holy saints of God

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Tuesday, 3 November 2026 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians we should be humble and obedient just as Christ Himself, as the Son had been obedient to His Father’s will, and how He had carried out everything perfectly as how it was supposed to be. And therefore we are all reminded of the Lord’s calling in our lives to be faithful and obedient to Him. St. Paul reminded all of us the faithful of the Lord’s own dedication and obedience to His Father in his Epistle to the Philippians which is our first reading passage today, referring to how Christ was willing even to empty and humble Himself of His glory and divinity, to assume the humble appearance and status of a slave, to bear the burden of the many sins and faults of the whole world, suffering the most grievous pain and humiliation out of His love for us.

In our Gospel today, we heard from the Lord Jesus a reminder and also a rebuke to all of us for our frequent lack of faith, our refusal to listen to God and obey Him. Through a parable, the Lord told the people about the reality how many of them were too busy with many preoccupations, distractions and temptations to notice the Lord’s calling and what they were supposed to do in their lives. Instead of listening to God and answering His call, they all chose to walk down their own path, into error and sin. This was represented in the Gospel passage today in the parable, as those guests who had been invited to the a great man’s banquet, and yet refused to come because of their various excuses, all the things that they used as reasons why they could not come to the banquet, such as that they were busy with their lives, their own pursuits in life, their various preoccupations. In the end, their places were given to the others whom the man chose to invite instead.

In the same way, the Lord has also generously invited us all to enter into His heavenly kingdom, to embrace fully His grace and love. However, more often than not, we mankind tend to ignore Him, His calling and His patient persistence in reaching out to us. We refuse to acknowledge and even appreciate His love and compassion, His care and desire to be reconciled with us. Instead, we allowed ourselves to be tempted and persuaded. We allowed the devil to have a free reign and for him to twist our minds and priorities. We turned away from God and His ways, and end up becoming more and more selfish, wicked and shut off away from God. And unless we realise this mistake that we have often made, we will end up deeper and deeper into trouble.

Therefore, today all of us are reminded that as Christians we should follow the path and examples set before us by the Lord Himself in His obedience. There are many occasions where many of us prefer to follow the path of our own desires and convenience over that of following what God has shown, revealed and taught to us, and that was why we ended up falling ever deeper into the path towards darkness. And today, therefore, we are reminded to stay committed to the Lord, and at the same time, we also have the good examples set by the saint whose memory we remember and celebrate, namely that of St. Martin de Porres, a holy religious and member of the Dominican Order, from Peru in the New World, from a time when many among the natives and the mixed-race peoples there were being prejudiced against and had difficulties living their lives as they should.

St. Martin de Porres was born into poor condition, from a family of mixed descent from the natives and African slaves through his mother, and as an illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman. He had to endure lots of hardships early in life, and despite his desire to join the religious life, particularly the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans, St. Martin de Porres had a great obstacle as all those who belonged to the slaves, natives and mixed-race were barred from joining the religious orders as full members. At that time, the society in the New World, in Spanish parts of America, were very highly stratified and divided between the different races, with those born in the old parts of Spain at the top, and the natives at the bottom.

Since St. Martin de Porres had a mixed racial origin and was also an illegitimate son, he belonged to the lower caste and group, and he faced many discriminations in various aspects of the community. That was why although St. Martin de Porres eventually joined the Dominicans as a Third Order member, as a laybrother, he was never ordained a priest. Nonetheless, despite all the hardships and prejudices that he had to face throughout his life, St. Martin de Porres remained firm in his faith and conviction, and he obeyed faithfully the Lord’s commandments and the precepts of the Dominican order. He served his community and the people with zeal and commitment, dedicating himself vigorously and faithfully as a servant of God and as an integral part of his community.

St. Martin de Porres was remembered for his great love, care and concern for the poor and those who were suffering, just as he himself had understood and experienced suffering, prejudice and difficulties in life. He cared for the poor and the sick, and when a terrible disease was spreading through the community, he even travelled long distances to care for those who were suffering. He obeyed his superiors who were against his efforts, although subtly, he did remind them that the precepts of obedience should also not overtake the precepts of charity. And this is an important reminder for all of us that we must always first and foremost be filled with God’s love and understand His love, and in everything that we do, we must always follow the examples that the Lord Himself showed us in His ever generous and patient love.

Throughout his life, St. Martin de Porres had exhibited great faith in God and the values of what a true Christian is like and is supposed to be. He has shown us all how each and every one of us should live up to our faith as Christians. Are we willing and able to follow his good examples, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to follow the examples of faith and obedience showed to us by this courageous and loving saint of God? Each and every one of us as Christians are called to be the bearers of God’s Good News, His light and truth, practicing and embodying His generous love through each and every moments of our lives as well, loving all those around us the way that the Lord Himself has loved us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us always constantly remind ourselves of our Christian mission and calling, to obey the Lord, our Father and Master, and let us all follow Him and His examples, as well as the good examples set by our holy predecessors, especially today as we recall St. Martin de Porres and his holy life. Let us all serve the Lord with a new faith and zeal from now on, and strive to love Him, and love our neighbours with ever greater commitment from now on. May God be with us and bless us all in our every good endeavours and efforts. Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 November 2026 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Luke 14 : 15-24

At that time, upon hearing the words of Jesus, one of those at the table said to Him, “Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!”

Jesus replied, “A man once gave a feast and invited many guests. When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to tell those he had invited to come, for everything was ready. But all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘Please excuse me. I must go and see the piece of land I have just bought.'”

“Another said, ‘I am sorry, but I am on my way to try out the five yoke of oxen I have just bought.’ Still another said, ‘How can I come, when I have just got married?'”

“The servant returned alone, and reported this to his master. Upon hearing his account, the master of the house flew into a rage, and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly, into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'”

“The servant reported after a while, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out, but there is still room.’ The master said, ‘Go out to the highways and country lanes, and force people to come in, to ensure that my house is full. I tell you, none of those invited will have a morsel of my feast.'”

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Tuesday, 3 November 2026 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 21 : 26b-27, 28, 29-30a, 30c-32

I will fulfil my vows before all who revere You. The lowly will eat and be satisfied. Those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!

The whole earth will acknowledge and turn to the Lord; the families of nations will worship Him.

For dominion belongs to YHVH and He reigns over the nations. Before Him all those who rest in the earth will bow down, all who go down to the dust.

My soul will live for Him. My descendants will serve Him and proclaim the Lord to coming generations; they will announce His salvation to a people yet unborn, “These are the things that He has done.”

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Tuesday, 3 November 2026 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Philippians 2 : 5-11

Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ had : Though He was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and in His appearance found as a Man.

He humbled Himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted Him and gave Him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.

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Wednesday, 29 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, the friends of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and also some of His closest disciples. Through all of them we are reminded of the great and loving relationships that the Lord shared with His friends and closest confidants, as St. Martha and St. Mary were often hosting the Lord at their house while St. Lazarus was one of those that the Lord resurrected from the dead, after he passed away from sickness. The Lord showed His great love to all of them, and revealed the nature of His generous love and compassion. All of us are truly fortunate that the Lord has not abandoned us and indeed, He will never do so, and that is why, through these three great saints, all of us are reminded to come ever closer to Him and seek Him.

As we heard in our Gospel reading passage today, either of the account of the resurrection of St. Lazarus from the dead, and also how St. Martha and St. Mary welcomed the Lord into their place, we heard of the interactions between these three saints and holy people with the Lord Himself, how they were beloved by God, and how the Lord wanted to tell us that if we believe in Him, then we shall have no need for fear or uncertainties, and there is no need for us to be afraid of anything because the Lord will always be by our side, and we will always be guarded and protected, given the blessings and strength, grace and might from God. St. Lazarus’ death and his resurrection by the Lord showed us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and not even sin and death can do that, as God, the Master and Lord of life and death, have dominion over all things.

Meanwhile, St. Martha and St. Mary showed us all the love that one ought to have for one’s fellow brother and sister, just as we can see how distraught both of them were at the passing of their brother, and yet, at the same time, they still held on to the faith in the Lord, believing in Him and in the Resurrection, which came to complete fulfilment with the Lord’s resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. St. Martha and St. Mary also showed us in the other occasion, of what it means to dedicate ourselves to the Lord, with all of our heart and attention, and as a reminder that sometimes we may be swayed and distracted by the many worldly matters and attachments which may lead us down into our failure to recognise God’s Presence in our lives, or in being so busy and preoccupied in doing things in our lives, even if for the Lord, that we forget to remember Him and spend time with Him.

As we heard from the famous account of how St. Martha hosted the Lord in her house with her sister St. Mary, we heard of how St. Martha was really very busy preparing everything for welcoming the Lord, which presumably included cooking, preparing the food, the table and everything, in trying to be as hospitable as possible. Meanwhile, St. Mary was seated by the Lord’s side, spending time with Him and listening to Him, and when St. Martha complained to the Lord about her sister not helping her, the Lord quietly chided her obsession and preoccupation with her works and efforts, which made her to forget what she should also be doing at that time, which is to spend good, quality time with the Lord and to listen to His words, rather than to spend so much time preparing all things for Him, but ignoring Him and His presence and words in the process.

That is a reminder for us that the Lord wants from us our love and attention, our whole hearts and minds, undivided focus and more, and not all the busy actions and preoccupations we have in life, in all the things that may distract us from focusing ourselves upon the true focus of our lives, that is the Lord Himself, the Lord and Master of us all. That is why today, all of us are reminded as we rejoice in the glorious memories of the three siblings turned saints, St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, that each and every one of us should always put our faith and trust in the Lord, and we should always place the Lord first and foremost before everything else. We must always do our best so that we will not be swayed easily by the temptations and obstacles present all around us, threatening to mislead us away from the path of the Lord and His salvation.

As Christians, each and every one of us are expected to be wholly devoted to the Lord, and to live our lives with great commitment and focus on Him, so that all the others who witness our works, actions and deeds, and who hears us and our words, and interact with us all, they may be inspired to come to know more about the Lord and His salvation. You can essentially say that we are all God’s missionaries and the beacons of His light and truth in our communities and in the world. It is through us that we can either help to bring more and more people to come towards the Lord and His salvation, or to deter and discourage the same people from coming to approach the Lord by our own scandals and lukewarmness in faith. We must not allow worldly desires, distractions and temptations from leading us down the path towards our downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the examples of faith shown by those three great saints, particularly that of St. Mary, in her focus and attention on the Lord, in her devotion and commitment to Him. And from St. Martha, let us all be inspired by her desire to serve and love the Lord, but at the same time, let us all keep reminding ourselves that we should not allow our actions, our piety and all to distract us somehow from our love and focus on the Lord. As it is very easy for us, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had shown throughout the Gospels, to be swayed and distracted, to become proud and haughty over our own actions of faith, that our faith become inward looking and exclusive, self-righteous and lacking in genuine and true love for the Lord. This is something that we all must be careful of, and strive to avoid, by keeping our focus solely on the Lord alone.

May the Lord, ever glorified through the lives and actions of His holy ones, the glorious saints and martyrs, and particularly on this day, through St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, who are dear to Him, continue to bless us all and guide us in our own journey of faith and life, so that we may always be ever faithful to the Lord in all things. May we continue to strive and persevere in faith, even amidst the many challenges and trials all around us. May God bless our efforts and good works, our every endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 29 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 11 : 19-27

At that time, many Jews had come to Martha and Mary, after the death of their brother, to comfort them. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “If You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know that He will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.” But Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Martha then answered, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, He Who is coming into the world.”

Alternative reading

Luke 10 : 38-42

At that time, as Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He entered a village, and a woman called Martha welcomed Him to her house. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet to listen to His words. Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving, and finally she said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me!”

But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”

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Wednesday, 29 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

I will praise YHVH all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in YHVH; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

Oh, let us magnify YHVH; together, let us glorify His Name! I sought YHVH, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, YHVH hears and saves them from distress.

YHVH’s Angel encamps and patrols, to keep safe those who fear Him. Oh, see and taste the goodness of YHVH! Blessed is the one who finds shelter in Him!

Revere YHVH, all you, His saints, for those who fear Him do not live in want. The mighty may be hungry and in need; but those who seek YHVH lack nothing.

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Wednesday, 29 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 4 : 7-16

My dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves, is born of God and knows God. Those who do not love have not known God, for God is love. How did the love of God appear among us? God sent His only Son into this world, that we might have life, through Him.

This is love : not that we loved God, but that, He first loved us and sent His Son, as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if such has been the love of God, we, too, must love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us, and His love comes to its perfection in us.

How may we know that we live in God and He in us? Because God has given us His Spirit. We ourselves have seen, and declare, that the Father sent His Son to save the world. Those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in them, and they in God. We have known the love of God and have believed in it. God is love. The one who lives in love, lives in God, and God in him.

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Tuesday, 17 February 2026 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, isters in Christ, all of us are reminded today as we are about to enter the time and season of Lent tomorrow, that each and every one of us should always be vigilant, prepared and ever ready to resist the temptations of sin and other worldly desires and ambitions, all of which can be the reason for our downfall and destruction. We should always put our trust and faith instead in the Lord, and do our best as Christians to live righteously and worthily in accordance to the ways and paths that the Lord Himself has taught and shown us, through His Church and all that He has revealed to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. James, we heard the words of the author highlighting about how sins and wickedness came about because of our own inability to resist the temptations to commit such sins, and not because God gave us the temptations. It is a reminder for each and every one of us not to allow ourselves to be easily swayed and tempted by the allures of sin and evil all around us, all of which can easily turn us away from the path of God and His righteousness into the path of downfall and damnation. Each and every one of us are called as Christians to be good role models and inspirations to one another in following God’s will and doing our best to live virtuously in accordance to what the Lord has told and shown us to do.

And we should not do it by our own strength alone, as it is often that we fall into temptation and fail to resist its allures whenever we depend only on our own strength and power. With God however, we can have the strength, courage and fortitude to resist the temptations and we can therefore walk ever more courageously in the path that He has called us to follow and which He has set our feet upon. If we put our faith and trust in the Lord, therefore, we shall we guarded and given the strength to persevere the journey of faith and life. The question is then, do we trust the Lord enough and do we put our faith in Him in all of these? Do we listen to Him and allow Him to guide us carefully in our paths in life?

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples after He has performed miracle of the multiplication of the loaves of bread, showing the power of God and the love which the Lord has always had for those whom He has loved and were precious to Him. He warned them all about the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod, that they do not end up falling into the same trap, using yeast as a metaphor to represent the sins and faults of those Pharisees and those in the court of Herod and the king himself, each of whom had been harbouring in them sins and faults that prevented them from truly believing in the Lord.

This metaphor of yeast is used in the context of how unleavened bread were used for the celebration of the Passover, and that was because back at the time of their Exodus from Egypt, there was no time for them to let the dough to ferment and grow into the bread through the agent of yeast, which took some time and place. Thereafter, yeast was used in some of the symbolisms to represent the impurities and corruptions of the world which had corrupted the purity of mankind, that is none other than sin. And with regards to the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod, these yeasts represent the sin of pride, ego and arrogance for the former, and the sin of lust and greed for the latter.

The Pharisees were those religious and intellectual elites of the community of the Jewish people at that time, and composed one of the major factions within the Jewish High Council or the Sanhedrin. They took great pride in their status and achievements, and it was likely their ego and arrogance which prevented them from listening to reason or accepting the Wisdom of God. Meanwhile, Herod was the king that ruled Galilee at that time, the son of Herod the Great, who lived in an immoral way, living in adultery with his brother’s wife, Herodias, and living in a court filled with greed and lust, among other sins. That was why the Lord warned His disciples, followers and the people listening to Him of these ‘yeasts’ of the Pharisees and Herod.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us should follow the good examples set by our holy predecessors as we celebrate their feast day today, namely the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. These seven holy men of God, known by their names of Bonfilius, Alexis, Manettus, Amideus, Hugh, Sostene and Buonagiunta of Florence. All of them found each other in a bond of spiritual friendship which then grew on and having received a vision from the Blessed Mother of God, they were resolved to leave behind everything and followed God, marking the foundation of the Servite Order.

The seven holy founders worked hard and dedicatedly through the Order of the Servites, caring for the poor and the needy, those who were abandoned and without any proper attention and care. They all were dedicated with the care for the physical and material needs of those people, of whom the Lord Himself had said to us, that we have to show love and care for the least of our brethren, to the poor and those who had no one to love them and care for them. The seven holy founders of the Servites did their best within their capacity to care for these people. They are indeed good examples and inspirations for all of us to follow in how we should live our own lives with virtue and faith in God.

May the Lord continue to bless us and guide us all in our journey and life, so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to walk ever more faithfully in the path that God Himself has called us to walk through. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, and help us to be the shining beacon of His truth and wisdom in our world today. May all of us ever be more courageous to live our lives well as Christians, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 February 2026 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Mark 8 : 14-21

At that time, the disciples had forgotten to bring more bread, and had only one loaf with the in the boat. Then Jesus warned them, “Keep your eyes open, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” And they said of one another, “He saw that we have no bread.”

Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed? Have your eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear? And do you not remember when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of letfovers did you collect?”

They answered, “Twelve.” “And having distributed seven loaves to the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?”