Monday

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Monday, 13 April 2026 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us as Christians to realise that each and every one of us have received new lives that are blessed by God’s grace and love through our common baptism, which we have received at the beginning of our journey as Christians, be it as infants or as adults. And with this baptism we share, we have become the adopted children of God, those whom God had given His gift of grace, Holy Spirit and the strength to carry out our lives with faith, showcasing the wonderful truth of God manifested in us, in the promises that God has shown us, and which He constantly reassured us all with, manifested in our daily living and actions.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which we heard of the moment right after St. Peter and St. John, two of the Twelve Apostles, were freed from their incarceration and questioning by the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council for their action in performing a wonderful miracle at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem, where they healed a paralysed man sitting there in the Name of the Risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when the Sanhedrin had expressly made it taboo and forbidden for anyone to utter the Name of the Lord or to perform anything in His Name, after they had condemned Him to death and crucified Him, and especially at that time, as they were dealing with the rumours of the Lord’s Resurrection from the dead.

And yet, the two Apostles remained firm and adamant, full of the Holy Spirit, courage, hope and strength before the whole assembly of the Sanhedrin, standing up firmly for their faith in the Risen Lord, proclaiming the truth about His works, and the undeniable proof of how the paralysed man had been healed and made whole again the Name of the same Lord and Saviour that the Sanhedrin had persecuted, rejected and killed. After they were freed, as we heard, the two Apostles inspired and strengthened the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord, and reminding them of God’s Presence in their midst, and how He would provide for them and protect them amidst all the challenges and trials that they might have to face in carrying out their missions and works.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and the renowned Pharisee and elder, Nicodemus, who was known to be quite sympathetic of the Lord and His teachings, but who had to come and meet Him at night because he was worried about the reactions and responses of the Jewish people and the other Pharisees, who were often critical and against the Lord. Nicodemus asked the Lord about how mankind can be saved and the Lord told him that unless they all be born again in the Lord through the Spirit, and if they remained in the flesh, then they will not be able to attain salvation in the Lord, because the Lord is with those who have been born again in the Spirit.

This phrase and conversation between the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus had often been misunderstood by many people, among Christians and others, as some interpreted it as being born of the Spirit being a necessity for salvation, and those who have not been born of the Spirit were therefore inferior spiritually or in status as compared to those who so called have received the gift of the Spirit of God. No, brothers and sisters in Christ, being born again in the Spirit is a reference to how we who have received the Lord and accepted Him as our Saviour, and having shared in the gift of our baptism, have become born again anew in the Lord, in becoming the adopted sons and daughters of God, by our common humanity with Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man.

That is why we are all reminded on this day of this identity which we have as the chosen people of God, as those whom He had made to be His own sons and daughters. Let us all remember that with God there is abundance of Hope and strength, remembering that with Him we will not falter and despite all the challenges and hardships that we may be facing, we will be strengthened by Him, encouraged and empowered by His Spirit within us, the same Spirit that He has given us in the life that He has provided us, and then completed through baptism and affirmed in those of us who have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. We should always remember how God is always by our side, and therefore, remain faithful to Him at all times, like the Apostles had been.

Today, we all should be inspired by the examples set by Pope St. Martin I, a courageous servant of God and worthy successor of St. Peter the Apostle as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the Universal Church. Pope St. Martin I was remembered for his strong faith and love for God, his adherence to the true faith at a time when there were those who advocated false teachings and aberrant ways, in which he had to struggle against even the powerful, and no less than the Roman Emperor himself. At that time, the Roman Emperor and the power nobles favoured the heretical teaching of Monothelitism, a heresy which stated that the Lord has only one single will, as opposed to what the Church teaches, which is the Lord having two unique and distinct natures and will, Divine and Human, united perfectly in His single Person.

At that time, the Papacy faced a lot of pressures and challenges from the secular authority, where the Roman Emperor and his bureaucracy held strong away over the Roman church and its governance, and attempting to control the Papacy and its policies. Pope St. Martin I had to endure tough challenges and trials, going even against even those in power and the authorities who openly supported the heretics. As a result, he was arrested, exiled and made to suffer, and eventually died a martyr’s death. Yet, till the very end, Pope St. Martin I held firmly to the faith, and dedicated himself to the Lord and to the flock entrusted to his care, not wanting them to fall into the falsehoods of heresy. Through his examples, we can see the inspiration of a true Christian who remains faithful despite all the trials and challenges he faced, which we can also follow in our own lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our commitment and faith in the Lord, doing our very best to walk in the path that the Lord has set before us. Let us all continue to follow the good examples set by our predecessors in faithfully and help to inspire many others to walk in the same path as well, with courage and hope, knowing that God will always be with us, guarding and strengthening us at every steps of the journey. May the Risen Lord continue to bless us all and encourage us in the path of faith and life that He has been leading us through, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 13 April 2026 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 3 : 1-8

At that time, among the Pharisees there was a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus. He came to Jesus by night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God to teach us, for no one can perform miraculous signs like Yours unless God is with Him.”

Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above.” Nicodemus said, “How can there be rebirth for a grown man? Who could go back to his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you : No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

“Because of this, do not be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again from above.’ The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

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Monday, 13 April 2026 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 2 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-9

Why do the nations conspire? Why do the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth brace themselves and the rulers together take their stand against the Lord and His Anointed. They say, “Let us break their bonds! Let us cast away their chains!”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord looks at them in derision. Then in anger He speaks to them, terrifying them in the fury of His wrath : “Behold the King I have installed, in Zion, upon My holy hill!”

I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to Me : “You are My Son. This day I have begotten You. Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall rule them with iron sceptre and shatter them as a potter’s vase.”

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Monday, 13 April 2026 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of Pope St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 4 : 23-31

As soon as Peter and John were set free, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard it, they raised their voices as one and called upon God, “Sovereign Lord, Maker of heaven and earth, of the sea and everything in them, You have put these words in the mouth of David, our father and Your servant, through the Holy Spirit : Why did the pagan nations rage and the people conspire in folly? The kings of the were aligned and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against His Messiah.”

“For indeed in this very city Herod with Pontius Pilate, and the pagans together with the people of Israel conspired against Your holy Servant Jesus, Whom You anointed. Thus, indeed, they brought about whatever Your powerful will had decided from all time would happen. But now, Lord, see their threats against us and enable Your servants to speak Your word with all boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and to work signs and wonders through the Name of Jesus Your holy Servant.”

When they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together shook, and they were all filled with Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

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Monday, 6 April 2026 : Monday within Easter Octave (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we all continue to celebrate with great joy the celebrations of Easter that began with Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, as this is just the second day of the Octave of Easter, which lasts until the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday, and in fact, the whole Easter season lasts a period of an entire fifty days until the Pentecost Sunday. Yet, from what we have also heard from our Scripture passages today, we are also reminded that our Easter joy and celebrations should not be limited and restricted just to that period only, as we must realise that what we celebrate this Easter is something fundamental and important in our Christian faith, as we rejoice and celebrate together our Lord’s glorious Resurrection from the dead, and how He has saved each one of us from our predicament and sins, by His Passion, His suffering, death and Resurrection.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the works of the Apostles, led by St. Peter, who went forth amongst the people on the day of the Pentecost, fifty days after the Lord’s Resurrection, to proclaim among them all the truth about the Lord, all of His works, His Resurrection and all that He had done, for the salvation of all the people. Back then, the disciples of the Lord had been hiding in fear after the Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, as the Jewish leaders, the chief priests and the elders who had mostly been opposed to the Lord and His teachings, had banned anyone from teaching or speaking in His Name, and vowed to persecute anyone who did so. That was why they were in hiding, while praying and gathering together as a community of believers. Then, on the day of the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples just as the Lord Himself had promised, and the Holy Spirit strengthened the disciples and encouraged them, gave them Wisdom and power to carry out what the Lord wanted them to do.

That was how they all became so courageous, in going forth from their hiding, and no longer hiding their beliefs, but preaching about the Risen Lord openly among the people, during the time when many people from the Jewish diaspora and beyond came to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival. They all spoke with vigour and strength, and as St. Peter had done, they told them all of the wonderful things that God had done through His Son Jesus Christ, the One Whom the people had just recently rejected and condemned to death, put on the Cross to die and yet, by Whose death, God has willingly accepted His perfect offering and sacrifice, to redeem all of us from our many sins and wickedness. God has been reconciled with us through His Son, and by His Resurrection, Christ has shown us the sure path to eternal life. St. Peter spoke to all assembled of how Christ has revealed God’s salvation to all through His coming into this world and His Resurrection, fulfilling the promises that God had made to all their forefathers.

This is the same truth that they themselves had received from the holy women, Mary of Magdalene and others who went to the tomb of the Lord on the morning of Easter Sunday, only to see the tomb empty and open, without any Body and anyone inside. We heard from our Gospel passage today how the Angel of God proclaimed to the women that the Lord has risen gloriously from the dead just as He has foretold. We heard how the fulfilment of God’s promises had indeed come through Christ, and then of how those same chief priests and their supporters tried to hide and conceal the truth in the same Gospel passage, by bribing the soldiers and the officials to tell lies and untruths about what had actually happened, to the point of stating that the disciples had come to steal the Body of the Lord while the soldiers were sleeping, which was something that was truly unbelievable as the Roman soldiers then were renowned for their discipline and watchfulness.

That was unfortunately the extent of the lack of faith of the people of God, those whom the Lord had first appeared to and called first. Many of those chief priests and elders were so hard set in their ways and beliefs that they were unable to open their hearts and minds to listen to the Lord and to His truth that has been delivered and shown to them, despite the many times that they had witnessed the works of the Lord, His truth and all that He has taught among the people of God. This is because they had allowed worldly vices and ambitions, their attachments to worldly glory and desires to cloud their vision and judgments, leading them to close their hearts and minds against God, and turning themselves into obstacles and barriers in the path of many who are coming to seek the Lord. And yet, the Lord still called His disciples to proclaim His truth to them, as what many of them would do to reach out to these stubborn ones.

As we all know, God even made one of them to be one of His own most fervent followers, as one of the most passionate and courageous defenders of the faith, namely St. Paul the Apostle, who was once a great persecutor of Christians and an enemy of the Lord. In his foolish pursuit for power and influence, and in the misguided path he traversed as a young Pharisee named Saul, easily swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and by his misdirected zeal, caused by the distortions and falsehoods that the chief priests and the Pharisees themselves had spread, in making themselves to believe that the Lord Jesus was a fraud and that His teachings were blasphemous and a heresy, hence, causing St. Paul as the young Saul and many others to do what was against God’s will, resisting His good works and actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now as we all gather together today to continue to rejoice in the Easter joy, and as we continue to live our lives as faithful and good Christians, let us all therefore renew our commitment to the Lord, to be evangelising disciples in our outreach and efforts to proclaim the Word of God, His truth and resurrection to more and more people all throughout the whole world, in our respective communities, families, circles of friends, in our schools and workplaces. Let us all be the beacons of the Light of Christ and the Hope of His Resurrection, in the midst of all the communities that we are all part of. Let us all be the source of inspiration and hope for everyone who are still suffering and enduring a lot of hardships, or are in the midst of sorrows and despair, that just as Christ has come into our midst bearing His Light of Hope and salvation, we may also bring that same Light to our brethren in need.

This means that all of us should always strive to live our lives virtuously, as a reflection of God’s love and grace, in loving God Himself and in loving those around us, showing genuine love, care and compassion to everyone around us. We are all called to be the bearers of God’s Light, Hope and Love to our world, and we can do this by showing love in our every actions, in our every words and deeds. This means that in even the smallest of our words and actions, in every interactions that we have with each other, we should always aspire to be bearers of God’s most wonderful love, in loving those whom God had entrusted to us to love, those most dearly beloved to us and those who are in need of our love and kindness, in all things and at all times.

May all of us be courageous in proclaiming the word of God and may we continue to be exemplary in our lives and actions so that we may truly be genuine Christians in our way of life, in our every actions, dealings and interactions. May the Risen Lord continue to encourage and strengthen us so that we may keep on venturing further like the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, in doing the good works of the Lord, for the salvation of many people who are in need of the light and hope of God in their midst. May all of us be the faithful bearers of Christ’s Light in our communities and societies all around us. Amen.

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Monday, 6 April 2026 : Monday within Easter Octave (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 28 : 8-15

At that time, the woman left the tomb at once in fear, yet with great joy, and they ran to tell the news to Jesus’ disciples. Suddenly, He met them on the way and said, “Rejoice!” The women approached Him, embraced His feet and worshipped Him. But Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid! Go and tell My brothers to set out for Galilee; there they will see Me.”

While the women were on their way, the guards returned to the city, and some of them reported to the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests met with the elders, and decided to give the soldiers a large sum of money, with this instruction, “Say that His disciples came by night while you were asleep, and stole the Body of Jesus. If Pilate comes to know of this, we will explain the situation and keep you out of trouble.”

The soldiers accepted the money and did as they were told. This story has circulated among the Jews until this day.

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Monday, 6 April 2026 : Monday within Easter Octave (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 15 : 1-2a and 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “O Lord, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot.”

I bless the Lord Who counsels me; even at night my inmost self instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

My heart, therefore, exults, my soul rejoices; my body too will rest assured. For You will not abandon my soul to the grave, nor will You suffer Your Holy One to see decay in the land of the dead.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence the fullness of joy, at Your right hand happiness forever.

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Monday, 6 April 2026 : Monday within Easter Octave (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 2 : 14, 22-33

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and, with a loud voice, addressed them, “Fellow Jews and all foreigners now staying in Jerusalem, listen to what I have to say. Fellow Israelites, listen to what I am going to tell you about Jesus of Nazareth. God accredited Him and through Him did powerful deeds and wonders and signs in your midst, as you well know.”

“You delivered Him to sinners to be crucified and killed, and in this way the purpose of God from all times was fulfilled. But God raised Him to life and released Him from the pain of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in the power of death. David spoke of Him when He said : I saw the Lord before me at all times; He is by my side, that I may not be shaken.”

“Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body too will live in hope. Because You will not forsake me in the abode of the dead, nor allow Your Holy One to experience corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life, and Your presence will fill me with joy.”

“Friends, I do not need to prove that the patriarch David died and was buried; his tomb is with us to this day. But he knew that God had sworn to him that One of his descendants would sit upon his throne and, as he was a prophet, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah. So he said that He would not be left in the region of the dead, nor would His Body experience corruption.

This Messiah is Jesus and we are all witnesses that God raised Him to life. He has been exalted at God’s right side and the Father has entrusted the Holy Spirit to Him; this Spirit He has just poured upon us as you now see and hear.

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Monday, 30 March 2026 : Monday of Holy Week (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all progress through this sacred time of this Holy Week, approaching the pinnacle of our whole entire liturgical year, we are all invited to focus our attention ever more and ever deeper in appreciating all that the Lord Himself has done for us in loving us all, the ultimate proof and evidence of which is what He had done for our salvation, in taking up willingly upon Himself and bearing on His own shoulders the combined weight of all of our sins, our faults and mistakes, everything that we should have suffered and endured by our disobedience and sins. And yet, through His infinite love and mercy, God has shown us all His redemption and ever enduring Love manifested to us in Christ His Son, Our Lord and Saviour.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord spoke about the coming of the One that He had prepared for the salvation of the world and of His beloved people. This prophecy can and has indeed been interpreted and linked to the coming of the Messiah Himself, or that of His messenger and herald, none other than St. John the Baptist. In both cases, they have been prepared since before they were even conceived, with St. John the Baptist miraculously being conceived in the elderly couple Zechariah and Elizabeth, who had been barren for a long time, while the Lord Jesus Himself was conceived without man’s interference, by the will of God the Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit in His mother, Mary.

However, reading closely through the passage of this prophecy, we can see that this is specifically referring to what the Lord would do through His Passion, referring to His suffering, all the persecutions, humiliations that He would endure for our salvation, the mockery, opposition, hatred and all that He would receive amidst His Passion, all of which had been foretold by the prophets especially that of Isaiah just as we heard in our first reading today. This description of the Suffering Servant or the Suffering Messiah actually clashed and contradicted what was common in the understanding among the people of God, in their expectations on what the Messiah would be like. They thought that the Messiah would be the One to restore the Kingdom of Israel and liberate them from their enemies and oppressors.

That was why the Lord Jesus and His mission, and what would eventually happen to Him became an enigma to many among the Jewish people, especially to their leaders, the Pharisees and the chief priests, the members of the Sanhedrin and others who were more concerned about their worldly status and prestige, worrying about would happen should the Lord’s growing popularity led to the end of their privileged status among the community of God’s people and the status quo that they had been enjoying under the rule of the Romans and the kings they placed to rule them, the family members of Herod. It was from this opposition and refusals to follow what the Lord had intended, that led to them persecuting the Lord and fulfilling what the Lord Himself had promised through Isaiah.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we are all reminded by the Lord Himself that we should not be hypocrites in our faith and way of life, and we should not forget to show love towards the Lord and towards one another, and not merely putting our focus and attention on one or the other. As true and genuine Christians, each and every one of us are called to heed the words of the Lord as we heard in that Gospel passage today, reminding us all to be humble and generous in loving God and others, as He Himself has taught us to, and not to be like traitor Judas Iscariot, who was a hypocrite, prideful and haughty, in looking down on the actions of others done in love.

As we heard, Mary, also known as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, took a jar of pure nard, an expensive perfume and anointed the Lord’s feet with it, and then with her tears and hair, she dried the Lord’s feet, something that immediately brought criticism and condemnation from Judas Iscariot, one of the Lord’s inner circle and member of the Twelve. And we heard how this same Judas, the one who would come to betray the Lord just a few days later after this occasion, was in fact a thief, a liar and a hypocrite, as he often helped himself to the common fund that he managed for the Lord and His disciples. Therefore, whatever he said to Mary regarding wastefulness and how the perfume could have been sold to give the proceeds to the poor was no less than pure hypocrisy, and can even be surmised as having risen from greed.

That is because he could have then taken even more from the proceeds and the common fund, and for a greedy man like him, Judas could not understand and appreciate the actions of Mary. But Mary showed us all the great example of obedience and humility, humbling herself and even using her own hair, which has always been considered as a woman’s crown of beauty and glory, to wipe the Lord’s feet, the part of the human body which is often considered as the dirtiest and most disgusting, and hence, it was a tremendous act of humility and love for Mary to do such a thing before everyone to see, in showing her love and gratitude towards the Lord for His kindness, compassion and mercy. Let us also not forget that this is the same Mary whose brother Lazarus had died and then the Lord resurrected him from the dead.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together to reflect upon the message of this Word of God contained within the Scriptures, let us all therefore reflect carefully on what we have just received, remembering the great love which God had given us through His most Beloved and only Begotten Son, so that by examining and reflecting every events that we are going to celebrate in this upcoming period of Holy Week and then Easter, we can truly carry on living our lives with genuine faith and not merely paying lip service to the Lord, or merely going through the motion in how we observe the Law and commandments of God. We should be truly sincere in living our faith and become good role models and examples to everyone around us. Let us all be humble and remember that each and every one of us are equally sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness, instead of looking down on others.

May the Lord our most loving God, our most compassionate and merciful Saviour continue to help us persevere and remain strong throughout this journey of faith and life, as we continue to progress through this time of Holy Week, the upcoming joyful and glorious season of Easter and beyond, so that in our every efforts, endeavours and all the things we do in love, in showing genuine care and concern for everyone around us, in manifesting God’s love ever more perfectly in this world we may truly be genuine, faithful and good Christians, exemplary in our every deeds, following the examples of Mary who anointed the feet of the Lord, in showing love both for God and for others around us, especially to those dearly beloved to us and to others who need our love too. May God bless all of us and remain with us always. Amen.

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Monday, 30 March 2026 : Monday of Holy Week (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 12 : 1-11

At that time, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where He had raised Lazarus, the dead man, to life. Now they gave a dinner for Him, and while Martha waited on them, Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus.

Then Mary took a pound of costly perfume, made from genuine spikenard and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiping them with her hair. And the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Judas Iscariot – the disciple who was to betray Jesus – remarked, “This perfume could have been sold for three hundred silver coins, and the money given to the poor.” Judas, indeed, had no concern for the poor; he was a thief, and as he held the common purse, he used to help himself to the funds.

But Jesus spoke up, “Leave her alone. Was she not keeping it for the day of My burial? (The poor you always have with you, but you will not always have Me.)” Many Jews heard that Jesus was there and they came, not only because of Jesus, but also to see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead.

So the chief priests thought about killing Lazarus as well, for many of the Jews were drifting away because of him, and believing in Jesus.