St. Vincent de Paul

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Saturday, 27 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for us all to continue to put our trust and faith in the Lord. Each and every one of us should always continue to do our best to keep our faith in Him regardless what challenges, trials and obstacles we may be facing in our respective paths in life. We should not allow ourselves to be distracted and persuaded by fear and uncertainties around us, that may lead us down the path which lead us further away from the Lord, because we did not have enough faith and trust in Him and because we think that there are others which we can depend on. It is by staying with the Lord that we can truly receive true happiness and satisfaction in life.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard the heavenly vision that the prophet of God received seeing the vision of an Angel of God whom he encountered, as the Angel was about to measure the city of Jerusalem, the Holy City of God’s people. The prophet Zechariah himself was sent to the people of God who had returned to their homeland from their exile in Babylon, a few centuries before the coming of Christ. Zechariah ministered during the reign of the Great King of Persia, Darius the Great, at a time when the people of Israel and their descendants were already well settled in their recently reclaimed lands, and as they were building again the Temple of God that had been destroyed many years before.

The Lord reassured His people that He would always be with them, providing them and giving them whatever they needed. He would always guide and strengthen them, and He would bless them once again with His great grace and blessings, restoring joy and happiness to them because He truly cared about them and wanted them all to be truly happy and blessed in all things, and no longer be separated from Him. That is why God reassured them all through the prophet Zechariah that if they were to continue to walk in His path and to do His will, obeying His Law and commandments, then they will all be truly joyful, and will walk ever in God’s favour and strength, and they will no longer face and endure the humiliations that they had once experienced before.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the ominous words from the Lord Jesus to His disciples, highlighting how He would soon be handed over to His enemies, betrayed, rejected and made to suffer the greatest and most terrible sufferings and challenges, all because the world itself refused to accept Him, with many of His enemies and detractors opposing Him because they were unable to accept the fact that they could be wrong or mistaken in their ways, deluding themselves with their pride, ego and arrogance that they knew it better than the Lord Himself. And yet, the Lord showed them all His patient love, the love which has been manifested perfectly in His own Person, the Incarnate Son of God made Man.

And in Christ our Lord, the Lord had made good of His many promises to His people, reminding them all that He has always been faithful to the Covenant that He had made with them, and also the promises that He would always love them and show His mercy and compassion on them. He came into our midst to show us all that His most generous love for us is always pure and genuine, patient and everlasting, and He has always loved us all through our uncertainties and lack of faith, our disobedience and our wayward living. He wants to restore us all to Himself, to be reunited with us and to bring us all together once again, His beloved and blessed flock, to be one and whole in Him, as a holy nation and as those God has gathered to be His own. He went through the worst sufferings through the Cross so that by His suffering and death, we may have eternal life.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, a renowned French missionary and priest who was especially remembered for his great care and dedication to the poor in the society. It was his inspiration that inspired the foundation of the today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul which lived and strived to carry on the legacy of this great saint’s actions in ministering to the poor and the needy, the neglected and the less fortunate in the community. St. Vincent de Paul was born to a family of peasant farmers in France a few centuries ago, and was eventually sent to the seminary to further his education where he was then ordained as a priest at the young age of nineteen. He furthered his studies and then encountered an event that changed his life forever.

He was abducted by Barbary pirates that were rampant at the time and was enslaved for about two years in the region of Tunisia, and passed on from master to master, before eventually encountering a former priest that had apostasised to gain his own freedom from slavery. Eventually, St. Vincent de Paul and his last master resolved to escape back to France and found a way to secretly leave the place where both of them had been enslaved. After St. Vincent de Paul returned to his homeland, he was committed to a renewed zeal and desire to help others who were less fortunate, those who were poor and oppressed, remembering his own misfortune and hardships in life, which nonetheless did not make him lose his faith in the Lord. He founded the Vincentians and other charitable organisations that eventually led him to be made the patron of all charities, after he was canonised.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from what we have reflected from the words of the Sacred Scriptures and from the life and works of St. Vincent de Paul, let us all continue to do our best therefore to show our trust and faith in God, in doing our very best to glorify God by our lives. Let us always strive to be good role models and worthy examples of our Christian faith to everyone around us, to each and every one of those whom we encounter in our daily lives. May the Lord continue to bless us in all of our endeavours, in everything that we say and do so that we may always draw ever closer to Him and may He strengthen us all in our conviction to glorify Him by our lives, as always, and evermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 27 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 43b-45

At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

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Saturday, 27 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coast lands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.

For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.

Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.

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Saturday, 27 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 5-9, 14-15a

Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its length.”

As the Angel who spoke to me came forward, another Angel met him and said, “Run and tell this to that young man : ‘Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people and livestock.’ For this is the word of YHVH : I, Myself, will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her, in glory.”

“Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people.”

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Friday, 27 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, 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, we are all reminded yet again of the need for us all to trust in the Lord and to believe in His love and providence for us. We should not be easily swayed and tempted by all sorts of worldly pleasures and desires, and neither should we allow ourselves to be dissuaded and discouraged because of the various challenges, difficulties and trials that we might have to face amidst our lives, in the path of our journey towards the Lord and His salvation. We must always stand firm in our faith and belief in God, and continue to follow Him wholeheartedly at all times despite the obstacles, persecutions, hardships, challenges and oppressions that we may have to face in the midst of our lives.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of Ecclesiastes or Qoheleth we heard the continuation of yesterday’s exhortation about how it is meaningless for us all to seek the earthly matters, glory, fame and worldly ambitions in our daily lives. We are reminded that if we continue to seek all those things, eventually we will regret it and we will not be satisfied no matter how much we seek all sorts of pleasures and satisfaction from the world. Today, we continue on this topic as the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes spoke about how there was time for everything, time for doing things and various activities, time for whatever we often seek to happen or desire in our lives. There is a time for every kind of good and bad things alike, and no matter what we do or try to do, there can be no true satisfaction and meaning for us to worry about what is beyond our control.

All of that were meant to remind us that if we fuss about too many things in this life and worry about things that we cannot and do not control or have a say in, then we may end up regretting everything that we have done. No amount of fussing, worrying or planning about our lives can truly satisfy our desires and wants, and in the end, just as I have mentioned yesterday, all these things that we planned, toiled and laboured for, all of them are temporary and illusory, and none of them will avail us on the Day of Judgment, especially if because all of those things, pursuits, ambitions and desires, we have forgotten, overlooked and ignored our true calling in life to serve the Lord and to follow Him in all the things that we do. As Christians, we are all expected to do what God has called us to do and to fulfil the missions we have been entrusted with.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord asked His disciples about who they thought He was, and all of them presented to Him the opinions that they gathered from those around them, as well as from all the news and words said and mentioned by everyone else, and their own thoughts, that He was one of the Prophets, one of the great Messenger of God, but St. Peter spoke courageously the words of his faith, representing the Apostles and the disciples in their belief that the Lord Jesus was none other than the Messiah of God, the Holy One and Son of God that has been promised unto us, which is the truth that Christ Himself has carefully revealed to the people throughout His ministry.

At the same time, He told them all not to speak of this yet, and the reason for this is because it was not yet His time to proclaim Himself and to fulfil the mission completely through His Passion. But at that occasion, He also predicted everything that would happen to Him, on how He would be rejected, betrayed and oppressed by His enemies and all those who refused to believe in Him and His truth. He also told them then, how He would then rise from the dead, resurrected in glory, triumphant over all of His enemies, and against sin and death itself. The Lord told His disciples all of these things so that they all might be reassured of His support and providence, and that they should not be worried or fussed over things when everything that He had said would happen, come to happen.

This is why, all of us have been told and reminded that as Christians often we may have to face and endure challenges and difficulties throughout our lives, enduring obstacles and hurdles in our journey as we continue to walk faithfully in our path towards God and His salvation. Each and every one of us should continue to do our best to support one another and to encourage each other so that no matter what we may encounter in our respective lives, we will continue to be strong in our faith and commitment to God, and we will continue to make progress in our path towards the Lord. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted and prevented from coming towards the Lord because we are so busy worrying about ourselves and our lives, and not having enough faith and trust in the Lord our God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, a great saint and man of God whose life and dedication to Him and also commitment to serve others around him should be great inspiration and examples for us all to follow in how we all should seek the Lord and do His will instead of seeking worldly pleasures and vainglory. God has shown us this great example of St. Vincent de Paul so that we ourselves may know how we should live our lives as good and faithful Christians. St. Vincent de Paul was born to a family of peasant farmers in France a few centuries ago, and was eventually sent to the seminary to further his education where he was then ordained as a priest at the young age of nineteen. He furthered his studies and then encountered an event that changed his life forever.

He was abducted by Barbary pirates that were rampant at the time and was enslaved for about two years in the region of Tunisia, and passed on from master to master, before eventually encountering a former priest that had apostasised to gain his own freedom from slavery. Eventually, St. Vincent de Paul and his last master resolved to escape back to France and found a way to secretly leave the place where both of them had been enslaved. After St. Vincent de Paul returned to his homeland, he was committed to a renewed zeal and desire to help others who were less fortunate, those who were poor and oppressed, remembering his own misfortune and hardships in life, which nonetheless did not make him lose his faith in the Lord. He founded the Vincentians and other charitable organisations that eventually led him to be made the patron of all charities, after he was canonised.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to commit ourselves ever more faithfully to the Lord, striving to do our best and glorify Him by our exemplary, faithful and worthy lives. Let us all continue to be good examples and beacons of God’s light and truth in our respective communities, among all those whom we encounter in life. May the Lord bless each and every one of us so that by all the things that we say and do in our respective lives, we may continue to focus ourselves on the Lord and not to be distracted by the many temptations and pleasures of this world. May God be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 27 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 18-22

At that time, one day, when Jesus was praying alone, not far from His disciples, He asked them, “What do people say about Me?” And they answered, “Some say, that You are John the Baptist; others say, that You are Elijah; and still others, that You are one of the Prophets of old, risen from the dead.”

Again Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” Then Jesus spoke to them, giving them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. And He added, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, and be put to death. Then after three days He will be raised to life.”

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Friday, 27 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 143 : 1a and 2abc, 3-4

Blessed be YHVH, my Rock, my loving God, my Fortress; my Protector snd Deliverer, my Shield; where I take refuge.

O YHVH, what are humans that You should be mindful of them, the race of Adam, that You should care for them? They are like a breath; their days pass like a shadow on earth.

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Friday, 27 September 2024 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ecclesiastes (Qoheleth) 3 : 1-11

There is a given time for everything and a time for every happening under heaven : A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing.

A time for throwing stones, a time for gathering stones; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for throwing away. A time for tearing, a time for sewing; a time to be silent and a time to speak. A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace.

What profit is there for a man from all his toils? Finally I considered the task God gave to the humans. He made everything fitting in its time, but He also set eternity in their hearts, although they are not able to embrace the work of God from the beginning to the end.

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Wednesday, 27 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded and called to be truly faithful to God, turning ourselves away from the path of sin, evil and wickedness, and embracing once again God’s path, His Law and commandments so that we may all indeed be truly worthy of Him, and be righteous and virtuous in all things. The Lord has not forgotten about us and has always loved us despite of our disobedience and evils, all the wickedness and sins we have done in our lives. He wants us all to come back to Him and to His loving and holy Presence, and hence, extended His mercy and compassion, kindness and love, reminding us that we are truly His beloved children and people.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Ezra we heard the continuation of this week’s discourse from that Book, relating to us the events that happened during the time when the Israelites and their descendants returned to the land of Israel, the promised land, after decades of exile in distant Babylon and Assyria, as well as other places, by God’s grace and intervention, as He moved the heart and mind of the King of Persia, Cyrus the Great, who allowed them all to return back to their homeland and authorised the rebuilding of the House of God, the Temple of Jerusalem which had been torn down and destroyed by the Babylonians. Through these events, the people of God were finally restored to honour and grace in God, as God moved to forgive them from their past sins.

Their ancestors had foolishly abandoned the Lord, betrayed Him for the pagan gods and false idols of their neighbours, committing all sorts of evils and wickedness that were unworthy of being God’s beloved and holy people. They chose to depend on worldly powers and matters, means and strategies rather than to trust in the Lord Who has always been with them throughout all of their whole journey. That was why they met their downfall and destruction, their country, their cities and towns were destroyed, and they were exiled into far-off and distant lands, with foreigners and pagans being brought in to settle in their ancestral lands. All these humiliations and sufferings served to highlight the consequences of disobedience and sins against God.

The priest and prophet Ezra in our first reading passage today gathered the people of God after they have returned to their land and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple went well, and as we heard, he prayed to the Lord on behalf of all the people, gathering their prayers and thoughts to Him. Ezra conveyed the people’s remorse and regret over their many sins and wickedness, and also the faults of their predecessors and ancestors, showing the desire to once again follow the Lord their God wholeheartedly. At the same time, Ezra also reminded all of the people, of everything that God had done, in loving them and in being compassionate and caring for them, and hence, how they should all be grateful for what the Lord had done for them, and how they should all strive to do what God has commanded and called them to do.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Jesus sending out His disciples ahead of Him in order to do His works and ministry, among the people of God, proclaiming His Good News and truth, revealing God’s desire to save all of His people and calling all of them to the grace and mercy of God. The Lord sent all of them to show them His love and mercy that He has manifested into this world, embodied in Himself, as the Saviour of all, and how those disciples proclaim this same revelation and salvation in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through all these, He wants us all to know that the path to His love, forgiveness and grace is always open, but the choice is ultimately ours to make, whether we want to embrace this path or not. Those who refuse to repent, and continue to sin against God, will have no part in the inheritance and eternal life promised to those who are faithful to God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, one of the very well-known saints of the Church, whose life, commitment and dedication to God are truly inspirational and exemplary. He was a truly great servant of God, who has devoted himself to the poor and the needy among other works. This French priest entered the seminary early in his life and gained education to be a priest, and when he had been ordained a priest, it was, according to history and tradition, that he was abducted on a ship on his way, by the then notorious Barbary pirates. He was auctioned off as a slave and spent two years in bondage, passing from master to master in several places before eventually ending up with a former priest that had renounced his faith, and who was convinced by St. Vincent de Paul’s life and actions, to bring the man of God back with him, and freed him from bondage.

Through this experience and others, St. Vincent de Paul always had the concern for those who were suffering and needy. He spent time ministering to the freed slaves, having experienced similar experiences as them, and then also among the poor in his ministry and journeys, eventually being part of the establishment of foundations and congregations of those who were concerned and involved in the care and ministry of those who were poor and had been neglected by the society, ignored and abandoned, with no one to help or assist them. His works and ministry inspired many others during his life and after his passing, that eventually led to the foundation of the modern day Society of St. Vincent de Paul that is renowned for its work for the poor and the needy throughout the world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard of today’s Scripture readings and also the life and works of St. Vincent de Paul, let us all therefore be filled with the conviction and the desire to love and serve God anew in our lives, and to be loving to our brothers and sisters around us, especially those who are in need of our love, help and kindness, like those who are poor and ostracised by the society, and all those who have been unloved. Let us all be exemplary, righteous and worthy in all of our actions, so that we may truly be good role models and inspirations for one another in our lives and actions, in our every endeavours and efforts. May God be with us always, and may He remind us all of our obligations and calling to serve Him with faith and commitment, and to proclaim His Good News and truth at all times, in every opportunities available to us. Amen.

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Wednesday, 27 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus called His Twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to drive out all evil spirits and to heal diseases. And He sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He instructed them, “Do not take anything for the journey, neither staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even take a spare tunic.”

“Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. And wherever they do not welcome you, leave the town and shake the dust from your feet : it will be as a testimony against them.”

So they set out, and went through the villages, proclaiming the Good News and healing people everywhere.