Franciscan saints

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, listening to the words of God, all of us are called to listen to the Lord calling on each one of us to follow and obey Him, to do His will and to embrace His calling and also the mission He has entrusted to us. Each one of us as Christians have been given the opportunities as well as the responsibilities to be examples for one another, to lead more and more people towards God and His truth, and to bring ourselves ever closer to Him and His salvation. All of us should also humble ourselves and be willing to embrace God wholeheartedly, and be willing to walk with Him, letting Him to guide us in our journey in this life and in this world.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which God spoke to Ezekiel regarding what He was sending him to do among the Israelites in exile in the land of Babylon. The Lord gave Ezekiel a scroll in the vision, and the prophet ate it, symbolising his willingness to walk in the path of God, and how he was willing to let God guide him in what he was called to do. As God’s prophet, Ezekiel would go on to do great deeds among the people, and he continued to labour hard among the Israelites in exile, calling on them to abandon their sinful way of life, which had led to their downfall in the first place bringing them away from God and His grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples, telling them that unless they become like little children, with regards to their faith, they cannot truly enter into the kingdom of Heaven, and they will not be able to truly appreciate what it really means to be a disciple of the Lord. And He calls on them to welcome young children, as otherwise, if they do not do so, then they are not welcoming Him into their presence either. Through this, the Lord wanted to highlight that in order for Him to lead us down the right path, often we need to open our hearts and minds, to be humble and to be willing to let God guide us in our path. Pride on the other hand can lead us astray from God and cause us to stumble because we think that we are better and no one can correct us in our errors.

That is because for us to be welcoming to children in our midst, we have to first learn to listen and to communicate, understanding them and their needs. Otherwise, we will find that it is very difficult for us to engage with the children meaningfully and successfully. One must be humble and be willing to communicate sincerely, and not to impose a judgmental and superior attitude vis-a-vis the children, which in fact is one of the reasons why people fail to connect with the younger generation. Many of us are often burdened with the burden of pride and arrogance, thinking that we know it better and hence, we cannot engage in truly meaningful interaction and conversation with others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through today’s readings, all of us are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us are called to be witnesses of our Lord’s salvation, His truth and Good News. All of us ought to do our very best in whatever capacity and opportunities that we are in, so that we may help to lead others to God and so that they may find their way back to Him. In the same Gospel passage, the Lord also mentioned how He loves us all and how He would go all the way to rescue His lost sheep, through His story of a shepherd who had one lost sheep among the flock of his hundred sheep.

Just as the shepherd went out all his way just to find that lost sheep, so the Lord Himself has also done the same for our sake, reaching out to us and calling on us to return to Him. He patiently called on us, waited for us to change our hearts and minds, giving reminders after reminders, and assistance along the way so that we may find our way to Him. All of us who have known the Lord and received the promise of His salvation therefore are called to be the witnesses of this truth and promise, and do our very best to evangelise and to do what we can in glorifying God by our lives, and by living a humble, virtuous and good Christian way of life.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Clare, also known as St. Clare of Assisi, a contemporary and follower of St. Francis of Assisi, another renowned holy man of God. St. Clare was a native of Assisi who was inspired by her family devout practices and commitment to God, which made St. Clare and her siblings to be deeply committed to God from their early youth. St. Clare refused to marry a young man proposed by her family later on, and chose to commit herself wholly to God by joining the life and mission of St. Francis of Assisi, gathering other like-minded individuals, which later on became known as the Order of Poor Ladies, gathering all the women who were interested in the charism and living of the Franciscans instituted by St. Francis of Assisi, with St. Clare herself as the founder.

St. Clare herself lived in a convent of Benedictine nuns for a while, living a prayerful and devout life, and eventually went on to live together with her order of religious sisters, the Order of Poor Ladies or the Order of the Poor Ladies of San Damiano, where she eventually became the Abbess of the community of the San Damiano sisters. She remained in her ascetic and holy lifestyle, caring for the needs of those in her community and lovingly reached out to those who were in need in the society. In a well-known and documented miracle later on in her life, St. Clare was renowned for her miraculous defence of her convent from the rampaging attacks of the armies of the Holy Roman Emperor that were then attacking the region where her convent was located at. St. Clare remained steadfast and trusting in the Lord despite the approaching soldiers, and entrusted herself wholly to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, as she hoisted up the monstrance which miraculously shone with great and blinding light that terrified the attacking enemies, who thereafter left the convent and the town undisturbed.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to the Lord in the manner that our holy predecessors had done, especially in the faith and dedication that St. Clare has shown us. Let us all remember the amazing love that God has for us, and the dedication that He has shown us, and which St. Clare and many other saints have reflected in their own lives and actions. May all of us be the shining beacons of the light of Christ’s salvation and the grace of God in our daily living, and may our lives truly reflect God’s light and truth, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 18 : 1-5, 10, 12-14

At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child, set the child in the midst of the disciples, and said, “I assure you, that, unless you change, and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble, like this child, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever receives such a child, in My Name, receives Me.”

“See that you do not despise any of these little ones; for I tell you, their Angels in heaven continually see the face of My heavenly Father. What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it, than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”

“It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.”

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 118 : 14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131

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

Your laws are my delight, my counsellors who uphold me.

Your law is more precious to me than heaps of silver and gold.

How sweet are Your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Your statutes are my heritage forever, they are the joy of my heart.

I gasp in ardent yearning for Your commandments that I love.

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Tuesday, 11 August 2026 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ezekiel 2 : 8 – Ezekiel 3 : 4

God said to Ezekiel, “Listen then, son of man, to what I say, and do not be a rebel among rebels. Open your mouth and take in what I am about to say.”

I looked and saw a hand stretched out in front of me holding a scroll. He unrolled it before me; on both sides were written lamentations, groaning and woes. He said to me, “Son of man, eat what is given to you. Eat this scroll and then go; speak to the people of Israel.”

I opened my mouth and He made me eat the scroll; and then He said to me, “Eat and fill yourself with this scroll that I am giving you.” I ate it; and it tasted as sweet as honey. He said, “Son of man, go to the Israelites; speak to them with My words.”

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Saturday, 4 October 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church reminds us through the message of the Sacred Scriptures that God is truly indeed loving, compassionate and generous in His love, in His mercy and kindness. God has always loved each and every one of us even when we have erred, wandered off and disobeyed Him, and He has always been patient in reaching out to us, in helping us all to find our way back to Him and to be reconciled with Him. He has always been patient and forgiving, kind and compassionate towards us, ever concerned about us and our well-being, and He certainly does not want any one of us to be lost to Him forever. And that is why God has always been active in giving us all His assurances, help and providence in our journey through various means possible.

In our first reading today, from the continuation of what we heard from the Book of the prophet Baruch in the previous day, while we heard of God’s words of warning and chastisement for His people in the kingdom of Judah for having disobeyed and disregarded His Law and commandments, today, in the passage that we heard, the Lord reassured His people, that while His chastisement and punishment indeed would come for the wickedness and evils which they had committed, but the Lord never truly abandoned those whom He loves dearly, and He would always be faithful to the Covenant which He had made with them and with their ancestors. God would always be with those who are precious to Him, and he will not abandon them in the manner that they had abandoned and betrayed Him.

This of course does not mean that God tolerates everything which His people had done, as wickedness and evils are still abhorrent to Him. But this means that God is so rich and generous in mercy and forgiveness, that He is always ready to give and show this mercy to any one of us whenever we come to Him seeking His forgiveness and grace. It is often us who are always dragging our feet in not being willing to seek God’s mercy and forgiveness, and it is usually us who have often delayed and took our time in embracing God and His kindness, mercy and compassion. Yet, no matter what, God will always love us, and as we heard from the prophet Baruch, He promised restoration and regeneration for the people who had been facing struggles, rejection, persecutions and humiliations, and they would blessed again as their faithful ancestors had been.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist where the Lord Jesus Himself gave His reassurance to His disciples, telling them all that they have all seen the salvation of God manifested clearly and perfectly in Him, in the Son of God manifested in the flesh as the Son of Man, the Saviour Himself, through Whom God would liberate all of His beloved people, His sons and daughters, from the tyranny and domination of sin and evil. God will not allow His beloved ones to stumble and to fall into eternal damnation by the designs of the evil one. He has planned it all from the very beginning and assured us all of His salvation, which He delivered to us through His Son, Who willingly bore for us all the combined weight of our sins and faults.

And it was by that act of supreme love, compassion and selflessness, that Christ our Lord and Saviour liberated us from the clutches of the evil one, from the domination of Satan and sin. The Lord Himself predicted the upcoming downfall of Satan, and while Satan’s might and forces indeed seemed to be vast and fearsome, but in the end, he would not be able to stand against God, and would eventually be defeated. And all those disciples and followers were truly fortunate that they lived to witness as everything unfolded, the perfect fulfilment of everything which God had promised and revealed to His people throughout history. Many people in the past, their ancestors and aothers longed and waited to see, witness and hear everything that the disciples of the Lord had heard, and never did.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the renowned St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, also best known as the Franciscans after their founder. St. Francis of Assisi was born as Giovannj di Pietro di Bernardone, as John, son of Peter Bernardone, a rich textile merchant in Medieval era of what is now Italy. He was given the finest education and preparation early on in his life as his father expected the young St. Francis to succeed him in his textile and merchant business. However, God had different plan for this young man, as the young St. Francis encountered the Lord through the poor and the needy, and while he was not lacking anything material, and living the high life of a rich young man, blessed in all worldly matters, but he was not satisfied and truly happy.

He began experiencing spiritual events and also conversion experience, and in one well-known occasion, the young St. Francis encountered the Lord at the ruined church of San Damiano, where he heard the Lord’s voice, telling him to repair His Church that is falling into ruins. St. Francis took it as the Lord asking him literally to restore the church at San Damiano that was in ruins where he was at, and he took some of his father’s textiles and merchandise, selling them to fund the restoration of the church. The priest in charge of the church refused the money as it was obtained from ill-gotten gains by stealing, which upset St. Francis, who threw the coins on the floor. And when St. Francis’ father found out about it and confronted him on several occasions, leading to a settlement before the Bishop of Assisi, St. Francis very publicly renounced both his father and his inheritance, symbolically stripping himself of all of his clothes which he returned to his father.

Thereafter, St. Francis of Assisi went to live with some others, begging for money and living a life of communal care, which eventually became the beginning of the Franciscan order. They lived a holy and pious life, ministering to the people around them, proclaiming God’s words through everyone, and not just through words, but even more importantly, through real and genuine actions. St. Francis inspired many others through his examples, and very soon his Franciscan order grew and gained the attention even from the local bishops and the Pope himself. Through all these works and many others I cannot mention, St. Francis of Assisi has indeed shown us what it truly means to be a committed Christian, to be truly focused on the Lord and wholeheartedly committed to Him, while resisting the temptations of worldly pleasures and vices. To the end of his life, St. Francis of Assisi continued to contribute to the good works and ministry of the Church, reaching out towards and touching the lives of many.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have reflected from the passages of our Sacred Scriptures today and also from the life and works of St. Francis of Assisi, let us all therefore continue to do our best in living our lives so that we may continue to walk ever more courageously in the path that St. Francis of Assisi and our many other holy predecessors had walked in. Let us all be good role models and examples for one another in our faith, in how we live our lives faithfully in each day and at every moments, so that our whole lives may be good examples for everyone around us and for those whom we encounter in life. May God bless us always and bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 4 October 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 10 : 17-24

At that time, the seventy-two disciples returned full of joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we called on Your Name.” Then Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice, rather, than your names are written in heaven.”

At that time, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will. I have been given all things by My Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said to them privately, “Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you, that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see, but did not see it; and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

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Saturday, 4 October 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 68 : 33-35, 36-37

Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and whatever moves in them.

For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. His people shall dwell in the land and possess it; the children of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.

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Saturday, 4 October 2025 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Baruch 4 : 5-12, 27-29

Take courage, my people, you who preserve the memory of Israel. You have been sold to the nations but not for your destruction; because you had aroused the anger of God, you were delivered to your enemies. For you displeased your Creator in sacrificing to demons and not to God. You have forgotten the Eternal God, the One Who nourished you.

You have filled Jerusalem with sadness, she who brought you up. For she saw the anger of God fall on you and she said, “Listen, you neighbouring cities of Zion, God has sent me a great sorrow. I have seen the captivity of my sons and daughters, which the Eternal One brought on them. I had nurtured them in joy; with tears and sadness I saw them leave. Let no one rejoice on seeing me a widow and abandoned by all. Because of the sins of my children I am now alone, because they have turned away from the Law of God.”

Take courage, my children, cry out to God, for He Who sent you into exile will remember you. Thus, as you distanced yourself from God, return to Him and seek Him ten times more earnestly. For He Who caused these evils to fall on you will bring you salvation and eternal joy.

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Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, that is as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us should always remember how beloved we have been by God at all times, and how He has given us all His providence and guidance, even through the most challenging and difficult moments, and if we are faithful to Him, in the end, God will lead us all into eternal and true happiness with Him, and we are all called to live our lives virtuously in the manner that all of us have been taught and shown by the Lord Himself through His Church. If we want to be true and genuine Christians, then we have to embody our faith and truly believe in Him wholeheartedly in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezra, we heard of the moment when the people of God, the descendants of the Israelites gathered together under the leadership of the prophet and priest Ezra himself, whom the King of Persia had sent to be the leader of the people of God, who had once again dwelled in the lands which God had promised and granted to their ancestors. They had managed to rebuild their destroyed city in Jerusalem and its Temple, the House of God which had once been built by King Solomon, and destroyed by the Babylonians. The priest Ezra led the people in the ceremony and celebrations held to mark its consecration and dedication to God.

It was a moment of great triumph and rejoicing, considering how the people of God, the Israelites and their descendants had been facing a lot of tough and difficult moments in the past few centuries prior, which happened mostly because of their own lack of faith in God and their inability to commit themselves to the One Who has always cared for them and loved them, and their own preoccupation with worldly ambitions and desires that had distracted and kept them away from the path towards righteousness and virtue in their one Lord and Master. They had been brought low and humbled, cast from their prideful thrones, and made to endure sufferings and humiliations, but God was always with them throughout their journey, even in their most challenging and difficult moments.

This is why we are reminded through this passage of the need for us to continue to have faith in the Lord even through the most difficult and darkest moments in life. We must remember that we are never alone, because no matter how fallen and far we may have been from Him, God has always had a way to reach out to us and to show us all His Providence, even in the most unexpected way and manner. We have to trust in Him that He knows the path for us going forward, so that we will not be easily distracted or made astray by the many pressures, difficulties, obstacles and temptations in our lives. We should always stand firm in our trust in the Lord because eventually even though we may have to suffer for a while, but eventually, we will be vindicated by our faith in God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard the very brief passage from the Gospel in which the Lord Jesus told those who were saying to Him that His mother and brothers were there looking for Him, that all those who obey the Lord and do His will were truly His brothers and His mother, this short passage is a reminder for all of us that each and every one of us are equally beloved by the Lord and we should always strive to do our best in following the Law and commandments of God, so that we will truly be worthy of being called to the Holy Presence of God, in accounting for our lives and actions before Him. We should always heed God’s call and make good use of all that He has provided to us.

And in highlighting His mother, it did not mean that the Lord Jesus was being disrespectful to her or to the relatives that had been there waiting for Him. In fact, the Lord was pointing indirectly at His own Beloved Mother, whose faith in God and dedication, all of her virtues and commitment are indeed great examples and inspirations for all of us as Christians, in how she has completely obeyed the Lord and trusted in Him, doing her very best to fulfil everything that God Himself has entrusted to her. That is why if we follow Mary’s good examples and faith, all of us can surely gain the inspiration and strength to live our own lives in the manner that is more appropriate, faithful and worthy of God, in showing love not only for the Lord, but also for our fellow brethren all around us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, also much more commonly and famously known as St. Padre Pio, a Capuchin Franciscan saint, a holy and truly pious priest and servant of God who had been known well for his many miracles and wonders. St. Padre Pio was remembered for his great piety and commitment to God, for his humble dedication to the Lord despite the many challenges that he had to face throughout his life and ministry. St. Padre Pio did not have it easy early on in life as he had been born to a family of poor farmers, and they had faced a lot of challenges, and yet, they were all very devout and committed to God, spending a lot of time in devotion and prayer to God despite all the hardships that they had to endure in their lives.

Amidst all that background, the young St. Padre Pio has begun to discern the calling to serve God and become a priest, and at the same time, he has also begun experiencing various heavenly visions and mystical experiences that he would go on to experience through the rest of his life. Eventually, St. Padre Pio joined the Capuchin religious order and dedicated himself to the order’s way of life, but even in that he also faced struggles and hurdles, as he was not properly educated, and needed to further his studies first before he was allowed to join the order. He faced several bouts of ill health and problems during his formation years, and this problem still plagued him even after he was ordained a priest, an experience which was worsened by his mystical experience of being a stigmatist later on in life, bearing the wounds of the Lord Himself on his body.

The appearance of the stigmatq gradually made St. Padre Pio to be very famous later on in his life, but for many years and decades, he encountered a lot of doubts, opposition and also persecution from the Church hierarchy and others who cast doubts on the authenticity of the miracles and the stigmata which were associated with this holy man of God. He had to bear through periods in which he was banned from celebrating the Mass publicly and preaching to the people of God, all the while experiencing spiritual attacks from the devil. Yet, all these did not dampen his spirit, and he continued to live his life humbly, faithfully and devoutly in all things, spending a lot of time in prayer, and many more people were coming to him seeking for his help and guidance, and other occasions happened when miracles happened to those who have interacted with this man of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as reflect carefully upon the life of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, as well as on the messages delivered to us through the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should always be good role models and examples for everyone around us. Let us all continue to be ever more faithful in all things, and be the shining beacons of God’s Light, truth and love in our communities, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 8 : 19-21

At that time, the mother of Jesus and His relatives came to Him; but they could not get to Him because of the crowd. Someone told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside and wish to meet You.”

Then Jesus answered, “My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”