holy saints of God

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Tuesday, 26 May 2020 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Philip Neri, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 17 : 1-11a

At that time, after Jesus said all that He had said to His disciples, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come! Give glory to Your Son, that the Son may give glory to You. You have given Him power over all humanity, so that He may give eternal life to all those You entrusted to Him. For this is eternal life : to know You, the only true God, and the One You sent, Jesus Christ.”

“I have glorified You on earth and finished the work that You gave Me to do. Now, Father, give Me, in Your presence, the same glory I had with You before the world began. I have made Your Name known to those You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they kept Your word. And now they know that whatever You entrusted to Me, is indeed from You.”

“I have given them the teaching I received from You, and they received it, and know in truth that I came from You; and they believe that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to You, and whom You have given to Me. Indeed all I have is Yours and all You have is Mine; and now they are My glory.”

“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to You.”

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Tuesday, 26 May 2020 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Philip Neri, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 67 : 10-11, 20-21

Then You gave a rain of blessings to comfort Your weary children. Your people found a dwelling and in Your mercy, o God, You provided for the needy.

Blessed be the Lord, God our Saviour, Who daily bears our burdens! Ours is a God Who saves; our Lord lets us escape from death.

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Tuesday, 26 May 2020 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Philip Neri, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 20 : 17-27

From Miletus Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. When they came to him, he addressed them, “You know how I lived among you from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, how I served the Lord in humility through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me.”

“You know that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes, and I urged Jews and non-Jews alike to turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus.”

“But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there. Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me. Indeed I put no value on my life, if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the Lord Jesus, to announce the Good News of God’s grace.”

“I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of God will ever see me again. Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you. For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you God’s will.”

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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis M. Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us are called to remember the martyrdom of St. Stephen, the great first martyr of the Church, who in our first reading suffered greatly at the hands of the Sanhedrin members who opposed him and were angry that St. Stephen spoke in such a way about the truth of God that they became hostile to him and wanted to kill him, even though he really was speaking the truth. They stoned him to death for affirming what the Lord Jesus Himself had said, that He was the One sent by God and proclaimed by the prophets to be the Saviour of the whole world.

St. Stephen was only speaking the truth against the efforts of the Sanhedrin who tried very hard to silence him and accuse him, even putting forth false witnesses to implicate him with blasphemy, making false accusations and testimony that St. Stephen had blasphemed against God by his words and actions. This was exactly what they had done with the Lord Jesus as well on the night of His arrest, when they tried to blame Him with blasphemy and sentence Him to death. Thus, St. Stephen endured partly and shared in what the Lord had been suffering during His Passion and death.

St. Stephen devoted himself to the Lord, Whom in our Gospel passage today told everyone the truth about Himself, that He is the One true Bread, the Bread of Life by Whom everyone would receive life and the promise of eternal life. Those who share and partake in the Bread of Life will rejoice forever and have part in the inheritance and grace that God promised to His people, and many at that time were also skeptical or even outrightly refused to believe in the Lord.

At the start of today’s Gospel passage we heard how the Jews questioned and doubted the Lord Jesus on the authority of His teachings and miracles, and they wanted Him to show them miraculous deeds and powers even though it was likely that many among them had witnessed those miracles earlier on. They doubted and would not believe because they had hardened their hearts and minds, refusing to admit that what the Lord had done was indeed real and authentic. Instead, they rather placed their trust in their own flawed human sense and judgment.

It was this same attitude that many among the Sanhedrin and the Pharisees had adapted as they refused to listen to St. Stephen and his words of God’s wisdom and truth, and ended up killing him in cold blood. Yet, St. Stephen remained true to his faith and dedication to the very end, not worrying even about his own life and the suffering he had to face, because he put his trust in the very Christ rejected by his persecutors and all of his enemies.

As the Lord Jesus Himself said that He is truly the Bread of Life, the One Who gives life and strength to all who believe in Him, thus St. Stephen entrusted himself fully in this Bread of Life, in the promise of eternal joy and life surpassing all things that can be found in this world. The Lord has promised all of His faithful ones the new life and existence through Him, and that was why beginning with St. Stephen, so many of our holy and dedicated predecessors gave their all to the service of God, with some enduring suffering, persecution and even martyrdom for their faith.

What is the significance of this truth for us, brothers and sisters in Christ? It is a reminder that to be Christians it means that we are the bearers of Christ’s truth and we are also witnesses of His resurrection. We have received the same Holy Spirit as St. Stephen had, and we have been called to faithfully live our lives so that our every actions, our every words and deeds truly proclaim the glory of God and show His truth and salvation to all the peoples around us.

But in order to do so, we need to anchor ourselves firmly in faith, in the Lord Jesus, our Bread of Life, the One Who can sustain us through our journey of faith and the One through Whom we will be saved and brought into the promised glorious existence together with Him. Many of us have not yet been truly faithful in our lives and we have often allowed our many worldly concerns and the many temptations in life to affect us and to prevent us from finding our way towards the Lord.

Are we then able to overcome these temptations and distractions in life? Are we able to put our trust firmly in the Lord from now on? Let us all not worry about our lives and how we are to live our lives but instead learn to be more faithful to God, seeking to allow God to guide us in our lives that day by day we may draw ever closer to Him and be more attuned to His truth. Let us all grow ever stronger in faith and dedication, that even though we know that sufferings and challenges may be in our path, with Christ everything is possible for us.

Today we also celebrate the feast of two great saints whose lives may be great inspiration for us on how we should continue living our lives from now on. First of all, St. Peter Chanel was a renowned priest and also a martyr of the Church who was remembered for his piety and his hard work as a missionary for many years in serving the people of God and proclaiming the faith in far-off lands. St. Peter Chanel joined the priesthood and was credited for a successful rejuvenation of a parish that his bishop had entrusted to him as parish priest for three years long.

When St. Peter Chanel was finally allowed to embark on his missionary journey, he travelled to the most distant parts of the world, travelling to the islands in the Southern Pacific Ocean, spreading the Good News to the people there, until he finally arrived at Futuna where he was eventually martyred after a brief opportunity of evangelisation to the point that he was even successful in persuading the son of the local king to be baptised. This made the king angry and ordered the execution of the missionaries including that of St. Peter Chanel.

St. Peter Chanel’s courage allowed him to persevere through and he entrusted himself in the Lord so completely that he did what he could to spread the truth and salvation of God to many people even when he had to suffer and endure rejection. This is similar to what St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, commonly known as St. Louis de Monfort, had experienced throughout his ministry to the people of God.

Although St. Louis de Montfort did not endure martyrdom unlike St. Stephen and St. Peter Chanel, but he also had to endure difficulties and challenges from some people who disliked him, as it was told that his courageous and fiery sermons while appreciated by many, but it enraged some of the community who refused to listen to him and became angry at his words, much like how St. Stephen was hated, and St. Louis de Montfort was even poisoned because of this before, though he survived through that.

Through St. Louis de Montfort’s effort and his dedication, his many years of service, many people also came to know God and sought to be reconciled with the Lord and the Church. He was also instrumental in the establishment of several congregations, inspiring quite a lot of people who wanted to follow his examples in serving the Lord. He was also influential in the improvement of Christian education and the formation of the people of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us reflect on all these, and think of how we can be better Christians by devoting more of our time and effort, to proclaim God’s truth and love through our own lives, by our own actions and deeds. Let us all love one another, and let us spend our lives to glorify God and to be inspirations to each other that we may be ever more willing to walk in the path that God has shown us.

May the Lord, our Bread of Life, be with us always and guide us, that we may be courageous like St. Stephen, be missionary like St. Peter Chanel and be loving and dedicated like St. Louis de Montfort. May God bless our efforts and our many good endeavours, and may He be with us throughout this journey of faith. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis M. Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 6 : 30-35

At that time, the Jews said to Jesus, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe You. What sign do You perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says : They were given bread from heaven to eat.”

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven. The Bread God gives is the One Who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they said to Him, “Give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty.”

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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis M. Grignion de Montfort, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 30 : 3cd-4, 6ab and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Into Your hands I commend my spirit; but I put all my trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, for You have seen my affliction.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your love. In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from human wiles; You keep them in Your dwelling.

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Tuesday, 28 April 2020 : 3rd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr, and St. Louis M. Grignion de Montfort, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 7 : 51 – Acts 8 : 1a

Stephen said to the Council, “But you are a stubborn people, you hardened your hearts and closed your ears. You have always resisted the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did. Was there a prophet whom your ancestors did not persecute? They killed those who announced the coming of the Just One Whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the Law through the Angels but did not fulfil it.”

When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Then he knelt down and said in a loud voice : “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he died. Saul was there, approving his murder. This was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem.

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Monday, 17 February 2020 : 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, on this day we heard the message of the Scriptures through which we are all reminded that as Christians, we have to put our full trust and faith in God. We must be careful lest our pride, ambition, ego and desire in us lead us down the path towards ruin and sin. As we heard from the Gospel passage today, that was why the Pharisees refused to believe in Jesus and in His works and truth.

The Pharisees were often too proud of themselves and their actions, believing that they were always right and the best in everything they do and in the way that they obey and follow the Law of God. They criticised and looked down on others who they deemed to be unworthy and sinful, people like the tax collectors, prostitutes and people who were crippled and diseased. They also looked down on the Lord Himself and His disciples, whom they deemed to be dangerous influences on the people.

They were usually so full of themselves and so blinded by their pride that they were not able to open their hearts and minds to welcome the Lord, and as we heard in today’s Gospel passage, they argued with the Lord and asked, probably even rather demanding to see a miraculous sign. The Lord must truly have been sad to see their stubbornness and refusal to believe. For the truth was that all the while the Pharisees followed Him and His disciples, they have seen His miraculous signs and deeds.

Yet, despite having seen all those wonderful signs and miracles, they failed to believe and instead doubted the Lord and His works. They criticised and attacked Him, questioning His authority and legitimacy, and even going to the extent of associating Him and His miracles to the collusion with the prince of demons, Beelzebul. They asked for signs and wonders, and yet when the Lord graciously showed them all those things, they refused to believe.

They put their trust in their human intellect and judgment, their prejudices and thoughts, rather than to trust in the Lord. They were proud and could not bear to humble themselves before the Lord Who had come bearing His truth into the world. To them, the Lord Jesus was a rival and a dangerous threat because they feared of losing their much cherished privileges and honour, their own authority and glory among the people. All these things clouded their thoughts and judgements and prevented them from opening themselves up to the Lord.

This is why St. James in his Epistle which is our first reading passage today reminded us that all of us need to trust and have faith in God, and must not allow doubts, pride, desire, or whatever obstacles we often placed in our own journey of faith, to be a true obstacle in preventing us from finding and appreciating God’s love and grace. St. James reminded us as Christians that we need to be steadfast in our faith, to trust in God as there will be lots of trials and challenges that will come our way, which will test our faith and dedication to God.

How do we then overcome those challenges, both the doubts and the temptations of pride and desire from within us, and those challenges and trials that come from elsewhere? It is by deepening our relationship with God, through a healthy and living faith, filled with prayer and closeness to God, by obeying God and following Him through our lives and actions. And today, perhaps we should look upon the examples of today’s saints, whose feast we celebrate, namely that of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order.

These seven men who founded the Servite Order, a religious institution that remained and flourished until today, were those who were called by God, during the high Middle Ages era in Italy, when each of the seven men met one another and began to live their lives with a new emphasis on sanctity and obedience to God. They dedicated their lives to God, caring for the material and spiritual needs of the people living around them. Many people were touched by their devotion, faith and hard work, and many chose to follow their examples.

That was how the Servite Order eventually came to be, as thousands upon thousands enrolled themselves to the banner of the Order, under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the seven holy founders had deep devotion for. Until this day, the lives of the seven holy founders continue to inspire many in the Servite Order, both the religious, priests and friars in the order, as well as the numerous lay groups associated with the Servites, all aiming for a more holy and dedicated life to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, how about us then? What are we going to do in order to follow the Lord? Are we able to put our faith and trust in Him with all our heart and get rid of ourselves all the obstacles of pride, ego, ambition, greed and desire that have prevented many, such as the Pharisees among others, from truly believing in God? Are we able to commit ourselves, following the good examples set by the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order?

Let us all seek the Lord with ever greater zeal and devotion from now on then, and live our lives from now on with ever greater faith and be ever closer to God with every passing moments of our lives. May God be with us always, and may He bless us and strengthen us in our faith and courage to live in Him. Amen.

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Monday, 17 February 2020 : 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 : 11-13

At that time, the Pharisees came and started to argue with Jesus. Hoping to embarrass Him, they asked for some heavenly sign. Then His Spirit was moved. He gave a deep sigh and said, “Why do the people of this present time ask for a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this people.”

Then He left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side of the lake.

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Monday, 17 February 2020 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Psalm 118 : 67, 68, 71, 72, 75, 76

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word.

You are good, and Your works are good; teach me Your decrees.

It is good for me to have been afflicted, for I have deeply learnt Your statutes.

Your Law is more precious to me than heaps of silver and gold.

I know, o YHVH, that Your laws are just; and there is justice in my affliction.

Comfort me then with Your unfailing love, as You promised Your servant.