Feast of St. Angela Merici

by

Tuesday, 27 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures and as we all ponder upon their meaning, importance and relevance to us in our world today, we are all reminded that as the holy people of God, we are all called to follow the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly as how our holy predecessors had done, like King David in the past, in his wholehearted commitment and dedication to God, in doing God’s will and in being ever attuned to His Law, commandments and to His teachings. We are reminded that we should always live our lives in the manner that is truly pleasing to God, in loving Him and also in loving those people around us, especially those whom God had entrusted to us to love and care.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the moment when King David finally managed to bring the Ark of the Covenant or the Ark of God from its temporary housing at the house of Obededom to the city of Jerusalem. The context was that David had been wanting to bring the Ark of the Covenant which had always been kept in the wilderness, in the Holy Tent of Meeting since the days of the Exodus to a more permanent place in Jerusalem, in the Temple and House that he has planned to make for the Lord. However, in the earlier attempt to move the Ark into Jerusalem, an accident struck and one of the priests transporting the Ark was killed, and hence, David suspended the plan to bring the Ark into Jerusalem for some time.

We heard then about how David finally managed to bring this great Ark of God into Jerusalem, joyfully leading the procession before God’s Ark into the city, singing and dancing with great joy. This moment was described as a great event, a great moment of joy as God Himself has come into the midst of His people, dwelling among them again in the city which He has established as his city, firmly securing the reign and rule of David, His servant as King and leader of the people He had chosen as His own. And this is a reminder of how God Himself one day, a millennium or so after this moment, would come in the flesh among His people, an even greater entry and arrival than the Ark of the Covenant, as He appeared before all of us in the form of His Son, the Divine Word and Son of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the relatives of the Lord Jesus came to Him when He was preaching and ministering to the people of God, and we heard how when some people told the Lord that His relatives, including His Mother Mary was there, He told the whole assembled people that all those who followed God’s will and obeyed Him, faithfully living their lives according to His Law and commandments, all of these were His brothers, His mother and relatives. To us who heard the Lord and what He said, some of us might think that the Lord was being very rude to His Mother and relatives, but this was not in fact what He meant to do.

Instead, when the Lord Jesus said those words before the assembled people of God, He intended for all of them to know that His works and ministry, and God’s favour were not limited by connections to Him, unlike what was common in the world then, and what is still very common in our world even to this day. I am referring to the networks and connection which we often use to determine our response to one another, and what kind of favour we can give and gain from each other. Those who are connected by familial or blood ties tend to get higher and better preferences, and this is what the Lord wanted to make clear that His love is universal and meant for everyone, and not merely limited or restricted within His family and inner circle. And that is also the message and truth of Christian faith and love as well.

In this matter, we can then follow the good examples of St. Angela Merici, one of the great saints of God, whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Angela Merici was the famous founder of the religious order of the Ursulines, also known as the Company of St. Ursula that led to the later foundation of the Order of the Ursulines. St. Angela Merici was inspired since her early youth to commit herself with some others to work for the cause of the training and education of young Christian girls, which is still the inspiration for the educational institutes established by the Ursulines. Through her efforts and piety, many came to be inspired to follow in her example in dedicating themselves to God’s work in this area of Christian education and empowerment of people.

St. Angela Merici dedicated herself and inspired many others together in the ministry that she had committed herself as part of the Company of St. Ursula, establishing schools and orphanages, caring especially for the needs of young Christians, especially that of young, underprivileged Christian girls, who were often exploited and in disadvantageous positions. St. Angela Merici dedicated her life to this ministry, and many more people would come to follow her examples in working for the greater glory of God and for the salvation of His people. Through her efforts and works many people came to be touched by God’s love and truth, and became closer to God and His salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just heard from the Scriptures and see how we can live our lives each day with true dedication and commitment to the Lord, in our own unique ways and in the manner that God has entrusted to us, with our diverse and distinct gifts and all the opportunities that He has presented to us. Let us all serve Him joyfully like King David had done, and remember that in everything that we do in glorifying His Name, even the smallest and what seems to be insignificant, all of these truly matter to the Lord, Who knows everything that we do, even in secret, and He will bless us all even more abundantly, strengthening us to do His will and His works in our world today.

May the Lord continue to strengthen each and every one of us with the resolve to carry out living our lives with great faith and dedication, so that in every works and actions that we do, we will always be exemplary and inspirational, becoming good role models to everyone around us in faith and life. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, all the things that we do in our lives to glorify Him, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 27 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Mark 3 : 31-35

At that time, the mother and brothers of Jesus came. As they stood outside, they sent someone to call Him. The crowd sitting around Jesus told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are outside asking for You.” He replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?”

And looking around at those who sat there, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to Me.”

by

Tuesday, 27 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Psalm 23 : 7, 8, 9, 10

Lift up, o gateways, your lintels, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? YHVH, the Strong, the Mighty, YHVH, valiant in battle.

Lift up Your lintels, o gateways, open up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may enter!

Who is the King of glory? YHVH of Hosts, He is the King of glory!

by

Tuesday, 27 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

2 Samuel 6 : 12b-15, 17-19

King David went to bring up the Ark of God from the house of Obededom to the city of David, rejoicing. After those who carried the Ark of YHVH had walked six paces, they sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David whirled round dancing with all his heart before YHVH, wearing a linen ephod, for he and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of YHVH, shouting joyfully and sounding the horn.

They brought in the Ark of YHVH and laid it in its place, in the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt and peace offerings before YHVH. Once the offerings had been made, David blessed the people in the Name of YHVH of hosts, and distributed to each man and woman of the entire assembly of Israel, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat and a raisin cake. With this, all the people left for their homes.

by

Saturday, 27 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures that all of us must always put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times, and we should not allow the pressures, trials and temptations of this world from leading us astray into the path towards our damnation. As we heard in our Scripture readings today, it is easy for us to end up in the wrong path, and to be swayed by the various storms, trials and hardships of life, if we do not have that firm anchor of faith in the Lord, and if we do not centre and focus our lives upon Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel, of the time when King David of Israel, the legendary and great king of Israel who managed to win many victories for God’s people and make the kingdom truly prosperous, who was faithful to God, but in this case, he lapsed into the path of sin. Why was that so? That was because of his lust for the wife of his own army commander, Uriah, whose wife, Bathsheba, was truly beautiful and attractive. David saw Bathsheba and was tempted by the temptation of lust and worldly desires, and hence, he ended up plotting the death of Uriah by his machinations, and took Bathsheba as his own wife.

This was a truly wicked action on David’s part, and was a grievous sin against God. For in order to obtain for himself a beautiful woman as a wife, and despite the fact that this woman was already married, David caused the death of another person, and seized that woman for himself. Therefore, God punished David and told him of the consequences of his actions through the prophet Nathan, who guided David at that time. God chastised David for the wicked deeds he had done, reminding him that while he may be king, but it is not right for him to take what did not belong to him for himself as what he had done in taking Bathsheba as his own wife. David’s lust and desire for the beauty of Bathsheba became the source of his undoing.

But David was repentant, and unlike Saul, his predecessor, who continued to disobey God and followed the whim of his own desires, David continued to follow the path of the Lord, and he genuinely repented and regretted his sinful ways, such as the one he experienced with Bathsheba. God forgave David and continued to bless and guide him as the King of Israel, and not only that, but one of David’s sons by Bathsheba, Solomon, was made the rightful heir and King after David, as a clear sign that God has forgiven David and blessed his reign and that of his house. This is in fact a good reminder that the Lord did not hate any one of us or despise us, but rather, what He despises is our disobedience, wickedness and sins. By his repentance and genuine regret of his sins, David had been redeemed and returned to the state of grace.

Meanwhile, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus miraculously calmed the storm and the waves before His disciples at the Lake of Galilee. At that time, He and His disciples were travelling on a boat at the lake, and they were all struck by a great storm that threatened to sink the whole boat. The disciples panicked and were frightened, and the Lord chided them for their lack of faith and trust in Him, before proceeding to calm the storm and the waves by the mere power of His words. Through this occasion, the Lord showed that He is truly the Lord and Master of all things, and all of us should put our faith and trust in Him, and not to be swayed and misled by the temptations of the world and by our other worldly attachments just as King David had done.

The boat was a representation of the Church of God and the disciples represented all of us as Christians. Those waves, wind and storms represented the challenges, trials, difficulties that we may face as Christians amidst our lives because of the oppositions and persecutions against our beliefs and faith in God. Yet, as we all heard, the Lord calmed the storm before all of them, and saved them from their predicament, reminding us that in the Lord, we do not have to be worried, as in the end, no matter what happens, we shall be triumphant together with God. The disciples had the choice to jump from the boat, and tried to save themselves, but if they had done so, they would have perished in the storm. Like how David trusted in his own instincts and thoughts, and ended up committing great sin against God. This is why, we are all reminded to stay faithful to the Lord at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Angela Merici, a renowned holy virgin who founded the Order of Saint Ursula, also known as the Ursulines, that are well-known for their contributions to Christian education and upbringing of youths. St. Angela Merici were orphaned at a young age, and she also lost her sister shortly afterwards. It was told that she saw a vision that her sister was in Heaven, in the company of the saints and Angels, when she was sorrowful that her sister passed away before receiving the last rites. She devoted herself to the Lord wholeheartedly henceforth, and despite her great beauty and renown, she committed herself in holy virginity and sanctity for the rest of her life, inspiring many others to follow in her footsteps and examples.

Many followed her and embraced their calling to serve those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, and through the Company of St. Ursula mentioned earlier, reached out to many young girls, and helped them to grow up in faith and wisdom in the world. St. Angela Merici taught her companions and fellow collaborators to commit themselves wholeheartedly to God, to do what God has called them to do, and despite having not taken the religious vow and habit, but each one of them placed their faith in God and let Him guide them all in their lives, that their actions and works might benefit many others, whose lives they had influenced and affected. The examples of St. Angela Merici and her companions, their faith and dedication should inspire us all as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best in each and every moments of our lives so that by our commitment and efforts, in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and to His salvation and grace. Let us all remind ourselves to place our focus ever more on Him, and resist the many temptations present all around us. Let us all not be easily swayed by the worldly pressures, coercions and temptations, and stay faithful to God at all times. May God bless us always, in each and every moments, now and forevermore. Amen.

by

Saturday, 27 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Mark 4 : 35-41

At that time, on that same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they left the crowd, and took Him along in the boat He had been sitting in, and other boats set out with Him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat, so that it was soon filled with water. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

They woke Him up, and said, “Master, do You not care if we drown?” And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind, and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

But they were terrified, and they said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

by

Saturday, 27 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Psalm 50 : 12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Give me again, the joy of Your salvation; and sustain me, with a willing spirit. Then I will show wrongdoers Your ways and sinners will return to You.

Deliver me, o God, from the guilt of blood; and of Your justice, I shall sing aloud. O YHVH, open my lips, and I will declare Your praise.

by

Saturday, 27 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

2 Samuel 12 : 1-7a, 10-17

So YHVH sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to the king and said to him, “There were two men in a city : one was rich; the other, poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb he had bought. He himself fed it and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and slept on his lap. It was like a daughter to him.”

“Now a traveller came to the rich man, but he would not take from his own flock or herd to prepare food for the traveller. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared that for his visitor.”

David was furious because of this man and told Nathan, “As YHVH lives, the man who has done this deserves death! He must return the lamb fourfold for acting like this and showing no compassion.” Nathan said to David, “You are this man! Now the sword will never be far from your family because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself.”

“Thus says YHVH : Your misfortune will rise from your own house! I will take your wives from you and give them to your neighbour who shall lie with them in broad daylight. What you did was done secretly, but what I do will be done before Israel in broad daylight.”

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against YHVH.” Nathan answered him, “YHVH has forgiven your sin; you shall not die. However, because you have dared to despise YHVH by doing such a thing, the child that is born of you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his home.

YHVH struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and the child became very ill. David entreated God for the child. He kept a strict fast and lay on the ground the whole night. The elders of his house asked him to rise from the ground but he refused. Nor did he join them to eat.

by

Friday, 27 January 2023 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded of the commitment, the hard work, efforts and the challenges that we all may face in the process of us walking faithfully in God’s path as Christians, as those who have chosen to listen the Lord’s call and follow Him. Each and every one of us are reminded that being Christians do not mean that we can be idle or ignorant of our calling in life, the mission that we have in our lives and works, in our everyday living that God has entrusted to us. All of us must be active in living our faith through our actions and works in life, and we cannot be idle and remain aloof of what the Lord has told and taught us to do, in obeying His Law and commandments, and to be role models and inspirations for others.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard from the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews that the faithful people of God have to undergo hardships, challenges and trials in the midst of their lives and daily actions. They may have to encounter a lot of tribulations and obstacles as they continue to progress through life and as they encounter others. Yet, they must not allow themselves to be swayed by fear or insecurities, and they should not stop being faithful simply because they were afraid of being rejected and cast aside by the world, or by their communities, and even by their own families and friends. In the past, all these had happened to the faithful people of God throughout history, how the Church and many Christians were persecuted for their faith, and many were martyred for their continued obedience to God.

Yet all that did not dampen the passion and desire of many among the faithful in following God and devoting themselves to Him. They endured a lot of hardships, opposition to their faith and way of life. Many of them remained firm in their commitment to God and chose to suffer and even die rather than to abandon their faith and betray the Lord. Some among them faltered and gave up their faith because of the intense persecutions, and yet even some among those returned back to the faith and were martyred afterwards as well. The Lord has shown them His love and guidance, gave them all His strength and providence, not letting their enemies to have their ways with them. Although they might have to suffer and endure many hardships, but they knew that the Lord was with them and they remained steadfast henceforth in refusing the pressures and demands from the world.

They helped and supported each other in times of distress and persecution, with many risking their lives in order to help and support their fellow Christian brethren. This happened to both the ordained and the laity alike, as we may remember many tales and stories of how many great Popes, bishops and priests dedicated their lives to serve their flock, the people of God entrusted to them, and how they were persecuted and martyred for their faith, and their dedication and courage to the very end became great source of inspiration to other fellow Christians throughout history. Many among the laity themselves were also doing the same thing, risking their lives and placing a lot of effort and good works in contributing to the good works and missions of the Church. Their dedication and great examples were also great sources of inspiration themselves.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples using a parable regarding the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. He was teaching to them and revealing to them how the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven is really like. He compared the Kingdom to a man scattering seeds upon the soil and allowing them to grow well, nurturing them and taking care of them well, and also brought up the example of the mustard seed, which was a truly very small seed barely visible to our eyes, and yet, once grown, the mustard tree is among the largest garden trees around, a truly magnificent and huge increase in size and scale as compared to the humble seed that it was growing from. Through these examples, the Lord wanted each and every one of His disciples and followers to understand what we all need to do to be His disciples in this world.

Linking to what we have discussed through the first reading today, the persecutions and hardships that the faithful are expected to encounter in their lives are just like the challenges faced by farmers in growing their seeds and crops. There are a lot of challenges faced by the growing plant as they germinate and then grow into adult, mature and healthy plants. There are important conditions that the seeds and then later the young plant require in order for them to grow, such as adequate sunlight, availability of water and nutrients, the right temperature and other conditions. By using the parable, the Lord was actually linking to the examples that many among His disciples would be familiar with, as many among them would have been either directly or indirectly connected to the world of agriculture in their daily lives.

Like those seeds and plants, our faith in the Lord need specific conditions in order to grow well, and at the same time, we are likely going to encounter challenges and difficulties as well. But if we continue to be patient and continue to nurture our faith in the Lord, building up our relationship with Him and getting closer to Him, then surely we will grow ever more in faith and we will become ever more faithful and dedicated as Christians. Persevering in faith and enduring many hardships and challenges are never easy, but as long as we remain firm in our faith, and as long as we do our best to follow the Lord and His path, and encourage one another to remain firm in faith, then surely the path forward for us will be clear and straight towards God and His grace.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we can also follow the examples of our holy predecessor, namely St. Angela Merici, a great saint and holy woman of God, whose life and dedication to God can become a great source of inspiration for us. She was renowned for her great faith and dedication to God, as well as great piety and holy life, having devoted herself thoroughly to God and committing herself to a life of prayer and service to the Lord and His people. She founded the Company of St. Ursula and eventually many young women joined her ideals in developing a thorough Catholic and good education for young girls in particular, reaching out to the many out there who were less privileged and lacking access to basic rights and education among other things.

May the Lord continue to guide us that we may persevere faithfully in our faith, and may He empower each one of us to live ever more worthily of Him in our every moments and in every days of our life. May He bless our every good works and efforts, and may He grant us His grace in all things, in all that we do and act at every moment. Amen.

by

Friday, 27 January 2023 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Mark 4 : 26-34

At that time, Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God it is like this : a man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The soil produces of itself : first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting : the time for the harvest has come.”

Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden, and even grows branches so big, that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”

Jesus used many such stories, in order to proclaim the word to them in a way that they would be able to understand. He would not teach them without parables; but privately to His disciples He explained everything.