Feast of St. Justin

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Monday, 1 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that we should always be vigilant in living our lives, in striving to be always living with virtue, temperance and moderation, in following what the Lord Himself had taught us to do, and in resisting the many pressures, temptations and many other worldly desires, ambitions and all the things that can leaf us astray in our respective paths towards the Lord. As Christians, all of us are reminded that we should always do our best in showing good examples of our actions, words and deeds, rooted firmly in our faith in God so that by our each and every one of them, we may inspire many more people to follow God and to know Him through us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Peter the Apostle in which the Apostle spoke about the fact of how the faithful people of God, those to whom the Apostles and the missionaries had proclaimed and introduced the salvation in Jesus Christ, the Lord and Saviour, had received the revelation of God’s love and truth, as well as the guidance and wisdom through the gift of the Holy Spirit that had been imparted to them at their baptism, so that each and every one of them might indeed know how they all ought to live their lives according to the way and manner that God Himself has shown and taught them, and inspired them all through the Holy Spirit. And each one of them were indeed called to put their trust and faith in God, and to live virtuously.

Therefore St. Peter encouraged the faithful in the various communities that he addressed this letter and epistle to, in order to encourage and strengthen their faith, to be willing to walk ever more courageously in the path that the Lord had led them through. There would indeed be plenty of trials and challenges, hardships and difficulties in their paths, but they need to continue to uphold their beliefs and what they had been called to do, to be truly righteous, virtuous and just in everything that they do, in doing what is right for them as the people of God. And this is therefore a reminder to all of us as well so that we may also do our best in living our lives in this way so that we may touch the hearts and the lives of others around us, by our faith and our dedication to God, and by the love we show to those whom we love and care for.pe

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples with the parable of the wicked and evil tenants, in which story was highlighted how the tenants who were entrusted with the care of the lands and fields that the landowner had put in their care and responsibilities, acted up against him and refused to fulfil their part of the obligation, refusing to pay their fees and dues unlike what they had already agreed and likely had signed contracts on as part of their tenancy agreement. It was likely implied that their greed, ambition and desires had led them to commit such heinous and wicked actions as described in that parable.

We heard how they refused to listen to the servants sent to them to remind them, persecuting, attacking and even murdering them. And it culminated in them committing an even greater error in attacking and murdering the son of the landowner whom the latter had sent to them, thinking that they would at least respect and listen to his son. If we carefully look through the parable again, we can see how the Lord Jesus used this parable to highlight what had happened and how the people of God themselves had treated the prophets and messengers that God had sent to them to remind them, represented by those servants, while also predicting at the same time how they would treat the Son of God, referring to Himself, in how they would persecute Him and crush Him with sufferings and death.

Through what we have heard in today’s passage from this parable of the evil and wicked tenant, we are reminded that it is also by our own wickedness and evils, our attachments to worldly ambitions, greed and desires that we have behaved like those evil and wicked tenants. And yet, God still sent to us, again and again so many help and reminders, despite our rejections and attitudes in refusing to listen to Him. God’s love for us is truly unconditional, especially in how He has loved us all and gave us all the best and ultimate gift in His own Son, Whom He had given us all to be our Saviour. Through His wounds, all the hurts and sufferings that He had endured, Christ our Lord and Saviour had brought us all the assurance of eternal life and salvation, opening the path to Heaven itself.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Justin, a great saint and man of God and a holy martyr of the Church and the Christian faith. St. Justin is a great example for all of us in how he completely dedicated his life to the service of God and in his persistence in enduring all the challenges and persecutions he faced, even right up to the moment of his martyrdom, always full of faith and commitment to God. St. Justin was a Greek man who converted to the Christian faith when he encountered an old man, who was likely a Syrian Christian by the seashore, and engaged with him in a dialogue about God, convincing him that the faith in God, His prophets and messengers are far better and superior than engaging in the wisdom and debates of the philosophers, as St. Justin was searching for the meaning of life and truth back then.

Afterwards, St. Justin dedicated himself wholly to the pursuit of the Good News, convinced fully of the message of the truth which Christ Our Lord has brought unto us, and which the Lord has revealed to us with His coming, and through the Holy Spirit that has been sent unto us all. St. Justin proclaimed the Lord henceforth, all of His truth and Good News, and began teaching as a Christian philosopher, gathering quite a number of people who were convinced by what he has been preaching about the Lord, with great wisdom and zeal. St. Justin and some of his students, according to Church traditions, were persecuted and martyred by the Roman authorities during one of the episodes of the persecution of Christians. He remained firm and resolute in his faith right up to the very end, inspiring countless generations of Christians afterwards.

May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us to live ever more graciously and with greater commitment in His Presence, according to His will, and be inspired by the great examples of our holy predecessors, His great servants, like St. Justin and many others. May He help us to overcome the temptations of worldly greed, ambitions and desires, and help us to follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully at all times, in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, at all times. May He bless our works and efforts, and all of our endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 1 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 12 : 1-12

At that time, using parables, Jesus went on to say, “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watch tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad. In due time he sent a servant to receive from the tenants his share of the fruit. But they seized the servant, struck him and sent him back empty-handed.”

“Again the man sent another servant. They also struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another and they killed him. In the same way they treated many others : some they beat up and others they killed. One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last of all, he sent him to the tenants, for he said, “They will respect my son.”

“But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him and the property will be ours.’ So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Now what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

And Jesus added, “Have you not read this text of the Scriptures : The stone which the builders rejected has become the keystone; this is the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it?”

They wanted to arrest Him, for they realised that Jesus meant this parable for them, but they were afraid of the crowd; so they left Him and went away.

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Monday, 1 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 90 : 1-2, 14-15ab, 15c-16

You, who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who rest in the shadow of the Almighty, say to YHVH, “My Stronghold, my Refuge, my God in Whom I trust!”

“Because they cling to Me, I will rescue them,” says YHVH. “I will protect those who know My Name. When they call to Me, I will answer; in time of trouble, I will be with them.

“I will deliver and honour them. I will satisfy them with long life; and show them My salvation.”

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Monday, 1 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Peter 1 : 2-7

May grace and peace abound in you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus, Our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety. First, the knowledge of the One Who called us through His own glory and Might, by which we were given the most extraordinary and precious promises. Through them, you share in the divine nature, after repelling the corruption and evil desires of this world.

So, strive with the greatest determination, and increase your faith, with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with moderation, moderation with constancy, constancy with piety, piety with mutual affection, mutual affection with charity.

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the readings from the Sacred Scriptures remind us that all of us are Christians must always be firmly established in our faith in God, as we are called to live a most worthy and wholesome life, in each and every moments of our lives, as God’s disciples and followers. As those who believe in the Lord, we are all expected to put our trust and faith in Him, and strive to do whatever we can so that by our exemplary commitments and devotion to God, we may always continue to do His will and to carry out whatever missions that He has entrusted to us even amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our lives and in our journey as faithful Christians, that is as holy and beloved people of God.

In our first reading today, we listened from the Epistle of St. Jude in which St. Jude the Apostle exhorted all the faithful people of God to live worthily and truly obedient to God’s will and Law, walking in the path which He has shown and taught us to do. St. Jude also spoke of the need for all the faithful to build their lives upon the foundation of God, and to do all of their actions and to base their whole lives upon the compassion and love of God, to show love in their whole lives so that by their every words, actions and deeds, they may indeed show that they truly belong to the Lord and are truly His disciples and followers in all things, not merely in words and formality only.

The Lord calls upon His disciples through this exhortation by St. Jude, including that of all of us that we must always strive to live our lives in the most Christ-like manner, in our desire to keep away from all sins and evils, from all the temptations of worldly pleasures and all the other things that often misled many people to their downfall and destruction. Each and every one of us are reminded that we must indeed be holy just like our Lord is all holy and perfect, or else we are hypocrites and we may sully and slander the goodness and holiness of His Name and Presence. Many people have been scandalised and put off from embracing the Christian faith precisely because of the wicked attitudes and behaviours of some of our fellow Christians, if not we ourselves.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark where the Lord Jesus was faced with disapproval and questioning from the chief priests who questioned Him and interrogated Him about His activities and works, which they disapproved of and refused to accept and embrace. They also did the same with St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Lord, the one who went before Him to prepare His way. The chief priests and the Pharisees also went to St. John the Baptist, questioning him of his authenticity and the authority behind which he had performed all of his works and conducted all of his teachings and ministry. All these were because what the Lord and St. John the Baptist had done were not in accordance with what the chief priests had upheld and preferred.

This was where the Lord pointed out firmly to those chief priests that whatever He and St. John the Baptist had done were indeed sanctioned by God, and were Divine in origin. He challenged those chief priests and Pharisees to answer if the works and actions of St. John the Baptist, who was also highly esteemed like the Lord among the Jewish community, whether his works were human or Divine in origin. Those chief priests and those who opposed the Lord could not answer that challenge because they were afraid of the crowd and the people, and it showed just how shallow their accusations and oppositions against the Lord were. They opposed the Lord and His disciples and servants because they thought that they were better and more worthy, as the bearers and keepers of the Law, looking down on those who did not follow their path.

But this is also an important reminder for all of us that just as the Lord Himself has faced a lot of hardships and opposition in His work and ministry, therefore we can expect to face similar hardships and opposition as well. We must also remember how those chief priests were swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and power, by their jealousy against the Lord and St. John the Baptist, seeing how many of the people chose to flock to the two of them rather than following the path of the chief priests and the Pharisees. They opposed the Lord and His servants because they feared losing their prestige, influence and privileges in the community, and this led them to disobey and sin against God. This is what we must be vigilant against, and we must not allow ourselves to be swayed in the same manner.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Justin, also known St. Justin Martyr, who was one of the early Church fathers and one of the Christian martyrs, whose faith and dedication to the Lord has been very inspiring to many people throughout time and history. St. Justin was born into a Greek family at the region of Samaria in the Holy Land according to Apostolic and Church tradition, and he was likely a convert to the Christian faith as his family had a pagan background and history. It was told that an old Syrian Christian whom he encountered on a seashore and the dialogues that St. Justin had with the old man convinced him to believe in God, having heard of the truth and the glory of God that the old Christian man spoke with great zeal and fervour, and thus that was how St. Justin became a Christian.

St. Justin was then involved in extensive missionary activities, going to various places to proclaim the Lord and His truth, His Good News and salvation, and as a renowned philosopher in his own right, he would also establish his own philosophy school in Rome, where according to the Church traditions, he was involved in debates and disputations with the local pagan philosophers, one of whom denounced him to the Roman authorities. Thus, that was how St. Justin ended up being arrested, made to endure sufferings and eventually was martyred for his faith in the Lord. But to the very end, St. Justin remained firmly faithful to the Lord, and just as his whole life had been, St. Justin committed himself thoroughly to the Lord, and through his many works, writings and his own martyrdom, he inspired countless Christians who were his contemporaries, and those who came after him, even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the great example and faith showed to us by St. Justin Martyr, let us all reflect upon our own lives and actions. Let us all look at how we have lived our lives as Christians, as God’s beloved and holy people. Have we truly dedicated and committed ourselves to the Lord, following Him with all our heart and with all our might? Or have we instead been idle and ignorant of our calling and the various missions which the Lord had entrusted to us? All of us are reminded today through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures and through the life and example of St. Justin Martyr that we must always have a genuine, living and active faith in the Lord, and we must always be ready to commit ourselves to Him, and be prepared for the challenges and sufferings that we may have to endure in the midst of our lives and journey in faith.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, and may He empower us all to be His ever faithful and worthy followers, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always do our very best to live our lives as good and worthy Christians, persevering amidst the many challenges and difficulties that we may have to face in our daily lives and journey as the faithful people of God. Let us all continue to go forth with faith and conviction, with the strength and guidance of God to guide our path. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 11 : 27-33

At that time, Jesus and His disciples were once again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders came to Him, and asked, “What authority do You have to act like this? Who gave You authority to do the things You do.”

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you a question, only one, and if you give me an answer, then I will tell you what authority I have to act like this. Was John’s preaching and baptism a work of God, or was it merely something human? Answer Me.”

And they kept arguing among themselves, “If we answer that it was a work of God, He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’” But neither could they answer before the people that the baptism of John was merely something human, for everyone regarded John as a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you what authority I have to act as I do.”

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 62 : 2abc, 2d-4, 5-6, 8-9

O God, You are my God, it is You I seek; for You my body longs and my soul thirsts.

As a dry and weary land without water. Thus have I gazed upon You in the Sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

I will praise You as long as I live, lift up my hands and call on Your Name. As with the richest food, my soul will feast; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

For You have been my help; I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Jude 17 : 20b-25

But, most beloved, remember what the Apostles of Christ Jesus, Our Lord, announced to you. Build your life on the foundation of your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Remain firm, in the love of God, welcoming the mercy of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, which leads to eternal life.

Try to convince those who doubt; others you will save, snatching them from condemnation. Treat the others with compassion, but also with prudence, shunning even the clothes that touched their body. To the one God, Who is able to keep you from all sin, and bring you, happy and without blemish before His own glory, to the one God, Who saves us, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, to Him be glory, honour, might and power, from past ages, now and forever. Amen.

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Thursday, 1 June 2023 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are called to remember the Lord and everything that He has done for our sake, that despite all which we have done to spite and anger Him, because of our disobedience, stubbornness and sins, but God still loves us all and still patiently called on all of us to follow Him, and to turn away from all those evils and wickedness, so that we may be renewed and reconciled with Him, and no longer separated from Him due to our sins and evils. That is why today all of us are reminded again to put our trust in the Lord and believe in Him as in Him alone we shall have true satisfaction and joy, and He will provide for us what we need in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Sirach in which the prophet Sirach mentioned of the great works of the Lord which were truly wonderful, and everything happened in this universe precisely because the Lord has willed it all to be. Nothing happened without the Lord’s approval and without being aligned to His will. He knows all that we need and He will always be by our side, providing for us and guiding us through the path that we are walking through in this life. He leads us down the right path, and whenever we err and disobey Him, choosing to walk our own path and end up in misfortune and sufferings, He chastises and disciplines us, but He does so not out of Him despising us, rather from a sincere desire to help us and to lead us back to Himself. He never despised us but rather He despised the sins which we have committed.

And all of us have to realise that it is through God and with God alone that we can fully and completely overcome the many allures and temptations of sin, and all the things that have kept us enslaved to the power of sin, evil and death, just as what we have heard in our Gospel passage today have reminded us yet again about this fact. There we heard of the Lord Jesus healing the sight of a blind man named Bartimaeus, who begged Him to heal his sight, calling upon Him, ‘Son of David, Jesus, have mercy upon me!’ again and again. Through that act, the blind man Bartimaeus has shown that his faith and trust in the Lord was truly great, and endured even amidst all the ridicule he was facing and the efforts by those who tried to silence him and stop him from seeking help from the Lord. He kept on trying regardless, and kept on seeking the Lord.

It was this great faith which moved the Lord to act on Bartimaeus, healing him from his blindness and ailment, allowing him to finally see again, and to be whole again. By the grace and love of God, and by His will, Bartimaeus was able to see, and this was something that was considered impossible, and even in our modern day, with all the technological advances in medicine and other things, there are many things that are impossible for us to do, without God’s will and guidance. By faith, Bartimaeus and many others have been touched and healed by the Lord Himself, and also through His Apostles and successors, throughout the history of the Church. This reminds us all that as long as we entrust ourselves in the Lord and in His Providence, we shall never be disappointed, and we shall always be blessed and strengthened by His love and grace.

Now, all of us should be inspired by the examples of faith shown by Bartimaeus, and heed the reminders told unto us by the prophet Sirach, so that we may continue to uphold the faith we ought to have in the Lord Jesus Christ, in His love and power to heal us and to save us. Each and every one of us as Christians are all called to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and to be filled with faith and devotion to Him. We should love Him wholeheartedly and continue to walk in His path, following what He has guided us into, and be encouraged and reassured that He will always be by our side, guiding and empowering us throughout the way. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, and unless we ourselves have consistently and repeatedly rejected Him and His love, all these are always available to us right up to the end of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Justin, a great saint and man of God and a holy martyr of the Church and the Christian faith. St. Justin is a great example for all of us in how he completely dedicated his life to the service of God and in his persistence in enduring all the challenges and persecutions he faced, even right up to the moment of his martyrdom, always full of faith and commitment to God. St. Justin was a Greek man who converted to the Christian faith when he encountered an old man, who was likely a Syrian Christian by the seashore, and engaged with him in a dialogue about God, convincing him that the faith in God, His prophets and messengers are far better and superior than engaging in the wisdom and debates of the philosophers, as St. Justin was searching for the meaning of life and truth back then.

Afterwards, St. Justin dedicated himself wholly to the pursuit of the Good News, convinced fully of the message of the truth which Christ Our Lord has brought unto us, and which the Lord has revealed to us with His coming, and through the Holy Spirit that has been sent unto us all. St. Justin proclaimed the Lord henceforth, all of His truth and Good News, and began teaching as a Christian philosopher, gathering quite a number of people who were convinced by what he has been preaching about the Lord, with great wisdom and zeal. St. Justin and some of his students, according to Church traditions, were persecuted and martyred by the Roman authorities during one of the episodes of the persecution of Christians. He remained firm and resolute in his faith right up to the very end, inspiring countless generations of Christians afterwards.

May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us to live ever more graciously and with greater commitment in His Presence, according to His will, and be inspired by the great examples of our holy predecessors, His great servants, like St. Justin and many others. May He bless our works and efforts, and all of our endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 1 June 2023 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 10 : 46-52

At that time, Jesus and His disciples came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by, he began to call out, “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!”

Many people scolded him and told him to keep quiet, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying, “Take heart! Get up, He is calling you!” He immediately threw aside his cloak, jumped up and went to Jesus.

Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Master, let me see again!” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way, your faith has made you well.” And, immediately, he could see, and he followed Jesus along the road.