Saturday

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Saturday, 14 February 2026 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop, Patron Saints of Europe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded once again that we should always put our faith and trust in the Lord, and not in the things and ambitions of this world, all of which can seriously lead us away and astray from the right paths in our lives, just as our predecessors themselves had shown us. Those who allowed themselves to be swayed by those worldly temptations and ambitions would end up falling further and further away from the path towards God, and that is not what we should be doing in our lives. Instead we should put our trust, faith and hope ever deeper in the Lord, and remind us all of His constant love and compassion.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah, we heard of the story of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel, the same Jeroboam who had been instructed by the Lord through His prophet Ahijah to take ten of the twelve tribes of Israel and rebel against Solomon and the House of David, all because of the sins and wickedness of Solomon, whom while he had been faithful in the earlier years of his reign like that of his father David, but in his later years, he had resorted to worldly ambitions, means and desires to fulfil his ever growing ambtiions and pursuits. All of those things ended up drawing him further and further away from the path of righteousness.

However, Jeroboam himself did not do any better than Solomon. After he had secured the kingship and rule over the ten northern tribes and broke the kingdom of God’s people in two, he became afraid and fearful that the people and kingdom that he had secured would end up falling back to the hands of the House of David when they all flocked to the Temple that King Solomon built for the Lord in Jerusalem, then the capital of the southern kingdom of Judah. That was why as we heard in our first reading today, he decided to built two shrines in Bethel and Dan, at the northern and southern parts of his dominion, to serve as rival temples and national shrines of the northern kingdom. Further still, he even made golden calf idols in each places to serve as the ‘gods’ that the people ought to worship.

And all of those things were directly contrary to what the Lord has taught and shown His people, and was not what God intended for Jeroboam to do. Jeroboam led the people into sin by leading them astray with worship of idols in those shrines he established, and in not following the Law and commandments that God had placed before all of them to follow and obey. All of these happened because of the same insecurities, worldly desires and ambitions which afflicted Solomon beforehand, and which also afflicted Jeroboam as well, that led them astray down the wrong paths. Therefore, it is an important reminder to all of us as well as Christians, that we should be vigilant and careful that we do not end up walking down the same path.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the well-known miracle of the multiplication of the loaves of bread for at least four thousand people if not more, and there were only seven loaves of bread available to feed all of them. Like the similar miracle of the multiplication of the five loaves of bread and two fishes for the five thousand in another occasion, in this time, the Lord miraculously multiplied those bread loaves after praying and blessing over the bread, showing the power of God’s Providence and Love for all those people who had come to seek Him, for His guidance, healing and miracles. God did not abandon His people in need, and He showed it all through His Son.

This is the wonderful manifestation of God’s ever generous love and compassion towards all of us. He has shown us the perfect manifestation of that love through Christ, His Son, the Saviour Whom He has promised and sent into our midst. Despite our sins and wickedness, and all that we have done against Him, the Lord has always been merciful, compassionate and kind towards us all. That feeding of the four thousand was yet another example of just how loving and kind God has been towards us, and we should never take it for granted. We should always remember that we should love the Lord in the same manner as well, and love our brethren in the similar manner too. That is what we are all called to do as Christians at all times.

Today we can also look upon the great examples set by two of our holy and faithful predecessors, namely that of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, the two great servants of God and missionaries of faith, who are also the Patron Saints and Protector of the heart of Christendom in Europe. They were remembered for their dedication and great works in bringing the Christian faith to the people in Central and Eastern parts of Europe, the areas inhabited by the Slavic peoples, which by the efforts of St. Cyril and St. Methodius became Christians, which remain so until the present day. These two saints had travelled through many parts of the then still pagan Slavic lands, calling on many people to come to believe in the Lord.

St. Cyril and St. Methodius dedicated themselves to the Lord and to the mission entrusted to them, and they both spent their lives to minister to the people among whom they had been sent to proclaim the truth of God, and they were also remembered for their role in translating the texts of the Sacred Scriptures into the local Slavic language and in the development of the Cyrillic alphabet which are still in use until this day, helping many people not only in the matter of the faith but also in the development of their statecraft and nationhood. Their contributions and hard work were truly inspirational and all of us Christians can do well to follow in their footsteps and heed their examples, to be truly good and worthy disciples and followers of the Lord in all things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore heed the examples of the saints, particularly those of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in everything that they had done, and also from whatever we have just discussed about earlier in the Scripture passages we received, so that we may truly realise how we can truly be obedient to the Lord faithfully at all times and not merely paying lip service to Him, and be ever more genuine at all times in everything we say and do, so that we may lead more and more people towards God and be the good role models and inspirations that we are supposed to be as Christians. May the Lord bless our every good endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 February 2026 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop, Patron Saints of Europe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 8 : 1-10

At that time, soon afterward, Jesus was in the midst of another large crowd, that obviously had nothing to eat. So He called His disciples and said to them, “I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with Me for three days and now have nothing to eat. If I send them to their homes hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a long way.”

His disciples replied, “Where, in a deserted place like this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?” He asked them, “How many loaves have you?” And they answered, “Seven.” Then He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and giving thanks, He broke them, and handed them to His disciples to distribute.

And they distributed them among the people. They also had some small fish. So Jesus said a blessing, and asked that these be shared as well. The people ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Now those who had eaten were about four thousand in number.

Jesus sent them away, and immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and went to the region of Dalmanutha.

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Saturday, 14 February 2026 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop, Patron Saints of Europe (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 105 : 6-7a, 19-20, 21-22

We have sinned like our ancestors; we have done wrong and acted wickedly. When they were in Egypt, our ancestors had no regard for Your wondrous deeds.

They made a calf at Horeb and worshipped the molten image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of a bull that eats grass.

They forgot their Saviour God, Who had done great things in Egypt, wonderful works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Sea of Reeds.

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Saturday, 14 February 2026 : 5th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop, Patron Saints of Europe (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Kings 12 : 26-32 and 1 Kings 13 : 33-34

Jeroboam thought, “The kingdom could return to the house of David. Should this people go up to offer sacrifices in YHVH’s House in Jerusalem, their heart would turn again to their master, Rehoboam king of Judah. They would kill me and go back to him.”

And so the king sought advice and made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, o Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” He put one of these in Bethel, the other in Dan. This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves.

Jeroboam also built temples on high places, appointing priests who were not from the Levites. Jeroboam also appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month in imitation of the feast in Judah, and he himself offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel; and sacrificed to the calves that he had made. There he placed priests for the high places he had made.

After this, however, Jeroboam did not abstain from doing evil. Instead he made priests for the high places from among the people. He consecrated anyone who wanted to be a priest for the high places. And this became the sin of the family of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth.

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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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Saturday, 7 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Mark 6 : 30-34

At that time, the Apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Then He said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves into a remote place and have some rest.” For there were so many people coming and going that the Apostles had no time even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves.

But people saw them leaving, and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns, they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them. As Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.

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Saturday, 7 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 118 : 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

How can young people remain pure? By living according to Your word.

I seek You with my whole heart; let me not stray from Your commands.

In my heart I have kept Your word, that I may not sin against my YHVH.

Praise to You, o YHVH; instruct me in Your statutes.

That, with my lips, I may declare all Your spoken decrees.

I delight in following Your laws, more so than in all riches.

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Saturday, 7 February 2026 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

1 Kings 3 : 4-13

The king used to sacrifice at Gibeon, the great high place; on the altar there he had offered a thousand burnt offerings. It was in Gibeon, during the night, that YHVH appeared to Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what you want Me to give you.”

Solomon answered, “You have shown Your servant David my father a great and steadfast love because he served You faithfully and was righteous and sincere towards You. You have given him proof of Your steadfast love in making a son of his sit on his throne this day.”

“And now, o YHVH my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a young boy who does not know how to undertake anything. Meantime, Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen – a people so great that they can neither be numbered nor counted.”

“Give me, therefore, an understanding mind in governing Your people that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this multitude of people of Yours?”

YHVH was pleased that Solomon had made this request. And He told him, “Because you have requested this rather than long life or wealth or even vengeance on your enemies; indeed, because you have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I shall grant you your request. I now give you a wise and discerning mind such as no one has had before you nor anyone after you shall ever have.”

“I will also give you what you have not asked for, both wealth and fame; and no king shall be your equal during your lifetime.”

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Saturday, 31 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we all reflect and ponder upon its meaning and truth, let us all spend some time remembering just how wonderful God’s love and mercy is for all of us, that even when we have sinned against Him, He has always been rich in mercy, compassion and forgiveness, in wanting to embrace us all with His great love, to bring us all back to Himself, to gather us all, His beloved and yet lost sheep scattered all throughout the world, and He has always been welcoming and kind in reaching out to us, as our most loving and patient Good Shepherd, calling all of us to return to Him, giving us the assurance of His most generous and compassionate love.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the continuation of yesterday’s story of the time when King David of Israel, the king whom God had blessed and secured in his position as king and ruler over all of Israel, in which on one occasion he encountered the beautiful wife of his own captain of the guard, Uriah the Hittite, a woman named Bathsheba, whom we may also know as the one who would become the mother of the famous King Solomon, David’s son who would become his eventual successor. At that time, Bathsheba was still married and the wife of Uriah, and we heard how David was tempted upon seeing Bathsheba which led them to commit sin of adultery before the Lord. We can see from this how even the faithful and famous King David himself was also a sinner and was able to fall into sin during his life.

And not only that, but David tried to conceal the fact and settle the problem by trying to make Uriah to sleep with his wife so that her pregnancy with David would not be discovered and a great disgrace be known to everyone. But Uriah did not do all that, and in the end, David plotted for Uriah’s death by purposely placing him at the frontline of the battle, which then led to his death and then David was free to take Bathsheba as his own wife. Through all of these that we have heard from today’s story of David’s life and this particular incident, and what happened afterwards, we can see how dangerous sin and its allures can be, and how weak our flesh can be, in the face of temptations and sin, which can lead us to commit ever greater mistakes and faults in life.

Yet, despite all of that, God eventually still forgave David after He had chastised him through the prophet Nathan as we heard in our first reading passage today, as unlike his predecessor Saul who doubled down on his sins and disobedience, David was truly repentant after the prophet Nathan pointed out his mistakes to him. This is also therefore an example of how sometimes we may not realise that we are in the wrong, especially when we allow ourselves to be swayed and deluded by the temptations and sins around us. God is however all loving and forgiving, and He wants to forgive us all should we truly seek His forgiveness and mercy, and He never stops any one of us from coming towards Him to be forgiven and loved fully and completely once again. What matters is that we should realise our errors and faults, doing our very best to improve ourselves and seek God’s forgiveness, mercy and love.

We must also take note that although David had committed sin with Bathsheba, God did not forbid them to be together, but instead, transforming both of them to be part of His Divine plan as mentioned. This aligned with what I have highlighted earlier on that our Church and therefore the Kingdom of God is not the gathering place for the perfect and the ones without sin or fault, but rather as often mentioned, is a ‘hospital for sinners’. God gathers everyone that He loves, all of us, without any bias, prejudice or exceptions, and He does not reject anyone, no matter how sinful they have been. Even the worst sinners are still beneficiaries of God’s most wonderful love and mercy, which He always extends to all those who seek them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the moment and time when the Lord Jesus and His disciples were travelling in the lake, likely the Lake of Galilee and they were all afflicted by the terrible storm, waves and wind that battered their boat. We heard how the disciples were all terrified, scared that their boat would capsize and would go under all those waves. And yet, then we heard how the Lord reassured them all and showed them His power and might, calming the storm with the mere command of His words, and everything was well again. The disciples were all naturally astonished and surprised at the turn of events, the great miracle that the Lord Himself has shown them.

Linking to what we have heard from our first reading earlier about what happened to King David, we are reminded that this storm, all the waves and the wind that battered the disciples in the boat are just like the temptations, sins and darkness present all around us, all the uncertainties of our lives and everything which made us all to lose our faith and trust in the world. But as we have seen, God has the answer to all of our troubles, and if we only hold firmly onto Him as our anchor and steady guide in life, He will rescue us and help us all out of our predicaments, because ultimately we must realise that God loves us all so generously and wonderfully, each and every one of us.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is right and just for us to follow the Lord once again more wholeheartedly, and learn to commit ourselves to Him once again, to the best of our abilities despite our flaws and sins. Today, we can model ourselves based on the great examples which our holy predecessor, St. John Bosco, a great priest of the Lord and holy man of God, whose feast we celebrate today, have done. St. John Bosco was remembered greatly for his great piety, love and dedication to God, as well as for his great love and compassionate care for those whom he encountered in the midst of his missions and works, as a priest and most well-known in his role as one who initiated and was in charge of an outreach to the underprivileged youth, those juveniles and teenagers who had none to lead and guide them to the right path.

St. John Bosco helped to get them proper education and place to stay for those who were orphaned and homeless, and cared for their spiritual, mental and material needs. He dedicated much of his time to touch the lives of the underprivileged, and inspired many others to begin similar initiatives, resulting in the blooming of many institutions of Christian education that benefitted especially the underprivileged youths, and in particular underprivileged girls. The faith, dedication and commitment which St. John Bosco has shown us should inspire us all as well in our lives so that hopefully we may also become good sources of inspiration and hope for many others whom we encounter and all those who have witnessed our actions and works.

May the Lord continue to guide us all and bless our many good works and efforts in following Him ever more wholeheartedly in all things and at all times. God has always been generous in loving us and we all should appreciate everything that He has always done for us, in calling on all of us to return to Him and to His loving Presence. Let us all be therefore good and worthy witnesses of His truth, bear with courage and confidence the Good News and all that He has presented and taught to us in our world today. May our actions, words and deeds are truly worthy of being good Christian disciples and followers in all things and at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 31 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 4 : 35-41

At that time, on that same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they left the crowd, and took Him along in the boat He had been sitting in, and other boats set out with Him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat, so that it was soon filled with water. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

They woke Him up, and said, “Master, do You not care if we drown?” And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind, and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

But they were terrified, and they said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”