Monday

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 12 : 1-11

About that time king Herod decided to persecute some members of the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword, and when he saw how it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

This happened during the Festival of the Unleavened Bread. Herod had him seized and thrown into prison with four squads, each of four soldiers, to guard him. He wanted to bring him to trial before the people after the Passover feast, but while Peter was kept in prison, the whole Church prayed earnestly for him.

On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound by a double chain, while guards kept watch at the gate of the prison. Suddenly, an Angel of the Lord stood there and a light shone in the prison cell. The Angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him saying, “Get up quickly!”

At once, the chains fell from Peter’s wrists. The Angel said, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” Peter did so; and the Angel added, “Now, put on your cloak and follow me.” Peter followed him out; yet he did not realise that what was happening with the Angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

They passed the first guard, and then the second, and they came to the iron door leading out to the city, which opened by itself for them. They went out and made their way down a narrow alley, when suddenly the Angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, “Now I know that the Lord has sent His Angel and has rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from all that the Jews had in store for me.”

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this evening we celebrate the Vigil Mass of the great Solemnity of the two Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, whom we celebrate together first of all because they are the two Apostles who laid the foundation of the Church in Rome, at the then capital of the Roman Empire, which then becomes the heart of Christendom for the next two millennia up to this very day. Both St. Peter and St. Paul were crucial in their roles in establishing the Church not just in Rome but elsewhere throughout Christendom, but today in particular we remember their roles in building up the Church in Rome, of which our Pope, the Vicar of Christ, is St. Peter’s direct successor as the Vicar of Christ and leader of the whole Universal Church.

St. Peter and St. Paul were two very distinct men that God had called to become His disciples, and eventually as His Apostles, with Apostle coming from the Greek word ‘Apostolos’ meaning ‘person that is sent’, with significance that they had been personally sent and entrusted by the Lord to be the chief bearers of His truth and Good News, and as the ones who are the pillars of the Church that God Himself has established in this world. Both of them were instrumental in their immense contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful, and also in the establishment of the Roman Church, which we all belong to, the Roman Catholic Church, with its centre in Rome, and hence, is why we are celebrating this day with a particularly great Solemnity, in the memory of these two holy Apostles, most faithful servants of God.

As mentioned just earlier, St. Peter and St. Paul were both distinct in their origin and characters, and therefore, it is indeed unimaginable and must have been strange in the eyes of many who know them and their history, of how they both can come together and become part of the Lord’s ministry and works. For example, St. Peter was an illiterate fisherman from the shores of the Lake of Galilee, taken from his humble origins and his uneducated and brash background, while St. Paul could not have been more different from St. Peter, as St. Paul was a member of the Pharisees, one of the two most influential groups in the Jewish community back then, and not only that, but he was also a Roman citizen, a truly remarkable feat and status for a Jew at that time, because Roman citizenship at that time was only reserved for the most powerful and influential among the non-Roman and non-Italian people at that time.

Not only that, but St. Peter himself, as Scriptural accounts have told us, was also complicit in abandoning the Lord in the moment of His Passion and suffering, when He was put on trial after the betrayal of Judas Iscariot and His arrest. St. Peter, who had earlier on bravely proclaiming that he would even die for the Lord, denied knowing the Lord not just once, but three times. At that moment, his faith was wavering, and faced with the opposition of the whole Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council, and the people around, St. Peter did what he would immediately regret later on, that is to give in to his fears. Meanwhile, St. Paul was known as Saul, the Pharisee and an overzealous young man who sought to destroy the Church and all Christian believers, and went so far as to arrest and persecute every Christians he encountered throughout Judea and even almost went on as far as Damascus in doing so, before he encountered the Lord, was called and converted.

Nonetheless, God called each one of them and the other Apostles, all from their diverse origin and background, and made them to be His most faithful and dedicated workers of His vineyard, that is this world. He sent them all as the Apostles, true to their office, to evangelise and proclaim His truth and Good News to the nations, and to make more disciples of the many nations. St. Peter presided over the Church, and also as highlighted in the Acts of the Apostles, the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem to resolve issues and divisions within the Church, and he also went on to establish many churches and communities, becoming the first Bishop of Antioch, the place where the first tangible Christian community was known as Christians, and then becoming the first Bishop of Rome, where he established the office of the Bishop of Rome, and as the Pope and Vicar of Christ, becoming the centre of Christendom and as the pinnacle of the Church hierarchy, as the very Vicar of the Lord Himself in this world.

On the other hand, St. Paul as we are familiar from the Acts of the Apostles and from his many Epistles that form the bulk of the New Testament as we know it, was very much involved in many missionary works and journeys, embarking on four major evangelisation and missionary journeys throughout the regions, visiting towns and villages, moving from place to place, sometimes by himself and other times with companions, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God to more and more people throughout the known world. In his many Epistles, the letters and other works meant to be communicated to the faithful, St. Paul made clear his commitment to his mission as well as his wishes and desires for the faithful people of God to follow their Lord and Master with greater faith and dedication, staying true to the teachings of the Lord which had been passed down to them through His Apostles.

Both of them eventually made their way to Rome, and were martyred there, at the time when Christians were greatly persecuted during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero. St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Church, according to Apostolic traditions, went through the great persecutions, and in one occasion, went away from Rome in order to hide from the enemies of the Church and the Lord. In that moment, he saw the vision of the Lord carrying His cross towards Rome, in one of the ways towards the city. St. Peter in one of his famous sayings mentioned, ‘Quo vadis?’ which means, ‘Where are You heading to, Lord?’, to which the Lord replied with ‘Eo Romam iterum crucifigi’, that means ‘I am going to Rome, to be crucified (again).’

This apparition of the Lord strengthened St. Peter and affirmed him that the Shepherd is always with His flock, and St. Peter as the shepherd of the Lord’s flock, should remain and suffer with the flock of God, much as Christ Himself, the Good Shepherd, has suffered and laid down His life for His sheep. St. Peter hence went back to Rome, and faced martyrdom with great faith, and just as what our Gospel passage today had highlighted, that according to the Lord Himself, that when he grew old, St. Peter’s enemies and persecutors would bind him and lead him to where he would not want to go. Regardless, St. Peter faced martyrdom and was crucified at where now stands the great Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, certainly the most famous church of all of Christendom, where his tomb now still stands. He felt unworthy to be crucified and to die in the manner that his Lord had died, and thus, he asked to be crucified upside down. Thus was how this great man of God passed into the life everlasting with God.

St. Paul was also brought to Rome and had to await the decision of the Emperor when he appealed to the Emperor against the many accusations that the Jewish leaders had brought up against him. When the Great Fire of Rome happened under the reign of the same Emperor Nero, Christians were persecuted and made as scapegoats for the fire, which many actually attributed to the deliberate actions of the Emperor himself. St. Paul was one of the Christians being persecuted and martyred, being put to death as a Roman citizen, through beheading, during the height of that persecution. But till the very end, St. Paul still continued to do what he had always done, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God, right up to his martyrdom, like what St. Peter and the other Apostles had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are truly very fortunate and blessed in being able to commemorate the memories of these two great Man of God, two of the Lord’s Holy and Glorious Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, the Prince of the Apostles and the Apostle to the Gentiles respectively. Each one of them has shown us great examples and inspirations through their lives and tireless efforts in ministering to the Church and to countless people whom they have encountered throughout their work and ministry. Now, are we all able to follow them in their footsteps and carry out God’s will, obey His commands and continue His missions and works in the same way as well? All of us who have received the same faith and gift of the Holy Spirit from the Lord, sharing in the joy of the Apostles, have the same calling and mission to spread the Word of God and truth to more and more people throughout the world.

Let us all therefore be encouraged and strengthened, that in our every good works and endeavours, we will always glorify the Lord by our lives, and proclaim His truth and Good News by every actions, words and deeds in our every moments. Let us be empowered by the Lord through the gifts of His Holy Spirit, and by the burning love that we have in our hearts, just like those of the Apostles, especially St. Peter and St. Paul, in doing God’s will. Remember that while the Apostles, like St. Peter and St. Paul, were all called from humble, imperfect, and even questionable origins, being sinners just like us, but God made them all into His most worthy and amazing servants, in doing many of His good works, and the same can happen to us all as well. This is the time for us to decide if we want to follow the Lord wholeheartedly like how St. Peter and St. Paul had followed Him.

May the Lord, who is glorified through His Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, continue to bless us all and guide us, His Church, His faithful ones, so that in our every good works and endeavours, we will bring ever greater glory to Him, and bring many more people ever closer to salvation and grace in Him. May our lives and actions always be exemplary and worthy of the Lord like that of St. Peter and St. Paul before us, and all the other saints, holy men and women of God, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 21 : 15-19

At that time, after Jesus and His disciples had finished breakfast, He said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these do?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” And Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Look after My sheep.” And a third time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus then said, “Feed My sheep! Truly, I say to you, when you were young, you put on your belt and walked where you liked. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will put a belt around you, and lead you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus said this to make known the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. And He added, “Follow Me!”

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Galatians 1 : 11-20

Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, that the Gospel we preached to you is not a human message, nor did I receive it from anyone, I was not taught of it; but it came to me, as a revelation from Christ Jesus. You have heard of my previous activity in the Jewish community; I furiously persecuted the Church of God and tried to destroy it. For I was more devoted to the Jewish religion than many fellow Jews of my age, and I defended the traditions of my ancestors more fanatically.

But one day, God called me, out of His great love, He, Who had chosen me from my mother’s womb; and he was pleased to reveal, in me, His Son, that I might make Him known among the pagan nations. Then, I did not seek human advice nor did I go up to Jerusalem, to those who were Apostles before me. I immediately went to Arabia, and from there, I returned, again, to Damascus.

Later, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to meet Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. But I did not see any other Apostle except James, the Lord’s brother. On writing this to you, I affirm before God that I am not lying.

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

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Monday, 29 June 2026 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 3 : 1-10

Once when Peter and John were going up to the Temple at three in the afternoon, the hour for prayer, a man crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day they would bring him and put him at the Temple gate called “Beautiful”; there he begged from those who entered the Temple.

When he saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple, he asked for alms. Then Peter with John at his side looked straight at him and said, “Look at us.” So he looked at them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you : In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, walk!”

Then he took the beggar by his right hand and helped him up. At once his feet and ankles became firm, and jumping up he stood on his feet and began to walk. And he went with them into the Temple walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God; they recognised him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and they were all astonished and amazed at what had happened to him.

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Monday, 22 June 2026 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today through the passages of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy people, all of us are called to follow the Lord in everything that He had told us to do, in everything that He has taught and shown us to do in our lives, in following His Law and commandments among other things that He has revealed to us. All of us should be truly genuine in our faith and trust in the Lord, and not be merely outwardly faithful and yet inside us, we are filled with all sorts of wickedness and evils in us, in our actions, words and deeds, all of which are contrary to what we believe in. Such a faith and way of living our lives are no better than that of hypocrites that the Lord Himself often condemned.

In our first reading, taken from the second Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard of the story of the occasion when the King of Assyria gathered his armies and invaded the land of Israel, the northern kingdom of the once united kingdom ruling over the people of God. For the context, by that time, those living in the northern realm known as Israel had been committing a lot of heinous and wicked acts, in disobeying the Lord and His Law, His prophets and commandments, refusing to believe in them despite the signs, warnings and wonders that they themselves had repeatedly seen through those prophets and messengers of God. The Lord had always been so patient in guiding His people, His beloved ones and flock on their way back to Him, and even though they had been so stubborn, He still sent them help, guidance and prophets to guide them.

But God’s love and compassion, His mercy and kindness also ought to be embraced by those same people, and at the same time, they also still had to account for the actions that they had done, in their disobedience and sins which have caused them to wander ever further away from the path that God had called them to walk through. They indulged in themselves and in the worldly temptations, glory and ambitions, which was why they had to account for all these with the destruction and downfall of their kingdom. The Assyrians defeated and crushed them, conquered their capital Samaria and razed it to the ground, bringing quite a number of the people into distant exile in the lands of Assyria and beyond. All these were presented as the just consequences of the stubborn attitudes of those who have rejected God’s patient love and kindness.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and those who were there listening to Him on what being a hypocrite was all about, referring no less to those people who had frequently and consistently been criticising and blocking His works, such as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the chief priests and the Sanhedrin among others, who often liked to criticise everyone but themselves, thinking that they were better and superior than everyone else, especially those whom they were prejudiced against. This was why the Lord used the parable of the splinter to highlight this foolish attitude, all of which had hardened their hearts and prevented them from truly believing in all that God had brought unto them through His Son.

Essentially, by pointing out figuratively that those religious and societal elites of the community had focused so much on the splinter in the eyes of others, that they failed to notice the planks in their own eyes, an attitude which led to them acting in ways that were full of pride and hubris, forgetting the very essence of their role within the community of God’s people. They were supposed to be the ones guiding the people of God towards Him, by showing good examples and being good role models, and yet, they closed the doors of salvation and made it difficult for many others to come towards God by their judgmental and biased attitudes, their preference to criticise others first while not realising their own faults and mistakes. This is something that we ourselves need to be wary and vigilant of, brothers and sisters in Christ. those people 

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of not just one but three great saints, holy men of God who had dedicated their lives and actions to the Lord, giving themselves thoroughly to Him and committing themselves to His cause. All the three of them are truly exemplary in their actions and works, leading a life truly worthy of the Lord, and when they were faced with hardships and tribulations, persecutions and trials, all those things did not dissuade them or prevent them from continuing to live their lives with the same kind of faith and commitment. On the contrary, they kept on going and dedicated themselves even more to the Lord and His cause, and did not mind the sufferings and persecutions that they had to face, with two of these three saints suffering martyrdom for the sake of the Lord and His Church, standing firm in their faith to the end.

This day we celebrate the feast of St. Paulinus of Nola, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, with the first one being a Roman era saint and bishop, renowned for his faith in God and generosity, commitment and dedication to his flock and to all those who have encountered him, while the other two, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were the most prominent among the many martyrs of the so-called English reformation, in their staunch opposition of the English King’s efforts to break free from the authority of the Pope and the Universal Church, defying even their own liege and king in doing so, in order to stand by their faith and to uphold what they truly and sincerely believed, against the wrong ideas and ways that the king wanted to impose on the faithful people of God, in breaking the unity of the Church.

First of all, St. Paulinus of Nola was born into a prominent Roman family in what is today part of southern France, and became a Roman aristocrat and statesman, becoming ultimately the governor of Campania, prior to his conversion to the Christian faith. Eventually, he embraced the Lord and the Christian faith, and abandoning his worldly posts, he became the Bishop of Nola, for which he was greatly remembered, in his renunciation of the world and all of its excesses, and in his embracing a holy and ascetic way of life, dedicating himself wholly to God. St. Paulinus of Nola was also remembered for his many correspondences with the other early Church fathers, as well as in his many efforts to build and strengthen the Church in his diocese of Nola and beyond. Through his piety, humility and dedication to God, St. Paulinus of Nola is truly a great example for all of us.

Meanwhile, St. Thomas More was a prominent statesman and also the Lord High Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. St. John Fisher was the Bishop of Rochester and one influential Church leaders during the reign of the same king. King Henry VIII was infamous in his efforts to beget a male heir to the throne, in his six marriages to six women, and eventually in his futile attempts in doing so, with the male heir that he begotten, passed away in early youth not long after that boy ascended the throne. However, very unfortunately, in his desperate measures, King Henry VIII chose to disobey the Lord and His Church, by divorcing his own wife, who had begotten for him a daughter, and chose to marry another woman, in contravention of the divine and the Church law, hence, triggering the breakaway of the Church in England, resulting in the English reformation.

Amidst such a state, as King Henry VIII demanded that all the people converted to his new establishment and church leadership, while many did so out of opportunism and fear of the king, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were notable as the highly ranked members of the king’s influential advisors who refused to obey the king’s commands, and in the case of St. Thomas More, he chose to oppose the king’s decision in breaking away from the Universal Church and the decision to divorce his wife, and preferred to remain faithful to the Lord despite the persuasions and coercions for him to follow the king’s orders. St. Thomas More faced suffering and persecution, and eventually together with St. John Fisher, who was a courageous Church leader made a Cardinal for his dedication by the Pope, were martyred for their great and committed faith in God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow the examples of these holy and faithful predecessors of ours, be inspired by their examples and great works, and walk in the path of the Lord ever more faithfully from now on. We are all called to be true disciples of the Lord, in being truly loving towards God and one another, and not be prejudiced or judgmental, and in not disobeying His Law and commandments, as we have heard from our Scripture passages earlier on. Let us all be good examples and role models of our faith, in our every works and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us all to be His faithful disciples, ever focused on Him and His teachings and truth, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 22 June 2026 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 7 : 1-5

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Do not judge; and you will not be judged. In the same way you judge others, you will be judged; and the measure you use for others will be used for you.”

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, and not see the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Come, let me take the speck from your eye,’ as long as the plank is in your own?”

“Hypocrite, remove the plank out of your own eye; then, you will see clearly, to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

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Monday, 22 June 2026 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 59 : 3, 4-5, 12-13

O God, You have rejected us and have broken our defences; You have been angry; but now turn back to us.

You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its cracks, for it totters. You have made Your people suffer; You have given us wine that makes us stagger.

Have You not rejected us, o God? You no longer go with our armies. Give us aid against the foe, for human help is not worth a straw.

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Monday, 22 June 2026 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

2 Kings 17 : 5-8, 13-15a, 18

The army of the king of Asshur subjected the whole of Israel, coming to Samaria and laying siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, exiled the Israelites to Asshur and made them settle in Halah, at the banks of Habor, the river of Gozan, as well as in the cities of the Medes.

This happened because the children of Israel had sinned against YHVH, their God, Who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, where they were subject to Pharaoh. But they had turned back to other gods. They followed the customs of the nations which YHVH had driven out before them.

YHVH warned Israel and Judah through the mouth of every prophet and seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and precepts according to the laws which I commanded your fathers and which I have sent to you by My servants, the prophets.” But they did not listen and refused, as did their fathers, who did not believe in YHVH, their God. They despised His statutes and the Covenant He had made with their fathers.

So YHVH became indignant with Israel and cast them far away from His presence, leaving only the tribe of Judah.