Saints

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Isaiah 26 : 1-6

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah : We have a strong city, He Himself has set up walls and fortifications to protect us. Open the gates! Let the righteous nation enter, she who is firm in faithfulness. You keep in perfect place the one of steadfast mind, the one who trusts in You.

Trust in YHVH forever, for YHVH is an everlasting Rock. He brought down those who dwell on high, He laid low the lofty city, He razed it to the ground, levelled it to the dust. Now it is trampled, the poor and the lowly tread upon it.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we gather together to worship the Lord and to proclaim His glory, and as we all heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, we should continue to do our part as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen so that we may truly embody our Christian faith in everything  that we say and do, that we may indeed proclaim the Lord in every opportunities that had been provided for us, in all the encounters with those who are around us, we may always be the bearers of God’s Good News and His love, compassion, truth and hope to everyone we meet and work with, to our communities and everyone whom we care for, as is our mission in life to do so.

Today we mark the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the Patron of Missions and Missionaries and hence, the Scripture readings speak strongly about what is the meaning of Christian mission and the role of missionaries in fulfilling and completing what the Lord has entrusted to each and every one of us, His beloved people. In the first reading from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, the Apostle spoke of what he was called to do as a minister of the Good News of God, and that everything which he had done, he did for the greater glory of God and not for his own benefits, while in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself to His disciples and followers after His Resurrection, reminding them all of the missions which He has entrusted to them, to go forth to all the nations and to proclaim His truth and Good News, and how He would always be with them in all of their efforts and works.

Today as mentioned, the Church marks the occasion of the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the Patron of Missions and a member of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits renowned for his lengthy and great missionary journeys to different parts of the world, especially his works in Asia, in the regions of India and South Asia, then Southeast Asia and the Far East, in Macau, China and Japan. St. Francis Xavier gave inspiration to many others in how he dedicated his life and service to God, in his perseverance to continue the mission despite the challenges and hardships he encountered during his journeys, and his passion and love for his fellow brothers and sisters, in the genuine desire he has to proclaim the Word of God and His Good News to more and more of the people of God all around the world.

St. Francis Xavier was born in what is today Spain as Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta in the town of Javier or Xavier which would later on made him known as Francis Xavier as we know him today. He was one of the companions of the Founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first members of the Jesuits, considered as one of its founding members. Back then, during the height of the Protestant reformation, St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered his companions and other like-minded people to commit themselves to the works of evangelisation and other ministries to spearhead the efforts in countering the terrible effects of the so-called reformation, which splintered the Church in many places into several factions and ‘churches’, and heresies and falsehoods were abound because of errant heretics and preachers.

The Jesuits were founded with the aim to help the Pope and the Church to oppose the tide of heresy and disunity, as well as to reform the Church in the right way. St. Ignatius of Loyola sent out the Jesuits in ministering both to the traditional areas of Christendom like in what is today Germany, the hotbed of the reformation, and also to those mission areas beyond Europe, where European explorers and adventurers made many discoveries of distant lands, all of which had not yet heard the message of God’s truth, His Gospels and the Good News of His salvation. St. Francis Xavier was among those entrusted with the responsibility to proclaim the Good News in the foreign and distant lands, and hence, he went forth, never returning to his homeland ever again.

He followed the long journey to the newly discovered areas, embarking on an extensive missionary journeys in parts of India, where missionaries had already laid some foundations earlier on, as well as areas of Southeast Asia like Malacca and the Spice Islands where he went to several islands and communities, preaching about God and gaining some people who were interested to know more about the Lord and became the first Christian converts in those areas. He did not always have it smooth though, as he did face rejection and hardships along the way, and in a well-known story about him, St. Francis Xavier almost met his end in a terrible storm in the sea, where the boat he was in was battered by waves and the strong wind. He prayed to God and thrust his crucifix into the waves, which then fell into the water and the storm stopped miraculously. A crab later on brought the crucifix back to St. Francis Xavier, who blessed it, and that crab later on always had a cross on its back.

That is just one of the many well-known stories regarding St. Francis Xavier, in his many efforts to serve the Lord through his time and work, in proclaiming the Good News to the furthest ends of the world. He went on to proclaim the Gospels in Japan, and was instrumental in laying the foundations for the later very successful Jesuit mission in Japan, which despite its termination later by the very intense persecutions under the Tokugawa Shogunate, for a period of about fifty years, the Church managed to flourish really well in Japan, with an estimated three hundred thousand Christians during the very height of the mission there, several decades after the passing of St. Francis Xavier. St. Francis Xavier himself passed away in Shangchuan Island just on the shores of China as he awaited the opportunity to enter China to begin a mission there. Some of other Jesuits like the famous Matteo Ricci would then continue what St. Francis Xavier had started.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all continue to follow therefore in the footsteps of the courageous St. Francis Xavier in his determination and commitment to serve the Lord in everything that he had done, in all the missions which he undertook even in the most difficult and challenging moments. Let us all be inspired by this great courage and faith which our holy predecessor had shown so that in our own actions, in our own words and interactions with one another, in our own lives as Christians, we will continue to be the shining examples and inspirations ourselves to everyone around us, to all those whom we encounter in our daily lives. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours therefore, for His greater glory, in our respective missions in life. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

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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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 116 : 1-2

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22-23

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.

So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

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Tuesday, 25 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together and listen to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should trust in the Lord and put our faith in His power and providence. We should not seek to put more and more emphasis and focus on worldly matters, ambitions and desires, as what many people all around us may be seeking and craving for. As Christians, in fact, we have to continue to do what is right and just in accordance to the ways of the Lord, aligned with His teachings and ways. We have to do our best to be good inspiration, strength and hope for all those whom we encounter in each and every moments of our lives, that we may lead one another towards the Lord, His salvation and righteousness.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Daniel, in which we are told about the moment when the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar experienced a particular vision in his dreams, and he became restless after seeing that vision of a great statue made of different composite parts and materials, which was then crushed by a great rock that smashed the whole statue to pieces. This was the moment that Daniel came to prominence within the Babylonian king’s court as no one but him was able to tell the king exactly what he has dreamt about. The king asked of all the wise people in his court, all of his servants to tell him both of what he had dreamt and its meaning, and none but Daniel could do so. Only Daniel was given the Wisdom from God to reveal the king’s dream and vision to everyone and to unveil what that vision truly meant.

Through the great Wisdom of God and His guidance, Daniel revealed to king Nebuchadnezzar the meaning of his dreams, showing him that his kingdom itself, no matter how grand and glorious at that time, having ruled over many lands in Mesopotamia and the Levant, and having conquered many countries, fabulous and rich beyond measure, was ultimately going to be replaced by other powers and kingdoms, foretelling what would happen in the future, in the next few centuries as shown by the vision of the statue with its many parts. That statue and its parts actually represent the future kingdoms and powers that would rise up from the time of Babylon onwards, the Empires of Media and Persia, followed by the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great which was fragmented and divided among his successors, and finally the Roman Empire that became the regional superpower at that time.

Then, that huge Rock which came to crush and destroy the statue actually represents the Lord Himself Whose coming into this world in the Person of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour marked the departure from the dominion of the world to the true dominion of God, Who has finally come at last to restore all things to Himself and through His own actions and works, in fulfilling everything that He has promised to His beloved people from the very beginning of time. Therefore, although no one likely realised it at that time, what Daniel had done was in fact prophesying and foretelling of the coming of the Messiah or the Saviour that God has promised, foretelling His arrival after those great Empires has risen and fallen, and unlike those earthly realms and powers that did not last, the dominion of God is everlasting.

We are reminded that if we put our trust in earthly things we are likely going to be disappointed and dismayed because no matter what, none of those will last forever and none of them will endure. Those who put their faith and trust in the Lord will be firmly reassured because in God alone there is constant and steady reassurance. Those who truly have faith and hope in the Lord will know that with God we can all be strong even in the midst of the greatest challenges and trials in life. We must learn to trust in the Lord and His guidance, in all the providence that He is showing us, in all that He has given and blessed us with, the opportunities and wisdom which He has granted to us. We should never take all these for granted, and we should learn to trust in God guiding all of us in our journey and path in life, knowing that with His guidance everything will be all well and good. 

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was telling those who admired the grandeur and majesty of the great Temple of God in Jerusalem, the one vastly enlarged by King Herod the Great, that the magnificent edifice would not last long and soon the time would come that it would be torn down and destroyed. Everything did indeed come true a few decades later when the Romans came to besiege Jerusalem during the first Jewish-Roman War about three decades after the Resurrection of the Lord. The conflicts and the violence that followed eventually led to the ransack and the destruction of the great Temple, of which nothing was left save that of the fragments of the walls of its once great compound, what is known today as the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall. It is again another reminder of how trusting in worldly power and grandeur is impermanent unlike trusting in God.

The Lord also told His disciples to be careful and not to be deceived by those who claimed to know of the exact time and the signs which accompanied those claims, all the wars, conflicts and other things that people often associated with the apocalyptic moments and end of times predictions. The Lord warned His disciples and followers, and hence all of us that we should not easily give in to the allure and temptations, pressures and coercions of the false prophets and leaders who could then mislead and bring many of us into the wrong paths in life, when we do not discern carefully our path forward, in what we have been truly called to do by God. This can even happen when those leaders manipulate us into thinking of our calling and mission in a certain way, but not allowing us to discern our paths properly, as is unfortunately common today, especially in our Catholic youth communities.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great martyr and servant of God, a great woman whose faith and dedication to Him served as great inspirations and strength for many Christians during and even long after her time. According to Church tradition, St. Catherine of Alexandria was the daughter of the Roman governor of Alexandria, who lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian and his successors. At that time, Christians were treated with disdain and contempt, and a particularly intense and bitter persecution was carried out against them. Many Christians had to suffer and die amidst that brutal persecution, and many of them had to choose between remaining faithful in God and suffer, or to betray and abandon the Lord and live.

St. Catherine of Alexandria courageously went to the Emperor himself, the Emperor Maxentius who ruled in Rome and Italy, during one of these episodes of brutal persecutions, rebuking him for his actions and evil deeds. St. Catherine won over the fifty over philosophers that the Emperor set up against her to debate her on her faith and other matters, so much so that some of them converted to the Christian faith and were martyred. St. Catherine also convinced many others to become Christians, including even the Emperor’s own wife, when they visited her during her time in prison. The Lord Himself visited her, and Angels tended her wounds during her incarceration and period of suffering. The Emperor, who grew increasingly desperate in trying to subdue St. Catherine, tried to woo her by proposing marriage to her, which was also rejected by the saint. In the end, she was martyred by beheading, after other methods had failed.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we remember the dedication and commitment which St. Catherine of Alexandria has shown in her life, in what she has committed to the Lord, and as we reflect upon what we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that all of us should always put our focus and emphasis in life on God and not on all the various temptations, desires and pleasures of the world, all of which are ultimately fleeting and temporary in nature. We should not spend so much time and effort to seek and gather for ourselves all those worldly wealth, desires and ambitions to the point that we forget the main reason why we exist in this world, that is to glorify God and make our lives truly worthy of Him in all of our every actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions with one another.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us all in our efforts and endeavours to continue to be good role models and inspirations for one another in faith so that by each and every one of our actions, words and deeds, we may truly be the shining examples of our genuine faith in God. May all of us help one another to draw ever closer to the Lord our God, and encourage each other to remain firm and strong in our faith, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 25 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 21 : 5-11

At that time, while some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, “The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down.” And they asked Him, “Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”

Jesus said, “Take care not to be deceived, for many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am He; the time is near at hand!’ Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, do not be frightened; for all these things must happen first, even though the end is not so soon.”

And Jesus said, “Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen.”

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Tuesday, 25 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Daniel 3 : 57, 58, 59, 60, 61

All the works of the Lord, bless Him, praise Him, exalt Him forever.

Angels of the Lord, bless Him, praise and glorify Him forever.

Heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him forever.

All the waters above the heavens, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him forever.

All the powers of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him forever.

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Tuesday, 25 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Daniel 2 : 31-45

Daniel said to king Nebuchadnezzar, “In your vision you saw a statue – very large, very bright; terrible to look at. Its head was of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. As you watched, a rock cut from a mountain, but not by human hands, struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay; smashing them.”

“All at once the iron, clay, bronze, silver and gold crumbled into pieces, as fine as chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind swept them off and not a trace was left. But the rock that struck the statue became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.”

“That was the dream. Now the interpretation. You, o king, are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given dominion, strength, power and glory, and into whose hand He has placed humankind, the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, making you ruler over them. You are that head of gold.”

“After you, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise. Then a third kingdom, of bronze, will rule the whole world. Last shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; and just as iron breaks and crushes everything else, so will it break and smash all the others.”

“The partly-clay and partly-iron feet and toes mean that it will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of the iron, just as you saw iron mixed with clay. And as the toes were partly iron and partly clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly weak. Just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, the people will be a mixture but will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.”

“In the time of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, never to be destroyed or delivered up to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and put an end to them; and it will endure forever. This is the meaning of your vision of a rock cut from a mountain not by human hands; the rock, which struck the statue and broke into pieces the iron, bronze, clay, silver and gold. The great God has shown the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation reliable.”

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Monday, 24 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to be humble and obedient to God’s will, to put our faith and trust in Him always, generously giving ourselves to Him, our Lord and Master, dedicating each and every moments of our lives for the greater glory of God. We should always strive to walk in the path and ways of the Lord even if it is difficult for us to do so because it is against what the world believes and practices, all because if we continue to do what is right and just according to God’s ways, it may be difficult and challenging for us. And yet, if we trust in the Lord and continue to have hope and faith in Him, we will realise that even the hardest of challenges and difficulties can be overcome.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Daniel, we heard of the moment when the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, attacked the kingdom of Judah, where the remnants of God’s people still lived at that time, capturing and bringing quite a number of them to Babylon as tributes and servants, including those of Daniel himself and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. They were taught about the Babylonian culture, languages and ways, and as we heard, they were also forced to partake in the food and drinks provided by the king, which according to the customs of the Israelites at that time, were considered as unclean. Daniel and his three companions resolved to try their best to remain firmly faithful despite being in a rather difficult situation.

We heard then how the Lord provided for them, that when they requested to eat just the food and items that were clean and acceptable for them to eat, they still ended up healthier and better than those who have shared the sumptuous food and drink from the table of the king. They also grew greatly in wisdom and stature among men, and they became respected figures and advisers in the king’s court. Essentially what we heard is how God was always with those who remain faithful to Him even in most difficult moments and even as they encountered the most challenging trials and hardships in life. This is why we are also reminded that we should not allow those challenges and difficulties from preventing us to continue to work hard and strive to be ever faithful to the Lord, even in times of distress. We should continue to trust and hope in the Lord, at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus Himself speaking and teaching to His disciples with the encounter and example of the faith of an old widow who went to the Temple and gave from her own poverty an offering of two small copper coins, while others were giving a lot larger offerings and some even making a show of their offerings. Here we must understand that the Lord did not make a point on comparisons between our actions and neither did He seek to be prejudiced against the rich and those who have more wealth and possessions. The Lord is not opposed to the rich and wealthy, but rather, the point that He wants to deliver across to us is that when we give, we ought to give generously from our hearts and not to count the cost.

Those who have been given more can give more if they so wish, and even those who are poor can also give from their poverty just as the old widow had done. What matters is that we truly give from the heart and not being insincere in giving. We should always strive to share whatever blessings and good things which God has given to us so that many people may benefit from our exemplary and faithful actions, words and deeds, filled with the most generous and compassionate love of God. Each and every one of us are called to contribute to the works and missions of the Lord through His Church in whatever way we can and in even the smallest and seemingly least significant things that we do in our lives. We should not think that our contributions are too small or that it is insignificant. The Lord treasures us and our efforts, even to the smallest details.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of great saints, holy martyrs of the Faith, whose examples and determination should serve as great inspirations for all of us, in how we ourselves should live our lives with faith. St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of Vietnam, are the ones who have devotedly committed themselves to God despite the many oppositions against them, from the state which was then very violently against the Christian faith, and from the community. At that time, Vietnam, which was ruled by an Emperor and his bureaucratic court, saw the burgeoning Christian mission in their country as a threat to themselves, and to their officially Confucian state religion. As such, the state persecuted Christians very severely, both the foreign missionaries and the local converts.

St. Andrew Dung-Lac was a convert to the faith, and became one of the first local priests to be ordained. According to the traditions and missionary accounts, he and many other Christian converts were persecuted and arrested, and having kept close to their faith and refusing to abandon the Lord, or betray their commitment to Him, they were put to death, and hence became great martyrs of the Church. Their examples, courage and devotion to God, despite the many trials, sufferings and challenges that they had to face amidst their ministry should be great sources of strength and encouragement for us, in how we ought to be ever strong and courageous in committing ourselves to the service of God, and in living our lives as genuine Christians in all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from the examples and the lives of St. Andrew Dung-Lac and the many other martyrs of the faith in Vietnam, and also from what we have discussed earlier in our Scripture passages today, let us all therefore remind ourselves of the reality of being faithful Christians, that is all those who are faithful and committed to God. We should always strive to do our best in glorifying God by our lives, in doing what we can so that our actions and deeds, our every words and interactions may always inspire others to come to know the Lord and to believe in Him, like what St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions in martyrdom had done. May God bless us always in everything we do, now and forevermore. Amen.