hear how the Church kept on growing and the faith kept on spreading despite the challenges and persecutions that they faced along the way. The efforts made by the Apostles especially by those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas were crucial in extending the reach of the Church and welcoming many more converts from among the non-Jewish community, or the Gentiles. Their efforts and works among the Greeks and others led to many embracing the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Master, leaving behind their old pagan idols and ways.

The Apostles entrusted the mission of the conversion and evangelisation of the Gentiles to those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, as well as their companions, and this was the foundation of the many missionary journeys that St. Paul would undertake for the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel. St. Paul went to many places, guided by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Risen Lord and managed to gain many new believers, who were convinced of the truth of Christ and who were also inspired by the great examples shown by the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, the early Christians who lived in great harmony and love for one another, showing the love of God manifested in their actions, words and deeds, in all of their interactions.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and all the other people who were following Him regarding what He had been telling them, and how He is truly the Son of God Incarnate, referring to God as His own Father, the Father Who is in Heaven. This was something that was taboo and forbidden among the Jewish people and tradition at that time, as God was seen as Almighty and incomparable, one and without equal, and for One like Jesus to claim to be the Son of God and calling God as His Father was akin to proclaiming blasphemy against God. However, this was because those who thought this way refused to accept the fact that there can be new revelation that was not found in the books of the Law or the Prophets. It was precisely what the Lord did, in revealing to everyone the fullness of God’s truth.

In truth, the Lord was telling everyone that God’s promises had indeed come into this world, and all had been perfectly fulfilled and manifested in Himself, in the Son and Word of God incarnate in the flesh as the Son of Man, through Whom God’s will had been made clear to us and by Whose Presence the love of God had been made tangible and approachable by us. Through His Son, the Lord has made His salvation and love manifested and real before us, and He showed it all to us through the Passion of our Lord and Saviour, as He suffered most grievously and endured a most painful death on the Cross, all for the sake of our salvation. Through Him, we have seen the Light and Hope of the Lord and we are all called to follow Him, embracing His salvation and love, as we are all expected to do as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, a great servant of God and one whose life and examples can serve as good inspiration for each and every one of us to follow, so that in looking upon what this man of God had done, we can then be more inspired and strengthened in our own efforts to glorify the Lord. St. Fidelis was born in what is today part of Germany and grew up to be an academic, learning about law and philosophy, becoming a lawyer and teacher of philosophy at the institute of his study. Eventually, disillusioned by the wickedness of worldly living and the corrupt nature of his work as a lawyer and the immoral behaviours of the other lawyers of his time made St. Fidelis to join his brother as a Capuchin religious.

St. Fidelis therefore became a priest and began his ministry in the time when the Church and Christendom was greatly ravager and affected by the blight of the Protestant reformation, where many people have fallen sway into the path of heresy and falsehoods. Through his works, St. Fidelis was successful in converting quite a few of the Calvinists in the region and this led to hostile reaction from the other Calvinists who began to threaten St. Fidelis. However St. Fidelis was not deterred or became fearful over those threats, and he began to prepare himself for martyrdom should it come to pass for him. It happened therefore on one day when a group of Calvinist soldiers and agitators went up against St. Fidelis, and when they failed to force him to renounce his true Christian faith, he was martyred at that place. The courage and faith of St. Fidelis nevertheless remained strong and became inspiration for many others, and some of his persecutors were even converted to the true faith.

Through the inspiration of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, his courage and dedication to God, may the Lord continue to help and guide us all in our journey so that by everything that He has provided unto us, we may continue to persevere in our journey and trials of faith, throughout all these moments in life. Let us all commit ourselves ever more thoroughly and courageously to be the worthy disciples and followers of Our Lord and God. May the Lord continue to bless us in our good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 12 : 44-50

At that time, yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, “Whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. And whoever sees Me, sees Him Who sent Me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness.”

“If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I am not the One to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects Me, and does not receive My word, already has a judge : the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.”

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; the Father, Who sent Me, has instructed Me in what to say and how to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed Me.”

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 66 : 2-3, 5, 6 and 8

May God be gracious and bless us, may He let His face shine upon us, that Your way be known on earth and Your salvation among the nations.

May the countries be glad and sing for joy, for You rule the peoples with justice and guide the nations of the world.

May the people praise You, o God, may all the peoples praise You! May God bless us and be revered, to the very ends of the earth.

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Saturday, 13 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to continue to put our trust and faith in the Lord, focusing our efforts and attention on the Lord, doing whatever we can so that in each and every moments of our lives we will always continue to walk in the path that the Lord has shown us and staying faithful to Him. This is because during our journey in life we may encounter many moments when our faith and trust in the Lord may be tested and put on trial, as we face the challenges and difficulties present in our path and the many obstacles we may have to face as we journey together in proclaiming the Good News and truth of the Lord in our daily lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the moment when the order of deacons were instituted in the Church because there were discrepancies in the distribution of the resources and goods for the faithful especially among those who came from non-Jewish or Gentile origins. At that time, we must understand the situation and the context such that the earliest Christian communities lived communally and pooled together their resources just as described by the same Acts of the Apostles. At the time, there were some expectations that the Lord would return again soon, and hence, many among the community of the believers chose to live their lives in shared existence and means, abandoning private ownership and goods, sharing them with one another instead.

However, this system was not sustainable and was ultimately no longer used as the Christian community kept gaining large number of converts to the faith, which resulted in many more resources needed to sustain them all. And while it lasted, this system was also biased as many among the early Christians belonged to the Jewish converts, some of them from the Pharisees who held firmly to the Jewish traditions and customs, and had inherent prejudices against those who did not fully subscribe to their way of observing the Law of God and also against the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles. They favoured their own Jewish background, practices and customs, and it was likely that those entrusted to share the resources shared them more with their own fellow Jewish converts rather than with those converts originating from among the Gentiles.

That was why the Apostles decided to institute the order of deacons, appointing first of all seven men who were deemed worthy from among the faithful, to be the ones to minister to the people of God as the first deacons of the Church. This was how the Lord guided His Church and faithful ones amidst the many challenges that they had to endure as they navigated the intricacies of living amidst the rule of the Romans and having the Jewish authorities harassing and oppressing them at every possible turns. Many of those faithful servants of God, including those deacons had to bear the brunt of the sufferings and persecutions, like that of St. Stephen, who was the very first martyr or protomartyr of the Church, killed because he was oppressed for his faith in God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord appeared to His disciples at the Lake of Galilee where a storm with strong waves and wind were battering at their boat, and they were all very afraid that the boat would sink and then they perished in that lake. But it was at that time the Lord appeared to them and walked on the water, and He told them all not to be afraid, calming the waves and the wind, bringing them all to safety at the shore where they were going to. This was very symbolic and important reminder for all of us that no matter whatever hardships and dangers, trials and tribulations that we may face amidst our struggles in faith, in our commitment to the Lord, He will always be there by our side, guiding and strengthening us, leading us all to the right path.

This is because the boat with the disciples inside it is a representation of the Church of God, which is often represented as a boat, like that of Noah’s Ark that saved Noah and his family, with the other living things inside it, from the Great Flood. The waves and the wind represented the challenges and trials that the Church of God would be facing, the sufferings, persecutions and hardships that the Christian faithful would have to suffer in the path of their lives and ministry as God’s faithful people and missionaries. But all of us must not be afraid, as the Lord, Who is the Head of the Church is with us, and with Him as the Guide and the Leader of all of us, not even the greatest challenges and trials can overcome us, the Church of God, which He has built in this world. This is why we must always keep our focus firmly directed towards God at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of Pope St. Martin I, a great leader of the Universal Church and the last among the Popes who died as a martyr for his faith and commitment to God. Pope St. Martin I is a good example of a great leader of the faithful and a role model for all of us in how we should continue to persevere in faith despite the challenges and trials that we may be facing in life. He was an abbot earlier on in life, and eventually becoming the Apostolic Legate of several Popes at the court of the Roman Emperor in Constantinople before being elected as Pope and Successor of St. Peter the Apostle, as leader of the whole Universal Church. And as Pope, he stood firm amidst the heresies and challenges that were rampant among the Imperial court at the time.

At that time, the heresy of Monothelitism was widespread, in which this heresy believed falsely that Christ, Our Lord and Saviour has only one single will, as contrary to the accepted truth and teaching of the Church that Christ has two wills, that corresponds to the two distinct natures He has, that is Divine and Human, though inseparable due to perfect union of love in the Person of Jesus Christ. Yet, this Monothelite heresy brought many people to abandon the true Church teachings, and had the support of even the then Roman Emperor in Constantinople and other powerful members of the court and society. Pope St. Martin I strongly condemned the Monothelite heresy, and convened the Lateran Council in the year of Our Lord 649 to address this heresy. As a result, he was arrested by the Emperor with false accusation of treason, was imprisoned and eventually banished, where he died as a martyr of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Scripture readings today and the examples of the life and ministry of Pope St. Martin I showed and reminded us all that we are likely to face sufferings, difficulties and hardships amidst our lives and journey of faith as Christians, and unless we remain focused on the Lord, Our Hope and Guide, then it may be easy for us to be swayed and to be tempted to abandon the Church, where we may then end up being swept away by the currents of worldly temptations into our downfall and destruction. Instead, all of these should remind us to keep firmly faithful in our commitment to the Lord, to proclaim Him ever more faithfully at all times. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to help and lead us in our journey of faith, and in our respective missions as Christians, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 13 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 6 : 16-21

At that time, when evening came, the disciples went down to the shore. After a while they got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea, for it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. But the sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing.

They had rowed about three or four miles, when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and He was drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, but He said to them, “It is I! Do not be afraid!” They wanted to take Him into the boat, but immediately the boat was at the shore to which they were going.