holy virgins

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Saturday, 25 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

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

Psalm 9 : 2-3, 4 and 6, 16b and 19

Let my heart give thanks to YHVH, I yearn to proclaim Your marvellous deeds, and rejoice and exult in You; and sing praise to Your Name, o Most High.

For my enemies fell back in retreat, they stumbled and perished before You. You have turned back the nations; You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their names forever.

The feet of the pagans were ensnared by the trap they laid. For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

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Saturday, 25 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

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

1 Maccabees 6 : 1-13

When king Antiochus was making his way through the upper regions of Persia, he received news about Elymais, a city renowned for its wealth in silver and gold. They kept in the wealthy temple of their city golden armour, breastplates and weapons, left there by the Macedonian king, Alexander, the son of Philip, the first sovereign of the Greeks.

So Antiochus went there. But the inhabitants came out armed against him when they learnt of his intention, so his attempt to take the city failed. He had to turn back; and he returned much embittered to Babylon. While he was still in Persia, it was reported to him that the armies sent to Judea had been defeated. They told him that although Lysias had gone with a strong army, he had to flee before the Jews, who had been strengthened with the weapons and the abundant booty taken from the neighbouring armies.

He heard, too, that the Jews had destroyed the abominable idol he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem; and had rebuilt the Temple walls to the same height as before; and had also fortified the city of Beth-zur. When he received this news, he was terrified and deeply upset. He fell sick and became greatly depressed because things had not turned out the way he had planned.

So he remained overcome by this terrible anguish for many days. He felt he was dying, so he called his friends and said to them, “Sleep has fled from my eyes and I am greatly crushed by my anxieties. And I keep on asking why such grief has come upon me – I who was generous and well-loved when in power – and now I am so discouraged.”

“Now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem, the vessels of gold and silver that I stole, the inhabitants of Judea I ordered to be killed for no reason at all. I now know, that because of this, these misfortunes have come upon me; and I am dying of grief in a strange land.”

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the words of the Lord being spoken through the promises of God’s servants and His own Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom, salvation has come into this world, and God’s promises have all come true, and been perfectly fulfilled just as He has promised to us. God has never abandoned us, and He has always provided for us in His own mysterious ways. He showed us all the path to Himself, and opened for us the gates of Heaven, ever graciously offering to us the richness of His mercy, compassion and love, that He has always given us all these while.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city of Rome, we heard of the reminders from St. Paul the Apostle to the faithful there that all of them have received salvation and grace through none other than Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all, Who is also the Son of God and Heir of David, Who has come into this world in the flesh, Incarnate through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as the fulfilment of all of God’s promises to us mankind. Through His Son, God has reaffirmed everything that He has promised to us and our forefathers from the very beginning, and reaffirmed to us His love and compassion, to each and every one of us.

Through Christ, God has revealed to us all that He has planned for us, and has reminded us that we truly belong to Him, and therefore we all should embrace Him wholeheartedly, in His Law and commandments, and we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the many worldly temptations and the evils all around us, and we must always put our trust and faith in Him, at all times. God has never abandoned us, and He has always renewed and made true of everything that He has promised us, making a Covenant with us, that is everlasting and generous. However, it is us mankind who often reneged on our commitments to God and His Covenant, betraying and abandoning Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord telling to His people, mentioning those of Jonah and the Queen of the South, and highlighted His frustrations at them, at how many of them still refused to believe despite having received and witnessed many proofs and signs of His truth, wisdom and greatness. The Lord Jesus has performed many miracles and wonders, and despite those people having seen those wonders and signs being done before their very own eyes, and despite having heard of the words of wisdom and truth being spoken right before their very own selves, they still failed to believe and even doubting Him, demanding that He gave them signs and proofs of His authenticity and authority.

The Lord mentioned first of the sign of Jonah, because He was comparing of the sign which He Himself would perform to them, as He would lay down in the underworld for three days, just as the prophet Jonah ended up being in the belly of a whale for three days, when the Lord Jesus would face His Passion, suffering and death on the Cross. And then, the mention of the Queen of the South was meant as a rebuke to those people who refused to believe in Him, because this Queen of the South, also known as the Queen of Sheba, went on a long journey from her land to come and listen to King Solomon’s wisdom, and the Lord Himself said that, what the people all beheld before them was One far greater than Solomon himself, in all of his wisdom and power, the Wisdom of God as revealed through Christ, His Son.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two holy and great women, whose lives and great examples in faith and in their way of life should inspire each and every one of us in how we should be living our lives, and in how we can be good and devout Christians in all things, in putting our faith and trust in God, rather than in worldly matters and temptations. St. Hedwig, also known as St. Hedwig of Silesia was the Duchess of Silesia as the consort of the Silesian Duke, and was renowned for her great piety and dedication to God, while St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French religious nun, who was also renowned for her faith in God, as well as for having received visions and revelation from the Lord, which has shown His Most Sacred Heart to her.

St. Hedwig of Silesia was married to the heir of the Duke of Silesia when she was barely just twelve years old, and she was involved for many years in the great intrigue and court politics involving her husband, who struggled to maintain the ducal authority while at the same time expanding his rule and influence, against rival duchies and other rulers. In one occasion, St. Hedwig interceded on behalf of her husband, when the latter was in captivity, and her husband was released by her efforts. The virtues and good actions of St. Hedwig helped her husband in his rule, and also became great inspiration for many people of her time, and both St. Hedwig and her husband, Duke Henry of Silesia, were very pious and faithful to God. And when she was widowed after many decades of marriage, she moved into a monastery and dedicated the rest of her life in commitment to God.

Meanwhile, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a very devout servant of God who had great and intense love for the Lord even from her early childhood. She dedicated herself to the Blessed Sacrament and the Lord, as well as to His Blessed Mother Mary, since early on, especially after recovering from a bout of serious illness, and eventually became a religious nun after having received a vision of Christ, reminding her of her love for Him. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received several private revelations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus over a period of eighteen months, in which the Lord Jesus revealed to her the intense love that God has for each and every one of us, as manifested through His Most Sacred Heart, injured and wounded because of our many sins and transgressions.

Eventually, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque revealed her visions to her superior, after a period of struggle and discernment, and the messages she received from the Lord were made known, writing testaments and other works to make the Lord’s intentions known better, for the state, the society and all the people of God. Ever since then, and after having her visions and revelations certified as genuine, the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had actually begun centuries earlier, came to take form in the manner that we are familiar with today, and became widespread among the people throughout Christendom, which continues to this very day, all thanks to the faith, devotion and commitment shown by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having reflected upon the Scripture readings we have heard today, and having listened to the lives and examples of both St. Hedwig of Silesia and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and strive so that we will always be ever more virtuous, worthy and good in all of our works, actions and way of life, in our every interactions with one another. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey of faith throughout our lives, and may He bless us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Luke 11 : 29-32

At that time, as the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words : “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.”

“The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.”

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Monday, 16 October 2023 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious and Holy Virgins)

Romans 1 : 1-7

From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle, called and set apart for God’s Good News, the very promises He foretold through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures, regarding His Son, Who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and has been recognised as the Son of God, endowed with Power, upon rising from the dead, through the Holy Spirit.

Through Him, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and for the sake of His Name, we received grace, and mission in all the nations, for them to accept the faith. All of you, the elected of Christ, are part of them, you, the beloved God in Rome, called to be holy : May God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace.

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Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded by the passages from the Sacred Scriptures that we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by worldly temptations and desires, and we must remind ourselves that each and every one of us, we are all God’s people, His beloved children and disciples, all called to His Presence and to follow Him wholeheartedly. There should be no place in us and our hearts and minds for ego, ambition, pride, jealousy, greed and all those things which often led us to be divided against each other, and to hate and despise one another instead of loving them as God has told us all to do in our lives. As Christians, all of us should make good use of the lives and the opportunities presented to us so that we may indeed live our lives worthily as those whom God has been calling into His path.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Judges in which the story of the power struggle involving the sons and descendants of the Judge Gideon was highlighted to us. Back then, Gideon had many children from his wife and concubines, at a time when this was still a common practice among the people of Israel. As the judge and ruler of the Israelites, Gideon had gained great prestige and power for his family members, which led to the conflict after Gideon’s death. In this case, Abimelech, one of the sons of Gideon, desired power and glory, and persuaded his relatives in the town of Shechem to support him in his vile plan in seizing power for himself, by gathering and slaughtering all of his own brothers and relatives from his father Gideon, all the other seventy of his brothers, with only one, named Jotham, managed to escape the slaughter.

It was this same Jotham which spoke up in Shechem against their decision to support and raise Abimelech over themselves as their king, highlighting how they had made a terrible decision in doing so, in their choice of a wicked man as their ruler, by using the comparison to a story, in which he highlighted four distinct trees, namely the olive tree, the fig tree, the grape vines and lastly the bramble bush, which the other trees were looking to make into a king over themselves. All the first three trees, which were all very good and useful, in producing olive oil, fig fruits, grape juice and wine, declined to do so, preferring to continue in their own humble role in providing for the needs of others and their fruitfulness. Instead, it is the useless and harmful bramble bushes that agreed to be king over all those trees, in which we must understand that the brambles tend to choke the life out of the other plants, and lived well upon the destruction of other plants.

This serves to highlight just how by choosing and raising Abimelech to be their own king, the people of Shechem had allowed that man’s ambition, greed and ego to become even worse, as later shown by his actions in carrying out wars and conflicts, in attacking his neighbours and others, with the most likely aim of enlarging his dominion and increasing his power and wealth. Such wicked man should not have been allowed to gain such power and position, especially after Abimelech had carried out such wicked deeds as the killing of his brothers had shown us, and Jotham’s words reminded all of us as well that worldly glory, fame and all the temptations of this world can indeed be really dangerous and evil, and if we are not careful, we may end up falling into the trap of those worldly desires and ambitions, and are therefore kept away from God and His grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples using the parable of the vineyard workers, in which those whom the owner of the vineyard called and gathered to work in his vineyard, all were rewarded equally and fairly, and that owner kept on going to find out more and more people to work in his vineyard right up to the last hour. Through this parable, the Lord wanted to show us how He Himself, represented by that vineyard owner, seeks for us all to follow Him and to be His disciples and servants, in walking down His path and in following His examples. All of us are those whom the master of the vineyard had called and gathered to work in his vineyard, while the reward that he has promised and fulfilled, is the gift of eternal life and glory that He has assured us all through His Son.

That is why, when those workers who have been called earlier grumbled and complained to the vineyard owner on why they were paid the same as those who have started their work on the last hour, the vineyard owner told them that all those who work for him would gain the same reward as agreed. This is a reminder for us that we must not have the thinking and attitude that we are better than others simply because we are perhaps more religious, pious, committed or dedicated to God, and not because we have somehow received His truth, Good News and grace sooner. All of us are equally beloved by God and we are all equally important in the eyes of the Lord. If we follow the Lord because we seek glory and greatness for ourselves, then I am afraid that we have lost the essence and meaning of what it truly means for us to be Christians, that is as disciples and followers of the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Rose of Lima, well-known for being the very first saint to be canonised from the Americas, from the New World. Her great piety, dedication to God and emphasis on her purity and worthy life to God should inspire all of us in living our own lives more worthily and in doing God’s will at all times. Each and every one of us should heed the examples shown by St. Rose of Lima that we may live worthily of the Lord in our own ways, in labouring for the field of the Lord just as heard in our Gospel passage today. St. Rose of Lima was born as Isabel Flores de Oliva in the city of Lima, during the time of the Spanish rule there, in what is now the capital of Peru. She was born of mixed heritage between her Spanish descent father and her mother’s mixed Spanish and indigenous descent.

At that time, St. Rose of Lima grew up to be a very beautiful woman, who therefore had a lot of suitors and a lot of those who sought to get married to her. But St. Rose of Lima, who had grown strong in her dedication to the Lord and in her determination to dedicate herself as a holy virgin, she continued to resist all those advances, even against the opposition of her own family and friends. She led a very dedicated and holy life, and spent her time in prayer and in caring for those who were less fortunate around her. She resisted her suitors by cutting off her own hair and rubbing pepper on her beautiful face. And she was also renowned for wearing a heavy silver crown crafted in the form of the Crown of Thorns that Christ had worn during His Passion and crucifixion. She suffered physically because those thorns, but she used them to remind herself to get rid of physical distractions and temptations in life, and in keeping the holy path that she had devoted herself to.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the examples of St. Rose of Lima, her piety and dedication to God, her humility and efforts in resisting the temptations of the world, coupled with what we all have heard in our Scripture passages today should serve as inspiration and motivation for all of us to lead a truly holy and dedicated life free from the corruption of sin in our own lives in this world. Are we able to resist the temptations of sin and evil, and do what God has commanded and taught us to do, brothers and sisters? Or are we going to follow the path that all those who have given in to their human desires and temptations, like that of Abimelech, whose misdeeds and wickedness, pride and ambition eventually led to his ultimate downfall and infamy? Abimelech died in humiliation, killed by a rock thrown down by a woman during one of his wars, forever remembered as a usurper and kinslayer. On the other hand, St. Rose of Lima was remembered well for her great love for God and for her exemplary life and virtues.

Can we be the inspiration for others instead, in how we faithfully live our lives from now on, so that others may come to believe in God through us and be more motivated to follow Him, just as St. Rose of Lima had done to us? May God be with us always and may He empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to walk ever more faithfully in His Presence, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Matthew 20 : 1-16a

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven : A landowner went out early in the morning, to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.”

“He went out again, at about nine in the morning, and, seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, ‘You also, go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went. The owner went out at midday, and, again, at three in the afternoon, and he made the same offer.”

“Again he went out, at the last working hour – the eleventh – and he saw others standing around. So he said to them, ‘Why do you stand idle the whole day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said, ‘Go, and work in my vineyard.'”

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ Those who had gone to work at the eleventh hour came up, and were each given a silver coin. When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received one silver coin. On receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.”

“They said, ‘These last, hardly worked an hour; yet, you have treated them the same as us, who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.’ The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per day? So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?'”

“So will it be : the last will be first.”

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Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Psalm 20 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

The king rejoices in Your strength, o YHVH, and exults in Your saving help. You have granted him his desire; You have not rejected his request.

You have come to him with rich blessings; You have placed a golden crown upon his head. When he asked, You gave him life – length of days forever and ever.

He glories in the victory You gave him; You shall bestow on him splendour and majesty. You have given him eternal blessings, and gladdened him with the joy of Your presence.

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Wednesday, 23 August 2023 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Rose of Lima, Virgin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Holy Virgins)

Judges 9 : 6-15

Then all the lords of Shechem and the whole council assembled together by the oak of the pillar in Shechem, and proclaimed Abimelech king. When Jotham was told about this, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim. There he cried out to them, “Listen to me, lords of Shechem, that God may listen to you!”

“The trees once set out to find and anoint a king. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’ The olive tree answered, ‘Am I going to renounce the oil by which – thanks to me – gods and people are honoured, to hold sway over the trees?'”

“The trees said to the fig tree : ‘Come and reign over us.’ The fig tree answered them, ‘Am I going to renounce my sweetness and my delicious fruit, to hold sway over the trees?'”

“The trees said to the vine : ‘Come and reign over us.’ The vine answered, ‘Am I going to renounce my juice which cheers gods and people to sway over the trees?'”

“Then the trees said to the bramble bush : ‘Come, reign over us.’ The bramble bush answered the trees, ‘If you come in sincerity to anoint me as your king, then come near and take shelter in my shade; but if not, let fire break out of the bramble bush to devour even the cedars of Lebanon.'”