Church fathers

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

Liturgical Colour : White

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 7-10

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

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

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

Liturgical Colour : White

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

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

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

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

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Friday, 17 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, we are reminded that all of us are truly dear and beloved to God, and by the account of our faith, trust and hope in Him we have been assured of the Lord’s favour and providence, and if we continue to live our lives ever more faithfully, making our faith truly alive and truly growing in us, and not merely an outward expression or focusing on appearances, then the Lord Who sees all and knows all will indeed bless and provide us with everything that we need, and we will not lack anything because all things we need will be available for us, in God’s providence and care. Instead of worrying about how we are to live and what we will have, we should focus on trusting in the Lord and just do our best in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, continuing from what we have heard in the past few days, of him exhorting the faithful there to continue to put their trust in God and to believe in Him regardless, and to be united as one Church of God despite all the forces that may seek to divide them all, to overcome the divisions due to their various backgrounds, with some among them coming from among the Jewish diaspora population in Rome, while others were converts from the non-Jewish or Gentile population in Rome, from the Romans themselves, Greeks and many others. Definitely there were some frictions and disagreements between them, but St. Paul told them all to overcome those differences and to remain truly faithful and centred on God.

And in today’s passage, we heard of the mention of how those who have obeyed and trusted the Lord, would be blessed by God and made worthy. The examples of Abraham and David were mentioned to us, particularly that of Abraham. Both were very revered figures in the history of the Israelites, as those who have had great faith in the Lord, and which St. Paul likely quoted to highlight his point on the importance of faith in one’s life as a Christian. Abraham trusted faithfully in God and followed Him even when he was not yet able to see the things that God had promised and reassured him with, and eventually by his faith and by the good actions and works that emanated from that faith, he received everything that he had been promised, even long after his passing.

Meanwhile, David also put his faith in God even through the most difficult moments in his life. When he faced the giant Philistine champion Goliath, he trusted in the Lord and not in the might of his own arms and armour. By God’s grace and guidance he managed to triumph against his enemy, and this happened again many more times throughout the entirety of his life, from being a young shepherd boy, to the slayer of Goliath, then to a fugitive from the court of Saul, King of Israel, and finally as King of Israel himself. David kept on believing in God and never lost faith in Him even through the most difficult times, and it is this faith which we ourselves ought to have in God as well, and we should inspire others around us to remain strong in their own faith as well.

Then, from the Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord concluding His rebuke and criticism of the Pharisees, of the manner of how they had not been truly obedient to the Lord and how they had been wayward in their observation and their manner of practicing and enforcing the Law of God, which had been passed down to them and entrusted to them to teach and show the people on how they can live their lives more faithfully in God’s ways. Instead, the Pharisees had been hypocrites in their faith, placing heavy burdens on the people and on their condemnations of those whom they deemed to be inferior to them and to be unforgiveable sinners. And yet, God’s mercy and forgiveness were truly great and boundless, extended to everyone who seek for them.

God reassures His people through His Son, that His mercy, love and compassion are extended to all of them without exception, and He does not want any one of us to be lost to Him, as He has always been ever patient in caring for us and providing for us. Hence, we should always grow ever stronger in faith in Him and in our trust in the Lord’s Providence, knowing that we are more precious than anything else, and God will not purposefully abandon us to destruction and darkness. He has given us all the best benefits and the perfect gift through His own Son, and we should indeed appreciate everything that He had done for us, all the kindness and patience that He has shown us without exception, all the patient and generous love that He has always had for us, and this is what we are reminded of, that we should always be faithful to Him at all times.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest Church fathers and leaders of the Church, whose faith and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary and great, and whose commitment and obedience, focus and emphasis on the Lord remains strong and firm despite his important position in the Church, as he led the flock entrusted to him with great zeal, courage and faith at all times. St. Ignatius of Antioch was one of the earliest Bishops of Antioch, as the successor of the Apostles, in being a disciple and follower of St. John the Apostle according to the Apostolic and Chruch traditions. He was also known as Theophorus, or God-Bearer, as according to some traditions, he was one of the children who had been brought to the Lord and blessed by Him.

St. Ignatius of Antioch dedicated himself to the well-being of his people, in spreading the Good News of God and the truth, love and hope that the Lord has revealed to His Apostles and disciples. Antioch was then one of the early and major centres of the Christian faith, and many people each day converted to the faith thanks to the efforts of the Apostles and their successors, including that of St. Ignatius of Antioch himself. St. Ignatius of Antioch courageously carried out his duties with great humility, and with great commitment and devotion, to be the Good Shepherd in managing the people of God and leading them to the right path. He was martyred during one of the persecutions of Christians running rampant at that time, but until the very end, St. Ignatius of Antioch has always remained firm in his conviction and faith in God, in serving Him all the time, throughout his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind each other of the great love of God for us, and how fortunate we have been to receive the great graces and blessings from Him. And we should not therefore not taken Him and His patient love for granted. Let us all continue to lead lives that are righteous and worthy of Him at all times, doing our best to lead more and more people towards Him, now and always, through our own exemplary lives and actions. Amen.

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Friday, 17 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Luke 12 : 1-7

At that time, such a numerous crowd had gathered that they crushed one another. Then Jesus spoke to His disciples in this way, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered that will not be uncovered; or hidden, that will not be made known. Whatever you have said in darkness will be heard in daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places, will be proclaimed from housetops.”

“I tell you, My friends, do not fear those who put to death the body and, after that, can do no more. But I will tell you Whom to fear : Fear the One Who, after killing you, is able to throw you into hell. This One you must fear. Do you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? Yet not one of them has been forgotten by God. Even the hairs of your head have been numbered. Do not be afraid! Are you less worthy in the eyes of God than many sparrows?”

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Friday, 17 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 31 : 1-2, 5, 11

Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven, whose iniquity is wiped away. Blessed are those in whom YHVH sees no guilt and in whose spirit is found no deceit.

Then I made known to You my sin and uncovered before You my fault, saying to myself, “To YHVH I will now confess my wrong.” And You, You forgave my sin; You removed my guilt.

Rejoice in YHVH, and be glad, You who are upright; sing and shout for joy, You who are clean of heart.

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Friday, 17 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Romans 4 : 1-8

Let us consider Abraham, our father in the flesh. What has he found? If Abraham attained righteousness because of his deeds, he could be proud. But he cannot be this before God; because Scripture says : Abraham believed God, Who took it into account, and held him to be a just man.

Now, when someone does a work, salary is not given as a favour, but as a debt that is paid. Here, on the contrary, someone who has no deeds to show, but believes in Him, Who makes sinners righteous before Him : such faith is taken into account, and that person is held as righteous.

David congratulates, in this way, those who become righteous, by the favour of God, and not by their actions : Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven and whose offences are forgotten; blessed the one, whose sin God does not take into account!

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Tuesday, 30 September 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of God’s ever generous and wonderful love which He has given to each and every one of us, His beloved people. God has always been patient in loving and caring for us, that He has tirelessly and constantly sent unto us His reassurances and love, His patient care and guidance through His many prophets and messengers, and last and greatest of all through His own Beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the One Whom He had sent into this world in order to show us the sure path and assurance of salvation and eternal life, as the perfect manifestation of His love for us in the flesh, becoming tangible and approachable for us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, in which God told His people that in the future to come, all the people would come to praise Him and gather to worship Him, and how His salvation and grace would be opened and offered to all the peoples of all the nations. This hopeful message of the future showed how God is calling on all the children of mankind to follow Him and not reserving this only to the Israelites and their descendants. The prophet Zechariah was sent to the remnants of Israel who had been allowed to return to their homeland during the time of the reign of the Persians, and as they were rebuilding their cities and their lives, God restored their dignity and fortunes, and it was at that time this hopeful message was given to His people.

God did not abandon His people even in their darkest hours and during their most difficult times and moments, even after they had frequently and repeatedly disobeyed Him and refusing to listen to Him. He still kept on guiding them, helping and encouraging them in their journey, sending messengers and helpers like that of the prophet Zechariah himself to encourage them to continue journeying faithfully towards Him. He reminded them all of His ever generous and patient love, which has always been so great that He wants to share it all with the whole world, beginning from them, the people whom He had first called and chosen, and then to all the sons and daughters of mankind, all the whole descendants of Adam and Eve without exception.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus and His disciples were passing by the region of Samaria where the Samaritans lived in, on their way to Judea and Jerusalem, and it was told to us how the Samaritans in the village would not welcome them because they were all heading to Jerusalem. This highlighted to us the bitter nature of the feuds and conflicts between the Jews and the Samaritans at that time, as each groups really hated and despised each other, to the point that they would not even come together or visit each others’ places, and although the Samaritans were generally quite welcoming towards the Lord, but in that instance we heard how them knowing that the Lord was on His way to Jerusalem led them to shut their doors against Him.

Historically, the Jews were the direct descendants of the people of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the direct descendants of the people whom God had called and chosen as His own, who had returned to the land of Judea and also Galilee after their exile in Babylon and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Samaritans were the descendants of the people living in the land of Samaria where the centre of the northern kingdom of Israel used to be located at, and for which the Samaritans were known as, which according to Scriptural and historical evidences, they were descended from a mixed people, of both the people of the northern kingdom of Israel as well as the people which the Assyrians and the other conquerors like the Babylonians had brought into that land to replace the people whom they uprooted and brought into exile.

Over the centuries afterwards, the Samaritans developed a unique expression of the faith, as they believed in their own version of the Torah, known as the Samaritan Torah, which had some important differences as compared to the Jewish Torah, the latter which formed the base of the first five books of the Old Testament in our Bible. The Samaritan Torah claimed that the place to worship God is in Mount Gerizim in Samaria, while the Jewish Torah claimed that God should be worshipped in Mount Zion at where Jerusalem is located at. These factional differences and disagreements between them gradually grew over time, and became more bitter and intense as misunderstandings arose and gathered between the two people.

But the Lord Jesus had Himself highlighted in one occasion where using the story of a Good Samaritan, He showed the Jewish people that the Samaritans were not as bad as they thought they were, as the Jewish people thought negatively of the Samaritans, just as the Samaritans themselves thought negatively about the Jewish people, and all those feuding led to more and more misunderstandings and divisions between them. The reality is indeed that both the Jewish people and the Samaritans, and any other people, all are equally beloved children of God, all are equally precious and worthy in the eyes of God, as long as they believe in Him, listen to His truth and walk faithfully in His ways and doing His will.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, one of the renowned Church fathers and one of the original Doctors of the Church, together with St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Ambrose, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. He was one of the most esteemed Church figure from Western Christendom, as he was instrumental in his role in the reforms of the Church at the time and was especially remembered for his role in compiling the Latin translation of the Bible, also known as the Vulgate Bible from the Greek version, the Septuagint. And linking to what we have been listening and reflecting on in our Scripture passages today, this opened the rich words of the Scriptures, the Word of God itself to those in the western part of the Roman Empire who spoke mostly Latin. And not only that, for many centuries afterwards, the Latin Vulgate Bible became the source and foundation for other translations of the Bible to this very day.

St. Jerome also had many contributions in the reforms of the Church as mentioned, as the Pope himself entrusted St. Jerome with various tasks necessary for the governance and reforms of the Church institutions of the time. This was what made St. Jerome to be often depicted with Cardinalatial insignia and appearance although the College of Cardinals did not exist yet at that time. St. Jerome took important works and roles in reforming the practices of the Church and its institutions at a time of great change for the Church and the faithful, helping the Church and its members and ministers to keep themselves free from the corruptions and temptations of worldliness that had been creeping its way into even the Church and its communities. The works, faith and commitment which St. Jerome showed us all are truly incredible and should serve as inspirations for all of us to follow.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have reflected from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures today and from the life and works of St. Jerome, holy man of God and revered Doctor of the Church, let us all therefore do our best to put our faith in the Lord, our ever loving God, Master and Creator. God has shown us His most generous love and He wants all of us to practice that same love towards each other, to our neighbours and everyone whom we encounter daily and regularly in life. We should love one another generously and willingly, just as the Lord Himself has done towards us. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to strengthen us in our faith and conviction to follow Him ever more faithfully at all times. Amen.

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Tuesday, 30 September 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 51-56

At that time, as the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, He made up His mind to go to Jerusalem. He sent ahead of Him some messengers, who entered a Samaritan village to prepare a lodging for Him. But the people would not receive Him, because He was on His way to Jerusalem.

Seeing this, James and John, His disciples, said, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.

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Tuesday, 30 September 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 86 : 1-3, 4-5, 6-7

He Himself has built in in His holy mountain; YHVH prefers the gates of Zion to all of Jacob’s towns. Great things have been foretold of you, o City of God.

Between friends, we speak of Egypt and Babylon; and also Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia : “Here so-and-so was born.” But of Zion, it shall be said, “More and more are being born in her.” For the Most High Himself has founded her.

And YHVH notes in the people’s register : “All these were also born in Zion.” And all will dance and sing joyfully for You.