holy saints of God

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Monday, 4 March 2024 : 3rd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

2 Kings 5 : 1-15a

Naaman was the army commander of the king of Aram. This man was highly regarded and enjoyed the king’s favour, for YHVH had helped him lead the army of the Arameans to victory. But this valiant man was sick with leprosy.

One day some Aramean soldiers raided the land of Israel and took a young girl captive who became a servant to the wife of Naaman. She said to her mistress, “If my master would only present himself to the prophet in Samaria, he would surely cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went to tell the king what the young Israelite maidservant had said. The king of Aram said to him, “Go to the prophet, and I shall also send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman went and took with him ten silver talents, six thousand gold pieces and ten festal garments.

On his arrival, he delivered the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I present my servant Naaman to you that you may heal him of his leprosy. When the king read the letter, he tore his clothes to show his indignation, “I am not God to give life or death. And the king of Aram sends me this man to be healed! You see, he is just looking for an excuse for war.”

Elisha, the man of God, came to know that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, so he sent this message to him : “Why have you torn your clothes? Let the man come to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stopped before the house of Elisha. Elisha then sent a messenger to tell him, “Go to the river Jordan and wash seven times, and your flesh shall be as it was before, and you shall be cleansed.”

Naaman was angry, so he went away. He thought, “On my arrival, he should have personally come out, and then paused and called on the Name of YHVH, his God. And he should have touched with his hand the infected part, and I would have been healed. Are the rivers of Damascus, Abana and Pharpar not better than all the rivers of the land of Israel? Could I not wash there to be healed?”

His servants approached him and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had ordered you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? But how much easier when he said : ‘Take a bath and you will be cleansed.’” So Naaman went down to the Jordan where he washed himself seven times as Elisha had ordered. His skin became soft like that of a child and he was cleansed.

Then Naaman returned to the man of God with all his men.

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Saturday, 17 February 2024 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day we are all reminded that we should indeed free ourselves from the dominion and bondage of sins and evils, wickedness and all the temptations present all around us, all of which can become very serious obstacles that prevent us from truly attaining righteousness and grace in God. We are reminded of the need for all of us to remove from ourselves all the corruptions of sin, and all the attachments to those sins which had led to so many of us falling into the path of sin all these while. And God has always been full of kindness, mercy and compassion towards us, which is something that we really need to appreciate and be thankful for, as if not for the Lord, we would have been damned, crushed and destroyed because of our many sins and wickedness.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke to His people in the southern kingdom of Judah about the matter of the repentance of the people from their many sins and wickedness, from their rebellions and disobedience, all of which had caused them to endure trials and sufferings, difficulties and humiliations because of their enemies and all those who had gone into conflict with them. At that time, the prophet Isaiah was sent to the kingdom of Judah when their northern neighbour, the kingdom of Israel that ruled over most of the ten out of the twelve tribes of the Israelites, God’s chosen people, had been subjugated, destroyed and conquered by the mighty Assyrian Empire.

That same kingdom of Israel had persecuted countless prophets and messengers of the Lord that had been sent to them in order to remind them and to help and guide them all back towards God. Despite this, the Lord still patiently reached out to all of the people, His beloved ones whom He wanted to be reconciled with. Yet, they still remained stubborn and chose to do things in their own way rather than to put their trust and faith in the Lord. The people chose to worship the pagan idols and the false gods rather than to believe in the Lord Who has delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, blessed and protected them throughout their whole journey from Egypt through the desert, defended them from their enemies and made them prosper.

Hence, that was why they ended up in their downfall, as they continued to put their trust in their own strength and their own power, in their false idols and all their worldly power and glory rather than to listen to God. They allowed their pride, ego, ambition and desires to be stumbling blocks and obstacles in the path of their return towards the Lord. This was why the Lord sent Isaiah amidst His people to remind them to turn away from this foolish path, which was also affecting the people of Judah, so that they would not end up facing the same fate of destruction and hardships. Those who lived in the northern kingdom were not humiliated just because they have lost their kingdom and nation, but also because many among them were forcefully brought out of their lands and exiled in the lands of Assyria, scattered in far and distant places, while pagans and foreigners were brought in to dwell in the lands which the Israelites had lived in earlier. Something like this unfortunate fate will be ours as well, if we fail to believe in the Lord and keep our faith in Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord calling to Levi, the tax collector, in which He gained a new and close follower and confidant, as Levi willingly left behind everything that he had in order to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. The Lord had come and saw Levi at his tax collector’s booth, and He called on the latter, knowing the faith which this man had for God, and all the great things which he would do later on for the sake of God, His glory and His people. At that time, many of the people, especially among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, they had a rather negative view and strong prejudice against the tax collectors, whom they considered as wicked, unworthy of God and sinful, because of their actions and work in collecting the taxes on behalf of the Roman overlords and also that of the local kings and rulers like the Herodians.

Hence, this prejudice led to the tax collectors being persecuted and ostracised from the general community, as they were generally disliked and even hated because of the work they carried out, and some even considered them as traitors to the people for having colluded and worked with those who conquered the lands and the nation of the Israelites. Yet, this led to those same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law commonly having a self-righteous and selfish personality, in thinking that they were superior, better and more worthy than those whom they deemed to be inferior, sinners, corrupt and wicked, like the tax collectors and prostitutes. Nonetheless, the Lord called one of His Twelve Apostles from among these tax collectors, recognising that such prejudice was nonsense.

In fact, as the Lord Himself mentioned elsewhere, that the tax collectors and the prostitutes were closer to the Lord and His salvation than the self-righteous and arrogant Pharisees as the former were aware and repentant over their sins and wickedness, and desired to seek the Lord for forgiveness and for reconciliation with Him, and through God’s generous mercy and love, they were all indeed forgiven and empowered to live and enter into a new life blessed by Him. But the latter persisted in their sins because they were too proud and haughty to realise and recognise their errors and mistakes, and thus, continuing to persist in their waywardness and lack of true and genuine faith in the Lord. This is a reminder for all of us that we ourselves have to be humble and willing to listen to God, and get rid from ourselves all pride, haughty and self-righteous attitudes.

Today, the Church also celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. These seven Holy Founders of the Servites, namely Bonfilius, Alexis, Manettus, Amideus, Hugh, Sostene and Buonagiunta, all of whom were men from the city of Florence that were called by the Lord and they all bound themselves in strong and lasting spiritual friendship that eventually became the foundation of the Servite Order, in their strong faith in the Lord as well as in the intense devotion which they all had for the Blessed Mother of God. All of them led holy and devout lives, committed wholly to God, and they all became great source of inspiration for their fellow men and women, many of whom were drawn to follow their examples as well.

Through the examples shown by those holy men of God, the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, all of us are shown what it truly means for us to be genuine and faithful Christians in all things, in all that we say and do, and at all opportunities. We should be inspired by their good role models and examples, their actions and deeds in doing what God had told and commanded them all to do. Let us all be the worthy and faithful bearers of God’s light and truth, His Good News and His teachings, so that like Levi, who would later be known as St. Matthew the Apostle, a great evangelist and servant of God, and like the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, we too may live our lives in each and every moments ever more faithfully and that we may draw ever closer to God.

May God be with us always and may He continue to guide and strengthen us in the path which we are walking in, in doing what is right according to His teachings, ways and to our Christian beliefs and faith. May God bless our every good efforts, endeavours and our faithful observances and actions in this blessed penitential season of Lent, so that we may continue to do what God had entrusted to us to do, and be ever more worthy and faithful, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 17 February 2024 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 5 : 27-32

At that time, after Jesus healed a paralytic man, He went out, and noticing a tax collector named Levi, sitting in the tax office, He said to him, “Follow Me!” So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus.

Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house, and took their places at the table with the other people. Then the Pharisees and their followers complained to Jesus’ disciples, “How is it, that you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

But Jesus spoke up, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to a change of heart.”

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Saturday, 17 February 2024 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 85 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Listen, o YHVH, and answer me, for I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my life, for I am God-fearing; save Your servant who trusts in You.

Have mercy on me, o YHVH, for I cry to You all day. Bring joy to the soul of Your servant; for You, o YHVH, I lift up my soul.

You are good and forgiving, o YHVH, caring for those who call on You. Listen, o YHVH, to my prayer, hear the voice of my pleading.

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Saturday, 17 February 2024 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 58 : 9b-14

If you remove from your midst the yoke, the clenched fist and the wicked word. If you share your food with the hungry and give relief to the oppressed, then your light will rise in the dark, your night will be like noon.

YHVH will guide you always and give you relief in desert places. He will strengthen your bones; He will make you as a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fall. Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt, the age-old foundations will be raised. You will be called the Breach-mender, and the Restorer of ruined houses.

If you stop profaning the Sabbath and doing as you please on the holy day, if you call the Sabbath a day of delight and keep sacred YHVH’s holy day, if you honour it by not going your own way, not doing as you please and not speaking with malice, then you will find happiness in YHVH, over the heights you will ride triumphantly, and feast joyfully on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of YHVH has spoken.

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Thursday, 8 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are reminded this day by the readings from the Sacred Scriptures of the need for all of us to have true and genuine faith in the Lord. We must always ever be vigilant in obeying the Lord and in doing His will, resisting the temptations of the world, and all the coercions and the corruptions of worldly glory and greed, of all the wickedness and evils of this world, which can mislead us down the path of ruin and damnation. We must always hold fast to this faith and trust that we should have in the Lord, and put ourselves in His hands, having that strong and enduring conviction to follow the Lord no matter what, not being easily swayed by all kinds of worldly glory and attachments that had mare so many of our predecessors to fall into sin.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of the account of the downfall of King Solomon of Israel, who had not remained faithful wholeheartedly to the Lord unlike that of his father, King David. As we heard from the Scriptural account, Solomon was swayed in his old age and tempted by his many wives and concubines, by his greatness, power and glory, that he fell into the path of disobedience and sin. Solomon had been faithful in the early years of his reign and had been blessed bountifully by the Lord for his family’s trust and faith in Him, that the Kingdom of Israel reached the zenith of its might and glorious days under his reign. Unfortunately, he was eventually misled by the many worldly glory and attachments he grew to have, and he was no longer completely faithful to God.

While we did not have much details beyond what was provided to us in the Scriptures, we can guess that it was likely because of his growing attachment to all the riches, wealth and fame he has attained over the years which made him to forget how he reached that height in the first place, and he became more stubborn and refused to obey the Lord. This showed to all of us how even a faithful man and great servant of God could be swayed by the temptations of sin if we allow ourselves to be swayed and tempted by the various temptations present all around us, and most importantly if our faith in the Lord is not strong and vibrant, we may likely be tempted the way how King Solomon had been tempted by his many sources of temptations and distractions in life, be it his wives and concubines, his wealth and possessions, power and glory, and other pleasures of the world.

In our Gospel passage today, we are reminded that faith can be as powerful and even more powerful than the temptations all around us. The Syro-Phoenician woman in the story with the Lord Jesus reminded us that great faith in the Lord is what truly matters for Him, and not one’s status or background. There is that marked irony highlighted in the comparison between what happened in our first reading account of the sin and downfall of King Solomon of Israel and then what was recorded in the Gospel of the interaction between the Lord and the Syro-Phoenician woman. This is because by the time of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, the division between the Jewish people, descendants of the Israelites who inhabited the lands of Judea and Galilee, and those who are not counted among the Jews, like the Samaritans and the Gentiles, had become crystallised and hardened.

At that time, the Jewish people, particularly among the members of the Pharisees, saw themselves as being superior and more worthy than the non-Jewish people, like the Samaritans in Samaria and the other non-Jewish people known as the Gentiles. They deemed themselves as the only ones who were worthy of God, and others were inferior and undeserving of God’s love and grace. This attitude was shown in how they deemed Samaritans and Gentiles with contempt, and did not mingle with them, avoiding them and their dwelling places because by their version and interpretation of the Law of God, that would have made them to be unclean and to sin against God. Yet, in today’s Gospel, as we heard, the Syro-Phoenician woman, who was considered as a Gentile, had more faith than many if not most of the Jews and the Pharisees among them.

Initially as we heard in that same Gospel passage, it might seem that the Lord was being very rude and harsh towards the woman, as He ignored her pleas and cries for help, as she begged the Lord to help her and her afflicted daughter. Not only that, but He even told her directly that He should not give what was meant for the children of God, referring to the Israelites and their descendants, to the dogs, which was an indirect reference to the Syro-Phoenician woman and the other Gentiles. Why did the Lord utter such a despicable set of words? It is truly uncharacteristic of His loving and forgiving nature. This is where we must understand that the Lord was making a point of the folly of the Jews and the Pharisees in particular for thinking that just because they were descended from the Israelites then they had the exclusive and automatic privilege of God’s grace.

That was why the Lord highlighted the absurdity of such way of thinking, and showcasing the great faith which the Syro-Phoenician woman had in Him, that she humbled herself and did not allow herself to be deterred by whatever obstacles in her trust and faith in God. Such faith in God was indeed rare, and the Lord commended the woman for having that kind of great and enduring faith. This is contrasted with the way how many of the Jewish people, especially among the Pharisees, who refused to believe in the Lord, rejected Him and persecuted Him and His disciples simply because what He had brought upon them in this world, were not in accordance to what they all believed and held to be true. Their pride and arrogance, ego and ambitions became serious obstacles in their path towards God.

Today, the Church commemorates the feast of two great saints, whose faith, dedication and commitment to God, piety and exemplary lives have become the source of great inspirations for many people throughout the world since their time up to now. First of all, St. Jerome Emiliani was a man who lost his father early in his teenage years, and eventually joining the army and was captured, and while imprisoned, he had a conversion experience, as he attributed his escape and well-being to the intercession of the Blessed Mother of God. Later on, as a local magistrate, he showed great care for the needy people under his care and custody, establishing orphanages for the orphans, as well as hospitals and care houses for the sick and the suffering. He also established hostels and other places to care for prostitutes and others who needed shelter.

This inspired two priests named Alessandro Besuzio and Agostino Bariso, who were touched and inspired by the examples and role model shown by this great man of God, and eventually with St. Jerome Emiliani, they would all go on to establish the Congregation of Regular Clerics as a religious society, gathering together all those who share in the passion and desire of St. Jerome Emiliani in reaching out to the less fortunate, to the orphans, the prostitutes, those who are sick and troubled. They are also known as the Somaschi Fathers after their first house and centre in the Italian town of Somasca. St. Jerome Emiliani himself continued to labour for the sake of the people of God for the rest of his life, inspiring many others to follow in his footsteps.

Meanwhile, St. Josephine Bakhita was the renowned freed slavewoman who had very difficult childhood and early years, as she was born in the region now known as Sudan, and was captured, separated from her family in a very young age, enslaved and sold from master to master. Some of those experiences saw her being treated unfairly and she suffered throughout those years, until eventually she was bought by an Italian Vice Consul, who relented to her begging to him to bring him out of Sudan. She then became a nanny to the children of an Italian familu, and eventually, when she returned to Sudan with that family, she had an encounter experience with God and the Christian faith through the Canossian Sisters in Venice, with whom she would eventually associate herself with.

Finally, after some time, when her master tried to bring his family permanently back to Sudan, St. Josephine Bakhita firmly refused to follow them. Eventually, through the help of the Church and the Patriarch of Venice, the courts ruled in her favour, declaring that her enslavement had been unlawful because it had been outlawed by the British who ruled Sudan before St. Josephine Bakhita was even born, and Italian law likewise did not recognise slavery. As a free woman, St. Josephine Bakhita continued to associate herself and live among the Canossian Sisters, where she would spend the rest of her life dedicating herself to God and to her community around her, living a holy and pious life.

For about five decades, a very long period of time, St. Josephine Bakhita dedicated herself to a life of service to help the Canossian Sisters community, as their cook, their sacristan and doorkeeper, and was also involved in caring for the local community for their needs. Her great faith in God, righteousness and piety inspired many people far and wide, and she was well-respected among the Canossian Sisters and in the community, and even when she was sick in her last years, she continued to do her best for the Lord and for her community. Her forgiveness and prayers for her captors and slavers early in her life also inspired many for her kindness, love and compassion.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from what we have heard in the Sacred Scriptures today, as well as from the lives and works of St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita, let us all therefore renew our faith and commitment to God, resisting the temptations and wickedness of this world that can coerce and tempt even the righteous into sin, as what had happened to King Solomon and many among our predecessors. Let us all turn away from sin and evil, and let us all strive to be good, worthy and pure in all things like what St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita had done. Let our lives be great examples for others, and let us all be inspiration for them, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 8 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins)

Mark 7 : 24-30

At that time, when Jesus went to the border of the Tyrian country. There, He entered a house, and did not want anyone to know He was there; but He could not remain hidden. A woman, whose small daughter had an evil spirit, heard of Him, and came and fell at His feet.

Now this woman was a pagan, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she begged Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. Jesus told her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”

But she replied, “Sir, even the puppies under the table eat the crumbs from the children’s bread.” Then Jesus said to her, “You may go your way; because of such a response, the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

And when the woman went home, she found her child lying in bed, and the demon gone.

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Thursday, 8 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins)

Psalm 105 : 3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40

Blessed are they who always do just and right. Remember me, o YHVH, when You show favour to Your people; rescue me when You deliver them.

They mingled with these nations and learnt to do as they did. In serving the idols of the pagans, they were trapped.

Into sacrificing children to demons. The anger of YHVH grew intense and He abhorred His inheritance.

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Thursday, 8 February 2024 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Holy Virgins)

1 Kings 11 : 4-13

In Solomon’s old age, his wives led him astray to serve other gods and, unlike his father David, his heart was no longer wholly given to YHVH his God. For he served Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites.

He did what displeased YHVH and, unlike his father David, was unfaithful to Him. Solomon even built a high place for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mountain east of Jerusalem and also for Molech, the idol of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.

YHVH became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from YHVH, the God of Israel. YHVH appeared to him twice and commanded him not to follow other gods. But he did not obey YHVH’s command. Therefore, YHVH said to Solomon, “Since this has been your choice and you have kept neither My Covenant nor the statutes I commanded you, I will take the kingdom from you and give it to your servant.”

“Nevertheless, I will not do this during your lifetime for the sake of your father David; I will take it from your son. But I will not take it all; I will reserve one tribe for your son for the sake of David My servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen.”

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Saturday, 27 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures that all of us must always put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times, and we should not allow the pressures, trials and temptations of this world from leading us astray into the path towards our damnation. As we heard in our Scripture readings today, it is easy for us to end up in the wrong path, and to be swayed by the various storms, trials and hardships of life, if we do not have that firm anchor of faith in the Lord, and if we do not centre and focus our lives upon Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel, of the time when King David of Israel, the legendary and great king of Israel who managed to win many victories for God’s people and make the kingdom truly prosperous, who was faithful to God, but in this case, he lapsed into the path of sin. Why was that so? That was because of his lust for the wife of his own army commander, Uriah, whose wife, Bathsheba, was truly beautiful and attractive. David saw Bathsheba and was tempted by the temptation of lust and worldly desires, and hence, he ended up plotting the death of Uriah by his machinations, and took Bathsheba as his own wife.

This was a truly wicked action on David’s part, and was a grievous sin against God. For in order to obtain for himself a beautiful woman as a wife, and despite the fact that this woman was already married, David caused the death of another person, and seized that woman for himself. Therefore, God punished David and told him of the consequences of his actions through the prophet Nathan, who guided David at that time. God chastised David for the wicked deeds he had done, reminding him that while he may be king, but it is not right for him to take what did not belong to him for himself as what he had done in taking Bathsheba as his own wife. David’s lust and desire for the beauty of Bathsheba became the source of his undoing.

But David was repentant, and unlike Saul, his predecessor, who continued to disobey God and followed the whim of his own desires, David continued to follow the path of the Lord, and he genuinely repented and regretted his sinful ways, such as the one he experienced with Bathsheba. God forgave David and continued to bless and guide him as the King of Israel, and not only that, but one of David’s sons by Bathsheba, Solomon, was made the rightful heir and King after David, as a clear sign that God has forgiven David and blessed his reign and that of his house. This is in fact a good reminder that the Lord did not hate any one of us or despise us, but rather, what He despises is our disobedience, wickedness and sins. By his repentance and genuine regret of his sins, David had been redeemed and returned to the state of grace.

Meanwhile, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus miraculously calmed the storm and the waves before His disciples at the Lake of Galilee. At that time, He and His disciples were travelling on a boat at the lake, and they were all struck by a great storm that threatened to sink the whole boat. The disciples panicked and were frightened, and the Lord chided them for their lack of faith and trust in Him, before proceeding to calm the storm and the waves by the mere power of His words. Through this occasion, the Lord showed that He is truly the Lord and Master of all things, and all of us should put our faith and trust in Him, and not to be swayed and misled by the temptations of the world and by our other worldly attachments just as King David had done.

The boat was a representation of the Church of God and the disciples represented all of us as Christians. Those waves, wind and storms represented the challenges, trials, difficulties that we may face as Christians amidst our lives because of the oppositions and persecutions against our beliefs and faith in God. Yet, as we all heard, the Lord calmed the storm before all of them, and saved them from their predicament, reminding us that in the Lord, we do not have to be worried, as in the end, no matter what happens, we shall be triumphant together with God. The disciples had the choice to jump from the boat, and tried to save themselves, but if they had done so, they would have perished in the storm. Like how David trusted in his own instincts and thoughts, and ended up committing great sin against God. This is why, we are all reminded to stay faithful to the Lord at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Angela Merici, a renowned holy virgin who founded the Order of Saint Ursula, also known as the Ursulines, that are well-known for their contributions to Christian education and upbringing of youths. St. Angela Merici were orphaned at a young age, and she also lost her sister shortly afterwards. It was told that she saw a vision that her sister was in Heaven, in the company of the saints and Angels, when she was sorrowful that her sister passed away before receiving the last rites. She devoted herself to the Lord wholeheartedly henceforth, and despite her great beauty and renown, she committed herself in holy virginity and sanctity for the rest of her life, inspiring many others to follow in her footsteps and examples.

Many followed her and embraced their calling to serve those who are less fortunate and underprivileged, and through the Company of St. Ursula mentioned earlier, reached out to many young girls, and helped them to grow up in faith and wisdom in the world. St. Angela Merici taught her companions and fellow collaborators to commit themselves wholeheartedly to God, to do what God has called them to do, and despite having not taken the religious vow and habit, but each one of them placed their faith in God and let Him guide them all in their lives, that their actions and works might benefit many others, whose lives they had influenced and affected. The examples of St. Angela Merici and her companions, their faith and dedication should inspire us all as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best in each and every moments of our lives so that by our commitment and efforts, in each and every moments of our lives, we may come ever closer to the Lord and to His salvation and grace. Let us all remind ourselves to place our focus ever more on Him, and resist the many temptations present all around us. Let us all not be easily swayed by the worldly pressures, coercions and temptations, and stay faithful to God at all times. May God bless us always, in each and every moments, now and forevermore. Amen.