Monday

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Monday, 12 August 2024 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to obey the Lord as we are all His people, and we are all created by Him and are all under His dominion and rule. At the same time, we are also reminded to show the same obedience to the laws and customs of the land, to the place and the states that we have pledged allegiance to, as far as we continue to carry out our obligations and responsibilities as God’s faithful and committed disciples and followers. Today’s Scripture passages and discourses are reminders for us that we can indeed be both faithful Christians and also dutiful and law-abiding citizens of our respective countries, states and territories.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel in which the moment when Ezekiel saw a heavenly vision from God was told to us. In that vision, Ezekiel saw the glory of God shown to him, manifested as the Great Throne of God and the Lord enthroned on it, above the Angels, the Seraphim and Cherubim surrounding Him, and the Thrones, the Angels supporting His Throne, revealing God Himself in all of His Divine and Almighty glory. The Lord showed Himself as a truly great and amazing Being beyond the comprehension of man, full of glory and power, and this is in fact a good reminder for us today, as people living in the world where many people have lost their faith in God in this much secularised world, where many marginalised God and His Presence in our midst, and others still also made God to be so personal and human-like that we end up forgetting that He is the Almighty God, Lord and Master of the whole Universe.

Through His Incarnation in the flesh, by His coming into our midst as the Son of Man, in Our Lord Jesus Christ, God has indeed made Himself to be visible, approachable and within our reach, unlike how God had been depicted and shown in the Old Testament, such as what we have heard in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel we have just discussed, and also other occasions like that of Moses’ encounters on the Lord and the prophet Elijah who also encountered God face to face. Earlier on, no one could look at the Lord and live, except for those whom God allowed it, but even then, like what Ezekiel did, he still looked down and fell on his face when he saw God in all of His glory. Through His incarnation, God made Himself personal and approachable to us, by sharing in our human existence. However, this does not change the fact that He is still the same Almighty God, Lord and King over all of us, Whom we ought to obey and follow.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew in which we heard of the Lord Who told His disciples that He would soon face trials, tribulations and challenges, to be handed over to His enemies and suffer death. This was a premonition of what would soon happen during the time on the Cross, during His Passion, His suffering and death for the sake of all of us mankind. In that, He was telling them all that He was obeying His Father’s will, to do what He has wanted to do for us, to open for us the path to redemption and eternal life. Through His selfless and most loving sacrifice on the Cross, He, as our Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God, offered Himself to be the most worthy sacrifice and offering for the atonement of our sins and wickedness, for all the things that had caused us to be separated from God, His love and grace.

Then, we have also heard how the Lord spoke to them with regards to the matter of paying taxes to the temple, when they were confronted by the temple officials. At that time, all the Jewish people had to pay the temple taxes which were levied to them on top of the other taxes that they had to pay to the local rulers and their Roman overlords. The Lord told them all that because they were all God’s children, they were all free and not bound to anything, save that of the Lord Himself, their obligation and obedience to Him. However, the Lord also said that they all ought to follow the rules and ways of the land, and to do what they were all asked to do by the temple officials. Thus, all of us as Christians, we also should do our part in obeying the laws, rules and regulations of our countries and states, of any organisations or places that we belong in, as long as they do not directly contradict our obligation and obedience to God, to His Law and commandments.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, a religious whose life and devotion to God, action and great piety can serve as great inspiration for all of us to follow in how we ought to live our own lives as faithful and dedicated people of God. She was born in Dijon in France to an influential family and she was raised up well to be a refined and beautiful woman. She married Baron de Chantal who gave her the surname she would be later known as, and had a sizeable loving family. She was known as an excellent manager of her family’s estates and was a good daughter-in-law to her husband’s father, and was also renowned for her great charitable actions and works in the community, caring for the poor and needy in her community. When later on her husband was killed in a hunting accident, she took on a vow of chastity and devoted herself henceforth to God.

She eventually became a close friend of St. Francis de Sales and wished to become a nun, eventually establishing the order of the Nuns of the Visitation after she left all of her property and matters to her children. Together with the other sisters in her then small congregation, she was unusual in her approach to her ministry in that they all courageously went forth to the community to minister to the people who were needy and poor, neglected and unloved instead of staying cloistered in the monasteries. Her great piety and sanctity soon inspired many people to follow her examples and to be touched in their hearts, leading many ever closer to the Lord and His path. The great faith and examples shown by St. Jane Frances de Chantal should also therefore be inspiration for every one of us to follow her great examples in our own lives, and to be truly faithful to God while also being an active and contributing citizens of our respective countries and states, and as members of our various organisations.

Let us all therefore as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people continue to be truly faithful in all things, dedicated and committed in everything that we say and do so that we may always be sincere in our actions, our words and deeds, in everything that we do in life, so that we ourselves, like St. Jane Frances de Chantal, we may be good role models and examples for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. May all of us be blessed and strengthened by God, and may God continue to empower and encourage each and every one of us to live our lives to the fullest and to the best of our abilities in all things and circumstances. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, all for His greater glory and for the good of our fellow men and women. Amen.

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

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Matthew 17 : 22-27

At that time, when Jesus was in Galilee with the Twelve, He said to them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. But He will rise on the third day.” The Twelve were deeply grieved.

When they returned to Capernaum, the temple tax collectors came to Peter and asked him, “Does your Master pay the temple tax?” He answered, “Yes.” Peter then entered the house; and immediately, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Simon? Who pay taxes or tribute to the kings of the earth : their sons or strangers and aliens?”

Peter replied, “Strangers and aliens.” And Jesus told him, “The sons, then, are tax-free. But, so as not to offend these people, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and open the mouth of the first fish you catch. You will find a coin in it. Take the coin and give it to them for you and for Me.”

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

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 148 : 1-2, 11-12, 13, 14

Alleluia! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heavenly heights. Praise Him, all His Angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.

Kings of the earth and nations, princes and all rulers of the world, young men and maidens, old and young together.

Let them praise the Name of the Lord. For His Name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven.

He has given His people glory; He has a praise to His faithful, to Israel, the people close to Him. Alleluia.

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

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Ezekiel 1 : 2-5, 24-28c

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

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

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

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

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Monday, 5 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we are told of the story of God’s enduring love and kindness for each and every one of us, while at the same time He also wants us to turn away from all sorts of wickedness and evils, all the sins which we have committed in our respective lives. We must not easily be swayed and tempted by all the temptations and falsehoods present all around us in this world, which many of our predecessors had been tempted by, and led to them falling into the path of wickedness of sin, distancing themselves from God’s grace and love. We are all reminded that God has always loved each and every one of us, and He desired for all of us to be reunited and reconciled fully with Him, and that was why, He has reached out to us through His loving Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and also His Blessed Mother, Mary, whom we commemorate today.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which we heard of the moment when there was a confrontation between Jeremiah and one called Hananiah before the king of Judah, Zedekiah, who also happened to be the last king of Judah before its destruction. Hananiah was a false prophet because he was not sent by God and did not speak according to whatever He has willed and desired, but instead presented his own thoughts and false ideas to the king and people of Judah. There were also others like him, the other false prophets who had led Judah and its people astray ever further from God, even as the Lord had constantly reminded His people through Jeremiah and many of his predecessors. The prophet Jeremiah spoke of God’s truth, telling them how Judah’s days were numbered and the kingdom would soon be destroyed by the Babylonians, the city and the Temple, the House of God would soon be destroyed as well.

On the other hand, Hananiah spoke to the king and to the people of Judah the message that they wanted to hear, the message of false comfort and consolation as he spoke of how the yoke of Babylon would be destroyed and that the kingdom and people of Judah would be freed from their enemies. Hananiah and the other false prophets were pandering to try to gain favours with the king and the people by telling them whatever they wanted to listen to, all the good things and happy things which were indeed nice to be listened to, but which could not be further from the truth. According to historical and Scriptural evidences, they were also aligned with many within the kingdom of Judah then who were trying to align the kingdom with the forces of the Egyptians, hoping that their politics and alliances would be able to regain Judah its independence and freedom from Babylon. Unfortunately, it was exactly this which led to the ultimate downfall and destruction of Judah, just as Jeremiah had told the people.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus showed God’s generous love for His people, as He Himself has manifested this love and kindness to them, through Himself in the flesh. He showed everyone how God ultimately loves every one of us, even as He chastised and punished His beloved ones for their sins. For example, as we have heard in our first reading today, on how He chastised the people of Judah and earlier on, those in the northern kingdom of Israel, for their many sins and wickedness, but He warned them many times before everything would come to happen, just as He had done through the prophet Jeremiah. This shows us all that God wants each and every one of us to embrace His love and to get rid from ourselves the taint of sin, evil and wickedness, all of which can lead us to our destruction and downfall.

This is because we must realise that while God is forever ever merciful and loving, kind and compassionate to us, but at the same time He is also a just and holy God, in Whose Presence, no sin and wickedness can exist and remain. He wants us all to be forgiven from our many sins, and showing us all that His love is greater than whatever this world can grant to us. He gave us all His Beloved Son, revealing to us the fullness of His love personified and made manifest, approachable and tangible for us. That is why as we heard in our Gospel passage today, the Lord showed His care and love for the people who had come to Him in their many thousands upon thousands, as all of them came together and were miraculously fed with the five loaves and two fishes that the Lord had multiplied and gave to all of them to eat, to be satisfied and filled, just as He fed them spiritually with His words and teachings.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we are all reminded of is the need for us all to reorientate our lives back towards the Lord, to follow Him wholeheartedly once again and to reject all sorts of evil and sins. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed by the path of sin and wickedness, and we must not let the wickedness of this world to lead us astray in our path. Instead, we must allow God to come into our lives and to lead us to the path of righteousness and justice. Each and every one of us are therefore called and reminded to return to the Lord our most loving God, and to be truly faithful to Him in all things, to grow ever stronger in our love and dedication for Him. It is by doing all these that we can become true and genuine Christians, filled with God’s ever generous and wonderful love and grace, in everything that we say and do, in every moments of our lives.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, also known as Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four Papal Major Basilicas and it is the most important Marian church in the world. On this day, we remember the memory of the establishment of this great House of God, dedicated to His Blessed Mother by the original title of Our Lady of the Snows. According to the traditions of the Church, during the time when the Church and the faithful had just recently been emancipated from the relentless persecutions of the Roman state, about seventeen centuries ago, a Roman patrician or nobleman and his wife, both of whom were Christians, and who had no heirs, prayed to the Lord and made a vow to dedicate their possessions to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. They asked the Lord to show them how they could properly dedicate their possessions, and the Lord answered with a great miracle.

On the fifth day of August, which henceforth became as is today, the day of the commemoration of this event, a miracle of snow happened, falling during the height of summer in the often hot Roman summer. The very site where the snow had fallen marked where the faithful couple dedicated their possessions to God, establishing the Basilica dedicated to the Mother of God herself, which would therefore become the Basilica of St. Mary Major. In this great House of God, through His mother, Mary, Holy Mother of God and all of us, many people had come seeking God, His love and forgiveness, one of which ways was through the popular Marian icon, Salus Populi Romani, which had protected the city and the people of Rome in many occasions, and inspired more Marian devotions elsewhere in the world, bringing even more people ever closer towards God through His loving Mother.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us as Christians have also been called to be the faithful bearers of our Christian faith and truth, and to lead others towards the Lord and His salvation. As we have heard from our Scripture passages today and discussed with this great event of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, let us all therefore first remind ourselves of God’s great love, and consider just how fortunate we are to have been loved in such a manner by the Lord. And then, let us all continue to propagate and showcase this great love of God in our world today, by living our own lives worthily in the path that God has shown and taught us. May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, our every efforts, that we may continue to glorify Him at each and every moments of our lives. Amen.

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Monday, 5 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Matthew 14 : 13-21

At that time, when Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, He set out by boat for a secluded place, to be alone. But the people heard of it, and they followed Him on foot from their towns. When Jesus went ashore, He saw the crowd gathered there, and He had compassion on them. And He healed their sick.

Late in the afternoon, His disciples came to Him and said, “We are in a lonely place and it is now late. You should send these people away, so that they can go to the villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” But Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.” Jesus said to them, “Bring them here to Me.”

Then He made everyone sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fishes, raised His eyes to heaven, pronounced the blessing, broke the loaves, and handed them to the disciples to distribute to the people. And they all ate, and everyone had enough; then the disciples gathered up the leftovers, filling twelve baskets. About five thousand men had eaten there, besides women and children.

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Monday, 5 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Psalm 118 : 29, 43, 79, 80, 95, 102

Keep me away from deceitful paths; be gracious and teach me Your Law.

Take not the word of truth from my mouth, for I would also lose my hope in Your word.

Let those who fear You, turn to me; they will understand Your statutes.

May my heart be blameless in Your decrees, that I may not be ashamed.

The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I look to Your word for salvation.

I have not departed from Your decrees, for You, Yourself, have instructed me.

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Judith 13 : 18bcde, 19

My daughter, may the Most High God bless you more than all women on earth. And blessed be the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, Who has led you to behead the leader of our enemies.

Never will people forget the confidence you have shown; they will always remember the power of God.

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Monday, 5 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Jeremiah 28 : 1-17

Early in the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah spoke to me.

Hananiah son of Azzur from Gibeon proclaimed in YHVH’s house in the presence of the priests and the people, “This is what YHVH the God of Hosts and the God of Israel says : I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the objects that king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took away from YHVH’s house and carried to Babylon.”

“I will likewise bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all who were taken from Judah and deported to Babylon. For I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon – word of YHVH.”

Then Jeremiah replied to Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people, “So be it! May YHVH fulfil the words you have spoken and bring back from Babylon to this place the objects taken from the house of YHVH and all the exiles. Yet hear now what I say in your hearing and the hearing of all the people.”

“The prophets who came before you and me continually prophesied war, disaster and plague to many nations and great kingdoms. So the prophet who prophesies peace will not be recognised as truly sent by YHVH, until his predictions are fulfilled.”

Then Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah and broke it. Hananiah proclaimed in the presence of all the people, “YHVH says this : In the same manner, within two years, will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar from the neck of all the nations.” Then Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.

Some time later, a word of YHVH came to Jeremiah, “Go and tell this to Hananiah : This is what YHVH says : You have broken a wooden yoke but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. For this is what YHVH the God of Hosts and the God of Israel says : I am placing a yoke of iron on the neck of all the nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.”

Then Jeremiah said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, you have not been sent by YHVH and yet you have deceived these people, giving them false hope with your lies. That is why YHVH says with regard to you : I am removing you from the face of the earth. You will die this very year because you have counselled rebellion against YHVH.”

And in the seventh month of that year Hananiah died.

Alternative reading (Mass for Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major)

Revelations 21 : 1-5a

Then, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and no longer was there any sea. I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God, out of heaven, adorned as a bride prepared for her husband.

A loud voice came from the throne, “Here is the dwelling of God among mortals : He will pitch His tent among them, and they will be His people; He will be God-with-them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was, has passed away.”

The One seated on the throne said, “See, I make all things new.”

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Monday, 29 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the friends and close companions of the Lord, the siblings, St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, who were mentioned quite a number of times throughout the Gospels as the ones who have closely accompanied the Lord in His journeys and ministry. They were the people trusted and close to the Lord, and we honour their memory today to remind ourselves of how each and every one of us ought to live as God’s beloved disciples and followers, all those whom He had called and chosen from this world. All of us should be inspired by the great examples set by these holy people, and reflect upon what we have just heard from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures so that our lives may come ever closer to be truly worthy of God.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the first Epistle of St. John in which the Apostle elaborated about the most generous and wonderful love which God has shown to all of us through the giving of His Son, manifested in this world, as the perfect revelation of God’s great love in the flesh. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of God manifested in the flesh, God has shown us all His most perfect and generous love that He has always given to us in each and every moments, and through His Son, He made us all to be able to experience the tangible reality of His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy. And God has loved us all despite us having disobeyed and rejected Him, betrayed and sinned against Him, from the very beginning up to now.

Therefore we must not take God’s love for us for granted, and we must realise just how blessed and fortunate all of us are because we have been loved in such a manner by God. God’s love has been offered to us and has endured all these while, and He has never given up on us despite us having repeatedly failed Him and rebelled against Him. Nonetheless, disobedience and sin against God are things that are truly serious and we must not take for granted the love, compassion and kindness which He has shown to each and every one of us. And at the same time, St. John also exhorted and reminded all of us that we should practice and embody the same love in our every actions in life, so that we are truly a people filled with the richness of God’s love and grace in every occasions.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard either the account from the Gospel of St. John regarding the Resurrection of Lazarus, the same St. Lazarus whom we are commemorating today, or the account from the Gospel of St. Luke in which we heard about the moment when the Lord Jesus came to the house of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, and we are presented with how St. Martha and St. Mary welcomed and embraced the Lord coming into their midst. Through either one of these Gospel passages, we gain more insight into what the Lord wants us all to know and remember about Him and following Him in our own respective lives, on how we all should dedicate and commit ourselves as faithful Christians in this world today.

In the first Gospel passage today, we heard about how the Lord came to the place where St. Lazarus, a dear friend of His had been buried. Earlier on, St. Lazarus had been very sick and the Lord and His disciples made the journey to Judah to the place where he and his sisters lived in, as the sisters asked the Lord for help, hoping that He could heal their brother and restore him back to good health. The Lord delayed for a while before coming down, which resulted in St. Lazarus having died before the Lord reached his place. It was at the place he was buried that the Lord went to reassure his sisters, telling them that they must not lose faith in Him and the Resurrection, because He is truly the Lord and Master of life and death, and all of us shall share in His new life if we hold strongly and faithfully to our faith in Him.

That was why the Lord raised up St. Lazarus from the dead, as how everything had been meant to be by the will of God. Through what He had done, God showed us all just how He has the power over all things, that He is in charge and He rules over every part of Creation, and we must always have this firm faith and trust in Him, not allowing ourselves to be easily swayed by those who seek to mislead and drag us down the path of destruction and downfall. We should continue to entrust ourselves in the Light of the Lord’s Resurrection and glory, reminding us all to be the bearers of God’s light, truth and hope in our world today, darkened by evil and sin.

And then, in the other Gospel passage we heard of the time when the Lord Jesus came to the house of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus where we heard how the sisters welcomed Him and brought Him into their house with two different approaches. St. Martha was very busy with all of her work in the kitchen and elsewhere, preparing everything to welcome the Lord into her house with great celebration, while St. Mary her sister was by the side of the Lord, listening closely to Him teaching to her, paying close attention to His words. And we heard how St. Martha was not happy that her sister did not help her at all, but the Lord lightly rebuked her saying that although her intentions might be good, but St. Martha in her preoccupation in trying to prepare everything for the Lord distracted her and prevented her from seeing the true blessing present before her, that is the Lord being present in her midst.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us are reminded this day through the Lord and His interactions with His dear and close friends, St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus that each and every one of us as Christians have been called to realise just how beloved we have been by God, how fortunate all of us truly are that God had been willing to reach out to us and to heal us from our sins. And we must remember that we must not take this love for granted, and appreciate His Presence in our lives, just as St. Mary put her focus and attention on Him. We should reflect upon our lives and our path, so that we may truly be faithful and worthy disciples of the Lord, in our great and ever present love for Him, our commitment to His path and our love and compassion for one another.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father, our loving Creator and Master, continue to be with us all and may He empower each and every one of us so that we may truly love Him wholeheartedly and ever more courageously, focusing our attention and whole lives on Him, and no longer on the many temptations and wickedness of this world. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, so that inspired by the examples and lives of His saints, especially the glorious St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus, holy men and women of God, we may continue to walk ever more righteously in God’s path, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 29 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martha, St. Mary and St. Lazarus (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 11 : 19-27

At that time, many Jews had come to Martha and Mary, after the death of their brother, to comfort them. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “If You had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.” Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know that He will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.” But Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Martha then answered, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, He Who is coming into the world.”

Alternative reading

Luke 10 : 38-42

At that time, as Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He entered a village, and a woman called Martha welcomed Him to her house. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet to listen to His words. Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving, and finally she said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me!”

But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”