St. Pancras

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures in which we have received today, all of us are encouraged and strengthened by the words and the stories of how the Lord had guided, protected and provided for His people in their hour of need. We are constantly being reminded again and again, that the Lord is always with us, by our side, guiding and helping us to go through the journey of our lives, as we follow Him faithfully and as we walk in His presence, carrying out His will and doing our part as Christians, that is as those whom God had called and chosen, and all of us who have accepted Him as our Lord, Saviour and King. Each and every one of us are truly fortunate because all the great love that God has always shown us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of how St. Paul and St. Silas, one of his partners in missionary works across the Mediterranean region, faced great trouble in Philippi in the then Roman Greece, as they were despised by the slave owners of the region, who found their messages of Christian hope and emancipation, of the coming of the Lord’s help and assistance, and the equality between all mankind a truly dangerous one, as that had turned more and more of their own slaves into the Christian faith, and not few among those slave owners must have thought that there was a chance that the slaves might even turn against their own masters or disobey them because of the teachings of the Christian missionaries.

Hence, we heard how the two of them were put in prison after they were flogged and made to suffer, and they suffered, although not for long, because the Lord was always with all of His disciples, and He would aid and help them in their time and hour of need, according to His will. It was not the time for St. Paul or St. Silas yet to suffer prison for a long time or martyrdom back then, and hence, as we heard, an earthquake happened, which broke open their prison and made many others to be free as well. The jailor was so afraid of the repercussions of what had happened, that he almost took his own life if not for the intervention from the two disciples, who convinced him not to do so. And not just that, the jailor and his whole family was even convinced and became members of the Church, gotten baptised because of this event.

In a sense, what we have heard in the occasion of the earthquake was truly very symbolic indeed. As it did not just physically broke the chains holding the disciples, but also that of the many other people that were imprisoned with them. And with regards to the jailor himself and his whole family, this represented the breaking of the chains of sin and evil that had held them up, dominated them and kept them from the salvation in God. The Lord was not just protecting His faithful ones, but He even used the opportunity to open up the doors to more people who came to believe in Him because of the misfortune that had faced His disciples, and what was a hard time for the disciples of the Lord, became even yet another opportunity for the salvation of more souls. That is just how wonderful God worked in the manner that often brings surprise to us, that He could turn even great misfortunes into great and wonderful things in the end.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples, in which He reassured them that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, would come upon them, and would guide all of them. He told them beforehand that although they would not see Him anymore eventually, as He would go and ascend, returning to His heavenly Throne after He died and then risen from the dead, but He would always be with them, guiding and protecting them all, through the Holy Spirit that would encourage, strengthen and help them on their path to righteousness and to fulfil His will and commands, in doing whatever that He had told and guided them all to do. The Lord wants us all to know this as well, so that each and every one of us may come to know that He has given us so much to help and lead us down the path that He has called us to walk in.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, how do we then walk in the path of the Lord? We have to come and spend the time to listen to the words of the Lord speaking in our hearts and minds, and open ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit present within us all. That also means each one of us should trust the Lord ever more in our lives, following Him wholeheartedly each day and at every moments. All of us are reminded that in the Lord alone we will have true hope and consolation, and as we recall how He had guided many of His servants throughout the history of the Church, all of us are therefore called to renew and deepen our faith in Him. Can we do this, brothers and sisters in Christ? Many of us have become apathetic and lukewarm in faith, and we are reminded that we should rekindle the strong and genuine love that we should have in the Lord.

This day, having heard all these from the word of God and more, let us all hence turn towards the Lord, our most loving God with renewed conviction and faith. Let us all embrace the Lord with renewed dedication and commitment to Him, and let us strive to seek Him and to walk down the path that He has shown us, embracing the love and compassion that He has always given us all these while. Let us be strengthened with hope and be encouraged by the examples of the Holy Apostles and disciples of the Lord. Let us not easily be disheartened especially if we faced hardships and persecutions by the world, oppressions and challenges from those who disagree with us and refuse to believe in the Lord like us. Instead, let us all make use of every opportunities to allow the Lord to lead and guide us ever more, as we continue walking down the path that He has led us all into.

Today, all of us also can look upon the good examples and inspirations from three among our faithful predecessors, the saints and martyrs, namely, St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, and also St. Pancras. Each and every one of them had lived their lives most courageously with faith, and had endured the hardships and trials, the challenges and obstacles they had to go through amidst their journey of faith. All of them had devoted themselves to the Lord to the very end, as they faced death and martyrdom with courage and joy. To start with, St. Nereus and St. Achilleus were according to some traditions, eunuchs and chamberlains of the niece of the Roman Emperor Domitian, named Flavilla Domitilla, and they lived through the time of a great persecution of the Church and Christians, as the Emperor Domitian was historically known for his intense persecution of Christians, and attempts to eradicate the Church. According to tradition, they faced martyrdom with courage and faith, and did not give up their faith despite the trials that faced them.

Meanwhile, St. Pancras was a young Roman citizen who was also known as St. Pancratius, who lived through another period of great persecution of the Church and the faithful people of God, by the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the Roman state, which was known for the last great official persecution of Christianity, during which many of the faithful were arrested, suffered greatly and many were martyred for their faith in God. St. Pancras himself was a young man who converted to the Christian faith, and was brought before the authorities for being a Christian. He was forced to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, but refused with firmness and zeal, and his determination to resist moved even the Emperor himself who tried to sway the young St. Pancras with wealth and power without avail. St. Pancras therefore faced martyrdom, in defending his faith in God to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of the holy saints, St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, and St. Pancras, in how they have lived their lives with faith and how they have dedicated themselves to the Lord. Let us all be truly faithful towards the Lord and place Him right at the centre of our lives and existence, and strive to do our best to glorify Him by our lives and by our every good works, allowing the Lord to lead and guide us in our journey just as He has guided the Apostles and the saints before us. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to guide and strengthen us all in our journey of faith, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 16 : 5-11

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “But now I am going to the One Who sent Me, and none of you asks Me where I am going; instead you are overcome with grief, because of what I have said.”

“Believe Me, it is better for you that I go away, because as long as I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go away, it is to send Him to you, and when He comes, He will vindicate the truth before a sinful world; and He will vindicate the paths of righteousness and justice.”

“What is the world’s sin, in regard to Me? Disbelief. What is the path of righteousness? It is the path I walk, by which I go to the Father; and you shall see Me no more. What is the path of justice? It is the path on which the prince of this world will always stand condemned.”

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 137 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 7c-8

I thank You, o Lord with all my heart, for You have heard the word of my lips. I sing Your praise in the presence of the gods. I bow down towards Your holy Temple and give thanks to Your Name.

For Your love and faithfulness, for Your word which exceeds everything. You answered me when I called; You restored my soul and made me strong.

You save me from the wrath of my foes, with Your right hand You deliver me. How the Lord cares for me! Your kindness, o Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the work of Your hands.

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Tuesday, 12 May 2026 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 16 : 22-34

So the slave owners of Philippi set the crowd against Paul and Silas and the officials tore the clothes of them and ordered them to be flogged. And after inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them safely. Upon receiving these instructions, he threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly a severe earthquake shook the place, rocking the prison to its foundations. Immediately all the doors flew open and the chains of all the prisoners fell off.

The jailer woke up to see the prison gates wide open. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself, but Paul shouted to him, “Do not harm yourself! We are all still here.” The jailer asked for a light, then rushed in, and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas. After he had secured the other prisoners, he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.” Then they spoke the word of God to him and to all his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer took care of them and washed their wounds; and he and his whole household were baptised at once. He led them to his house, spread a meal before them and joyfully celebrated with his whole household his newfound faith in God.

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Monday, 12 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we continue to progress through this joyful time and season of Easter, listening to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are constantly being reminded of God’s wonderful love and kindness to all of us His beloved people. We are reminded that all of us, regardless of our background and origin, all of us are equally beloved and precious to God, Who has willingly loved us all, given us His attention and time, His ever present concern and care for all of us, His beloved children and people. Therefore, that is why He has always shown us His patient guidance and leading us all tirelessly towards Him, as our most loving and patient Shepherd, the Good Shepherd Who knows all of His sheep and flock by name, Who truly cares and loves for all of us without any exception.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the story of how there were some disagreements between the early Christians in the community in Jerusalem and Judea, as some of them belonged to the group of the Pharisees, the ones who were particularly rigid and strict in how they observed the Law of God, and who were also often prejudiced and judgmental against the non-Jewish people or the Gentiles, seeing themselves being the direct descendants of Abraham and the Israelites to be superior to that of the other people. As such, because of the disagreements and divisions, which saw the Pharisees accusing those who mingled and interacted with the Gentiles as being mistaken and sinful, thus St. Peter told them all about the moment when he received a vision from God while he was at Joppa, in the land of the Gentiles.

In that vision which St. Peter received, shortly before he met and encountered a family of believers from among the Gentiles, likely influential Romans named Cornelius, St. Peter saw all sorts of animals which the Jewish laws and customs considered as unclean and impure, and which therefore should be avoided. However, he heard the Lord asking him to eat from those unclean animals, which St. Peter hesitated, and the same thing happened three times, as the Lord told him that what He deemed as clean, he should not deem as unclean. This, together with the encounter with Cornelius and his family which happened immediately afterwards served as an example which St. Peter presented to the assembly of the faithful that everyone are truly equal before God, without the need for distinction and prejudice between the Jews and the Gentiles.

This is why as Christians, it is important that we must not be prejudiced or judgmental against anyone, or adopt an attitude that is elitist and exclusivist in nature, thinking that we are somehow superior and better than others around us simply because we are the chosen people of God or because we have known the faith ahead of others. We must not be proud or arrogant because of this, but rather, we have to be like the Lord Himself, Who has loved each and every one of us equally, even the greatest sinners in our midst. God has always loved us and He does not want any one of us to be lost to Him, and that was why He has always kept the doors of His mercy and compassionate love open for us, reaching out to us through various means in calling us to return to Him, and we ourselves therefore should follow in His examples in how we help our fellow brethren around us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the Gospel of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist about the Lord referring to Himself as the Good Shepherd, the One Whom God had sent into this world to gather all of His scattered children and people, who have been lost to Him due to the sins we have committed, the darkness of evil and all the distractions and temptations of the world which had kept us away from the Lord and His love. The Lord referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd because He truly knows us all as His sheep, many of whom have been lost to Him, and which He patiently guided towards Him. The Lord also referred to Himself as the Gate of the sheep, and His sheep recognised Him, and would not respond to those false shepherds and all those who did not truly care for the well-being of the sheep and the flock.

This reminds us again of the great love of God that He has shown to all of us, in His patient and ever enduring love that He has generously poured out on us, His disciples and followers. He has reached out to us and tried to find us in places where we have been lost at, all those places where darkness had misled us to, the forces of evil and sin misleading and coercing us into, that we become lost from our Lord’s loving and tender care. But God did not give up on us and He still constantly sought us out, reaching out to us and tirelessly trying to be reconciled and reunited with us, giving us so many opportunities for us to return to Him by various means. And we should not take this great and most generous love and compassion from the Lord for granted.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of several saints, holy men and servants of God, whose lives and dedication to God can serve as good inspiration and role models for us all as Christians in our own lives in this world. They are St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, who were martyred during the early decades of Christianity, being the eunuchs and chamberlains of a niece of the Roman Emperor Domitian, who was well-known for his intense persecution of Christians. According to the Church tradition, they accompanied this niece of the Emperor, named Flavia Domitilla, who became a Christian, and altogether they were martyred for their faith after they were sent into exile. Meanwhile, St. Pancras, also known as St. Pancratius, was a young Christian man who was beheaded for his persistent faith in God during the terrible years of the intense Diocletianic Persecution.

We can see how from the examples of these great martyrs of the faith, that they had dedicated themselves to God and loved Him to the point of suffering even martyrdom for their faith in Him. They should inspire us all to be good and worthy role models for our fellow brethren, imitating the examples of Our Lord and Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ Himself. Let us all hence strive to do our best in each and every moments of our lives so that our lives, our every actions and words, our deeds and interactions may truly bear witness to the Lord, showcasing His love, truth, hope and Good News to everyone whom we encounter daily in life. May our lives be truly full of the love of our loving Good Shepherd, so that by our generous love, everyone may know God through us, and share in the same love that He has given us. Amen.

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Monday, 12 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 10 : 1-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the shepherd of the sheep enters by the gate. The keeper opens the gate to him and the sheep hear his voice; he calls each of his sheep by name and leads them out.”

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather they will run away from him, because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this comparison, but they did not understand what He was saying to them.

So Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, I am the Gate of the sheep. All who came were thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them. I am the Gate. Whoever enters through Me will be saved; he will go in and out freely and find food. The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, life in all its fullness.”

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Monday, 12 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 41 : 2-3 and Psalm 42 : 3, 4

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for You, o God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I go and see the face of God?

Send forth Your light and Your truth; let them be my guide, let them take me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You reside.

Then will I go to the Altar of God, to God, my gladness and delight. I will praise You with the lyre an harp, o God, my God.

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Monday, 12 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 11 : 1-18

News came to the Apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, “You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!”

So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, “I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky.”

“Then I heard a voice saying to me : ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat!’ I replied, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.’ A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying.”

“The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me and we entered into the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an Angel standing in his house and telling him : ‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.”

“I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as it had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said : ‘John baptised with water, but you shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ If, then, God had given them the same gift that He had given us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to resist God?”

When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, “Then God has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well.”

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Friday, 12 May 2023 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, each and every one of us are called to follow wholeheartedly the commandments of the Lord, to take it to heart and to believe in God most sincerely in all things. We should not forget this call and duty that each and every one of us as Christians have in living our daily lives with commitment and devotion to God. All of us have the calling and the mission entrusted to us to proclaim the truth and Good News of God to all the people all around us. We should do whatever the Lord has told us to do, and live our lives the way that He has taught us, so that by our examples and way of life, we may inspire others all around us to become more committed to the Lord, and to believe in Him as well.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles, of the conclusion of the First Council of Jerusalem, the very first Council of the Church assembled to discuss and discern the decision regarding how the Christian faithful, the people of God ought to carry out their lives, as there was then the controversy and division among the Christian faithful whether the Christian faithful ought to follow the full range of the extensive and often oppressive Jewish laws and customs espoused and championed by those who belonged to the group of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, and who embraced the Lord as their Saviour. To those people, the faithful had to embrace the fullness of the Jewish customs and laws, with all of their strict regulations and practices, in order for one to be saved and worthy of God.

However, the Apostles and the elders of the Church decided, after a period of gathering and discernment, guided by the Holy Spirit, that what is important is obeying the Law of God in its true spirit and understanding, and focusing on the key aspects of the Law of God just as the Lord Jesus Himself has revealed it, and not requiring the faithful people of God to subject themselves to the numerous tenets and often difficult to enforce rules and laws, which had in fact made it difficult for many of God’s people to come to Him, as those laws hindered them and prevented them from coming closer to God. Not only that, but as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law also often used those same rules and laws to discriminate against those whom they deemed to be less worthy and condemned as sinners, it became stumbling block for the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, who became enamoured with worldly glory, pride and ambition, and were blinded by their fanatical ideals and pursuits of their agenda.

They spent more time worrying about how to satisfy the many different aspects and tenets of the various rites and practices rather than truly loving and honouring the Lord their God through the faithful and proper appreciation, understanding and application of those laws and commandments. They often spent so much time focusing on the minute details that they had made an idol out of their way of observing and practicing the Law, zealously and even fanatically guarding their way of observing and practicing the Law, and not willing to listen to others who told them otherwise, even the Lord Himself Who had rebuked them and criticised them for their pettiness and their excessive emphasis on the ‘letter’ of the Law while forgetting the ‘spirit’ of the Law. The Lord reminded all of us, just as He had said to His disciples in our Gospel passage today, that each and every one of us should truly commit ourselves to His commandments of Love, that is to love God our most loving Father and Creator above all else, and then to love one another in the same way.

Unless we have the right focus and motivation, it will likely be easy for us to be distracted and pulled down the wrong path, as like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves have shown us, that we may be externally pious, holy and devout, and yet inside us, within our hearts and minds, it is possible for us not to have space for the Lord at all. Therefore in that case and regard, our faith is no more than an empty and dead faith, one that will not benefit us in our path towards the eternal life in God and in His salvation. Each and every one of us are called to be truly faithful to the Lord, to be filled with generous love like that which our Lord Himself has shown us at every moments. All of us are called to do what He has taught us, to be compassionate and kind towards our fellow brothers and sisters, and to resist the temptations of evil, of pride, greed and worldly attachments.

Today, all of us also can look upon the good examples and inspirations from three among our faithful predecessors, the saints and martyrs, namely, St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, and also St. Pancras. Each and every one of them had lived their lives most courageously with faith, and had endured the hardships and trials, the challenges and obstacles they had to go through amidst their journey of faith. All of them had devoted themselves to the Lord to the very end, as they faced death and martyrdom with courage and joy. To start with, St. Nereus and St. Achilleus were according to some traditions, eunuchs and chamberlains of the niece of the Roman Emperor Domitian, named Flavilla Domitilla, and they lived through the time of a great persecution of the Church and Christians, as the Emperor Domitian was historically known for his intense persecution of Christians, and attempts to eradicate the Church. According to tradition, they faced martyrdom with courage and faith, and did not give up their faith despite the trials that faced them.

Meanwhile, St. Pancras was a young Roman citizen who was also known as St. Pancratius, who lived through another period of great persecution of the Church and the faithful people of God, by the Roman Emperor Diocletian and the Roman state, which was known for the last great official persecution of Christianity, during which many of the faithful were arrested, suffered greatly and many were martyred for their faith in God. St. Pancras himself was a young man who converted to the Christian faith, and was brought before the authorities for being a Christian. He was forced to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, but refused with firmness and zeal, and his determination to resist moved even the Emperor himself who tried to sway the young St. Pancras with wealth and power without avail. St. Pancras therefore faced martyrdom, in defending his faith in God to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of the holy saints, St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, and St. Pancras, in how they have lived their lives with faith and how they have dedicated themselves to the Lord. Let us all be truly faithful towards the Lord and place Him right at the centre of our lives and existence, and strive to do our best to glorify Him by our lives and by our every good works. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to guide and strengthen us all in our journey of faith, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 12 May 2023 : 5th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. St. Nereus and St. Achilleus, Martyrs, and St. Pancras, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 15 : 12-17

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “This is My commandment : Love one another as I have loved you! There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends; and you are My friends, if you do what I command you.”

“I shall not call You servants any more, because servants do not know what their master is about. Instead I have called you friends, since I have made known to you everything I learnt from My Father.”

“You did not choose Me; it was I Who chose you and sent you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And everything you ask the Father in My Name, He will give you. This is My command, that you love one another.”