priestly homily

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Saturday, 24 January 2026 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (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 heard of the virtues and faith which we ought to have in the Lord as His followers and disciples, following the examples of our predecessors, like that of the great King David of Israel, who was truly a devoted servant of God in all things, in all of his attitudes and actions, and then none other than the Lord Jesus Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, Who has shown us all how we truly should live our lives as Christians, in spending the time and effort to carry out all that the Lord has entrusted to us to do. Each and every one of us should always be inspired to live with great courage and commitment to the path that God has led us into.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story of the moment when the account of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan, with many other Israelites at the Battle of Mount Gilboa was told to David. For the context, David was the one whom God had chosen to succeed Saul as the next King and ruler over His people, the Israelites. Saul had disobeyed the Lord and acted without virtue in some of his actions and choices, and hence, God withdrew His approval and favour from him and his house, and chose David to be the one to lead the Israelites instead. This led to plenty of frictions and sorrow that happened between David and Saul, as the latter even tried to kill and destroy David, trying to have him killed in several occasions despite the advice and pleading from Jonathan, Saul’s son, whom David had close partnership and Covenant with.

Eventually, if we heard what Saul and David went through in these past few days of Scripture readings, we will know that although David had been grievously wronged and had his life made very difficult by Saul in several occasions, but David did not hold any grudge against Saul and forgave him. And in yesterday’s reading, when the perfect opportunity was presented to David to end Saul’s life, he did not take it and he refused to be tempted to do such a vile action even when his closest confidants and followers begged and pressured him to do so. David was truly a righteous man and while he was himself also with his own flaws, he was a man whose heart was after God’s own Heart. He truly grieved for Saul and Jonathan when he heard of their deaths at the battle against the Philistines. And all these are reminders for all of us to follow his good examples in his virtuous life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord was carrying out His works and ministry among the people of God, something that took much of His time, and we then heard of how His own relatives came to Him and took care of Him, because the ministry took so much of the time of the Lord and His disciples that they could not even have a proper meal or time to eat. Therefore, the relatives of the Lord, probably His cousins and others, some of them likely followed Him throughout His ministry and works, were likely unhappy because of the extensive commitments that this Jesus had committed Himself into, and therefore took Him out from the crowd.

 

In this very short reading passage of the Gospel, there is not really much that we can talk about, but if we are to understand better the context and the intention of the author of the Gospel in writing this, we are all reminded that ultimately, what the Lord has called us to do in our lives may not necessarily be something that is popular or easily acceptable by others, even by those who are closest to us. And yet, this does not mean that we should become afraid or uncertain in doing what the Lord has called us to do. We should continue to do as the Lord has shown us, but at the same time in a measured and careful way that we still do God’s works faithfully but not in the manner that caused inconvenience to others around us. We should do our best to love God wholeheartedly and love our brethren around us in the same way as well, just as the Lord has commanded us to do.

Today, all of us should follow the examples of one great saint whose faith and dedication to the Lord can become a great source of inspiration for us to be more faithful ourselves in living our lives as Christians. St. Francis de Sales was the famous inspiration behind the later foundation of the Salesian order, and he was also a pious and devoted man of God, as a bishop and shepherd to his flock. He was always referring to God as ‘God is Love’ and was convinced that God’s Love for us was so great, which drove him to continue carrying out more missions and works for the sake of the people of God. He became a priest and missionary in opposition to his family’s insistence that he took up secular role, having been born into privileged, rich and powerful family at that time. He chose to serve the Lord rather than indulging in his or his family’s own desires.

St. Francis de Sales dedicated himself to his mission, ministering even to the hard-heartened and stubborn heretics who initially refused to listen to him and even accused him to be a sorcerer. When he was appointed as bishop, he continued to serve the people entrusted to his care with great humility, devotion and love both for the Lord and for the people. He preached with great zeal and sincerity, and with great love and compassion, which touched quite a lot among the people, who were either led closer to conversion and reconciliation with God, or drawn away from heretical teachings or being strengthened and affirmed in their faith thanks to the hard work and dedication of St. Francis de Sales. The commitment and love which St. Francis de Sales had for the Lord is something that should inspire us all to do the same as well in our own lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and works of St. Francis de Sales, let us all therefore continue to strive to live our lives well and worthily, in the manner that the Lord has prescribed for us, in everything that He Himself has shown and taught us, and everything that He has revealed to us through the Holy Spirit and the Wisdom that He has imparted upon us and His Church. Each and every one of us have been called to be good examples and role models in faith to everyone we encounter in our lives. May the Lord be with us all and may He empower us to live our lives ever more faithfully in each and every moments so that we may lead more and more people towards Him. Amen.

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Friday, 23 January 2026 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (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 reminded that each and every one of us have been called to be faithful disciples and followers of the Lord, to do everything that we can in our daily lives and action so that by our lives, our every words, actions and deeds, we may truly be great role models and good examples in leading others ever closer towards God. We should not think that our actions and works are insignificant, and we should realise that each one of them, even the smallest and seemingly least significant among them can bring about great wonders and things beyond our imagination and understanding. God truly works in mysterious ways through us all.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which we heard of the moment from the time when King Saul of Israel, Israel’s first king was on a rampage chasing and pursuing after David and his followers, trying to get to him and destroy him. For the context, David was the one chosen by God to be the new King of Israel succeeding Saul because the latter had disobeyed God and refused to follow His instructions, on top of his other actions afterwards which made him further more unsuitable to be King and ruler over God’s people, as exemplified by his attempts and plots against David’s life. David, who was once in the employ of Saul, had to flee from the latter and sought refuge in the wilderness with others who supported him.

And it was at this moment highlighted in today’s passage from the Book of the prophet Samuel that showed the great qualities which David had, and which indeed made him truly worthy as the new King and ruler over Israel. Unlike Saul who was proud, arrogant and jealous of David’s achievements, David was humble and faithful, and he still obeyed Saul and treated him respectfully as his king and former master, even after this same king had desired nothing but his destruction and harm. As we heard, David was presented with the perfect opportunity to strike at Saul and destroy him in turn, once and for all, and that probably would have made it so much easier for him to claim the kingship, but David refused to be tempted with such a prospect, even when his closest followers begged him to do so.

He kept on refusing to take advantage of the vulnerable position of King Saul at that cave, something that was evidently put by the Lord to test David’s character and resolve. And David passed that test well, as he did not harm the king at all, and forgave the king for having done all the nasty things and plots against him, in all the sufferings he had faced from Saul. He did not keep grudge and neither did he allow himself to be tempted and swayed by quick resolution and revenge. And we heard the beautiful reconciliation between David and Saul, and how Saul realised his mistakes and folly in trying to kill David, and how he finally accepted that God’s choice in David as the new king to succeed him had been the right one.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the time and moment when the Lord Jesus called His disciples and followers from among the people, choosing the closest collaborators from among them, numbering Twelve all in all, certainly to match the twelve tribes of Israel, the people of God. These people were called from various origins, backgrounds and places, to follow Him and to carry out His works and to help and assist Him in His ministry in this world. Why is that so? That is because while Jesus is truly the Son of God, but He has chosen to take up the path of Man, embracing our humanity and born as the Son of Man, and He still needed the help and collaboration of His disciples and followers in accomplishing the works entrusted to Him by His heavenly Father.

That was why the Lord called His disciples and followers from among the people, reminding each and every one of us that we are all part of the same Body, the Church of God, the Body of Christ Himself that has been broken and shared amongst us, as one Holy Communion of everyone who believe in God and in His truth and Good News. It is also a reminder that the works and missions of the Church are not to be done by the Lord alone, but with our collaboration and active participation, in whatever it is that God has called us all to do in our respective lives. Each one of us have been given unique part of this journey and mission as Christian believers, that is to do what God has entrusted to us to do, in proclaiming His truth and Good News to more and more people.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore realise that in each and every things that we do in our lives, we should strive to do what God has shown and taught us to do. Like King David in the ancient days, who had been humble, patient and forgiving, forgiving even those who have caused hurt and harm to him, we too should do the same in our own lives. As Christians we should always be full of love and forgiveness, be always ready and prepared to forgive those who have caused us harm and hurt, and by our good and loving examples towards God, first and foremost, and then towards our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow mankind. Through all these we can be the shining beacons of God’s light, truth and love in our world today.

May the Lord our most loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen and inspire us all in the resolve to live our lives to the fullest as His faithful and committed disciples. May He grant us the courage and strength to walk ever more courageously and virtuously in all circumstances, to be good and worthy disciples and missionaries, in everything that we do in our lives, following the great examples of our holy predecessors, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 22 January 2026 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all heard from our Scripture readings today, we are reminded of the danger of worldly temptations of pride, ego and ambition, as well as others, and how we should instead seek to put our trust and faith in the Lord at all times, and we should always focus our attention and lives on God, not on the ambitions we have, the greed and desires which caused us all to do things that are contrary to what God wants us to do in our lives. We should always live our lives with the courage and sincerity of faith, doing whatever we can to live virtuous lives that become great inspiration and hope for others around us, in helping more and more people to come to know the Lord and to desire to seek Him as well.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the tale of the story between King Saul and his future successor, David, from the Book of the prophet Samuel. In that story we heard how Saul become very jealous at the actions and exploits of David, who was then in the employ of Saul as his servant. David was guided by God and was blessed in his actions, winning many battles for the sake of Saul and the Israelites, and the people praised him even more wonderfully than they praised Saul. And therefore, Saul allowed his ego, pride and all the fear and jealousy to affect him, making him to fear that David would eventually take the kingdom away from him and his descendants. That was why Saul ended up plotting to end David and to destroy him.

This was then when we heard how one of the sons of Saul, possibly even his successor, Jonathan, who happened to be David’s best friend, and even partner according to the Biblical evidences, as both of them were mentioned to have made a Covenant with each other, tried to protect David from harm and the plots of his father, knowing that Saul was trying to kill David. Jonathan pleaded with his father Saul and begged him to reconsider his choice of actions, and saying to Saul that he should not contemplate such vile actions because after all, everything that David had done, were in truth done not for his own selfish glory and ambitions, but for the greatness of Saul and in faithful service to his king, Saul himself. Jonathan managed to get Saul to reconsider and to step away from the fears and jealousy that had clouded his judgment.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, where another account of great success had been told to us, and in this case was how many people flocked to the Lord Jesus and His disciples as they sought Him for His miraculous works and healing, and many people also came to seek Him for His teachings and Wisdom, and His popularity kept on growing, and we heard how the crowd grew to an extent such that they needed to put the Lord on a boat to prevent the crowd from crushing Him, a testament to how great a success the Lord’s works and how great His popularity had become. This can be made parallel to what we have heard in our first reading today regarding the successes of David and the praises he received.

And then we heard how the people praised the Lord and even evil spirits who obeyed Him and spoke out the truth, that He, Jesus, was indeed the Son of God, the Messiah or Saviour Who had been promised by God to His people. We heard then how the Lord expressly forbid them from speaking any further, and also in other occasions where there were those that the Lord healed whom He instructed not to speak about these before others. We must understand that if those people and those evil spirits were to speak out about everything that the Lord had done, that would have made Him even more popular, but at the same time, it might also lead to more difficulties and frictions, as the Pharisees and the Temple authorities had been always against the Lord and His works.

Therefore, this is where we are reminded yet again that like King Saul’s examples, and also that of the Pharisees and the Temple authorities, how we should not allow our pride, ego and insecurities, our jealousies and desires to become a barrier preventing us from recognising God at work and being present in our midst. All those things can lead us to do things that are contrary to God’s will, to His commandments and Law just as what King Saul had plotted against David and all the plots and complaints that the Pharisees always threw at the Lord. All these are examples of how our ambitions and human ego, pride and desires can lead us astray and prevent us from coming closer to His salvation and grace.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Vincent, Holy Martyr of the Church and Deacon, who was a truly great man of God and whose life and actions are great inspirations for all of us to follow at all times. St. Vincent was also known as St. Vincent of Saragossa or Zaragoza because he hailed from the region of Caesaraugusta, now known as Zaragoza in northeastern Spain today. He was an eloquent speaker, entrusted by the regional bishop to help him because of his impediments, in preaching to the people of God and others. When the local governor began launching an intense persecution against Christians in that area, arresting both the bishop, Valerius and St. Vincent, they were persecuted and tortured. St. Vincent refused to save his life by burning the Sacred Scriptures when such an offer was made to him.

And then, St. Vincent’s great faith and eloquence in proclaiming the truth of God angered the governor greatly, who ordered the former to be tortured with various sufferings, and eventually, in what he was well-known for, he was put on a grid-iron and tortured. Yet, St. Vincent remained firm in his faith and continued to proclaim the truth of God, even joking with his persecutors according to some tradition, when he said to them, asking them to turn him over because he was ‘done on that side’. St. Vincent eventually met his death in martyrdom, but his example of great courage and bravery, his exemplary and inspirational faith continue to become great inspiration for many Christians all throughout history.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just discussed and discerned from these passages from the Sacred Scriptures, doing our very best together with the examples and courage showed by St. Vincent the Deacon, that we may always be truly faithful to God in all things, and strive to put Him at the forefront of everything that we do in our lives. May our actions be ever consistent with our faith in God, and that we may ourselves be good inspirations and role models for everyone around us. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 21 January 2026 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we should place our trust in God and not in man, or in the means or ways of this world. If we trust more in our own strength and worldly support and comforts, then sooner or later we will be disappointed and falter because ultimately, no worldly means or support can last us forever, or be truly dependable like that of the Lord. It does not mean of course that if we trust in the Lord that we will not endure difficulties or challenges, but rather, with God by our side, we can be truly assured that He will never abandon us or leave us behind, no matter how hard or difficult the challenges may be like.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the account of the famous battle between David and Goliath, a story which I am sure many of us are very familiar with. In that occasion, Goliath, the great champion of the Philistines was mocking the Israelites and their God amidst the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, and Goliath was challenging the Israelites to send their champion against him, uttering many blasphemies and vile words especially against God. It was this action which led to David, who was then in the service and employ of King Saul, to be enraged and to want to rise arms against Goliath and challenge him to a duel. David went up against Goliath, not as a fully armoured soldier as the latter was, but with merely just a few stones and a sling.

David was given armour and all the other equipments by the king earlier on, but he chose to take them all off and trust wholeheartedly in the Lord instead, in the wisdom and strength, courage and power that He had given to him. And despite the even more intense taunts and mockery by Goliath, David did not flinch or lose faith, and he went up with great courage against Goliath, and just as we all well know, although he was very lightly armed, but the sling and the stone was accurate, and hit Goliath right in the head, despite all of his heavy armour, and he was defeated and killed. The triumph of David against Goliath is indeed not just merely the triumph of the underdog against someone significantly more powerful, but also as an important testimony of God’s providence and the importance of trusting in God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus healed a man who had paralysed hand on the Sabbath, only for Him to be severely criticised by the Pharisees who were there observing and following His works. Despite knowing the Law, the Scriptures and the Prophets, all that had been fulfilled in the actions and miracles that the Lord Jesus Himself performed, those Pharisees were so preoccupied by their very strict and rigid interpretation and understanding of the Law that they hardened their hearts and minds, and even though they had witnessed all those signs, miracles and wonders, all of which pointed out clearly that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Saviour that God had promised to send into their midst, they refused to believe.

Instead, they accused the Lord severely and harshly of blasphemy against God because He simply did not act and behave in the manner that they expected. They allowed their own ego, pride and arrogance to overcome their sense of faith and wisdom, trusting in their own human judgment, understanding and knowledge rather than trusting in God and His truth. That is why they kept on making it difficult for the Lord to carry out His mission, and the Lord in turn rebuked them all for their lack of understanding and appreciation of the meaning and purpose of the Law of God, which the Lord had given to His people not to make their lives difficult, but rather to show them all how they ought to love God and love their fellow men as they should in a world full of greed, selfishness and ego, and the Lord did exactly all of that.

All of us as Christians should devote our time and effort to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and commit ourselves thoroughly to His cause. We should dedicate ourselves to work for the glory of God and for the proclamation of His truth in our world, just as what the saints and martyrs had done. And today we can refer to the good examples set by St. Agnes, a great and renowned martyr of the Church, whose dedication to God and commitment to purity and righteousness can inspire us that we may live a better and more Christian lives in our existence in this world. St. Agnes, also known as St. Agnes of Rome was a young Roman noblewoman who lived and suffered, died during the terrible years of the Diocletianic Persecution, also known as the Great Persecution for its particularly intense episode of persecutions against Christians.

St. Agnes was a faithful young woman who had dedicated herself thoroughly to God, committing herself to a holy virginity and dedication to God. However, her great beauty attracted many suitors, who were enraged by her refusal to engage them. Hence, St. Agnes was arrested upon the reports from those men who sought after her, accusing her because of her Christian faith. The Roman prefect, named Sempronius, attempted to get her to be defiled in a brothel, but miraculously St. Agnes was protected by God, and everyone who attempted to defile and rape her were struck blind or were prevented from doing so. And when she was put on the stake to be burnt to death, again even the fires and the heat refused to harm her, and they parted from her. In the end, she was martyred by being stabbed and beheaded. Yet, her inspiration and faith in God lived on, and many were touched by her faith, courage and examples.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard and discussed from the Scriptures and from the life of St. Agnes, holy martyr of God, let us all therefore strive in our own respective lives to be truly committed to God, and to trust in Him amidst the trials and challenges that we may be facing in our own lives. Let us all not be discouraged by the opposition and the difficulties we may have to encounter in our paths, just like that of the Lord Himself and St. Agnes, but rather, we should always believe that with the Lord by our side, we can eventually overcome all those challenges and trials. And no matter what, we will be vindicated in the end, when we share the ultimate triumph with the Lord and eternity of true joy with Him. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 20 January 2026 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Fabian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Sebastian, Martyr, and Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that God sees beyond the externals and worldly categories, considerations and prejudices, and He sees what are within our hearts and minds, knowing everything that we are, even things that we ourselves may not be fully aware of. God does not think or consider things in the manner that we are familiar with in this world, and He does not become prejudiced against any of us by any means or any parameters. He has always loved us all equally and most generously, and He wants us all to realise that what He wants from us is our loveas well, and not merely blind obedience or empty gestures of piety.

In our first reading today, we heard from our first reading today, of the moment from the Book of the prophet Samuel detailing to us the moment when Samuel was sent by God to the household of Jesse in Bethlehem in Judah, where God had chosen from among his many sons, one who would be the new King of Israel succeeding Saul, who had failed and disobeyed Him, and hence unworthy to continue ruling over the Israelites, God’s people. We heard then how Samuel saw and encountered all the sons of Jesse, from the eldest to the youngest, and he initially thought the eldest and the best amongst them were the ones chosen by God, but God told Samuel that He did not judge and choose based on earthly criteria, but He saw the heart, and chose David, the youngest of all of the sons of Jesse.

David might indeed be the youngest among the sons of Jesse, and among them all, he most likely was the least physically imposing or adequate to become a great warrior and King to lead the people of God into battle against their enemies, and yet, why God chose David was not because of his physical prowess or greatness, but rather because in his heart, David loved the Lord greatly, sincerely and most wholeheartedly. Ever since his youth, David had always committed himself to God and did everything in his life in manner that was pleasing to the Lord, and he trusted wholly in God in all things. And it is for all these qualities that the Lord had chosen him to be the one to lead the people He had chosen to be His own.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Pharisees came up to the Lord and His disciples when they were all walking through the field on the day of the Sabbath, in which the latter were picking off the grains of the field, something that the Pharisees criticised harshly as it was against the manner in which the Sabbath Law was interpreted by those Pharisees. For the context, the Pharisees were very strict in their interpretation of the Law of God, and they were very much invested into the detailed application and enforcement of the Law, and with regards to the Sabbath Law, which prohibited any kind of work on the sacred day of the Sabbath, they were very rigid on this matter.

Yes, they were so rigid that they prohibited all kinds of works, even those that were necessary in the case of emergencies like that of the disciples who were very hungry after their constant travels and ministry among the people of God. And the Lord then also immediately rebuked those Pharisees for their lack of true appreciation of the Law, its meaning and purpose, which were not meant to punish the people of God for their wrongdoing or impose difficult expectations that make their lives challenging and impossible to be carried out with faith. God wanted instead to invite each and every one of us, His beloved ones, to come towards Him and to know His love, and all of His Law and commandments, including the Sabbath Law was meant to help them to focus their attention once again on Him, instead of being distracted by the many details on how those laws were to be implemented.

Today, we have two saints whose feast we are celebrating, whose lives can be great inspiration for us to follow. These two servants of God, Pope St. Fabian and St. Sebastian had endured great tribulations for their faith, and yet they remained faithful to the Lord, enduring those sufferings with great faith and commitment to the very end. Both of them had been facing great challenges from the official persecutions and the threats from the Roman state which were then very hostile against the Church and the Christian faith, and yet, these two great and holy men of God showed by their great faith and examples of courage and dedication to God, what it truly means to be faithful and committed to God even amidst heavy persecutions and troubles.

Pope St. Fabian was the leader of the Universal Church during the difficult years of persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperors and the state. He was chosen when according to tradition, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the shape of a dove, in the sight of the assembled faithful. He was credited with the evangelisation and the efforts to spread the Good News in Gaul, what is today part of France. This happened during a relative lull and relaxation in the harsh persecution of Christians. However, the rise of Emperor Decius to power ended the temporary halt to persecutions and this was accompanied with renewed attack against the Christian communities, in which many of the faithful were arrested and persecuted, and many among them suffered martyrdom for their faith. He ordered all the subjects of the Empire to offer incense to the images and figures of the Roman deities, the pagan gods and the idol of the Emperor, which were refused by the Christian communities as idolatrous.

That was how Pope St. Fabian became one of the first to suffer persecution and then martyrdom under the reign of the new Emperor, either through imprisonment or execution according to different Apostolic traditions. Pope St. Fabian remained faithful to his mission to the very end, giving himself wholly to the works entrusted to him by the Lord. And through his courageous defence of the faith and zeal of evangelisation, he inspired all of us on how to become good and faithful disciples and followers of the Lord. Although his papacy and period as leader of the faithful was relatively short, but this great man and servant of God has shown us all what it truly means to be committed to God even amidst many challenges of this world.

Meanwhile, St. Sebastian was a soldier who was a high ranking member of the Roman military and likely one of the elite members or even captain of the Praetorian Guards involved in protecting the Emperor. At that time, the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the other leaders of the Roman state ordered a particularly harsh and brutal persecution of Christians, as they forced the faithful to either obey the order of the Emperor to give offerings to the pagan idols and to abandon their faith or face certain suffering and death. At that time, many people had to face great tribulations and challenges especially as Christians, in hiding their faith especially those Christians who were employed in the armed forces like that of St. Sebastian himself.

St. Sebastian according to tradition was involved in the conversion of several prisoners, who became Christians and helped some others to be freed from persecution. Eventually he himself was discovered and when he was confronted to reveal the truth about his conversion, put under arrest and was tied to a tree, and archers were told to shoot their arrows at St. Sebastian. Miraculously, even as endured the torture and pain,St. Sebastian never flinched from his sufferings. He remained strong in faith and was eventually martyred later after he rebuked the Emperor and his actions. He is indeed a great example of courageous faith that we all should also have in our own lives as Christians, in each and every things that we do.

May the examples of Pope St. Fabian and St. Fabian be good inspiration for all of us so that we may also be courageous in standing up to our faith in every aspects of our lives, in being faithful bearers of the truth of God, His Good News and being the worthy witnesses of Our Lord’s Resurrection and salvation to everyone around us. May God be with us always, and may He continue to guide us through His providence and guidance, the love and compassion, the patience and generosity which He has shown us all these while. May God bless our every endeavours and efforts, all done for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 19 January 2026 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (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 all reminded that as the followers and disciples of the Lord, it is important for us to obey what the Lord has commanded us all to do, to live our lives in the manner that He has taught us to do. All of us are called to keep in mind the Law and commandments that He has given us, to love Him first and foremost, and then to love our fellow men and women in the same way, especially those who are truly precious and beloved to us. As Christians, it is important that we always walk the talk, that is we should always do as we have believed, act in the manner of our faith so that everyone who witnessed us and our actions will truly know that we belong to God and will come to know Him through us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the exchanges between Samuel and King Saul of Israel, the first King that God had chosen to rule over His people Israel were told to us. In that occasion, we should first understand the context that this happened after the great battle between Israel and their old enemy, the Amalekites. The Amalekites according to Biblical history and also other archaeological evidences, were likely tribe of slavers and raiders who often attacked the Israelites, preying on them and trying to abduct some of the people to be sold off as slaves. And therefore, the Amalekites and the Israelites were embroiled in long, bitter conflicts over many years and decades, ever since the latter were on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land.

Thus, when God told King Saul to lead the forces of the Israelite to smite and destroy Amalek once and for all, to annihilate their whole tribe without exception, even all their riches and spoils, as the prophet Samuel had instructed Saul to do, the latter should have obeyed and listened to God, and did as he was instructed. However, Saul chose to trust his own judgment and decided not to follow the Lord’s instructions, saving up and keeping the best of the spoils and not destroying them all. If we are to think of his intentions, it was likely that Saul was caught up in the desires for all those spoils, wealth and glory, and he thought that it was indeed wasteful that all those spoils and goods to be completely destroyed, and hence, he chose to keep them, with the likely desire to keep some of them for himself too.

And that was how then Samuel delivered God’s great displeasure and anger against Saul, in the words that he spoke in our first reading passage today, telling the king of Israel that he was truly unfit to remain as the king and ruler of the people of God. Essentially Saul has been tested by God and examined in how he behaved and acted as king, and his behaviour and choice of actions had been found wanting and lacking. He chose to follow the whim of his own desires and not trusting in the Lord, and if we are to compare his attitudes and behaviours to that of his future successor, David, as king of Israel, who was himself not perfect either, Saul was likely unrepentant unlike David, and he was defiant on top of being disobedient, and that was why God was displeased with him.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to those people who asked Him regarding the matter of how the disciples of St. John the Baptist and the Pharisees were fasting in the manner that they had always fasted, but the Lord’s disciples were not fasting in the same way. And this was when the Lord told them all that His way and teachings, they were all indeed new ways that were different from the habits and practices of those who had come before Him, those who followed the traditions, practices and customs of the Israelites as passed down from the time of Moses. The Lord showed them that He has revealed the new truth, the new path for the people to follow.

This must be understood in the context of how the Pharisees in particular practiced their fasting as referenced by the Lord in another occasion in the Gospels. The Pharisees liked to make a great spectacle out of their fasting and other acts of piety, in public and for everyone to see them. And this is what the Lord made an issue with in several occasions including this one. When the Lord was referring to this using His parables of the new cloth and the old cloth, and the new and old wine and wineskin, He was not criticising the practice of fasting, but rather the manner in which the Pharisees carried out their actions, which were centred more on themselves and their own ego rather than truly being obedient to God’s will and commandments.

In this manner therefore, what the Pharisees had done were not different from that of King Saul, and what the Lord detested from both of their actions were their hypocrisy in pretending to believe and practicing what they believed, but in truth, they were seeking for their own personal ambitions, and not in honouring or truly loving God as they should. This is an important reminder for all of us that in our own actions in life as Christians, we have to be truly genuine disciples and followers of the Lord, in doing sincerely what we believe in and not merely paying lip service to them and to our Lord. We should always mean whatever we say, and act virtuously, focusing our lives and attention on the Lord and not to our own selfish desires and wants.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives faithfully in the path that God has shown before us, and let us all continue to be good role models, inspirations and examples for everyone around us so that by our every actions, words and deeds, even the smallest and those seemingly least significant among them, we may touch the hearts, minds and lives of others, leading more and more people ever closer towards God. May God be with us always and bless our every endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 18 January 2026 : Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, and on this first Sunday after the Christmas season we have heard of the words of the Lord calling on each one of us as Christians, as His followers and His disciples to do His will and to carry out the missions and respective opportunities, responsibilities and things that He has entrusted to us all in our various areas of life, be it as members of the ordained, the bishops, priests and the deacons, as well as members of the laity, in our various responsibilities and areas of concern, as those whom God had called to live our lives worthily, in loving those whom He has given and entrusted to us to love, as He has planned it all.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His people regarding the prophecy about the coming of the servant of God that would bring about the proclamation of the salvation of not just Israel but the whole world, and this prophecy in fact referred to the coming of St. John the Baptist, the one who was the one to prepare the coming of the Messiah or the Saviour of the world. And just as prophesied by Isaiah, this man of God, St. John the Baptist would be prepared from the womb of his mother to become the servant of God, to be the one to prepare the way for Saviour, as he would eventually do, as the one to call on the people of God to repentance and reconciliation with Him.

And through what St. John the Baptist had done, throngs of people came to seek the Lord with renewed faith and conviction to walk in His path, giving themselves to be baptised and at the same time committing themselves to a renewed path of redemption. He had indeed committed himself to the mission he has been entrusted with, allowing God to inspire and lead him in the difficult journey to turn back the hearts and minds of the people of God back towards Him. And at the same time, St. John the Baptist also had the great humility in him, knowing that whatever he had done, all the successes and fame he attained, they were all for the greater glory of God and not for his own personal glory and ambitions.e s

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth, we heard of the beginning of the letter or the Epistle which St. Paul wrote to the people of God in the city of Corinth, one of the larger cities in Greece where at that time a community of early Christians had been formed, and more and more people came to know of the Lord and becoming disciples and followers of Christ. He greeted those who have been his collaborators in the works of evangelisation and mission in the region, and he also reminded the faithful of what they all have been called to do, to be the ones whom the Lord had sanctified and made holy, and hence, in all of their works and actions in life, they all should always be anchored in their faith in God and show their faith through their lives lived in accordance with the will of God and His teachings.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle, we are reminded of the time when St. John the Baptist, the one whom we have been discussing about in our first reading earlier, as he spoke to his disciples and followers, testifying about the experiences he had in encountering the One Whom the Lord had sent him to prepare the way for, that is Jesus, Who happened to be St. John’s own relative, as their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth were also related to each other. It was at that occasion in which St. John the Baptist spoke about this great Saviour, the One Who had been promised, the Lamb of God, Who has been sent into this world to bring about its salvation and deliverance.

St. John the Baptist himself was very famous and renowned, with many people seeking him for his baptism, and he could very well have declared that he was indeed the Messiah that God had promised and sent to be with His people, and yet, he did not do that, and instead, he humbled himself as the servant, guiding his own disciples and the people to the One that they themselves ought to follow, the One in Whom the salvation of the whole world has been made manifest and real, the fulfilment of God’s long promised love and compassion for all of His people. St. John the Baptist is the role model for all of us, God’s faithful, in doing God’s will and in striving our best not for our own glory and ambition, but for the greater glory of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed throughout these passages from the Sacred Scriptures, it is clear that all of us as Christians are reminded of our own respective missions and callings in life, in whatever it is that we can do, in all the opportunities that God has given us, we should always do our best to carry out within our means, even in small and simple actions, things that can inspire others to follow the Lord, to testify all the great things that God had done for us, even in small things, in His faithfulness and in all the love He has constantly shown us all these while. In our shining and most genuine faith, God will be manifested ever more strongly in this world, and everyone who sees our brilliant faith, made evident through our lives and actions, will also come to believe in God as well.

May the Lord our most loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen each and every one of us in faith, so that in everything that we do, we will always show forth the true faith that we have in Him, and that we may illuminate the path of others through our own good examples and inspirations, so that by our dedication and commitment, by our perseverance to live righteously even through our own imperfect lives and sinful existence, we will strive to be good Christians at all times, and may inspire many more people to come and seek the Lord and His truth, and that by our lives, as small and insignificant it may seem to be, many more people may be saved through us. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 17 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (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, each and every one of us are reminded that God chose not the proud and the haughty, but He sees the hearts and minds of those whom He has called and chosen. But in the end, it is really up to us how we respond to the Lord in what He has called us to do, as He has also given us all the means and the abilities, the opportunities and all the chances for all of us to make good of everything that we have been called to do in our respective lives. In our own distinct and unique vocations in life, all of us should always realise that we should use those gifts that God has provided to us for the common good of all those around us and in being good role models for all.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard about the moment when Samuel went to look for the man whom God had chosen to be the new king for His people, the Israelites, that was Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was great in physical appearance and stature although he hailed from the least of the families of the smallest tribe of the Israelites, the tribe of Benjamin. God chose that man to become the leader over all of His people and Samuel was sent to seek for him so that Saul could be anointed as the King of Israel just as the people fervently and stubbornly demanded earlier on as we heard yesterday in the passage from the same Book of the prophet Samuel.

And Samuel did encounter Saul and sought him where God had led him to, and God revealed to Samuel the man that He had willed and chosen to be this worthy man to take up the leadership over the people of Israel. That was indeed how the days of the kings began in Israel. Surely since we all should know how Saul behaved as king later on in his life, we may be wondering if God had made a mistake in choosing Saul. But then we must also realise and understand that God does not make mistakes in His actions and in everything that He does. Instead, what happens is such that God gives each one of us the free will and the freedom to choose our course of actions and way of living our lives, and that applied to Saul and his actions as king as well.

It is God Who chose men and women to do unique things in their lives, according to the respective gifts, talents and opportunities which He had provided to them. God gives us all the free will and all the freedom to choose what we are to do with these gifts, talents and opportunities, but ideally, we should do what the Lord has gently nudged us to do, in our every moments in life, even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things. The question is now then, are we all willing to listen to the Lord and to pay attention to what He has told us and revealed to us? This is a timely reminder for all of us that we, as God’s holy and beloved people, should always strive to do what is truly good and worthy in the Presence of God and our fellow mankind alike.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus went to call the disciple known as Levi. Levi was a tax collector, which profession at the time were often considered as greedy and self-serving, and not few even treated the tax collectors badly because they were seen as traitors and collaborators to the Roman regime and rule, for their actions and works in collecting the taxes on behalf of these rulers, and some of them might have been corrupt as well, pocketing some of the taxes for their own benefits. And yet, despite all these and other prejudices surrounding the tax collectors, the Lord Jesus did not consider them in whom He called to be His disciples.

Indeed, the Lord called His disciples from the most questionable origins by the standards of the time and even today. He called the illiterate, poor fishermen, tax collectors, intellectuals, a zealot that rebelled against Roman authority among others to be His disciples and followers. Through this, we are shown that the Lord does not have prejudices or favourites of any kind, and everyone are equally precious and beloved to Him, all are called to God’s loving Presence. For the case of Levi, that tax collector left behind everything that he did, his past life and works, becoming a great disciple and one day, he became one of the writers of the Four Holy Gospels as St. Matthew, Holy Apostle and Evangelist.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has laid out His path and His graces upon us, and the choice is now ours whether we want to embrace Him and journey together with Him, or else, if we rather choose the comforts of the world and the temptations of glory and power. And we can also imitate and follow upon the good examples and works set by one famous saint and Church father, St. Anthony the Abbot, also known as the St. Anthony the Great, who was one of the earliest monastics of the Church, and living in the land rampant with bitter persecutions and hardships by the Roman authorities. Modelled by the examples of some others who lived a similar lifestyle like St. Paul the Hermit, St. Anthony devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Lord, spending his every living moments and breaths to glorify God by their work. He had to face a lot of struggles, but St. Anthony remained faithful and patient.

For example, it was well known that the devil and other demons often came to torment St. Anthony, lifting him up and tempting him with all sorts of false and empty promises. He was under constant attacks from the evil one, and had to contend with the sufferings of this world as well as the pressures for us to conform and follow the ways of the world. Nonetheless, St. Anthony remained firm and strong in his faith, ministering to the needs of his community and other people who desired to seek the Lord and His forgiveness and grace. Through his inspirational works, he has become our great model in how we should live our own lives, in being faithful and committed to God, and his writings inspired generations of good and holy priests, and holy people of God. The question is that, are we willing to spend the time and effort for us to change our ways for the better? The choice is ours alone.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have reflected from the passages from the Sacred Scriptures, and as we have heard from the examples in the life of St. Anthony the Abbot, let us all hence realise that all of us are called to specific purposes and meaning in life, in each and every one of our actions in life. We are all partakers of the mission of the Church of God, in reaching out to more and more people all around us, to all those whom we encounter in life, so that by our every actions, words and deeds, we will become good source of inspiration and hope, good role models for everyone around us. And that is how we can fulfil more of the missions which our Lord has entrusted to us.

May the Lord our most loving and compassionate God continue to guide us in life, encouraging and strengthening us so that by our trust and hope in Him, God will continue to support us all through even the most challenging and difficult moments, giving us all the courage to bear through them with perseverance and faith. Let us all be the worthy bearers of God’s truth and Good News, in our hope in His love and compassion at all times, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 16 January 2026 : 1st 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 reminded that we should trust in the Lord and follow Him wholeheartedly instead of being entangled in ambitions, pressures and desires of this world, all of which can severely distract and keep us away from the path towards the Lord, which in truth is what we all should be focusing on in our lives. Unfortunately many of us are precisely being trapped in these tangle of web of worldly ambitions and power, all the allures of worldly glory and fame, all the things which have divided our attentions from the Lord and brought us all into disarray in our respective lives in this world because we trusted in our own strength, intellect and power more than we trust in God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel the continuation of the story of the ministry of Samuel, whom God had made to be Judge and leader of all the Israelites, as well as a prophet. By the time frame of what we heard from today’s readings, Samuel was already old and had been the Judge and leader of the Israelites for a long time, but the same issue that happened with his predecessor Eli came back again in a similar way. Just as Eli’s two sons behaved wickedly and without fear of God in being corrupt and greedy, thus as we heard, the sons of Samuel were of the similar behaviour and manners as well. We heard then how the Israelites, their leaders and the whole assembly of the people all begged and even demanded Samuel to ask the Lord to give them all a king to lead and rule over them.

Their argument was that all of their neighbours and enemies were all led by lords and kings, while they alone were led by a Judge unlike those others. The kings and lords of that time, as is still to this day, were succeeded by their own sons and members of their family. Truly we can see the great irony in this demand, as the people of Israel had experienced not just once but more than once having Judges whose family members, especially children who behaved wickedly and unjustly, like that of the son of Judge Gideon, namely Abimelech, who declared himself king of Shechem and massacred his own many brothers and siblings in bitter plotting and rivalry for power. And as mentioned were also the cases of the sons of both Eli and Samuel who were wicked and unworthy of following in the footsteps of their fathers.

But the people were really stubborn and persistent and they demanded that their wishes were met, and no amount of persuasion and all the warnings which Samuel presented to them would change their minds and arguments as they kept on demanding to be led by a king who would rule over them and who would lead them to battle against their enemies. And despite all of these and stubborn attitudes, God still listened to the wishes of His people, and He gave them what they all wanted, as He chose one of them to be King to rule over all of them as the people of God, definitively bringing an end to the days of the Judges who have led Israel for probably a period of several centuries up to Samuel.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, in which the famous account of the healing of a paralysed man was told to us. In that occasion, a paralysed man was brought by his friends who literally climbed up the house that the Lord was in, and opened the roof of the house to lower the paralysed man right in front of the Lord Himself. And as we heard, the Lord had pity on the paralysed man and healed him saying that his sins had been forgiven. This immediately brought about a harsh criticism from the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were present there, all those who were quick to criticise the Lord because they refused to accept the fact that the Lord had the power and authority to forgive sins, and the dominion over all things.

The attitudes of those Pharisees and teachers of the Law were indeed lamentable because they allowed their preoccupation and obsession over human made laws and rules, their customs and traditions to overrule and to close their minds and hearts to the truth of God which the Lord Himself had brought into their midst. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law put more trust in their own power and might, intellect and wisdom rather than to put their trust in God and in His Good News and truth, His Wisdom and Love which Christ Himself has shown. When God manifested His Love in the flesh and made it perfectly visible and tangible for all to experience, those people allowed their pride, greed and worldly ambitions to lead them astray.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, hence as we have listened to those words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we have discussed in depth through the things we have just talked about earlier on, we are reminded that we should put God’s truth and guidance above our own human wisdom, understanding and conventions. All of those things were what prevented many of the leaders of the people from doing what was right at both the time of the prophet and Judge Samuel, and also during the time of the Lord’s ministry in this world. The Israelites demanded that they ought to be granted a king to rule over them just in the manner of how the other states and nations were ruled, putting worldly customs snd ways above Divine guidance.

Similarly, as we have discussed, the attitudes of the Pharisees and the leaders of the people during the time of Jesus was motivated mostly by their refusal to let go of their pride, ego, greed and ambitions. It is therefore an important reminder for all of us that we should not fall into those same temptations and traps ourselves. We should indeed strive instead to put our faith and trust more in the Lord our God, in His Providence and in the ever wonderful and consistent love which He has always shown us. May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to be with us, journeying with us and strengthening us all in our resolve to live ever more faithfully as His good and devout followers, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paul the Hermit (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together to reflect upon the words of the Lord that we have received from the Scriptures, we are reminded that all of us should put our faith and trust in the Lord, and we should always strive to obey Him and His words, His will, His Law and commandments. We should not do things in the manner that we decide by our own whim or ambition, or else it may likely cause difficulties and for us to lose our path and way amidst all the trials, challenges and obstacles that we may encounter in our respective paths in life. God has called on each one of us to follow Him and to trust in Him, to trust in His words and providence. God will never fail us and if we put our trust instead in worldly things, sooner or later we will realise that we will be disappointed by that decision.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the story of how the Israelites went to battle against their great enemy, the Philistines, was told to us. We also heard how the Israelites were desperate after their defeats and tried to gain favour and advantage by bringing the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh where it has been kept to the battlefield. In that occasion, we also heard of the two sons of Eli who was Judge of Israel, in which those two likely led the forces of the Israelites into battle as Eli was already very old at that time. For the context, Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas who led the Israelites in battle were wicked in their ways and actions, unbecoming of their position as priests and leaders of the people of God.

Those two were priests serving the people of God and yet, they kept the best of the people’s offerings for themselves while offering what were inferior to God, in contradiction to what the Lord had commanded them as His priests to do. This and other violations of the Law, and their wicked deeds have indeed been found wanting by God, and as such, just as we heard, the Philistines defeated the Israelites even as they brought their Ark of the Covenant with them, and those two wicked sons of Eli were slain. This was indeed a just retribution to all the wickedness and the sins which they had committed against God and His people alike, which led not just to the defeat of the Israelites but also the humiliating loss and hostage of their most precious Ark of the Covenant.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when a man suffering from leprosy came towards the Lord and asked Him to heal him, and it happened indeed that the Lord miraculously healed the man from his leprosy. At the same time, He also left strict instruction to the healed leper that he should immediately go to see the priest as prescribed by the Law of Moses and traditions, that he might be certified as being clean and healed from leprosy such that he might return back to the community. Back then, those who suffered from leprosy were not allowed to remain in the community and had to wander off in the wilderness, which was a result of the rules and laws that were practiced since the time of the Exodus when the Israelites were living in very close proximity to each other.

Therefore, those who suffered from leprosy and other contagious diseases were forced to leave the community until they were cured of the symptoms. And unlike what we may know about leprosy today, back then, all sorts of skin diseases were known and mentioned together as ‘leprosy’ and some were caused by fungal infection that were easily spread through direct or indirect contact, and were eventually curable. Regardless of what the man had actually suffered from, what mattered was that he sought help from the Lord and believed that He was able to heal him and make him to be rid of whatever it was that afflicted him. For that faith, he has been healed and made completely well again, and he must have indeed been very jubilant over it.

However, when the Lord instructed the man to not speak about the matter and the healing to anyone at all, he disobeyed the Lord and did not do as the Lord asked of him to do. But why is it that the Lord Jesus was so adamant about the man not letting anyone know about the way how he was healed by Jesus? That is likely because of various reasons, first of all the disease of leprosy being considered as taboo and unclean, and the fact that the leper had come to the Lord when he was still diseased would have made it taboo as well for the people to come near to the Lord, and hence, this led to difficulties in the Lord’s ministry, not considering also the oppositions and the unhappiness that the Lord faced from the Temple authorities, the chief priests and the Pharisees among others.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Paul the Hermit, also known by his epithet of St. Paul of Thebes. He lived during the third and fourth century in what was then Roman Egypt and reputedly lived through a long life, more than a century long and most of that long life was spent in a life of seclusion as a hermit, as one of the earliest known desert fathers, pre-dating even the more well-known St. Anthony the Abbot. It was told according to his hagiography that he and his sister lost their parents early on in their lives and their relatives cheated them out of their inheritance. Not only that but in his youth, St. Paul the Hermit had to face the effects of the intense persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Decius and his successor, Emperor Valerian. Consequently, he fled to the desert and lived in seclusion for quite a number of years in the beginning, but eventually he remained there for the rest of his life.

According to the same legend and hagiography, a raven would come each day bringing him food and provision, and St. Paul the Hermit remained in that life of seclusion, dedicated completely to prayer and meditation, inspiring others especially those who sought deeper relationship with God, purpose in life and disillusionment with earthly and worldly ambitions, desires and pursuits to come and follow his example. And as one of the first, if not the first person who adopted this kind of lifestyle, he was also known as ‘the first monk’, and his great personal holiness and piety served as an inspiration to many people long after he passed away. And while what he had done and chosen with his life is certainly not what most of us would ever consider, but we can indeed be inspired by the great commitment that this holy man of God had in focusing his attention wholly on the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we reflect upon the life and examples of St. Paul the Hermit, and also upon the readings of the Scriptures that we have received today, let us all seek to obey the Lord in all things, in obeying His will and in embracing what He has commanded and entrusted to us to do. Let us therefore be good and genuine Christians in all things, not just in words, but also in our every actions and deeds. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.