revelation of truth

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Tuesday, 25 August 2026 : 21st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Louis, and St. Joseph Calasanz, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are all reminded to distance ourselves from the taints of hypocrisy and all sorts of temptations to sin, especially the temptation of worldly desires and pleasures, worldly glory, fame and renown, all of which can distract us in our journey towards the Lord. Through our Scripture readings today we are all reminded how there had been many people who were entrusted with the faith and the responsibility to guide their fellow faithful ones, and yet they failed to do their duties and responsibilities appropriately as they should have done. We are hence reminded that we must do better and do our very best to continue keeping our focus on the Lord in our daily living.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord rebuking the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for their behaviour and way of living their faith lives, and especially in how they misused their authority as well as their hypocrisy and their imposition of very strict and harsh rules and regulations pertaining to the Law on the entire people of Israel. They demanded their portion and for the people to respect and to support them, and yet at the same time, they looked down on all those whom they deemed to be less worthy, the ones like the tax collectors, the prostitutes and all those who were inflicted with various diseases and illnesses, and many others. They thought of themselves as being better and superior than others around them, more worthy of God’s grace and blessings than those whom they were prejudiced against.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law demanded an external application of the Law, and they paraded themselves in doing all the things that people could witness and see them doing, praying aloud in the synagogues and in the streets, and they similarly imposed this bias and preferences in what they taught the people of God through their actions and words. But they had failed to realise that obeying the words of the letter of the Law is empty and meaningless unless one also understands and appreciates the meaning and the Spirit of the same Law. One can easily obey the Law to the letter but without understanding the importance and significance of why one has done so, which actually distracts us from truly being able to follow God wholeheartedly.

That is why the Lord was so critical on them and their actions. Their actions and irresponsible behaviour had made it difficult for many to seek the Lord and not only that, but it likely also turned many people away from God and His salvation, since the conditions and requirements which they imposed on everyone were so difficult, tough and yet unnecessary, that many people simply did not make the effort to come closer to God and instead remained in their state of sin. That way, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law whom God had entrusted with His people, had not done as they were supposed to do, and in their obedience to the Law, they were also selective and focused more on the externals rather than a wholesome application of the Law of God, and a better understanding of the ‘Spirit of the Law’.

The Lord told His people that in order for us to truly love and serve the Lord, we have to have that proper understanding of His truth and love, and obey His Law wholeheartedly instead of just obeying blindly or paying lip service or only seeking for external application or holding up appearances only. Each one of us must live our lives with faith and practice our faith with genuine dedication and commitment, at every available opportunities and at every moments, or else we may end up causing scandal on the Lord and His Church, and we may have to be responsible for making people to be more distant from God just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done. As Christians, that is as those whom the Lord had called and chosen to be His own, and to whom through His Church, He Himself has revealed His truth and Good News to us, we ought to show genuine faith based on deep understanding of the Lord and His intentions and love for us.

That is why today we are all called to reflect on our way of life and see carefully how we can better commit ourselves from now on with faith, in following the Lord in all the path of our lives, and at all times. Each one of us have been called to reflect on the path that we should be taking moving forward in life, so that our actions and words, our deeds and everything may always be aligned with God and His will, with His teachings and with His revelation of truth. We are all presented with the opportunities and the many circumstances through which we will be able to find our way to do things in accordance to our calling and God’s will. It is up to us then whether we want to follow the path that the Lord has called us to walk through and which He has been preparing us for.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints, holy men of God whose lives and faith in God should be sources of strength and inspiration for all of us to follow, so that we may all know how we should also dedicate ourselves, our time and effort to serve the Lord wholeheartedly if we have not yet done so. One of them is St. Louis of France, also known better as King Louis IX of France, a great and renowned King of France and holy servant of God. Meanwhile, the other one is St. Joseph Calasanz, a renowned Spanish Catholic priest remembered for his dedication to the less fortunate, especially to those who did not have access to education and proper upbringing in life, by establishing schools and institutions to help them. Both of them were remembered for their great commitment and dedication to God, their piety and love for both God and their fellow brothers and sisters alike, and for all the efforts that they had done for the greater glory of God and for the good of the people of God.

St. Louis, as the King of France, Louis IX, was a great king remembered for his many efforts to improve the livelihood of his people, working hard to ensure the well-being and prosperity of his people and kingdom, in his efforts to spread the Good News and the works of the Church by his support of various Church institutions and efforts. He was also well-known for his efforts in eradicating heresies and false teachings as was rampant at that time with the Albigensian heresy, which led to the efforts known as the Albigensian Crusades, where many priests and other missionaries went to convert the people back to the truth of God, having been deluded and misled by the falsehoods of the Cathars that led to the Albigensian heresy. St. Louis dedicated himself to the greater glory of God, and did everything he could for the glory of God, and had done so much for the prosperity and future of those entrusted under his care.

St. Joseph Calasanz was born into a family of minor Spanish nobleman, and he was brought up with good education and upbringing which likely gave a good impression on him on the importance of education on the youth and children. It also brought up in him the desire to become a priest, in serving the Lord in greater ways. This was initially opposed by his parents, but after a great sickness that almost led him to his death, eventually his father relented and allowed St. Joseph Calasanz to be a priest. As a priest, he dedicated himself to many great works and missions, and paid particular focus as mentioned to the youths and children who had not been able to access education. He helped to establish and open the first free public school in all of Europe, and establishing even more public schools and institutions meant to help and assist many people who have been disadvantaged. He continued to commit himself to this mission and encourage many more efforts to be done for the sick, the disadvantaged and the uneducated, to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the life stories and the works of St. Louis and St. Joseph Calasanz, all of us should be reminded that in our daily lives, we should also show forth genuinely our faith in the Lord, our God, through our kind and loving actions to one another especially to all those who are suffering and facing hardships and difficulties in life. If we cannot be truly genuine in how we love others around us, especially those whom we ought love the most and those who have loved us so much, and also those who need our love, then we cannot truly call ourselves as genuine and faithful Christians. We will be no better than those Pharisees and teachers of the Law who put appearances and personal ambitions ahead of their responsibilities as God’s people. May the Lord help and guide us always in everything we do, so that we will always be faithful to Him in all things and at all times. Amen.

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Monday, 24 August 2026 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord, and therefore one of the great pillars of the Church. St. Bartholomew was also likely known as Nathanael as according to today’s Gospel passage, one of the Lord’s Twelve Apostles was one named Nathanael, whom the Lord called in an amazing way, and known for his great intellect and wisdom. There was no one else among the known Twelve Apostles who can fit the description of Nathanael except for St. Bartholomew the Apostle. There was scant reference to him otherwise in the Scriptures, but Church and Apostolic traditions and histories had extensive details about the efforts and works of St. Bartholomew, including that of his ministry and his martyrdom, how he died in the face of opposition and persecution against Christians.

St. Bartholomew was likely named as such because he was the son of a man named Talmai or Ptolemy, with the ‘bar’ in Hebrew meaning ‘son of’. As Ptolemy or Ptolemeus at that time was a Greek name, it was likely that he was a Hellenised Jew, with the given name of Nathanael. He was a wise and learned man, who knew the Law and the Prophets well, just as we heard in our Gospel passage today. In what he said upon knowing that the Lord Jesus had come from the region of Nazareth in Galilee, with the words, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’, it indicated to us his familiarity with the prophets and their prophecies about the coming of the Messiah or the Saviour of Israel. But the Lord convinced Nathanael and showed Him His power, wisdom and truth, as He told him that He saw him below the fig tree, revealing His ability to know the thoughts and the location of Nathanael, showing that He was truly the Messiah of God promised to the people that He loved. Thus, Nathanael or St. Bartholomew recognised the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel, the Holy One of God.

Later on, after everything that happened with the Lord and His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, and the events surrounding His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit, it was told according to the Apostolic traditions that St. Bartholomew went on missions to spread the Good News and truth of God to many distant places including India and Armenia among other places. In India, it was told that St. Bartholomew went to the ancient city of Kalyan and other places, spreading the word of God and His truth, complementing the works of St. Thomas who also went to that land. He also went to Armenia as mentioned, together with another Apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus, in proclaiming the Good News and in calling more and more people to come to know their Lord and Saviour. In his travels and works throughout that region, St. Bartholomew managed to gain converts to the true Faith, while facing opposition and hardships in the midst of his missions.

In Armenia, it was told that St. Bartholomew managed to convert the ruler or king of Armenia named Polymius, who embraced the Christian faith because of the preaching and the works of St. Bartholomew. This brought about a resistance from the pagans and the powerful nobles, led by the king’s brother, Astyages, who therefore ordered the arrest and then torture of St. Bartholomew. In what would become truly renowned about St. Bartholomew, the Apostle was flayed or skinned alive and then beheaded. Thus, that is why many of the portrayals of St. Bartholomew showed the Apostle holding onto his own flayed skin. Another tradition stated that St. Bartholomew was crucified upside-down in the manner just like another Apostle, St. Peter. In the end, regardless in what way St. Bartholomew was martyred, what matters is that he died defending his faith, and suffered just as the Lord Himself had suffered, for the glory of God and for the good of His people.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Apostle, St. Bartholomew, on this day, let us all therefore reflect upon the actions and dedication which St. Bartholomew had shown the Lord and all of us, in everything he had done, in all the works and missions he had gone to, in proclaiming the Good News of God courageously and fearlessly, and in living his life with great virtues and examples, that many were convinced by his words and actions, in accepting and embracing the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Master, and as their Saviour and King. For all that he had done, in doing God’s will to the very end, St. Bartholomew has been glorified and raised to the bliss and joy of Heaven, as the Lord had promised to all those who have been faithful to Him. As we heard in our first reading today, from the Revelation or Apocalypse of St. John, we heard how St. John saw the vision of the New Jerusalem, with the names of the Apostles inscribed upon its gates.

Thus, that is how the Lord will also treat all those who have been faithful and true to Him, all those who have given their lives to His cause, like all the Apostles and the holy saints and martyrs, and the innumerable other holy men and women, who have gone before us, and whose lives shone forth with great virtue and faith. Their works and examples should serve inspiration to all of us as Christians, God’s beloved people and disciples, on how each and every one of us should be living our own lives with faith. We should be inspired and strengthened by their examples, particularly that of St. Bartholomew, in how we should act and do our best to love one another, and to proclaim God’s truth and Good News by our faithful lives. This is our calling as Christians, and what each and every one of us should do, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore all of us are reminded today that we cannot be idle in the living of our faith in life. Each one of us have been blessed and given the grace of God’s love and kindness, His gifts, talents, abilities and the various opportunities that have been presented to us. If the Apostles and the other holy saints and martyrs had not done what they did for the sake of the Lord, in doing what the Lord had called and told them to do, in making the effort and in sacrificing time and their comfort for the spread of the Good News and the Light of God’s truth, in sharing His love and compassionate mercy, many souls including ours would have been doomed to damnation, and we might not have received His love and kindness, His truth and Good News, His salvation and grace. We are all called and inspired to do our best that our lives may truly reflect our Christian faith and all that the Lord had taught us to do, just as St. Bartholomew had done with his life.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen all of us, in our every works and actions, in every moments of our lives. May He inspire and empower all of us so that we may serve Him ever more faithfully and with greater courage, in the manner that St. Bartholomew, and the other Holy Apostles, saints and martyrs had done. All of us are part of the Lord’s Church and each one of us are integral part of the missions which God has entrusted to us. Let us all strive to commit our every time and effort to glorify God and to seek the betterment of all mankind. May God bless us all and bless our every works, and may He remain with us always, and strengthen us in all of our endeavours. St. Bartholomew, Holy Apostle of the Lord, pray for us all sinners. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 August 2026 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as all of us are reminded of the Lord Who called all those whom He deemed to be worthy and just, and empowered them to be His servants and stewards, to be caretakers and guides, leaders and shepherds for His people. God called on us all to follow Him and He raised those who are humble and faithful to Him, and empowered them in their lives and actions that they might do His great and wonderful deeds, while all those who took great pride and power in their own achievements and glory, all those faltered and fell astray in their path. Their pride and ego became their downfall, as they trusted more in their own might and power rather than to have faith and trust in God. As our Scripture passages today highlighted, that all those who trusted the Lord and had faith in Him, would truly be blessed and made great by God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet spoke of God’s words to His people, relating about one particular man named Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, who according to the Scriptures and historical evidences served as the steward, caretaker and some sort of chief or prime minister in the court and government of the Kingdom of Judah, then ruled by King Hezekiah, one of the good and faithful kings. This Eliakim was appointed into his position to replace one particular Shebna, who was the steward or prime minister immediately before Eliakim. According to Scriptural and historical evidences, Shebna was cast out because of his pride and ego, his dependance on his own power and machinations of state rather than in trusting in God’s power and providence, trusting in his own intrigues, diplomatic and political power play rather than to follow the Lord and His path.

As such, what we have heard today in our first reading today is a reminder for all of us that pride and ambition will likely lead to our downfall. According to additional archaeological and Scriptural evidence, the same Shebna was an ambitious man who carved a tomb for himself, which was only allowed for the kings. He was also corrupt and power hungry, and through his political machinations, he attempted to steer his country Judah into dangerous alliances and paths. Thus, another man was appointed into his position, which was Eliakim as mentioned because this person was likely to be truly dedicated to his people and kingdom, and to the Lord, rather than serving his own purposes and seeking for his own ambitions. The prophet Isaiah therefore spoke highly of Eliakim, who in this case also prefigured the coming of Christ and His role in establishing His Church, and how He entrusted it to those whom He had chosen.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew of the interactions between the Lord and His closest disciples, the members of the Twelve. He asked them earnestly and openly, Who they were thinking or considering that He was. And we heard in that well-known exchanges what the Lord was commonly thought to be at that time, such as one of the Prophets, or the prophet Elijah and other holy man of God. However, St. Peter, the one of the most vocal and faithful among the disciples spoke frankly that they all believe that He is the Messiah, the Holy One of God that has been promised by God to His people, and the Son of God. And for speaking the truth, through the inspiration of faith and the Spirit of God, the Lord blessed St. Peter and granted him the important role of steward and guide, shepherd and leader of all the faithful.

In what is clearly seen as a parallel of our first reading passage today, prefigured by the figure of Eliakim the steward in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we saw how the Lord entrusted  His Church that He has established to St. Peter and the other Apostles, with St. Peter, whose name means ‘Rock’, as the foundation of the Church and together with the other Apostles serve as the strong foundation, pillars of strength and support through whom the Church was established and was strengthened, and through whose works, the many great achievements and works of the Lord through His Church were initiated and made. St. Peter himself was known as Simon, the son of Jonah, hence what the Lord called him today before He told them of his mission, as Simon bar Jonah, or Simon the son of Jonah or John. When the Lord told Simon that ‘You are Peter’, essentially, the Lord entrusted to him a new command and mission.

Compare this to how in the other parts of the Scriptures, some other important figures had also gone through the same process, with Abram and Sarai, the ones through whom the whole people of Israel and many other nations originated from, were known by their new names of Abraham and Sarah after God had established His Covenant with them, as well as Jacob himself, the forefather of all the Israelites, who was named as Israel after God encountered him upon his return to the land promised to him, his forefathers and descendants, and through which all the Israelites got their name from. There were others like King Solomon who had a new name ‘Jedediah’ or ‘beloved of the Lord’ bestowed upon him by God through the prophet Nathan, and of course among the Apostles, we have Levi the tax collector whose name was changed into Matthew after he followed the Lord, and Simon himself, who henceforth became known as Peter. There was also a change for Saul, who changed the name by which he was known to Paul, after his conversion.

All of them went through a period of change and transformation, with that name change signifying the call of the Lord to His people to follow Him and to embrace the missions and all that He would entrust to them, to each one of us, in everything that all of us can do for His cause. For St. Peter in particular, this small and insignificant, brash and uneducated man from Galilee, a mere fisherman and a nobody was appointed by God to be His chief steward, as the leader, shepherd and guide to all of His faithful ones. God did not call the mighty and the powerful, the proud or the haughty, those who were ambitious and served their own glory to be His servants and disciples, but rather those who had the humility, desire and willingness to love and serve Him wholeheartedly, not for their own glory and benefits, but for the glory of God and for the good of all of God’s people.

St. Peter himself was not perfect and he had his flaws, just like all of us. He was brash and violent at times, as we all know how he cut off the ears of the servant of the High Priest, Malchus, at the time when the High Priest and his fellow priests sent guards to arrest the Lord at the Gardens of Gethsemane. He was also well-known for his thrice denial of the Lord at the moment just immediately after that, despite having declared that he would lay down his life for the Lord. All these showed us that St. Peter was a sinner and a weak man just like all of us, but what made him to stand out from others and how God chose and empowered him, was because of his great love and true dedication to God despite of all these imperfections and flaws. Like Eliakim mentioned in the first reading today, he must not have been a perfect person either, but unlike the Shebna mentioned earlier, he was humble and had the right disposition in following the Lord and His commandments, and in carrying out his duties and all that had been entrusted to him.

This is where all of us need to realise that the Church is the assembly of the Body of all the faithful people of God, all called and gathered by the Lord to follow His path, led by His Apostles and disciples. All of us are sinners called to follow the Lord and to embrace His path of redemption, to be converted and transformed from a people of darkness and sin into the blessed people of God’s Light and truth. That is why the Church is also known as a ‘hospital for sinners’ and not a ‘pedestal for the ambitious and those who are self-righteous’. All the saints and great holy men and women of old, all of them were also themselves sinners, and they all embraced God and His path, allowing Him to empower and transform them to be great role models and inspirations for all of us. They were glorified, honoured and great not because of their own power but because of what God had done through them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why each and every one of us are reminded today that we are all also called to the same mission and God has entrusted to us various vocations, missions and areas of responsibilities where we can contribute our efforts and works, our expertise and actions for the greater glory of God and for the good of our fellow brothers and sisters. All of us have been called to follow the Lord and to emulate the examples of our holy predecessors, whom God had called and chosen before us. And we have to realise the significance of what we heard today for ourselves, as mentioned earlier in how some of those servants of God had changed their names in symbolic transformation of their lives, as a moment when they embrace their new mission and calling in life, in following God wholeheartedly from then on.

It signified a moment of change and transformation, when one has been called to a particular mission and vocation, to do what God entrusted to them. God empowered them and gave them the strength and grace to do what they needed to do. Then, for each one of us? We have experienced the same in our own baptism, when we were initiated in our Christian faith, and also when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation. We adopted the name of saints as our baptismal names, and maybe another saint’s as our confirmation names. This signified our own commitment to do God’s will and to carry out whatever God has entrusted uniquely to each one of us, in our own areas of expertise and responsibilities. We are all God’s stewards, in whatever areas God entrusted us to do His will.

God empowers us, strengthens us and we are all reminded that, all that we do, in our various Church ministries, groups and organisations, should be done for the greater glory of God and for the good of those entrusted to us in our ministries and groups, and not for our own personal glory, ambition or ego. We may feel unworthy or not inclined to help and contribute, or feel that we are nobody or has nothing that we can contribute or give, comparing ourselves to those who we think are better than us, but let us not forget that, even the greatest of the saints were once sinners too. They chose to let God guide them and to do great things through them. And even they made mistakes after they had embraced the Lord and His path, as was only natural for them, for being imperfect just like any one of us, but they allowed God to help them to improve and to do better, and to rectify those mistakes to the best of their abilities.

Remember that it is God Who made them great, and not themselves. All of us, in the small little things we do to each other, in our various areas of expertise, responsibilities and in whatever vocations and commitment that we have been given, and what we have committed ourselves to the Lord, let us all do our very best, and allowing God to help and guide us in our path and journey. Let us all be the great sources of inspiration to one another and be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our world today. May God be glorified to us and may He empower us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 22 August 2026 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we honour Mary, the Mother of God through her motherhood of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who is truly the Son of God Most High, as acclaimed by the Archangel Gabriel in our Gospel passage today. And since the Lord Jesus is truly the King and Master of all the whole entire Universe, our great and sovereign King, therefore His Mother Mary is indeed a Queen, and hence today we rejoice in the glory and honour of Mary as Queen, in her various titles and honours as Queen of Heaven, as Queen of All Saints, Queen of Angels, Queen of Peace and others. We rejoice greatly in Mary’s Queenship because we see in her the perfect and most wonderful example of a faithful disciple and follower of our Lord.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, which is the same reading used on the Christmas Midnight Mass, telling us about the coming of the salvation of God, revealed to us through Mary, by her motherhood of the Saviour of the whole world, Jesus Christ, Who as the Son of God is the fulfilment of all the prophecies of the Messiah or Saviour that God had made through His prophets, and in particular what we have heard from the prophet Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah spoke of God’s Light and salvation that would come to the people who have lived in the darkness, promising to them the coming of the salvation in God, through the Holy Child that would be born, through a Virgin, a Woman, to the House of David, fulfilling everything that God had promised to His people, which were indeed fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

The words of the prophet Isaiah prefigured and revealed the nature of the Messiah or Saviour that God would send to His people, that this Saviour would be no less than God Himself manifested in the flesh, and dwelling among us, from His Name given to Isaiah, as Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’, and His many titles that are highlighted in today’s passage. After all, which man, no matter how great and powerful, and which Son, born of a Woman, would be titled as ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’? All these titles point out to the Saviour to be born of the Virgin woman, that He is to be God Himself, coming down to us in the appearance and nature of our human flesh, as both Son of God and Son of Man, which therefore made Mary, the Woman prophesied by Isaiah and the other prophets, to be the Mother of God.

And with reference to David, whose Heir and Son our Lord and Saviour is considered to be, Mary is truly a Queen because the mother of a King is considered a Queen, both during the time of King David of Israel, as well as other time and moments of history throughout the world, in the various kingdoms and dominions present in the past and present. The mother of the king is honoured as a queen mother, and is often accorded a position of great importance in the royal court, and is usually a highly honoured and respected advisor to the reigning monarch. For example, David’s son, King Solomon of Israel, had his mother, Bathsheba seated by his throne’s side as the Queen Mother of the kingdom, and he often asked her for advice and help in the ruling of his kingdom, and highly respected and honoured his mother in his rule.

Therefore, by comparing that example with that of the fact that Mary is the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, and our King, Jesus Christ, therefore, she is indeed a Queen, like that of other Queen Mothers of this world, past and present, honoured and respected by their relationship with the monarch, who is their sons or daughters. If we honour any earthly and worldly kings and rulers, it is not right for us to despise or disregard their mothers, and thus, similarly, it is not right for us to disregard and disrespect Mary, who is the Mother of God, if we truly love and honour the Lord, our God. We cannot claim to be Christ’s disciple, follower or His faithful ones if we treat Mary with disdain or contempt, or ignore her as if she is just like another ordinary human beings. Yes, there is no doubt that Mary is a human being just like us, but she has been prepared, by God’s singular grace, to be special, being full of grace and free from the taint of original sin, as the Church from its earliest days had believed.

That was why in our Gospel passage today, the Archangel Gabriel in the account of the Lord’s Annunciation greeted Mary with ‘Full of Grace’, which highlighted her special status as a hallowed being, spared by God from any taint of original sin, and through her total obedience to the will of God, her love for Him and her commitment, she has become the worthy vessel through whom the Saviour of this world, the Son of God Himself, became incarnate in the flesh, and entered into our world. Mary is the New Ark of the New Covenant, and the great Tabernacle of the Lord’s Holy Presence, through whom God is revealed to us all. And as last week we celebrate together, the Lord raised her up and assumed her into Heaven, body and soul, to be with Him and to rule together in Heaven, showing us all that Mary is truly a Queen worthy of our honour and respect.

With Mary, our Mother and Queen being by the side of her Son in Heaven, at the side of the Throne of God, all of us have a truly great ally in the daily struggles of life, and in all the challenges that this world present to us. Through Mary, all of us are shown the light of God’s salvation and grace, and we have the most sure and direct path to her Son, our Lord, Saviour and King. Mary has also been given to us as our Mother, as a loving mother to care for us and all of us as her beloved children. Mary has shown us the perfect example of faith and commitment, dedication and obedience to God and His will. She is also our greatest intercessor, ever praying and interceding on our behalf, and ever asking her Son to show us all His mercy, kindness and love, for us all sinners, her wayward sons and daughters.

Let us all seek to emulate Mary’s examples, and let us all strive to live our lives worthily of the Lord from now on. Let us all no longer be easily swayed and tempted by the allure of worldly glory, evils and wickedness, and by the temptations of our desires, greed, ambition and pride, all of which may end up leading us to our downfall. Let us all ask Mary, our Queen and Mother, to pray for us all and to help inspire us and guide us in our journey of faith and life, so that in all the things that we say and do, we will always strive to do our best to do God’s will, and to do what we can, in order to live lives that are truly exemplary and genuine as Christians, that is as God’s beloved and holy people. May the Lord continue to be with us and bless all of us in His Church, empowering us to be the shining beacons of His light and truth, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 21 August 2026 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Pius X, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that as Christians each and every one of us are called to a new life and existence in God, one that is filled with love and commitment to God, love for our fellow brothers and sisters, through our obedience to the Law and commandments that God had revealed and passed onto us. We are also reminded that it is through God that we may receive the gift of new life, as He has shown through the vision that He gave to the prophet Ezekiel, a new life through which He reinvigorates each one of us. God has always had us in His mind, with His loving gaze ever directed on us, even when we have sinned against Him and erred in our paths and journeys in life.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the great vision of Ezekiel who saw a great valley filled with innumerable bones, spreading throughout the entire valley, representing the bones of man, of God’s people, all those who had died and perished through sin and death. Yet, God showed Ezekiel His great might and power as He pronounced the coming of His salvation, as a premonition and prediction of what was to come, with the resurrection of the dead and the coming of His salvation in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the whole entire world. This vision of Ezekiel on the valley of bones served to reveal to man that the Lord is the Source and Master of all life, and beyond Him there is no true life or salvation, and without Him we shall perish.

Through the Lord, our whole beings receive life and meaning, filled with His love and grace. For without love and grace from God, then our bodies and existence would have been empty and meaningless. Without love from God, then no matter how great we are, we cannot truly live our lives as people of God, for it is through God that we have received this blessing and the opportunities we have, all the lives we have gained from God. Without God, we are just indeed like the dry bones without lives, and we are just literally dust from dust, for it is God’s Spirit that He breathed into us, that gave us life and sustenance, allowing us all to exist and guiding us all through life, instilling in us the identity of who we truly are as the beloved children and people of God.

When God showed Ezekiel that great vision of how all the bones were swept by the Spirit of God, and how Ezekiel saw the restoration and rejuvenation of the bones, seeing all of them gradually returning to life, reconstituting themselves part by part, we are all reminded of how God blessed us all with the new life and existence through Him, as He revealed to us His love and truth via Christ His Son, the truth He had delivered to us and the Holy Spirit Whom He imparted upon us all through the Church. A new life has dawned upon us, and all of us who received the gift of baptism have entered into this new life in Christ. That is the great grace and blessing which God has freely granted to all of us through His Son.

And each one of us are called to enter into this new life with commitment and faith, as we are called to listen to the Lord calling on us to follow His Law and commandments, just as we heard in our Gospel passage today. We are called to abandon our past lives filled with sin and immorality, selfishness and pride, ego and pride, arrogance and wickedness, and we are called to return to God with a heart full of love for Him, remembering how He Himself has loved us all so much from the very beginning, patiently caring for us and calling on us to return to Him, even when we have often ignored Him, rejected Him and refused His love. God’s love has always been most generous and unconditional, and yet, it is our stubbornness and arrogance by which we have refused Him.

The Lord Himself highlighted to us in our Gospel passage today that the Law of God revealed to us is truly a Law of Love, calling on all of us to love Him first and foremost above all else, and then to show that same love to one another as well. We are all made to be children of God through baptism, and all of us as God’s children rightfully therefore should follow the Lord’s examples in love, as He loves us all so dearly. If we do not love the same way that the Lord has done for us, then how can we call ourselves children and people of God then? The Lord has shown us the way for us to love each other, and we should really heed His examples and reflect on what we can do better in being His faithful disciples and loving children in our world today.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great saint and man of God, whose life hopefully can serve as a source of inspiration and strength for each and every one of us in how we ought to live our lives with faith and commitment to God. Pope St. Pius X, one of the more recent Popes, was a truly great and devoted servant of God, who had dedicated his life, ministry and work throughout his life for the greater glory of God and for the well-being of God’s people. He showed many of us what it means to have a strong commitment and love for God, and also a desire to bring God closer to each one of us, and as the shepherd and leader of the Church, Pope St. Pius X had done most wonderfully in fulfilling his calling and mission, in leading the Church in the journey towards greater connection and in being better attuned with God, His Law, commandments and will.

Pope St. Pius X was born as Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in Riese, in what is now the northern part of Italy, as one of the many children of a poor Italian family, with his father working as a village postman while his mother was a housewife. His parents had great impact on the young Giuseppe Sarto’s life, as they valued education and proper upbringing for their children, despite themselves being poor and destitute. This would have great impact on the future Pope St. Pius X, that despite his rise in the Church hierarchy and society, remained humble and dedicated to the cause that he had devoted himself into, in faithfully serving and leading the people of God and the Church. He was raised in poverty, but remained dedicated to his studies and preparations, which saw him eventually finishing his academic studies with great distinction even though he was often ridiculed and teased for his poverty.

Giuseppe Sarto was eventually ordained as a priest and was especially renowned for his great holiness, which inspired many people by his life and examples. He devoted his life to his mission and works, in caring for the people and the sick, and in managing Church institutions and efforts through the various capacities that he had been entrusted with. He always showed care and concern for the sake of his flock, especially those who were underprivileged and poor, being reminded of having been raised in poverty himself, and he strived hard to ensure that many youths were able to access educations and other privileges that were often denied to them. He was eventually chosen and ordained as bishop, to lead the Diocese of Mantua, where he continued to devote himself vigorously to the many missions and works that he was very renowned for.

He remained dedicated to his aged mother as well, showing her respect and it was well known that even after he was made a Cardinal, and then as the Patriarch of Venice, the then Cardinal Giuseppe Sarto visited his mother, in what was to be their last meeting, and gave her a blessing. He later on celebrated his mother’s funeral and went on to become a great Patriarch and shepherd, and then elected as the Pope and successor of St. Peter the Apostle as the Vicar of Christ, taking the name Pius, and hence he was then on known as Pope Pius X, now saint. As Pope, Pope St. Pius X continued to devote himself vigorously to the causes and missions that he had led through previously, and he was well-known for his love for Church music, hence leading through a great effort of reform in ensuring that the Gregorian Chant has the prime and most important position in Church music.

Pope St. Pius X was also known for his great love of the Lord and for his efforts in bringing the Lord closer to His people, by encouraging earlier reception of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, after having heard and investigated the wonderful and inspirational faith story of the 4 years old Ellen Organ, whom despite her very young age, showed great understanding and grasp of the faith, that convinced Pope St. Pius X through his decree Quam Singulari, allowed young children as young as seven, as long as they have shown adequate understanding and appreciation of the faith, to receive their first Holy Communion. Through this and many other efforts, Pope St. Pius X had brought so many people closer to God, and he was also well-known for his advocacy and efforts for peace, in his efforts to prevent the outbreak of the Great War, later known as the First World War, and he died heartbroken very shortly after the beginning of that devastating war.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can clearly see how Pope St. Pius X is truly a great example for all of us in his faith and life, and in his dedication to God. Are we all able to love the Lord our God, sincerely and genuinely, with all of our heart, with all of our might and strength, and with our whole being? Let us all follow in the footsteps of Pope St. Pius X, in all that he had done, and in the examples of the many other saints, holy men and women of God whose lives and experiences had inspired us all as well. May God be with us always, and may He empower each one of us so that we may draw ever closer to Him, and be ever more faithful to Him, with each and every passing moments. Pope St. Pius X, pray for us all! Amen.

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Thursday, 20 August 2026 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each one of us to be transformed in our lives through Christ and through our faith in Him so that our lives may be exemplary as Christians, and be good inspirations and we may also be role models for one another in how each and every one of us ought to live up our lives each day. God has shown us the way to Him, and what we need to do is to embrace Him and to prepare ourselves to be good Christians, obedient and observant of God’s Law and commandments, in always doing our best in every moments to practice what we believe in and not just merely paying lip service to God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel we heard the words of the Lord calling on all of His people to abandon their wickedness, their evil ways and all the sins they had committed, and to turn to Him with a new heart. He told them all that He would give them all a new heart, replacing their old wicked heart of stone and giving them a new heart full of love and life, through which they will come closer to God, purified from their sins and evils, returning back to Him, and reunited with Him, to be His people and be blessed and filled with grace once again. It was indeed the sincere hope of the Lord Who has always loved His people despite all the challenges and tribulations those people faced and their often turbulent relationship with their Lord, Master and Creator.

Back then, the Israelites had went though a lot of tribulations and hardships from various kinds and origins, with their kingdoms and homeland destroyed, them uprooted from their lands and humiliated by losing the lands of their ancestors. They and their ancestors had disobeyed the Lord, abandoned His Law and commandments, refusing to listen to and obey the Law of the Lord, and hardening their hearts and minds against Him. They worshipped pagan idols and gods, and even persecuting and killing the prophets and messengers whom God had sent to them to help and remind them of their obligation and calling as His people, stubbornly continuing to go down the path of disobedience and rebellion, trusting in themselves and in worldly powers instead of depending and trusting in God.

As such, because of the hardening of their hearts, many of the people of God had been sundered from Him, and many were lost to Him, falling into the path of sin and probably to eternal damnation. This is a fate which the Lord’s parable in our Gospel passage today also echoed. In that parable, the Lord spoke of a king who hosted a wedding banquet for his son, and when he invited his guests, those guests refused to listen to him or to attend the banquet despite the reminders and the invitations that they had sent to them, making excuses and even insulting and killing those servants whom the king had sent to them, a tacit comparison with the state of how the people of God persecuted the prophets and messengers of God in the past.

Thus, the king sent a new invitation to the new batch of guests, after he had punished and crushed all those unworthy and deviant guests who refused to attend the wedding banquet. The king called forth everyone to come to his banquet, calling them from all sorts of places, which is a reference to how the Lord has called everyone, all the children of mankind, and not just the Israelites anymore, to be His disciples and followers, and to enter into His kingdom and way of truth. The Lord called on all of us to enter into His banquet, to rejoice together in His presence forevermore, in all the bounty and riches that He has graciously and lovingly prepared for each and every one of us, without exception.

However, as we all know, in order to attend a banquet, or any important event, there are certain expectations for us to fulfil, and one of them is that we have to be properly dressed and attired. Even at the time of the Lord Jesus, when many of the people were poor, during the time of any religious festivals and celebrations, the people would still come dressed in the best clothes they could afford or which they possessed, that they might worthily be present in the celebration. That is referring to our attitudes and our way of living our lives with faith, brothers and sisters in Christ. If we are to come to the presence of the Lord, then should we not do our very best to live our lives according to His ways?

That is why we heard what happened to the guest who came without the wedding garment, or a garment suitable to be worn into that event. The king asked the guest and then sent that unworthy guest out, cast out to suffer in the darkness, much as those who had rejected his invitation in the first place. This is an important reminder that unless we come to the Lord with a heart and mind filled with love for Him, with genuine and true faith, then we can have no place with Him and in Him in His kingdom. And if we remain stubborn with this attitude, then unfortunately our lot will be to endure forever the suffering and the damnation that comes with our own conscious rejection of God’s love, grace and truth.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all keep all these in mind as we continue to progress ever more in our lives, and remind ourselves to keep faithful to God in all things and at all times. We should remove from ourselves all taints of wickedness and evils, all stubbornness and allow the Lord to change us and our hearts and minds just as He had said that He would do. Let us allow the Lord to place in each one of us a new, beating heart, living and vibrant with love for Him and for our fellow brethren, and remove from ourselves our past hearts of stone, full of stubbornness, pride and ego. This is what many of us should be doing so that we can get closer to God instead of being distracted and pulled ever further away from Him.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bernard, also known as St. Bernard the Abbot and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He was a great man of God, a dedicated monk and abbot, the founder of the Cistercian Order, formed from the reformation of the Benedictine order. He was also the co-founder of the renowned Knights Templar, and his many other contributions have been well-known throughout history, and are great inspirations for us all to follow, in how we ourselves live our lives as Christians. He was born into a family of high nobility in Burgundy, a region that is part of today’s France. Since his early youth, he has always had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he later on would promote his devotion to Mary throughout all of his works and missions.

St. Bernard has always wanted to become a priest, and later on, eventually he inspired many other men who followed his inspiration to join a monastic life, setting up the community of reformed Benedictines, which would eventually become the foundation of the Cistercian Order, and becoming the Abbot of Clairvaux, for which he was most well-known for. He soon had many following, and many people flocked to join his monastery, and support his endeavour, including his own father and brothers. He took part in many important events throughout the Church, supporting the Pope and others in embarking on the vigorous reforms of the Church and the Christian faith, improving the spirituality and discipline of the faithful, both those among the clergy and the laity alike.

Then, he was also remembered for his many works in opposing heresies and rooting out corrupt practices in the Church, taking part in Church councils and working on my writings, letters and documents which made his efforts and works truly influential at the time, as well as long after his passing and era. He had to face difficulties and challenges from the heretics and all those who opposed his reforms and efforts, but all these did not dampen his spirit and desire to follow the Lord faithfully and to do whatever he could to serve Him. He continued to labour hard in service to God and His people, as well as spreading the devotion to Mary, the Holy Mother of God in all of his works and missions throughout all of Christendom until the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from the great life and examples showed to us by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, his dedication and efforts to serve the Lord, and through what we have been discussing from our Scripture passages, we should strive to live our lives worthily at all times, putting Him as the focus and centre of all of our lives and not the many distractions and temptations of worldly matters, wealth, possessions and all the other things that often distract us from the path towards God and His salvation. Let us all reorientate our lives so that we may focus them once more towards the Lord and reject the excesses of the world around us. May God be with us always and may He empower us to be ever more faithful and committed in following Him, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 19 August 2026 : 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 listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us regarding the matter of our responsibility as Christians, to do the will of God and to follow Him, and to respond to the call which He had made to each one of us, in our various vocations and calling in life. To all of us God has given the gifts and opportunities, the responsibilities and the abilities to do His will, whenever and wherever He requires of us. However, just as we heard in our readings today, we have not always been obedient or committed to our calling, as we have often sought our own interests, desires and ambitions first instead of obeying the Lord in His will.

In our first reading today from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard the Lord rebuking the leaders and elders of His people, the so-called shepherds of Israel, who have not followed their duties and obligations as they should have. The Lord rebuked those people because they had neglected their duties, as they sought to gain advantage for themselves, fattening and enriching themselves from their manipulation of others, from their extortions, the abuse and misuse of their authority and power. As such the Lord harshly rebuked those people who had not obeyed His will and misled the people down the wrong path, which had caused great many people to be lost to God.

Thus were the actions of the leaders, the kings and the nobles and all those false prophets and priests of Baal, the priests serving the pagan idols, all those who brought the people down the wrong path, as they sought worldly power and glory, and they gained what they wanted at the expense of their souls. They faced their consequences and judgment, and as the Lord said, they were removed from their positions and they would not corrupt the people of God again. The old kingdoms of Israel and Judah were no more and the Lord had wrested back control over His people from those irresponsible leaders, as He sent His servants to help guide them in finding their way back to Him.

He called on all the people to follow Him once again, and embrace His love and mercy. God has always looked kindly upon them and wanted to forgive them and bring them back into His presence. However, time and again, it was often the people themselves who were stubborn and resistant to the Lord’s efforts in reaching out to them. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord and as a result, they kept on distancing themselves away from God and they kept on delaying and dragging their feet in the journey towards the Lord. As long as their hearts and minds were not set on the Lord, they would remain far away from Him and they would likely remain lost from Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the parable of the workers, in which a vineyard owner went out to seek for workers, calling and gathering all whom he could find along the way, and making them to work in his vineyard. Some responded to his calls early while others only responded right up to the last hour. In the end, all of them received the same pay and remuneration, as part of what they had agreed with the vineyard owner as part of their work. It was then that those who were called early then were unhappy because they had responded early to the call and therefore expected better pay than those who joined the work last.

This parable in fact highlighted the nature of the Lord’s calling upon each one of us. As God has patiently reached out to us and calling us throughout, we have been given many opportunities to return to Him. However, unfortunately, many of us delayed in answering Him and waited and waited before finally responding to Him. Nonetheless, as we heard the vineyard master doing, the Lord has always been patient in reaching out to us and seeking us to return to Him, and once we have embraced Him, His salvation and accepted Him wholeheartedly as our Lord and Saviour, the reward mentioned in the parable refers to the gift of eternal life and true joy with God.

Then, we also must heed the way that those who had started work earlier and endeavour not to behave the way they did. This refers to some of our attitudes as Christians in being elitist and self-righteous, thinking that we are better and more deserving of God’s grace than others simply because we have answered His call earlier, or that we have mostly kept His Law and commandments throughout our lives, and therefore we tend to look down on those whom we deem to be less worthy than we are, or think that they are more sinful, wicked and less deserving of God’s grace and love than us, and this kind of attitude is unfortunately prevalent throughout the history of the Church itself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is the same prideful and arrogant attitudes which those shepherds rebuked by the Lord, the leaders and elders of the Israelites who had misled the people of God, had in the past. It was their pride, ego and arrogance that had led them to be selfish and wicked, often perhaps without them even realising that. Unfortunately, that led to people being misguided or being turned away further from the Lord. Now, each one of us as Christians have the same calling and obligation to be shepherds and guides for one another, to be inspiration and role model in faith and life for our fellow brothers and sisters.

That means, each and every one of us should be warm and welcoming in our attitudes, in our interactions and approach to one another. All of us should nurture a loving and vibrant Christian community in our homes, in our society and elsewhere, and do our very best to live our lives in accordance to the path that the Lord had shown us. Otherwise, if our lives do not reflect our faith and our actions scandalises that faith and the Lord’s Holy Name, then in the end, the same rebuke and judgment of the Lord, the same consequences that the false shepherds of Israel had suffered, will be directed to us as well, as those whom God had entrusted His Church and mission in our world today.

That is why, all of us should seek inspiration from the good examples of our holy predecessors, like that of St. John Eudes whose feast we are celebrating today. St. John Eudes was a French priest and the founder of the religious congregation, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. He had been devout and pious throughout his whole life, even from an early age, and developed an intense devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary throughout his formative and priestly years and vocation. He dedicated much of his time and efforts to help those who were suffering and sick, and spent the time to evangelise and to let the Lord and His truth known amongst more and more of God’s people. St. John Eudes also cared for some prostitutes and others who had been ostracised by the community for their sinful way of life, developing what came to be known as the Order of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge.

There were numerous other good deeds and actions which St. John Eudes had done for the greater glory of God and for the benefits of his fellow brothers and sisters, particularly those who had been abandoned and ostracised, and had none to welcome or care for them. Through his efforts in preaching and ministry, and by his establishments of institutions to help the people of God and to gather those who desire to serve the Lord more faithfully, St. John Eudes had touched countless people, and brought so many souls, much closer to God and to His salvation. His strong devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary helped many others to come to love the Lord and to know Him more through His blessed Mother as well, and also by the inspiration set by St. John Eudes himself in all of his works.

Let us all therefore do the same in our lives, brothers and sisters in Christ, inspired and strengthened by the good examples and inspiration from St. John Eudes, so that we may also lead lives that are truly worthy of the Lord, free from sin and evil, and full of virtue and righteousness in God. Each and every one of us are expected and called to do God’s will, and to follow Him wholeheartedly, just as how God Himself has reminded His people to be ever more faithful and devoted to Him at all times and circumstances, to be ever humble and dedicated to follow Him in the missions which He has entrusted to us all. May all of us draw ever closer to God and His salvation, and do our best to remain truly faithful to Him, at all times. Amen.

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Tuesday, 18 August 2026 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we heard about the sin of pride and all the things that had often prevented man from finding their way back towards God. The Lord is actually warning and reminding us not to give in to the temptations of pride that can lead us down the path of ruin. We have to resist the things that may often come between us and God’s love and grace, our many weaknesses and vulnerabilities, particularly that which involved our ego and pride, which is the same mistake that had misled Satan down the path to destruction. This is why we are being reminded so that we ourselves do not take this same path down to our own downfall and ruin.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel telling us of God’s proclamation regarding the Prince of Tyre. Contextually, we must understand that Tyre back then was a great city, founded and belonging to the Phoenicians, a race of people who specialised in trade and commerce in the times past, establishing numerous colonies throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times. The city of Tyre therefore became fabulously wealthy and despite the presence of much more powerful neighbours, the city and people of Tyre were often able to have their way and maintain their relative freedom due to their immense economic capacity and great prestige, as a city known for its great worldly power and glory.

That was why the kings and rulers of Tyre could act with relative impunity, doing whatever they wanted, proudly boasting their influence and power, even when they were militarily inferior compared to the superpowers like the Assyrians and the Babylonians back then. The Lord warned them and all of His people of the danger of pride, ego and hubris, all of which can become our undoing if we leave them unchecked or if we even indulge in them. And the Lord’s proclamations and predictions eventually came true when the city of Tyre eventually, a few centuries later, was razed and destroyed by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, as attested by historical evidences, and that city henceforth lost its great significance, prestige, wealth and power.

In our Gospel passage today we heard of the parable that the Lord Jesus spoke, the well-known story of the camel that passes through the eye of the needle, which the Lord said would be easier to happen rather than for one who is rich and proud, mighty and haughty to enter into the kingdom of heaven. This was a comparison and a point that the Lord made in order to let His disciples and followers know that, just as it would be impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, then it would have been even less likely for a man filled with pride and ego to humble oneself before God and enter into the kingdom of God and into the Holy Presence of God.

That was exactly how Satan fell too, swayed by the pride that made him to rebel against God, and that same temptations were made and presented by Satan to our ancestors as well, and many people, from generation to generation, had fallen into these same temptations. That is why many people found it difficult to come to the presence of God because they have allowed pride, ego and arrogance to keep themselves from realising that they were sinners and were in need of God’s healing and forgiveness, and instead, they kept on living their lives in delusion thinking that they were doing the right things, and spent most of their lives and efforts in pursuing their own selfish desires and wants.

And hence, this is why we are being reminded today through these readings from the Sacred Scriptures of the need for each and every one of us as Christians, to be free from arrogance and hubris, pride and ego in how we live our lives and in our every attitudes and actions throughout our lives. We should never think that we can get away with haughty, arrogant and wicked attitudes in how we carry ourselves, and in how we interact with others around us. Many of us have caused, either inadvertently or purposefully, pain, sufferings and hardships to those around us, even to those who loved us and whom we loved, out of our own pride, ego, ambition, arrogance and hubris.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence ponder carefully on these words of the Lord that we have received and discern in what way therefore we can live our lives worthily of the Lord moving forward, so that we do not end up falling prey into the temptations of worldly glory and ambition, as well as to our own pride and ego, vainglory and hubris, all of which can lead us ever further away from God and astray from the path that He has shown us and led us into. As Christians, let us all therefore be good role models and examples in how we live our daily lives so that our every actions, words and deeds can truly inspire those whom we encounter, in the humility, faith and obedience we have in God and in His teachings and ways.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to strengthen our faith in Him and help us to lead a more worthy and wholesome life in each and every moments, in doing what He Himself has shown us all through His own Beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour. May all of us be ever exemplary in all deeds and actions, and lead ever more people to God’s salvation and grace, through even the smallest things that we do in our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 17 August 2026 : 20tth Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we are all reminded that all these while, by our many sins, our disobedience and refusal to believe in God and in His laws and commandments, we have incurred God’s wrath and anger, just as how He had been angry at His people Israel, as described in our first reading today, as well as our Psalm, and how He chastised and disciplined them that they all might learn their lesson, as they have all indeed gone astray and committed many wicked deeds that were in contrary to the teachings and ways that the Lord Himself has shown and taught to them all through His Law and commandments, through His various messengers, prophets and many other means.

We heard from the first reading today, the words of the Lord addressed to His people in exile through the prophet Ezekiel, as the prophet showed them what would happen to the remnants of Israel in Judah and Jerusalem, how the whole kingdom, its king and people, the city and the proud Temple of God built by king Solomon, would all be crushed and conquered by the Babylonians. What was once the pride of all Israel, were to be torn down and destroyed, all because of their infidelity and disobedience. God had brought them all out of slavery in Egypt and blessed them with the rich lands and many other good things, and yet, those people took God’s generous love for granted.

This however does not mean that God did not care about His people, as if He truly did not care about us, or even hate us, then it would have been a simple matter for Him to let us all be destroyed, as such is the just punishment and consequences for our sins. On the contrary, it was exactly because He cares for us and loves us all dearly that He chastised and punished His people in the past, just as a loving father who truly loved his children would discipline his children while still loving them with all of his heart. That is why He still patiently reached out to them, provided for them and their needs, and protected them nonetheless. God’s love is indeed truly great and boundless.

Let us all look at it from this perspective, brothers and sisters. God does not want us to fall deeper and deeper into sin, and that is why, where possible, He calls us, He guides us, and at times, if necessary, chastises and disciplines us, so that we will realise the errors of our ways. After all, in the end, which is better for us, to be suffering for a short while and realising the errors in our ways and turning back to the right path, or to enjoy the life as we know of and embrace all sorts of sins and wickedness, only to suffer for eternity? It is a conscious choice that all of us will have to make in our paths in life, deciding between following God or the path of worldliness.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, He gave us all His Law and commandments. But the Law by itself is not enough, as we also must have the heart and the right attitude in our lives. And this is what we focus on in our Gospel passage today. When a man came up to the Lord Jesus and asked Him what he ought to do in order to attain eternal life, the Lord told him to obey the commandments of God and which the man, likely being a faithful adherent to the Law, obeyed in full, all the commandments that God had given in the Ten Commandments, as He has intended for us all to know, appreciate and understand well.

But then, when the Lord told him to leave behind his possessions and give them all to the poor, and follow Him wholeheartedly, the man suddenly became very sad and dejected, and went away in sorrow. All these are examples and what the Lord highlighted in the case when we may obey the Law of God, do what He has taught us to do, and yet, we have no genuine love and devotion to Him. It is possible to obey the Law of God and yet, having no genuine faith. That is because, one can fulfil an act even without meaning what he or she had done. The man who came to the Lord obviously obeyed and followed the Law well, but when the Lord asked him to leave behind his worldly possessions and he immediately slumped and became dejected, these showed that the man loved those things more than God, that he could not even consider leaving one for the other. And this is also why many of us were unable to follow the Lord faithfully, erred and fell into sin as the Israelites had done in the old days.

The Lord does not mean literally that we must sell everything and abandon everything that we have and give them all to the poor. There are indeed those who chose to follow that path, as they gave everything and entered into religious life or other forms of vocations that dedicated themselves completely to God. Rather, what He wanted to convey to us is that we must not allow ourselves be easily swayed by the temptations of earthly goods and worldly possessions, of pleasures and comfort we have in life. It is not the possessions and material goods themselves that are bad, brothers and sisters in Christ. For we can indeed use them for both good and evil purposes alike, and the choice lies on our hands on how we decide to make use of them. It is the attachments and indeed, the unhealthy obsessions we have over all of those things that are bad for us. The Lord does not want us to be owned and controlled by our desires for worldly materials and pleasures.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect on all these which we have heard from the Scripture passages today, let us all discern how we are to proceed moving on in our lives. Are we able to follow the Lord wholeheartedly as we should have, giving ourselves in deep devotion and commitment to Him, no longer shackled by the temptations of worldly pleasures and desires, but instead, dedicating ourselves that in each and every moments of our lives, in our respective capacities, we will always glorify God by our actions and deeds? We ought to do our best wherever and whenever possible to be good role models and inspiration for everyone around us in our faith and in our lives.

Let us all draw ever closer to God and remain faithful as always to His laws and commandments. Let us all seek Him with ever greater devotion, and give ourselves to His cause from now on. May the Lord, our loving Father forgive us our sins and gather us all, His scattered children, back into His embrace, and welcome us all into the glorious new and eternal life that we will receive in the kingdom of Heaven. May God bless us, in all of our actions, good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 16 August 2026 : Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we prepare for the celebration of the great moment when Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, was assumed body and soul, in her whole being into the glory of Heaven. This event marked the end of Mary’s presence in this world, and is a truly significant one because it reminds us, just as the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord had reminded us of the future that all of us ought to look forward to, in our own transfiguration when we shall exist with the Lord in glory, in our own transfigured bodies, thus, Mary’s Assumption into Heaven affirmed this hope we have, in the promises of salvation and eternal life which the Lord had given to all of us.

Mary’s Assumption is often confused with the Ascension of the Lord because both seems to involve the same events, but in reality, if we look deeper and more carefully into it, we will realise that both are different from each other because Mary’s Assumption into Heaven was done by the power of God, Who raised His mother Mary, body and soul from this world and lifted her up to assume her place in Heaven, while the Lord Ascended by His own power and will, to assume His rightful place in Heaven. There we can see a very clear distinction, of how Mary, while she is indeed the Mother of God and the greatest of all saints, but fundamentally she is still a human being, unlike her Son, Jesus Christ, Who is both fully Man and fully Divine, the Divine Son of God Incarnate.

Nonetheless, Mary is honoured above all other beings because she is truly the greatest among all those that God had created. The Lord created Mary and prepared her specially for the purpose of bearing the Messiah, or the Saviour of the world in her, which in this case would be His own begotten Son, the Divine Son of God Who was clad in the flesh and nature of Man that He might come and dwell in our midst. Mary was to be the one to bear this Man-Divine being in her, bearing her Son for nine months of pregnancy just like any other mothers, but with the exception that she had no one but the Holy Spirit through Whom, the Lord was Incarnate in the flesh, and becoming existent, conceived within her holy womb. This is why Mary is also known as the Ark of the Covenant, the New Covenant that God has established with us, His beloved people.

Mary is often referred to as the Ark of the Covenant as when compared to the original Ark of the Covenant, which refers to the Ark and container built by Moses during the time of the Exodus, she bears within her the New Covenant of God, in her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom God established His New and Eternal Covenant, one through which all of us have been led into the promise and assurance of eternal life. Just as the original Ark bore the Law of God in the Ten Commandments, the Staff of Aaron representing the authority and power of God, and the manna, the miraculous bread from Heaven by which God fed His people during their time in the desert, thus the New Covenant of God, His Law and Good News, and Himself as the Bread of Life, in Jesus Christ, all these are contained in the womb of Mary, in which our Lord spent a whole nine months inside her.

In our first reading today from the Book of Revelations of St. John, this was referred to and alluded in the heavenly vision of St. John of the end times, when St. John saw a vision of a Woman in heaven crowned with crown of twelve stars, radiantly clothed with the Sun and the Moon below her feet. This vision is immersed with symbolisms that depending on those who listened to them, revealed to them the Lord’s intentions and truth. In the passage just immediately preceding this vision, St. John saw the vision of Heaven’s Sanctuary being opened, and the Ark of the Covenant being visible, and it is not a coincidence that immediately afterwards St. John recounted the vision of the Woman crowned by the stars. It is because while some may see the Woman as the representation of the Church, or the faithful people of God, but it can also symbolise Mary herself, as the Lord has referred to His own Mother as ‘Woman’ in various occasions as well, just as the Book of Genesis also highlighted to us right after the moment when mankind fell into sin, God promised and predicted the coming of the Woman through whom God’s salvation would come from.

Now, in the case of Mary, her participation in bearing the Messiah Himself, the Son of God within her, is part of the reason why she is called the Ark of the New Covenant, hallowed, sanctified and made perfect by God, as we all believe that Mary was conceived without the taint and corruption of sin, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of the key tenets of the Church teachings. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because like the original Ark, which was made from the most precious materials available to mankind, hallowed and sanctified by God, and which was so holy that no one could touch the original Ark, and one who touched the Ark by accident was struck dead, hence, the Ark of the New Covenant of God, Mary herself, was also made special, holy and immaculate for this purpose.

This is because God is all perfect and good, and sin, imperfections and evil have no place before Him. Therefore, Mary as the New Ark prepared for the New Covenant of God, was made perfect and all good by the Lord, and according to our core beliefs and Church teachings, Mary was also full of grace, as the Archangel Gabriel himself said when he greeted Mary at the Annunciation, which means that not only Mary was free from the taint of original sin, but throughout her life, she remained fully attuned to the Lord and is full of His grace, meaning that she has not done things that were in disobedience of God and His Law and commandments, and consequently, remained pure and immaculate, without sin and evil, unlike the rest of us. If we wonder if such thing is possible, then let us remind ourselves that God is all powerful, Almighty, and everything is possible for Him, even in things that we may think is impossible to happen.

Therefore, if Mary has been conceived without the taint of sin, and remains free from sin throughout her whole life, to the moment when she met the end of her earthly existence, how can sin and death then claim her just like any one of us? First of all, we must realise that death is a consequence of sin, which itself is due to our disobedience against God’s will, in doing what is against His ways and against His Law. Hence, that is why every man and woman since Adam and Eve had encountered death at the end of their earthly lives, because they all have sinned against God. And until the time when Christ came into our world and release us from the bondage to this original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, all of our predecessors before the time of Christ were bound by that original sin, and by their own sins borne out of their disobedience.

Then, for all of us here today, even though Christ has already come and given us all His salvation and freed us from the bondage to sin and death, but we are still vulnerable to sin, because there are times again and again when we are tempted and drawn towards the path of sin and evil, and at least on few if not more occasions, we succumbed to those temptations and sinned against God. It is for these sins that we encounter death. However, death is not our final fate, because God has assured all of us that there is life and existence beyond death, which He showed us through His Resurrection, and His own Mother’s Assumption into Heaven is a proof of that. And this Assumption again, was what happened to Mary rightly because of her special circumstances. It is also unlikely that our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has triumphed over sin and death, would have let His beloved Mother, who did not suffer the corruption of sin, to suffer or come under the dominion of death.

Therefore, there are two main schools of thought in which some believed that Mary was assumed or taken up body and soul into Heaven without experiencing any death at all, and hence, entered into the glory of Heaven directly because if she had not been corrupted at all by sin, and remained free of sin and is full of God’s grace, then death itself has no power at all over her, and death should not have claimed her at all. The other school of thought teaches that Mary did encounter death, not because that death is a punishment for sin, as she was free from sin and is full of God’s grace, but because of her intense love for her Son, and in her death, she shared in her Son’s own death and Resurrection. However, Mary did not remain in that state of death, which according to the Apostolic tradition, in what is known as the Dormition, came like that of deep sleep for her, and the Lord then assumed her into Heaven, to enter into the glory that had been prepared for her by her own Son.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless in whatever circumstances and what really happened to Mary, the Mother of God, and our loving Mother, on whether she actually experienced death or not, what we all know now for sure is that, Mary is now in Heaven, by the side of her beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And through her, we see a glimpse of what we will ourselves experience in the end. While we may not immediately experience the glory of Heaven, unlike Mary and the other saints whose lives were worthy enough to enter immediately into the glory prepared for them, but all of us who have been faithful to the Lord and kept ourselves away from mortal sins, we are all assured of salvation and eternal life in God. In the end of days, we shall be reunited completely with God, as our bodies and souls shall be reunited with God, together in our new, transfigured bodies, just as the Lord’s Transfiguration also assured us earlier on this month.

And in Mary, we also have a great and most powerful ally and helper, as she is our most dedicated intercessor, together with that of the other saints, in constantly praying for our sake, for us sinners who are still toiling and labouring in this world. Mary has been entrusted by Christ Himself to be our own Mother, and we have been entrusted to her to be like her own children. Naturally, she will always look out for us and pray for us, no? That also explains why she has made so many Apparitions, many of which had been officially approved by the Church, in trying to reach out to us and to remind us to be faithful to the Lord, so that we may not continue to live in the state of sin, and will strive to reject sin and its evils, and return once again to God with all of our heart.

Let us also look upon Mary as our role model in life, as Mary is the perfect disciple and follower of her own Son, through her constant commitment and faith, love and dedication to her Son. She had always followed the Lord and dedicated her whole life to God, keeping herself in state of perfect harmony with God. Mary is truly the shining example and role model, inspiration for each one of us, and we should do the same in our lives as well. We are all reminded as Christians, as God’s people, as His disciples and chosen ones, that each and every one of us should do our very best to live lives that are truly virtuous and good, in accordance to the Law and the commandments that the Lord Himself has shown us. We must not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations of worldly pleasures and the allures of sin, and we should inspire one another to remain truly faithful and obedient to God in all things.

Mary, our most beloved Mother, assumed in glory into Heaven, intercede for us all sinners, your children, who always look up to you with hope, seeing that in you, we can see the reflection of your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, in Whom we put our full trust and faith, hoping that we will one day enter into the glory of Heaven together with you, and all the glorious saints and holy martyrs. Pray for us sinners, o Holy Mother of God, and may your Son continue to show us His mercy, compassion and love. Amen.