holy saints of God

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Psalm 95 : 1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12a, 12b-13

Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Sing to YHVH, praise His Name; proclaim His salvation, day after day.

Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds. Say among the nations, “He will judge the peoples with justice.”

Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.

Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before YHVH Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Isaiah 40 : 1-11

Be comforted, My people, be strengthened, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of YHVH she has received double punishment for all her iniquity.

A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way for YHVH. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up; every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of YHVH will be revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of YHVH has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry.” and I say, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of YHVH blows upon it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will forever stand.”

Go up onto the high mountain, messenger of Good News to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah : Here is your God! Here comes YHVH Sabaoth with might; His strong arm rules for Him; His reward is with Him, and here before Him is His booty. Like a shepherd He tends His flock : He gathers the lambs in His arms, He carries them in His bosom, gently leading those that are with young.

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 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, we are reminded today by what we heard in our Scripture readings today, of the need for all of us to follow the Lord faithfully in all the things that we do, in doing His will and in obeying His Law and commandments. All of us as Christians, as the holy and beloved people of God are reminded that we should always follow Him and put Him at the centre and as the focus of all of our whole lives. We are reminded that we have to be sincere in our actions and way of living our faith in our respective lives so that we do not end up being hypocrites or self-serving in our faith and actions. It is easy for all of us as Christians to fall into this temptation of worldly desires and ambitions, putting our own wants and desires above what the Lord truly wants us to do in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of the mercy which God has shown to everyone, both to the Jewish people, the descendants of the Israelites, and also to the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, like the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians and many other people, all the children of mankind. Each and every one of them have been shown the mercy of God as we all have been, by the power and grace of God, so that we might see the salvation of God and His ever enduring love and patience for each and every one of us. None of us have deserved this love and compassion, this mercy and forgiveness, and yet, God has shown them to all of us nonetheless by His great care for all of us.

This is an important reminder to all of us that we are all called to be thankful and appreciative of everything that God had done for us out of love, that we, humble and sinful creatures of His may be the recipient of His most generous love, compassion and mercy, all of which had made it available for all of us to return to Him and to be fully reconciled to Him. We have deserved death and destruction, but God not only continued to love us and not desiring our damnation and destruction, but He even also crafted and prepared for us the ultimate and best gift in His own Beloved and only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Whom had been sent into our midst to bring us all into eternal life and assurance of salvation in God.

Then from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples to show true Christian charity, love and generosity in all of their actions by using the metaphor of inviting people to lunch, dinner or any other celebrations, that they should not be inviting only those whom they know or those like their families who appreciate what they have given and who often would give back in return for everything or most of the things done to them. Instead, they should be inviting those who were unable to return what they had invested or prepared so that they would truly be known by their generosity in giving and not because they seek to be recompensed or gain returns from what they have given.

In saying this, the Lord Himself referred to what He Himself had done in continuing to love us generously despite us having always been stubborn in hardening ourselves against His patient love and care. He still cared for us nonetheless and He continued to reach out to us, showing us all consistent effort and care even when we have always disappointed Him through our attitudes and disobedience. Hence, all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we are always reminded that we are called to love everyone around us in the manner of how the Lord Himself has always loved us, ever so patiently and wonderfully despite all the tough attitudes that we have shown Him, all these while.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martin de Porres, a great and virtuous man of God, a holy servant and follower of Christ, who had dedicated himself and his life to the Lord, though his works, his commitments and actions. He is a humble and simple man, and yet, in his simplicity and great faith, he has shown us all how to truly be good and faithful disciples of the Lord, in doing our best to follow the Lord’s commandments, in obeying His will and doing His Law. St. Martin de Porres has shown his love both to the Lord and towards his fellow brothers and sisters, and hence, he has been doing what the Lord had commanded and told us all to do, and his virtues become for us a shining beacon of his faith, righteousness and justice amidst the darkness of this world and all the temptations and corruptions of sin.

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, in what is now Peru, and then part of the Spanish dominions in the New World, the Americas. He was born of a mixed ancestry, of Spanish and natives, being an illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave of mixed African and native descent. He grew up in poverty, like many others like him at that time, and eventually, he wanted to join the Dominicans, only to be stopped by the law of the time which forbid those who has similar background as him from joining as full members of the Dominican Order. Instead, he became a third order member of the Dominicans, and he performed various works and actions in supporting the Dominicans and also in other charitable actions, particularly towards the poor, whose sufferings he understood very well, having been born, lived and dwelled in poverty and amongst the poor.

St. Martin de Porres was renowned for his great piety and faith, and for his loving outreach to the poor all around the community he was living and ministering in, faithfully doing whatever the Lord had commanded and told him to do through his part in the Dominican Order as a religious brother. He devoted much of his time before the Blessed Sacrament, in which he had a great devotion and also among the poor as mentioned. He did not even hesitate to help those who were sick and suffering, and showed everyone around him the true compassionate and loving face of God, shown clearly through his exemplary virtues and compassion. He obeyed the Lord perfectly and continued to do what he could to serve God till his death. He continued to inspire countless others even long after his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier from the Sacred Scriptures and as we heard from the life, dedication and humility of St. Martin de Porres, let us all therefore strive to do our best to love the Lord our God first and foremost, and then to love our fellow brothers and sisters around us, as best as we are able to. Let us all be good examples of our faith and live our lives ever more wholeheartedly and faithfully at all times, doing whatever we can so that we may lead many others on the way towards God and His salvation. May God bless us always, in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Luke 14 : 12-14

At that time, Jesus also addressed the man who had invited Him, and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives, or your wealthy neighbours. For surely they will also invite you in return, and you will be repaid.”

“When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright.”

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 68 : 30-31, 33-34, 36-37

But I myself, am humbled and wounded; Your salvation, o God, will lift me up. I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving.

Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity.

For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. His people shall dwell in the land and possess it. The children of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Romans 11 : 29-36

Because the call of God, and His gifts, cannot be nullified. Through the disobedience of the Jews, the mercy of God came to you who did not obey God. They, in turn, will receive mercy, in due time, after this disobedience, that brought God’s mercy to you. So, God has submitted all to disobedience, in order to show His mercy to all.

How deep are the riches, the wisdom and knowledge of God! His decisions cannot be explained, nor His ways understood! Who has ever known God’s thoughts? Who has ever been His adviser? Who has given Him something first, so that God had to repay him? For everything comes from Him, has been made by Him and has to return to Him. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

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Saturday, 16 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

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 to remain truly faithful to the Lord at all times, through good and bad times, through moments of difficulties and trials, and when we are facing various temptations and challenges that may make us to question our faith in God or to forget and abandon Him. When times and moments are good, we may also be so preoccupied by our joy and pursuits in life that we may ignore the Lord and forget about Him as well. This is why it is important for us to remain truly grounded in our faith in the Lord and not to be easily swayed by the various temptations, pressures and coercions all around us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Joshua of the moment when many years after the Israelites had arrived in the promised land of Canaan and having settled there with God’s guidance, protection and providence, managing to overcome their enemies and all those who have opposed them, then Joshua and the Israelites gathered together in Shechem which was roughly at the centre of the land of Israel, to renew their commitment towards God. Why is that so? That is because by that time, Joshua was already old and he knew that he did not have much longer as the leader of the people of Israel. The older generations who had witnessed God’s miracles, providence and works had passed away and many of the younger generations might not have known and experienced God’s works, providence and signs.

Therefore Joshua gathered the Israelites and told them that they should all choose and decide whether they want to follow the Lord and commit to Him or not, highlighting all the great wonders and deeds which the Lord Himself had done for the sake of His beloved ones, and they need to remember all that God had done for their sake because it would be easy for them to forget about God and abandon Him when things are good and happy for them in the lands that they were settling in. And like their predecessors before them, they might be tempted to worship other gods and idols instead of following the Lord, as they were still surrounded by their Canaanite neighbours with their idols and all their pagan way of living, which might lead them away from the path of the Lord.

As we heard, the Israelites were united in their commitment towards the Lord, and they professed their faith in Him together there at Shechem before Joshua and in the presence of all the assembly of God’s people. And it was there that Joshua renewed the Covenant between God and His people, solemnly establishing the pact between God and those whom He had called and chosen to be His own, that God would always be their God, providing for them and protecting them all, while the people of God ought to obey the Law and commandments which God has shown, taught and revealed to them all, and to pass these down to their own descendants as well. The reality is such that, even after this moment, God’s people would still falter in their commitments, and they would repeatedly disobeyed and abandoned Him, but each time, God continued to love them and send to them leaders, judges and prophets to help guide them to the right path.

Then in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples that they should not keep children from coming towards Him. This was because the disciples were likely annoyed at people bringing the little children towards the Lord, for Him to bless them and to be with them. But the Lord told the disciples not to stop those children from coming to Him, because in fact, the kingdom of Heaven truly belong to those who behave like those children, those who are truly humble and faithful in God. On the contrary, for many adults including the disciples themselves, many among them did not truly have genuine faith in the Lord, as many among them attached many conditions to their faith in God.

This is indeed a reminder for all of us as Christians that we must always have genuine and strong faith in God, and not one that is dependent on our desires, ambitions and worldly pursuits. Many among the disciples and followers of the Lord at that time often bickered and quarrelled among themselves because they were seeking vanity, ambition and worldly glory in following the Lord, thinking that they would gain much from following Him and becoming close to Him, such that when Christ restored the Kingdom of Israel as they expected, they would be richly rewarded. But this is not what true faith is all about, and true faith in the Lord is something more than merely just our desires for worldly things and matters. True faith is about truly loving God at all times, and continuing to trust in Him even in most difficult and challenging moments in life.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary, the very first King of Hungary who was crowned as King and ruler of the Hungarian nation, consecrated as the Divinely appointed ruler of the people entrusted to him and with the blessing and approval of the Pope. At that time Hungary was still in the midst of transformation from the previously pagan Magyar tribal nation after their migration from the Eurasian Steppe to the Pannonian plain where Hungary lies today. St. Stephen was the member of the ruling House of Arpad and while he was not the first Christian in his family, but he was indeed the first one to be devout and truly dedicated to the Christian faith, the first of the Christian Kings and rulers of Hungary.

St. Stephen took his duties and responsibilities as King very seriously, dedicating his time and effort to care for the well-being of his people, to improve their livelihood and to care for their spiritual needs, by establishing the Church and its institutions in all parts of his kingdom. He established many archdioceses and dioceses throughout Hungary, building churches, hospitals, monasteries and other institutions that help improve the livelihood of the Hungarians, both in physical and spiritual dimensions. He also led a pious life, dedicating himself to be a good Christian in all things, reigning justly and maintaining a relatively peaceful time in his reign over Hungary. He was well-remembered for his great faith and commitment to God and to the people entrusted to him, and he is indeed a good source of inspiration for all of us as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our very best so that we may indeed be truly faithful in the Lord, with the purest intentions and desire to follow and serve the Lord wholeheartedly at all times. Just as we have been inspired by St. Stephen of Hungary, let us all be good inspiration and examples for one another so that we may continue to encourage everyone around us, so that more may come to know the Lord through us, through our actions and interactions with those whom we encounter daily in life. May the Lord give us His guidance and strength, and help us in our journey of faith and life, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 16 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Matthew 19 : 13-15

At that time, little children were brought to Jesus, that He might lay His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. Jesus then said, “Let the children be! Do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are humble, like these children.”

Jesus laid His hands on them and went away.

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Saturday, 16 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to YHVH, “O YHVH, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I praise YHVH Who counsels me; even at night, my inmost self instructs me. I keep YHVH always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence, the fullness of joy, at Your right hand, happiness forever.

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Saturday, 16 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Joshua 24 : 14-29

Joshua said to the people of Israel, “So fear YHVH, and be sincere and faithful in serving Him. Set aside those gods your ancestors worshipped in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Serve only YHVH. But if you do not want to serve YHVH, make known this very day whom you shall serve – whether they be the gods your ancestors served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites who formerly occupied the land in which you now live. As for me, I and my household will serve YHVH.”

The people answered, “May God not permit that we ever abandon YHVH to serve other gods! For it was He Who brought us and our ancestors out of Egypt, the house of slavery. It was He Who did those great wonders that we have seen; He protected us on the way and through all the land where we passed, driving away before us all the nations especially the Amorites who lived in this land. So we shall also serve YHVH : He is our God!”

Joshua asked the people : “Will you be able to serve YHVH? He is a holy God, a jealous God Who does not tolerate wickedness or faults. If you abandon YHVH to serve other gods, He will turn against you and just as He has done you so much good, so shall He punish you and destroy you.”

The people replied, “No, may it not be as you say. We will serve YHVH.” Joshua said, “You yourselves are witnesses that you have chosen YHVH to serve Him.” They answered, “We are witnesses.” Joshua then said, “Remove now from your midst any other gods and serve YHVH, the God of Israel, with all your heart.” The people answered : “We will serve YHVH, our God, and obey His commands.”

On that day at Shechem, Joshua made a Covenant with the people and fixed laws and ordinances. He also wrote down everything expressed in the book of the Law of God; he chose a great stone and put it under the oak tree in the sacred place of YHVH. Then Joshua said to the people : “This stone shall be a witness to all that YHVH said to us, for it heard all these words. It shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with YHVH.”

Joshua immediately sent the people away and everyone returned to his land. After all these deeds, Joshua, son of Nun and servant of YHVH, died at the age of a hundred and ten.