herald of the Messiah

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Friday, 12 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Matthew 11 : 16-19

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain : ‘We played the lute for you, but you would not dance. We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!’”

“For John came fasting, and people said, ‘He is possessed by a demon!’ Then, the Son of Man came. He ate and drank; and people said, ‘Look at this Man : a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet, wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe)

Luke 1 : 39-47

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!”

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Friday, 29 August 2025 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist, the Herald and the one who prepared for the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour of the world Himself. Today’s Feast commemorate the moment when St. John the Baptist faced his time of suffering in the prison of King Herod Antipas and then eventual martyrdom. And as we recall the courageous faith and dedication which St. John the Baptist had shown, we are also reminded of the reality of what it truly means for us to be faithful Christians and disciples of the Lord just as St. John the Baptist had been. If we expect that being Christians means that we have a smooth journey in life and life full of happiness and blessings, then we can easily be disappointed when it does not end up this way.

St. John the Baptist had been called by God from the very beginning, prophesied through the prophet Isaiah and the other prophets speaking about the coming of the Messiah that he would be the one to prepare the path for the Lord’s own coming. He was called from his mother’s womb, and had been prepared by God from the beginning, from his miraculous conception and birth, and all the things that happened during his early life. God was clearly with him, guiding him on the mission which He ultimately entrusted to him, and as we all should be aware of, St. John the Baptist devoted his life to serve the Lord’s will, going forth to the wilderness to prepare himself, and then as the ‘voice ringing out in the wilderness’, he began calling on everyone to return to the Lord and repent from their sinful ways.

But this was a mission that was harder said than done, and the reality was such that he faced many obstacles and challenges. While indeed many thousands upon thousands of people were touched by his call and responded to him, there were also many of those who opposed and doubted him, questioning his authenticity and criticising him, such as the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who came to him with many questions especially about his teachings and ways, which the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the religious elites of the community often found disagreeable. And St. John the Baptist therefore was equally vocal in his rebuke and opposition against those often self-righteous and self-serving elites that he called as the ‘brood of vipers’.

This was what the Lord spoke about as well as He told the prophet Jeremiah in what we heard in our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, when He called Jeremiah to follow Him and to be the prophet to minister to His people in the kingdom of Judah during its last days. It was a really difficult and challenging, a thankless and troublesome task, to face the stubborn and rebellious people of Judah, the remnants of God’s people in the southern half of what used to be the united kingdom of Israel. Their northern neighbours had been conquered and defeated over a century prior, and many among the people of God had been uprooted and exiled from their own lands, the lands promised and entrusted to them by the Lord because of their sins and wickedness.

And it was to these people that Jeremiah had been sent to, to labour and toil among, just as St. John the Baptist was sent to the same stubborn and ignorant people, especially those who led them and had the power and influence during that time. Both of these servants of God faced a lot of hardships and struggles, but the Lord was with them, and just as the Lord reassured Jeremiah, that He would be with him throughout all of his challenges and trials, therefore, God also did the same with St. John the Baptist and His many other servants, those who have faithfully carried out the missions and works entrusted to them by the Lord Himself. 

In addition, as we heard in our Gospel passage today, for St. John the Baptist, he was put under arrest by King Herod Antipas, whom the servant of God criticised harshly for his immoral attitudes and way of life, especially in how he had taken his own brother’s wife, Herodias as his own wife. The Scriptural evidence was clear enough in implying that Philip, the brother of Herod was still alive, and when Herod took his brother’s wife as his own that actually amounted to adultery, which was a grave sin, and especially more so when the one who committed it was no less than the one who was entrusted with the rule of the people of God. That was why St. John the Baptist spoke critically against the king, and was arrested as a result.

And then we heard how St. John the Baptist met his death in martyrdom, having earned the great ire from Herodias for having criticised her and Herod for their adulterous behaviour. That was how as mentioned in our Gospel passage today, Herodias concocted a plot to trick Herod into executing St. John the Baptist, as Herod still refused to harm the holy man of God. She played upon Herod’s own worldly desires and when he was likely intoxicated and mesmerised by his own stepdaughter’s beauty and performance, he made promises before the important members and officials of his kingdom that he could not retract. That was how Herod’s action, his immorality and his succumbing to worldly desires and pleasures ended up leading him to cause harm on a holy man of God. St. John the Baptist remained faithful to the very end and dedicated himself wholly to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon the Passion and martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, holy servant of God and the Herald of the Messiah, let us all come to realise our calling and mission in life so that we may truly devote ourselves thoroughly and worthily to do the missions that the Lord Himself has entrusted to us. We must not allow ourselves to be overcome or paralysed by fear or doubt, especially upon knowing and realising that no matter what happened or what may happen to us, God will always be by our side, supporting and strengthening us. Our life and journey as Christians may not necessarily be an easy or smooth one, but if we continue to have faith and trust in the Lord, then in the end, we will be vindicated and we will share in the eternal glory and triumph, true joy and happiness with God.

May all of us therefore continue to devote ourselves faithfully to God at all times, and may we continue to be good role models and examples of our faith in the Lord, imitating and following the examples which the prophet Jeremiah and St. John the Baptist had shown us all. May all of us continue to be strong in our desire to walk in the path that God has shonw us regardless of the trials and challenges that we may have to face in life. Let us continue to progress forward in faith, doing our best to serve the Lord by our faithful living, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 29 August 2025 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 6 : 17-29

At that time, this is what had happened : Herod had ordered John to be arrested; and had had him bound and put in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. Herod had married her; and John had told him, “It is not right for you to live with your brother’s wife.”

So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him; but she could not, because Herod respected John. He knew John to be an upright and holy man, and kept him safe. And he liked listening to him; although he became very disturbed whenever he heard him.

Herodias had her chance on Herod’s birthday, when he gave a dinner for all the senior government officials, military chiefs, and the leaders of Galilee. On that occasion, the daughter of Herodias came in and danced; and she delighted Herod and his guests.

The king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you.” And he went so far as to say with many oaths, “I will give you anything you ask, even half my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” The mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”

The girl hurried to the king and made her request, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist, here and now, on a dish.” The king was very displeased, but he would not refuse in front of his guests because of his oaths. So he sent one of the bodyguards, with orders to bring John’s head.

He went and beheaded John in prison; then he brought the head on a dish and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. When John’s disciples heard of this, they came and took his body and buried it.

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Friday, 29 August 2025 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 70 : 1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15ab and 17

In You, o YHVH, I seek refuge; let me not be disgraced. In Your justice help me and deliver me; turn Your ear to me and save me!

Be my Rock of refuge; a Stronghold, to give me safety; for You are my Rock and my Fortress. Rescue me, o my God, from the hand of the wicked.

For You, o YHVH, have been my hope; my trust, o God, from my youth. I have relied on You from birth : from my mother’s womb You brought me forth.

My lips will proclaim Your intervention and tell of Your salvation all day. You have taught me from my youth and, until now, I proclaim Your marvels.

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Friday, 29 August 2025 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Passion of St. John the Baptist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Jeremiah 1 : 17-19

But you, get ready for action; stand up and say to them all that I command you. Be not scared of them or I will scare you in their presence! See, I will make you a fortified city, a pillar of iron with walls of bronze, against all the nations, against the kings and princes of Judah, against the priests and the people of the land.

They will fight against you but shall not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue you – it is YHVH Who speaks.

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the joyful occasion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, which takes place on the twenty-fourth day of June, which is about six months before that of Christmas, based on the Scriptural evidence that Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, conceived a child in her old age, a truly miraculous occasion before Mary, the Mother of the Messiah and God herself conceived the Holy Child, and it was such that at the time when the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary the good news of the miraculous event, Elizabeth was already pregnant for about six months. As such, the Church tradition dictated that this occasion of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist to take place about three months after the Annunciation of the Lord and six months before Christmas.

And St. John the Baptist is one of the only three figures in the entire liturgical calendar, whose Nativity or birth into this world are celebrated, together with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, as well as with Mary, the Mother of God, whose birthdays we celebrate respectively in Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord on the twenty-fifth day of December, and that of Mary’s Nativity on the eighth of September every year. And why is it that St. John the Baptist was so honoured in our faith and the Church’s celebrations, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because St. John the Baptist was truly a very important figure in the history of the salvation of all mankind, almost as much involved in the history of salvation as Mary herself, who being the Mother of God is the one closest and most honoured among all of us mankind.

St. John the Baptist was the Herald of the Messiah, the one whom God had sent into this world to proclaim the salvation and the fulfilment of the many promises which God Himself had constantly reassured all of us His people, from time to time through His many prophets and messengers. Through what the Lord shared through the Angel, traditionally associated with the Archangel Gabriel, to Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, it was the very first clue of the fulfilment of God’s long awaited promises to His people, as it happened before the Good News itself came to Mary in Nazareth at the Annunciation of the Lord. That the Lord was sending His servant and messenger into this world to prepare the path for His Saviour and Son, it was indeed a great news and great joy awaiting the people of God, as prophesied through the prophets.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we have indeed heard of the prophecy which the Lord Himself has spoken through Isaiah regarding the servant that He would send to prepare the way for the coming of His salvation and grace, speaking of the coming of the one whom God had prepared since from within his mother’s womb, who has been pronounced by name before he was even born, as St. John the Baptist himself experienced, as the Angel of God told his father the name that the Lord had wanted him to name the yet to be conceived and born child of his, as John. Something similar also would happen to the Messiah Himself, whom the Archangel Gabriel told Mary the Name of Jesus at the moment of His conception at the Annunciation.

Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah spoke of the coming of both St. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Himself, and particularly our attention today is brought towards St. John the Baptist himself, whom the Lord had sent to prepare the path for the coming of His Son, the long awaited Saviour of the world. From the time of his miraculous conception in the womb of Elizabeth, his mother, St. John the Baptist has been meant to serve the Lord all his life, dedicated to God from the time of his birth and set aside for the purpose of the glory of God. And today as we celebrate his Nativity, his appearance and entry into this world, let us all recall everything that he had done for the greater glory of God, in his lifelong commitment to the Lord, and in all the great works that God had done through him.

As St. Paul told the faithful people of God about St. John the Baptist in our second reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, this great and dedicated servant of God had done all he could to prepare and smoothen the path for the coming of the Lord’s Saviour, by calling on all the people to repent and turn away from their many sins and evils. He has called on them to embrace God’s grace and mercy, His forgiveness and love, calling on all of them to show their sincerity in repentance and in following God through their acceptance of baptism which St. John the Baptist was well-known for, in his works of baptism in the Jordan River, which he did for many years while preparing the way for the Lord, and which he continued on even after he had encountered and baptised the Lord Jesus Himself.

The same St. John the Baptist also spoke courageously against all those crooked and wicked leaders and elders of the people, the members of the Pharisees who had questioned him for his authority and the authenticity of his works, not mincing his words, calling them all ‘brood of vipers’ for their lack of genuine faith in God and for their failure in doing what they had been entrusted to do, in guiding God’s people to Himself. He also sternly criticised Herod, the King of Galilee for his improper and adulterious relationship with Herodias, the wife of his own brother that he took as his own wife even when his brother was still alive. And for this courage, he was imprisoned and later martyred by beheading on the instigation of the same Herodias, who held a great grudge against the man of God. But St. John the Baptist was faithful to the very end, and he is indeed an inspiration to all of us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all recall the great examples and faith, the dedication and courage which St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah and our role model has shown us, let us all therefore do our best to follow in his good examples, faith and commitment, such that in everything that we do, we will always be ready to commit ourselves to the Lord, be righteous in all of our deeds and works, and be exemplary in all of our way of living our Christian faith through real action and commitment to God. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in us, and give us the same courage and faith which He has given to St. John the Baptist, His Herald and courageous servant, that all of us may also dedicate ourselves in serving God in the same way as well, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 57-66, 80

When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her. When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.

But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.” They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they made signs to his father for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name is John;” and they were very surprised. Immediately, Zechariah could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.

A holy fear came on all in the neighbourhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea and the people talked about these events. All who heard of it, pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.

As the child grew up, he was seen to be strong in the Spirit; and he lived in the desert, until the day when he appeared openly in Israel.

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 22-26

After that time, God removed Saul and raised up David as king, to whom He bore witness saying : I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all I want him to do.

It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Saviour of Israel, Jesus. Before He appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel. As John was ending his life’s work, he said : ‘I am not what you think I am, for, after me, another One is coming, Whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’

Brothers, children and descendants of Abraham, and you, also, who fear God, it is to you that this message of salvation has been sent.

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

It was You Who formed my inmost part and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You for these wonders You have done, and my heart praises You.

For Your marvellous deeds. Even my bones were known to You when I was being formed in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth.

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Tuesday, 24 June 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Listen to me, o islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. YHVH called me from my mother’s womb; He pronounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in His quiver.

He said to me, “You are Israel, my servant, through you I will be known.” “I have laboured in vain,” I thought, “and spent my strength for nothing.” Yet what is due me was in the hand of YHVH, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of YHVH, and my God is my Strength.

And now YHVH has spoken, He Who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel to Him. He said : “It is not enough that you be My servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that My salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”