Monday

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us are called to be truly and genuinely faithful to the Lord in all things, in embracing the fullness of God’s wisdom and guidance, through the Holy Spirit that He has sent upon us. And through this Wisdom we have received important guidance and strength to carry out our activities and our works with faith, to do what God has called us to do and to fulfil everything that He has entrusted to us, to lead others towards Himself through our good examples and by being inspiration for everyone around us.

In our first reading today as mentioned, we heard from the Book of Wisdom how God’s Wisdom has come to dwell in us through His Spirit, and how this Wisdom has guided us through this journey in life, showing us the path going forward and how we ought to navigate the various twists and challenges in life. If we allow God to show us the path going forward, then surely we will be able to find the right path through the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the Wisdom which He has imparted to us through the same Spirit which inspires us and moves us gently along in life towards what God wants us to be, and where He wants us to contribute as members of His Church.

We are reminded that as Christians we should not easily allow ourselves to be swayed and misled by the temptations, pressures and the coercions of worldly desires and ambitions, attachments and all the other negative things surrounding us. We must not let ourselves be led by the currents of this world, but instead through our firm faith in God, we ought to have that very strong anchor in faith, in doing whatever is needed to resist the many temptations and pressures from all around us to conform to the ways and manners of this world. But we really need to put our full faith in the Lord, in trusting His Wisdom and guidance at all times and circumstances.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples about the dangers of those who have not truly been faithful and had been hypocritical in their faith, all those who have caused scandal for the Lord and the faithful by their actions and way of life, which is wicked and unworthy, which lead to others falling into sin as well. God does not look kindly upon those who have lived their lives in such a manner and hence, He reminded His disciples that they all ought to live their lives with genuine faith and dedication, committing themselves and each moments of their lives with true sincerity in their faith in the Lord at all times.

It is an important reminder to all of us as Christians that we should not take lightly our responsibility to live our lives in each and every moments ever more courageously and with great dedication as genuine Christians. We should continue to live wholeheartedly at all times and in all circumstances showing what our faith truly is all about, and how we can be better Christians, better disciples and followers of the Lord, by showing this faith through real and concrete actions in our daily lives. We should not be ignorant of those whom God had placed in our lives and in our paths for us to care for, especially more so those who are precious and dear to us, as they are indeed our responsibilities as good and faithful Christians, to love as God has loved us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Leo the Great, one of the great leaders of the Church and a renowned Pope, whose contributions and deeds were so great that he was indeed one of the very few Popes known with the epithet, ‘the Great’. Pope St. Leo the Great was one of the longest reigning Popes in the Church, reigning over the whole Church over a period of over two decades, during an important and tumultuous time both for Christendom and in the secular world. His efforts, works and deeds had inspired many and helped many people to remain firmly faithful to the Lord despite the many trials and challenges facing them at that time. Pope St. Leo the Great helped to lead the Church through those difficult times, and his leadership, actions and numerous writings, which made him to be honoured as a Doctor of the Church, should inspire us all to be ever more faithful to God as well.

Pope St. Leo the Great led the Church through a divisive time in Christendom, as there were numerous heresies and disagreements which had not been completely resolved and settled by the preceding Ecumenical Councils, such as the ones at Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus. Pope St. Leo the Great wrote extensively and sent his ambassadors and legates to the Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon in the Year of Our Lord 450, ten years into the reign of Pope St. Leo the Great, condemning the heresies of monophysitism that were rampant in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Then, in the secular side, Pope St. Leo the Great was also well-renowned for having led the Church and the city of Rome through two difficult time periods, first was when the King of the Huns, Attila, came to the city, and the Pope came to see him personally, and managed to make the Hunnic king to turn away back to his lands, sparing Rome from destruction. He was less successful with the Vandals that came few years afterwards and sacked Rome, but he managed to reduce the extent of the destructions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the life and contributions of Pope St. Leo the Great, as well as from the words of the Sacred Scriptures earlier, we are reminded that we are called to be genuine, faithful and loving Christians at all times and circumstances. We should not be merely outwardly faithful or pious but lacking in genuine and deep understanding of the faith or genuine love for God. Let us all continue to walk in faith at all times, inspiring one another to become ever better disciples and followers of the Lord by doing our best to do so in our own lives. May God bless us always in all of our endeavours and good works. Amen.

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.”

“Listen carefully : if your brother offends you, tell him, and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in one day, but seven times he says to you, ‘I am sorry,’ forgive him.”

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it will obey you.”

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is formed in my mouth, You know what it is all about, o YHVH. From front to back You hedge me round, shielding me with Your protecting hand. Your knowledge leaves me astounded, it is too high for me to reach.

Where else could I go from Your Spirit? Where could I flee from Your presence? You are there, if I ascend the heavens; You are there, if I descend to the depths.

If I ride on the wings of the dawn, and settle on the far side of the sea, even there, Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand shall hold me safely.

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Monday, 10 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Wisdom 1 : 1-7

Love justice, you who rule over the world! Think rightly of God, seek Him with simplicity of heart, for He reveals Himself to those who do not challenge Him and is found by those who do not distrust Him. Crooked thinking distances you from God; and His Omnipotence, put to the test, confounds the foolish.

Wisdom does not enter the wicked nor remain in a body that is enslaved to sin. The Holy Spirit Who instructs us shuns deceit; it keeps aloof from foolishness and is ill at ease when injustice is done. Wisdom is a spirit, a friend to man, and will not leave the blasphemous unpunished, because God knows his innermost feelings, truly sees his thoughts and hears what he says.

For God’s Spirit has filled the whole world; and He Who holds together all things, knows each word that is spoken.

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are reminded today by what we heard in our Scripture readings today, of the need for all of us to follow the Lord faithfully in all the things that we do, in doing His will and in obeying His Law and commandments. All of us as Christians, as the holy and beloved people of God are reminded that we should always follow Him and put Him at the centre and as the focus of all of our whole lives. We are reminded that we have to be sincere in our actions and way of living our faith in our respective lives so that we do not end up being hypocrites or self-serving in our faith and actions. It is easy for all of us as Christians to fall into this temptation of worldly desires and ambitions, putting our own wants and desires above what the Lord truly wants us to do in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of the mercy which God has shown to everyone, both to the Jewish people, the descendants of the Israelites, and also to the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, like the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians and many other people, all the children of mankind. Each and every one of them have been shown the mercy of God as we all have been, by the power and grace of God, so that we might see the salvation of God and His ever enduring love and patience for each and every one of us. None of us have deserved this love and compassion, this mercy and forgiveness, and yet, God has shown them to all of us nonetheless by His great care for all of us.

This is an important reminder to all of us that we are all called to be thankful and appreciative of everything that God had done for us out of love, that we, humble and sinful creatures of His may be the recipient of His most generous love, compassion and mercy, all of which had made it available for all of us to return to Him and to be fully reconciled to Him. We have deserved death and destruction, but God not only continued to love us and not desiring our damnation and destruction, but He even also crafted and prepared for us the ultimate and best gift in His own Beloved and only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Whom had been sent into our midst to bring us all into eternal life and assurance of salvation in God.

Then from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples to show true Christian charity, love and generosity in all of their actions by using the metaphor of inviting people to lunch, dinner or any other celebrations, that they should not be inviting only those whom they know or those like their families who appreciate what they have given and who often would give back in return for everything or most of the things done to them. Instead, they should be inviting those who were unable to return what they had invested or prepared so that they would truly be known by their generosity in giving and not because they seek to be recompensed or gain returns from what they have given.

In saying this, the Lord Himself referred to what He Himself had done in continuing to love us generously despite us having always been stubborn in hardening ourselves against His patient love and care. He still cared for us nonetheless and He continued to reach out to us, showing us all consistent effort and care even when we have always disappointed Him through our attitudes and disobedience. Hence, all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we are always reminded that we are called to love everyone around us in the manner of how the Lord Himself has always loved us, ever so patiently and wonderfully despite all the tough attitudes that we have shown Him, all these while.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martin de Porres, a great and virtuous man of God, a holy servant and follower of Christ, who had dedicated himself and his life to the Lord, though his works, his commitments and actions. He is a humble and simple man, and yet, in his simplicity and great faith, he has shown us all how to truly be good and faithful disciples of the Lord, in doing our best to follow the Lord’s commandments, in obeying His will and doing His Law. St. Martin de Porres has shown his love both to the Lord and towards his fellow brothers and sisters, and hence, he has been doing what the Lord had commanded and told us all to do, and his virtues become for us a shining beacon of his faith, righteousness and justice amidst the darkness of this world and all the temptations and corruptions of sin.

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, in what is now Peru, and then part of the Spanish dominions in the New World, the Americas. He was born of a mixed ancestry, of Spanish and natives, being an illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave of mixed African and native descent. He grew up in poverty, like many others like him at that time, and eventually, he wanted to join the Dominicans, only to be stopped by the law of the time which forbid those who has similar background as him from joining as full members of the Dominican Order. Instead, he became a third order member of the Dominicans, and he performed various works and actions in supporting the Dominicans and also in other charitable actions, particularly towards the poor, whose sufferings he understood very well, having been born, lived and dwelled in poverty and amongst the poor.

St. Martin de Porres was renowned for his great piety and faith, and for his loving outreach to the poor all around the community he was living and ministering in, faithfully doing whatever the Lord had commanded and told him to do through his part in the Dominican Order as a religious brother. He devoted much of his time before the Blessed Sacrament, in which he had a great devotion and also among the poor as mentioned. He did not even hesitate to help those who were sick and suffering, and showed everyone around him the true compassionate and loving face of God, shown clearly through his exemplary virtues and compassion. He obeyed the Lord perfectly and continued to do what he could to serve God till his death. He continued to inspire countless others even long after his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier from the Sacred Scriptures and as we heard from the life, dedication and humility of St. Martin de Porres, let us all therefore strive to do our best to love the Lord our God first and foremost, and then to love our fellow brothers and sisters around us, as best as we are able to. Let us all be good examples of our faith and live our lives ever more wholeheartedly and faithfully at all times, doing whatever we can so that we may lead many others on the way towards God and His salvation. May God bless us always, in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Luke 14 : 12-14

At that time, Jesus also addressed the man who had invited Him, and said, “When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives, or your wealthy neighbours. For surely they will also invite you in return, and you will be repaid.”

“When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the upright.”

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Psalm 68 : 30-31, 33-34, 36-37

But I myself, am humbled and wounded; Your salvation, o God, will lift me up. I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving.

Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity.

For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. His people shall dwell in the land and possess it. The children of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His Name will dwell in it.

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Monday, 3 November 2025 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin de Porres, Religious (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Romans 11 : 29-36

Because the call of God, and His gifts, cannot be nullified. Through the disobedience of the Jews, the mercy of God came to you who did not obey God. They, in turn, will receive mercy, in due time, after this disobedience, that brought God’s mercy to you. So, God has submitted all to disobedience, in order to show His mercy to all.

How deep are the riches, the wisdom and knowledge of God! His decisions cannot be explained, nor His ways understood! Who has ever known God’s thoughts? Who has ever been His adviser? Who has given Him something first, so that God had to repay him? For everything comes from Him, has been made by Him and has to return to Him. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

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Monday, 27 October 2025 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are being reminded yet again that as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord our God had called and chosen to be His own people, we are all reminded that we should always strive to live our lives faithfully in the manner that is truly worthy of God, and also by understanding and appreciating wholly what the Lord Himself had taught us to do, in how we ought to live our lives as Christians in this world, amidst our communities and among all the people whom we encounter in our daily lives, all those whom the Lord had put in our path and entrusted to our care as well. As Christians, we are always challenged to be the bearers of God’s truth, love and hope in everything that we say and do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Rome, we heard of the continuation of the Apostle’s exhortation to the faithful there as we have heard in the past week, of how each and every one of them ought to leave behind the path of worldliness and sin, the paths which they had used to walk when they were still living in the ignorance of God’s truth and ways. Since they have then received the truth and Good News of God through the hands of the Apostles and missionaries of the faith, therefore, they ought to seek what the Lord has shown them, to be truly faithful to Him in all things. At that time, the faithful were surrounded by the many hedonistic, materialistic and pagan practices of those they lived amidst.

And it was likely at times difficult for the people of God, the Christian converts to live up to their faith amidst such a hostile environment, where persecutions were rampant and common, and where there were a lot of pressure for those converts to the Christian faith to conform to the pagan practices and customs of the state. St. Paul therefore reassured the faithful that they should continue to persevere in their way of following the Lord, in their righteousness and virtues amidst the wicked and darkened world, because ultimately, they do not belong to the world and to those vices but to God, the One Who has led them out of the darkness and into the light, and as His children, each and every one of them therefore should live their lives worthily according to the path that their Father has taught them.

And as St. Paul said, this means that they ought to abandon their path full of vices of the world, of greed, ego, pride, prejudice, lust and others, all the things that can lead them all astray and away from the Lord and His salvation. Since they have all become the members of the Body of Christ, the Church of God, therefore, they should be good role models and examples for everyone in their midst, including to those who have not yet believed in God. For all those things they had suffered and their path was not an easy and smooth one, but many of the faithful kept on going nonetheless, doing their best to glorify God by their lives. They became inspiration for so many people, for many of the faithful even long after their passing.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the account of the time when the Lord Jesus healed a woman who came to Him and had been suffering from difficult predicament of being crippled for a long time. And the Lord healed her miraculously by His power and authority, making her whole and healthy once again. This happened on the Day of the Sabbath, the day which according to the Law of God revealed through Moses, the Israelites were not allowed to carry out any work or activities, which therefore made it according to the Pharisees who were there, that the Lord Himself had committed a grievous sin because of the apparently blatant disregard against the Law of God. And yet, the Lord immediately rebuked the Pharisees and their narrow understanding and appreciation of the Law.

The Pharisees at that time were very strict and rigid in their way of practicing the Law, enforcing excessive emphasis on the details and rituals involved in the Law, but failing to appreciate the true intention and purpose of the Law in their very strict and rigid understanding of those rules and laws, which was why God gave the Law to His people in the first place. The Lord intended for His Law and commandments to help guide His people towards Him, by teaching them all on how to love Him and to focus their lives and attention on Him even as they carried out their daily activities and works, that they do not end up forgetting their obligations and the need for them to follow what He has taught and shown them to do as His people.

That was the original intention of the Sabbath day, to remind all of the people that their lives should not only revolve around all of their labours and works, but also to centre their lives and existence around God, and to glorify Him and to give thanks to Him for everything that they had done. While the people should indeed also carry out their works for their own needs, desires and wants, but they must not be so engulfed and preoccupied by them that they completely forgot their obligations and the need for them to serve the Lord and to do His will, in loving Him and also in loving their fellow brothers and sisters around them, all the fellow children and people of God. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we recalled what we have discussed in the Scripture readings today and as we have discerned and reflected, we are all reminded that we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations and the desires for worldly glory, all of which had misled and misguided many of our predecessors down the wrong paths in life. That is why we should always remember that God should always take the central place in our lives while at the same time we must also still continue to carry out our obligations and works in this world in a good and balanced manner. Let us all be good role examples and models for one another in how we are genuinely faithful in all things, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 27 October 2025 : 30th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 13 : 10-17

At that time, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, and a crippled woman was there. An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years, so that she could not straighten up at all. On seeing her, Jesus called her and said, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” Then He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight and praised God.

But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant, because Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath day, and he said to the people, “There are six days in which to work. Come on those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath!”

But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Everyone of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath, and leads it out of the barn to give it water. And here you have a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?”

When Jesus said this, all His opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the many wonderful things that happened because of Him.