holy martyrs

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Friday, 5 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings which we have heard. We are reminded that the Scriptures are the representation of the Word of God, and while not directly written by God Himself, they were written by the ones whom God had inspired through His Wisdom and the Holy Spirit in order to reveal the truth to the world, the truth which He has wanted to present to all of His beloved people. And through the Scriptures, we are led and guided through the right path and journey so that despite all the distractions, temptations and all the things that have threatened to keep us away from the Lord, we may still end up enduring and persevering through the difficult journey of faith and life with God as our strong anchor.

In our first reading today, we are reminded from the continuation of the Epistle that St. Paul the Apostle wrote to his protege, St. Timothy, one of the earliest leaders and bishops of the Church, where he reminded the latter of the great power of the Scriptures, the Word of God and what the Word of God can do in guiding and helping the faithful people of God to steer their path well in life, to help them to remain steady amidst all the darkness of this world, and so that they will be able to help others to remain faithful and steady in their own journey, by having the Word of God, as it is revealed through the Scriptures to guide them and keep them focused on the path of truth and righteousness of God. That is why it is important for us to have regular access and contact with the Scriptures, and keeping them around in our daily lives.

However, we also should take note that it is easy for us to be distracted and even misunderstand the true meaning of the Scriptures especially if we only try to understand them superficially and literally. There are so many people who have misinterpreted the Scriptures and even misused them for their own selfish gains and benefits, because they chose to follow those words without properly understanding and appreciating the context, the nuances and the historical background of every single moments those Scriptural accounts were written. This is why we are reminded that in order to fully understand and use the Scriptures, we have to first understand of why and how it was written, the context, the intended audience and all the nuances behind every Scripture passages, or else, it may easily lead us to misinterpret and misquote the Scriptures.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist where the Lord Jesus spoke to the teachers of the Law who questioned Him and wondered at His teachings and identity, of how His coming into this world as the promised Saviour or Messiah had been foretold by the prophets and especially so as highlighted in today’s passage, by the much respected King David of Israel, the wonderful and faithful King of Israel, whose faith in God was truly exemplary and whose reign ushered a golden age for Israel and the people of God at that time. The Lord Jesus spoke of how David had received some foresight and knowledge from the Lord of the coming salvation and fulfilment of God’s promise.

And He also pointed out the peculiarity of what David himself had spoken, in saying that the One Who was to come into this world, the prophesied Son of David, to be born into his own family and lineage, was one and the same as the Lord his God, the One Whom He glorified and worshipped, and he called this Saviour, his own descendant, ‘Lord’. This revelation showed that Jesus, as the One Whom God had promised to send into our midst as the Saviour of all, born into the House of David and fulfilment of all the prophecies of the prophets, was not merely just a Man or a mere Prophet, but is also none other than God Himself incarnate in the flesh, the Son and Word of God Incarnate, taking up our human existence and nature to make God’s Love tangible and approachable to us, so that through Him, all may be saved.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Boniface, a great bishop and martyr who had dedicated his life and all of his works for the greater glory of God. He was an English Benedictine monk who was especially remembered for his efforts in evangelising amongst the Germanic people in the northern parts of what is Germany today, proclaiming the Good News and salvation of God to many of the people there who still believed in pagan and false gods and beliefs. He was born in England to a rather prominent family and then against the wishes of his father, learnt theology and eventually became a monk and priest. St. Boniface was then appointed as a missionary to the region in northern part of Germany and what is today Netherlands known as Frisia. In his mission to Frisia, the Pope appointed him as a missionary bishop to establish the Church in that region and to convert the people there to the true faith.

In a story still well-remembered to this day, St. Boniface once persuaded many among the pagans as he chopped a great oak tree held sacred by the German pagans, who revered the tree and the spirits. Miraculously a great wind blew upon the oak tree and the whole tree fell down to the ground. Having witnessed the miracle and the fact how St. Boniface was not struck down by their gods and deities for such a supposedly sacrilegious act, many among the pagans believed in God and gave themselves to be baptised by St. Boniface and other missionaries. He went on to establish many churches and institutions in his mission areas, and continued to labour for the good of the Lord and His Church until eventually he was martyred when he and his entourage was beset by a group of Frisian bandits during his last missionary trip to the region.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remember what we have just discussed and pondered about earlier on. Let us remember to put ourselves firmly in the path of the Lord by keeping ourselves immersed in the Scriptures by our regular appreciation and use of its words, but at the same time also understanding its context, meaning and purpose so that we may truly understand God’s will and intentions for each and every one of us instead of having blind obedience and shallow faith. We are reminded that through the Scriptures and the Wisdom that God has given us all through His Church and the Holy Spirit, we will be strengthened and encouraged, just as He had once inspired St. Boniface in all of the efforts that he had shown in devoting his life to the conversion of souls and the salvation of many.

We are reminded that although persecutions, hardships and challenges may be part of our journey and lives as Christians, but we are never alone in these struggles and trials, because God Himself is always by our side, providing for us and strengthening us all throughout our journey. We must never forget that He is always with us and that we are never alone, no matter what. We should indeed thank Him and appreciate everything that the Lord Himself had done for our sake, as He has always supported us through whatever challenges that we may face, so that even if we have to endure difficulties and hardships for a while, but in the end, we know and we can be sure that we will ultimately be triumphant with God in the end.

May the Lord continue to provide for us and strengthen us all in our resolve to live our lives ever more faithfully in His Presence. May He continue to bless our every efforts and good works, so that we may continue to proclaim His truth and Good News, as well as manifesting His love through each and every one of our own actions and efforts in this world. May He help us to understand fully and correctly His intentions for us through careful and guided understanding of the Scriptures, the Word of God manifested in this world. May God be with us always, His Church and His beloved ones, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 5 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 12 : 35-37

At that time, as Jesus was teaching in the Temple, He said, “The teachers of the Law say that the Messiah is the Son of David. How can that be? For David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared : The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies under Your feet!'”

“If David himself calls Him Lord, in what way can He be his Son?” Many people came to Jesus, and listened to Him gladly.

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Friday, 5 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 118 : 157, 160, 161, 165, 166, 168

Many foes persecute me, but I have not turned away from Your Law.

The essence of Your word is truth, everlasting are Your just ordinances.

Rulers persecute me for no cause; yet, my heart stands in awe of Your words.

Lovers of Your Law have found great peace; nothing can make them stumble, not even distress.

O YHVH, I wait for Your salvation, and I keep Your commands in faith.

I obey Your precepts and Your decrees; my ways are always before You.

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Friday, 5 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Timothy 3 : 10-17

You, instead, have closely followed my teaching, my way of life, my projects, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions and sufferings. You know what happened to me at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. How many trials I had to bear! Yet, the Lord rescued me from them all. All who want to serve God, in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted; while evil persons and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

As for you, continue with what you have learnt, and what has been entrusted to you, knowing from whom you received it. Besides, you have known the Scriptures from childhood; they will give you the wisdom that leads to salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, refuting error, for correcting and training in Christian life. Through Scripture, the man of God is made expert and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we have to continue to uphold our faith and hope in the Lord at all times, remembering that God is never far and distant from us. He has always been with us, supporting, guiding and strengthening us all, empowering us all with the courage and the necessary strength to remain firm in our journey, patiently helping us with the gift of His Wisdom that He has sent unto us through His Holy Spirit. God has always been with us even through the most difficult and darkest moments, and that is why, because of His great love for us, which we may not truly realise the full extent of, we too should strive to love Him and to give our love and focus onto Him as best as we can.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Peter, we heard the continuation of the exhortation of the Apostle to the faithful and the Church, reminding them all to remain strong, firm and steady in their faith in God because the Lord would always be with them, guiding and strengthening them through all the challenges, trials and hardships that they would have to face in their journey, all the trials that they were enduring through at the time. At that time, it was indeed difficult for one to be a Christian, having encountered opposition and oppression from both the Jewish and Roman authorities, as well as from the other local authorities and pagan believers. This was why St. Peter reminded the faithful to remain strong in their faith because in the end, God will vindicate and rescue them all from their troubles.

God truly is always with each and every one of those who have been faithful to Him, keeping them and guiding them in their steps, but it is the temptations and pressures from all around us in this world which often distract us from the path that God has led us through, and which had kept us from truly being able to follow Him wholeheartedly and courageously. Each and every one of us are reminded that we must always trust in God’s Providence and in His guidance even when we may be facing lots of uncertainties and disturbances in our paths. The reality is such that this path that each and every one of us are walking through, are often not an easy one, and in fact, the more that we commit to the path that is truly faithful to God, the more challenges we may face in this path we have. But with God, everything is truly possible for us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the exchange between the Pharisees and the members of the party of Herod, or his supporters, with the Lord and His disciples, in which the former were asking about the matter of paying taxes to Caesar, a truly sensitive and difficult topic to be discussed at that time. The intentions of the Pharisees and the Herodians were clear, that they were working together in order to put a trap to the Lord, in getting Him to give an answer that they could use against Him, trapping Him in a dangerous dilemma designed to discredit Him and to get Him into trouble. In their mind and in what they plotted, they thought that no matter what the Lord answered, they could use His answer against Him.

Why is that so? That is because should the Lord tell them that it was alright to pay the taxes to Caesar, then those Pharisees and Herodians could discredit the Lord among many among the people of God, because many among them despised the Romans and even the rulership of the Herodian dynasty itself as the taxes that they had to pay among other things were considered as humilaiting and oppressive by the Jews. Therefore if the Lord had supported paying taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees and the Herodians could have accused the Lord among the people of being a supporter of the Roman rule and hence losing His credibility, support and popularity among the people of God. On the other hand, if the Lord had told them that they should not be paying the taxes to Caesar, then He could be accused of sedition and treason against the Romans, and He could end up in great trouble.

However, the Lord in His infinite Wisdom responded truly well to this attempt to trap Him, by saying that since as the coins that they ought to be using to pay the taxes with bear the image of Caesar, as was typical of the Roman coins of the time, then it is indeed right and just to pay what is due to Caesar just as one ought to pay what is due to God. Through this perfect and wise answer, the Lord silenced His critics and enemies, preventing them from taking advantage of the situation or His responses for their own benefits. He was speaking the truth, reminding the people of God to give their dues to the state authorities entrusted by God for their leadership and rule, and at the same time, most importantly, not forgetting to give God what is right and due too. This is a reminder for all of us to do the same in our own lives as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints whose lives, actions and dedication to God hopefully can inspire each one of us to be faithful to the Lord in the similar manner as well. St. Marcellinus and St. Peter were faithful Christians who were persecuted for their faith, and they were, according to the Christian traditions, either priests or ministers of the faith, with St. Marcellinus reputedly being a priest and St. Peter was an exorcist, who were arrested and tortured during one of the most brutal episodes of Christian persecutions under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. According to the same traditions, the two saints gladly faced martyrdom and prepared the site where they were then beheaded and buried, in a place that was purposefully kept hidden so that they could not be venerated by the other Christians later on.

Nonetheless, according to Church traditions, the Lord inspired two women, named Lucilla and Firmina to discover the martyrdom and burial site of the two great martyrs, and they were properly buried, becoming great inspiration for many other Christians of the later era, right up to our time. The tale of their courageous and unwavering faith amidst the intense trials, hardships and challenges that they had to face as servants and followers of the Lord would inspire countless people of God throughout the subsequent years, decades and centuries, and being commemorated even in the Roman Canon amongst the few martyrs listed there highlighted just how influential both St. Marcellinus and St. Peter had been in the history of the Church throughout the ages. Their lives and examples should therefore also serve as inspirations and examples for us all as well.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our Saviour and King continue to help and guide us throughout our journey, and may the inspiration and good examples showed by His great servants, the martyr saints, St. Marcellinus and St. Peter continue to lead us down the path of faith and righteousness, Christian virtues and dedication so that we may grow ever closer in our relationship with God and in our faith in Him. May our own actions, words and deeds, our every good works and interactions be filled with true Christian faith and way of life, and may we glorify the Lord in each and every moments of our lives, in our obedience to Him and in being good and law-abiding citizens at all times. May God bless us all in everything we do, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Mark 12 : 13-17

At that time, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders sent to Jesus some Pharisees with members of Herod’s party, with the purpose of trapping him by his own words. They came and said to Jesus, “Master, we know that You are truthful; You are not influenced by anyone, and Your answers do not vary according to who is listening to You, but You truly teach God’s way. Tell us, is it against the Law to pay taxes to Caesar? Should we pay them or not?”

But Jesus saw through their trick and answered, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a silver coin and let Me see it.” They brought Him one and Jesus asked, “Whose image is this, and whose name?” They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus said, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they were greatly astonished.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 89 : 2, 3-4, 10, 14 and 16

Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

Seventy years to our life, or eighty if we are strong; yet, most of them are sorrow and trouble; speeding by, they sweep us along.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children.

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Tuesday, 2 June 2026 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

2 Peter 3 : 12-15a, 17-18

As you wait for the day of God, and long for its coming, when the heavens will dissolve in fire, and the elements melt away in the heat. We wait for a new heaven and a new earth, in which justice reigns, according to God’s promise.

Therefore, beloved, as you wait in expectation of this, strive, that God may find you rooted in peace, without blemish or fault. And consider, that God’s patience is for our salvation. So then, dearly beloved, as you have been warned, be careful, lest those people who have gone astray, deceive you, in turn, and drag you along, making you stumble, and finally fall away.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : to Him be glory, now, and to the day of eternity. Amen.

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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.