holy women

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Monday, 12 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Ezekiel 1 : 2-5, 24-28c

On the fifth of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of king Jehoiachin) the word of YHVH came to Ezekiel, son of Buzi, the priest, in the land of the Chaldeans by the banks of the Kebar. There the hand of YHVH was upon me.

I looked : a windstorm came from the north bringing a great cloud. A fiery light inside it lit up all around it, while at the centre there was something like a glowing metal. In the centre were what appeared to be four creatures with the same form.

I heard the noise of their wings when they moved, similar to the roar of many waters, similar to the voice of the Most High, the noise of a multitude or of a camp. When they were not moving they lowered their wings. I heard a noise above the platform over their heads. Above it was a Throne resembling a sapphire; and high on this Throne was a Figure similar to that of a Man.”

“Then I saw a light as of a glowing bronze, as if fire enveloped Him from His waist upwards. And from His waist downwards it was as if fire give radiance around Him. The surrounding light was like a rainbow in the clouds after a day of rain. This vision was the likeness of YHVH’s glory. On seeing it I fell on my face.

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Friday, 9 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded of the impermanence of worldly things, of all the worldly glory, fame and greatness, of all the things in this world that will not last forever. The Lord alone is the One Who will give us lasting peace, joy and happiness, the true treasure of our lives. If we seek the glory and power of this world, then sooner than later we will realise that there is nothing in this world that can truly give us true happiness and satisfaction, one that is lasting and permanent. If we seek something of this world, we will realise that it can only satisfy us to a certain extent, and as we may often realise, that we cannot be truly and fully satisfied by what we seek in this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Nahum, we heard of the Lord’s words proclaiming the downfall and destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire, which at the time of the prophet Nahum’s ministry, was still a great and powerful Empire, which had conquered the northern half of the once united kingdom of Israel, and brought many of its people into exile, those who were among God’s people. In their great triumph and hubris, they often blasphemed against God, and thought that their power would last forever. But as the Lord spoke it clearly through the prophet Nahum, that the days of Assyria and its glory were numbered, and true enough, not long after these words were spoken by the prophet Nahum, Assyria was defeated and destroyed, and Nineveh, its glorious capital was razed.

It is an important reminder for us that all the glory and power of this world are ultimately illusory and passing in nature, and none of them will last forever, no matter what. If we seek worldly glory, pleasures, fame and satisfaction, we will likely end up disappointed, to see that whatever our designs are for this world, we will never be fully satisfied and we will never be truly happy. Each and every one of us are called to reorientate our lives and regain our true focus, that we no longer spend so much time and attention on worldly matters, and instead we should seek what is more important in life, that is nothing else than the Lord Himself, and how our lives are called to be sanctified and holy, to glorify the Lord by our every actions, words and deeds. Each and every one of us should be ever more focused and centred on the Lord.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew, we are again reminded of this as we listened to the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples, that if they wanted to follow Him, they ought to take up their crosses and follow Him. First of all, it was a reminder from the Lord to His disciples and ultimately also to all of us that being a follower of His is not going to be an easy thing, unlike what some or even many of His disciples that time might have thought. Back then, it was commonly thought that the Lord, as the Messiah or Saviour, would have brought about the glorious restoration of the Kingdom of Israel, and many among the Lord’s disciples might have thought of Him as the mighty conquering King Who would liberate Israel, and therefore they would gain good and wonderful lives from being the trusted followers of His.

The Lord told them the reality that being His disciples and followers would require them to face challenges and difficulties, and things would not be as rosy as they thought it would be. They would have to suffer just as He, the Lord Himself would have to suffer, all the persecutions and challenges, trials and difficulties in all of His ministry and works. Not only that, but He Himself would have to face rejections, condemnations and even betrayals and trial, and finally condemned to die for mistakes and sins which He did not even commit. Yet, He willingly did all of that out of His love for each one of us. He willingly embraced His Cross, taking it up so that by His ultimate and most loving sacrifice, He would open for us the path to eternal life and true happiness with Him.

The Lord reminded us all that in following Him, we must be ready to face the challenges and difficulties in this world, and that we may not have it easy. There may be moments when we may want to give up the struggle and journey as the Lord’s disciples and followers because of what we may encounter and have to experience in the midst of our lives as Christians in this world. But whatever happens, if we remain firmly rooted in our faith in God and continue to trust in Him, we will receive from God true and lasting fulfilment, satisfaction and joy, despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey. The path of the Lord may seem to be the more difficult and challenging one, but is one that leads to true and lasting joy, while the path of the world leads to nothingness and disappointment although it may likely seem to be easier and better.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known better as St. Edith Stein, a German convert from Judaism to Christianity, and who later became a Catholic nun, as a Discalced Carmelite nun. She was remembered for her courageous life and ministry throughout the difficult years of persecution by the NAZI German regime at that time, who persecuted all the Jewish people and even the converts like herself. St. Edith Stein herself was called to the Christian faith after having encountered and been exposed to the brilliant works of St. Teresa of Avila, a Discalced Carmelite saint and Doctor of the Church, whose writings, life and examples would inspire St. Edith Stein to become a Christian and later on to become a Discalced Carmelite herself.

St. Edith Stein joined the Discalced Carmelite just as the NAZIs began intensifying their efforts to attack and eradicate the Jewish communities in Germany, and as St. Edith Stein and her other fellow sisters’ lives might be endangered, they were relocated to Netherlands, where it might be safer for them. However, eventually Netherlands itself came under the NAZI rule after it capitulated in May 1940, and the NAZIs began targetting the Jews living in Netherlands as well. Eventually, St. Edith Stein and other Catholic converts from the Jewish community wee arrested and brought to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp, where they were all killed by gassing with a poisonous gas. St. Edith Stein remained firm to her faith throughout all these arduous journeys, and died as a martyr for her faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be reminded from what we have heard and discussed on the passages from the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and martyrdom of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as St. Edith Stein, that we may often have to suffer through the challenges and trials in this world, but we must also remember that all the things in this world are ultimately impermanent, and all things, including our sufferings and trials will pass. It is the Lord alone Who is always ever constant and will be there for us to the very end, and He will lead us all into the ultimate triumph and glory with Him. We must keep up our hope and faith in the Lord, and do our very best so that we will continue to persevere through whatever challenges and trials we may encounter.

May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our journey of faith and life, and help us to persevere through whatever we may face going forward in our respective lives. May He empower each one of us to be ever more committed and faithful disciples of His, in all things, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 9 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 16 : 24-28

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you want to follow Me, deny yourself. Take up your cross and follow Me. For whoever chooses to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life, for My sake, will find it. What will one gain by winning the whole world, if he destroys his soul? Or what can a person give, in exchange for his life?”

“Know, that the Son of Man will come, in the glory of His Father with the holy Angels, and He will reward each one according to his deeds. Truly, I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death, before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

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Friday, 9 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Deuteronomy 32 : 35cd-36ab, 39abcd, 41

Their day of calamity is at hand, and swiftly their doom will come. The Lord will give justice to His people and have mercy on His servants.

Learn this now – that I alone am He; there is no god besides Me. It is I Who give both death and life; it is I Who wound and heal as well and out of My hand no one can deliver.

When I sharpen My glittering sword and My hand takes hold of judgment, I will deal out vengeance upon My foes and retribution upon those who hate Me.

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Friday, 9 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Nahum 2 : 1, 3 and Nahum 3 : 1-3, 6-7

See, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings Good News, one who proclaims peace. Judah, celebrate your feasts and carry out your vows. For the wicked have been destroyed, they will not attack you any more. YHVH will now restore Jacob’s magnificence, like Israel’s splendour. For they had been plundered, laid waste as a ravaged vineyard.

Woe to the bloody city, city of lies and booty, o city of unending plunder! But what! Crack of whips, rumble of wheels and clatter of hoofs! See the frenzied chargers, the flashing swords and glittering spears, the heaps of the wounded, the dead and dying – we trip over corpses!

I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make of you a shameful show, so that all who look on you will turn their backs in disgust and say : Nineveh – a city of lust – is in ruins. Who will mourn for her? Where can we find one to comfort her?

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Tuesday, 23 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people are called and reminded to seek the Lord once again for His ever generous and enduring love and mercy, for everything that He had done for us, in reaching out to us and in being generous in caring for every one of us without exception. He has been willing to extend His mercy to forgive us from all the wickedness and sins we have committed, and He is now calling on each and every one of us to turn away from those wickedness and sins, embracing once again the fullness of His love, and to be filled once again with His grace.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Micah in which the prophet mentioned of the Lord’s great faithfulness and love for His people, all the things that He had done for the sake of His beloved people, those whom He had called and chosen from among the nations. He is their Lord and Shepherd, the One Who would guide them all to the right path, gathering and bringing them from the nations, reaching out to those who have been lost to Him, patiently guiding them all back towards His loving Presence despite all the rebelliousness and the wickedness that they had committed and shown Him. He wanted to love them all once again and gave them the opportunity to repent from all those wicked ways.

The Lord had been very patient with His people if we read up throughout the story of the Old Testament, as He sent to His people many prophets, messengers and guides, and He as their loving Shepherd and Father, has always desired to gather all of His lost children and sheep to Himself. In the meantime, He chastised and punished them all because He wanted all of them to realise the errors of their ways, as well as to discipline them and to keep them all aware of the consequences of their sins. That is why He wanted to show and teach them all the right and worthy path to follow in our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples and all those who were assembled there to listen to Him, that all those who have listened to God’s words and obeyed His will are all like His own mother, brothers and sisters, like that of His own family. This happened at the time when the Lord’s mother, Mary, and His relatives all were waiting for Him just as He was busy ministering to the people and teaching them. This might indeed seem to be such a rude remark for the Lord to make, especially one against His own family members, and especially for His mother.

However, in truth, the Lord wanted to teach and show everyone that in fact, His mother is truly the greatest of examples of this piety and faith, as Mary’s obedience to God’s will and her commitment to love her Son, her virtues and righteousness are all that we exactly need to follow and emulate in our own lives as God’s holy and beloved people. God is reminding us all that every one of us are equal before Him, and through His Son, He has opened for us the surest path and indeed the only way to salvation. If only that we will follow the examples shown by His loving Mother, Mary, who is also our own mother, then we shall be able to follow the path that Christ our Lord and Saviour has shown us. And in addition, there are also many other holy men and women whose lives can be great inspiration for us to follow as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bridget of Sweden, who was known as a great mystic and a holy woman, honoured as one of the great Patron Saints of Europe. She was born into a rich landowning family in medieval era Sweden, and was then married at a relatively young age to a Swedish nobleman, having six of her own children surviving their infancy years. One of them is another Swedish saint, namely St. Catherine of Sweden. This, coupled with the facts and evidences of the holy and devout life carried out by St. Bridget of Sweden in her devotion as a mother, a wife and as a daughter of God, all of these showed us all how St. Bridget is truly a great role model for all of us in all of our lives, in what we all ourselves can do to glorify the Lord by our lives.

St. Bridget lived a truly holy life, and when her husband passed away and she was widowed, she dedicated herself thoroughly to God by becoming a member of the Third Order of St. Francis, comprised of all the laity who sought to emulate the examples and charism of St. Francis of Assisi and his Franciscan Order in dedicating themselves to God and to His people, which St. Bridget carried out most faithfully in her life of prayer and service to those who were poor and sick. In addition, St. Bridget also initiated the idea and started the religious congregation known as the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, or as the Bridgettines after their founder. This order gathered men and women into communities dedicated to serving the Lord and His people, committing themselves to the good of all of God’s beloved.

St. Bridget was also known for her many mystical experiences and visions, which she recorded down, as well as for her pilgrimage to Rome, Jerusalem and Bethlehem which were well recorded and known, and in Rome she was in particular honoured and respected for her great piety and holy life, for her commitment and faith in the Lord. She inspired many others through her life and good examples, and she also committed to help and inspire the much needed reforms of the Church. Through her lifelong commitment and devotion to God, many of us should be inspired and strengthened in our own faith in God, so that we may truly know how we should live our lives worthily in the path that God has shown us all.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of the inspiring examples and the life story of St. Bridget of Sweden, let us all therefore strive to be good and worthy disciples of the Lord in all that we say and do, and that in every parts of our lives, we will always continue to glorify God and be the good role models and inspirations for one another, helping everyone around us to come ever closer to God. Our lives should be truly holy and faithful, filled with virtues and good deeds at all times. May we all continue to dedicate and commit ourselves to God and His path, as how St. Bridget of Sweden and many other holy men and women had done. Amen.

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Tuesday, 23 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

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Tuesday, 23 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 84 : 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

You have favoured Your land, o YHVH; You have brought back the exiles of Jacob. You have forgiven the sin of Your people; You have pardoned their offences. You have withdrawn Your wrath and turned from Your burning rage.

But restore us, God our Saviour; put away, altogether, Your indignation. Will Your anger be ever with us, carried over to all generations?

Will You not give us life anew, that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us, o YHVH, Your unfailing love, and grant us Your saving help.

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Tuesday, 23 July 2024 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Micah 7 : 14-15, 18-20

Shepherd Your people with Your staff, shepherd the flock of Your inheritance that dwells alone in the scrub, in the midst of a fertile land. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old, in the days when You went out of Egypt. Show us Your wonders.

Who is a God like You, Who takes away guilt and pardons crime for the remnant of His inheritance? Who is like You Whose anger does not last? For You delight in merciful forgiveness. Once again You will show us Your loving kindness and trample on our wrongs, casting all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Show faithfulness to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, as You have sworn to our ancestors from the days of old.

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Monday, 22 July 2024 : Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle of the Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today marks the occasion of the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the first of the Apostles of the Lord and one of the holy women that accompanied the Lord Jesus during His ministry, also known as Apostolorum Apostola, or the ‘Apostle of the Apostles’ for her role in witnessing the Resurrection of the Lord, as one of the first to encounter the Risen Lord and then proclaiming that Good News to the others, who themselves would become Apostles. The word and title ‘Apostle’ itself came from the Greek word ‘Apostolos’ which came from the verb that means ‘to send off’ and hence, has the meaning of being someone who has been sent off on a particular mission, and in this sense, St. Mary Magdalene received that great honour because she was indeed sent by the Lord to give the Good News to the other Apostles.

St. Mary Magdalene was one of the women frequently mentioned in the Gospels as one of the close confidants of the Lord, following Him on His missions. In terms of her identity, Apostolic and Church traditions were not clear, as she was sometimes associated with the woman who had been a prostitute or adulterer, but in one occasion in the Gospels, it was mentioned that the Lord had cast out seven demons from St. Mary Magdalene. Regardless of her origin and background, whatever she had done in the past and the sins she might have committed, what truly matters is that after her commitment to follow the Lord and her desire to serve the Lord henceforth, St. Mary Magdalene became a great role model and inspiration for all of us in how we ought to live our lives as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Song of Songs, also known as the Songs of Solomon in which the author wrote about the one who was seeking for the love of her heart, looking around and finding where this person whom she loved. This was a prefigurement of what happened in our Gospel passage today, in which we heard the account of the moment when St. Mary Magdalene was in the garden where the tomb of the Lord was located at, on the Easter Sunday morning when the Lord was risen from the dead. St. Mary Magdalene was distraught because she could not find the Lord’s Body in the tomb that morning, and she genuinely thought that the Lord’s Body had indeed been stolen by someone, and when the Risen Lord appeared before her therefore, she begged Him to show her where her Master’s body was at, not realising that she was speaking to Him.

The relationship between St. Mary Magdalene and the Lord is sometimes misconstrued as one of romantic nature as popularised not long ago by some incorrigible fiction authors, as it had been in the past. But if we understand deeper the context and the relationship between the Lord and St. Mary Magdalene, we can see how in St. Mary Magdalene we saw a great faith and love that she has for the Lord, Who has shown her the path of righteousness and liberated her from the bondage of the evil ones, and she also dedicated herself thoroughly and completely to His cause henceforth, as she was also one of the few who remained close to the Lord at the moment of His Passion, when He was suffering and being persecuted just before He was crucified. St. Mary Magdalene attended to the Lord when many other disciples fled in fear.

St. Mary Magdalene showed us all that there is hope for each and every one of us, that even those who were great sinners, those possessed by evil spirits and having been corrupted by sin have the potential and the chance to be redeemed through their faith and commitment to God. Like many other great sinners and other ordinary people turned saints, St. Mary Magdalene exemplified what a Christian should be like, in overcoming the temptations of the world, all the allures of sin and evil, embracing God’s call in our lives so that we may truly be able to follow Him wholeheartedly in whatever we do, and that we may be good inspirations and role models ourselves to our fellow brothers and sisters all around us.

Today, as we rejoice and honour the glorious examples and memory of St. Mary Magdalene, virtuous servant of God and our role model, let us all also strive to renew our own respective commitments to God. Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the unique gifts and talents, opportunities and chances for us to make good use of our lives to glorify Him. Now the question is whether we want to allow the Lord to help and guide us in our path, or whether we allow the many temptations of evil and wickedness in our lives to sway and mislead us down the wrong paths in life. If we continue to allow all these distractions and temptations to lead us down the wrong path, eventually we will regret our choice in doing so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to refocus our lives and our attention back towards the Lord, distancing ourselves from whatever it is that had distracted and kept us all away from Him. Let us all not be so easily deluded and misguided by the evil one anymore, but commit ourselves with ever greater effort and fervour like what St. Mary Magdalene had done, so that in everything that we do, we will always glorify the Lord, and do what is right and just in the sight of God. Let our lives be good examples and be truly worthy for all of us to be considered and called as the disciples and followers of the Lord. We should always strive and aspire to be ever righteous, just and full of faith and love towards God at all times.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to bless us all and be with each and every one of us, and may He continue to strengthen each one of us through the examples of His glorious saints, such as St. Mary Magdalene and many others who have given their all and devoted their lives to God. St. Mary Magdalene, holy servant of God, intercede and pray for us all sinners, that God may be moved to forgive us all our sins and that He will continue to love us and to strengthen us in our journey of faith through life, now and always. Amen.