holy priests

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Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together and listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be compassionate and merciful, loving and kind in all of our dealings and actions. As Christians, that is as those whom God had called and chosen, we have to strive to follow the Lord’s own examples in love and compassion, in truly caring for those who are around us, especially to those who have not experienced love and care, those who have been abandoned, ostracised and treated badly by their society, all those who need our love, care and attention. And all those things are what we should be doing as Christians, as those who have been called to follow Christ in all things that we say and do.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Joshua detailing for us the events that happened as the people of Israel were about to cross the River Jordan and enter the promised land of Canaan. We heard of God’s reassurance to Joshua, the successor of Moses as the leader of the Israelites, and the instructions on what they all had to do, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the middle of the River itself so that the river can be passed through by the whole nation of the Israelites. God Himself is present through the Ark of the Covenant, leading His beloved and chosen people into the land that He has promised to them, and for which they had laboured and waited for a long time in the wilderness.

From what we heard in today’s reading of that account, we can clearly see the power of God in guiding His people, as He continued to bless them and help them throughout their journey, stopping the flow of the River Jordan itself to allow His people to safely cross through to their promised land, just as He had done earlier with the sea that He had split open to allow them to escape the Egyptians and their armies and chariots. God reminded His people that whatever He has revealed and promised to them, He would continue to honour and fulfil, and if they remain in faith in Him, then they shall truly be blessed and happy, in the land that He has promised to all of them. He will never abandon them even though they themselves had frequently abandoned Him for the pagan idols or all sorts of worldly pursuits and desires that they had.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the parable of the ungrateful and unforgiving servant who had not treated his fellow servant in the manner of how he had been graciously treated by his master. In that parable, we heard of how the ungrateful servant had owed his master a large sum of money, and when he begged for mercy and patience from the master, his master showed that servant compassion and forgiveness, forgiving that servant everything that he had owed him, even though it was a rather large sum of money. And then, we heard of how this same servant then went to another fellow servant who owed him money and demanded that fellow servant to return him his money that the latter had borrowed, even though it was a far lesser sum than what he owed his master.

This parable is a reminder for all of us to show compassion and mercy to one another, to be kind and not to behave like that ungrateful servant. The servants themselves represent each and every one of us, while the master is a representation of the Lord, our God Himself. The debts which the servants owed to the master and to each other represent the sins which we have committed both against God and against one another. By looking at the master’s action in forgiving that ungrateful servant of the great amount of debt that he had owed him, and how the master expected his servants to do the same for one another, which the ungrateful servant obviously did not do, it is a reminder for all of us that God Who has forgiven us all our sins, despite how great they may be, also expect us all to forgive each other’s sins too, every faults and mistakes we did to one another, and to love one another as He has loved us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, do we remember the line from the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Forgive us all our trespasses, just as we have forgiven those who trespassed against us?’ This is precisely what we are reminded to do as Christians, to be loving, compassionate and forgiving to each other in all of our actions and dealings, in our interactions and in every moments of our lives. And unless we do so, we cannot truly call ourselves as genuine and true Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. We must be compassionate and merciful as God has been that way towards us, ever generous and compassionate with His love and mercy. This is how we should live our lives as Christians, as the ones who should embody our Christian faith not just merely in words, but also through real actions, in each and every moments of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a great and renowned saint, a faithful martyr and servant of God who had dedicated his whole life to the service of God, and whose love and compassion for others inspired many people who heard his stories and experiences. St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland to a mixed German-Polish family towards the end of the nineteenth century, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire. He and his elder brother joined the Conventual Franciscans when they were teenagers and eventually going through the professions and was ordained as a priest after a tough experience in the First World War where his own father was caught and hanged as a traitor by the Russians during that war.

St. Maximilian Kolbe founded the popular Militia Immaculatae, a Catholic evangelisation movement that emphasised on evangelisation and conversion of sinners through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whom St. Maximilian Kolbe had a deep devotion for. That popular organisation and its popular publication continued to grow as St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to work hard for the Lord and His people, gathering more and more followers. Then, St. Maximilian Kolbe himself endeavoured to go on missionary works in distant lands, proclaiming the Good News of God to more and more people. This came true when he went to the Far East in the early 1930s, ministering to the faithful in Asia as far as Japan, where he spent several years in missionary works.

Eventually, St. Maximilian Kolbe returned to his native Poland just before the beginning of the Second World War, which began approximately two decades after the end of the previous World War. He ministered to the people of God faithfully even during the years of the German occupation, when the NAZI regime conquered his native Poland and caused a lot of atrocities in the region. He was eventually arrested when his monastery was forcefully closed under the NAZI regime, and was brought into prison before being transferred to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. At that concentration camp, St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to minister to the faithful inmates, strengthening and encouraging them all amidst the difficult and challenging times.

Then, in one occasion, the escape of several inmates from the concentration camp led to the camp commander ordering the deaths of several prisoners as a punishment for those that escaped. And when one of the Polish man to be condemned to death cried out for his family and children, St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to take his place among the condemned. That was how St. Maximilian Kolbe was then put into the cell meant for those condemned to death, deprived of food and water for two weeks, and eventually, when the guards found that St. Maximilian Kolbe and three others were still alive, they were killed by lethal injection of carbolic acid. That was how St. Maximilian Kolbe encountered martyrdom for his faith in God, his endless dedication to God and his love and compassion for his fellow brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples, faith and love shown by St. Maximilian Kolbe, and from what we have discussed earlier on through the Scripture readings, that we will always practice our faith in the manner that God Himself has shown, taught and reminded us, to be truly genuine in our love for God and for one another, reminding ourselves of God’s ever generous and patient love, and doing our best to show that love in each and every one of our actions as well. May God bless us all and strengthen us in our journey of faith in life, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 18 : 21 – Matthew 19 : 1

At that time, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offences of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

“This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A king decided to settle accounts with his servants. Among the first of them was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment.”

“The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled his debt. When this servant left the king’s presence, he met one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the throat and almost choked him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!'”

“His fellow servant threw himself at his feet and begged him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ But the other did not agree, and sent him to prison until he has paid all his debt. Now the servants of the king saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord.”

“Then the lord summoned his servant and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed me when you begged me to do so. Were you not bound to have pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry. He handed the wicked servant over to be punished, until he had paid the whole debt.”

Jesus added, “So will My heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.” When Jesus had finished these sayings, He left Galilee and arrived at the border of Judea, on the other side of the Jordan River.

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Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 113A: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia! When Israel came out of Egypt, the family of Jacob, from a people of foreign language. Judah became His Sanctuary; Israel, His possession.

At His sight, the sea fled and the Jordan retreated; the mountains skipped like rams, the hills frolicked like lambs.

Why is it, sea, that you flee? Jordan, that you turn back? Mountains, that you skip like rams? Hills, that you frolic like lambs?

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Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Joshua 3 : 7-10a, 11, 13-17

Then YHVH said to Joshua : “Today I will begin to make you great in the eyes of Israel and they shall known that I am with you as I was with Moses. Give this order to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant : As soon as you come to the banks of the Jordan, stand still in the river.”

And Joshua said to the Israelites : “Come nearer and listen to the words of YHVH, our God. Do you want a sign that YHVH, the living God, is in your midst? See, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to cross the Jordan before you. When the priests who carry the Ark of the Lord of all the earth put their feet into the water of the Jordan, the water coming from the upstream shall stop flowing and stand in one single mass.”

When the people set out from their camp to cross the Jordan, the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant went before them. There was much water in the Jordan, for it was overflowing its banks at this time of the barley harvest. Nevertheless, when those who carried the Ark went down to the river and their feet touched the edge of the water, the water from upstream stopped flowing.

The water stood still, forming something like a dam very far from that place, near Adam, the neighbouring city of Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Dead Sea was completely cut off, and so the people could cross opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant remained in the middle of the river which dried up, until all the Israelites had crossed the Jordan.

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Friday, 8 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, 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 we are truly fortunate as those whom God has loved, has called and chosen to be His own beloved people, much as He has shown His faithfulness to the Covenant and promises that He gave to His first-called ones, the people of Israel, who have been taken care of, protected and provided for throughout all of their time in their journey from the land of Egypt, through the desert and towards the Promised Land. All of us have received the great grace from God, manifested in perfection through Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom we have been assured of God’s loving grace and blessings, His boundless and most compassionate love.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Deuteronomy of the words that Moses, the leader of the Israelites to the people, exhorting all of them and their descendants to continue to keep faithfully all the Law and commandments that God had presented, taught and revealed to them. This was likely taking place when Moses was already old and it had been many years since the time of the Exodus from Egypt, as the Israelites were forced to wander off in the desert for a whole forty years period due to their own lack of faith and trust in the Lord. But God did not abandon or forsake His people, as He still cared for them, fed them daily with manna and food, and also gave them all water to drink, and other provisions for them to thrive and survive.

And Moses highlighted to the people of Israel how blessed they had been to be loved so by the Lord, because there is no other people and nation which had been taken care of and blessed in such a manner, from how God brought them out with great might and miracles from the land of Egypt, crushing and smiting their oppressors and slavers, and how He had brought them to triumph against their enemies like the Amalekites and the Midianites, throughout their time and sojourn in the desert. God had done so much for His beloved people, and He has always been patient in loving and caring for them, and that is why they should continue to be faithful and committed to God, and not to take His love, patience and kindness for granted.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, the Lord Jesus spoke to His disciples and first presenting to them all the reality of becoming one of His disciples and followers, that challenges and hardships are likely to be part of their lives and journey, and therefore, unless one is ready to take up their crosses and follow Him, then one cannot truly be a good and faithful disciple and follower of Our Lord. If we want to seek the Lord and His salvation, true joy and eternal life then it is necessary for us to endure the crosses that we may have to carry throughout our lives, in their different forms and kinds. But we must not lose hope because in the end, God will reward all those who have been faithful to Him.

The Lord reassured us all that if we continue to be faithful and committed to Him and to His path, He will be with us throughout our journey, just as He has guided and helped the Israelites in the past throughout their way, despite them having often disobeyed and disregarded the Lord and His reminders to them. He still loved them all nonetheless and continued to help and guide them, patiently chastising and leading them to the right path. That is what we shall experience as well, as we continue to walk down the path that the Lord our God has shown us. We must not lose sight on what is important and we must always keep steady in our faith and focus on the Lord, doing our very best so that we do not give in to the temptations all around us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the renowned St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order or the Order of Preachers. St. Dominic, also known as St. Dominic de Guzman, was exposed to monastic and religious life early on in his life, as he was sent to a Premonstratensian monastery when he was just fourteen years old, and having studied arts and theology, he eventually embraced the calling to the priesthood and became a priest. As a priest, St. Dominic would be involved in various ministries and missions, and even in diplomatic mission such as one that he did for the King of Castile in Spain. St. Dominic was also then heavily involved in the evangelising mission in the then hotbed of the Cathar heresy in southern region, during the time of what is known as the Albigensian Crusade.

St. Dominic was also remembered for his popularisation of the rosary devotion, based on a vision which that he received of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where she appeared to St. Dominic, presenting a rosary to him, and thereafter beginning that very popular prayer and devotion of the rosary in all of its forms. He founded the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, to minister to more of the faithful and of the needs of the society at the time, balancing the monastic seclusion of several monastic orders with the need to minister to the community, with particular focus and emphasis on preaching, which is why the religious order he founded is named as the Order of Preachers. Through his preaching and other efforts, St. Dominic had touched so many people, and many of them were the Cathar heretics, who were convinced to return once again to the Holy Mother Church. He devoted his whole life to the service of God, and we should be inspired by this.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we recalled the words of the Sacred Scriptures that we have just heard and discussed earlier on, and strengthened by the great examples and inspiration from St. Dominic, his faith and zeal in spreading the Good News and in his patience in guiding all those who have strayed from the true faith back to the Lord, let us all therefore strive to live our own lives with faith and dedication to God, remembering how blessed we truly are to have been loved so greatly by Him. Let us all therefore commit ourselves anew to Him, dedicating our time and efforts to continue to do His good works in our respective communities. May the Lord be with us always and may He strengthen us all in love and courage, in faith and hope so that we may continue to be good and worthy bearers of His light and truth, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 8 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 16 : 24-28

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you want to follow Me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life, for My sake, will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world, if he destroys his soul? Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life?”

“Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly, I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death, before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

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Friday, 8 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 76 : 12-13, 14-15, 16 and 21

I remember the deeds of YHVH; I recall His marvels of old. I meditate on all Your work, and consider Your mighty deeds.

Your way, o God, is most holy. Is there any god greater than You, our God? You alone, are the God Who works wonders, Who has made known His power to the nations.

With power, You have redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. You led Your people, as a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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Friday, 8 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Dominic, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Deuteronomy 4 : 32-40

Ask of the times past. Inquire from the day when God created man on earth. Ask from one end of the world to the other : Has there ever been anything as extraordinary as this? Has anything like this been heard of before? Has there ever been a people who remained alive after hearing as you did the voice of the living God from the midst of the fire?

Never has there been a God Who went out to look for a people and take them out from among the other nations by the strength of trials and signs, by wonders and by war, with a firm hand and an outstretched arm. Never has there been any deed as tremendous as those done for you by YHVH in Egypt, which you saw with your own eyes.

You saw this that you might know that YHVH is God and that there is no other besides Him. He let you hear His voice from heaven that you might fear Him; on earth He let you see His blazing fire and from the midst of the fire you heard His word. Because of the love He had for our fathers, He chose their descendants after them, and He Himself made you leave Egypt with His great power.

He expelled before you peoples more numerous and stronger than you, and He has made you occupy their land : today He has given this to you as an inheritance. Therefore, try to be convinced that YHVH is the only God of heaven and earth, and that there is no other. Observe the laws and the commandments that I command you today, and everything will be well with you and your children after you. So you will live long in the land which YHVH, your God, gives you forever.

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Thursday, 7 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to put our faith and trust constantly in the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God, remembering that it is by His love and providence that all of us have managed to survive and thrive even amidst the hardest challenges and trials in life. There will likely indeed be trials, difficulties, obstacles and hardships that we may have to enconocunter in our paths in life, but we must not lose faith and hope in the Lord, believing that with the Lord our God, all of us can overcome all things, together as one united flock of the Lord, God’s holy and beloved people, His Holy Church which He has established in this world in our midst.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Numbers, we heard of the time when the whole congregation of the people of God, the Israelites grumbled, complained and rebelled against the Lord at the site known as Massah and Meribah. This was one of the worst occasions of the rebelliousness of the Israelites because it affected Moses so much with their lack of gratitude, their constant complaints and refusal to listen to him and in refusing to obey the Law and precepts that Moses had spent so much time explaining and enforcing among them, that even Moses himself was fed up, and when the Lord asked him and Aaron to gather together the Israelites to show His Providence and power, Moses himself disobeyed the Lord by striking the rock with his staff instead of commanding the rock to bring forth water for the people to drink.

From what we have heard in that occasion, we can see clearly the intention for us all to remember that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed and distracted by our desires and emotions, all the things that can keep us away from the Lord and leading us down the same path that the Israelites had once walked through. We have to be vigilant and careful lest our actions and preoccupations with ourselves, our desires and emotions, our fears and uncertainties, our doubts and other things cause us to stumble and lose our way. We have to keep in mind that the Lord is always by our side, guiding and providing us all with what we need, and we should not lose faith in Him. No matter how tough or difficult the conditions may be, ultimately, with God by our side, we will be triumphant in the end, if not in this world, then in the world that is to come. 

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the account of the time when the Lord asked His disciples about Himself, about His identity and what people said about Him. And the disciples spoke of what they had heard and believed about the Lord Jesus, with only St. Peter courageously speaking up the truth, stating that he believed that Jesus is none other than the Son of God Himself, the Holy One of God, the Messiah sent into our midst to save us all, and not merely just like any other prophets or teachers of the faith. The Lord praised St. Peter for this answer, and He told everyone that He would establish His Church in the firm foundation of the Rock of faith that is St. Peter, with the name Peter meaning ‘Rock’.

Through this, we are reminded that it is indeed important for us all to trust in the Lord and have faith in His plans, in all that He has shown and given to us through Christ, His Son, Our Lord and Saviour. And at the same time, right after that event, when the Lord Jesus told the disciples that He would face sufferings and persecutions from His enemies, St. Peter immediately pulled Him aside and complained against Him saying such words, and the Lord rebuked Satan who was speaking thrugh St. Peter. This is a reminder that if our faith in the Lord is not strong, and if we allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly considerations, attachments, and desires, by our fears and doubts, as the Israelites and even Moses and St. Peter experienced, then we may end up allowing Satan to strike against us and bring us to our downfall. We have to be truly careful and vigilant in how we live our faith then.a

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Sixtus II, a holy martyr of the Church, and his companions in martyrdom, as well as St. Cajetan, a holy and devout priest and servant of God. Pope St. Sixtus II reigned as Pope during a difficult time in the Church as the faithful were facing many persecutions from the Roman state at that time while also facing divisions over several heresies and disagreements among the clergy, such as what had happened earlier due to the supporters of one Novatian, which divided the Church in the Western part of the Roman Empire, in the area of northern Africa and the Eastern churches. Pope St. Sixtus II played an important role in bridging the divisions and mending the relations between the churches. He helped to unite the Church and lead the faithful through difficult times in their lives. He was martyred together with several others who shared his martyrdom during the intense persecution under Emperor Valerian in the year 258.

Meanwhile, St. Cajetan was the renowned founder of the Theatines, the religious order also known as the Congregation of the Clerics Regular. He was born in the region of northern Italy, in the area of Thiene, where the Theatines eventually got their name from, and he grew up being educated in both civil and canon law, and as a diplomat working for the Pope. He only became a priest later in his life, once he reached his mid-thirties. He ministered to the faithful in his home region, caring for the needs of the sick and those who suffered from maladies by helping to build a hospital there. But her longed to cater to the needs of the people’s spiritual troubles and healing more than their physical ones, and that was how he gathered together a group dedicated to a prayerful life modelled by the monasteries, and yet remaining in active life and ministry in the world, which inspired the foundation of the Theatines, that he founded together with another saint, St. Jerome Emiliani.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, recalling what we have heard and discussed from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, and being inspired by the examples, courage and efforts shown by Pope St. Sixtus II and his companions in martyrdom, and by the faith of St. Cajetan, let us all thus continue to do our best to live our lives worthily in the Lord, doing whatever we can to glorify the Lord by our lives, and to carry out God’s will and trusting in Him at all times. Let us all continue to be good role models for our fellow brothers and sisters around us and do whatever we can to proclaim God’s truth and Good News, now and always. May God be with us all and may He strengthen us in our resolve to live truly worthy and faithful lives, in accordance with God’s will. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 August 2025 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 16 : 13-23

At that time, Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They said, “For some of them, You are John the Baptist; for others Elijah, or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

Jesus asked them, “But you, who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven.”

“And now I say to you : You are Peter; and on this Rock I will build My Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven : whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven.”

Then He ordered His disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. From that day, Jesus began to make it clear to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem; that He would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law; and that He would be killed and be raised on the third day.

Then Peter took Him aside and began to reproach Him, “Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an obstacle in My path. You are thinking not as God does, but as people do.”