Saturday

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Saturday, 15 June 2024 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

1 Kings 19 : 19-21

Elijah left. He found Elisha, son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah and said, “Let me say goodbye to my father and mother; then I will follow you.”

Elijah said to him, “Return if you want, do not worry about what I did.” However, Elisha turned back, took the yoke of oxen and slew them. He roasted their meat on the pieces of the yoke and gave it to his people who ate of it. After this, he followed Elijah and began ministering to him.

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Saturday, 8 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus yesterday, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today we recall the great loving heart of Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, who has loved us all most generously and wonderfully just as she has always loved her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. From her Immaculate and most loving heart, just like that of her Son’s Most Sacred Heart, we have seen a great outpouring of love and affection, through which she has always patiently taken care of us, as our adoptive mother, who cares for us and for our salvation through her Son.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet Isaiah spoke joyfully about the coming of God’s salvation to His beloved people, reminding them of all the love which God has shown to all of us constantly and repeatedly. The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming of God’s blessings and love, rejuvenation and reinvigoration for all of His beloved people, restoring them to grace and honour, after they have all fallen from grace and rebelled against Him, reminding them that after all, they were still beloved and dear to God, precious to their Lord and Master, Who have always desired their conversion and liberation from the many temptations and distractions, obstacles and other things that had pulled them away from their paths towards God.

The prophet Isaiah came at the time when the fortunes of the people of God, the Israelites had been getting very low, as they faced lots of trials and challenges, which were all because of their own infidelities and refusal to follow the path of God. They hardened their hearts against Him and turned away from His generous love and kindness, refusing to listen to the many messengers that God had sent to them to remind them of their obligations and missions in life, in their need to follow the Law and commandments of God, just as the Lord has taught them. They chose to follow the path of evil, wickedness and worldly desires, instead of following and obeying God. They continued to do so even after God has repeatedly shown His love and patience, always having reached out to them to show His love for them.

They persecuted the many prophets and servants of God out of their stubbornness and in their continuing desire to follow the path of sin, and as a result, they fell into their predicament, being divided one against another, and facing a lot of hardships and sufferings, which led to the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel and the deportation of many of its people just around the time when the prophet Isaiah began his mission in the southern kingdom of Judah. But God wanted to reassure His people that despite all these and the punishments that they had to endure then, and would have to endure in the future, God would always still love them as a loving Father, as a Father Who chastised His wayward children but One Who did so out of genuine love and care.

From our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel of St. Luke, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus during His younger years at the age of twelve went to Jerusalem for the Festival and celebration of the Passover. In this quite well-known story, the Lord Jesus purposefully stayed behind in Jerusalem at the Temple when His family went back to Nazareth after the festivities which caused His parents, St. Joseph and Mary to be really worried and went back to Jerusalem to find the young Jesus, and found Him at the Temple. There they saw Him in deep discussions with the Temple priests and the teachers of the Law, revealing His Wisdom and part of His true nature as the Son of God Incarnate.

We heard how Mary and St. Joseph both showed their concern and worry, because Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem without their knowledge, and yet at the same time we also heard how Mary kept everything that she had experienced, witnessed and heard in her own heart. This is coupled with whatever she had experienced and witnessed earlier on, such as at the moment when the Baby Jesus was brought to the same Temple of Jerusalem shortly after His birth, and the man of God, Simeon spoke of everything that the Child would be, echoed by the prophetess Anna who was also there to witness the occasion. All these were kept by Mary in her heart, who kept on loving her Son throughout her whole life, the wonderful love that she has shown Him from her Immaculate Heart.

And she would indeed bear great burden and pain in her heart, pierced by the great sorrow which she had witnessed when she saw her own beloved Son suffering and dying on the Cross at the moment of His Passion. She still committed herself nonetheless, following her beloved Son even right up to the foot of the Cross. This is the same kind of love which God has shown His people earlier on in our first reading today, one that He told them through the prophet Isaiah, a love that is truly selfless, compassionate and wonderful, love that is ever nurturing and genuine, love that is ever patient and life-giving. And it is this same love which Mary herself has given to all of us, whom she has taken to be her own beloved children, as we have all been entrusted to her by the Lord Himself, at the moment of His Passion and death, that we may become her children, and she become our mother.

Throughout history, our loving Mother Mary has shown herself to various people especially during time of great conflicts and great hardships in the Church, and through her apparitions and examples, many had been touched by her love and the efforts she had done in calling all of us out of the darkness and into the light of God. Mary’s most amazing and love-filled Immaculate Heart has indeed shown to each and every one of us this generous love which she has always had for all of us. She wants to lead us all to her Son, and as our loving Mother naturally she does not want any one of us to be lost to her or her Son because of our sins, which may lead us all into eternal damnation and destruction. If that happens, then there will be no hope left for us, only darkness and despair.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us appreciate the great love that Mary, our loving Mother and the Mother of Our Lord and God has for us from her Immaculate Heart. Let us all also have the same love for her and for her Son, our Lord and God, and also for one another, so that in all of our ways and actions in life, we may truly be filled with love, befitting our mission and calling as Christians, that is to be loving just as the Lord has loved us. May all of us continue to love one another most generously, and follow the loving examples of our Blessed Mother at all times. Most Immaculate Heart of Mary, loving Mother, please pray for us all your children, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 8 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 2 : 41-51

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, He went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the Boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.

They thought He was in the company, and after walking the whole day they looked for Him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for Him, and on the third day they found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw Him, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for You.” Then He said to them, “Why were you looking for Me? Did you not know that I must be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them. As for His mother, she kept all these things in her heart.

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Saturday, 8 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.

The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the proud mother is left alone.

YHVH is Lord of life and death. He brings down to the grave and raises up. YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and He exalts.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour.

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Saturday, 8 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 61 : 9-11

Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a race YHVH has blessed.

I rejoice greatly in YHVH, my soul exults for joy in my God, for He has clothed me in the garments of His salvation, He has covered me with the robe of His righteousness, like a bridegroom wearing a garland, like a bride adorned with jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord YHVH make justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations.

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the readings from the Sacred Scriptures remind us that all of us are Christians must always be firmly established in our faith in God, as we are called to live a most worthy and wholesome life, in each and every moments of our lives, as God’s disciples and followers. As those who believe in the Lord, we are all expected to put our trust and faith in Him, and strive to do whatever we can so that by our exemplary commitments and devotion to God, we may always continue to do His will and to carry out whatever missions that He has entrusted to us even amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our lives and in our journey as faithful Christians, that is as holy and beloved people of God.

In our first reading today, we listened from the Epistle of St. Jude in which St. Jude the Apostle exhorted all the faithful people of God to live worthily and truly obedient to God’s will and Law, walking in the path which He has shown and taught us to do. St. Jude also spoke of the need for all the faithful to build their lives upon the foundation of God, and to do all of their actions and to base their whole lives upon the compassion and love of God, to show love in their whole lives so that by their every words, actions and deeds, they may indeed show that they truly belong to the Lord and are truly His disciples and followers in all things, not merely in words and formality only.

The Lord calls upon His disciples through this exhortation by St. Jude, including that of all of us that we must always strive to live our lives in the most Christ-like manner, in our desire to keep away from all sins and evils, from all the temptations of worldly pleasures and all the other things that often misled many people to their downfall and destruction. Each and every one of us are reminded that we must indeed be holy just like our Lord is all holy and perfect, or else we are hypocrites and we may sully and slander the goodness and holiness of His Name and Presence. Many people have been scandalised and put off from embracing the Christian faith precisely because of the wicked attitudes and behaviours of some of our fellow Christians, if not we ourselves.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Mark where the Lord Jesus was faced with disapproval and questioning from the chief priests who questioned Him and interrogated Him about His activities and works, which they disapproved of and refused to accept and embrace. They also did the same with St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Lord, the one who went before Him to prepare His way. The chief priests and the Pharisees also went to St. John the Baptist, questioning him of his authenticity and the authority behind which he had performed all of his works and conducted all of his teachings and ministry. All these were because what the Lord and St. John the Baptist had done were not in accordance with what the chief priests had upheld and preferred.

This was where the Lord pointed out firmly to those chief priests that whatever He and St. John the Baptist had done were indeed sanctioned by God, and were Divine in origin. He challenged those chief priests and Pharisees to answer if the works and actions of St. John the Baptist, who was also highly esteemed like the Lord among the Jewish community, whether his works were human or Divine in origin. Those chief priests and those who opposed the Lord could not answer that challenge because they were afraid of the crowd and the people, and it showed just how shallow their accusations and oppositions against the Lord were. They opposed the Lord and His disciples and servants because they thought that they were better and more worthy, as the bearers and keepers of the Law, looking down on those who did not follow their path.

But this is also an important reminder for all of us that just as the Lord Himself has faced a lot of hardships and opposition in His work and ministry, therefore we can expect to face similar hardships and opposition as well. We must also remember how those chief priests were swayed by the temptations of worldly glory and power, by their jealousy against the Lord and St. John the Baptist, seeing how many of the people chose to flock to the two of them rather than following the path of the chief priests and the Pharisees. They opposed the Lord and His servants because they feared losing their prestige, influence and privileges in the community, and this led them to disobey and sin against God. This is what we must be vigilant against, and we must not allow ourselves to be swayed in the same manner.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Justin, also known St. Justin Martyr, who was one of the early Church fathers and one of the Christian martyrs, whose faith and dedication to the Lord has been very inspiring to many people throughout time and history. St. Justin was born into a Greek family at the region of Samaria in the Holy Land according to Apostolic and Church tradition, and he was likely a convert to the Christian faith as his family had a pagan background and history. It was told that an old Syrian Christian whom he encountered on a seashore and the dialogues that St. Justin had with the old man convinced him to believe in God, having heard of the truth and the glory of God that the old Christian man spoke with great zeal and fervour, and thus that was how St. Justin became a Christian.

St. Justin was then involved in extensive missionary activities, going to various places to proclaim the Lord and His truth, His Good News and salvation, and as a renowned philosopher in his own right, he would also establish his own philosophy school in Rome, where according to the Church traditions, he was involved in debates and disputations with the local pagan philosophers, one of whom denounced him to the Roman authorities. Thus, that was how St. Justin ended up being arrested, made to endure sufferings and eventually was martyred for his faith in the Lord. But to the very end, St. Justin remained firmly faithful to the Lord, and just as his whole life had been, St. Justin committed himself thoroughly to the Lord, and through his many works, writings and his own martyrdom, he inspired countless Christians who were his contemporaries, and those who came after him, even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the great example and faith showed to us by St. Justin Martyr, let us all reflect upon our own lives and actions. Let us all look at how we have lived our lives as Christians, as God’s beloved and holy people. Have we truly dedicated and committed ourselves to the Lord, following Him with all our heart and with all our might? Or have we instead been idle and ignorant of our calling and the various missions which the Lord had entrusted to us? All of us are reminded today through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures and through the life and example of St. Justin Martyr that we must always have a genuine, living and active faith in the Lord, and we must always be ready to commit ourselves to Him, and be prepared for the challenges and sufferings that we may have to endure in the midst of our lives and journey in faith.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us, and may He empower us all to be His ever faithful and worthy followers, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always do our very best to live our lives as good and worthy Christians, persevering amidst the many challenges and difficulties that we may have to face in our daily lives and journey as the faithful people of God. Let us all continue to go forth with faith and conviction, with the strength and guidance of God to guide our path. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Mark 11 : 27-33

At that time, Jesus and His disciples were once again in Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders came to Him, and asked, “What authority do You have to act like this? Who gave You authority to do the things You do.”

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you a question, only one, and if you give me an answer, then I will tell you what authority I have to act like this. Was John’s preaching and baptism a work of God, or was it merely something human? Answer Me.”

And they kept arguing among themselves, “If we answer that it was a work of God, He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’” But neither could they answer before the people that the baptism of John was merely something human, for everyone regarded John as a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you what authority I have to act as I do.”

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 62 : 2abc, 2d-4, 5-6, 8-9

O God, You are my God, it is You I seek; for You my body longs and my soul thirsts.

As a dry and weary land without water. Thus have I gazed upon You in the Sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You.

I will praise You as long as I live, lift up my hands and call on Your Name. As with the richest food, my soul will feast; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

For You have been my help; I sing in the shadow of Your wings. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.

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Saturday, 1 June 2024 : 8th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Jude 17 : 20b-25

But, most beloved, remember what the Apostles of Christ Jesus, Our Lord, announced to you. Build your life on the foundation of your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Remain firm, in the love of God, welcoming the mercy of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, which leads to eternal life.

Try to convince those who doubt; others you will save, snatching them from condemnation. Treat the others with compassion, but also with prudence, shunning even the clothes that touched their body. To the one God, Who is able to keep you from all sin, and bring you, happy and without blemish before His own glory, to the one God, Who saves us, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, to Him be glory, honour, might and power, from past ages, now and forever. Amen.

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Saturday, 25 May 2024 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church, Pope St. Gregory VII, Pope, and St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests, Popes and Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to listen to the words from the Sacred Scriptures, we are again constantly being reminded of the need for us all as Christians to be truly genuine in our faith and obedience to God. We should not be hypocrites who profess to believe in God and yet in our daily living, in how we live our lives, in how we act and behave, in what we say and do, we do not truly believe in the Lord, and we even sully and profane His Holy Name because our actions had been contrary to what we believe in, to our Christian faith and calling.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. James in which the Apostle continued with his exhortations to the people of God that we have heard in the past one or two weeks, as he told the people not to give in to the many temptations of the world, highlighting the fact that all those temptations had led to many people to fall into the path of sin and destruction, which leads only to damnation and suffering for us, and that was why the Apostle exhorted all the faithful to stay away from the path of temptation, disobedience and sin, all the things which could lead the people astray from truth and therefore into their downfall and defeat.

St. James told the faithful to stay rooted in their faith in God and to have genuine relationship and connection with God. Through prayer and the building of genuine commitment and relationship with God, we mankind can continue to live through our lives with renewed faith and that important connection that can help anchor us all in the faith. We must use the many opportunities, chances and moments that the Lord had given us so that we may build and establish a truly vibrant and living relationship with Him, strengthened through prayer and quality time, and through the faithful living of our lives as Christians.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples, reminding them all to be like little children in their faith. He was making this reference because they had been fighting and quarrelling with each other over favour and preference by the Lord, debating and disagreeing among themselves who among them was the greatest and the most important among the Lord’s followers. The Lord contrasted those attitudes with the pure faith of little children, who truly believe in the Lord and put themselves completely in His care, and not allowing themselves to be swayed by the temptations of the world.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of not just one but three holy saints of the Church, and these holy men and women hopefully can encourage us all through their exemplary lives so that by their good examples, we may indeed be strengthened in our resolve and commitment to follow their examples and live our lives ever more worthily in the Lord. First of all, St. Bede the Venerable was an English saint and remembered for his numerous writings and works on history as well as other Church matters, and then Pope St. Gregory VII was the leader and Pope of the Church, known for his role in the Investiture Controversy against the Holy Roman Emperor and his reforms of the Church, and lastly St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi who was a renowned Carmelite nun and mystic during the late Renaissance era.

St. Bede the Venerable was raised from young in a monastic area during the Anglo-Saxon period of England and its surrounding regions, eventually becoming a monk, ordained deacon and eventually as a priest, to be a faithful and good servant of God and His Church. As mentioned, St. Bede was well-known for his numerous writings and intellectual works, through which he chronicled not just many aspects of history of the British Isles and the general region, history of the world and other things, but his many writings and translations of the Scriptures were very influential in helping many generations of the Christian faithful in the British Isles and beyond after his time.

Pope St. Gregory VII as mentioned was embroiled in the bitter Investiture Controversy that had lasted for quite some time between the Church authorities and the secular powers of the world, with the Pope leading the Church on one side, while the Holy Roman Emperor entrusted with power and rule over all of Christendom on the other side. The Holy Roman Emperor, while crowned and anointed by the Pope to be the God-appointed ruler of all Christendom, began claiming the power to choose the bishops and prelates over the lands under his dominion as well, which was something that the Pope reserved to himself as the Vicar of Christ.

Thus, this led to a lot of struggles and disagreements, with the Holy Roman Emperors even appointing their own rival Antipopes to be the rival of the Popes in Rome, and to cast doubt on their authority, while trying to bring the Popes under Imperial dominion, power and influence. Pope St. Gregory VII laboured hard to oppose this intrusion of secular power into the spiritual and Church domain, rights and privileges, and he also spent a lot of time and efforts to reform the Church and its clergy, many of whom had fallen to corruption and excesses of the world. The Lord did many truly great things through this holy Pope and servant, who had dedicated himself thoroughly to His cause.

St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi was born into a very wealthy and influential family in what is today Italy, and since young, she had been brought up in great piety, and she soon exhibited great love and commitment to God, practicing self-mortification and wearing even a replica of the crown of thorns and other means to restrain her own worldly desires and temptations, while at the same time beginning to experience visions and mystical experiences that she would receive and encounter throughout her whole life. Eventually, after resisting her family’s effort to marry her to another nobleman, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi joined religious life, dedicating her whole life to God, experiencing many visions and writing down her experiences, through which she inspired many others who were touched by her experiences.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard from the great examples of these three saints, holy men and women of God, in how they dedicated themselves and their whole lives to the Lord, let us all therefore strive to do our best to follow in their footsteps and to carry out whatever it is that God has entrusted to us to do so that by our every lives, actions and deeds, in our whole entire way of living, we may truly be worthy and will be great inspiration ourselves for all those who have witnessed us and our lives. Let us resist the temptations of worldly glory and desires, and the temptations of our ego, ambition, pride and other things that can lead us down the path towards our downfall. May God be with us always, and may He empower each one of us to live ever more faithfully in each and every moments of our lives. Amen.