holy martyrs

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Abbots)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to remain steadfast in our faith despite the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may have to face in the midst of us living up to the faith which we have in God. As the Scripture passages today ought to have highlighted to us, there may likely be circumstances and moments when we will end up being forced to choose between obeying God and His Law, and following the ways and customs of this world, and the frictions and challenges that happen may lead us to many sufferings and trials in our paths ahead in life.

In our first reading today from the Book of the Maccabees, we heard of the continuation of the discourse from the Maccabean Revolt moments, especially focusing on the moment when the revolution began, as the King of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to enforce all the people throughout his vast empire to follow the ways and customs of the Greeks, abandoning the customs, ways and practices of their ancestors. This was likely meant by the king to help unite his often fractious empire, which was then wrecked by repeated rebellions and civil wars. However, this was met with a particularly heated and vigorous opposition from the Jewish people that resided mostly in Judea, Samaria and Galilee, the regions that were then under the Seleucid dominion.

As we heard in that passage today, the king’s officials went around the whole region trying to impose the pagan worship and Greek customs and ways on all the people, and while some of the Jewish people followed the demands of the king and his officials, many of them resisted the king and refused to obey his commands, just as the priest Mattathias led the uprising and opposition against the king, killing the official who tried to impose pagan worship on the people. That event marked the origin and beginning of the Maccabean Revolt, in which the Jewish people and forces rose up against the Seleucids and eventually, after many years of struggles, hardships and trials, they managed to gain independence against their enemies and oppressors.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the frustrations and sorrows which the Lord had uttered against Jerusalem, for all the wickedness and all the evils that the people there had done, represented by Jerusalem as a metaphor, in not obeying God’s Law and commandments, in committing sinful actions and worshipping pagan and evil gods, and in doing what was wicked in the sight of God and men alike. The Lord has come into this world to bring forth His Good News and truth, His salvation and grace, and yet, His people were being difficult, in stubbornly refusing to accept and embrace His generous love and compassionate kindness. This was why the Lord lamented over Jerusalem, in great anguish over just how ungrateful and wicked His beloved people had been in the way they treated Him.

This is why, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that being Christians is often something that is not easy for us to do. There may be plenty of challenges and trials for us in our journey, as we may have to endure persecutions, rejections, betrayals and difficulties as we carry on living our lives faithfully in the way and path of the Lord. There may be those who are opposed to our choice and faith, and those who persecute and oppress us because of this, and hence, this may likely lead to difficulties and hardships for us, but this does not mean that we should give up our faith or betray our Lord for the false ways and idols that may mislead us down the wrong paths in life towards our downfall and destruction.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban, both being great men of God, who dedicated themselves to lives of great dedication to God, committing themselves to do God’s will and to obey Him amidst the many challenges, distractions and oppositions in this world. Pope St. Clement I was one of the early successors of St. Peter as the Pope and Vicar of Christ, as the leaders of the faithful people of God, in his efforts and works, leading the people of God through difficult and turbulent times, amidst persecutions and challenges they faced at the time. He wrote extensively to the various parts and communities of the Church, some of which letters and their excerpts survived to this day in various forms. He dedicated himself to the flock entrusted to him by the Lord, and died as a martyr amidst his ministry, in proclaiming God’s Good News and in remaining steadfast and faithful to Him.

Meanwhile, St. Columban was an abbot and a missionary who was remembered for his great dedication to his works and ministry, and for his establishments of many monasteries throughout several parts of Christendom. He encountered some difficulties from local figures and even some of the local Church hierarchy and members amidst his works, but this did not make St. Columban to give up on his works and efforts. Instead, it made him to commit himself all the more to his works and efforts, as he continued to do his best in glorifying God by his life at each and every moment. He continued to labour for the people of God, and many were inspired to follow his examples and to join the monasteries he had established throughout his ministry.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let the good examples and inspirations from Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban be sources of strength and inspiration for each and every one of us so that in all the things we say and do, in all things throughout our lives, we may always aspire to be fully and thoroughly committed to God, despite and regardless of any challenges and trials that we may have to face in life. May the Lord continue to guide and bless us in our lives of faith, and bless our many good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Abbots)

Luke 19 : 41-44

At that time, when Jesus had come in sight of the city, He wept over it, and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Yet days will come upon you, when your enemies will surround you with barricades, and shut you in, and press on you from every side.”

“And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and not leave stone upon stone within you, for you did not recognise the time and the visitation of your God.”

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Abbots)

Psalm 49 : 1-2, 5-6, 14-15

The God of gods, YHVH has spoken; He summons the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. God has shone from Zion, perfect in beauty.

Gather before Me, My faithful ones, who made a Covenant with Me by sacrifice. The heavens will proclaim His sentence, for God Himself is the Judge.

Yet, offer to God a sacrifice of thanks, and fulfil your vows to the Most High. Call on Me in time of calamity; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Abbots)

1 Maccabees 2 : 15-29

In the meantime, the king’s representatives, who were forcing the Jews to give up their religion came to Modein to organise a sacred gathering. While many Israelites went to them, Mattathias and his sons drew apart.

The representatives of the king addressed Mattathias, and said to him : “You are one of the leaders of this city, an important and well-known man, and your many children and relatives follow you. Come now, and be the first to fulfil the king’s order, as the men of Judah have already done, and the survivors in Jerusalem as well. You and your sons will be named friends of the king and the king will send you gold, silver and many other gifts.”

But Mattathias answered in a loud voice : “Even if all the nations included in the kingdom should abandon the religion of their ancestors and submit to the order of king Antiochus, I, my sons and my family will remain faithful to the Covenant of our ancestors. May God preserve us from abandoning the Law and its precepts. We will not obey the orders of the king nor turn aside from our religion either to the right or to the left.”

When he finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward, in the sight of everyone, to offer incense on the altar that was built in Modein, according to the king’s decree. When Mattathias saw him, he was fired with zeal. His heart was stirred; and giving vent to his righteous anger, he threw himself on the Jew and cut the man’s throat on the altar. At the same time, he killed the king’s representative who was forcing the people to offer sacrifice; and then tore down the altar. In doing this, he showed his zeal for the Law, as Phinehas had done with Zimri, son of Salu.

Mattathias then began to proclaim loudly in the city : “Everyone who is zealous for the Law and supports the Covenant, come out and follow me!” Immediately, he and his sons fled to the mountains and left behind all they had in the city. Many Jews who looked for justice and wanted to be faithful to the Law went into the desert.

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Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to embrace God’s ever generous love and mercy, His compassion and kindness to all of us, His beloved people. The Lord has always patiently reached out to us, with His ever patient and enduring love, that He has extended upon us ever since the very beginning, helping and leading us down the journey towards Him, calling upon each and every one of us to embrace His path and His love once again, even though we have often ignored, abandoned and rejected Him. God did not want us to be lost from Him, but unfortunately many of us tend to be filled with pride and ego, ambition, desires and attachments to worldly desires that we continue in our rebellion and disobedience against Him.

In our Gospel reading today, this is what the Lord had pointed out as He rebuked and criticised all those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who had always hardened their hearts against Him and His truth, in rejecting all that He has revealed and delivered to them through Jesus Christ, the One Who had been sent into this world to save us all. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had acted like their predecessors and ancestors, who had proudly rebelled and disobeyed against God because they deemed that their ways and paths were better than what God had shown them all. Their ancestors, the Israelites persecuted the prophets and messengers sent to them to remind and help them in their way back towards the Lord. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves also persecuted the Lord and His disciples in the similar way.

Why was that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That was because of the dangers of man’s pride, ego, ambition, jealousy, desire and many other things which can mislead us down the path of our downfall. Those people thought that they knew it better than everyone else, in how they ought to live their lives and in the path that they were walking. They hardened their hearts and minds with pride, and as a result, God’s truth, His words and reminders cannot enter into them, and they ended up doing things that led them into sin and evil, as they persecuted, murdered and opposed those faithful and holy servants that God has sent into their midst. Yet, the Lord has always been very patient with His people, and He continued to send unto His people, more and more reminders, help and assistance. He had always shown them His patience and love, and even sent His Beloved Son to save them all.

St. Paul in our first reading passage today in his Epistle to the Romans highlighted how God had saved us all through His love and ever present kindness, compassion and care towards us, His beloved ones. St. Paul made a comparison of how the Law of God as revealed through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has shown us the perfection of God’s grace and love, and how it has surpassed the other aspects of the Law, which was in fact a reference to the way the Law and the commandments were practiced and done by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law during the time of the Lord and His Apostles. St. Paul wanted to remind each and every one of us that we must first and foremost be faithful to God, and to put our whole and complete trust in God, in all things, and at all opportunities. We should not allow our own prejudices, pride and ambition, our attachments to worldly matters to distract us from the true path of God’s righteousness, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done. Instead, as Christians, we must always put the Lord at the centre and as the very focus of our lives and existence.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of several great and holy people, whose faith, commitment and devotion to God can serve as inspiration and as great role models for us all to follow so that we may also know how we should live out our lives in commitment to God. St. Isaac Jogues and St. John Brebeuf were French Jesuit missionaries who ministered and worked in the region of what is today part of the province of Quebec in Canada, as they went to the indigenous peoples living in those regions, bringing unto them the Good News of God, the salvation of God to them. Together with several other missionaries, they laboured hard tor the sake of the Gospel. Then, we also honour St. Paul of the Cross, a priest and mystic who was also the founder of the Passionists.

First of all, St. John Brebeuf, St. Isaac Jogues and their fellow missionaries were all very hardworking and committed in their missions to spread the Good News of God in the very harsh conditions of the subarctic parts of North America, in what is now known as Quebec, that was then known as New France. The missionaries had to persevere through a lot of hardships and difficult environmental conditions, in often subzero conditions and afflicted by diseases, while being in the wilderness and facing opposition and resistance from some among the indigenous natives that viewed the missionaries with suspicion or even outright hostility and rejection, and this was what eventually led to their martyrdom in the end, when they were attacked and massacred by those who refused to believe.

Nevertheless, the inspirational examples and faith of the missionaries made quite a number of converts among the natives, some of whom were also martyred together with them. In particular, for the example of St. Isaac Jogues himself, martyred during one of his missions among the Iroquois natives, his faith and determination inspired his own killer such that when this killer was arrested and awaiting his execution, he chose to be baptised as a Christian, and took upon St. Isaac Jogues’ name as his own baptismal name, and thus, the curious case of St. Isaac Jogues’ ‘double martyrdom’ happened. As we can see, the examples and efforts of the missionaries like St. Isaac Jogues, St. John Brebeuf and their fellow missionaries and martyrs touched the lives and the hearts of so many, who were called to follow Christ henceforth.

Meanwhile, St. Paul of the Cross was the founder of the Passionists as mentioned. He was a young man that felt the stirrings of God’s call early on, and which continued to vex him throughout his growing years, as he encountered various people and experiences that directed him towards the path of God. Eventually, this inspired him to establish a community of like-minded men who were willing to follow the Lord and to live their lives in commitment to God, in promoting the love of God for each and every one of us, particularly through His Passion, that is His suffering, His endurance of a most humiliating and painful death on the Cross, and His perfect love manifested to all of us through those actions. This was how the congregation that St. Paul of the Cross established came to be known as the Passionists, as they fervently championed the propagation of God’s love and the revelation of that love by calling on all the people of God to remember His Passion and suffering for our sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples of those holy men and holy servants of God should inspire each and every one of us in how we ourselves should be living our own lives so that in whatever it is that we are doing in life, in our work, in our various efforts and commitments, so that we may truly inspire everyone around us and all those whom we encounter in our daily lives, interacting and working with us. Let us all strive to be always truly faithful and committed to God. Let us all get rid from ourselves, our hearts and minds, the corruption of pride, ego, greed, desire, and all the attachments to the worldly things all around us which can distract and mislead us down the path of disobedience and sin. Instead, let us remind ourselves always of the Lord’s great love and the Holy Passion that He has endured and suffered for our sake, and thus, commit ourselves thoroughly to His cause from now on. May God bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, in all the things we say and do, so that we may draw ever closer to Him and His love, His grace and kindness. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Luke 11 : 47-54

At that time, Jesus said to the teachers of the Law, “A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed. So you approve and agree with what your ancestors did. Is it not so? They got rid of the prophets, and you build monuments to them!”

“For that reason the wisdom of God also said : I will send prophets and Apostles and these people will kill and persecute some of them. But the present generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will have to answer for them all.”

“A curse is on you, teachers of the Law, for you have taken the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering.”

As Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to harass Him, asking Him endless questions, setting traps to catch Him in something He might say.

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Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

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

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

If You should mark our evil, o YHVH, who could stand? But with You, is forgiveness, and for that You are revered.

I waited for YHVH, my soul waits; and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects YHVH more than watchmen, the dawn. O Israel, hope in YHVH.

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Thursday, 19 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Romans 3 : 21-30a

But, now it has been revealed, altogether apart from the Law, as it was already foretold in the Law and the prophets : God makes us righteous by means of faith in Jesus Christ, and this is applied to all who believe, without distinction of persons.

Because all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God; and all are graciously forgiven and made righteous, through the redemption effected in Christ Jesus. For God has given Him to be the Victim, Whose Blood obtains us forgiveness, through faith.

So God shows us, how He makes us righteous. Past sins are forgiven, which God overlooked till now. For, now, He wants to reveal His way of righteousness : how He is just, and how He makes us righteous, through faith in Jesus. Then, what becomes of our pride? It is excluded. How? Not through the Law and its observances, but through another Law, which is faith. For we hold, that people are in God’s grace, by faith, and not because of all the things ordered by the Law.

Otherwise, God would be the God of the Jews; but is He not God of pagan nations as well? Of course He is, for there is only one God.

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Tuesday, 17 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop 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, each and every one of us are reminded that all of us are God’s faithful and holy people, and we have to be truly holy and worthy, in all of our actions and words, in how we live our lives and in how we interact with one another. Each and every one of us should always strive to follow God and His path, devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to His cause, and becoming good role models, examples and inspirations for everyone around us all in how we live our lives in this world, in our community and among one another. Unless we truly commit ourselves in our every words, actions and deeds, and have genuine faith and commitment in God, then we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city of Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of the need for every members of the faithful people of God, the Body of Christ, the Church, to be truly dedicated to the Lord, and to place Him at the very centre and as the focus of their whole lives and existence. We must not allow ourselves to be deluded and swayed by worldly temptations and coercions, falsehoods, as well as attachments and our pride and greed to lead us down the wrong path into our downfall. As St. Paul mentioned that the Good News of God had been revealed to all of God’s faithful people, through Christ, His Son, and through His servants, the Apostles and disciples who have laboured hard to proclaim His Good News and truth to more and more of the people all throughout the world. However, there were those who continue to be deluded and misled by their attachments to worldly things, to power, glory and worldly pleasures among other things.

St. Paul elaborated further on how those people had known God and they had knowledge of His path and truth, and yet, they deluded themselves by their intelligence, wisdom and desires, their pride and ego which all led to them disobeying God and exchanging their faith in God with the faith in false idols and gods, or in trusting upon other distractions and false emphasis in life, which ended up bringing them further and further away from the path of God’s salvation and grace. This is because mankind, all of us, are easily tempted and swayed by our pride and ego, by our desires and ambitions, pursuits for power and glory, and all those things ended up closing the path towards God’s salvation because we delude ourselves that we have no need for God, or that there are other things that are worth our attention more than that of God.

That was exactly what happened to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of the Lord Jesus, which was highlighted to us in our Gospel passage today. The Lord rebuked and criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for the superficial and the wrong nature of their faith, their observance and enforcement of the Law and the commandments of God. Those people who were very highly educated by the standards of that time, and knowledgeable about the teachings and words of the Prophets and messengers of God, all of them failed to recognise the Lord Himself when He came into this world through the Lord Jesus, His Son, as the Saviour of the world, because they could not accept that their version of the Law and their observance of the Law were mistaken and flawed.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law allowed their pride, ego, ambitions and desires to delude them and to distract them from their true obedience and responsibilities to God, in shepherding and guiding the people of God, and in being good role models and examples for all of the people. Instead, they allowed their personal ambitions, desires and greed to mislead them down the wrong path, to turn them towards the path of arrogance and greed, the path of disobedience and prejudice, as they did not just fail to carry out their responsibilities in caring for the spiritual need and well-being of the people, but they also did not live their lives worthily of the Lord, as they became superficial in their faith, and becoming very much preoccupied in their rituals and practices, overly attentive on the details and forgetting about the purpose and intent of the Law and commandments of God.

Essentially, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law had made false idols and gods out of their own preoccupation and overemphasis, their overly focused attention on the rituals and practices, and they had pushed God out of their lives with this emphasis and focus on their rites and practices. Hence, that is why the Lord rebuked and criticised them for their lack of faith and obedience to God, and for having done what they done in persecuting the people whom they had deemed to be less worthy than they were. They all had misled the people down the wrong path, and lived in vain pursuit of worldly glory, greatness, fame and power, and hence they had disregarded the Lord’s commandments and missions entrusted to them from the very beginning.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest Church fathers and leaders of the Church, whose faith and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary and great, and whose commitment and obedience, focus and emphasis on the Lord remains strong and firm despite his important position in the Church, as he led the flock entrusted to him with great zeal, courage and faith at all times. St. Ignatius of Antioch was one of the earliest Bishops of Antioch, as the successor of the Apostles, in being a disciple and follower of St. John the Apostle according to the Apostolic and Chruch traditions. He was also known as Theophorus, or God-Bearer, as according to some traditions, he was one of the children who had been brought to the Lord and blessed by Him.

St. Ignatius of Antioch dedicated himself to the well-being of his people, in spreading the Good News of God and the truth, love and hope that the Lord has revealed to His Apostles and disciples. Antioch was then one of the early and major centres of the Christian faith, and many people each day converted to the faith thanks to the efforts of the Apostles and their successors, including that of St. Ignatius of Antioch himself. St. Ignatius of Antioch courageously carried out his duties with great humility, and with great commitment and devotion, to be the Good Shepherd in managing the people of God and leading them to the right path. He was martyred during one of the persecutions of Christians running rampant at that time, but until the very end, St. Ignatius of Antioch has always remained firm in his conviction and faith in God, in serving Him all the time, throughout his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we remember what we have discerned and discussed earlier regarding the readings from the Sacred Scriptures, and as we heed and remember the life and examples of St. Ignatius of Antioch, let us all hence do our best so that we may truly embody our Christian faith at all times, and be truly exemplary and faithful in all things. Let us all continue to do our best, to work and to do our part as servants and followers of the Lord, in all things, so that we may be the shining and bright beacons of God’s light and Good News, to bring forth His hope and light to all the nations. May God be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us to be truly worthy and faithful, despite the many trials and challenges facing us throughout our lives and journey. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Luke 11 : 37-41

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to have a meal with him. So He went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not wash His hands before the dinner.

But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He Who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.”