holy martyrs

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Friday, 5 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about God Who blessed David with many good things, with victory and wealth, with fame and with great family, and with his inheritance and kingship secure at the end of his earthly life, and his kingdom passed successfully and peacefully to his own son, Solomon. This was because of his faith and the dedication which he had for the Lord.

David did sin indeed, and he did commit things that were against the Lord’s will and teachings, but in the end, it was his desire to be forgiven, to humble himself before the presence of God, and seeking His mercy that God has blessed him not just with the mercy He had granted him, but also with the other blessings which we have heard in the Scriptures.

In the Gospel we heard about another king, Herod, the son of Herod the Great who was the king of Galilee, and who married his wife, Herodias, who was formerly the wife of his brother Philip. In doing so, he disobeyed the commandments of the Lord, by committing adultery with her. But unlike David, who had committed the same sin, he did not humble himself before God and commit himself to a new life in atonement, but continued to live his life in wickedness and sin.

We can clearly see the examples, in how Herod, during the dinner party that he had celebrated with his officials and guests, he was carried away by his lust and human desires, and his eyes and heart had betrayed him, as he was tempted to sin by the daughter of Herodias, his wife, likely to be the daughter of his brother, Philip. That daughter of Herodias was beautiful, and in her gracious dancing and performance, she caught such an attention from Herod that he ended up being completely swayed by her.

That was when he went so far as to make many vows and oaths pledging to do anything for her, which resulted in Herodias, who hated John the Baptist, whom Herod had imprisoned, to take that opportunity to get rid of him. He regretted that action only after he had already done the deed, and he could not retract his words. And thus, the blood of the prophet and the messenger of God came onto his hands.

Today, through these readings, we are all reminded that we are all temptable and weak. As Jesus said to His disciples, that while the spirit is strong and willing, but the flesh is weak. It is by our nature that we are easily tempted through the flesh, through our bodies, as the devil is always trying to find ways to persuade us and to pull us away from fulfilling God’s commandments, but instead trying to instil in us selfishness, pride, and greed.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Agatha, a great and renowned martyr of the faith, who was a very pious and faithful young woman, who dedicated her whole life to the Lord. St. Agatha was a virgin woman who lived in what is now Sicily in Italy. She was born into a rich and noble family, who had then chosen in her early life, to dedicate and commit herself in perpetual virginity dedicated to God.

When a pagan nobleman, a Roman prefect tried to pursue her interest and made his advance on her, her rejection made him to persecute her, and all the more because of her Christian faith and her commitment to a sacred and devoted life to God. He attempted to sway her and to persuade her with many good offers to turn her from her faith, but all with no avail.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the example of St. Agatha, who was tortured, who suffered because of her unfailing faith and devotion to God, should be an example to all of us, that we should also follow in her path, rejecting the temptations of the world, the temptations of our flesh and our desire, so that we would not end up like king Herod, who was tempted and gave himself up to that temptation, and in the end, he had nothing but condemnation.

May God strengthen us and our desire to love Him, and to commit things for the glory of His Name, and in all things, let us put forward our love for one another, the care and concern that should be shown to them, rather than to indulge in our own desires and wants. Let us all renew our commitment and faith in God, and let us all be ever closer to the throne of His mercy. God bless us all. Amen.

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Friday, 5 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 6 : 14-29

King Herod also heard about Jesus, because His Name had become well-known. Some people said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in Him.” Others thought, “He is Elijah,” and others, “He is a prophet like the prophets of times past.” When Herod was told of this, he thought, “I had John beheaded, yet he has risen from the dead!”

For 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, 5 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 17 : 31, 47 and 50, 51

This God – His way is perfect; the word of the Lord can stand fire. He is a shield for those who seek refuge in Him.

The Lord lives! Praised be my Rock! Exalted be my saviour God. For this I extol You, o Lord, among the nations; I will sing praise to Your Name.

He has given victories to His king; He has shown His love to His anointed ones, to David, and to his descendants forever.

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Friday, 5 February 2016 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Sirach 47 : 2-13 (Greek Septuagint – Sirach 47 : 2-11)

As fat is selected from the peace offering, so David was chosen from among the Israelites. He played with lions and bears as if they were lambs or young goats. He was still young when he slew a giant to restore the honour of his people. So they glorified him for his ten thousands and praised him as a blessing from the Lord when he was chosen king.

For He wiped out his enemies on all sides and annihilated his adversaries, the Philistines, crushing their power forever. In all that he did he gave thanks to the Most High, and showed his love for his Maker by singing with all his heart. He placed singers accompanied by harps before the altar to make beautiful music; he gave splendour to feasts and even greater magnificence to the more solemn occasions, exalting the holy Name of the Lord and having the sanctuary ring with His praised from early morning.

The Lord forgave David’s sins and established his power forever; He made a covenant with him for the benefit of the kings and gave him a glorious throne in Israel. A wise son succeeded him and fared well because of him. Solomon reigned during times of peace, and God gave him rest from war to enable him to build a house for His Name, a sanctuary that would stand forever.

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Friday, 22 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the rivalry between Saul, the first king of Israel, and David, the one whom God had chosen to become king after Saul, after Saul had disobeyed the Lord’s commandments and refused to follow His ways. And this rivalry had quickly become bad and the relationship between the two of them quickly soured.

And Saul tried his best to kill David to remove that great threat to his legitimacy and his reign, and in many occasions, he attempted to harm him and brought him to death, but by the grace and the will of God, David managed to escape from all those attempts. And the more that David escaped and survived those attempts, the more desperate that Saul became.

But today, we saw how David reacted to all these in the first reading we have from the Book of the prophet Samuel. In it we can see the good qualities that David had, which truly marked him as one who was really worthy to become the leader and king over all of Israel. It was not his might or greater charisma or other factors that made him great, but it was his devotion to God and the goodness in his heart that made him such a great choice to be a king over all Israel.

In the Gospel we saw how our Lord Jesus Christ picked the choice for His principal disciples, those whom He called the Apostles, which numbered twelve in all. The Apostles were not chosen from among great men or great figures and personages in the world at that time. Instead, they were just ordinary people leading simple lives, having diverse backgrounds, from tax collectors, to fishermen and criminals, those who were not famous or great in the eyes of the world.

But God did not choose His servants based on how great they were in the eyes of the world, but instead, He saw deep inside the heart, looking at what are their potentials in bringing about the good works of the Lord to their completion on earth. And indeed, except for Judas Iscariot, all of the other Twelve Apostles did their best to bring the Good News of God’s salvation to all the peoples in the four corners of the world.

And out of their great love and dedication for the Lord, they gave everything for Him, leaving everything els behind them, and they went forth to proclaim the truth of God, bringing salvation to many people, but at the same time, they also suffered persecution and suffering from those who refused to believe in God and those who adamantly rejected their message.

Today, we commemorate also the feast of St. Vincent, a renowned saint of the past, whose life and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary, and indeed should have inspired all of us to be more like him in our faith. He was a deacon and a faithful servant of the Church, who lived during turbulent times in the history of the Church, when many of the faithful lived under fear from the persecution by the Roman Empire, particularly under the rule of the Emperor Diocletian.

He served the faithful with great zeal and devotion in his role as a deacon, who was particularly involved in serving the poor and the destitute and in ensuring that the loving hands of the Church’s good works reached out to those who need help the most. He was therefore among those who were first to be captured and tortured by those who sought the destruction of the Church and the Faith during the great persecution of the Emperor Diocletian against the Christians.

He was outspoken in his defence of the faith and of the Church, and not only that he showed no fear of death or any hesitation, but he also refused any offer for release and good conduct if he would just abandon his faith and burn the Holy Scriptures. He was thus tortured and made to suffer grievously, but to the very end, he never gave up and continued to persevere, inspiring so many other people with his dedication and exemplary faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we have all heard the amazing stories of God’s good works through His servants and therefore, all of us should also be inspired to do the same as well. All of us should seek to follow our Lord ever more diligently and faithfully, and in all of our words, deeds and actions, we should conform to the Lord more and more, and dedicate ourselves ever more to His teachings.

May Almighty God, our Lord, bless us and keep us in His love. And may His grace continue to shine upon us that we who are sinners may draw closer to the fountain of His mercy. May God be with us all, now and forever. Amen.

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Friday, 22 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Mark 3 : 13-19

At that time, Jesus went up into the hill country, and called those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve to be with Him, and He called them Apostles. He wanted to send them out to preach, and He gave them authority to drive out demons.

These are the Twelve : Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John his brother, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, which means men of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

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Friday, 22 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 56 : 2, 3-4, 6 and 11

Have mercy on me, o God, have mercy, for my soul takes refuge in You; I will find shelter in the shadow of Your wings till the disaster has passed.

I call on God the Most High, on God Who has done everything for me : may He send from Heaven a Saviour and put my oppressors to shame. May God send me His love and faithfulness.

Be exalted, o God, above the heavens! Your glory be over all the earth! For Your love reaches to the heavens, and Your faithfulness, to the clouds.

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Friday, 22 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

1 Samuel 24 : 3-21

So Saul took three thousand picked men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men to the east of the Wild Goat crags. When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he entered a cave to relieve himself.

Now David and his men were far back in the cave. David’s men said to him, “This is the day which YHVH spoke of : Look I will deliver your enemy into your hands and you will do with him as you see fit.” So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s robe.

But afterward, David regretted having cut off an end of Saul’s robe, and he said to his men, “Let me not lay my hands on my master, for he is YHVH’s anointed.” With these words, David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way.

Then David himself stepped out of the cave and called after Saul, “My master, the king!” When Saul looked back, David knelt and then bowed to the ground in homage and asked him, “Why do you listen to those who say that I want to harm you?”

“Look, today you have seen that YHVH delivered you into my hands in the cave, and I was told to kill you but I held myself back and I said : ‘I will not lift my hands against my master who is YHVH’s anointed. My father, look at this end of your robe which I am holding! I cut off the end of your robe, but did not kill you. Now you may know that I mean you no harm or treason. I have done you no wrong, and yet you are hunting me down to kill me.”

May YHVH be judge between you and me and may He exact justice from you in my case, but I shall do you no harm. As the saying goes, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness’; as for me, My hand shall not harm you. But who is it you are after, o king of Israel? Are you pursuing a dead dog? A flea? May YHVH be Judge between you and me. May He see and uphold my cause and deliver me from your hands.”

After David had spoken these words, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?” He wept aloud and said to David, “You are right and I am wrong, for you have repaid with kindness the harm I have inflicted on you. This day you have shown your righteousness to me by not taking my life when YHVH put me into your hands.”

“For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go unharmed? May YHVH reward you for what you have done for me today. Now I know for certain that you shall reign and the kingdom of Israel will be firm in your hand.”

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard in our first reading from the book of the prophet Samuel, the story which all of us should be familiar with, namely the story of the duel between David, the future king of Israel, then no more than a mere young shepherd, small in stature but filled with great courage and love for God, and Goliath, the great champion of the Philistines, who was massive in stature and mighty in warfare.

To those who were there, certainly there could have been no doubt in their minds, who would emerge victorious. They would have thought that there was no way the feeble and apparently weak David could have stood any chance at all before the mighty Philistine warrior, not even the Israelites and king Saul themselves. And yet, God proved to all of them, that as long as His hand is with His chosen and anointed ones, there is nothing that is impossible.

Yet, the people of God were often so limited in their minds, as they thought with the thoughts and ways of the world, becoming preoccupied with the many concerns of the world, to the point that they were unable to comprehend God’s love and providence. In the same way the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had acted during the time of Jesus, as they stubbornly refused to listen to our Lord’s teachings, and preferring to stick to the narrow viewpoint and wisdom that they had with regards to the obedience to the Law.

It was rightful for our Lord Jesus to be angry at all of these people, for in their stubborn resistance and refusal to listen to the truth, they blindly obeyed the commandments of the Law of God, thinking that the strict laws and regulations of the Sabbath days should be adhered to with greatest enforcement and obedience, without any exemption or bending from the words of the Law.

But they failed to understand that God is Love, and His law is the symbol and representation of that love which He had for us all. It was the stubbornness and the easily distracted nature of the people of Israel that God had given such a strict rule in order to help them to detach from all of their stubborn attitudes, and to find a time to spend in devotion to the Lord their God.

The purpose of the Sabbath day is to remind the people that out of their busy life and daily schedules, they ought to spend some time with the Lord, and this is the purpose of the Sabbath, to stop working and being so occupied with the matters of the world that the people simply forgot about the Lord. It is a Law meant to help the people of God closer to Him, but was never intended to be a burden to them.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were examples of those who have forgotten the loving comforts of God’s care and protection. If only that they remembered the time when David defeated the Philistine warrior Goliath! It showed how God loved all those who also loved Him and devoted themselves to Him, and what better way to devote oneself to Him other than to do His will, that is to do good and to love one another?

Today we remember the love that God has for us, and the protection and providence He shall provide for all those who keep their faith in Him without fear and with great courage. Let us heed the examples of the two great saints, whose trust and devotion to God can be our examples. They were both martyrs of the Faith, who died defending their faith in the Lord, and also in their great dedication to the suffering people of God.

Pope St. Fabian was a great servant of God and leader of the entire Universal Church in his capacity as Pope, who served the people of God and the Church faithfully, and who gave up his own life willingly under the great persecution under the Roman Emperor Decius, who was very hostile to the Christian faith, and who had commanded the great persecution to be launched against the faithful.

Pope Fabian did not fear the suffering and the persecution by those who have tried to destroy the faithful and the Church. Even despite rising persecution by the Emperor Decius, he continued to serve the faithful as usual, and his leadership and exemplary faith helped the faithful to continue living courageously despite all the difficulties that they faced.

Meanwhile, St. Sebastian the Martyr was a Roman army commander who served during the time of the great persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, one of the last of those who sought to destroy the Church and the faithful. He was a Christian who secretly served in the army, and when the time came for some Christians to be killed for their faith, St. Sebastian helped them out, and he even convinced a local official and his family to convert to the true faith.

Eventually he was found out, that he was a Christian, as well as his actions in helping other Christians, and the furious Emperor ordered him to be tied to a tree and shot with arrows, left to die at the roadside. Miraculously, he was not harmed by the arrows, and he appeared at the place where the Emperor was to pass, and rebuked him for his actions against the Church and the faithful.

In the end, he met his end in death, but he did not certainly regret dying in faith and in defending his faith in the Lord, and for the glory of the Lord Himself. The examples of Pope St. Fabian and St. Sebastian, holy martyrs of our Faith should be inspiration to all of us today, that all of us ought to put our trust in the Lord and devote ourselves ever more to Him.

Let us all therefore commit ourselves to the Lord, not just in word, but also in actions and deeds, so that through our genuine and sincere faith, and by understanding His love for us, we may all draw closer to Him, and find our way to the eternal life and salvation which we can only find in Him. May God bless us all in our endeavours. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Mark 3 : 1-6

At that time, again Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralysed hand, was there and some people watched Jesus : would He heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.

Jesus said to the man with the paralysed hand, “Stand here in the centre.” Then He asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness, because they had closer their minds. And He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was healed.

As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.