Jesuit saints

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Friday, 31 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received today, we are all reminded that we must not be like those hypocrites and our fallen predecessors who have not truly dedicated and committed themselves to the Lord as they should have done. We must be truly faithful and humble in what we do in our lives so that we do not end up falling into temptations of pride, ego and human ambitions, and all other things that may prevent and distract us from finding the true path towards the Lord and His salvation. We must learn to listen to the Lord speaking to us in each and every moments of our lives, heeding His words which He has spoken to us in the depth of our hearts and minds.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which the account of the works of Jeremiah amongst the people of the kingdom of Judah is highlighted to us. The prophet Jeremiah was sent by God to His people living in Judah, the southern half of the once united kingdom of Israel. Back then, at that time, the northern half of the kingdom, also known as Israel, had been destroyed and conquered by their enemies, the Assyrians, which destroyed not just their towns and homes, but also uprooted and forcibly moving many of them far away from their ancestral lands, bringing them into exile in distant and far-off lands of Mesopotamia and Assyria. It is this same exact fate which would soon befall the kingdom and people of Judah as well.

Thus, the Lord told Jeremiah to go up to the Temple, the Holy House of God which had been built and established by King Solomon of Israel to be the great and worthy House where God Himself would dwell among His people. However, people of Judah had also disobeyed the Lord and refused to follow and obey His Law and commandments truthfully and wholeheartedly. They allowed themselves to be tempted and swayed by the temptations of the evil ones, and they did not offer their sacrifices and offerings with hearts and minds that were truly focused and centred on God. Instead, they also worshipped other pagan idols and false gods, corrupting the Temple and the worship of God with their attitude and actions. For all those things God therefore chastised them and wanted them to realise that they had to be responsible for their choice of actions in life.

Then in the Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew where we heard of the time when the Lord Jesus went back to Nazareth, to His own hometown where He grew up in. The people of that town refused to believe in the Lord and even openly doubted Him, quoting how He was merely the Son of the village carpenter, namely St. Joseph, the foster father of the Lord. This means that they belittled the Lord and thought that it was impossible for someone of such a humble and lowly stature and status in the society to have been given the power and wisdom as they had heard about the Lord. At that time, as is also often throughout history, jobs like that of a carpenter, while truly essential and important for the community, it was also one that is often looked down upon and be prejudiced against.

Essentially, the people of Nazareth thought that they knew it better, and in their pride, they closed their hearts and minds against the Lord, refusing to listen to Him and to believe in Him despite everything that they themselves might have witnessed, seen and heard, from all the signs and wonders that the Lord Jesus had performed in their midst and in the regions surrounding Nazareth. This was in fact the same attitude shown by the people of Judah at the time of the prophet Jeremiah, in refusing to believe in this prophet of God, preferring to dwell in their own denial and thoughts that what the prophet Jeremiah had told and forewarned them could not have come to reality. It was too late for many of them by the time they realised that Jeremiah was speaking the truth.

This is also a reminder for all of us as God’s followers and disciples that in the course of our lives as Christians and in the midst of our faithful living of our respective missions and works, our everyday living as the faithful and holy people of God we may encounter challenges and difficulties in our journey of faith and life, especially from those who refuse to believe in the Lord and His truth, and also those who have allowed their pride and ego to cloud their thoughts and minds, their judgments and ways. It is also a reminder for us therefore not to be distracted by these same temptations either. We should always keep in mind that we are all called to holy and worthy lives that are truly reflecting our beliefs in the Lord, at all times, and we should be good role models and examples for our fellow brethren as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Founder of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits. On this day as we recall the life of this great saint of God, we recall the actions and works that St. Ignatius of Loyola carried out in his life, in his dedication to serve the Lord, that we may also be inspired to do the same in our own lives. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born Inigo Lopez into a family of lower nobility in the region of Basque in what is now northern part of Spain. And after a rather turbulent early years in life, the young St. Ignatius of Loyola was attracted into a life in the military, and was persuaded and tempted by the many hedonistic and materialistic pursuits of the world, that in his teenage years, he took up gambling, dancing, duelling and pursuing young women, as were common in those days among the nobles and the rich.

Then, when St. Ignatius of Loyola joined the military, for about more than decade, he encountered a lot of glorious moments and victories, but when he was injured in a particular battle, he faced a life-changing moment and encounter with God, through which he decided to renounce the allures of worldly glory and temptations, of greatness and desires, and henceforth, committed himself to a life that is dedicated to the greater glory of God alone. This would become the motto of the religious order that he would establish, that is the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. Their motto is ‘Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam’, that is ‘For the Greater Glory of God’. St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered several other like-minded people, who became the first members of the Jesuits, and dedicated themselves and their efforts henceforth in serving the Lord at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the commitment and dedication shown by St. Ignatius of Loyola and his fellow Jesuits, many people came back to the faith, turning away from the falsehoods and heresies of their past. Thus, St. Ignatius of Loyola became the examples for many others to follow the Lord more faithfully, and by his commitment and dedication, he became for many of us a shining beacon of God’s light and truth. Are we able to do the same with our own lives, brethren? Are we willing and able to embrace the Lord and His path just as St. Ignatius of Loyola had done with his life? Let us all hence turn wholeheartedly towards the Lord once again, reject the path of sin and evil, and be ourselves the worthy bearers of God’s truth in our world.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us in faith and our commitment to follow and serve Him genuinely and faithfully at all times, and may we all be humble in accepting God’s will, be willing to listen to His teachings and truth, and embrace His love, and not be like those people of Nazareth and the religious leaders like the Pharisees who had hardened their hearts against Him. Let us all be more like St. Ignatius of Loyola and many others of our holy predecessors in their actions and true faith in God, now and always. May God bless us always in our every efforts and endeavours to glorify His Holy Name in our world today, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 31 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 13 : 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is Mary not His mother and are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas not His brothers? Are not all His sisters living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offence at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Friday, 31 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 68 : 5, 8-10, 14

More than the hairs of my head are those who hate me for no reason; mighty are those who attack me, many are my enemies without cause. What I did not steal I am forced to restore.

Since I am held in contempt for Your sake, and shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother’s sons. Zeal for Your House consumes me, as fire, and those who insult You, insult me as well.

But I pray to You, o YHVH. At a time most favourable to You, in Your great love, o God, answer me, with Your unfailing help.

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Friday, 31 July 2026 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 26 : 1-9

At the beginning of the reign of Judah’s king Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the word of YHVH came to Jeremiah : YHVH says this, “Stand in the courtyard of YHVH’s House and say to all who come from the towns of Judah to worship in YHVH’s House – all that I command you to say; do not omit anything! Perhaps they will listen to you. Perhaps each one will turn from his wicked ways. Then I will change My mind and forget the destruction that I have planned to inflict on them because of their wicked deeds.”

“Tell them : This is what YHVH says : ‘You have not obeyed Me and you have failed to walk according to My law which I have set before you. You have not heeded My servants, the prophets, whom I have persistently sent to you. If you stubbornly close your ears to them, I will treat this House of Mine as I treated the Sanctuary of Shiloh and let all the nations see that Jerusalem is a cursed city.’”

The priests, the prophets and all the people heard what Jeremiah said in YHVH’s House. When Jeremiah finished saying all that YHVH had commanded, he was besieged by the priests and prophets saying, “You are bound to die! How dare you speak in YHVH’s Name telling us that this House will be treated like Shiloh and this city is to become a deserted ruin.” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the House of YHVH.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we gather together to worship the Lord and to proclaim His glory, and as we all heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, we should continue to do our part as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen so that we may truly embody our Christian faith in everything  that we say and do, that we may indeed proclaim the Lord in every opportunities that had been provided for us, in all the encounters with those who are around us, we may always be the bearers of God’s Good News and His love, compassion, truth and hope to everyone we meet and work with, to our communities and everyone whom we care for, as is our mission in life to do so.

Today we mark the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the Patron of Missions and Missionaries and hence, the Scripture readings speak strongly about what is the meaning of Christian mission and the role of missionaries in fulfilling and completing what the Lord has entrusted to each and every one of us, His beloved people. In the first reading from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians, the Apostle spoke of what he was called to do as a minister of the Good News of God, and that everything which he had done, he did for the greater glory of God and not for his own benefits, while in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself to His disciples and followers after His Resurrection, reminding them all of the missions which He has entrusted to them, to go forth to all the nations and to proclaim His truth and Good News, and how He would always be with them in all of their efforts and works.

Today as mentioned, the Church marks the occasion of the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the Patron of Missions and a member of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits renowned for his lengthy and great missionary journeys to different parts of the world, especially his works in Asia, in the regions of India and South Asia, then Southeast Asia and the Far East, in Macau, China and Japan. St. Francis Xavier gave inspiration to many others in how he dedicated his life and service to God, in his perseverance to continue the mission despite the challenges and hardships he encountered during his journeys, and his passion and love for his fellow brothers and sisters, in the genuine desire he has to proclaim the Word of God and His Good News to more and more of the people of God all around the world.

St. Francis Xavier was born in what is today Spain as Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta in the town of Javier or Xavier which would later on made him known as Francis Xavier as we know him today. He was one of the companions of the Founder of the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first members of the Jesuits, considered as one of its founding members. Back then, during the height of the Protestant reformation, St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered his companions and other like-minded people to commit themselves to the works of evangelisation and other ministries to spearhead the efforts in countering the terrible effects of the so-called reformation, which splintered the Church in many places into several factions and ‘churches’, and heresies and falsehoods were abound because of errant heretics and preachers.

The Jesuits were founded with the aim to help the Pope and the Church to oppose the tide of heresy and disunity, as well as to reform the Church in the right way. St. Ignatius of Loyola sent out the Jesuits in ministering both to the traditional areas of Christendom like in what is today Germany, the hotbed of the reformation, and also to those mission areas beyond Europe, where European explorers and adventurers made many discoveries of distant lands, all of which had not yet heard the message of God’s truth, His Gospels and the Good News of His salvation. St. Francis Xavier was among those entrusted with the responsibility to proclaim the Good News in the foreign and distant lands, and hence, he went forth, never returning to his homeland ever again.

He followed the long journey to the newly discovered areas, embarking on an extensive missionary journeys in parts of India, where missionaries had already laid some foundations earlier on, as well as areas of Southeast Asia like Malacca and the Spice Islands where he went to several islands and communities, preaching about God and gaining some people who were interested to know more about the Lord and became the first Christian converts in those areas. He did not always have it smooth though, as he did face rejection and hardships along the way, and in a well-known story about him, St. Francis Xavier almost met his end in a terrible storm in the sea, where the boat he was in was battered by waves and the strong wind. He prayed to God and thrust his crucifix into the waves, which then fell into the water and the storm stopped miraculously. A crab later on brought the crucifix back to St. Francis Xavier, who blessed it, and that crab later on always had a cross on its back.

That is just one of the many well-known stories regarding St. Francis Xavier, in his many efforts to serve the Lord through his time and work, in proclaiming the Good News to the furthest ends of the world. He went on to proclaim the Gospels in Japan, and was instrumental in laying the foundations for the later very successful Jesuit mission in Japan, which despite its termination later by the very intense persecutions under the Tokugawa Shogunate, for a period of about fifty years, the Church managed to flourish really well in Japan, with an estimated three hundred thousand Christians during the very height of the mission there, several decades after the passing of St. Francis Xavier. St. Francis Xavier himself passed away in Shangchuan Island just on the shores of China as he awaited the opportunity to enter China to begin a mission there. Some of other Jesuits like the famous Matteo Ricci would then continue what St. Francis Xavier had started.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all continue to follow therefore in the footsteps of the courageous St. Francis Xavier in his determination and commitment to serve the Lord in everything that he had done, in all the missions which he undertook even in the most difficult and challenging moments. Let us all be inspired by this great courage and faith which our holy predecessor had shown so that in our own actions, in our own words and interactions with one another, in our own lives as Christians, we will continue to be the shining examples and inspirations ourselves to everyone around us, to all those whom we encounter in our daily lives. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours therefore, for His greater glory, in our respective missions in life. Amen.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 16 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

“Signs like these will accompany those who have believed : in My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 116 : 1-2

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22-23

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.

So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

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Thursday, 31 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen from this world to be His own beloved and holy people, we have been gathered to become this one flock of the Lord’s faithful, to share together His blessings and graces, to enjoy His love and kindness, all that He has assured and given to us. At the same time we are also reminded that if we do not belong to Him and are apart from Him, we shall be judged and condemned to an eternity in darkness and destruction. Hence, this is why it is important that we should always strive to live our lives worthily and commit ourselves to the Lord in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the last chapter of the Book of Exodus, we heard of the moment when the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered together during the time of their journey from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, at the moment after the Holy Tent of Meeting, or the Tent of God’s Presence had been completed according to the instructions that the Lord had given to them through Moses. At that time, the Lord has been guiding the people day and night on the journey through the desert, but the journey of the Israelites had faced a detour due to their own lack of faith as they doubted the Lord and refused to believe in Him when He led them to the land of Promise, allowing their fears and uncertainties to overcome them and to make them reject God’s assurance and plans for them.

That was why they were forced to wander in the desert for forty years long to atone for their sins. And yet, the Lord still cared for His people and remained with them, no matter what, as He continued to show His Presence among them, by descending upon them at the Holy Tent, the Holy Tent of God’s Presence, enthroned among the Cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant. This was the Holy of Holies within the Holy Tent of God, which would later be replicated when King Solomon built a great Temple for God in Jerusalem. This Holy of Holies is the epicentre and heart of God’s Holy Presence among His people, a tangible reminder of God Who has always been there for His beloved ones, those whom He had called and chosen. And today we are being reminded of this because all of us as Christians, we have been made God’s Holy Temple, the Temple of His Holy Presence.

Each and every one of us have received the Lord Himself in the Flesh, as we received from Him the ultimate gift of His love for us, the gift of the Most Holy Eucharist, His very own Most Precious Body and Most Precious Blood that He has given to us. And because of this, God Himself has dwelled within us, and we have become parts and members of God’s one Church, His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. And God made us all to be the ones in whom He dwelled, in our hearts and in our whole beings, that we are truly the Temple of His Holy Presence, just like the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant once resided, and where God descended in His Holy Presence, to dwell among His people. He is now enthroned in our hearts, and is truly present in each and every one of us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus teaching more to His disciples and followers with the parables and stories to highlight and explain what the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. And He told them all of how the Kingdom of Heaven is truly open to all, using the comparison to a net that is thrown wide, gathering everyone in, highlighting how each and every one of us, God’s beloved people, all of mankind, have been beloved equally by God, from the smallest to the greatest amongst us, and to even the greatest of sinners, to those whom we may consider to be unworthy of God. Each one of us, though sinners, are called to God’s grace, to embrace His love and compassionate mercy.

However, at the same time, we are reminded that we have to be good, worthy and righteous in our lives and deeds so that we may truly be worthy of everything that God has prepared for us. Unless we heed His words and embrace our calling to live lives that are truly attuned to the Lord and in accordance with His will, we may find ourselves being found wanting because we lacked the faith and the commitment to live faithfully in the Lord’s path. And that is why we are reminded of this, that we should not remain idle in our faith and way of life. We must turn away from the path of sin and wickedness, from all the temptations of this world, from all the unhealthy attachments which we have for the ambitions and the desires of this world, for all sins and wickedness around us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the famous founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born as Iñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola in the castle of Loyola, where he got his epithet from, to a family of minor nobles. His early life was rather turbulent with lots of conflicts, a lot of changes and losses, and he grew through his youth thinking that he would become a great warrior, pursuing ambitions of knighthood and chivalry, as he served in the military, fighting wars and battles that were rampant and frequent at that time. He pursued worldly glory, fame and was ambitious, but he felt something was lacking in his life as he kept on fighting battles after battles, wars after wars.

And at one moment when he was injured due to being struck by a cannonball, he had to be put out of action for a while, and while healing from his injuries and recuperating, he was seeking for the tales of chivalry and knighthood to satisfy his boredom. But only books on the lives of the saints were available to him, and his experiences reading through them made St. Ignatius of Loyola to go through a moment of conversion, changing his life and path forever. It was from that moment on, that St. Ignatius of Loyola no longer sought worldly glory and ambitions, and instead, he began a new path, seeking for the conversion of hearts and souls. This eventually led to the establishment of the Society of Jesus, as St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered together others who were also passionate about the salvation of souls as he had been.

That was how St. Ignatius of Loyola spearheaded the effort of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits in taking part in the Counter-Reformation efforts, at a time of great upheaval for the Church, when the Church and the whole Christendom was under great threat from external threats and from within, as at that time, the Church was wrecked and divided by the then raging Protestant reformation and other divisions, while the rising forces of the Ottoman Turks were rampaging across Christendom, conquering many countries where Christians were living in, and at times even threatened the heart of Christendom in Rome and Central Europe. The Jesuits were at the forefront of the efforts of the Church in combatting the heresies and also reaching to the many people who had not believed in the Lord, as they were also sent out to many missions around the world to spread the Good News.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, inspired by the life and examples of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his fellow Jesuits in doing the will of God and in proclaiming the Good News and truth of God, and reminded of the fact that each and every one of us are the Holy Temples of God’s Holy Presence, let us all therefore seek to live our lives worthily in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. Let us all continue to strive and persevere in our faith, doing our best to glorify Him by our faithful and worthy lives. May He continue to bless us all in our every good endeavours and efforts, and may He continue to strengthen us in our journey of faith, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 31 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 13 : 47-53

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net, let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish into buckets, but throw the bad away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the Angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just, and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”

Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. So He said to them, “Therefore, every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who can produce from his store things both new and old.”

When Jesus had finished these parables, He left that place.