priestly sermon

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Tuesday, 19 August 2025 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Eudes, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that with God there is nothing that is impossible, and all things are possible for God, even whatever that is beyond our area and possibility of understanding. We should always trust in Him and put our faith in His Providence and care, knowing that He will do everything that needs to be done for our sake, so that we will be protected and guarded, and we will not suffer without any consolation and hope. In the end, we will share in God’s triumph and glory, and we shall enjoy forever the fullness of His loving grace and inheritance intended for us. God has indeed intended for many good things for us, and we will not be disappointed if we put our faith wholeheartedly in Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Judges in which God spoke and revealed His plans to Gideon, the one that He had chosen to lead His people, the Israelites in the struggle against the Midianites, who have risen to oppress and persecute the Israelites. At that time, the repeated disobedience and refusals of the people of Israel to obey the Lord and to follow His ways led to them continuously being subjected to difficulties and challenges, attacks and subjugation by their neighbours, because God withdrew His protection and power, so that the Israelites, who had become proud and filled with hubris, thinking that they did not need God, would come to realise just how powerless they truly were without God and His Providence.

Gideon did begin with lamentations and sharing to the Angel of the Lord that came before Him with God’s words, how the Israelites had truly suffered and endured a lot of troubles, and they cried out to the Lord wondering where this same God that had protected their ancestors and brought them out from the land of Egypt, and through their journey in the desert with great power and wonders. And that was when the Lord through His Angel showed His reassurance, and when Gideon asked the Lord for a sign, God heard him and showed the sign that he asked for, and Gideon believed in God’s words and Providence, and He told the former how he would be the instrument by which God would act against the Midianites for the sake of His beloved people, to lead them to freedom and to return once again to His grace and protection.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which the Lord told His disciples and followers that if they all wanted to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven then it is important that they all must seek to be humble and to strive to reach that desired existence with God by resisting the many temptations, pressures, coercions and distractions that are present in this world which can lead us astray and prevent us from finding the path towards God. The Lord also said that it is ‘easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle’ than for the rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This is indeed puzzling and we may wonder what the Lord actually meant by these words, but we have to understand His intentions and thoughts carefully.

When a camel wants to go through a door or gateway, it is common for them to lower their heads to allow them to be able to enter through the gate, and to lower their bodies in doing so. This is a symbol of humility and simplicity against the excesses of the worldly riches and desires, all of which often lead us to hubris, ambition and stubbornness in refusing to follow God’s ways and commandments. That was what happened with many of those who were entangled and trapped by their own wealth and possessions, and most importantly by the unhealthy attachments and desires towards them. Those who suffer from this cannot attain the Kingdom of Heaven not because they are rich and wealthy, but rather because they put their wealth and ambitions above even God.

God is not in fact against us having possessions and wealth, or for us to be rich and wealthy. What He wants us to know in fact is that we should make good use of whatever blessings that we have received and whatever we have been fortunate to gain from God’s grace. But when we allow ourselves to be swayed by all the worldly temptations and be overcome by our greed and selfish desires, for example when we desire to gain more of what we already have aplenty, even to the point of causing sufferings and hardships to others around us, and in ignoring the plight of the needy, then it is in all these things that we shall be found wanting and lacking in worthiness by God, because we have not used our blessings for the good purposes set before us by God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us as God’s beloved and holy people should always trust in Him and have faith in His Providence. We should continue to make good use of what He has entrusted to us and blessed us with so that we may use them for the benefit and the good of others around us, for everyone whom we encounter in this life. This is not what we should be doing, to put our faith and trust in God for the direction in our lives, trusting that He will bless us in the manner that we need them, and He will provide for all of us, and our part is to make good use of what He has entrusted to us, even in the smallest things. Let us all not be overcome and be swayed by worldly corruptions and ways which can lead us away further from God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John Eudes, who hailed from France and was a priest that was the founder of the Order of Our Lady of Charity and also the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, known as the Eudists after their founder. St. John Eudes was born in rural France in the early seventeenth century and made an early vow of chastity in his teenage years before eventually joining the priesthood after being guided and educated under the Jesuits and the Oratorians with the latter showing him strong emphasis on the relationship with Christ and the Holy Spirit. He then went on to minister in various parishes and did a lot of missions, and he was noted for his great and prodigious skills in evangelisation and in reaching the hearts and minds of the people that he ministered to.

He also played a role in the development and training of priests, helping to establish several seminaries after having been concerned with the upbringing and education of future priests in France. Then, in his concern and care for the poor and marginalised, especially with prostitutes and others who were often encountering a lot of hardships in life, as mentioned, St. John Eudes established the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge to care for the needs of those prostitutes who sought to turn away from their lives of sin. He then eventually left the Oratorians and founded the Eudists, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary with the focus and emphasis on education of priests and parish missions, works which he continued to carry out faithfully until the end of his life.

Let us all therefore be inspired by the examples and faith of St. John Eudes, in his determination to serve the Lord and His people, in all the things he had done in reaching out to the marginalised and those who have been less fortunate, those who have been lost to the Lord and facing difficulties in life. Let us all as Christians be always charitable and be kind in all things, doing whatever we can so that we may always be good examples and role models for everyone around us, and that we may show God’s love and kindness, His truth and salvation to everyone whom we encounter in life. May God be with us all and bless our every good endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 18 August 2025 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded through our Scripture readings today that we should truly be faithful to the Lord wholeheartedly and sincerely, and we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations present all around us, all the desires and all the pursuits of worldliness that are always tempting and pulling us away from the path towards God. We must always be mindful that to love the Lord our God means that we should always put Him at the centre and forefront of everything that we say and do in life. As long as we continue to trust in the Lord and allow Him to guide us in our path and journey, then we will be strengthened and empowered by Him to walk faithfully in His Presence. But if we allow the many temptations and desires around us to lead us astray, then we will likely end up being distracted and pulled away from God’s path.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Judges, detailing of the activities of the Judges of Israel, the ones that God appointed as the leaders of the people of Israel during the time between their arrival in the land of Canaan and the days of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And as we heard in that passage, the Israelites had grown lax in their faith in the Lord, and they failed to remain faithful to God despite them and their ancestors having promised and committed themselves to be faithful to God and having made a Covenant with Him. They abandoned Him and instead worshipped the pagan idols and gods of their neighbours, Baal, Astarte and many other gods. And because of this betrayal and lack of faith, God withdrew His protection and providence towards them, which He had shown to them as they conquered and took the lands where they stayed in earlier on, allowing them to be subjugated by their enemies and neighbours.

But this did not mean that God did not love His people, as on the contrary, He still always cared for them and provided for them in their time and hour of need by sending upon them His chosen servants, the Judges to help and lead them in the manner of how Moses and Joshua had led their ancestors in the years of their Exodus and journey to the Promised Land. The Judges were sent to guide the Israelites back towards the Lord and to liberate them from their oppressors, from those people in their neighbouring regions that attacked them like the Ammonites, the Moabites, Amalekites, Philistines among other Canaanites. They also reminded the people of God of the responsibilities which they had in obeying the Law and commandments of God.

All these showed just how much God had loved His people and cared for them, that even after repeated rebellions, disobedience and all the stubborn attitudes that they had shown, He still loved them all nonetheless and still wanting to help and guard them, even as those people were being punished and disciplined for their lack of faith in Him. He still sent them His help and protection, and rescued them from their troubles when they called on Him, having mercy on them when they repented from their sins and mistakes. And thus, through this, we ourselves are reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we are also called and expected to be faithful to God and to trust Him at all times. And we should not easily be dragged down by the various temptations and pressures all around us, which seek to force us to turn away from God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the conversation between the Lord Jesus and a wealthy young man who asked of Him how he could attain eternal life. And the Lord responded asking him whether he had obeyed the Law and commandments of God as he should have done, and that wealthy young man responded affirmatively, saying that he had done everything which the Law had commanded him to do, in his obligations to serve the Lord and in the obligations to love his fellow neighbours. And then, when the Lord asked of the wealthy young man to sell everything that he had and give them to the poor, then the man went away with sorrow as he had a great amount of wealth with him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon what the Lord told the wealthy young man, we are reminded that Christ did not actually oppose us having wealth or worldly possessions with us, and He does not intend through His interactions with the wealthy young man to tell us to sell all of our possessions and wealth. If that is what we desired and wanted then sure, we can do so, but what the Lord intended to let His disciples know is that to follow Him wholeheartedly and to be truly faithful, then we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the various attachments that we may have to all sorts of worldly desires, ambitions, pleasures and all other things such as possessions which may prevent us from committing ourselves to the Lord.

In addition, we must also understand the context in which the Lord’s advice was made, as He was making an example of how one ought to detach oneself from worldly things and matters so that one may truly be worthy of God and eternal life. It is the willingness to detach from all these distractions and worldly desires and ambitions that is truly important and which we all should take note of, and be open to the suggestion and idea. And the wealthy young man might have also inquired to be a disciple and follower of the Lord like that of the Twelve Apostles and the other committed disciples, who spent their full time serving the Lord and the missions entrusted to them. Such a mission certainly would require one like the wealthy young man to divest and detach himself from all worldly distractions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, after having discussed these words of the Sacred Scriptures and discerned on their meaning and intention, we are reminded that if we truly want to be faithful and dedicated, committed and worthy Christians, then we have to make the commitment and the willingness to follow the Lord with zeal and genuine love for Him. If we do not do what we should in following the Lord, His teachings and ways, then how can we truly call ourselves as Christians? We should be good role models and examples for one another in faith, in everything that we say and do, at all circumstances and opportunities. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us always in our every efforts and resolve to glorify Him by our lives. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are called to remember that to follow the Lord our God is often something that may bring upon us hardships and challenges in our path, and we may have to endure trials and difficulties, obstacles and hardships especially in remaining true to our calling as Christians and in remaining faithful to the Lord and to His teachings and ways. We must not easily give up the struggles and the journey that we are undertaking towards God because in the end, we shall be triumphant with Him, sharing the joy and the glory that He has promised and reassured all of us, and we shall not be disappointed if we continue to hold onto that faith in God because only the Lord alone will not fail us, even when all sorts of worldly means and matters that we usually depend on failed us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah detailing to us what was happening at that time to the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the last King of Judah when the opponents and many officials of Judah were plotting and attempting to destroy Jeremiah as he kept on speaking to the people and to the king regarding the omens and the terrible events that would come upon Judah and Jerusalem because of the disobedience, wickedness and sins of the people of Judah, all of their constant rebelliousness and lack of faith in the Lord, in persecuting the many prophets which had been sent to them to help them to return to the Lord’s path, and that included what was done to Jeremiah himself.

But we then see God’s Providence in protecting Jeremiah through our first reading passage, as even though the king had to follow the pressures and coercions of his councillors and officials who were against the prophet Jeremiah, but the latter still had friends that had the ears of the king. That was how Jeremiah managed to escape his fated suffering and death in a cistern which his enemies and oppressors had been plotting to happen to him. His friends among the king’s advisers reminded the king that such wicked treatments were unjust, and hence, the king allowed them to rescue Jeremiah in secret and took him out from that cistern, to hide from his persecutors and enemies, which continued until the time when Judah and Jerusalem were conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author encouraged those to whom he wrote the Epistle for, reminding them of how they have all shared in the sufferings of Christ, the One Whom the Lord had sent into this world to save us all. And just as Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, had faced great sufferings and challenges, and persevered on nonetheless to show us the true face of God’s love and compassion, God’s undying and ever enduring love and patience with us, therefore, we too should remain resilient and strong amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey as Christian believers and faithful, and we should not expect that our journey ahead should be easy, but with God by our side, we can truly do all things and endure even the hardest challenges.

This is why we should always continue to remind ourselves that with God by our side, strengthening and guiding us, we will not falter and stumble as long as we continue to have faith and trust in Him. God would not abandon us to destruction purposefully, and He would not give us challenges and obstacles that are beyond what we can take and endure, and we certainly will not go through all of them alone. The Lord would always be by our side, helping us to endure and bear our crosses in life. And if we remember everything that the Lord had gone through for our sake, out of His ever always generous love, then truly we shall in fact be grateful to have shared in the sufferings of Christ, for if we have suffered for His sake, then surely it is because we have been truly faithful to Him, as how the prophet Jeremiah had been committed in his missions, and suffered greatly for it.

Finally, from our Gospel this Sunday taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling the disciples that His coming into this world, His teachings, revelations and ways would not bring about peace and harmony, and in fact, more likely than not it would lead to strive and divisions, not because He Himself wanted it, but because the world and all the forces in this world, the forces of Satan, the evil one and all of his fellow wicked forces, all assembled against us, and they are always arrayed against those who walk in God’s path. That is why the Lord told His disciples that they should not expect a good and smooth path in ministry and life in following Him, and unlike what many believed about the Messiah, that following Him would not bring them earthly glory and joy.

Back then, many among the people of God, the descendants of the Israelites, the Jewish people, believed that the Messiah would be born into the House of David, to be the One to bring about liberation and freedom for the Israelites from all of their oppressors and from all their troubles. Therefore, many among them expected that the Messiah would come as a conquering King and Ruler, to overthrow the yoke of the Romans and the Herodians, to bring back and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, as how it was in the glorious days of King David and King Solomon, and to bring peace and prosperity to everyone. This was not how it was to be, and in fact, the Lord Himself would have to suffer grievously for the sake of our salvation and in accomplishing all that He has planned for all those. Yet, He kept on going nonetheless and kept on loving us regardless all the way to the Cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves that sufferings and hardships should not lead us to abandon our faith in the Lord, and in fact, they should strengthen our resolve ever further in following God’s path, and doing whatever we can so that by our exemplary lives and actions, we may inspire many others to follow the Lord and His path, to persevere in faith and to remain truly committed to Him despite the struggles and challenges, obstacles and trials, disappointments and difficulties that we may encounter in the path that we walk. We must help especially those who are troubled and who are facing all these hardships alone and enduring lots of trials, so that by our companionship and help, we may continue to strengthen one another in faith, and journey together in faith towards God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help us in our journey through life, ever strengthening each one of us so that we can continue to journey courageously and with great devotion towards the Lord, with ever stronger desire each day to glorify Him by our lives and actions. Let us all continue to trust and have faith in God, knowing that with God by our side, there is truly nothing that is impossible. For God, everything is indeed possible, and if we remain true in our faith, then we shall indeed share in the fullness of joy and satisfaction that we can find in God alone. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 16 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to remain truly faithful to the Lord at all times, through good and bad times, through moments of difficulties and trials, and when we are facing various temptations and challenges that may make us to question our faith in God or to forget and abandon Him. When times and moments are good, we may also be so preoccupied by our joy and pursuits in life that we may ignore the Lord and forget about Him as well. This is why it is important for us to remain truly grounded in our faith in the Lord and not to be easily swayed by the various temptations, pressures and coercions all around us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Joshua of the moment when many years after the Israelites had arrived in the promised land of Canaan and having settled there with God’s guidance, protection and providence, managing to overcome their enemies and all those who have opposed them, then Joshua and the Israelites gathered together in Shechem which was roughly at the centre of the land of Israel, to renew their commitment towards God. Why is that so? That is because by that time, Joshua was already old and he knew that he did not have much longer as the leader of the people of Israel. The older generations who had witnessed God’s miracles, providence and works had passed away and many of the younger generations might not have known and experienced God’s works, providence and signs.

Therefore Joshua gathered the Israelites and told them that they should all choose and decide whether they want to follow the Lord and commit to Him or not, highlighting all the great wonders and deeds which the Lord Himself had done for the sake of His beloved ones, and they need to remember all that God had done for their sake because it would be easy for them to forget about God and abandon Him when things are good and happy for them in the lands that they were settling in. And like their predecessors before them, they might be tempted to worship other gods and idols instead of following the Lord, as they were still surrounded by their Canaanite neighbours with their idols and all their pagan way of living, which might lead them away from the path of the Lord.

As we heard, the Israelites were united in their commitment towards the Lord, and they professed their faith in Him together there at Shechem before Joshua and in the presence of all the assembly of God’s people. And it was there that Joshua renewed the Covenant between God and His people, solemnly establishing the pact between God and those whom He had called and chosen to be His own, that God would always be their God, providing for them and protecting them all, while the people of God ought to obey the Law and commandments which God has shown, taught and revealed to them all, and to pass these down to their own descendants as well. The reality is such that, even after this moment, God’s people would still falter in their commitments, and they would repeatedly disobeyed and abandoned Him, but each time, God continued to love them and send to them leaders, judges and prophets to help guide them to the right path.

Then in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples that they should not keep children from coming towards Him. This was because the disciples were likely annoyed at people bringing the little children towards the Lord, for Him to bless them and to be with them. But the Lord told the disciples not to stop those children from coming to Him, because in fact, the kingdom of Heaven truly belong to those who behave like those children, those who are truly humble and faithful in God. On the contrary, for many adults including the disciples themselves, many among them did not truly have genuine faith in the Lord, as many among them attached many conditions to their faith in God.

This is indeed a reminder for all of us as Christians that we must always have genuine and strong faith in God, and not one that is dependent on our desires, ambitions and worldly pursuits. Many among the disciples and followers of the Lord at that time often bickered and quarrelled among themselves because they were seeking vanity, ambition and worldly glory in following the Lord, thinking that they would gain much from following Him and becoming close to Him, such that when Christ restored the Kingdom of Israel as they expected, they would be richly rewarded. But this is not what true faith is all about, and true faith in the Lord is something more than merely just our desires for worldly things and matters. True faith is about truly loving God at all times, and continuing to trust in Him even in most difficult and challenging moments in life.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Stephen of Hungary, the very first King of Hungary who was crowned as King and ruler of the Hungarian nation, consecrated as the Divinely appointed ruler of the people entrusted to him and with the blessing and approval of the Pope. At that time Hungary was still in the midst of transformation from the previously pagan Magyar tribal nation after their migration from the Eurasian Steppe to the Pannonian plain where Hungary lies today. St. Stephen was the member of the ruling House of Arpad and while he was not the first Christian in his family, but he was indeed the first one to be devout and truly dedicated to the Christian faith, the first of the Christian Kings and rulers of Hungary.

St. Stephen took his duties and responsibilities as King very seriously, dedicating his time and effort to care for the well-being of his people, to improve their livelihood and to care for their spiritual needs, by establishing the Church and its institutions in all parts of his kingdom. He established many archdioceses and dioceses throughout Hungary, building churches, hospitals, monasteries and other institutions that help improve the livelihood of the Hungarians, both in physical and spiritual dimensions. He also led a pious life, dedicating himself to be a good Christian in all things, reigning justly and maintaining a relatively peaceful time in his reign over Hungary. He was well-remembered for his great faith and commitment to God and to the people entrusted to him, and he is indeed a good source of inspiration for all of us as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our very best so that we may indeed be truly faithful in the Lord, with the purest intentions and desire to follow and serve the Lord wholeheartedly at all times. Just as we have been inspired by St. Stephen of Hungary, let us all be good inspiration and examples for one another so that we may continue to encourage everyone around us, so that more may come to know the Lord through us, through our actions and interactions with those whom we encounter daily in life. May the Lord give us His guidance and strength, and help us in our journey of faith and life, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 15 August 2025 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on the fifteenth day of August, all of us as the Church of God gather together to celebrate the occasion of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorating the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was taken up body and soul into Heaven at the end of her earthly life at the time that God had appointed it. This celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also celebrated similarly as the Dormition of the Virgin Mother of God in the Eastern churches and traditions, both of which highlighted not just the importance of Mary in our Christian faith but also the role that she has played in the history of our salvation.

In the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the Four Marian Dogmas and the latest of the four to the officially declared as a Dogma, by the Venerable Pope Pius XII in the Year of Our Lord 1950, the Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of God as mentioned was taken up body and soul into Heaven, although the exact manner of which how this was done was left into interpretations, of which there are two major interpretations. And although it was recently declared as a Dogma, it did not mean that the Church and the faithful had not believed in the Assumption of Mary earlier on. Instead, since the earliest days of the Church, as attested by the Apostolic accounts and traditions themselves, and passed onto the faithful people of God, the early Christians, they have all upheld that Mary did not remain in this earthly realm in her body, and there was indeed no tomb of Mary that existed, just like that of her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who had risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven.

Now, in order to understand better the Assumption of Mary, let us first delve into our Scripture readings today. In our first reading today we heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the great vision which the Apostle saw of the premonitions of the end times, of a great red dragon, the Dragon of the Apocalypse, representing Satan, the great enemy of all the faithful, and the ultimate obstacle in the path of the Church and all the faithful and holy people of God, in the spiritual struggles and battles that have always raged all around us, in our struggles against sin and darkness holding us back and bonded to the chains that kept us enslaved, refusing to let us all go free and to be truly beloved and filled with God’s grace.

In that vision, we also saw a Woman who was struggling and in labour, bearing a Child that was to judge all the nations, and how this Child was rescued from the clutches of the great red dragon to the presence of God Most High. This vision is of great symbolism, both a reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God herself, who had borne within her, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, the King of Kings, and at the same time also referring to the Church, the Holy Mother Church, through which the Saviour was indeed brought into this world, manifesting the salvation of God through Christ Who has established His Church in this world, opening the sure and certain path to Heaven and eternal life, and breaking free forever the dominion and power of Satan and all of his fellow wicked forces all around us.

Then, from our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth, we heard again the comparison of Our Lord Jesus, Our Saviour with Adam, the first man that God had created. And indeed, Christ is the New Adam, the One Who would correct everything which the first and old Adam had brought upon us, into ruin and destruction by his disobedience and sins. And Christ as the Son of Man united His humanity with ours, leading us all mankind into the path of redemption and reconciliation with God. Through Christ and His triumphant victory over sin and death, by His Passion, His sufferings and death on the Cross, and ultimately by His glorious Resurrection, He has assured and shown us all that sin and death will not have the final say over us, and His love and guidance will help lead us into this path towards the ultimate victory.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when Mary visited Elizabeth, her cousin, whose miraculous pregnancy had been told to her by the Archangel Gabriel at the same time as the Good News of the coming of the Saviour was told to her. And we heard how Mary was filled with the Holy Spirit after Elizabeth and her unborn son recognised her and the Son of God that she bore within her, and for this amazing miracle and wonders that God had done, and for having finally revealed the long-awaited salvation, all of which were done through this simple and humble woman of Nazareth, God had indeed shown us all His wonderful and ever-enduring love, faithfulness and commitment to His Covenant, which He had made with us, and these were what Mary sang in her great song of praise, the Magnificat, in praising and glorifying God for His greatness, wonders and love for us mankind.

Today’s celebration of the Assumption of Mary has great link to what we believe about her in the other Dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception and her Perpetual Virginity. Mary had been prepared specially for this role to be the one to bear within her the Son of God Himself incarnate in the flesh. Therefore, linking to another Scripture reading used in the Vigil Mass of this Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, Mary as the New Ark of the New Covenant is even far greater than the original Ark of the Covenant, which had been made from the most noble and precious materials by the hands of men, but incomparable to the New Ark, Mary, that was made and crafted by God Himself, to bear something far greater than what was in the original Ark, the New Covenant that is far greater than the original Covenant, covering not just the people of Israel, but also all the sons and daughters of mankind, to all the whole world.

As what St. John had seen in the vision, Mary is truly the Woman that God had prophesied from the beginning that would be the end of Satan as mentioned in the Book of Genesis, as the New Eve, the one who together with the New Adam, Christ our Lord Himself, would undo all the harm and corruptions that sin had brought upon us through the disobedience and selfish desires of the first Adam and the first Eve. By their obedience and commitment to their missions, both Christ our Lord as the New Adam and Mary, His Mother as the New Eve, they showed us all what it truly means for us all to be faithful to the Lord and to walk the path that He has shown and led us all through. And the Assumption of Mary which we celebrate today reminded us all of this triumph and victory that Our Lord and His mother have won for us against sin.

That was why Mary was kept from the taint of original sin, being conceived without it, in the Immaculate Conception so that no taint of sin would have made her unworthy of bearing the Lord and Saviour of all, God Himself in the flesh. And she remained full of grace throughout her whole life, and hence, to the very end of her earthly existence, Mary remained free from the taint and corruption of sin, and hence according to Apostolic tradition, teachings and beliefs, Mary did not have to suffer from the effects of sin unlike the rest of us mankind, who still have to endure death as the consequence of our sins. That, together with the historic evidence and the testimony of the experiences that the Apostles and the early Christians themselves experienced, Mary was indeed taken up to Heaven in body and soul.

Now, as mentioned, one of the schools of thought highlighted this lack of consequence for sin and death, and therefore Mary did not go through death at all, and was taken up directly into Heaven to the side of her Son. Another school of thought, which is also celebrated as mentioned in the Eastern churches and traditions as the Dormition of the Theotokos, is that Mary did still die, but not because she had to suffer the consequences of sin, which is death, and she did not die as a punishment for her own sins, because she was free from it. Rather, she died, and went through the process peacefully akin to falling asleep, and hence ‘Dormition’, and all these happened because she wanted to share in the same death that her own Son suffered on the Cross, out of love for Him, so that she would be like just her Son in all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Mary showed us all the preview of what we ourselves will experience in the end of times, when we too shall share with her the fullness of the resurrection, as we are lifted up in body and soul, reunited fully with each other, truly living a new and eternal life with the Lord, to enjoy forever the inheritance that God has planned and meant for each and every one of us. That is why, we too should seek to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and worthily in the same way as our Blessed Mother herself had done, so that in all of our words, actions and deeds, in our every dealings and interactions with one another we will continue to be good examples and inspirations for one another as good disciples and followers of the Lord.

May God be with us always and may through the intercession of our loving Mother, Mary ever Virgin, assumed body and soul into Heaven, and now seated at the right hand of her Son’s Throne, we will continue to be guided and strengthened in our respective journeys in life. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, and may His blessed Mother continue to intercede and pray for us, now and always. Holy Mary, Mother of God, gloriously assumed into Heaven, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Friday, 15 August 2025 : Vigil Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this evening before the fifteenth day of August, all of us as the Church of God gather together to celebrate the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorating the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was taken up body and soul into Heaven at the end of her earthly life at the time that God had appointed it. This celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also celebrated similarly as the Dormition of the Virgin Mother of God in the Eastern churches and traditions, both of which highlighted not just the importance of Mary in our Christian faith but also the role that she has played in the history of our salvation.

In the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the Four Marian Dogmas and the latest of the four to the officially declared as a Dogma, by the Venerable Pope Pius XII in the Year of Our Lord 1950, the Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of God as mentioned was taken up body and soul into Heaven, although the exact manner of which how this was done was left into interpretations, of which there are two major interpretations. And although it was recently declared as a Dogma, it did not mean that the Church and the faithful had not believed in the Assumption of Mary earlier on. Instead, since the earliest days of the Church, as attested by the Apostolic accounts and traditions themselves, and passed onto the faithful people of God, the early Christians, they have all upheld that Mary did not remain in this earthly realm in her body, and there was indeed no tomb of Mary that existed, just like that of her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who had risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven.

Now, in order to understand better the Assumption of Mary, let us first delve into our Scripture readings today. In our first reading on this Vigil Mass, we heard from the Book of Chronicles of Israel and Judah in which the story of the moment when David, then King of Israel, was bringing the Ark of the Covenant of God into the city of Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was usually housed in the Holy Tent of Meeting, within the Holy of Holies of that Tent ever since days of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. But King David had wanted to build a permanent House and Temple over the Ark of God, and hence he consulted the prophet of God, which was then the prophet Nathan, on the proposition that he had in wanting to build a great and worthy Temple for God.

We may wonder on why we heard about the Ark of the Covenant on this occasion of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that must be related to the purpose and intention of the Ark of the Covenant in the salvation of the people of God. The Ark of the Covenant contained the two stone tablets of the Law of God, containing the Ten Commandments that God Himself had written on those two tablets, and then in addition, there was also manna, the heavenly bread that God provided to the Israelites which was preserved in the Ark, together with the Staff of Aaron, the staff that Moses used in leading the Israelites through their journey in the desert, and the same staff by which Moses and Aaron had shown God’s power and might before the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, and all the other miracles and wonders before God’s people.

And this is related to Mary because there are many parallels between the original Ark of the Covenant and Mary being the one to bear within her the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord, Who is the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and mankind. Just as the old and original Ark of the Covenant bears within it the evidence and aspects of the original Covenant between God and His people, the Israelites, therefore Mary is the New Ark, of the New Covenant, the New and Eternal Covenant which the Lord our God has lovingly established with each and every one of us, His beloved and chosen people. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? Because Christ Himself is the fulfilment and perfection of the Law of God, also the Bread of Life, the One Who has given Himself for us all to partake, and He is the One bearing the power and authority of God as the Good Shepherd of all the faithful, with parallel to each of the items stored in the original Ark of the Covenant.

Then, from the second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, we heard of the Apostle speaking about the matter of sin and death, and how the sting of sin is death. Indeed, this is because sin that we have committed against God out of disobedience against Him has led us to be separated from Him, the Master and Lord of life. But the Lord did not let us to perish alone and to be destroyed. He loves each and every one of us, and through His great love and kindness, He has given us all His Son to save us all from our certain damnation and destruction. By the perfect offering of love that He has given to us all, through His most selfless love on the Cross, Christ our Lord has opened for us the gate of Heaven, and becoming the bridge leading us all back to our Heavenly Father.

And He made for us the New and Eternal Covenant, one that is enduring and everlasting, and will not be overcome by any forms of challenges and trials, and not even sin and darkness around us can separate us from the eternal and ever-patient love of God, which He has always constantly poured out upon us. If we put our faith and trust in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, then surely we shall share in His victory and triumph, which He has won for all of us by His sacrifice on the Cross. By rising from the dead, Christ our Lord and Saviour has been victorious and triumphant against death itself, and hence against the power and dominion of sin, showing that sin and ultimately death do not have the final say over all of us. While we may have to endure the sufferings of death, but in the end, we will be freed from it, in a new and eternal life that we shall share with God.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the short passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist where the people praised the Lord and the one who had given birth to Him because of everything which He had done in their midst, highlighting His own Blessed Mother Mary. But the Lord told the people that truly blessed are those indeed who listen to the words of the Lord and obeyed them faithfully. In doing so, it does not mean that the Lord was being rude to His own Mother as some of us might be thinking about. In fact, since His own Mother had been a truly great example in listening to the Lord and obeying His commandments, Jesus was using her as an example for everyone, for all of us to follow and to be inspired by, in imitating and following whatever she had done in her own life and actions.

Today’s celebration of the Assumption of Mary has great link to what we believe about her in the other Dogmas, such as the Immaculate Conception and her Perpetual Virginity. Mary had been prepared specially for this role to be the one to bear within her the Son of God Himself incarnate in the flesh. Therefore, even far greater than the original Ark of the Covenant, which had been made from the most noble and precious materials by the hands of men, but incomparable to the New Ark, Mary, that was made and crafted by God Himself, to bear something far greater than what was in the original Ark, the New Covenant that is far greater than the original Covenant, covering not just the people of Israel, but also all the sons and daughters of mankind, to all the whole world.

That was why Mary was kept from the taint of original sin, being conceived without it, in the Immaculate Conception so that no taint of sin would have made her unworthy of bearing the Lord and Saviour of all, God Himself in the flesh. And she remained full of grace throughout her whole life, and hence, to the very end of her earthly existence, Mary remained free from the taint and corruption of sin, and hence according to Apostolic tradition, teachings and beliefs, Mary did not have to suffer from the effects of sin unlike the rest of us mankind, who still have to endure death as the consequence of our sins. That, together with the historic evidence and the testimony of the experiences that the Apostles and the early Christians themselves experienced, Mary was indeed taken up to Heaven in body and soul.

Now, as mentioned, one of the schools of thought highlighted this lack of consequence for sin and death, and therefore Mary did not go through death at all, and was taken up directly into Heaven to the side of her Son. Another school of thought, which is also celebrated as mentioned in the Eastern churches and traditions as the Dormition of the Theotokos, is that Mary did still die, but not because she had to suffer the consequences of sin, which is death, and she did not die as a punishment for her own sins, because she was free from it. Rather, she died, and went through the process peacefully akin to falling asleep, and hence ‘Dormition’, and all these happened because she wanted to share in the same death that her own Son suffered on the Cross, out of love for Him, so that she would be like just her Son in all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Mary showed us all the preview of what we ourselves will experience in the end of times, when we too shall share with her the fullness of the resurrection, as we are lifted up in body and soul, reunited fully with each other, truly living a new and eternal life with the Lord, to enjoy forever the inheritance that God has planned and meant for each and every one of us. That is why, we too should seek to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and worthily in the same way as our Blessed Mother herself had done, so that in all of our words, actions and deeds, in our every dealings and interactions with one another we will continue to be good examples and inspirations for one another as good disciples and followers of the Lord.

May God be with us always and may through the intercession of our loving Mother, Mary ever Virgin, assumed body and soul into Heaven, and now seated at the right hand of her Son’s Throne, we will continue to be guided and strengthened in our respective journeys in life. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, and may His blessed Mother continue to intercede and pray for us, now and always. Holy Mary, Mother of God, gloriously assumed into Heaven, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together and listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be compassionate and merciful, loving and kind in all of our dealings and actions. As Christians, that is as those whom God had called and chosen, we have to strive to follow the Lord’s own examples in love and compassion, in truly caring for those who are around us, especially to those who have not experienced love and care, those who have been abandoned, ostracised and treated badly by their society, all those who need our love, care and attention. And all those things are what we should be doing as Christians, as those who have been called to follow Christ in all things that we say and do.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Joshua detailing for us the events that happened as the people of Israel were about to cross the River Jordan and enter the promised land of Canaan. We heard of God’s reassurance to Joshua, the successor of Moses as the leader of the Israelites, and the instructions on what they all had to do, bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the middle of the River itself so that the river can be passed through by the whole nation of the Israelites. God Himself is present through the Ark of the Covenant, leading His beloved and chosen people into the land that He has promised to them, and for which they had laboured and waited for a long time in the wilderness.

From what we heard in today’s reading of that account, we can clearly see the power of God in guiding His people, as He continued to bless them and help them throughout their journey, stopping the flow of the River Jordan itself to allow His people to safely cross through to their promised land, just as He had done earlier with the sea that He had split open to allow them to escape the Egyptians and their armies and chariots. God reminded His people that whatever He has revealed and promised to them, He would continue to honour and fulfil, and if they remain in faith in Him, then they shall truly be blessed and happy, in the land that He has promised to all of them. He will never abandon them even though they themselves had frequently abandoned Him for the pagan idols or all sorts of worldly pursuits and desires that they had.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the parable of the ungrateful and unforgiving servant who had not treated his fellow servant in the manner of how he had been graciously treated by his master. In that parable, we heard of how the ungrateful servant had owed his master a large sum of money, and when he begged for mercy and patience from the master, his master showed that servant compassion and forgiveness, forgiving that servant everything that he had owed him, even though it was a rather large sum of money. And then, we heard of how this same servant then went to another fellow servant who owed him money and demanded that fellow servant to return him his money that the latter had borrowed, even though it was a far lesser sum than what he owed his master.

This parable is a reminder for all of us to show compassion and mercy to one another, to be kind and not to behave like that ungrateful servant. The servants themselves represent each and every one of us, while the master is a representation of the Lord, our God Himself. The debts which the servants owed to the master and to each other represent the sins which we have committed both against God and against one another. By looking at the master’s action in forgiving that ungrateful servant of the great amount of debt that he had owed him, and how the master expected his servants to do the same for one another, which the ungrateful servant obviously did not do, it is a reminder for all of us that God Who has forgiven us all our sins, despite how great they may be, also expect us all to forgive each other’s sins too, every faults and mistakes we did to one another, and to love one another as He has loved us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, do we remember the line from the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Forgive us all our trespasses, just as we have forgiven those who trespassed against us?’ This is precisely what we are reminded to do as Christians, to be loving, compassionate and forgiving to each other in all of our actions and dealings, in our interactions and in every moments of our lives. And unless we do so, we cannot truly call ourselves as genuine and true Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people. We must be compassionate and merciful as God has been that way towards us, ever generous and compassionate with His love and mercy. This is how we should live our lives as Christians, as the ones who should embody our Christian faith not just merely in words, but also through real actions, in each and every moments of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a great and renowned saint, a faithful martyr and servant of God who had dedicated his whole life to the service of God, and whose love and compassion for others inspired many people who heard his stories and experiences. St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland to a mixed German-Polish family towards the end of the nineteenth century, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire. He and his elder brother joined the Conventual Franciscans when they were teenagers and eventually going through the professions and was ordained as a priest after a tough experience in the First World War where his own father was caught and hanged as a traitor by the Russians during that war.

St. Maximilian Kolbe founded the popular Militia Immaculatae, a Catholic evangelisation movement that emphasised on evangelisation and conversion of sinners through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whom St. Maximilian Kolbe had a deep devotion for. That popular organisation and its popular publication continued to grow as St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to work hard for the Lord and His people, gathering more and more followers. Then, St. Maximilian Kolbe himself endeavoured to go on missionary works in distant lands, proclaiming the Good News of God to more and more people. This came true when he went to the Far East in the early 1930s, ministering to the faithful in Asia as far as Japan, where he spent several years in missionary works.

Eventually, St. Maximilian Kolbe returned to his native Poland just before the beginning of the Second World War, which began approximately two decades after the end of the previous World War. He ministered to the people of God faithfully even during the years of the German occupation, when the NAZI regime conquered his native Poland and caused a lot of atrocities in the region. He was eventually arrested when his monastery was forcefully closed under the NAZI regime, and was brought into prison before being transferred to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. At that concentration camp, St. Maximilian Kolbe continued to minister to the faithful inmates, strengthening and encouraging them all amidst the difficult and challenging times.

Then, in one occasion, the escape of several inmates from the concentration camp led to the camp commander ordering the deaths of several prisoners as a punishment for those that escaped. And when one of the Polish man to be condemned to death cried out for his family and children, St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to take his place among the condemned. That was how St. Maximilian Kolbe was then put into the cell meant for those condemned to death, deprived of food and water for two weeks, and eventually, when the guards found that St. Maximilian Kolbe and three others were still alive, they were killed by lethal injection of carbolic acid. That was how St. Maximilian Kolbe encountered martyrdom for his faith in God, his endless dedication to God and his love and compassion for his fellow brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples, faith and love shown by St. Maximilian Kolbe, and from what we have discussed earlier on through the Scripture readings, that we will always practice our faith in the manner that God Himself has shown, taught and reminded us, to be truly genuine in our love for God and for one another, reminding ourselves of God’s ever generous and patient love, and doing our best to show that love in each and every one of our actions as well. May God bless us all and strengthen us in our journey of faith in life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 13 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr, and St. Hippolytus, Priest and Martyr (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 Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that we have to thank the Lord for everything that He has done for us, in showing His patient love and kindness towards us, in all that He has promised and reassured us all so that we can continue to follow Him faithfully and that we continue to live our lives in the manner that is worthy of Him, at all times and in all circumstances. We should live in the manner that God Himself has taught us, to be truly filled with love for Him and also for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, to be truly concerned for their well-being and for their good in all things, praying for each other and supporting one another.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard of the moment when the Israelites, the first chosen people of God finally arrived in the land promised to them by the Lord Himself, the land of Canaan, promised to their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For forty years or so, the Israelites had been forced to wander off in the wilderness for their disobedience and sins, their lack of faith and trust in God, and finally the time of waiting had come to an end, with the whole generation which had willingly disobeyed the Lord perished in the desert, and the new generations, their descendants took over the journey, finally entering the land of promise by crossing the River Jordan.

And we also heard of the story of how Moses passed away, as he was also not allowed to enter into the promised land on the account of his own disobedience when he was overcome with frustration against the stubbornness of the Israelites. But God did not reject or punish Moses unnecessarily, as He still allowed Moses to witness for himself the beauty and the wonders of the lands that he had been leading the Israelites towards, just as we heard how Moses passed away at Mount Nebo in the land of Moab, from where he could see the breadth of the lands that the Israelites themselves would be dwelling in, and therefore witnessed for himself the fulfilment of everything that God had planned wonderfully for His beloved ones, those whom He had called and chosen.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples and all those gathered to listen to Him regarding the matter of how they all ought to settle disagreements and disputes in the Church, by bringing the matter up to the assembly of the faithful. He also highlighted the importance of fraternal correction, of how we should point out another’s mistake in a kind way, not because we want to criticise the other person but rather because we are genuinely caring about that person’s well-being and attunement with God, that we should point out if one has been unfaithful in one’s way of life and path, and in danger of falling away from the way towards salvation in God.

This is yet another reminder for all of us to show genuine care and concern for everyone around us, even when we may disagree and have disputes between us. Having disagreements and disputes is not an excuse for us to be mean to those whom we are disagreeing and disputing with, and as Christians we are challenged to be rich in forgiveness and kindness to one another, to be magnanimous and understanding, patient and caring in all things. That is why today we are reminded of this so that we may always be filled with true Christian virtues and attitudes in all the things that we say and do, and not to be easily divided one against another because of our refusal to understand each other and work or cooperate in fruitful discussions and engagements.

As Christians, it is important that we should all seek to work with one another, to be harmonious and peaceful in our relationship with our fellow brothers and sisters, with everyone whom we encounter daily in life. We should not allow ourselves to be divided by our conflicting desires, ambitions and all the worldly attachments which may end up leading us to go against each other. And if we are divided against each other, it is easy for the evil ones to come and strike at us, which is the very reason why they are always very active in leading us one against another. That was what had caused strife and divisions among the Israelites during the time of their Exodus from Egypt and their journey in the desert, when their constant bickering, complaining and rebelliousness led even to Moses being frustrated and committing sin against God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus, two renowned Roman martyrs during the intense persecutions of the Church in the turbulent years of the third century. Pope St. Pontian was leading the Church of God during difficult and turbulent times of the early middle third century when persecutions and divisions within the Church were facing the faithful. There was at that time also a serious division within the Church between those who took a rigid approach against those Christian faithful who had offered sacrifices to the pagan idols and gods, refusing them from returning back to the Church and to the Sacraments, and then those who were more lenient and willing to allow these lapsed Christians or those who have offered sacrifices to the pagan gods due to coercion to return after repentance.

St. Hippolytus were among those who were more rigid in their attitude in refusing to welcome back and reintegrate all those who have lapsed from the faith or offered sacrifices to the pagan gods, whether willingly or unwillingly. He was elected as an Antipope, or a rival Pope by the faction that champion this more rigid attitude, which was not in fact the true way and attitude that the Lord and His Apostles had taught and shown. Meanwhile, Pope St. Pontian was the leader of those who advocated a more lenient approach to welcoming those who have lapsed from their faith or committed grievous sins against God. Both factions bickered and were divided against each other even amidst those difficult moments when the Church and the Christian faithful were facing harsh persecutions from the Roman state.

Eventually, both Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus were reconciled with each other, as they resolved their differences and worked for the good of the Church, and when they were both arrested and exiled by the Roman government, Pope St. Pontian was the first Pope to voluntarily resign his position as Pope to allow the election of a new Pope to continue leading the Church through the turbulent times of persecutions and hardships, and with the cooperation from St. Hippolytus, that marked the beginning of the reconciliation and the healing of the rupture and divisions of the Church caused by the disagreements and disputes mentioned earlier. Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus themselves were eventually martyred in their exile.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier in our Scripture passages and as we have heard from the examples and inspirations of the actions of Pope St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus, we are reminded that we should always seek harmony and peace amongst ourselves, to be always full of love, care and concern for everyone around us so that we may always seek unity and harmony among us, and not allowing ourselves to be divided by our worldly desires and ambitions, and by all sorts of things that can lead us further apart and divided from each other. May the Lord, our most loving God, continue to be with us and bless us and the Church, and strengthen our unity as one united body of believers, the Church of God. Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we should continue to be faithful to the Lord as we have been reminded these past few weekdays, with reassurances and reminders that God is always faithful and committed to the Covenant that He has made with each and every one of us, His beloved people. He will not abandon any of us to the darkness and destruction, and we are all always precious to Him and beloved by Him in all things and at all circumstances. We have to put our faith and trust in the Lord and be good examples of faith and commitment to Him, our Lord and Master, so that many more people may also come to believe in Him as well.

In our first reading today, we heard of the conclusion of the exhortation and reminders which Moses gave in a speech to the people of Israel, as some sorts of a farewell speech towards the end of the Israelites’ forty years of journey through the desert towards their Promised Land of Canaan. Moses had already spent those forty years guiding, leading and shepherding the people of God and including the time that he spent earlier on in Egypt in liberating God’s people from the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. And throughout all those challenging years, Moses had to face a lot of hardships and grievances, from all the stubborn attitudes of the Israelites and their constant rebelliousness and disobedience against God, their constant complaints and refusals to obey God’s Law, and even to personal betrayals such as those by his own siblings, Aaron and Miriam, who openly contested the leadership of the Israelites with him before God.

Moses had remained firm in his conviction and commitment to lead the people of God, and even though he himself also committed mistakes that prevented him from entering the Promised Land of Canaan, but he lived to see the moment when the people of God finally was about to enter to the lands promised to them. And it was at that very time and moment that Moses made this speech before the whole assembly of the Israelites, telling and reminding them to keep in mind everything that God had done for their sake, with all of His love and kindness, compassion and mercy, and all that God had done in protecting them from their enemies and providing them with all their needs. That is what we heard being mentioned by Moses in our first reading passage today.

God had cleared the path for His beloved ones, and prepared everything just as He has planned it, and the people of Israel should indeed appreciate and be thankful of the great blessings and graces which they had indeed received from God, and which they had often taken for granted. Like the Israelites, who had been instructed to pass on their knowledge of God and everything that God had done for them to their next generations, so that even with the passage of time, God’s works and deeds might still be known, hence, this is also something which we ourselves ought to be doing in our own lives today. We should be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us so that in everything that we say and do, we will inspire many more to believe in God as well.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist reminding each and every one of us that we should be truly faithful to the Lord and be truly committed to His paths and ways in each and every things that we do in life. All of us as Christians have been called to have a genuine faith and strong relationship with God beyond what is superficial and mere formality. This is highlighted by the Lord when He first mentioned how all of His disciples and followers ought to be like the little children in their faith and trust in Him, and this is significant because if we truly understand what the Lord meant, it means that He was calling on all of them to have a faith that is truly genuine and heartfelt, and not one that is conditional and burdened by our many desires and temptations.

The faith of a child is truly pure, brothers and sisters in Christ. When a child believes in something, he or she truly believes from all of his or her heart. This is exactly what the Lord wants us all to do, that we ought to have genuine faith and true, enduring love for God, with all of our strength, with all of our hearts and with all of our might, or else our faith is one that is merely superficial and meaningless. Therefore, unless we have this strong, enduring and vibrant faith in God, it will be difficult for us to continue to follow the Lord faithfully and in a genuine manner. Unfortunately for many of us, our faith are often intermingled with all sorts of veiled interests and desires, as we have allowed these worldly corruptions to affect us and distort our faith in the Lord.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, who was born in France in the late sixteenth century, and eventually married Baron de Chantal, from whom she got her surname, becoming a dedicated wife and mother of the household, caring for her husband and for her father-in-law, while at the same time also spent a lot of time and effort in caring for her neighbours and those who were needy in her community and surroundings. When her husband was killed in a hunting incident almost a decade after their marriage, St. Jane Frances de Chantal continued to dedicate herself to her family and caring for her children. Eventually, she felt the calling to religious life, and despite rejections and discouraging remarks due to her widow status and age, she kept on persevering.

Eventually, she founded the Congregation of the Visitation, gathering together women of similar conditions as hers, those who have been rejected by the other religious orders on grounds of health and age. They all were unlike most other religious orders for women that tended to remain sequestered in cloisters and monasteries, but they openly went out to the public spaces and the community to minister to the people of God, which is their charism and calling. The great generosity and sanctity shown by St. Jane Frances de Chantal inspired many people both from within her congregation and from outside, showing the kind of faith, love and dedication that each and every one of us as Christians ought to have for the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of the life examples of St. Jane Frances de Chantal, and having also discerned what we have just discussed from today’s Scripture readings, let us therefore develop a strong, genuine and vibrant faith in the Lord, doing all that we can so that in everything that we say and do, we will always be ready to proclaim the Lord and His Good News to all, through even the smallest things that we do daily in our lives. May our actions, words and deeds truly show our Christian faith, and that we may always be genuine in our belief in the Lord, in all circumstances and in all things. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 11 August 2025 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Clare, Virgin (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 as always of why we all need to keep our faith in the Lord, dedicating ourselves to His cause at all times, obeying Him and giving Him our very best. That is because God has always been ever faithful in all things, and He has never abandoned or betrayed us, especially in our time of greatest need. He is always ever faithful and true to the Covenant that He has established with each and every one of us. That is why we should never doubt Him, and instead we should continue to trust in Him, believing in what He has promised and reassured us all with. We should always help and inspire one another to remain faithful even in the darkest moments and times.

In our first reading today, we continue to hear from the Book of Deuteronomy the account of the time when Moses exhorted the people of Israel at the end of their journey from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land after they had spent about forty years in the desert, forced to wander off in the wilderness because of their lack of faith in God, as a consequence of their disobedience and sins. Moses himself was at the end of his earthly life, and it was likely that God made this known to him, and hence, this was some sorts of farewell speech that Moses made to the people that he had led throughout all those forty years period, the people that he had toiled, laboured and spent all of his time ministering, leading and guiding, enduring all of their stubborn attitudes, rebelliousness, complaints and ingratitude among other things.

Moses told the people and reminded them everything about God’s great and wonderful works, all of His kindness and compassion, all the love and patience that He has constantly given to them despite the stubbornness and rebelliousness that the Israelites had also constantly shown Him. God did not abandon them and He still continued to love them all nonetheless. God showed His patient love and commitment to the Covenant which He has shown them, and hence Moses told them all to remain obedient and committed to Him in the same manner, reminding them all of how fortunate and wonderful they had been to be loved in such a way by their God, their Lord and Master. They should obey God’s Law and commandments, show love to their neighbours and strangers as well, in the manner that their Lord and God has loved them, and this is what God wanted all of them to do, and hence, all of us as well, because we are also God’s people.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples first of the premonition of what He would have to suffer, the persecutions and hardships that He would have to endure in His Passion, kind of reminiscing of what Moses himself had told the Israelites prior to his own passing from this world. Then, the Lord told the disciples who asked Him about the Pharisees who asked them about whether they and their Lord paid the temple tax or not, and the Lord told them all that actually, as the children of God, those whom He would Himself save from the bondage of sin, they are free and no longer bound to anything, including the burden of tax and all sorts of worldliness, but at the same time, He then told them that they should still obey the law of the land, and He miraculously made a coin to be found in a fish that He told St. Peter to catch, in order to pay the temple tax lawfully.

Through this short passage and exchanges today between the Lord and His disciples, we are all reminded to be faithful and obedient in all things, first and foremost to God’s Law and commandments, to whatever the Lord has taught and told us to do through His Church, through the Scriptures and everything that we have received from Him in faith. At the same time, we should also obey the law of the land, the law of our countries and states, as obedient citizens and members of our communities and societies, and that is how we should continue to live our lives, devoting our time, effort and strength to do what God has wanted us to do in our lives, to be faithful to God and to be good and law-abiding citizens and human beings, those who always show care and love to our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Clare, holy virgin dedicated to God, who was remembered for her great faith and dedication to God. St. Clare was born in Assisi, the same place where the other famous saint, St. Francis of Assisi was born in. And indeed, she was also attracted to the order that St. Francis of Assisi had established, the Franciscan Order. She was born into a wealthy noble family, a family of devout faith in God, and St. Clare and her sisters joined the religious life, dedicating their lives to God. St. Clare devoted herself to the Lord and following the example of St. Francis of Assisi, becoming one of the first members of the female wing of the order, the Poor Clares or the Order of Saint Clare, known after their founder, St. Clare herself.

St. Clare devoted herself to God and resisted the efforts of her family to try to bring her back to her family and to marry her off to a wealthy nobleman, a common practice at that time. But St. Clare continued to remain faithful to God, and remained adamant of the commitment which she had made. This was true even when her sisters joined the religious life themselves, which caused more uproar from within her family. But even when they tried to use force to try to bring them back, they eventually failed to do. St. Clare continued to minister to the people of the community around her with her fellow religious sisters. And in one occasion, she courageously stood up against invaders that came to ransack the town she was in together with her religious congregation. She famously held up  the monstrance with the Lord in it high as the armies of the invaders came in to the chapel, and a bright light emanated from the monstrance, scaring all the invaders that immediately fled the town.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good and faithful examples of St. Clare of Assisi, her faith, zeal and commitment to God. Let us all not be easily swayed by worldly temptations and all sorts of evils and darkness present all around us. May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage us all in our every endeavours and good efforts, so that we may always be faithful and committed in everything we say and do, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless our every good efforts and works, now and always. Amen.