Saints

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Mark 10 : 28-31

At that time, Peter spoke up and said, “We have given up everything to follow You.” Jesus answered, “Truly, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands, for My sake and for the Gospel, who will not receive his reward.”

“I say to you : even in the midst of persecution, he will receive a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and lands in the present time, and in the world to come eternal life. Do pay attention : many who are now first will be last, and the last, first.”

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Psalm 49 : 5-6, 7-8, 14 and 23

Gather before Me My faithful ones, who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. The heavens will proclaim His sentence, for God Himself is the Judge.

Hear, o My people, for I am speaking. I will accuse You, o Israel, I am God,  your God! Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

Yet offer to God a sacrifice of thanks, and fulfil your vows to the Most High. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Tuesday, 4 March 2025 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Casimir (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Sirach 35 : 1-15

Keeping the Law is worthy many offerings. Being faithful to the commandments is like a peace offering. Returning kindness is an offering of fine flour; giving alms is a sacrifice of praise. Renouncing sin pleases the Lord, and shunning injustice is a sacrifice of atonement.

Do not appear before the Lord with empty hands. The commandment requires that you bring an offering. When the offering of the righteous is burnt on the altar, the fat drips down and a fragrant aroma rises to the Most High. The sacrifice of the just man pleases God and will not be forgotten. Honour the Lord with a generous heart and do not be stingy with the first fruits of your harvest.

Offer your gifts with a smiling face and when you pay your tithes do it gladly. Give to the Most High as He has given to you; give generously to the Lord according to what you have; the Lord will repay, He will reward you sevenfold. If you attempt to bribe Him with gifts He will not accept them; do not rely on offerings from dishonest gain.

The Lord is Judge and shows no partiality. He will not disadvantage the poor, He Who hears the prayer of the oppressed. He does not disdain the plea of the orphan, nor the complaint of the widow. When tears flow down her cheeks, is she not crying out against the one who caused her to weep?

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Thursday, 27 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Abbots)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for us to distance ourselves from the corruption of sin and evil, resisting the temptations of worldly desires, pleasures and ambitions, all the things that can lead us astray in the journey towards the Lord and His salvation. We are called to remain vigilant and be constantly on guard so that we do not end up being easily tempted or persuaded to abandon our faith in the Lord and embracing instead the wickedness of worldly vices and evils, all of which may indeed be very tempting and convincing in making us think twice about following the Lord and His path. As Christians, we should be good role models in leading the path, showing the way for others to follow in focusing our lives in God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach we heard the words of the prophet reminding the people of God of the dangers and all the harm caused by sin and all the temptations to sin, and also for the people not to test God’s patience and mercy. The prophet Sirach reminded the faithful that while God is indeed loving, compassionate and full of mercy, but at the same time He is also a good and just God Who despises the corruption and wickedness of sin and evil in our actions and waywardness. Therefore, we must not take for granted the love and mercy which God has generously given to us, and we must make good use of the opportunities and chances that He has given us to repent and to turn away from our path of sin and wickedness, and to embrace His mercy and love wholeheartedly.

The prophet Sirach was preaching especially to a population of the descendants of the Israelites, which during his time, at the height of the Hellenistic era, about two centuries before the coming of Christ, was increasingly influenced by the Greek ways and pagan ideals, a society of God’s people being torn between the Law and traditions of the Israelites and the innovations and ways of the Greeks that were becoming increasingly popular among them at the time. That was why the prophet Sirach reminded the people of God not to test God and His patience and mercy, and exhorting them all to turn once again to the way of the Lord, abandoning their wickedness and sins, which their ancestors had been punished for, and which the Lord wanted His people to stay away from.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which the Lord told His disciples with rather blunt language telling them to avoid committing sins and wickedness in their lives or else they might end up being condemned in the eternal damnation in Hell because of their sins and what they had done. The Lord made it clear with those vivid representations that sin is truly something dangerous and what we must be careful with or else, we may end up falling down the path towards damnation. But we must not misunderstand what the Lord said as literally meaning that we should chop off our hands and legs, or tear off our eyes if they were to lead us to sin. Rather, what the Lord wanted to highlight is the severity of sin such that it is really important that we take the necessary steps to keep ourselves free from it, or else, we may indeed fall into eternal damnation.

Our body itself, our hands, legs and eyes, and our other body parts are themselves neutral and not evil in nature. It is our thoughts, minds and hearts that can either bring these body parts to be used for good purposes or for evil. That is why we are all reminded that we should keep ourselves free from sin by resisting the temptations to do so, and to do whatever we can to perform good deeds and actions in accordance to God’s will, obeying His Law and commandments in everything that we do, so that by our lives and examples, we may truly be good role models and inspiration for everyone to follow, to be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our world today, bringing forth His righteousness and truth to everyone around us, and hopefully through our good and faithful lives, we may touch the lives of many others in the good way.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Gregory of Narek, a renowned holy man and Abbot from the Armenian Church, also known as Gregor Narekatsi, as he was stationed in the region of Lake Van in historical Armenia, a place known as Narekavank. He was born as the son of a local bishop, who was suspected of Chalcedonian beliefs and was persecuted for that faith. The young St. Gregory of Narek and his brother was sent to Narekavank for his education and upbringing, and eventually was ordained a priest and became a monk and abbot of that institution in Narekavank, which was why he was later on known famously as St. Gregory of Narek. This holy man of God devoted his whole life in teaching theology at the area and also wrote extensively many theological works and other books related to the Christian faith.

The many writings of St. Gregory of Narek in various areas and philosophical discourses, as well as the works on theology and other commentaries on the Scriptures are very influential in the Armenian Church and beyond, and after he passed away, many people venerated this holy man of God who devoted his life to the study of the faith, and who was also personally full of faith and piety in God. He also showed all of us Christians what it truly means for us to walk in the path of God’s grace and righteousness, rejecting the temptations of worldly glory, ambitions and fame, the allures of sin and evil. All of us can learn well to follow the good examples that St. Gregory of Narek has shown us through his life and works, and we should follow in his footsteps in our own daily living as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all as Christians be good role models of our faith in how we live our lives in each and every moments, even in the smallest and least significant things that we do, so that by our every good actions and examples we may inspire many more people to come and believe in God as well. Let us all therefore commit ourselves to a life of virtue and righteousness, doing our best so that our every actions, words and deeds will be truly worthy for us as Christians, like that of St. Gregory of Narek before us, and our many other holy predecessors. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to guide us all in our lives so that we may always be full of faith and virtues in all things. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Abbots)

Mark 9 : 41-50

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ and bear His Name, truly, I say to you, he will not go without reward. If anyone should cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone around his neck.”

“If your hand makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand, than with two hands to go to hell, to the fire that never goes out. And if your foot makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot, than with both feet to be thrown into hell.”

“And if your eye makes you fall into sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, keeping both eyes, to be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them never die, and the fire never goes out. The fire itself will preserve them.”

“Salt is a good thing; but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.”

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Thursday, 27 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Abbots)

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Thursday, 27 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Abbots)

Sirach 5 : 1-8

Do not rely on your wealth. Do not say, “I am self-sufficient.” Do not let yourself be carried away by greed and violence; they would make you their slave.

Do not say, “Who can stop me?” For the Lord has power to punish you. Do not say, “I have sinned and nothing has happened!” For the Lord bides His time.

Do not be so sure of pardon when you are heaping sin upon sin. Do not say, “His compassion is great! He will forgive the vast number of my sins!” For with Him is mercy but also anger; His fury will be poured out on sinners.

Do not delay your return to the Lord, do not put it off from day to day. For suddenly the anger of the Lord will blaze forth and you will perish on the day of reckoning. Do not rely on riches wrongfully acquired for they will be of no use to you on the day of wrath.

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Saturday, 22 February 2025 : Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, marking this occasion when we honour the Apostolic and leadership authority of St. Peter as the chief and leader of the Apostles and also as the Vicar of Christ, the one to whom the Lord had entrusted His whole entire Church. If we are wondering why we are celebrating the Feast over a Chair, this is an important reminder for all of us that this Chair is not just representing the physical Chair that St. Peter had been sitting on as the Bishop of Rome and Christ’s Vicar on earth, but also the Chair representing his authority which had been given by God, to be the one through whom the Lord would exercise His power and governance over His Church, together with the other Apostles.

The first representation of the Chair mentioned has its physical embodiment in the actual Chair that St. Peter had been using, an antique Roman chair made from wood, known as the ‘Cathedra Sancti Petri’ dating from the earliest days of the Church, and which is now housed within the Altar of the Chair at the great Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City. But as mentioned, this ‘Cathedra Sancti Petri’ is also a representation of the God-given authority and power which God has granted to St. Peter the Apostle and his successors as Bishop of Rome and leader of the Universal Church, the Popes, right up to the present Pope, Pope Francis. And therefore this Feast celebrates this unity that the whole entire Church has under the leadership of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, as the successor of St. Peter the Apostle.

In our first reading today, taken from the First Epistle of St. Peter, we heard of the words of St. Peter, the chief of the Apostles and leader of the Church to the elders of the Christian communities equivalent of the present days bishops of the Church, reminding them that as shepherds of the flock of God’s people, all of them are responsible for the well-being of the people of God, and they were reminded as shepherds and leaders that they should be good and faithful in the exercise of their ministry so that in everything that they do and carry out, in their works and efforts they would always be good role models and inspirations for others around them all to follow in their own lives. They should not seek glory and fame for themselves, but rather they should strive to be the faithful servants of the Lord’s will, so that in the end, they shall all share in the glory of God.

This set of reminders is an important one for all of us as Christians, especially so for those who have been entrusted with the responsibility over the faithful but at the same time is also applicable for everyone else who call themselves as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. This is because all of us as Christians must also live our lives worthily in the Lord’s path such that we may become the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, His Good News and salvation to everyone else around us. After all, how can we expect others to believe in the Lord as well, if we ourselves have not shown good examples in our own lives and in how we ourselves live our lives as Christians, or worse still, if we cause scandal to our faith and the Church due to the wickedness and sins that we have committed?

Then from the Gospel passage taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle, we heard that classic account of the moment when the Lord established His Church and entrusted all of His faithful and people to St. Peter the Apostle, the ‘Rock’ of faith upon which He had founded His Church, and also to the other Apostles who were the important pillars supporting the Church. In that passage the Lord first asked the disciples on His identity, and they spoke first about the identity that many of the people at that time attributed to the Lord, either as one of the past prophets being sent back, or as a new great Prophet and Teacher sent into the world. But St. Peter spoke firmly and courageously when the Lord asked of the disciples again, ‘but you, Who do you say I am?’, saying that He is truly the Messiah, the Holy One and Son of God.

In this great profession of faith, we can see the shining qualities of St. Peter, which the Lord could see and know within his heart and mind. We can see the great love and commitment which St. Peter had for the Lord, which made him to be chosen as the one to lead all the whole Church. He was not perfect himself, as he was just as flawed as any one of us are. If we know the character of St. Peter from the evidences throughout the Gospels and other sources, we can see clearly how he was just a sinner like any of us. He was illiterate, brash and hot-headed, and easily gave in to anger and temptations, and was once chided by the Lord for striking the servant of the High Priest with a sword, cutting of that servant’s ear. St. Peter was also well-known for his thrice denial of the Lord around the same time, when he fearfully denied knowing the Lord at the time of His arrest.

But God chose this imperfect man, this sinner to be the great instrument of His works, His desire to see us all reconciled and reunited with Him. He knew that despite all of St. Peter’s imperfections, faults and problems, within him there lies a heart full of love and obedience towards Him, that despite the doubts, fears and other things he had with him, ultimately, he was willing to give it all to the Lord and devote himself thoroughly to His cause, as St. Peter himself proved with his many decades of service in glorifying God through the extensive and intensive efforts at evangelisation and conversion of many to the Lord’s path. To the very end, St. Peter the Apostle committed himself to God and to His Church, carrying out what he himself told the other elders of the Church, ultimately suffering and dying for the Lord, being crucified upside-down at the site where the great Basilica of St. Peter now stands.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore as we celebrate together this occasion of the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, let us all reaffirm our faith in the Lord and the unity which all of us the faithful people of God have in Him through His Church, and affirm our unity as one flock of the faithful, under the leadership of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, who is now sitting on the Chair of St. Peter, the ‘Cathedra Sancti Petri’ as God’s holy Vicar in this world. Let us all continue to strive to live our lives each day with dedication and commitment to God so that our examples may help many more people to come ever closer to God’s Presence, as how St. Peter the Apostle himself, the other Apostles and our other holy predecessors had been good role models and examples for us as Christians.

May all of us continue to do our best in living our lives each day that even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things that we do, we will embody our Christian faith, our love for the Lord and our faith in Him at all times. May we continue to persevere through the challenges, trials and sufferings that we may have to endure as part of our Christian journey in this life, so that we may grow ever stronger in our commitment as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own, His faithful and holy people, now and always. Holy Apostle, St. Peter, Holy Vicar of Christ, pray for us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 22 February 2025 : Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 16 : 13-19

At that time, Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They said, “For some of them You are John the Baptist, for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Bar-Jona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven.”

“And now I say to you : You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven : whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

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Saturday, 22 February 2025 : Feast of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 22 : 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.

He guides me through the right paths for His Name’s sake. Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me : Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.