holy martyrs

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Thursday, 7 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 7 : 23-28

YHVH says, “One thing I did command them : Listen to My voice and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk in the way I command you and all will be well with you. But they did not listen and paid no attention; they followed the bad habits of their stubborn heart and turned away from Me.”

“From the time I brought their forebearers out of Egypt until this day I have continually sent them My servants, the prophets, but this stiff-necked people did not listen. They paid no attention and were worse than their forebearers. You may say all these things to them but they will not listen; you will call them but they will not answer.”

“This is a nation that did not obey YHVH and refused to be disciplined; truth has perished and is no longer heard from their lips.”

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Friday, 23 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called to live our lives righteously and in accordance with the teachings and the ways which the Lord Himself has presented to us, that we should be good, righteous, just and worthy in all of our actions, words and deeds, in each and every moments of our lives, and therefore, we must always strive to do what we have been taught and shown to do through the Church. Each and every one of us must remind ourselves that righteousness and virtues, all these will be rewarded by the Lord, while sins and wickedness in our lives will be counted against us in the end, at the time of the Final and Last Judgment. We must keep this in mind so that we will continue to live virtuously and strive to do God’s will in all things and at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard the Lord speaking to His people through Ezekiel reminding all of them that the righteous and the just will be judged by the sins that they all committed, and should in the end, they are found wanting and lacking in faith overall, they shall be condemned and cast down by those sins and wickedness. In the meantime, the wicked and those who are considered as sinners, shall be saved and brought out of the darkness, saved and brought into the Holy Presence of God, filled with His grace and love, and receive from Him the assurance of eternal life and glory, by the righteous deeds and repentance through which they had done and embraced.

This means that first of all, no one is truly beyond God’s redemption and forgiveness, as even the worst of sinners can have the opportunity to turn away from their many sins and be forgiven from all of them, should they consciously choose to abandon those sinful ways and turn back once again towards the Lord. At the same time, it is also an important reminder for us that ultimately sin is still dangerous and harmful to us, as God despises sin and evil, and while He does not despise us, but as long as we continue to commit sins against the Lord and refuse to repent from those sins, then those sins and wickedness shall become our obstacles and shall be counted against us. This is a reminder for all of us to remain ever faithful and committed to the Lord, to His path at all times.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus Himself reminded His disciples and all of us once again to be truly full of faith and love for God, and to be sincere in how we live our Christian lives, our dedication to God in all things. We should always do our best in all of our actions and words, in every moments to follow God’s path, to do His will and to love one another, as we should always do. We should not hold grudges and hate each other, and we must learn how to forgive and to let go of our anger and emotions, forgiving each other just as the Lord Himself has been so merciful and forgiving towards us. We must keep in mind this love and kindness shown to us, and we must do the same in our own lives as well, that we ourselves may be good examples and inspirations to others.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Polycarp, holy bishop and martyr, whose life and dedication to God should serve as good inspiration and examples for all of us as well, in how we ought to live out our lives. St. Polycarp was one of the earliest Church fathers who were the contemporaries of the successors of the Apostles like St. Ignatius of Antioch and others, and was a possible disciple of St. John the Apostle. According to the Apostolic traditions, he was converted by the Apostles, was made a priest and later on a bishop of the Church, and he was involved in many discussions about the works and proceedings of the Church, including the differences in practices such as the computation of the dates of Easter between the churches in Asia Minor and Rome.

Then, when persecutions came upon the Church and the faithful as it was common at that time in the early Church, St. Polycarp was persecuted and tortured, as he, like the many other Christians at the time, were forced to burn incense offerings and worship the Roman Emperors, which were considered as divine at the time. St. Polycarp refused to do so and proclaimed his faith before his persecutors, that he cannot betray and abandon his Lord and God, because in all his many years of life, God has always been with him and had done him no wrong. He also spoke bravely and firmly about the eternal flame of punishment that would punish all sinners, and whatever flames or torture he would have to endure, none of those could be compared to the eternal flames of hell. Thus, St. Polycarp was martyred by being burnt at the stake and pierced with a spear.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the great courage and faith which St. Polycarp had in the Lord should inspire all of us to have that kind of strong and unwavering faith in God as well. We should have that strong desire to love and serve the Lord faithfully to the best of our abilities so that in all that we say and do, we will always strive to glorify the Lord by our lives, distancing ourselves from sin and evil, and like St. Polycarp before us, to be inspirations and good role models in faith for our fellow brothers and sisters. We must do our part in every moments of our lives, to proclaim the Lord’s path and His ways to everyone all around us. We must lead by example, and show that our faith is not merely just superficial, but instead, we are truly full of genuine and real faith in God.

Let us all therefore do our best, especially in this blessed time and moment of Lent which we have been presented with, so that in all the things we do, we will continue to walk ever more courageously and faithfully in the path of the Lord, as we continue to draw ever closer to Him. Let us all continue to be the worthy and shining beacons of God’s light, truth, Good News and love in our world today, filled with sin, darkness and evil. May the Lord be with us always, and may He bless us in our every good endeavours and efforts. Amen.

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Friday, 23 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you then, if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to our people in the past : Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you : whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial.”

“Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or a sister, ‘Fool!’ deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God.”

“Do not forget this : be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.”

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Friday, 23 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 129 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8

Out of the depths I cry to You, o Lord, o Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.

If You should mark our evil, o Lord, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness.

For that You are revered. I waited for the Lord, my soul waits, and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects the Lord more than watchmen the dawn.

O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with Him is unfailing love and with Him full deliverance. He will deliver Israel from all its sins.

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Friday, 23 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 18 : 21-28

If the sinner turns from his sin, observes My decrees and practices what is right and just, he will live, he will not die. None of the sins he committed will be charged against him, he will live as a consequence of his righteous deeds. Do I want the death of the sinner? – word of YHVH. Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live?

But if the righteous man turns away from what is good and commits sins as the wicked do, will he live? His righteous deeds will no longer be credited to him, but he will die because of his infidelity and his sins. But you say : YHVH’s way is not just! Why, Israel! Is My position wrong? Is it not rather that yours is wrong?”

“If the righteous man dies after turning from his righteous deeds and sinning, he dies because of his sins. And if the wicked man does what is good and right, after turning from the sins he committed, he will save his life. He will live and not die, because he has opened his eyes and turned from the sins he had committed.”

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Monday, 5 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of God’s ever consistent and loving Presence in our midst. God has always been with us and He has never left us, no matter how much we have constantly caused Him to be angry at us because of our many wickedness, evils and sins. This is because of God’s ever enduring love for us, which He has always had since the very beginning of time. This love endures even when we have sundered ourselves off from His love and kindness, through our disobedience and sins. God has reached out to us, extending His love and compassionate mercy, which He has made ever ready to reconcile all of us to Him, for it was never His desire to condemn us to destruction.

In our first reading today, we heard of the moment recorded in the Book of Kings when King Solomon completed the building project of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, which would also become known as Solomon’s Temple. This was a grand project started and envisioned by Solomon’s father, King David, who had set aside and gathered large amount of resources in preparation for the building of the Temple and House worthy of God Himself to dwell in. We can get the details of all these and the preparations both in the Book of Chronicles as well as the other parts of the Book of Kings. After many years of construction and preparations, the Temple was finally completed and ready to be consecrated and dedicated to God, which was recorded in our first reading passage today.

King Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant, in the presence of all the elders and leaders of the people of Israel to the new Temple of God, as the key event and moment in the completion and preparation of the Temple of God as the place of Divine worship and as the place where God Himself dwells among His beloved ones, the people of Israel, whom He had first called and chosen from all the children of Adam and Eve. That Ark of the Covenant was indeed important aspect of this event, because throughout the time since it was crafted and made at the time of the Exodus, it has always been the tangible and real sign of God’s Holy Presence amongst His people. We heard of the details of the Ark of the Covenant, the golden Cherubim crafted on top of it, which was where God’s Presence descended upon and rested whenever He came among His people.

Within the Ark was contained first of all the two slabs of stone on which the Ten Commandments, the centre of all of God’s Law and commandments were stored. It also stored the manna, the heavenly bread by which God had fed the Israelites throughout their entire time in the desert during the Exodus. Last of all it also contained the Staff of Aaron, the staff of authority and sign of God’s power, through which God had performed many wonders and signs, in liberating the people of Israel from the slavery in Egypt. All in all, the Ark of the Covenant is the tangible, real and symbolic reminder of God’s Covenant and Presence in this world, His Presence and ever enduring love for His people, and that it had been brought to the new Temple built by Solomon signified the renewal of this Covenant.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard about the Lord Jesus amidst His ministry among the people of God, how He performed many miracles and healed many of the people who had come to Him with various ailments and sickness, troubles and difficulties. We heard how the Lord patiently cared for all of them, and how He healed all of those who came to Him. This is linked to what we have heard in our first reading today, because the Lord Jesus Himself is the bearer and Mediator of the New Covenant to be established between God and all of us mankind. He is the perfect manifestation of God’s Love, that God’s Divine Being has been manifested in the flesh, appearing and dwelling in our midst much as how He once descended upon us all through the Ark of the Covenant.

But the Lord Jesus has manifested to us God’s Presence in a much more real way, and far greater experience than what the people of Israel had once experienced through the Ark of the Covenant. But regardless, in both instances, God’s love and compassion, caring nature and attention to His beloved ones, all of us, have been shown. After all, He has sent us His own Beloved Son, to come into our midst, to be Emmanuel, God Who is with us, to be tangible, real and approachable in His love and grace, that through Christ, His love for us and ultimately His mercy and kindness have been revealed and shown to us. God Himself has come into our midst and He has shown it through real action, by dwelling among us just as He has always promised to us. This is a reminder for us all that we should indeed be faithful to Him, and do our best to live worthily as His beloved and holy people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Agatha, a renowned saint and martyr of the faith who had lived her life worthily of the Lord, and whose actions and commitment to God, even through bitterness of sufferings and hardships, should inspire each and every one of us in how we should be living our own lives. St. Agatha was born in Sicily during the third century, when the Roman Empire was going through some upheavals and disturbances. She was born into a noble family and was approached by many suitors whom she rejected because of she had made a vow of virginity to the Lord, and the Roman prefect Quintianus, whose proposal St. Agatha had rejected, reported her to the authorities, as he knew of St. Agatha’s Christian faith.

At the time, it was the moment when a particularly intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius were occurring, and many Christians were tortured and put to death on account of their faith in God and their refusal to worship the Emperor or the pagan gods and idols. St. Agatha was arrested and persecuted greatly, by the same Roman prefect Quintianus, who hoped that St. Agatha would give in to his demands through the torture. However, St. Agatha remained firm in her faith in the Lord. She reaffirmed her faith in God through this powerful prayer, “Jesus Christ, Lord of all, You see my heart, You know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am Your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil.” Eventually, she was martyred as a great example to all the other Christians who were inspired by her faith and courage.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore also be inspired by the faith of St. Agatha, in all her commitment to God and the courage she showed in resisting all the efforts to turn her away from the Lord. Let us all be strengthened in faith in the Lord, being always reminded that God Himself has willingly dwelled in our midst, and He has always been loving and compassionate towards us. Let us all place Him at the centre of all of our lives, and let us continue to live our lives worthily in accordance to what God has shown and taught us, that we may be truly exemplary and inspirational in our own way of life. May God bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 5 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 6 : 53-56

At that time, having crossed the lake, Jesus and His disciples came ashore at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat. As soon as they landed, people recognised Jesus, and ran to spread the news throughout the countryside.

Wherever He was, they brought to Him the sick lying on their mats; and wherever He went, to villages, towns or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplace, and begged Him to let them touch just the fringe of His cloak. And all who touched Him were cured.

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Monday, 5 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 131 : 6-7, 8-10

The Ark is in Ephrata, we found it in the fields of Jaar. Let us go to where He dwells and worship at His footstool!

Arise, o YHVH, and come to Your rest; You, and the Ark of Your might. May Your priests be arrayed in glorious mantle; may Your faithful ones shout in gladness. For the sake of Your servant, David, do not turn away the face of Your Anointed.

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Monday, 5 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Kings 8 : 1-7, 9-13

Then Solomon assembled before him in Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, as well as the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of YHVH from the city of David, which is Zion.

All the Israelites assembled near king Solomon in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month. When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests carried the Ark of YHVH and brought it up together with the Tent of Meeting and all the holy vessels that were in the tent.

After the priests and Levites had brought them up, king Solomon with the entire congregation of Israel that had assembled before him and were with him before the Ark, sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could neither be counted nor numbered.

Then the priests laid the Ark of the Covenant of YHVH in its place in the inner Sanctuary of the house – the Most Holy Place – underneath the wings of the Cherubim. The Cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the Ark, providing a covering above the Ark and its poles.

There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses placed there at Horeb, where YHVH made a Covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, such a cloud filled YHVH’s House that the priests could not continue to minister. Indeed, the glory of YHVH filled His House.

Then Solomon said, “YHVH has said that He would dwell in thick darkness. So the House I have built You will be Your House, a place for You to dwell in forever.”

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Saturday, 3 February 2024 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Ansgar, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Bishops or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the Sacred Scriptures the words of the Lord in which we are all reminded to seek the Lord whenever we have any need or problems, and we should always keep our faith in Him regardless of the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may encounter in our lives and respective journeys. We must always be faithful to God and trust in Him in whatever path that He has called us into, and we must not allow the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures to distract and discourage us from this path that we have been called and led into by the Lord. We should also seek the Lord for help, guidance and strength, in all occasions and opportunities.

In our first reading today, we heard of the young King Solomon of Israel, who had just taken over the rein of the kingdom from his recently deceased father, King David of Israel. The young Solomon was lacking in experience and his youth is something that had often been taken against rulers of his age, by the people and the important figures of the kingdom. Hence, he came to Gibeon to offer prayers to God, and in that prayer, he sought God’s guidance and help, asking Him for wisdom and knowledge, the understanding and the ability to judge well, between things that are good and evil. And we heard how God was pleased with Solomon and his prayers, and blessed him more than what he had asked for, because he had not asked for wealth, worldly glory or power, as what many others would have done instead.

Through this simple example of the prayer of Solomon, we are all reminded that we should always anchor ourselves firmly and faithfully in God, and not to allow ourselves to be easily swayed and turned by our desires and by all other sorts of wicked things and temptations present all around us. We must remain firm in our commitment and in our desire to walk down this path of righteousness, grace and virtue as the Lord Himself has shown and led us through. Like Solomon and his father David before him, we should also humble ourselves before the Lord and ask Him for help and assistance, guidance and strength that we may be better able to live our lives worthily and with devotion as good and faithful Christians, in all moments and opportunities that have been provided to us.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord and His disciples were ministering to the multitudes of people who came to them seeking the Lord, wanting to listen to His teachings and wanting to be healed and freed from their diseases, ailments and problems. We heard how the Lord and His disciples had been working for a very long time and how exhausted and tired they were. They were looking for a place to rest and to eat properly, but the people kept looking for the Lord and they all went before the Lord and His disciples, waiting for them and giving the Lord and His disciples no proper time to even rest and relax. Yet, we heard how the Lord had compassion on them all and He preached to them and taught them all, seeing that they were all like sheep without a shepherd.

From this short passage of course we are reminded that often as Christians we tend to take for granted those whom the Lord had sent to help, guide and minister to us. We often took them for granted and mistreat them, thinking that they had to work for us and to cater to our every desires and needs. We must keep in mind that they are also humans like us, who needs rest and sustenance, and we must also help and support them so that they can better minister and help us in our lives and journeys of faith. Then, at the same time, we are also reminded of just how beloved and precious we are by God, that He was willing to spend more time and effort to care for us, to help and guide us like what the Lord Jesus had done.

The Lord was also responding to the people’s desire to look for Him for guidance, and the many multitudes of people who were all looking for Him showed us all the desire they had in seeking for God’s help and guidance, and the Lord responded to that desire, as He also showed them all His great love, compassion and generosity. And therefore, we are all reminded that we should not take for granted this great love of God which He has shown to all of us, and we must always do our best such that in all occasions and opportunities provided to us, we are always grateful for the love and generous compassion which God has provided to us all these while. We should never forget how He has blessed us with many wonderful things throughout our lives, and we must keep ourselves rooted firmly in Him, at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of two holy saints, namely St. Blaise and St. Ansgar, whose lives and examples can hopefully inspire us all in how we should lead lives that are truly worthy of the Lord. First of all, St. Blaise was the renowned saint whom many of us will remember for his intercessions for the sake of those who are suffering from throat problems and diseases, and the related popular Blessing of the Throats and the intercession of St. Blaise. St. Blaise was also a renowned physician who helped to treat many people for their diseases and ailments. He performed many miracles and healings which made him to be well-sought and respected by so many people, and which led him to be elected by the people who acclaimed him to be their bishop, in the area of Sebastea in Asia Minor. St. Blaise continued to care for the needs of the people under his care, and devoted his time and effort for their sake.

During that time, the Church and its Christian faithful had been under constant threats of persecutions and hardships, and despite the Edict of Milan which had been declared by the then Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Licinius, very soon, in the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire ruled by the Emperor Licinius, the suspicion of that Emperor against the plans and support that Constantine the Great tacitly gave to the Christians and to the Church led to renewed persecutions against the faithful in his dominion, including that of St. Blaise’s diocese and domain. The governor arrested St. Blaise and persecuted him, and amidst all that, in what would make him well-known for his intercession for those afflicted with throat maladies, a woman who had a boy choking to death because of fish bone in his throat placed that son at his feet as he was led to his torture place, and the boy was miraculously healed almost immediately. In the end, as St. Blaise continued to resist the efforts to turn him away from his faith, he was martyred, and yet, his examples, courage and faith continued to inspire many others throughout history.

Meanwhile, St. Ansgar was known well for his many efforts and missionary works among the Germans, whom at the time were still following their pagan ways. He devoted much of his time and efforts to proclaim the Word of God and the Good News of His salvation to those who still followed their pagan ways, as he was sent in his capacity of a missionary. He went to proclaim the truth of God amidst the challenges, hardships and trials which he had to endure throughout that journey and efforts, going back and forth between many places, caring for the needs of the countless souls who have been attracted to God thanks to his efforts and works. Eventually he was made a bishop, and he continued to devote himself to his work, and which made him known as the ‘Apostle to the Germans’ or the ‘Apostle of the North’, marking his commitment to his mission to those who have not yet known the Lord, which he continued to do till the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have listened through today’s Scripture readings of putting our trust and faith in the Lord, and also through the lives and works of St. Blaise and St. Ansgar, let us all therefore do our best so that in each and every moments of our lives, we may continue to live ever more worthily in God’s Presence, and to come ever closer to the Lord. Let us all therefore come to the Lord, asking Him to help and guide us, and strengthen and encourage us in our path, so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to glorify God, and that like St. Blaise and St. Ansgar before us, we may be the shining examples of our faith, commitment and love for God, now and always. Amen.