Marian celebrations

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Tuesday, 7 October 2025 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Tuesday, 7 October 2025 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 1 : 12-14

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olives, which is a fifteen minute walk away. On entering the city they went to the room upstairs where they were staying. Present there were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, son of Alpheus; Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

All of these, together, gave themselves to constant prayer. With them were some women, and also Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

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Wednesday, 16 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that God has called upon each and every one of us to do His will, to do what He has entrusted to each one of us in a distinct and unique manner so that by our active participation in His will and works, we may truly obey what He has wanted us to do and that we may truly be fruitful in everything that we say and do. We are also reminded of God’s great and generous love, His persistent and enduring love and care for each and every one of us, the great love which He has lavished on us throughout time, all the kindness which He has provided so lovingly and selflessly all these while. Through this generous love of God, we are reminded that we are truly blessed and we should really appreciate this grace.

In our first reading today, we heard of the moment from the Book of Exodus when the Lord called Moses to be the one to deliver His message of hope and deliverance to His people, the Israelites being enslaved in Egypt, and to confront the Egyptians and their Pharaoh that they might set the people of God free. This happened as Moses was in the land of Midian, pasturing the sheep of his father-in-law Jethro during the time when he was in exile from Egypt after murdering an Egyptian slavemaster. He saw the Lord appearing in a miraculous burning bush and he encountered the Lord there at His mountain, and hearing God sending him out on the mission to rescue and lead the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt and to head to the Promised Land that He had promised their forefathers.

Moses received this mission from the Lord Who was acting to move His people out from suffering, because despite having endured a lot of tribulations and trials, the people of God were never forgotten and abandoned by God, Who have always loved them and remembered His Covenant with them. But the Egyptians and their Pharaoh chose to act with impunity and persecuted the Israelites through slavery and oppression. That was why, at the appointed time, according to His will, God moved and Moses was the one that He had chosen to bring His people out of the land of their misery, leading them to the land of milk and honey, a land of bounty and joy which God would grant to all of them.

Then, as we heard from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we are reminded that the Lord has revealed to us His will and intentions, all of which had been made clear and tangible to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the One through Whom we have seen the love of God manifested perfectly before each one of us. And through His obedience to His Father’s will, in showing us the perfect example of what it truly means to be faithful, Christ our Lord has shown us all how we can follow God faithfully in all things, becoming the role models and inspirations for one another, becoming the beacons of hope and light for everyone around us, in living our lives and faith most committedly at all times.

And that is what we are all reminded to do, to be ever more faithful and dedicated to God, to follow the Lord in all and every moments of our lives, and to listen to Him speaking to us in the depths of our hearts and minds. We should allow the Lord to lead us down the path that He wants us all to walk in so that we may truly be good and virtuous Christians at all times, in each and every one of our actions, works and deeds, in our every dealings and interactions. God has called us all to be His faithful disciples and followers, to go forth and proclaim His truth and Good News in every possible opportunities, in doing our best to glorify Him by our lives and our every contributions, even in the smallest things that we do in life.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, remembering the occasion of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Mother of God, to St. Simon Stock in the region of Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, from which the Carmelites get their name from, and which devotion would later be popularly known as the Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. At that time, during the time of the Crusades, Our Lady of Mount Carmel appeared and gave the now popular brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to St. Simon Stock who then popularised this devotion at about the same time when the Carmelite order began in the late twelfth century.

Ever since then, the Carmelites and their devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, among their many other charisms and works continued to work wonders for the salvation of souls. Even after they had to leave the Holy Land due to the failure of the Crusades, the Carmelites continued to do many great works for God and His people, calling more and more people to salvation in Him and through Him, echoing how Moses brought the people of Israel out of their slavery in Egypt and into the land promised to them and their ancestors. Therefore, we too are called to leave behind our slavery to sin and darkness, and to embrace wholeheartedly the new life and existence which God is providing to us all, and which He has always reassured us all, all these while.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us all through the many challenges in life, through all of the difficult moments we may have to encounter in our paths and journeys. May He empower us all to be His worthy and committed disciples, allowing us to be truly good and worthy followers of His, to be the beacons of His light, truth and hope, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 16 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Matthew 11 : 25-27

At that time, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise You; because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was Your gracious will.”

“Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

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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Wednesday, 16 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH restores justice and secures the rights of the oppressed. He has made known His ways to Moses; and His deeds, to the people of Israel.

Alternative Psalm (Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Wednesday, 16 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Exodus 3 : 1-6, 9-12

Moses pastured the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law, priest of Midian. One day he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the Mountain of God. The Angel of YHVH appeared to him by means of a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that although the bush was on fire it did not burn up.

Moses thought, “I will go and see this amazing sight, why is the bush not burning up?” YHVH saw that Moses was drawing near to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He replied, “Here I am.” YHVH said to him, “Do not come near; take off your sandals because the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

And God continued, “I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face lest his eyes look on God. YHVH said, “The cry of the sons of Israel has reached Me and I have seen how the Egyptians oppress them. Go now! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God replied, “I will be with you and this will be the sign that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Mount Carmel)

Zechariah 2 : 14-17

Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people, but My dwelling is among you.”

The people of Judah will be for YHVH as His portion in His holy land. He will choose Jerusalem again. Keep still in YHVH’s presence, for He comes, having risen from His holy dwelling.

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church commemorates in particular the Feast of Mary, Help of Christians and also Our Lady of Sheshan, the popular Marian site in Shanghai region of China, remembering in particular the persecution of Christians, our fellow brothers and sisters in faith throughout the world, but more especially so in the Church in China, where persecutions still often happen daily and where Christians are still being persecuted for their faith and belief in Christ, just it has also happened elsewhere in the world as well. We remember these brethren of ours in our prayers today and ask the intercession of Mary, the Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan so that her prayers and intercession may move the Lord to intervene on their behalf and protect them in their struggles and trials.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles we heard of the continuation of the works that St. Paul carried out in the ministry of the Word of God, in proclaiming the Good News and works of the Lord to the people in various places, as he went from one place to another in spreading the truth of God, gaining more and more followers and disciples day after day, as the Church kept on growing in each and every efforts that the Apostles and the other missionaries undertook in their good works in the Lord. This is a reminder for all of us that we must be ready to continue the works of the Apostles, which they had begun and which still continued on even to this very present day, as they carried on proclaiming the Good News of the Lord to more and more people they encountered in their journey.

This is also a reminder that the primary mission of the Church is indeed one of evangelisation, of the mission which the Lord Himself had entrusted to His Church through His disciples in the Great Commission, that is the command for all the faithful disciples and followers of the Lord to go forth to all the people of all the nations, and to proclaim therefore the Good News of the Lord, and to baptise all of them in the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, gathering all the scattered lost children of God, the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock to the one united Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. This is the mission which all of us are sharing in the Church and which we should courageously and devotedly carry out in each and every opportunities presented to us.

Therefore, this is why we should continue to do the works that the Lord has entrusted to each and every one of us in whatever capacities and opportunities that He had presented to us. We should always be courageous in living our lives in the most Christ-like way, in doing our best to glorify the Lord by our exemplary lives and actions. All of us should make good use of the time, opportunities and blessings that He has granted to us so that by our commitment and works, we may truly be His faithful disciples and followers, spreading the truth and Good News of God to more and more people we encounter in each and every moments, leading more and more people and souls towards the Lord, our most loving God and Father. We have to continue to commit ourselves to these good works even amidst persecutions and hardships in our journey.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples of the reality of them following Him and the kind of difficulties, hardships and persecutions that they might have to endure in their ministry and journey as Christians, as the disciples and followers of His in the world. And the Lord told them that just as He has been persecuted and faced all sorts of challenges and difficulties, therefore the world would also persecuted all those who follow in the Lord’s path and all those who carry out His works. This is something that we must keep in mind especially if we think that following Christ our Lord will be something that is enjoyable, smooth-sailing and easy, as the reality will hit us as being otherwise.

Yet, at the same time, the Lord also reassured His disciples, and therefore all of us because we do not suffer all those sufferings and persecutions alone, as He is always there carrying the Cross with us, by our side, providing for us and not leaving us all alone. And His Blessed Mother, the Help of Christians, Our Lady of Sheshan is always by our side as well, just as she has faithfully walked by the side of her Son during His Passion and sufferings, on the Way of the Cross to His Crucifixion. That is why we should put our trust in the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians and Our Lady of Sheshan, who will always pray for us on our behalf, asking her Son by His Throne in Heaven, to be moved to our plight, sufferings and difficulties. We will never be found wanting or alone, abandoned or without anyone to listen to us, as our prayers are very well heard by the Lord Himself and also through His Blessed Mother.

Let us all offer our prayers today, asking for the Blessed Mother of God, Our Lady of Sheshan and Help of Christians to help and provide for us in the hour of our need, and in particular we pray for all those people who have been persecuted for their faith, our own brothers and sisters, who have endured lots of sufferings and hardships in living their faith daily, especially keeping in mind our brethren who are still suffering and being persecuted in the Church in China, where there are still sporadic persecutions facing the faithful, as the government there tried to put the Church and the local faithful community under their control. But the Lord was always with them and all of us, and He has given us all His own Mother to be our guide and support as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do our best in our various capacities and opportunities provided to us as Christians so that in our every moments in life and in each and every one of our encounters and efforts, we will always be full of faith and love in Christ our Lord, and show this faith we have by our good examples, commitment and dedication. Let us all therefore be the shining examples and role models for our fellow brethren all around us, showing the path for all to reach the Lord, Our Saviour and King. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 15 : 18-21

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that the world hated Me before you. This would not be so if you belonged to the world, because the world loves its own. But you are not of the world, since I have chosen you from the world; because of this the world hates you.”

“Remember what I told you : the servant is not greater than his master; if they persecuted Me, they will persecute you, too. If they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. All this they will do to you for the sake of My Name, because they do not know the One Who sent Me.”

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 99 : 2, 3, 5

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God; He created us and we are His people, the sheep of His fold.

For the Lord is good; His love lasts forever and His faithfulness through all generations.

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Saturday, 24 May 2025 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of Mary Help of Christians, and Our Lady of Sheshan, and World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 16 : 1-10

Paul travelled on to Derbe and then to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy lived there, whose mother was a believer of Jewish origin but whose father was a Greek. As the believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him, Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. So he took him and, because of the Jews of that place who all knew that his father was a Greek, he circumcised him.

As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions of the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, for the people to obey. Meanwhile, the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number every day.

They travelled through Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do this. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

There one night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and begged him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” When he awoke, he told us of this vision and we understood that the Lord was calling us to give the Good News to the Macedonian people.