Feast of St. Patrick

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Tuesday, 17 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today’s Scripture readings are important reminders for all of us that we should continue to trust in God’s power of healing and restoration for each and every one of us, that no matter how long we have to struggle, endure challenges and wait, and no matter how tough our situations and our trials may be for us, but in the end, if we trust in the Lord, everything will ultimately be fine for us, and we will be vindicated, liberated, strengthened and encouraged throughout whatever challenges, hardships and trials that we may be facing in our journey of life. We should continue to keep this in mind and never lose our hope, continuing to go forth confidently with God as our guide.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which we heard the vision of Ezekiel of the heavenly Temple of God, where the Lord’s Presence resided, and how from this grand and wonderful Temple, a great stream of lifegiving water was seen and coming forth, flooding out of the Temple into a great stream of lifegiving water, which brought forth many trees with bountiful fruits. In that great vision is an important reminder for all of us that with God lies the wonderful hope of renewal and restoration, because God indeed is the Lord and Master of life, and the One in Whom we can find true joy and hope that sustains us through even through the most difficult moments.

That is why through what we have heard from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, we are reminded that no matter how bleak our situation in this world may be, we must never lose hope and we must always remain positive no matter what, and we have to put our trust in God because it is in Him alone that we can find true satisfaction, joy and fulfilment. We should seek the Lord from Whom we can receive the assurance of eternal life and contentment, because in the Lord there is the Spring of lifegiving water, which fills us all up and nourishes us, strengthening and empowering us all through the most difficult challenges and moments in life.

Now, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the miraculous healing of a paralysed man who was lying for many years, a total of thirty-eight years at the Pool of Bethzatha around Jerusalem. In that occasion, the poor man had been waiting for so many years without end, in trying to get the miraculous healing associated with that Pool, as according to what we heard, an Angel of God would descend periodically on the water of the Pool, and the moment that happened, the first person to come into the water would be miraculously healed. Unfortunately, as we heard, no one was willing to help the paralysed man to get into the pool.

And that was how he was lying there for so many years without any progress, until the day when the Lord Jesus Himself came to the Pool and saw the paralysed man, knowing that this man had been suffering for so many years without any hope of healing and redemption, and that was why, He offered to him the healing that he had been long waiting for, and by the man’s faith, he was hence healed and made whole again to the astonishment of everyone who had known him being paralysed and lying at the pool for all of his life. This reminds us all that if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, ultimately, we will be vindicated, all of our hope and waiting will be worthwhile in the end, no matter how long our waiting may be. Trust in the Lord always and be faithful to Him, and believe always in His Providence.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of the renowned missionary and saint who is the patron of all the Irish people all around the world, namely St. Patrick, who is remembered for his great missionary works and zeal, in his efforts to bring the Christian faith to the land of Ireland among other things. St. Patrick was a well-known missionary of the faith, who was born in the area of Britain in the fifth century, and it was told that he was captured and enslaved by Irish pirates in his youth, before he managed to flee and eventually made his way back to his homeland, where he studied to become a missionary and a priest.

St. Patrick went to the mainland Europe and was then appointed as a priest and missionary by the Pope himself, as one of those whom the Church sent to bring forth the Good News of God to more and more people around the world, sent to the region of Ireland, and became the first bishop of the land, where there were still mainly pagan populations throughout the whole island. St. Patrick ministered faithfully and patiently to the people of Ireland, spending many years reaching out to them, to the kings, the nobles and the commoners alike, and managed to touch many hearts and many lives, convincing quite a lot of people to turn away from sins and their old idols, and became followers of Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all take the good examples of the life and the works of St. Patrick to inspire us in how we should live our own lives as Christians, loving God first and foremost, and dedicating ourselves to Him and His cause, and also loving one another in the same manner, remembering the patient love that both God and St. Patrick had shown to those who were beloved to them. Let us all ask the Lord for the strength and grace that we may follow Him with great faith and commitment, from now on, and walk always ever in His path, trusting that in Him there is healing and redemption from all of our afflictions and problems. May God continue to guide us and bless us in our journey of faith throughout this life. May God bless us always, in all of our good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 5 : 1-16

At that time, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, there is a pool (called Bethzatha in Hebrew) surrounded by five galleries. In these galleries lay a multitude of sick people : blind, lame and paralysed.

(All were waiting for the water to move, for at times an Angel of the Lord would descend into the pool and stir up the water; and the first person to enter the pool, after this movement of the water, would be healed of whatever disease that he had.)

There was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him, and because He knew how long this man had been lying there, He said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” And the sick man answered, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; so while I am still on my way, another steps down before me.”

Jesus then said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk!” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his mat and walked. Now that day happened to be the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had just been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and the Law does not allow you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The One Who healed me said to me, “Take up your mat and walk!”

They asked him, “Who is the One Who said to you : Take up your mat and walk?” But the sick man had no idea who it was Who had cured him, for Jesus had slipped away among the crowd that filled the place. Afterwards Jesus met him in the Temple court and told him, “Now you are well; do not sin again, lest something worse happen to you.”

And the man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had healed him. So the Jews persecuted Jesus because He performs healings like that on the Sabbath.

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Tuesday, 17 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 45 : 2-3, 5-6, 8-9ab

God is our strength and protection, an ever-present help in affliction. We will not fear, therefore, though the earth be shaken and the mountains plunge into the seas.

There is a river whose streams bring joy to the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, the city cannot quake, for God’s help is upon it at the break of day.

For with us is the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, our refuge. Come, see the works of the Lord – the marvellous things He has done in the world.

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Tuesday, 17 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 47 : 1-9, 12

The man brought me back to the entrance of the Temple and I saw water coming out from the threshold of the Temple and flowing eastwards. The Temple faced the east and the water flowed from the south side of the Temple, from the south side of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing the east and there I saw the stream coming from the south side.

The man had a measuring cord in his hand. As he went towards the east he measured off a thousand cubits and led me across the water which was up to my ankles. He measured off another thousand cubits and made me cross the water which came to my knees. He measured off another thousand cubits and we crossed the water which was up to my waist. When he had again measured a thousand cubits, I could not cross the torrent for it had swollen to a depth which was impossible to cross without swimming.

The man then said to me, “Son of man, did you see?” He led me on further and then brought me back to the bank of the river. There I saw a number of trees on both sides of the river. He said to me, “This water goes to the east, down to the Arabah, and when it flows into the sea of foul-smelling water, the water will become wholesome.”

“Wherever the river flows, swarms of creatures will live in it; fish will be plentiful and the sea water will become fresh. Wherever it flows, life will abound. Near the river on both banks there will be all kinds of fruit trees with foliage that will not wither and fruit that will never fail; each month they will bear a fresh crop because the water comes from the Temple. The fruit will be good to eat and the leaves will be used for healing.”

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Monday, 17 March 2025 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the great mercy which the Lord, our most loving God and Father has shown to each and every one of us, the compassion and love which He has given to us all as His beloved people. We are reminded especially during this time and season of Lent, we have been given the opportunity to turn away from our sins and wickedness, and we have been given the generous opportunity to return to our loving God and Father, embracing His compassion and kindness, in His desire to reconciled and reunited with all of us. God has been generous in His mercy, and today we are all reminded to be thankful and appreciative of what we have received from Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Daniel, we heard of the words of the prophet Daniel beseeching the Lord and asking Him to show mercy and compassion on His people, the Israelites and their descendants. They and their ancestors had rebelled and sinned against God, and therefore they had been cast out of the land that had been promised to them, the Land of Canaan, which their ancestors had dwelled in, but which by the time of Daniel, foreigners like the Assyrians and the Babylonians had conquered their kingdoms, destroyed their cities and exiled many among them to the distant lands, as Daniel himself had experienced and suffered. And in those distant lands, they had to bear the humiliation of their fate, the loss of their homeland, and the ignominy of their exile.

Daniel gathered the prayers and thoughts of the people of God, many of whom had repented from their sins in their time and period of exile from their homeland. He asked the Lord on their behalf, presenting their sorrow and repentance, their regret for all of their mistakes and sins in the past, seeking God to forgive them their sins so that they might once again be loved and blessed by Him, and be allowed to return to their homeland, after their punishment and sufferings had come to an eventual end. He showcased Israel’s regret for their many disobedience and sins, and this is showing us how our attitude should be like in how we live our lives especially during this penitential time and season of Lent. We should also seek God’s generous mercy and forgiveness, and commit ourselves to His path, from now on.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples, telling them clearly to be merciful in their actions just as God their loving Father has shown them lots of mercy and compassion. Just like in the prayer which the Lord Jesus Himself had taught them said, that, ‘Forgive us our trespasses just as we forgive those who have trespassed against us’. And this is an important reminder for us all that just as we seek to be forgiven from our many sins and mistakes, we too should be ready to forgive others around us, be it our own family members, relatives, colleagues and even strangers who have caused hurt to us, or those who have wronged and done mistake to us.

To forgive others is something that is not easily done, but we must still strive to do it nonetheless. And the best example we can follow is none other than the Lord Himself, our most loving and generous Father, Who has loved us all and desired to forgive us our sins should we come to Him with sincere repentance and desire to be forgiven from those sins. Not only that, but He has also given us all His own only Begotten Son to save us from our fated destruction, and through this same Son, Who was punished for our sins, He forgave us all the trespasses, mistakes and sins we have committed, just as His Son forgave those who have persecuted and condemned Him to death from His Cross, praying for them to the Father not to count their sins against them. This is an example of forgiveness and mercy that all of us as Christians ought to follow. 

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Patrick, a holy bishop and great servant of God, who is well-known as the missionary who brought the Christian faith to Ireland and established the foundation of the Church there in that island. He is well-celebrated especially amongst the members of the Irish diaspora, which is now spread all around the world. St. Patrick himself was born in the then late Roman Britain, and he was born to a Romano-British family, whose father was apparently a decurion, a rather important official in the Roman government. In his youth, it was reported that he was captured by Irish pirates who brought him to Ireland and enslaved him for a whole period of six years. Eventually he was able to escape from his captors and returned home, but his experiences in Ireland was truly a premonition of what he would do there in the future.

Eventually, St. Patrick continued his studies and was ordained as a deacon and then priest, and then sent as a missionary back to Ireland, acting on a vision that he has seen and received since the day of his captivity there. He was ordained as a bishop and became the one to lead the path for other missionaries to evangelise the land of Ireland. St. Patrick laboured patiently for many years among the many pagan peoples throughout Ireland, and while he had some successes in converting some of the local kings, lords and people, but there were lots of opposition that he had to endure throughout his ministry in Ireland. But slowly, through his patient teaching and genuine Christian love, virtues and righteousness, more and more people came to believe in God through him and that was the beginning of Christian Ireland.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed through our reflection on the Sacred Scripture passages and from the life and works of St. Patrick, we are reminded to be aware of our sinfulness and seek God for His forgiveness and mercy, for Him to heal us from our sins and corruptions, so that we may once again be worthy to come to His Holy Presence and embrace Him fully in His love. And we are also reminded that we have the calling and obligation to be missionary as what St. Patrick and our other holy predecessors had done in their respective lives and works. That is why all of us are called to remember today our faith in the Lord and the generous mercy that God has given and reassured us with. We should not take God’s love for granted any longer, but appreciate every opportunities that we have been given.

Let us all therefore continue to journey through this time and season of Lent with contrite heart, desiring to seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, and at the same time, showing mercy and love, compassion and kindness to those around us as well. May all of us be truly forgiven by God and be reconciled with Him through this great opportunity of this Lenten time and season. May God be with us always, and may He continue to bless us in our every efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 17 March 2025 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 6 : 36-38

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back.”

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Monday, 17 March 2025 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 78 : 8, 9, 11, 13

Do not remember against us the sins of our fathers. Let Your compassion hurry to us, for we have been brought very low.

Help us, God, our Saviour, for the glory of Your Name; forgive us for the sake of Your Name.

Listen to the groans of the prisoners; by the strength of Your arm, deliver those doomed to die.

Then we, Your people, the flock of Your pasture, will thank You forever. We will recount Your praise from generation to generation.

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Monday, 17 March 2025 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Daniel 9 : 4b-10

Lord God, great and to be feared, You keep Your covenant and love for those who love You and observe Your commandments. We have sinned, we have not been just, we have been rebels, and have turned away from Your commandments and laws. We have not listened to Your servants, the prophets, who spoke in Your Name to our kings, leaders, fathers and to all the people of the land.

Lord, justice is Yours, but ours is a face full of shame, as it is to this day – we, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the whole of Israel, near and far away, in all the lands where You have dispersed us because of the infidelity we have committed against You. Ours is the shame, o Lord for we, our kings, princes, fathers, have sinned against You.

We hope for pardon and mercy from the Lord, because we have rebelled against Him. We have not listened to the voice of YHVH, our God, or followed the laws which He has given us through His servants, the prophets.

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Friday, 17 March 2023 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the need for us to return to the Lord and to remember His love and mercy, particularly during this blessed penitential time and season of Lent, when we prepare ourselves for the upcoming celebration of Holy Week and Easter. We are all called to remember our responsibility and obligations as Christians, to be exemplary in our way of life and to obey the Law and commandments of God in all things. We are reminded to love God and our neighbours above all else, and even perhaps more than how we love ourselves. Definitely we should not allow our own selfishness and self-love to end up causing us to forget about our duties and responsibilities as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own.

In our first reading today we heard the words of the Lord made to His people through His prophet Hosea, calling on them to repent from their wicked and sinful ways, embracing His love and mercy, and returning to His loving grace and compassion. The prophet Hosea back then lived and ministered to the people of God during the final decades and years of the northern kingdom of Israel, which were made of much of the ten of the twelve tribes of the Israelites that broke off from the rule of the House of David. That northern kingdom had spent most of its history and time in rebellion and disobedience against God, as their kings did not obey God and His Law, refusing to follow His commandments and words, and as such led the people down the path of sin and evil. They had been misled by their own wicked desires and the inability to resist the temptations of the world.

That was why the Lord was angry at those people who had repeatedly rejected His kindness and love, hardened their hearts and minds and refused to listen to Him. Not only that, but they also even persecuted those prophets and messengers that God had sent into their midst to help and guide them down the right path. They had no regard for God and His truth, and preferred to live their lives in their own terms and ways. That led them further and further into the path of sin, and into their downfall. They were punished for their delinquence and stubbornness, and their enemies fell upon them one after another, as God pronounced His judgment over them, telling them how they would be scattered and having their homeland and kingdom destroyed by their own actions. But then, the Lord also told them that in the end, despite all that, God still loved them and cared for them.

God did not want them all to end up being cast out into the utter darkness and destruction, as after all, He loves each and every single one of us, without exception, even to the worst of sinners among us. However, what He truly despises is our many sins and wickedness, and our refusal to listen to His words and reminders, our stubbornness and arrogance among other things. Those are the things that have often led many among us to continue to walk down the path of rebellion and evil, and hence, He calls on every one of us through what we have heard from the prophet Hosea, to turn away from all sorts of wickedness and evils, all the things that can often lead us down the path of sin and destruction. He wants us all to remember His Law and commandments, which He has presented before us so that they may become our guide and help in our journey towards His salvation and grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the conversation between a teacher of the Law and the Lord Jesus in which the former asked the Lord what among the commandments of God is the most important commandment in the Law of God. Whether the intention was to test the Lord or out of pure curiosity is open to interpretation, but essentially, the Lord told the teacher of the Law that the whole entire Law of God, its commandments and precepts, all of them can be summarised completely into two main Law, that is to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and with all of our might, and to love our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow men and women, in the same manner as well. The whole entire Ten Commandments indeed describe these two Law perfectly, and also the many other commandments and precepts of God’s Law, as revealed through Moses and the prophets.

Unfortunately, as time went on, the knowledge and understanding of the Law of God, its true intention and purpose had become warped and altered, as the Law of God no longer became the means by which the people of God came to be closer to Him, and instead, the people became focused more on how the Law was to be practiced and enforced, the rituals and the practices, the details and the intricacies of those rites became paramount and more important than the meaning and the intention of the Law. This was why so many of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were criticised by the Lord for their irrational and particularly strict interpretation of the Law, which was also warped by the many additions and alterations done throughout the centuries which did not always remain faithful to the original intent and purpose of the Law as God taught and revealed it to His people.

The Law was meant to teach the people to remember God first and foremost in their lives, and to place Him as the main centre of attention and focus of their lives. It is a reminder that first of all, God loves us all, and He wants us all to be with Him, and to be with Him, Who is full of love, we too must be filled with the same kind of love, love that is unconditional and selfless, which brings us to love God Himself first, and then to show that same love to our fellow brothers and sisters, just as the Lord wanted us to do in our lives. Unfortunately, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees made the Law to be such an oppressive and rigid set of rules, that it even drove people away from the path of the Lord, as many found it hard to follow such a way, and many others still were even openly discriminated against by those same people whom the Lord had entrusted with the care of His Law, commandments, precepts and teachings.

That was why the Lord came into our midst to reveal before us the true intention of His actions, His Law and commandments, and remind us yet again of His desire to be reconciled with each and every one of us. As mentioned earlier, that while we may have indeed greatly sinned against God, but God wants us to seek Him and to be reconciled with Him, to be forgiven from our many faults and sins. He wants us to learn again how to love Him and how to love one another, distancing ourselves from the kind of selfishness and pride, the greed and jealousy, lust and all the attachments we had to worldly desires and things which often became great obstacles in our path towards Him and His salvation. That is why today we should remind ourselves that we should get rid from our midst all those things that kept us away from God, and follow the good examples of our holy predecessors, especially that of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland and a great saint, whose feast we celebrate today.

St. Patrick was a well-known missionary of the faith, who was born in the area of Britain in the fifth century, and it was told that he was captured and enslaved by Irish pirates in his youth, before he managed to flee and eventually made his way back to his homeland, where he studied to become a missionary and a priest. He went to the mainland Europe and was then appointed as a priest and missionary, sent to the region of Ireland, and became the first bishop of the land, where there were still mainly pagan populations throughout the whole island. St. Patrick ministered faithfully and patiently to the people of Ireland, spending many years reaching out to them, to the kings, the nobles and the commoners alike, and managed to touch many hearts and many lives, convincing quite a lot of people to turn away from sins and their old idols, and became followers of Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all take the good examples of the life and the works of St. Patrick to inspire us in how we should live our own lives as Christians, loving God first and foremost, and dedicating ourselves to Him and His cause, and also loving one another in the same manner, remembering the patient love that both God and St. Patrick had shown to those who were beloved to them. Let us all ask the Lord for the strength and grace that we may follow Him with great faith and commitment, from now on, and walk always ever in His path. May God continue to guide us and bless us in our journey of faith throughout this life. May God bless us always, in all of our good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Friday, 17 March 2023 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Patrick, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Mark 12 : 28b-34

At that time, a teacher of the Law came up and asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus answered, “The first is : Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes a second commandment : You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”

The teacher of the Law said to Him, “Well spoken, Master; You are right when You say that He is one, and there is no other besides Him. To love Him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”

Jesus approved of this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.