Reflection of the Bible

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Tuesday, 10 February 2026 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Scholastica, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all reminded that we should be truly faithful and committed to God beyond just merely having superficial faith, or worse still faith that is not centred on God but on ourselves and our ego like how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done in the past. All of us should learn to be humble and truly obedient to what the Lord has shown and taught us. We should not allow our pride, ego, ambition and worldly desires to influence and mislead us down the wrong path in life, simply because we cannot resist those temptations and falling ever deeper therefore into the slippery slope and path towards damnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard of the prayer which King Solomon offered to the Lord for His Providence, love and kindness to all the people and to him as King, in everything that He had done in extending His ever patient love and forgiveness to the people whom He truly loved and cared for, despite their stubbornness in constantly disobeying and rebelling against Him. God’s love did not cease just because of all that, and instead, He truly loved us all the more and went all out to seek those who had been separated and lost to Him because of their disobedience and sins.

King Solomon gave thanks to God for Him having willed to come and dwell amongst His people, as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the grand Temple that he had built for the Lord. The Ark of the Covenant symbolised God’s Presence among His people, and that grand Temple, prepared and planned by David, Solomon’s father, and finally built and realised by Solomon himself, was meant to be the tangible centre and heart of the Kingdom of God’s people, and to where they all would come to worship the Lord their God, their Master and Creator. And King Solomon interceded on behalf of the people asking for the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness for their many sins, and for His continued presence and love among them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus heavily criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for their way of interpreting, practicing and applying the Law and commandments of God according to their own interpretation and preferences. They were too strict and rigid in implementing the Law and its statutes, focusing so much on the externals and appearances that they neglected to understand and appreciate the true meaning and intention of the Law, and why God has given His Law and provided them to His people in the first place. God never intended for the Law to make it difficult for His people or to burden them unnecessarily.

In fact, He meant for the Law to teach and show them, to guide and lead them on how to love Him and one another in the same way that He has loved all of them. That is why we are reminded today that our faith and how we observe it must always be rooted firmly in the Lord and not be tainted and swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and ambitions like how the Pharisees had done. Those Pharisees used their piety and their way of observing the Law to be comparison and to judge against those whom they deemed to be less than worthy, which usually meant anyone else who did not practice the Law in the same manner as they had done. This is not what we should be doing as Christians, as we should be faithful and obey the Lord while also loving our fellow brethren at the same time, without any prejudice or bias.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Scholastica, a holy and devoted woman whose life and examples had inspired many throughout the history of the Church. St. Scholastica was the fraternal twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia according to Church tradition, who was another great saint of God and who was widely considered as the Father of Western Monasticism. St. Scholastica herself was renowned in her own way for her great piety and commitment to God, for her dedication and faith, which had inspired many others to follow her examples to a life of holiness and grace, resisting the many temptations of worldly glory, pleasures, fame and ambitions, and instead, seeking God wholeheartedly and turning themselves into the right path.

While the details on her early life was rather scant, but St. Scholastica eventually joined religious life much like St. Benedict, and she was credited with the foundation of the Benedictine nuns, which mirrored her brother’s role in founding the Benedictine monks and monasteries. St. Scholastica led a quiet and contemplative life in prayer, committing herself in prayer and study of the Scriptures, through which she inspired many other women of her time to follow the Lord in the same way, rejecting the excesses of wickedness and evils of the world, all the worldly temptations, pleasures and comforts, that they may all lead a holy life with the Lord, caring for one another in a holy community of the faithful consecrated ones to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples, piety and faith which St. Scholastica has shown us, in all of her life and work, dedicating herself wholly to the Lord and to His path. Let us all reject the temptations of worldly power and glory, and remind ourselves that we do not end up being swayed by all those things and fall into the path of sin and evil. Let us instead deepen our relationship with God, by spending more quality time with Him, through prayer, charity and almsgiving, and by our exemplary way of life at all times. May God be with us always, and may He bless our every good works and efforts, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 9 February 2026 : 5th 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 have our loving and most compassionate God Who is always with us all, His beloved and chosen people. God is always ever in our midst, in our communities, in our presence and in everything that we do. In each and every moments of our lives, God is always ever present, and He has never abandoned us, no matter what, even when we ourselves have been disobedient and unfaithful in our own lives and in our lack of faith and dedication towards Him. God has always freely given Himself to us all, in a most generous and wonderful way, just as He has shown throughout all of history.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard of the moment when the grand Temple that King David had prepared and his son, King Solomon had built for the Lord, finally came to completion and everything was finally ready for the grand inauguration and opening of the Temple of God, as well as for the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant, the Ark of God itself, where God’s Presence descended upon, as the tangible and real presence of God amongst His people. This was the moment long awaited by the people of God, and was the very important moment when God Himself came to dwell among His people, at the heart of the capital of the Kingdom of Israel.

We heard about the grand celebrations and the festivities which accompanied all the preparations to welcome the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple that King Solomon had built for the Lord. The whole people from the King down to the lowest among the members of the community all rejoiced greatly because the Lord has been willing to dwell among them, and how He has always blessed and protected them all throughout time and history, never neglecting and abandoning them even when the Israelites themselves had been unfaithful and lacking in trust and obedience to Him. We are reminded through these that this is the same kind of joy we should also have in us and experience because we know that God has always provided for us in all things.

That is why we should always keep in mind that God should always be at the heart and centre of our lives, our every actions, and we should alwys remember that God never abandons us no matter what, and each one of us are precious to Him. This is why we should not be afraid to reach out to Him and to seek His help and guidance especially whenever we are facing lots of hardships and difficulties in life. It is by trusting in the Lord that we can truly find our path in life and gain true joy and security in all things, which the world cannot provide to us. We must always believe that God is always ever present in our midst, helping and providing for us, guiding and strengthening us even through the darkest and most difficult moments we may be facing.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the actions of the Lord Jesus and His disciples as they carried out their works among the people of God. They went around from place to place serving the people, as the Lord went to reach out to those who had looked out for Him for healing and hope, caring for them and strengthening them all, so that they all could regain their strength and courage, to trust once again in God Who has always loved them so patiently and generously. And unlike the old Ark of the Covenant mentioned and highlighted in our first reading passage today, what the people had before them was no less than the Lord Himself in the flesh, manifesting perfectly His Love through His Son, incarnate as the Son of Man.

While the Old Ark of the Covenant was crafted from the finest materials and containing the two slabs of stone on which the Law of God was written, and also the miraculous heavenly bread, manna, and the staff of Aaron, the staff of authority over the people of God, in Jesus Christ, the Saviour, the perfect Manifestation and Revelation of God’s everlasting Love for us, we have seen in person and in the most tangible way, the Law of God made flesh, the Bread of Life and Lamb of God Who has sacrificed Himself for us and offered Himself for us, His own Most Precious Body and Blood offered for our sake on the Cross, and our Good Shepherd, the One Who guides us all with authority, love and compassion towards the Father.

That is why we should really be grateful that God is so loving towards us that He has willingly come into our midst, showing us all that He truly loves us all and cares for us even after our lack of faith and commitment towards Him. God does not abandon us in our time and hour of need, and He will always be there for us no matter what happens. We should appreciate that we are the beloved children of God, and hence we should also be full of love, compassion and kindness to everyone just as our loving God and Father had done towards us. We should always be exemplary and loving at all times, and be the worthy bearers of our Lord’s truth, Good News, love and compassion in our world today, manifesting further what He has shown us through His Son.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all reflect upon the message of the Sacred Scriptures that we have received earlier, let us all therefore continue to strive to love the Lord our God first and foremost, with all of our hearts, with all of our strength and with everything we have, remembering how He has loved us first in the same way and intensity, and then we should also, as Christians, love one another in the way that we have loved the Lord and ourselves, especially those whom we love the most. May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to bless us all and strengthen us in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 8 February 2026 : Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that as God’s people, each and every one of us are called to be ever faithful and committed to the commandments and Law that He has shown and taught us, and to follow Him and to trust Him in whatever that He is leading us all into in our respective lives. Each and every one of us share the responsibility as disciples and followers of the Lord, in doing whatever we can, even in the smallest and seemingly least significant things so that by our actions, examples and our every deeds, we may indeed inspire in many other people the hope and faith that we all share in the Lord.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord told His people the Israelites clearly through Isaiah of what they were all expected to do as His holy and beloved people, to be exemplary in their way of life, righteous and just in dealing with one another. They should not cause harm and hurt to others around them and they should not act unjustly, in exploiting and benefitting from the sufferings of others unlike what people always commonly do in this world. At that time, during the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah, the people of God had been facing lots of sufferings because of the sins of their predecessors and their own, as they lived their lives in according to worldly ways, in not following God’s Law and commandments.

Hence, that was why God sent His prophet Isaiah and many others to help remind the people of what they ought to do as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own, and with whom God had made His Covenant out of His ever enduring and patient love for each and every one of them. God wants each and every one of His people, and therefore all of us included, to follow and obey what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us all to do, in offering ourselves and our actions, our everyday moments in life for the greater glory of God. We should live our lives worthily that we may truly be 

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth, in which the Apostle spoke of everything that he had done among them as a missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Saviour Whom God has sent into this world to reveal all about His salvation and grace. St. Paul told the people of Corinth that he came to them with no other intentions or any other missions than to proclaim the truth and Good News of the Saviour, Jesus Christ, and to show all of them what He has brought into this world, the promise of salvation and eternal life which God has gracefully revealed to us all through His most beloved Son.

And through this short passage from the Epistle to the Corinthians, all of us as Christians are reminded that we too share in the same mission of St. Paul and the other Christian missionaries, in our own unique and distinct ways, in the various means, opportunities and paths that God has provided and shown to us. All of us should strive to do our best to embrace God’s calling, in doing our best to be good role models for one another as God’s beloved people, and as the shining beacons of His truth and love in our communities today. We must realise that our every actions, words and deeds do matter and they truly embody what it is that we believe in, and we should always mean what we believe in that our faith may truly be alive and well, at all times.

Finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples and followers, and the people who were listening to Him that they all ought to be like salt of the earth and light of the world, using these parables comparing salt and light and their importance to how all of us as the followers of the Lord should not be lukewarm but be truly active and committed in living our lives as Christians. These are the two commodities that are still important and crucial today, but which were even more indispensable and important back then. For without salt and light, the world at the time of the Lord Jesus cannot operate much, as salt and light both played very important roles in the communities of the people, in everyone’s homes and in many activities involving daily living and actions, in work and more things, more than what we may need of those two things today, that is salt and light in our lives.

First of all, salt is used as an important flavouring agent, which is necessary to impart taste and flavour to food which could usually be rather bland tasteless. Salt is also important for the body in order to replenish certain ions and substances that our bodies require in order to function properly. While salt may be easily available these days and many even have problems of excessive consumption of salt, back then, many people did not even have steady supply of salt, as salt production was rather difficult, labour intensive and tightly controlled by the state back then, and without modern technologies that allowed mass production of salt, salt became a rather expensive commodity that was widely sought and desired, and was truly a precious item back then. Salt was also used in the preservation of food, which was important in the era before the advent of effective refrigeration as is present in our world today.

Meanwhile, light was also something very important as although light is abundant from the Sun during the daytime, but at night time, light was often lacking, as even the full brightness of the Full Moon and the stars of the sky paled in comparison with the brightness of the Sun. Night time was therefore often dark, particularly during the time when the Moon was not visible. The roads and the areas outside towns and villages were often very dark and treacherous, filled with all sorts of wild animals and predators, and nobody dared to travel alone or in the dark without the guidance of any light, in the form of lanterns and torches, which could provide assurance and protection for anyone who wished to travel in the dark times. Otherwise, people would rather wait until the morning before they continued to travel. And this was the reality of a world before the advent of electricity and easily available lighting from electricity, a world that we may not be truly familiar with.

Hence, imagine just how useless it is for salt to lose its taste and flavour, its saltiness and hence the ability to give flavour and to prevent food from spoiling and becoming bad. How useless and pointless it is also therefore for light to be hidden without been used to dispel the darkness wherever they are needed, for this light to be hidden and not used as a source of inspiration, hope and assurance, in the times of darkness. What the Lord wanted to say to us in providing this parable to us all through His disciples is that, our lives have to be meaningful, virtuous, righteous, good and just, filled with the virtues and righteousness of God, with Christian values and goodness, with all the things that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us to do. However, many of us as Christians are still ignorant of this calling and this mission which each and every one of us have in this life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are therefore called and reminded yet again by the Lord to be active in living our Christian lives, full of commitment and devotion to God, and full of the sincerity and the desire to serve the Lord, and to do what He Himself has taught us to do, and to make it such that our every words and actions in our respective lives truly become great sources of inspiration and good examples for others to follow, just like the salt of the earth and light of the world. God has provided each and every one of us with so many distinct and unique sets of gifts, talents, abilities, blessings and opportunities, giving us many chances to make good use of them for everyone’s benefits and for the greater glory of God. Now the question is, are we willing to embrace God’s call and are we willing to follow Him and walk in His path, faithfully and with conviction?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence help one another to remain firm in faith and to be ever more active in reaching out to our fellow men and women, in our respective communities and in whatever areas that we are able to contribute in. Let us no longer be ignorant of the many opportunities and chances that God had provided us in being able to live up to our Christian mission and calling. Like the Apostles, St. Paul and many other holy men and women of God, let us all truly be the flavourful salt of the earth and the ever wonderful light of the world, proclaiming the love and truth of God, in our daily living, in our every words, actions and deeds, at all times. May God be with us all and may He bless us all in our every good works and endeavours, as salt of the earth and light of the world. Amen.

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Saturday, 7 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to seek the Lord for His Wisdom, guidance and strength at all times. Each and every one of us as members of the Body of Christ, the one Church of God are called and expected to trust God in His Wisdom and help, in everything that He would lead us through, and to believe in whatever that He has entrusted to us to do, in our various and respective calling, vocation and paths in life. Each and every one of us have been given unique and distinct gifts, talents and opportunities by the Lord, Who has entrusted them to us so that hopefully we may make good use of them in our own communities and in whatever areas we are in our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard from the prayer of the young King Solomon just not long after he had taken over from his father David the kingship over all of the land and people of Israel, the chosen people of God. The young Solomon was still very inexperienced and lacking in confidence to lead and rule the people of God, and as his father had been very successful overall in his reign, in his many achievements and reputation, therefore, it was only natural for Solomon to feel some kind of uncertainty and fear over the responsibilities that he had to bear and shoulder as the new ruler of the Israelites.

But as we heard from that same passage, Solomon chose to put his trust in the Lord, humbly asking Him when the Lord told and asked Solomon of what he would request of Him, be it wealth, glory, power or wisdom, that he would seek God’s Wisdom and ability to discern what is right or wrong, and what is just and righteous in the way how he would rule as king, in following the examples of his own father David. That was why God bestowed upon Solomon not only what he sought for, the prayer and request for Wisdom, but also the greatness, glory, power and wealth that He would grant onto him, just as God Himself had granted to David, his father. Solomon as King would indeed be known for his unparalleled wisdom and wealth.

That is why, in the same manner, all of us as Christians, in each and every areas of our responsibilities, in whatever the Lord has called us to do, we may always strive to put our trust and faith in Him no matter what. We must not be afraid or fearful as just how Solomon gained courage, wisdom and strength from God, and was blessed in everything that he would do in this world, we too will be guided in the same manner by the Lord, in the unique ways and pathways that the Lord will be leading us through, even if we cannot yet see what and where it is that He is leading us into. What we can certainly be sure of is that if we trust in the Lord and do our best to carry out whatever it is that He has entrusted to us then certainly we shall do wonderful and great things for the benefit of many around us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we are reminded from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, highlighting to us what the Lord and His disciples had carried out and done throughout their ministries among the people of God. The Lord and His disciples were often inundated with work and responsibilities in their ministry and work, and this was to the point that they were not even able to take a proper meal and break. And yet, as best as they could, they still tried to find the place and time for quiet retreat and silence, and the Lord Himself also often went to secluded and quiet place to pray to His heavenly Father. And then, as we heard from that Gospel passage, the Lord showed great compassion, love and mercy on all the people who had come to Him.

He saw all the desire of the people to come seek healing and consolation in Him, all the people who were the lost sheep of the Lord, all of whom were like scattered and lost sheep without a shepherd as highlighted in our Gospel passage today. And the Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who is our loving and devoted Good Shepherd, having been sent into our midst by our loving Father in Heaven, we can find true refuge and hope, compassion and love, in knowing that we are never alone in this world, and no matter what and no matter how dark and difficult the situation may be for us, there is always hope for us all in our loving God, Who has shown us the way forward through Him, and in giving His own Son to be our Good Shepherd, leading all of us towards salvation through Him and in Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we really have to appreciate the love that God has shown us all and how He has manifested it all through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and Good Shepherd, Who has shown us the wonderful nature and the ever patient and generous love that God has always had for us. We can see that in how the Lord Jesus patiently taught all those who came to Him to listen to Him, and healed all those who had been brought to Him, even when He and His disciples were physically tired and exhausted. And therefore we can really be assured and we can know just how much we are truly beloved by God and in the same manner therefore, we should also strive to love the Lord and do our best to love one another as He has shown us.

Let us all therefore be exemplary in all of our actions through life, and strive to be good examples of being faithful and worthy Christians in our every actions, words and deeds. Let us all in every things we do, even in the smallest and whatever may seem to be insignificant to us, we always do them with great faith and courage, devoting all of them to the Lord for His greater glory. Let us never doubt what the Lord can do for us, in all His guidance and help, in His blessings and everything that He will provide for us if we truly trust in Him and desire to walk in His path. May God bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 6 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs (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, we are being reminded that each and every one of us as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord had called and chosen, all of us ought to live our lives as best as we can according to what He Himself has shown and taught us to do. We should always be exemplary in our every actions, words and deeds. We may not be good and steady at all times, and we are imperfect by nature, but that does not mean we cannot strive to do our best to live virtuously and righteously as our holy predecessors had done. We must remember that even the greatest of the saints were themselves sinners and they also struggled with sin, but they did their best to overcome it and following the Lord ever more faithfully.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard of the conclusion of our past few weeks’ readings from the story of the life of the first Kings of Israel, Saul and David, particularly that of David, whose life, reign and exploits as king we have heard in these past few weekdays. King David was born in a family in Bethlehem in Judah as the youngest son and did not seem destined for great things, but he had great love for God and for his fellow brethren, and God called him to be the one to lead and shepherd His people Israel, as the King to succeed Saul in ruling over the people of God. And we heard from the prophet Sirach a summary of David’s life and reign, in how he has been truly an exemplary servant of God.

And we heard how David remained firmly faithful and full of love for God and His people, and while also acknowledging his sins and faults, being an imperfect person he was just as we all are, David has always allowed the Lord to guide him in his path and correct him whenever he had fallen into his faults and mistakes, in his sins and disobedience against God. And God therefore chose him to be the ruler over all of Israel, and established a new Covenant with him and his family, much as He had done with Abraham and his descendants, that the rulership over Israel would always belong to his line and family, something that the Lord kept firm and true, and up to the coming of the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Himself, Who was born into the House of David and therefore brought the promises of God to perfect completion.

Then, in contrast, we heard from our Gospel passage today the story of how the faithful servant of God, St. John the Baptist was martyred at the hands of the then king of Galilee, Herod and his unlawful wife, Herodias, who was the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. It was highly implied and also by historical evidence that Herod married Herodias when Philip himself was still alive, and hence such a union was considered as improper and also adulterous in nature. When St. John the Baptist criticised the king and the queen, Herodias especially took offence at the opposition and criticism from the man of God, and wanted to kill him whenever she had the opportunity, while Herod was the one who was still considering and treating St. John the Baptist with respect even when he had imprisoned the latter.

We heard then of how Herodias had her chance when Herod was hosting a banquet and became drunk, when Herodias set her own daughter to seduce the king and obtain from him promises and oaths which then became his own trap, as Herodias through her daughter demanded that Herod execute St. John the Baptist right away and bring her the man of God’s head on a platter. And that was how Herod and Herodias both committed great sins against God by their refusal to follow the Lord and obey His Law and commandments, and instead, giving in to the temptations of worldly desires, pleasures and ambitions, something that we have been reminded to be careful of and to be vigilant against.

And as Christians, all of us are called to shine with the light of God’s truth and love, and our lives should be sources of inspiration and hope for many others, in how we live our lives centred on Him and His Law and commandments, and how our actions, words and deeds truly proclaim the glory and greatness of God, and full of the same love which God has lavished on us and which we now are expected to embody and show in our own daily living as well. We have the saints and the martyrs throughout the history of the Church to look upon for examples, and today in particular, I want all of us to look upon the great examples shown by St. Paul Miki and his Companions, the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan, who were martyred a few centuries ago in terrible persecution, and whose faith and courage inspired many ever since.

St. Paul Miki and his Companions in martyrdom lived through during difficult time to be Christians in Japan. After having enjoyed a great period of flourishing and rapid expansion, which saw hundreds of thousands being converted and brought up in the Christian faith in Japan, during the last years of the Warring Periods, the authorities then under the leadership of Toyotomi Hideyoshi began to become suspicious and hostile against Christians, and began a period of increasingly intense persecution against the followers of the Lord. Due to the misunderstandings and political rivalries at that time, and fear of the foreign influences, Christian missionaries and laymen alike were persecuted, and twenty-six of them, including St. Paul Miki, a Jesuit seminarian studying to become a priest, were arrested and condemned to death.

They were ordered to march from the Imperial Capital of Kyoto towards the city of Nagasaki in western part of Japan, where the biggest Christian population and community was, a distance of almost a thousand kilometres on foot, while being tortured and humiliated along the way. Yet, St. Paul Miki and his Companions remained firm in their faith and stayed courageous and true to their commitment to God, and it was told that they sang the ‘Te Deum’ hymn all throughout the entire journey to their martyrdom. In Nagasaki, atop the hill where a shrine now stands in their honour, the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs were crucified and impaled with lances, and were martyred for their continued dedication to God, glorifying God by their faith and life. They inspired many other Christians who remained firm in their Christian calling and devotion.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of the great faith and conviction of the Holy Martyrs of Japan, St. Paul Miki and his Companions, let us all therefore dedicate ourselves to the Lord in the same way as well. Let us all commit ourselves to live our lives most worthily so that we may indeed glorify the Lord by our lives, and that we may carry out whatever vocations and calling that the Lord has called us all to do, and blessed us with the gifts and talents for. May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life. St. Paul Miki and Companions, Holy Martyrs of Japan, pray for us! Amen.

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Thursday, 5 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, all of us as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own beloved people, we have the calling and mission in the various ways that God had intended for us, so that we may be the ones to bear witness to His truth, His Good News, love and ways in our world today, in our respective families and communities. Each and every one of us are entrusted by the Lord with the unique talents, abilities and opportunities for us to make good use of in our various areas of responsibility so that we may be the ones to show the Lord to many more people and lead them all towards God and His salvation.

In our first reading passage today, we heard of the account from the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah detailing to us what happened at the time when King David of Israel, the famous King who led Israel to great triumph and victory of its many enemies, and brought Israel to its golden age, finally came to the end of his earthly life after a period of forty years reigning over Judah and the whole of Israel. And as David was going to the Lord and knew that his time was coming, we heard how he advised his son and heir, Solomon, the one whom God had revealed to David himself as the one to succeed him, in how Solomon ought to continue obeying the Lord, worshipping Him alone and leading the people righteously as their King as David himself had once done.

Through what we have heard in the first reading today and the accounts of the previous weekdays of the life and exploits of David as man and servant of God, and then as King of Israel, in all of his virtues and imperfections, we are reminded that we ourselves as God’s holy and beloved people, having been called to follow Him as well as His servants and disciples, each and every one of us should be inspired by the examples of David and his faithfulness to God, in how he has always strived to love God and his fellow men and women, in his conscious examination of his own actions, flaws and mistakes, and how he has always tried his best to be good and worthy of the Lord in all things. We too should therefore do the same in our own lives.

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 sent out His disciples, two by two, centred upon His Twelve principal disciples, the ones later known as the Apostles, and the many other disciples whom He sent to carry out and extend His missions and works to more people and places. We heard how the Lord instructed them on what they ought to be doing in their mission, putting trust in the Lord instead of in their own resources, power and abilities. The Lord also told them all of the realities of what they may have to face in the midst of their missions, both the potential successes as well as the rejections and hardships that they may have to endure.

This is therefore a reminder to all of us as Christians that we should always strive to follow the Lord in what He has entrusted to each one of us to do in life. It does not mean that we must do exactly as what those disciples had done in the past, but rather we are called to do what the Lord had entrusted to us in our own unique circumstances, in the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that He had provided to us. We should do our best in our respective areas and places of responsibility, in whatever vocations that the Lord has called us to do, so that by our every words, actions and deeds, by our every efforts and endeavours, we may truly bear faithful witness to the Lord and glorify His Name at all times.

Today, all of us are called to be like David, the King of Israel, in humbling ourselves before the Lord and asking for His guidance and wisdom at all times, in living our lives virtuously and righteously, in embracing the Lord and His love wholeheartedly at all times. And today, we also have another role model to follow in our own lives as Christians, based on the examples set by one of our holy predecessors, whose feast we celebrate today. St. Agatha of Sicily, a renowned martyr and saint from the time of the Great Persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperors can indeed inspire us to be better Christians in true deeds and actions.

St. Agatha was born into a noble Roman family and she made a vow of holy and perpetual virginity, which she offered to God freely and wholeheartedly. Her great beauty was noted by a pagan Roman prefect named Quintianus, who did all he could to try to persuade and coax her to marry him. But despite his best efforts, his pressure and even threats, all those could not sway St. Agatha from abandoning her vow of virginity and her faith in the Lord. She remained resolute in her conviction and desire to follow the Lord, even when pressures and threats were piled up against her to conform to what the society demanded of her.

As that time coincided with the intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Decius, which was a particularly brutal period of intense persecution against Christians, the displeased and disappointed prefect reported St. Agatha to the authorities, and as the prefect Quintianus himself presided over the trial, he hoped that the threat of suffering and death would make St. Agatha to give up her stubborn resistance and refusal to abandon her faith in God. Instead, St. Agatha remained even more ardent in her faith and refused to give up, entrusting her fate completely to the Lord, not fearing the harsh persecutions and sufferings that would surely be hers for having stood up for her faith.

She prayed to the Lord saying, “Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, You know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am Your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil.” And despite the efforts the prefect tried to incarcerate, torture and make her life difficult, St. Agatha would not be swayed and she remained faithful to the very end. She was tortured with all sorts of punishments, and had her breasts cut, surviving a burning at the stake before eventually dying in prison, remaining faithful to the very end. Her great courage and faith, her enduring trust and love for the Lord even in the face of greatest hardships should indeed inspire us all to live our own Christian faith with greater sincerity and courage at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from our Scripture passages today and from the life examples and inspirations from the life of St. Agatha of Sicily, holy woman and devout servant of God, let us all continue to commit ourselves with greater devotion and strength, and do our very best at every circumstances and opportunities so that we may indeed be truly faithful, zealous and worthy disciples of the Lord, in leading many more souls to the salvation in God. May God therefore bless us all and guide us all with His strength and wisdom at all times, that we may truly always be fruitful in our every efforts and endeavours for His greater glory. Amen.

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Wednesday, 4 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, let us all look through them carefully and see how God has wanted us all to remember that worldly desires and ambitions can easily lead us down the path to ruin, and that is why we have to always be careful in not allowing those things to bring us down because we cannot restrain ourselves and falling ever deeper as a result into the path of ruin and damnation. Instead, as Christians, as the faithful disciples and followers of the Lord, we should always strive to live our lives focusing our attention on the Lord and living virtuously and righteously in the manner that God Himself has shown and taught us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the moment when King David, the famous king and ruler of Israel, at the later years of his reign, ordered a great census of all the whole land of his dominion, which then led to a rebuke from his commander Joab who sarcastically remarked about David’s command, which was in fact probably God speaking to David for his choice of actions. It was not that having a census was a wrong thing to do, as a census can be very important for good governance and administration of the kingdom, and therefore for the provision of better welfare for the people of God.

However, the reason why David erred in his choice and decision to carry out the census was because he made that decision out of pride and moment of arrogance because he has been secure in his rule and reign, and his dominion has become very extensive and ruling over a growing population of the Israelites. Just like someone counting his or her money and wealth so that he or she can revel and rejoice in all those, and feeling proud with every cents counted, having that exhilaration and desire fulfilled, thus, David’s actions could be seen from this same angle, in him feeling good when he knew the breadth of his lands and dominion, and the numbers of the people who lived in his kingdom, how many people under arms and his soldiers, as a measure of greatness and blessings that surpassed that of many other countries at that time.

That was why David’s action was considered as being disobedient to God and as unbecoming of him as a virtuous and righteous ruler. And we heard how David immediately regretted his actions and realised the gravity of his mistakes and errors, but the deed had been done, and as a result, retribution came from God against Israel for the faults that David had committed, as a reminder for not just him but also all of us today of the dangers and consequences of our actions when done in contrary to what the Lord has shown and taught us all. We have to resist the temptations of pride and ego, ambition, jealousy and desire, all the desires and wants for the pleasures and glory of the world that can lead us astray in life.

And linking this to our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we can see how it is worldly glory, ambitions, pride and all those things, like ego and arrogance which had caused a lot of hardships, difficulties and becoming significant obstacle in the path of the Lord’s works and ministry, just as it had happened at the very own hometown where the Lord grew up in as mentioned in the Gospel, that is in Nazareth. As we heard in the Gospel today, the people of Nazareth refused to listen to the truth that the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, and they doubted Him and His miraculous works, which had been told to them and which they definitely had heard about, as the Lord’s miracles and works were happening in the surrounding regions of Galilee.

The people of Nazareth hardened their hearts and minds, especially because they thought that they knew the Lord better, Who He was, His identity and everything, as they had seen Him for many years since He was very young. To the people of Nazareth, the Lord Jesus was no more than the Son of a local carpenter, St. Joseph, who was the foster father of Jesus. As St. Joseph was legally married to Mary, the Mother of the Lord, therefore, most if not all of the people of Nazareth would have assumed and thought that this Man, Jesus before them, was just a carpenter’s Son, and while carpenter was a noble and important profession, nonetheless, at that time, as it is still today, it is a rather low-regarded profession, a position without much prestige or honour.

That was why, in a community which was quite well stratified at that time, with the religious and intellectual elites at the top, like the Pharisees and the Sadducees at the pinnacle of the community, to have a Man coming to them at the synagogue proclaiming that God’s prophecies and words were being fulfilled through Him would be tantamount to blasphemy and making a wild claim. That was why the Lord’s words and attempts to convince His own townspeople were met with apathy and lack of belief. This was mainly because they proudly and arrogantly thought that because He was just merely the Son of the local carpenter, of a relatively small and poor town in Galilee, in the periphery of the Jewish world at the time, then He could not have been true in whatever He was saying and working on.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scripture readings today, we are reminded therefore of the harm and danger of allowing our pride, ego, ambition, arrogance, our human frailty and all the worldly things and pursuits which can prevent us from coming towards the Lord with genuine faith and devotion, and we may end up distracting ourselves with our own worldly pursuits that we fail to notice the Lord’s guidance and presence in our lives around us. We should indeed remind ourselves that we should always be ready to allow the Lord to guide us in each and every moments of our lives, and we must not let worldly temptations, desires and ambitions from leading us astray. As Christians, let us all show good examples for our fellow brethren, in how we live our lives with humility and willingness to walk with the Lord at all times. Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Ansgar, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we heard today from the readings and passages of the Sacred Scriptures of the great love that a parent has for the child he has, and also how God has shown us all His great love and kindness, in extending His ever generous love and compassion to all of us His children and beloved ones. We are reminded that we should appreciate this unconditional and generous love we have, which King David has shown in his love for his son Absalom, despite the latter having rebelled against him and wanting to overthrow him, amongst other vile things this wayward son had done to his father. That is why as Christians, all of us are called to show love in the same way too, to our brothers and sisters all around us, especially to all those who are truly beloved and dear to us.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story of the conclusion of the rebellion of Absalom, the eldest son of King David. For the context, Absalom rose up against David after having plotted with some other figures in David’s court and rebelled against his own father by courting support from the people throughout the kingdom, convincing them that he would make a better king than that of his father. Such was the support for Absalom that according to the earlier part of the accounts in the Bible, David and his loyal supporters had to leave the capital, Jerusalem in haste, leaving some of the concubines and other followers of David behind in the city. In spite of his father, Absalom even slept with some of the royal women and concubines, and these showed just how many wicked things this ungrateful son did to his father.

Yet, as we heard in today’s first reading passage, when the final battle between David’s forces and the rebellious forces led by Absalom took place, and Absalom was killed when he was cornered by the guards of David, despite the specific orders from David that his son was not to be harmed. Joab, David’s commander of the guard and his close confidant who had often acted independently on his own whim was the one who killed Absalom against the express orders from his king, likely because he knew that David would forgive Absalom and that would lead to more troubles in the future, but Joab was thinking in practical and worldly terms, and not in the manner of what someone faithful to the Lord should have done in killing a helpless man, no matter what faults the man had done.

When the news of Absalom’s death was relayed to David, we heard the great grief that David had for his dead son, no matter what the latter had done to his own father. And in this we can see the essence of true, unconditional, generous and most beautiful Christian love that all of us are called to have and to commit in our own lives, following the example of God Himself and that of King David. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because similar to how David had loved his son Absalom despite the disobedience, hurt and disappointments that the latter had caused, in the same way therefore God has loved us all unconditionally and most generously, extending His love, compassion and mercy towards us all ever patiently and lovingly despite our sins and rebelliousness, our disobedience and refusal to follow Him.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the two miracles which the Lord performed as He was asked by Jairus, a synagogue official to heal his sick daughter. And we can already see how Jairus really loved his daughter that he made all the trouble to go and find the Lord, asking Him to heal her from her illness. In this account of the miracles that the Lord performed in our Gospel passage today, we also heard then of the great love and compassion that God has for all those seeking His mercy and healing, as He showed His kindness and love to the woman suffering from haemorrhage and in raising the daughter of Jairus from the dead.

Through the miracles that He Himself had performed, the Lord wanted to show each and every one of us that we are all truly dear and beloved to Him, and if we put our faith and trust in Him, there is nothing that is impossible for Him, and not even death can overcome Him, for He Himself is the Lord and Master over life and death. He wants to show us all how we should love in the manner that He has done, ever more generously and sincerely, in loving Him first and foremost, and then to do the same towards everyone around us, particularly all those whom He has entrusted to us to love. That is why we are reminded today of this important mission we have in life as we heard of today’s Scripture readings.

Today, all of us should also be inspired by the examples of St. Blaise and St. Ansgar, two great saints whose feasts we celebrate this day. St. Blaise and St. Ansgar were both faithful and courageous servants of the Lord, who dedicated their lives to their respective ministries and also led holy and devout lives, as good role models and inspirations for many of us Christians across the ages. St. Blaise was a Roman bishop and martyr, who was also a renowned physician, while St. Ansgar was a Frankish and German bishop well-known for his evangelising missions and efforts to reach out to the pagans and unbelievers in the distant parts of northern Europe, and through whose works many became believers in Christ.

St. Blaise was renowned for his great compassion and kindness, as a physician who was able to heal many of their physical ailments, and also were sought by many for their spiritual and mental ailments. He cared for many of them, and healed all of them by the grace of God, some even miraculously. It was told by tradition that he even healed animals as well, and those same animals came to him just like the many other sick men and women, seeking for healing and recovery. He also cared for the spiritual needs of his flock as their bishop, and helped many to find their way to the Lord. Afterwards, Christians were persecuted intensely by the Roman Emperor Licinius, in one of the last persecutions of the Roman Empire period. Many Christians including that of St. Blaise himself were arrested, tortured and martyred. St. Blaise himself was arrested, scourged and beheaded for his faith.

Meanwhile, St. Ansgar was renowned as mentioned earlier, in his missionary efforts and works, traversing many areas beyond the traditional boundaries of Christendom back then, preaching about the Lord among many of those who have not yet known or heard of Him, and as the Archbishop of Hamburg and Bremen in what is now Northern Germany, St. Ansgar dedicated much of his time establishing the Church and its institutions, and expanding the Church’s reach among the people. Many more people came to believe in the Lord through him and through all those whom he has gathered to the same mission of the Church. His dedication, hard work and love for his flock, and for all the people of God, just as what St. Blaise has shown in his faith and life, should indeed be inspiration to all of us as Christians, in how we ought to live our lives faithfully.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of the great saints, St. Blaise and St. Ansgar, in their dedication and love for God and in their love for their fellow brethren. Let us all as Christians be truly genuine in our way of loving for everyone around us so that by our love and exemplary lives filled with true and genuine faith in God, we will touch and inspire the lives of so many others all around us. May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to bless and guide us in everything that we do, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 2 February 2026 : Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas, the fortieth day of Christmas. This is the day which in accordance to longstanding Christian tradition, is the last day of the great 40 days long celebration of the Christmas season. On this day, the fortieth day since we celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we commemorate His Presentation at the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God. Traditionally, this date also marks the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which Mary, after having spent forty days in confinement after childbirth, according to the Jewish laws and customs, was purified at the House of God and was welcomed back into the community of God’s people.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people through the prophet Malachi, we heard of the Lord speaking of the Covenant which He has established with His people and the Envoy of this Covenant which was coming into the world. This prophecy was often referred to the promise of the coming of the Messiah, the Holy One of God and also His herald, St. John the Baptist. In the context of today’s celebration, we are reminded of the expectation of the coming of the Saviour from the Lord, which the prophets had been proclaiming and reassuring the people of God for ages. The prophet Malachi was one of the last prophets of the Old Testament era, who continued the traditions of the prophets in delivering the words of God to His people. Through his words and ministry, the people kept on waiting patiently for the coming of the Lord’s salvation.

If Christmas marks the moment when the Lord entered into this world and appeared at last, bringing forth God’s salvation and hope, and if Epiphany marks the moment when He was revealed to the nations, to the pagan peoples and all mankind through the Three Magi or Wise Men, then this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord marks the moment when the Lord appeared and was presented not only before the Lord but also before the people of God, those who belonged to the nation of Israel. Indeed, some would have said that the Angels had appeared to the shepherds in the wilderness of Bethlehem when the Lord was born, but it was at the moment of the Lord’s Presentation at the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God, that He was revealed to the Jewish people, to the people to whom God had promised His salvation.

The coming of the Lord and His Presentation as we heard in our Gospel passage today marked the fulfilment of the Lord’s many promises and the renewal of His Covenant which He has reassured His people again and again every time. The elderly Simeon and the prophetess Anna both witnessed the coming of the Lord in the form of the little Child, presented there that day at the Temple and House of God, and they must have been so joyful to have glimpsed the coming of God’s salvation in the flesh, before their very own eyes. And they spoke of the many great things which the Lord would do through His Son, to His parents, Mary and St. Joseph and to all those who were assembled and present there at the Temple on that day. Truly today we celebrate the Lord’s revelation to His people, the coming and appearance of His Light in this world.

That is why today’s celebration is also known as the Candlemas, the celebration of the Light of Christ revealed to all of the people of God and to all the nations. On this day we recall how the Lord has shown us His most amazing love and revealed to us His Light through His Son, so that there is Light that illuminates our path in this darkened and sinful world. All of us have received the assurances from the Lord of His love and salvation, and this day we are reminded that everything that He has ever promised and spoken to us, all have come true in Christ, our Lord and Saviour. It is thanks to the coming of the Lord that all of us can have hope again, and His Light has come into our midst to dwell among us, that we have seen the path out of the darkness and despair that surround us, the Light that is our guide and strength amidst the hardships and challenges facing us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now as we rejoice today on this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, let us all also then take note that the Light of Christ has been passed on to us, just as we have the blessing of candles this day, to remind us of the Light of Christ that we all have received at our baptism. All of us have received the Light of the Lord and His Light having been present in us, should be the source of light for this world, for one another. What does this mean? It means that we should be beacons of God’s Light, His truth, love and all the hope which He has brought into our midst, taught and revealed to us. As Christians, all of us have received this truth and share this same knowledge and love of God, and we should therefore be the bearers of His Light in our world today.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can we be truly worthy disciples of the Lord and the bearers of His Light in our world today? In order to do that, then all of us have to be filled with the Light of Christ, filled with God’s righteousness, virtues and justice. All of us have to live our lives to the best of our abilities so that we may become source of inspiration and hope for others, and that we may help others to find their way in obeying the Law and the commandments of God. Each and every one of us are parts of the Church’s effort to evangelise and to proclaim the truth of God to more and more of the people all around us, both within and outside the Church. Each one of us are the bearers of His Good News and truth, and through us many people may come to find our way to salvation and eternal life.

May the Lord continue to lead and guide us down this path of righteousness. May all of us continue to strive to live our lives as best as we can in showing our faith truly through our every day actions, even in the smallest and the seemingly most insignificant things we do in life. May all of us continue to be encouraged to live our lives to the fullest, and may He empower all of us to walk in His presence, and to glorify Him, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 1 February 2026 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded through the passages of the Sacred Scriptures which we have heard and received, that each and every one of us as Christians, as the holy and beloved people of God, those who have been called and chosen by Him, all of us should live our lives in the manner that the Lord has shown and taught us Himself, and also which He has guided us all through His Church and our Christian faith. All of us have been taught what it means to be good disciples and followers of the Lord, in loving God first and foremost and then applying the same love to our fellow brothers and sisters, and especially more so to the ones that God has entrusted to us to love.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, in which we heard of the prophecy of the coming of good and blessed days for the people of God, the Israelites, whom by the time of the prophet Zephaniah’s ministry had been facing a lot of hardships and struggles. The prophet Zephaniah himself according to Biblical and prophetic evidences was supposedly active during the reign of the last kings of the southern kingdom of Judah, particularly that of King Josiah, the last of the righteous kings to rule over God’s people. The northern kingdom of Israel had been destroyed and its people brought into exile, the lands and cities desolated and inhabited by foreigners for about a century by that time, all because of their disobedience and sins.

And amidst that background and context, the prophet Zephaniah delivered a reassuring promise from the Lord Himself that He would find bring them all to justice and those who were meek and lowly, the poor of the land would be vindicated, and they would all indeed receive the assurance of God’s ever enduring love and grace, which He has always committed to them, through the Covenant that He had made and constantly renewed with them and with their ancestors. This is a reminder also for all of us that God always loves each and every one of His people, and He never abandons them even when they themselves had constantly disobeyed and disregarded Him and His Law. He always reached out to them and giving them hope and reassurance of His constant presence and guidance in all things.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul speaking to the people of God there about how God has chosen those whom the world has considered to be ordinary, unimportant and without the qualities that many in the world deems to be better and worthy. This does not mean that God never chose anyone who is deemed wise, good and worthy by the world to be His followers, disciples and to be Christians like us, as that was not what St. Paul or the Lord Himself intended. Instead, what the intention truly was is that the Lord is the One Who made us worthy and He is the One Who empowered us all to be the better version of who we are.

It is not us who deem ourselves worthy, and worse still, we should not think that we are in any way superior to others simply because of our faith or our way of living our lives as Christians. Ultimately, each and every one of us are equally beloved and dear to God, and every one of us are precious to Him. And what St. Paul made in comment in today’s passage from his Epistle was intended also to educate the people of God, especially those from the Jewish origin as at that time, there were those like the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and others who deemed themselves better and superior, spiritually better and more worthy than others whom they deemed to be sinful and unworthy, such as the tax collectors, prostitutes and those who were suffering from diseases.

This is not what the Lord wanted from His people, and something which St. Paul and the other Christian missionaries therefore highlighted in their message and preaching of the Christian truth and Good News in their missions and works among the people. God loves everyone regardless of their origins and backgrounds, and He does not have any favourites, and neither was He judgmental or biased against a certain group simply because they were seen to be less than worthy and more likely to commit sin because of their circumstances and way of living their lives. God loves everyone equally and He wants us all to know that there is no one that is excluded from His love and grace, His compassion and mercy.

Finally, from the Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was preaching to the people gathered to listen to Him with the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ or also known as ‘The Beatitudes’, which was a series of eight blessings or beatitudes which the Lord pronounced to those people who have lived virtuously and worthily in accordance to what God had called them to do in their lives. And through those, we are reminded yet again that the Lord is not calling the mighty and the glorious, but rather the meek, the humble and all those who are truly worthy of the Lord and His kingdom. The Lord uplifts and honours those who have been truly faithful towards Him as He has highlighted it, and we should hence take note of this in our own actions in life.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that we should strive to be like what the Lord mentioned in His Beatitudes, firstly being ‘poor in spirit’, which does not mean being physically or materially poor, but rather having an attitude of humility and desiring fulfilment in God, something which many of us tend to lack in a world full of ego and ambition. And also those who have faced hardships, sorrows, persecutions, those who hunger for justice, and those with pure intentions and pure hearts, full of love for God and for others, as these are the qualities that God is seeking in us. All of us are also called to work for peace in this world, for harmony and love between people, and for righteousness among the nations.

These are all that the Lord has entrusted to all of us as His disciples and followers to do, in living our lives to the best of our abilities as good and inspirational role models and examples. This is why as Christians we should always strive to live our lives with great faith and trust in the Lord, in doing whatever we can to follow the Lord faithfully at all times. We should not worry whether we are good enough or worthy of the Lord, because it is the Lord Himself Who will make us worthy of Him, strengthening, empowering and encouraging us with His blessings, opportunities, talents and the many other things He has given us all so that we may make good use of them in bringing forth His love, truth and Good News into this world.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen us all in faith, now and always so that by our actions, words and deeds, we will always be the worthy examples and inspirations for many others all around us, in following God’s will and in doing what is right and just according to what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.