Saturday

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Saturday, 21 February 2026 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and to reflect upon the meaning of what we have heard, we are reminded that we should always be willing to allow God to shape and guide our lives and paths, in everything that we say and do, in following Him and walking down the path of righteousness and virtue at all times. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded that we should always be trusting in God and in all that He has done for us, in all the Wisdom and kindness which He has generously bestowed upon us. God will not abandon us especially during the darkest and most difficult moments, and we will not be left alone amidst all those challenges because God is always by our side, no matter what.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord’s continued reminder to His people through His prophet, reminding and telling them all to be truly faithful to Him, and not merely paying Him lip service and empty gestures, or actions that were hypocritical in nature, as they had done in their past, and how their ancestors had lived before them. Back then, many of the people of God in Israel and Judah had not truly obeyed the Lord, neglected His Law and commandments, and merely observing the Law out of obedience but without truly meaning what they had done, or understanding fully what the Lord Himself has taught and shown them, and that was why He sent them His prophets and servants like Isaiah to remind them of this fact.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the calling of Levi the tax collector by the Lord Jesus Himself. At that time, as we heard, Levi was at his tax collecting station and when the Lord called on him, Levi without hesitation left everything he had behind, his job and all of his belongings, and decided to follow the Lord wholeheartedly as His full-time disciple. During that period, tax collectors were often hated and reviled by much of the community because of the great bias against them, the hatred which the people of God collectively gave to them as the tax collectors were seen as collaborators, agents and even traitors to the Jewish nation and state, for collecting taxes meant for the Roman overlords.

Hence, Levi and the other tax collectors really had it difficult in their lives and works, and many among the people, especially the Pharisees and the elites of the community deemed them all as wicked sinners and traitors beyond hope and redemption. They were therefore often looked down upon and hated as mentioned, but yet, the Lord reached out to Levi and called him to be His disciple, and also spent time among the tax collectors who were all willing and desiring to listen to His teachings, and shared a meal with all of them, to the surprise, criticism and displeasure of the Pharisees who were observing His actions.

But the Lord made it clear that He came into this world to gather those who have been separated from God through sin, reaching out to those who have been afflicted by sin, and those tax collectors clearly desired to seek God’s forgiveness and grace. Not only that, but in time, Levi himself would become a great and committed disciple of the Lord, known by his new name of Matthew, as one of the Twelve Apostles and one of the Four Evangelists, ministering to the people of God through his works and writings, directed primarily to the Jewish population, hoping to convince more of them to accept the teachings and truth of the Lord Jesus as their guiding principle and accepting Him as their Master and Saviour. He would go on to serve the Lord in many more great ways for many years.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Damian, a great saint and Church father, whose life and works can truly inspire all of us to be faithful to the Lord in many ways, as he himself led a good and devout life, filled with faith and dedication to God. St. Peter Damian was a great intellectual and theologian who gave up the greatness of secular and worldly life to become a Benedictine monk. He was renowned for his great piety and dedication to his mission and works, in his efforts in reforming the Church and Christian faithful, beginning with his own Benedictine community, and then in tandem with the efforts of a few Popes of that time, beginning with Pope Gregory VI and up to Pope St. Leo IX and his friend, Pope St. Gregory VII.

Back then, the corruptions of worldly vices, attachments, ambitions and sins have slowly crept up into the Church and into its various communities, affecting both the clergymen and the laity alike. St. Peter Damian helped to reform the Church through his great vision and desire to root out from the Church those worldly corruptions and vices which had caused so many scandals and for so many of the faithful to fall into sin and evil ways. He rooted out corrupt practices and helped to straighten the ways of many of the faithful, in his various capacities as Papal envoy and legate, and as a member of the College of Cardinals, his role as a Cardinal and hence close Papal confidant and advisor was crucial in the reestablishment of order and virtue in the life of the Church of that time. And despite his high office and influential position, St. Peter Damian remained humble and thoroughly committed to his calling, and not swayed by worldly temptations of power and glory.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all discern what we have just discussed, including the life and examples of St. Peter Damian in remembering that as Christians each and every one of us are also expected to live our lives with genuine faith in the Lord, and root out from ourselves, from our hearts and minds, the corruption of sin and temptations of pride, ego, ambition, hubris, greed and others. Let us all remind ourselves of this as we continue to embark on this journey of reconciliation with God during this time and season of Lent so that we may draw ever closer to Him and receive from His most generous fount of mercy and grace, a full reconciliation and abundance of love He has always lavished on us.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate, merciful and patient God continue to guide each and every one of us in our journey of faith and life following the example of Levi the tax collector and our other holy predecessors, helping us to persevere in walking down the path of righteousness and virtue, doing our best to love the Lord our God and love our fellow brothers and sisters, especially those whom we love the most and precious to us, in a genuine and generous manner, just as much as the Lord Himself has loved us all. Let us all Christians be truly known and recognised by our love, most generous and wonderful, flowing ever more genuinely from our hearts through our actions, words and deeds, just as the Lord has shown and taught us. May God bless us all in our every endeavours and efforts to glorify Him, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 February 2026 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 5 : 27-32

At that time, after Jesus healed a paralytic man, He went out, and noticing a tax collector named Levi, sitting in the tax office, He said to him, “Follow Me!” So Levi, leaving everything, got up and followed Jesus.

Levi gave a great feast for Jesus, and many tax collectors came to his house, and took their places at the table with the other people. Then the Pharisees and their followers complained to Jesus’ disciples, “How is it, that you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

But Jesus spoke up, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners, to a change of heart.”

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Saturday, 21 February 2026 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 85 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Listen, o YHVH, and answer me, for I am afflicted and needy. Preserve my life, for I am God-fearing; save Your servant who trusts in You.

Have mercy on me, o YHVH, for I cry to You all day. Bring joy to the soul of Your servant; for You, o YHVH, I lift up my soul.

You are good and forgiving, o YHVH, caring for those who call on You. Listen, o YHVH, to my prayer, hear the voice of my pleading.

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Saturday, 21 February 2026 : Saturday after Ash Wednesday, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 58 : 9b-14

If you remove from your midst the yoke, the clenched fist and the wicked word. If you share your food with the hungry and give relief to the oppressed, then your light will rise in the dark, your night will be like noon.

YHVH will guide you always and give you relief in desert places. He will strengthen your bones; He will make you as a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fall. Your ancient ruins will be rebuilt, the age-old foundations will be raised. You will be called the Breach-mender, and the Restorer of ruined houses.

If you stop profaning the Sabbath and doing as you please on the holy day, if you call the Sabbath a day of delight and keep sacred YHVH’s holy day, if you honour it by not going your own way, not doing as you please and not speaking with malice, then you will find happiness in YHVH, over the heights you will ride triumphantly, and feast joyfully on the inheritance of your father Jacob. The mouth of YHVH has spoken.

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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.