holy priests

by

Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, that is as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us should always remember how beloved we have been by God at all times, and how He has given us all His providence and guidance, even through the most challenging and difficult moments, and if we are faithful to Him, in the end, God will lead us all into eternal and true happiness with Him, and we are all called to live our lives virtuously in the manner that all of us have been taught and shown by the Lord Himself through His Church. If we want to be true and genuine Christians, then we have to embody our faith and truly believe in Him wholeheartedly in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezra, we heard of the moment when the people of God, the descendants of the Israelites gathered together under the leadership of the prophet and priest Ezra himself, whom the King of Persia had sent to be the leader of the people of God, who had once again dwelled in the lands which God had promised and granted to their ancestors. They had managed to rebuild their destroyed city in Jerusalem and its Temple, the House of God which had once been built by King Solomon, and destroyed by the Babylonians. The priest Ezra led the people in the ceremony and celebrations held to mark its consecration and dedication to God.

It was a moment of great triumph and rejoicing, considering how the people of God, the Israelites and their descendants had been facing a lot of tough and difficult moments in the past few centuries prior, which happened mostly because of their own lack of faith in God and their inability to commit themselves to the One Who has always cared for them and loved them, and their own preoccupation with worldly ambitions and desires that had distracted and kept them away from the path towards righteousness and virtue in their one Lord and Master. They had been brought low and humbled, cast from their prideful thrones, and made to endure sufferings and humiliations, but God was always with them throughout their journey, even in their most challenging and difficult moments.

This is why we are reminded through this passage of the need for us to continue to have faith in the Lord even through the most difficult and darkest moments in life. We must remember that we are never alone, because no matter how fallen and far we may have been from Him, God has always had a way to reach out to us and to show us all His Providence, even in the most unexpected way and manner. We have to trust in Him that He knows the path for us going forward, so that we will not be easily distracted or made astray by the many pressures, difficulties, obstacles and temptations in our lives. We should always stand firm in our trust in the Lord because eventually even though we may have to suffer for a while, but eventually, we will be vindicated by our faith in God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard the very brief passage from the Gospel in which the Lord Jesus told those who were saying to Him that His mother and brothers were there looking for Him, that all those who obey the Lord and do His will were truly His brothers and His mother, this short passage is a reminder for all of us that each and every one of us are equally beloved by the Lord and we should always strive to do our best in following the Law and commandments of God, so that we will truly be worthy of being called to the Holy Presence of God, in accounting for our lives and actions before Him. We should always heed God’s call and make good use of all that He has provided to us.

And in highlighting His mother, it did not mean that the Lord Jesus was being disrespectful to her or to the relatives that had been there waiting for Him. In fact, the Lord was pointing indirectly at His own Beloved Mother, whose faith in God and dedication, all of her virtues and commitment are indeed great examples and inspirations for all of us as Christians, in how she has completely obeyed the Lord and trusted in Him, doing her very best to fulfil everything that God Himself has entrusted to her. That is why if we follow Mary’s good examples and faith, all of us can surely gain the inspiration and strength to live our own lives in the manner that is more appropriate, faithful and worthy of God, in showing love not only for the Lord, but also for our fellow brethren all around us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, also much more commonly and famously known as St. Padre Pio, a Capuchin Franciscan saint, a holy and truly pious priest and servant of God who had been known well for his many miracles and wonders. St. Padre Pio was remembered for his great piety and commitment to God, for his humble dedication to the Lord despite the many challenges that he had to face throughout his life and ministry. St. Padre Pio did not have it easy early on in life as he had been born to a family of poor farmers, and they had faced a lot of challenges, and yet, they were all very devout and committed to God, spending a lot of time in devotion and prayer to God despite all the hardships that they had to endure in their lives.

Amidst all that background, the young St. Padre Pio has begun to discern the calling to serve God and become a priest, and at the same time, he has also begun experiencing various heavenly visions and mystical experiences that he would go on to experience through the rest of his life. Eventually, St. Padre Pio joined the Capuchin religious order and dedicated himself to the order’s way of life, but even in that he also faced struggles and hurdles, as he was not properly educated, and needed to further his studies first before he was allowed to join the order. He faced several bouts of ill health and problems during his formation years, and this problem still plagued him even after he was ordained a priest, an experience which was worsened by his mystical experience of being a stigmatist later on in life, bearing the wounds of the Lord Himself on his body.

The appearance of the stigmatq gradually made St. Padre Pio to be very famous later on in his life, but for many years and decades, he encountered a lot of doubts, opposition and also persecution from the Church hierarchy and others who cast doubts on the authenticity of the miracles and the stigmata which were associated with this holy man of God. He had to bear through periods in which he was banned from celebrating the Mass publicly and preaching to the people of God, all the while experiencing spiritual attacks from the devil. Yet, all these did not dampen his spirit, and he continued to live his life humbly, faithfully and devoutly in all things, spending a lot of time in prayer, and many more people were coming to him seeking for his help and guidance, and other occasions happened when miracles happened to those who have interacted with this man of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as reflect carefully upon the life of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, as well as on the messages delivered to us through the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should always be good role models and examples for everyone around us. Let us all continue to be ever more faithful in all things, and be the shining beacons of God’s Light, truth and love in our communities, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 8 : 19-21

At that time, the mother of Jesus and His relatives came to Him; but they could not get to Him because of the crowd. Someone told Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside and wish to meet You.”

Then Jesus answered, “My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”

by

Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 121 : 1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the House of YHVH!” And now we have set foot within your gates, o Jerusalem!

Jerusalem, just like a city, where everything falls into place! There, the tribes go up, the tribes of YHVH, the assembly of Israel.

To give thanks to YHVH’s Name. There stand the courts of justice, the offices of the house of David.

by

Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ezra 6 : 7-8, 12b, 14-20

Let the governor of the Jews together with their leaders build the House of God on its former site. This is the command I give as to what you should do to help those Jewish leaders rebuild the House of God : pay the expenses in full and without delay, with the income from taxes of the province at the other side of the River which is allotted to the king. I, Darius, give this command. Let it be carried out at once.

And the leaders of the Jews continued to make progress in building, encouraged by what Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, had said; and they finished the work according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus and Darius. The House was finished on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Darius.

The children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of those who had returned from exile celebrated the consecration of this House of God with rejoicing, offering on this solemnity one hundred young bulls, two hundred rams and four hundred lambs; and twelve he-goats as a sin-offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

Then they installed the priests according to their ranks, and the Levites according to their classes, for the service of the House of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses. Those who had returned from exile celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, for the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together, and all of them were clean. So, they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all who had returned from exile, for their fellow-priests and for themselves.

by

Saturday, 20 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Martyr, St. Paul Chong Ha-sang, Martyr, St. Laurent Imbert, Bishop and Martyr, St. Jacques Chastan, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that each and every one of us have been given and entrusted with many great and wonderful things by God Himself, all the talents, abilities, opportunities and the many other things which He has provided for us so that we may truly be fruitful and active in making good use of them for the benefit of all the people of God and all those whom we encounter in our paths and journeys as Christians, as the disciples and followers of the Lord. Each and every one of us should always do our best such that our every actions, words and deeds may inspire many more people to come to know the Lord, His love and truth.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to his protege and fellow missionary, St. Timothy, we heard of the Apostle reminding St. Timothy and all fellow Christians to always remember that they were all the servants and followers of Christ, the Lord and Saviour, God Himself Who has manifested His love and works through His Son, Whom He sent into our world in order to bring all of us, His beloved people into salvation and eternal life through Him. And because of this, each and every one of those who have professed their faith as Christians ought to continue to focus our lives on God and His teachings, to embody our faith in our everyday actions, in our every words and deeds, in everything that we say and do, at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the famous parable that the Lord Jesus taught to His disciples, which I am sure we are all well aware of, that is the parable of the sower. In this parable of the sower, we heard of what happened to the different seeds that fell in different places, and how among all those seeds, only those that fell on rich and fertile soil managed to grow well and bear fruits, while all the other seeds, those that fell by the roadside, those that fell on the rocks and those that grew amongst the brambles and weeds, all those failed to grow. The Lord Himself had explained His parable and its meaning clearly to the disciples, highlighting how God has given to each and every one of us the gifts and opportunities, talents and abilities much like those seeds that were mentioned in the parable.

However, they had to be nurtured and cultivated, meaning that we should do our best to give the best conditions possible in allowing this faith, all the gifts and things that God had provided to us. And how do we exactly do that, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is by us spending more quality time with the Lord, doing our best to walk ever more faithfully in the Lord’s Presence at all times, in even the most ordinary things that we do. We must not underestimate the power of prayer and faith in our lives, and we should always strive to lead a life that is attuned to God’s will, doing our part such that we may grow ever closer to God and continue to glorify Him by our exemplary living, at all times. We should be good inspirations and role models for others around us, and that is one way how our faith can lead to so many more others finding their way to the Lord, and hence, bearing rich fruits for the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Korean Martyrs, or the Holy Martyrs of Korea, which are composed of many local Korean Christians and converts, both among the clergy and the laity alike, as well as the many missionaries who had come from distant lands, serving the Lord and His people, and all of whom endured great challenges, trials and sufferings amidst their ministry and living of their Christian faith. Today we remember all of these most courageous, faithful and loving people of God, who have borne the pains and struggles of being God’s faithful and beloved children and disciples, suffering prison, pains and sufferings, humiliations and hardships, and many of them even died as martyrs, choosing to die in faith rather than to give up their faith in God or to abandon Him and His Church.

At that time, the Korean state and government were very suspicious and hostile against the Christians and the missionaries who came to Korea to evangelise and proclaim the Lord and His Good News. They viewed the Christian faith and the missionaries as threat to their way of life and the authority of the state, as opposed to the strict Confucian nature of the society and the worldview of the time prevailing in Korea. And therefore, the state persecuted the Christians, both the foreign missionaries and also the local converts, oppressing and attacking them, forcing them to choose between their faith and suffering, or to obey the commands and demands of the state and abandoning their newfound faith and trust in the Lord.

St. Andrew Kim Taegon was particularly renowned among the saints and martyrs commemorated today as he was the first Korean Catholic priest, and he had a rough early life because his family, who had converted to the Christian faith were persecuted and he had his family members martyred for being followers of Christ. At a young age of fifteen, St. Andrew Kim Taegon chose to be baptised and then went to Macau to study as a seminarian and eventually was ordained as a priest in Shanghai in China. He later on returned to Korea to preach the Christian faith and Good News, evangelising to many of the people in his homeland. Eventually, he was persecuted with many other Christians, both missionaries, clergy and laity alike during intense persecutions against them, but he and the other faithful martyrs remained firmly faithful to the very end.

There was also the story of the faith of St. Laurent Imbert, the first Vicar Apostolic of Korea, the missionary which the Pope appointed to be the representative of the Church in Korea, laying down the important groundwork for the growth of Christianity in that area. St. Laurent Imbert dedicated himself to minister to the faithful people of God, the flock entrusted to his care by the Lord, despite the intensifying persecutions against him and many other missionaries. When he and the other missionaries had to go into hiding during those persecutions, St. Laurent Imbert voluntarily surrendered himself to the authorities, and encouraged two other priests to do the same as he hoped that by doing so, he might spare many other Christians, his own flock, from suffering more for being followers of Christ. Before he was martyred, he was remembered for his great quote from the Gospel, ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.’, showing the action that he and the Lord Himself had done in ensuring our salvation and liberation from sin and destruction.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the faith and examples shown to us by the Holy Martyrs of Korea, those whose lives and dedication to God have been most exemplary and strong, and who have inspired us all to continue to live our lives with genuine and strong faith in the Lord as we should have always done. Each and every one of us as Christians have been called to commit ourselves thoroughly and wholeheartedly to the cause of the Lord, to be truly loving and generous with our compassion and mercy to one another, and to trust in the Lord’s providence and care, and in everything which He has reassured and promised us, the promise of everlasting life and true happiness, of glory everlasting with Him.

May the Lord our God continue to guide us all and strengthen us in faith as He has done to all those faithful servants, those Holy Martyrs in Korea who had dedicated their lives to Him and those who have done their best to remain faithful to Him despite the persecutions against them. May all of us continue to walk ever more faithfully and courageously in God’s Holy Presence and lead others to come ever closer to Him as well by our good examples and inspirations in life. Let us all be like the seeds that fell on the rich soil and bear wonderful fruits of our faith, that we may be found truly worthy by God. Amen.

by

Saturday, 20 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Martyr, St. Paul Chong Ha-sang, Martyr, St. Laurent Imbert, Bishop and Martyr, St. Jacques Chastan, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Luke 8 : 4-15

At that time, as a great crowd gathered, and people came to Jesus from every town, He began teaching them with a story : “The sower went out to sow the seed. And as he sowed, some of the seed fell along the way, was trodden on, and the birds of the sky ate it up.”

“Some seed fell on rocky ground; and no sooner had it come up than it withered, because it had no water. Some seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with the seed and choked it. But some seed fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit, a hundred times as much!” And Jesus cried out, “Listen then, if you have ears to hear!”

The disciples asked Him, “What does this story mean?” And Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to others it is given in the form of stories, or parables, so that, seeing, they may not perceive; and hearing, they may not understand.”

“Now, this is the point of the parable : The seed is the word of God. Those along the wayside are people who hear it; but immediately, the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he does not want them to believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the word with joy; but they have no root; they believe for a while, and give way in time of trial.”

“Among the thorns are people who hear the word, but, as they go their way, they are choked by worries, riches, and the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity. The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word, and keep it, in a gentle and generous mind, and, persevering patiently, they bear fruit.”

by

Saturday, 20 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Martyr, St. Paul Chong Ha-sang, Martyr, St. Laurent Imbert, Bishop and Martyr, St. Jacques Chastan, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 99 : 2, 3, 4, 5

Serve YHVH with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that YHVH is God; He created us, and we are His people, the sheep of His fold.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His Name.

For YHVH is good; His love lasts forever; and His faithfulness, through all generations.

by

Saturday, 20 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Martyr, St. Paul Chong Ha-sang, Martyr, St. Laurent Imbert, Bishop and Martyr, St. Jacques Chastan, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

1 Timothy 6 : 13-16

Now, in the presence of God, Who gives life to all things, and of Jesus Christ, Who expressed before Pontius Pilate the authentic expression of faith : preserve the revealed message to all. Keep yourself pure and blameless, until the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, Who God will bring about at the proper time : He, the Magnificent Sovereign, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

To Him, alone, immortal, Who lives in unapproachable light, and Whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him, be honour and power, forever and ever. Amen!

by

Tuesday, 9 September 2025 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to believe wholeheartedly in the Lord and to live our lives in the manner that is truly worthy and obedient to God and His will. Each and every one of us are reminded that we have been called by the Lord to follow Him and His ways, just as how He has called His Twelve disciples and the other disciples, to live our lives in the manner that is truly worthy of Him, to be good role models and examples for one another in how we act and carry ourselves in our various communities in this world today, in our various respective responsibilities in life, in doing what we must in each and every moments, even in the smallest things that we do.

In our first reading, today we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Colossae in Asia Minor regarding the need for the faithful to follow faithfully the true teachings of Christ in all of their actions, activities and all their interactions with one another. And because all of them have become the members of the One Church of God, with Christ as the Head of the Church, naturally all of them should follow and obey the commandments and the Law which the Lord had presented to them, doing what the Lord had told them to do through the Church and the Apostles, renewed and strengthened, and exhorted to keep from themselves all sorts of corruptions, evils and sins.

This reminder to the faithful in the city and region of Colossae was an important one because during that time, living amidst a world full of worldliness and wickedness, in the manner of how the pagans and all the other non-Christians were living in, it would have been easy for them to be tempted, swayed and coerced to go against the teachings and truths of the Lord, to return to their past, pagan way of life. It is more difficult for one to follow the path of the Lord rather than the path of worldliness, and this applies for all of us living in our world today too, as we are also faced with many distractions and temptations present all around us each day. And unless we ourselves put our efforts to live to the best of our abilities in being good role models and examples to everyone around us, and to stand up faithfully to our Christian mission and calling, then we cannot truly commit ourselves to the Lord.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus chose His Twelve disciples, the ones whom He had chosen to be His closest collaborators and as the ones whom He would entrust His missions and His Church to, as the pillars of support for His Kingdom in this world. He called all of them from various sources and origins, from different backgrounds and having different characters, some educated and some uneducated, some rich and some poor, but all were called to the same purpose and misison to serve the Kingdom of God and the ministry to which Christ has called all the Apostles and the disciples to do, to commit themselves to what He gave to them.

Through His works and efforts, the Lord and His disciples continued to proclaim the Good News that God Himself had promised to His people, showing the signs, miracles and wonders, the healing by which He had delivered to many people who had come to Him, the casting out of evil spirits and other good works which He also delegated to His disciples through the authority that He had granted to them. Such works required a lot of efforts and commitmens, and to those whom the Lord had called and chosen, He had given them the authority as well as the responsibilities to fulfil and accomplish amidst the challenges and trials that they might have to face in their works and respective ministries.

To each and every one of us therefore, in our own various responsibilities and areas in life, God has entrusted to us many things and opportunities for us to make good use of as His missionaries and disciples, in how we live our lives faithfully according to the way that He has shown us. Each and every one of us, be it the members of the clergy or the laity, all of us are called to be active in the fulfilment of the missions entrusted to us, in our respective areas, to be good role models and examples for each other in faith, and to do our best to encourage one another in how we live our lives and in how we carry out our actions, so that by our efforts and good works, we will continue to strengthen everyone around us in faith and helping each other to find our way towards the Lord.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of a faithful servant of God, namely St. Peter Claver, who was a renowned Jesuit priest and missionary from Spain, working in his ministry amongst the slaves and African Americans in the New World, as well as among the natives in that region, where his extensive works and contributions across many decades apparently reached out no less than three hundred thousand people whom be personally baptised over all those years. He travelled to many places, personally ministering to the people he was working with, especially among the slaves and the African Americans as mentioned, often on foot, and he patiently worked and championed their cause amidst the rampant abuse and maltreatment of these people, who were often at the lowest strata of the society.

St. Peter Claver tirelessly worked hard amongst the poorest, the least, those ostracised, forgotten and often manipulated by the community. He championed their rights as fellow Christians, highlighting the equality of all mankind before God, even when at that time the community at the place where St. Peter Claver ministered in was very much stratified and were full of racist and prejudiced attitudes, especially against those whom St. Peter Claver had dedicated his life in serving. But St. Peter Claver kept on doing his best and championed the rights of the less privileged and the less fortunate, much as Christ Himself had done and taught His disciples, showing all of us how we ourselves should live our lives as the true followers and disciples of the Lord, by caring for the less fortunate in our midst and by truly embodying our faith in all of our actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples which we have heard and discussed regarding St. Peter Claver, so that we may live our own lives faithfully and courageously as active and devoted Christians, as good and faithful servants of God in all things, in how we interact with one another and in each and every things that we do, even in the smallest things that we do in life. We must not underestimate the impact of our actions, as good and faithful actions can bring so many others towards the Lord, and vice versa, that our scandalous and unfaithful actions can distance and prevent so many from reaching the Lord and His salvation, and on the Day of Judgment, we will have to account for all these before Him.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen us all in faith and help us to continue to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence at all times, being the worthy bearers of His Good News and truth in our community and societies today. May He bless our every efforts, good works and endeavours, so that we may always be encouraged in our journey of faith and life, in inspiring one another in faith, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 9 September 2025 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 6 : 12-19

At that time, Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God. When day came, He called His disciples to Him, and chose Twelve of them, whom He called ‘Apostles’ : Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.

Coming down the hill with them, Jesus stood in an open plain. Many of His disciples were there, and a large crowd of people, who had come from all parts of Judea and Jerusalem, and from the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. They gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. And the people troubled by unclean spirits were cured.

The entire crowd tried to touch Him, because of the power that went out from Him and healed them all.