feast of martyrs

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Saturday, 6 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard the words of the Sacred Scripture regarding firstly, in our first reading from the Book of the prophet Samuel, about the young king Solomon who had just inherited the throne and the kingdom from the king David, his father. As a young and inexperienced king, who had inherited all the great inheritance, wealth, renown and glory from his father, he was at a juncture when he was unsure of what he was to do in his reign.

And when God asked him for something to be granted to him due to the faith of his father and family, Solomon humbly submitted before God in great humility, and instead of asking for power, glory, wealth, affluence or any other worldly things and desires, he instead asked for wisdom, the wisdom to discern and the intellect to make good judgments and the wisdom of knowledge of the ways of the Lord.

His choice was a good one, since the choice of wisdom allowed him to deal good judgments and lead as a good and responsible king, as a righteous king who deal kindly and justly to his people. Instead of wealth and power that drive greed and desire, and corrupt the heart and mind, Solomon chose the humble gift of wisdom, the gift of understanding, so that his young mind and inexperience shall no longer be a hindrance.

He entrusted himself fully to the Lord, God Who in the Gospel today revealed Himself as a God of love, Who loves all of us, His beloved people. This was evident in how even though He and His disciples were tired and exhausted after long sessions of ministering and teaching to them, but as He saw many more people who sought to listen to Him and who were like sheep without a shepherd, He showed pity and mercy on them.

He loved them greatly and did not want them to be lost, and that was why He offered Himself as a great gift, the greatest gift of all, which even the gift that God had given to Solomon cannot compare. For wisdom is nothing compared to love, and the love of God is perfect love. And while Solomon and his wisdom failed as he grew old and his judgments clouded by the distractions and temptations of his many wives and his wealth, God’s love will never fail.

And today, we celebrate together the feast day of great saints and martyrs of the Church, who had given themselves totally to God, entrusting themselves, their fates and their lives to the Lord, even amidst harsh and torturous pains caused by the great persecution levelled against them. They were the Japanese martyrs and saints, St. Paul Miki and his companions.

St. Paul Miki was a convert to the Christian faith, who eventually became a renowned priest and preacher, whose efforts caused the conversion of literally thousands and more people who decided to become members of the Church. But at that time, the increasingly anti-Christian government grew ever more intolerant of the Faith, and persecutions against the faithful began and then proliferated.

St. Paul Miki and many other faithful were arrested and brought to the Imperial capital of Japan in Kyoto to be sentenced, and as they refused to recant their faith, they were sentenced to death, and were made to march the great distance from that city to Nagasaki, a distance of about a thousand kilometres, a forced march to their deaths. But they did not fear, and indeed, they became ever more resolute and committed in their faith.

The examples of St. Paul Miki and his companions who bravely welcomed their death in the midst of harsh persecution and torture should be examples enough for all of us to also act in the same manner as they had acted. All of us should put our trust in God and not to worry in anything, even if the whole world itself is against us, as God will always be with us at our side.

Let us all therefore not be disheartened, but have courage in the Lord, that our faith in Him will always remain strong amidst the persecutions of the world and amidst all the challenges and difficulties we encounter in life. Let us all recommit ourselves to God and be ever more faithful to Him. Let us leave behind our old life of sin, and begin a new life blessed by God. May God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 6 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 6 : 30-34

At that time, the Apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Then He said to them, “Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest.” For there were so many people coming and going that the Apostles had no time, even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves.

But people saw them leaving, and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns, they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them. As Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began a long teaching session with them.

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Saturday, 6 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 118 : 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

How can young people remain pure? By living according to Your word.

I seek You with my whole heart; let me not stray from Your commands.

In my heart I have kept Your word, that I may not sin against my Lord.

Praise to You, o Lord; instruct me in Your statutes.

That with my lips I may declare all Your spoken decrees.

I delight in following Your laws, more so than in all riches.

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Saturday, 6 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Kings 3 : 4-13

The king used to sacrifice at Gibeon, the great high place; on the altar there he had offered a thousand burnt offerings. It was in Gibeon, during the night, that YHVH appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what you want Me to give you.”

Solomon answered, “You have shown Your servant David my father a great and steadfast love because he served You faithfully and was righteous and sincere towards You. You have given him proof of Your steadfast love in making a son of his sit on his throne this day.”

“And now, o YHVH my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a young boy who does not know how to undertake anything. Meantime, Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen – a people so great that they can neither be numbered nor counted.”

“Give me, therefore, an understanding mind in governing Your people that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this multitude of people of Yours?”

YHVH was pleased that Solomon had made this request. And He told him, “Because you have requested this rather than long life or wealth or even vengeance on your enemies; indeed, because you have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I shall grant you your request. I now give you a wise and discerning mind such as no one has had before you nor anyone after you shall ever have.”

“I will also give you what you have not asked for, both wealth and fame; and no king shall be your equal during your lifetime.”

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Saturday, 26 December 2015 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we mark the celebration of the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr or the Protomartyr of the Church and the Faith, which means that he was officially recognised to be the first to lay down his life for the sake of God and for the sake of his faith after the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Stephen, if we read the Acts of the Apostles, was one of the seven holy servants of God whom had been chosen by the Apostles themselves to be a new order of those who have been chosen to distribute the graces, goods and blessings of the faithful to those who have less, the poor ones and the less fortunate ones. He was one of the seven original deacons of the Church.

He served the people of God faithfully and the Holy Spirit was with him, and filled with the Holy Spirit, he was filled with courage and strength to proclaim the good works of God’s salvation to the people, and to testify courageously and without fear the truth which had been revealed through Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour of the world. And yet, we also heard of those who sought to destroy the faithful and the Church, those who refused to believe in the truth.

Yes, and these persecuted the faithful people of God, and St. Stephen was the first to bear the brunt of their attacks and their wrath. He suffered and was persecuted, and yet if we see his great testimony in the first reading today and in the Acts of the Apostles, then we all should know how courageous and fearless he was as he spoke in the defence of his faith to the Lord, the true faith in the Lord Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

He did not even fear for his life or be discouraged by the whole multitudes of those who sought to silence him and destroy him, the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin, the elders of Israel and the Pharisees. Instead, just as our Lord had spoken in the Gospel today, the Holy Spirit gave St. Stephen the strength, the inspiration, the courage and the eloquence of words to preach the Good News of God’s salvation to them.

And he led an exemplary Christian life to the end, and imitated Jesus our Lord Himself in what He had done on the cross. That is when he had been tortured and brought to die by stoning, he forgave his accusers and enemies, just as Jesus had done Himself, and he surrendered himself completely to God Who had guided him and protected him all those while.

One may then wonder how come we are talking about martyrdom and death, the death of a faithful servant of the Lord on the day just after the revelry, the merrymaking and the joy of the Christmas day? Indeed, as the peak of the Christmas celebrations last for a week, this is still right in the middle of the Christmas celebration and joy. Therefore, why is this so, brethren in Christ?

That is because, the nature of Christmas and its reality cannot be separated from what we remember today in what St. Stephen and also the many other martyrs of the Church had done. These holy men and women were those who had dared to stand up for what they believe in the Lord God Who came down to us in the form of Man, and Who had given up Himself to be crucified and to be our sacrifice for our salvation.

Despite the opposition, the ridicule and the enormous pressures being meted out against them, and the threat against their own safety and their very own lives, these holy men and women, and chief of all represented by the very first one to be counted among them, St. Stephen, all of them had shown the resolve and the desire to remain faithful to the Lord despite all odds.

And let us ask ourselves, that if God had loved us so much and gave us so many blessings and graces, to the point of even giving Himself for our sake, to suffer and to die for us, shall we not do the same for us as well? God does not require long prayers or commitment of the flesh and the words, but what He truly desired from us is our love and complete dedicatiod to Him. May Almighty god strengthen our resolve to live our lives ever more devoted and commited to Him in every way conceivable.

Therefore, remembering the examples of these holy martyrs, and chief of all, St. Stephen, let us all remember what we have rejoiced for on Christmas day yesterday, and as we continue to glorify the Lord and rejoice in this Christmas season, let us all remind ourselves of the need to be courageous and to be willing to defend the same thing that we believe in, if we are to resist the temptation of sin and of the world, and remain true to the calling which God had given us through Christ, our Lord. God bless us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 26 December 2015 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 17-22

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

“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in you.”

“Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of Me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.”

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Saturday, 26 December 2015 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

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

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

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

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

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Saturday, 26 December 2015 : Feast of St. Stephen, Protomartyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

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

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

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

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

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Wednesday, 25 November 2015 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catharine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the Lord Jesus Who reminded us that by being His followers and disciples we would expose ourselves to scrutiny and persecution, opposition and even suffering inflicted by the world, all of the secular leaders and powers because they are opposed to our ways, that is the ways of the Lord.

We saw how the world profaned the Lord and His holy Name, as we heard ourselves in the Book of the prophet Daniel, a portion of which was read today as our first reading. We heard how the king of Babylon, Belshazzar disrespected and blasphemed against the Lord by using His holy vessels and cups to serve the wine and the foods to be served to the nobles and to the courtiers.

And not only that, but he also did not give honour to the Lord, and instead, blasphemed by honouring and praising the pagan and wicked gods and idols of the pagans, made of stone, silver, gold and all sorts of worldly and material beings. He used the holy vessels consecrated to the Lord for these worldly purposes and in doing so, he incurred the wrath of the Lord.

And in the Gospel today, our Lord Jesus spoke about the times of difficulties and persecutions of the faithful, and how we ought not to worry about how to defend ourselves, for God Himself will guide us just as He has guided many of His holy ones, the saints and martyrs as they struggled against the worldly and secular authorities, and against those pagans seeking the destruction of the Church and the faithful ones of God.

All these in fact pointed out to the fact that the ways of this world, the norms and ways, pleasures and customs pertaining to the societies of this world are much more likely than not, exist in direct opposition to the ways of the Lord, in direct opposition against the laws and precepts, the norms and the causes of the Lord as He had taught and shown us.

But we should not fear the world and all the things that they can inflict on us, for the suffering and persecution we are to endure are nothing compared to the rewards awaiting us all in God if we are faithful to His commandments and laws. And today we celebrate the feast of a great saint whose life and dedication to the Lord can indeed become an inspiration to all of us on how to live our lives faithfully in this world.

St. Catherine or St. Catharine the Great of Alexandria was a great and devoted servant of the Lord, who lived her life with great piety and dedication, and she herself was persuaded to be a Christian after having seen a vision of the Lord and His mother, and through her studies and commitment to understanding more of the faith, she became a very devoted servant of the Lord.

And when the then Emperor of the Roman Empire, Maxentius continued a great persecution against Christians and all the followers of Christ, St. Catherine herself with great piety and courage went to contest the Emperor and rebuke him for his harsh treatment of Christians. And despite the Emperor’s attempts to turn her away from her faith, sending even the best philosophers and pagans the Empire could gather, she remained strong and devoted to God.

And the Emperor who was astounded by her beauty tried one last time to convince her by offering her to be his spouse, and therefore through it, giving her all the power, glory, privileges and all the things the world could offer. However, St. Catherine refused the honour and the glory made at the cost of her soul and the salvation she had secured in God.

And in the end, she was martyred in great pain and torture, and yet, her faith had given her the eternal glory and reward as God had promised all of His faithful ones. God never abandoned those who are faithful to Him, and He will always guide all those who had committed themselves to Him. Let this be a lesson to all of us as well, so that we will continue to walk faithfully in His presence despite all the challenges and all the temptation to do otherwise.

May the Lord fortify our resolve and strengthen our commitment to Him, that knowing how the persecutions and sufferings caused upon us by the world will be, we will continue to persevere through to eternal life, and resisting all the efforts of the evil one to bring us down once again. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 25 November 2015 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catharine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 21 : 12-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for My sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”

“So keep this in mind : do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.”

“But even though, because of My Name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”