Sunday Mass homily

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Sunday, 4 January 2026 : Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the whole Church celebrates the great Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, marking the occasion when the Lord revealed and manifested Himself to all the nations through the representation of the Three Magi or the Three Wise Men, who came all the way to Bethlehem after long and arduous journey, seeking the Star of Bethlehem marking the birthplace of the Saviour. This Solemnity and Feast, also known as Theophany especially amongst those from the Eastern Church traditions remember the time when God ‘Theos’ manifested Himself before His people, a term known as ‘Epiphaneia’, that has the meaning of revelation, as He came forth bringing the Light and Hope to the nations, just as He has promised through His prophets and messengers.

This day, we remember how the Three Magi went on the long journey from distant lands, with the very bright Star of Bethlehem as their guide, leading them towards Bethlehem where the Lord was born. This great Solemnity of the Epiphany marks the revelation that God’s salvation was not only meant for the Jewish people, unlike what some among the Jews back then believed, but His salvation was extended to all of mankind, to people of every race and origins. The Lord loves all of His beloved people, all those whom He had created, the children and descendants of the first man, Adam and his wife, Eve. Hence, it is why the Lord revealed His love to all of His people, manifested in the Child Jesus, born in Bethlehem, at that moment just over two millennia ago which we have been celebrating throughout this Christmas season.

The Three Wise Men, the Magi came to the Lord bearing three gifts, of gold, myrrh and frankincense. Each one of those gifts are themselves symbols and signs that reveal to all of us Who that Child born in Bethlehem truly was. Each of those gifts represent an aspect of the Lord, as the Saviour and the Divine Word of God Incarnate. Gold, frankincense and myrrh are all precious goods and they were also precious back then as well. All of these were brought by the Three Magi from distant lands, bearing those gifts to honour and worship the Holy One born on that day in Bethlehem. The Magi were likely wise and learned men who could read the signs and the stars, the omens of times, and hence, they could surmise the rough identity of the Saviour from what they read from the signs of nature.

Through God’s grace and wisdom, those Magi came to Bethlehem presenting the three gifts that inadvertently, and unknown to them, reveal the true identity of the Lord and Saviour when all three were combined together. The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh are gifts that are fit for a King, a Divine Being and a High Priest, as well as a Suffering and Dead Messiah. All these represent just exactly Who this Child Jesus was, as He laid there in the manger before the Three Magi, who came to Him paying homage and worship. That small, little and vulnerable Child is the King of Kings, promised to all the people as the King Who will lead them into triumph and victory, as well as the Divine Word of God, incarnate in the flesh, one fated to bear the whole weight and burden of our many sins and the punishments due to those sins, to suffer all these for the sake of our salvation.

First of all, gold has been well-known to us as a very precious metal that is highly desired in many civilisations, among many cultures and peoples. Gold has been used as means of exchange and as monetary goods and means of wealth and possessions for many millennia. And gold has often been reserved for the rich and powerful, especially to the royalty and kings. In some cultures, Hence, the gift of gold presented by the Magi highlights the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed a King, the King over all Kings, worthy of praise and honour, all glory and power. Jesus Christ is also the one and only True God, manifested in the flesh as the Son of Man, and He is the only one worthy of worship and adoration, just as many civilisations and cultures honour their idols and gods with gold and lots of offerings of made of gold and its derivatives.

Then, frankincense is used as the finest quality of incense, which is very expensive and precious, and reserved only for the purpose of the worship of the Divine. The frankincense offered by the Magi to the Child Jesus marks Him as the Divine Son of God and not merely just a Man or a Prophet, and not only that but He is also the High Priest of all the faithful, all the people of God. As the High Priest of all, He offered on our behalf the most worthy sacrifice of all, made not of any mere animals or offerings of this world as how the old Israelite customs and the Law had done, but with His own Most Precious Body and Blood. Yes, Christ has offered Himself as the only worthy offering that is sufficient to redeem us from the massive multitudes of our sins, faults, mistakes, iniquities and more. Through His offering of Himself, as the Lamb of God, the Paschal Lamb, He has bridged the previously unbridgeable gap existing between us and God.

Then lastly, the gift of myrrh may have indeed been very strange for a Child, as myrrh was a precious and expensive spice but it was used for the anointing and preparation of the bodies of the dead. Yet, it was that gift of myrrh which became a revelation of what this Child, this Saviour from God would do for our sake. Christ, the Child to Whom the Three Magi offered their gifts including the peculiar gift of myrrh, would have to suffer and die for the sake of everyone in the whole entire world. He had to bear His Cross, in offering Himself as the Paschal Lamb of offering, beaten and crushed, tortured and made to endure the worst humiliations and punishments for our sake. All these happened so that by His wounds, and by His broken Precious Body and outpoured Precious Blood, all of us may be saved, redeemed and pardoned from those sins.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as the three gifts of the Three Magi showed us all, the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Lord, the Holy Child born in Bethlehem had revealed Him to the nations, to all of us. We all have indeed received the knowledge and truth that the same Messiah we celebrate this Christmas, the Child Jesus, is truly our King of Kings, our Almighty God, the Divine Word incarnate in the flesh, born as Man, so that by His sharing of our human existence and nature, He might unite us to Himself and by sharing with us His suffering and death on His Cross, He may then share with us His glorious Resurrection. Yes, all of us have received the promise of resurrection and eternal life, from the Lord Himself, and as long as we are faithful to Him and put our trust in Him, we shall be assured of all these.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate in this glorious Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord today, let us all therefore reflect on the One Whom we are all celebrating about, that is Christ Himself, God manifested in the flesh as the Child, the Son of Man born in Bethlehem. Let us all celebrate the love of God made Man, that through Him and all of His great works in our midst, dwelling amongst us, we may indeed receive the assurance of eternal life and joy. The Lord has also called all the people of all the nations to follow Him, and assured everyone, every single children, sons and daughters of mankind to come to Him. His salvation is no longer limited to just those whom He first chose, the Israelites and their descendants, but He revealed that all the while, He wants every single one of us to be saved, all because He loves us, without prejudice and without bias, all of us equally beloved by our Creator and Master.

Just like the Three Magi in the past, let us all therefore come to seek the Lord with all of our efforts and hearts, our minds and might. Let us all be faithful to the Lord and follow Him, like the Three Magi making the intense effort in walking the long journey from their distant homelands to seek the Saviour through the Star of Bethlehem. Are we all able to do the same as they had done? They were not believers at first, but saw the signs that God had sent into this world, followed those signs and came all the way to Bethlehem to pay Him homage and to worship Him. They represent all of us mankind, all of whom have been scattered all throughout the world, but through the grace and love of God, Who has sent us Christ to be our Good Shepherd, to gather us all from the ends of the world to Himself, to find our way to God.

May the Lord, Who made Himself visible and Who has revealed Himself to all the nations, be with us all and continue to call upon us to follow Him. May He continue to guide us all through the path of grace and His love and truth, so that we may follow Him, with all of our hearts and minds, and be truly saved. Just as He has promised and assured us through His suffering, death on the Cross and finally through His glorious Resurrection, He has shown us the light of His hope and the grace of eternal life that will be ours if we keep strong our faith in Him, and continue to walk faithfully in His Presence and remain firmly committed to His path. May the Lord, our glorious and mighty God, Who revealed Himself to all the nations, be with us and bless our every good deeds and efforts, all of our endeavours for His greater glory. Wishing all of us a Most Blessed and Holy Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord! Amen.

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Sunday, 4 January 2026 : Second Sunday after Christmas (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate the second Sunday in the Christmas season, for all of us who are celebrating the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on its traditional date of the sixth of January. This Sunday as we have heard in the Scripture passages, we are again constantly being reminded of what we are celebrating in this Christmas season, that is celebrating the great appearing of Our Lord and Saviour in the flesh, Jesus Christ, the One Whom God has sent into our midst to be our Hope and the Light of our salvation, the Divine Word Incarnate. We must always put our focus and emphasis in Christ because that is what our faith is all about, all of us as Christians because we believe in everything that Christ Our Lord and Our Saviour has taught and shown us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, we heard of the words of God’s salvation and promise of redemption being proclaimed and spoken before the people. At the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the fortunes of the people of God, the Israelites and their descendants had been at an all-time low, as they were facing great distress, humiliations, defeat and a lot of trials and troubles from different sources, one after another. All those things were caused by their own lack of faith in God and by their constant disobedience against God, preferring to walk in their own path than to walk in the path that God had set before them. They disregarded the many prophets and messengers whom had been sent to them to help and guide them in their paths.

As a result, not only that the Assyrians had destroyed the northern kingdom and carried most of the northern ten Israelite tribes into exile and destroyed their cities, but even the southern kingdom of Judah was soon to face its own twilight and end as well. The enemies of the people of God rose against them and due to their continued disobedience and rebellion against God, even to the persecution of the faithful prophets and servants of God like Jeremiah, the kingdom of Judah was bound to be destroyed as well, which would later happen at the hands of the Babylonians. And this happened to them because they did not have trust and faith in the Lord, but instead they sought for assistance and satisfaction in the pagan idols and gods around them.

But all the while God and the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed how the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem would become because of the evil deeds and the wickedness of the people, their kings’ bad influences and all of their infidelities, in worshipping pagan idols and demons, but God still in truth loved His people and did not abandon them. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because just as what we ourselves often experienced, it is the people who had consciously chosen to abandon God and His truth and love instead, and chose to walk the path of evil and sin. And yet, the Lord kept on reaching out to us ceaselessly, and He has always patiently loved His people, all of us nonetheless, ever more generously and wonderfully as always.

That is why, through what the Lord has spoken and done for His people, He wants to show them that He still loves us despite all that we have done to hurt Him, in betraying and abandoning Him. He revealed how all of them would be gathered back from being scattered amongst all the nations. The Lord has shown His commitment and dedication to the Covenant He had made with us even when we have repeatedly disobeyed Him and betrayed Him. He still tried very hard to reach out to us and to help us to find the path to redemption. He never gave up on us and that should have made us all embarrassed and ashamed at our own obstinate behaviour and attitudes in refusing to embrace God’s ever present and patient love in all things.

To this extent, He has shown us His salvation through none other than Jesus Christ, His most beloved Son, Whom He had sent into the world, incarnate in the flesh, the Divine Word Incarnate as we heard in our Gospel passage today. In his Gospel, St. John the Apostle began his account with the most beautiful and detailed exposition of the truth and reality of the Lord God, the Word of God, Who was with the Father and is God, coming down into this world by the power of the Holy Spirit, indwelling in the womb of Mary, His mother, and became the Son of Man, born and revealed to all in Christmas. He reminded us all of what we truly celebrate and rejoice for during this wonderful occasion and celebration of Christmas, so that we will never forget God’s wonderful love.

Through Christ, the love of God has been manifested perfectly in the flesh and His love is no longer intangible. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, God’s love takes form and is approachable to us, and He came to us as He had promised, through the prophet Jeremiah and many others, to gather all of us back to Himself and to show us the path to eternal life with Him. God has not abandoned us and He has embraced us, through His Son, Emmanuel, God Who is with us. His coming into this world as we celebrate at Christmas is a truly significant event in our human history, and in the history of our redemption.

For through Him, we are no longer without hope and we have no more need to fear because while once we have been destined for destruction and damnation because of our sins, God’s love triumphs even over those sins and all the wickedness we have committed, and through His Son, Whose sacrifice on the Cross became the worthy offering for the atonement of all of our sins, God has shown us the path out of the darkness and into eternal life. He is indeed the Light for the people who are still living in the darkness, that is all of us sinners. Through His Light and Hope, countless people have found the path to salvation and eternal life, entering into new existence in Him and with renewed confidence in His Providence and love.

Yet, how many of us actually realise this truth, brothers and sisters in Christ? How many of us actually remember God’s love and see His love in the coming of His Son into this world? We do not have to look far beyond our own actions in life. How many of us celebrated Christmas without Christ Our Lord as the centre and focus of all of our celebrations? And how many of us spent our Christmas mostly in merrymaking, revelry and celebrations and forgetting all that God has done for us out of His enduring love? We cannot truly celebrate Christmas without Christ, brothers and sisters in Christ. How can we celebrate someone’s birthday without remembering the one whose birthday we celebrate? We should in fact put this person at the centre and as the focus of our celebrations.

Therefore this Sunday, as we continue to go through the Christmas season and as we continue our celebrations of the Christmas joy and exultation, we are called to remember the reason for all of our rejoicing and happiness. It is because of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem into this world that we have seen God’s light and salvation, tangible and approachable, and no longer just something that we cannot understand or grasp. This Sunday we should remind one another of God’s love made Man, in His ever generous love poured down to us in Christ His Son.

And because God has loved us so much, and given us the reason to rejoice much as the Israelites of old had received those glad tidings and hope amidst the darkness of their state then, let us all be the bearers of Christ’s light and hope in our communities today, spreading the joy that has come with Our Lord and which we celebrate this day and this season. Let our actions bring hope and encouragement to our fellow brothers and sisters, especially those who are sorrowful and without hope. Let us share our joy and celebrations with those who have little or no joy at all in their lives, as we may not realise that in fact our actions, no matter how small, can have huge impacts on their lives.

May the Lord, our Saviour and King, our loving God and Creator, Who has willingly come down to us in the flesh, be with us all and bless us in all things, so that our year ahead may be most blessed and wonderful. And may all of us draw ever closer to the Lord, as we commit our every living moments to serve and glorify Him, now and always. May God bless all of our works, efforts and endeavours, and may we have a truly blessed Christmas celebrations. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 December 2025 : Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday, we celebrate together the occasion of the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, celebrating together the most important and most blessed family of all, from which and upon which all of our own Christian families have been inspired and influenced by, as the perfect model and example of what a true and most blessed family ought to be like. On this Feast of the Holy Family, we are reminded of that family into which the Lord had been born into, into the loving care of His mother Mary, as well as His foster father, St. Joseph. And through their examples, they gave us the perfect inspiration for us to lead holy and devout lives aligned to the Lord, in our every Christian families, which are the important building blocks of the Church of God.

In our first reading today we heard of the words of the prophet Sirach, in which he highlighted that each of the members of the family ought to do their part and obligations, so that the whole family might exist and work harmoniously together, with the children ought to be caring for their parents and also be obedient to them. However, this does not mean that the parents can then do whatever they wanted to the children. They also have their own responsibilities and duties, as parents of the children, and as well as husband and wife to each other. Every members of the family must also be caring and loving to each other so that the whole family will be united and in harmony. And this is something that our alternative first reading today, also the second reading for those celebrating this Feast as Solemnity, has mentioned as well.

In that passage from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, the Apostle exhorted to the faithful to do just as the prophet Sirach had mentioned, and added on that each and every members of the faithful must clothe themselves with the virtues of the Lord, with love and kindness, with compassion, humility, meekness and other virtues. If each and every one of us do this, and fill ourselves with those Christian virtues and most importantly love, and also do as the prophet Sirach and St. Paul the Apostle had exhorted all of us to do, in the maintenance of good, harmonious and working relationship within our families, certainly we will be able to maintain good and loving relationship within our families, and help our families to flourish ever further. And by this we become great examples of our genuine Christian faith and lives to everyone around us.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard one account from the early life of the Lord Jesus as the King of Judea then, Herod the Great, attempted to kill the Lord to remove Him as a threat to his rule. And we heard how God warned the Holy Family through an Angel who told St. Joseph in a dream to bring both Mary and the Child Jesus away from the land, and escape to the land of Egypt. St. Joseph carried out this mission and instruction most obediently, and cared for both Mary, his wife and his legal child, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the world, during the duration of their stay in Egypt, and then beyond after they have returned from Egypt and back to their hometown in Nazareth. And although it was not mentioned or in any detail in the Scriptures, it can be well assumed that St. Joseph carried out his role as the father of the Messiah really well, doing a really good job in being responsible and accountable in his duties and in whatever he has been entrusted with by God.

Although St. Joseph was not the biological father of the Lord Jesus, being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit without any human intervention, he still cared for his foster Son nonetheless, as much as any biological fathers would have done. He did his duties as a father and a loving husband to his wife Mary, and also living his life and acting virtuously, as we all know and are inspired with by his exemplary actions. We can see how as a parent, there are things that those of us parents have to do in caring for our children and also in being good role models to our families, especially to our children. In this, Mary as a most loving wife and mother has also done most wonderfully, in caring for her newborn Child during those difficult moments and throughout as she continued to care for her Son.

Not only that, but as we all know, Mary continued to carry out her loving care and duty even after the Lord Jesus had grown into His full adulthood and began embarking on His mission, as she often followed Him throughout His missions and works, and most importantly, went to follow Him even all the way to the foot of His Cross. There she witnessed something that no mother would have wanted, to see her own Son dying before her. Yet, she persisted and continued to stay by His side to the end. Finally, then the Lord Himself was also an obedient Child and Son, as He listened to His father and mother, as shown in that one occasion when He was left behind at the Temple in Jerusalem, and wanted to stay there. He followed His parents who showed Him their concern of seeing Him being left behind, and returned with them to Nazareth.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, these days there are many threats facing our families, not least because there are many forces trying to shatter the unity of our families apart. Many families had been broken because each and every one of their members had forgotten what families truly mean and what each one of them should base their families on, and most important of that is love. Love is something often lacking in our families today, just because it is the same thing lacking in our marriages these days. People do not marry because they truly love each other, but because of other reasons and for convenience, and hence, when things fall apart, the whole marriage and family naturally fall apart as well. That is what will happen to many of our Christian families as well, if we do not have the strong foundation of love.

When each and every members of the family begin to indulge in selfishness, in greed and desire, that is when the unity and harmony in our families disappear. However, we must also remember that there must be faith in our families too, that each and every members of our families ought to have faith in the Lord, and then enthrone Him in the midst of our every families, in our every hearts. If we put the Lord at the centre of our families, and then most importantly, pray together as a family, and spend time together as a family, all believing in the Lord, then all of us will most likely be able to sustain our families despite the many challenges and opposition that we may face in our journey as families of this world, and as families of our respective Christian communities and societies. We must remember that if our families remain strong bedrocks and foundations of our Christian faith, then our Church and community will naturally become stronger in the constant struggles against evil and sin.

Let us all therefore look upon the good examples set by the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and make them the examples and inspirations for our own families. May the Lord continue to bless and guide us in our lives within our families, that we may remain harmonious and united despite the challenges we may face, and that as a family, each and every one of us may be growing ever deeper in faith and appreciation of the Lord and the love that He Himself has shown us. May our families be blessed and be strong bastions of Christian faith and love, and as the foundations of the Church, may all of our Christian families be ever strong beacons of God’s light, hope and love. May God be with us all, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 25 December 2025 : Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this most joyful and wonderful day, after having spent almost an entire month during the earlier season of Advent to prepare, we have finally arrived at Christmas, the great celebration of the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We rejoice greatly because first of all we remember everything that the Lord our God has done for us, in how He has so generously given us all His own only Begotten Son to be offered and sacrificed on our behalf, granting us all this most precious and wonderful gift in His Son, that He did not spare us anything in His efforts and outreach to us, in showing us the path towards Himself, in His ever great patience in loving us despite we ourselves having often disobeyed and betrayed Him. God never abandoned us and He will not allow us to be lost to Him, and that is why He gave us all everything through His Son to lead us into the true joy and happiness that He has prepared for us.

In our Scripture readings this Christmas, we heard of the Lord’s proclamation of joy and salvation for His people Israel, of the promises which He had made to His beloved ones, in which God proclaimed to them that He would restore the glory of His people and erase from them the shame of their forebears. Back then, the people of God had been suffering humiliations and sufferings one after another as they encountered various hardships and challenges, all of which were caused by their lack of faith and trust in God. Their disobedience and wickedness led to them being punished for their wrongdoings. But God did not despise them, as He still cared for them and loved them despite their constant disobedience and lack of faith. He showed them His love by sending them His salvation in the person of Jesus Christ, His own only begotten Son, the Saviour He has long promised to them.

It is this same Jesus Christ mentioned in the beginning of the Gospel of St. John at the Christmas Mass at Daytime today, which in the past used to be the Last Gospel read at the end of every celebration of the Holy Mass, except on certain occasions. This reading being read on the Christmas Day must have been strange for some as unlike the other Gospel readings of the Christmas Masses, this one does not specifically mention about Jesus Christ and the account on His birth, speaking instead of how God’s Word has become flesh and became tangible in our midst as Man. Yet, if we truly understand the importance and significance of Christmas, this Gospel passage is in fact a very important one as it highlighted to us the very importance and significance of why we even celebrate Christmas in the first place. If Christmas has been about the birth of just any other man, or any other persons, then it would not have the same significance or meaning to us.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, if Christmas is about any other man, just a mere prophet or ordinary man, then His birth would have been just like any other men, with no special significance unless to those who knew Him well like His family and friends. On the other hand, it was what St. John the Apostle mentioned in his Gospel passage that indicated to us and also reminded us that, the One Whom we celebrate at this Christmas festivities and joy, is none other than God Himself, Incarnate in the flesh, entering into our world and existence as Man, the Divine Word Incarnate, the Word that was made Flesh, the Son of God and Son of Man. The One born over two millennia ago in Bethlehem in Judea is indeed the Saviour promised by God, and not just that, but God Himself has come to our midst to dwell among us and to be with us always, He Who is Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’, not just saying it but He Himself proved it.

Through Christ’s birth, God is no longer distant and intangible for us. He is no longer the God of the Old Testament that seems to be far and mighty beyond any of us human beings to approach. Instead, He showed us all that His love has made us to be the sharers of His most generous love and kindness, as He reached out to us and come to touch us and our lives, to bring us our of the darkness and into the light. God has always wanted us to be reconciled to Him, and to forgive us our sins when we desire to commit ourselves to the path of righteousness and be forgiven from our many faults. Yet, it is often that we do not have enough faith in Him, and we end up continuing to disobey Him, and walking down the path of sin, that lead us more often than not to our downfall.

God has taken up our human existence and our human nature, by the Incarnation of the Divine Word, His own Word that has proclaimed the creation of the whole world because through this act of perfect love and self-giving, God may reunite us all to Himself. God has reached our to us by sending His own Son to help lead us to Himself, and to gather us all as our Shepherd, so that all of us the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock may be gathered all once again, and become God’s flock once more, reunited and reconciled with Him. He also sent us His herald, St. John the Baptist, to be the one to prepare His way for Him, that more and more people may come to be saved. This task has then on be passed through to the Church, and hence, the Church today still has the obligation to care for those who have been lost from God, to follow in the example of Christ our Lord, by Whose love we have been saved and seen the salvation of God.

In coming into this world, the Lord has done what others may think to be irrational and impossible. Even many of the people of God at the time of the Lord’s coming refused to believe in Him and this truth, and some accused Him of blasphemy when He revealed later on before them, how He was truly the Son of God and Son of Man both. It might seem irrational because throughout history, mankind had always aspired to be great and to be like God, with dictators and those who sought glory and power desiring others to honour, respect and even worship them. And many people sought to become like God, to be invincible and mighty, and to be free from their limitations, without avail, throughout the history of the world, from desiring to live longer and to extend their lives, to gain more power and might, and to become indeed like God, which they all could not do.

There is then only one God and One Who willingly embraced us and willingly humbled and lowered Himself, that He was made sharer of our human existence, that God Himself might come and dwell with us, and to be by our side. Again these might have seemed impossible for some, and as mentioned, some did doubt the Lord and refused to believe in Him. Yet, because God is Almighty and All-Powerful, surely something like that is within God’s power to do? We simply think that just because God is great and Almighty that He will definitely not want to lower and humble Himself in this manner, and yet, that was exactly what God had chosen to do, and all of that was because of His continued and persistent love for each one of us. He did all of these for our sake, and that is what Christmas is all about and why we rejoice because of that.

God made Himself small and vulnerable as a Child, and as a Man like us so that through Him, and His sharing of our human nature and existence, He may bring unto us the perfection of love and obedience as our loving Shepherd and Guide, showing us what it truly means to be a disciple and follower of the Lord. Christ could have come as a conquering King and Mighty One, just as many believed or thought that He would have, but He chose to come to us in this way, because He wants to be the Mediator between us and our Heavenly Father, God in Heaven, becoming the Bridge through His Cross, suffering, death and resurrection, that bring us back to the Father, and reestablish the Covenant between Him and us, which had once been broken by our disobedience and sins. He became Man so that by uniting our human nature to Himself, we may see and receive the fullness of redemption and glory, together with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we enter into this glorious and joyful season of Christmas, are we willing and ready to commit ourselves anew to the Lord, Our God and Saviour? We are reminded this Christmas of the great Love of God made Man, and because He has made Himself approachable and His most generous love tangible and within our reach, all of us no longer wallow and suffer in the darkness and sin. We are reminded that God is and has always been with us, no matter whenever it is, and regardless of the highs and lows in our lives. The love of God personified and manifested in Christ is what we are celebrating this time and season of Christmas, and it is what we all need to focus and put emphasis on during this time of grace.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is important that this Christmas should be a reminder to all of us in living our lives that we may seek to become better Christians, and that we do not just be like nominal Christians, having faith in name only. How we celebrate Christmas is one of the way that this is reflected and shown. We can see just how easily we access the mostly secularised and hedonistic Christmas celebrations all around us are, and how even many among us Christians, we celebrate Christmas in the same way, with great excesses in pleasures, merrymaking and rejoicing, but one that is empty because Christ is not at the centre of all of our rejoicing and celebrations. Christ has often been forgotten and ignored at the celebration of His own birthday, and that is truly something that is sad at Christmas every year.

Many of us spent our Christmas busy in trying to outdo one another in celebrating our Christmas with parties and gift-exchanges, trying to have more of the celebratory moods and the feasting, focused primarily on indulging ourselves on the various goods and worldly excesses of the usual Christmas festivities. Many of us treat Christmas as a time of holiday and rejoicing, to gather back with our families and friends, and exchange various stories and experiences over good food and drink. Yet, again, we often ignored the Lord and did not leave Him any place in our hearts and minds, and leaving Him out of our Christmas rejoicing and merrymaking. It is not wrong to celebrate Christmas with great feasting and merrymaking, but we must not let those to distract us from the true meaning and purpose of Christmas.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore make good use of this time of Christmas to share the love of God which He has shown us to all of our fellow brethren, in becoming one like us and in dwelling with us, Incarnate in the flesh, by reaching out with love to all the people we meet and encounter, even to acquaintances and strangers. It is not a time to love ourselves and to immerse ourselves in our self-indulgence and excessive merrymaking. Instead, it should be a time for us to be more generous in the giving and sharing of our love and joy with others, especially with all those who are less fortunate and not capable of celebrating Christmas in the manner that we do. We should do our best to show others around us what Christmas truly means, and share whatever extra blessings and graces we have received, with those who have less or even none at all.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we enter into this Christmas season, let us all continue to make good use of the time and opportunity in order to deepen our relationship with God, and to immerse ourselves in the celebration of God’s love and compassion, to return our focus and attention, and all of our Christmas celebrations and joy on Christ as the reason why we rejoice throughout this glorious and most joyful season. Let us draw ever closer to the Lord and His love, and let us all be ever more exemplary in how we live our lives from now on, and also in how we share the love of God with one another. May God bless us in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Wishing all of us a most blessed and wonderful Christmas season for all of us and our loved ones. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 December 2025 : Second Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we mark the occasion of the Second Sunday of Advent. Therefore, since we now have already progressed about a week through this season and time of Advent, a time of spiritual and wholesome preparation for the upcoming joyful season of Christmas, when we will celebrate joyfully and gloriously the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Divine Word Incarnate Who has been born into this world to be our Saviour. And this Sunday, the theme of Advent we mark is that of Peace, after last Sunday’s Hope. This Sunday we are reminded of the True Peace which Our Lord and Saviour Himself has brought into our midst, revealing unto us all that He has planned for us, in bringing us true peace and joy that He alone can provide.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which we heard of the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the coming of the time of peace and harmony, joy and jubilation when the stump of Jesse shall bear forth a Shoot, referring to the coming of the Messiah, the Son of David, to be born into the House of David, and promised by God to be the One to bring all of creation into perfect harmony and happiness again. This is a prophecy regarding the coming of the salvation and the liberation through this same Saviour long awaited by God’s people. That same prophecy spoke of how the Spirit of the Lord will be with this Saviour, with the One Whom God would send to be with His people, Emmanuel, the One Whose Name means, ‘God is with us’.

Although at that time, it was rather vague Who this Saviour would be, besides the fact that He would be born into the House of David and that His coming would herald a period of great change, no one knows Who He really would be otherwise. And it was only when the Lord Himself came into this world that He revealed to everyone that He is truly the Son of God Himself manifested in the flesh, embodying the perfection of God’s Love, walking and dwelling in our midst. And yet, His first coming into this world would not immediately bring perfect peace and harmony, which was why some of His disciples and those who refused to believe Him and doubted Him rejected the Lord Jesus because to them He was not that same Person that the prophet Isaiah had been prophesying about.

Yet, the reality is indeed that Jesus Christ, Whom we believe to be Our Lord and Saviour is the Son of David, descended directly from King David himself and in everything that He had done throughout His ministry, He was fulfilling what the prophet Isaiah had been prophesying about in all the signs, miracles and wonders that He performed, and beyond doubt, He is indeed the Messiah, the Saviour of the whole world. But what truly happened is that, not all of the prophecies of the prophet Isaiah would come true all at once, because the perfect state of peace and harmony which Isaiah foretold of, will indeed come, but only in the future, upon the Second Coming of Christ, or also known as parousia, something that all of us are looking forward to.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard of the words from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome in which the Apostle spoke of the salvation that has been granted all of us the faithful through the gift of the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, the same Saviour that God Himself has promised and reassured all of His people through His many servants throughout time. This reminder from the Apostle truly mattered for those people in Rome and elsewhere who might be facing opposition, struggles, challenges and trials from the pagans and all those who opposed them around them, including the Jewish and Roman authorities, that despite all that, the Lord has assured them of His salvation through Jesus Christ, Whom the Apostles and the disciples had witnessed in His works and Resurrection.

At the same time, St. Paul also spoke of how the salvation that God has promised was not restricted to only just the Jewish people, as although the Lord was sent first to the Jewish world and to the people of Israel and their descendants, but that was just meant as a precursor of the spreading of the Good News and truth of God’s salvation, His ever enduring and patient love for all of us mankind, meant to be shared and spread to the whole world. Ultimately, St. Paul also reassured each and every one of us that God’s salvation, grace, love, compassion and mercy have been extended to everyone, regardless of their origins or backgrounds. Everyone has a place in the kingdom that God has prepared for all those whom He has created out of love, that is all of us, without exception.

Finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist in which we heard of the story about St. John the Baptist, the one who had been sent before the coming of the Lord in order to prepare the way for His coming into this world. And we heard how St. John the Baptist harshly criticised all those Pharisees and the chief priests who sent people to question and doubt his authenticity and authority to do the works of the Lord. He rebuked them all for their wickedness, their lack of faith and obedience to the Lord in what they have done, in their hypocrisy in their faith, and in seeking attention and praise from the rest of the people, and in their overly proud and selfish attitudes in life.

St. John the Baptist himself then showed true humility as contrasted to the behaviour of those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. When he was asked and confronted whether he was the Messiah that God has promised to His people, he immediately told everyone that he was not the Messiah, but he was merely the one who preceded the coming of the Messiah, the one sent by God to prepare the way for the One Who would bring salvation to the whole world. He was merely the Herald of the Messiah, although his work and role were indeed very important. St. John the Baptist pointed out that his baptism and all of his works paled in comparison to what the Saviour would do, Who would bring forth the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, invoking the Holy Spirit of God to come into our midst, as what Christ has indeed done.

Therefore, as we have all heard from all the readings of the Scriptures that we have received today and as we have discussed them earlier, we are all reminded and called to be ever hopeful and to put our trust ever more strongly in God’s love, providence and all that He has generously provided to us, all the care and attention that He has given to us. We must not take all these for granted, but strive to do our very best in all the things we say and do, in our every actions, words and endeavours, in our every interactions with one another, so that by our examples and inspirations we may lead others ever more closely towards God and His saving grace. And as we all await the coming of God’s wonderful and everlasting Peace, let us all ourselves be the bearers of His Peace in our world today.

May all of us as Christians be the missionaries of God’s Peace, dedicating ourselves to be the peacemakers in our respective communities, in our families and among our circles of friends. Let us all bear the Light of Christ’s Hope, His Peace, Love and all the Joy that we are all preparing for this upcoming Christmas so that we may be the bearers of the Light of God to all the people we encounter, particularly to those who are still in darkness and who are suffering and in despair without hope, and all those among us who are suffering from violence and injustice. May God be with us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 30 November 2025 : First Sunday of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday marks the First Sunday of Advent, which not only marks the beginning of the Season of Advent, the time of preparation for the upcoming celebrations of Christmas, but also the beginning of the new liturgical year cycle. Therefore, as we begin this new time and season, all of us are reminded as we begin our preparation for the joyful celebration of Christmas that we should renew our determination and commitment to live our lives in the manner that is truly pleasing to God and worthy of Him. As we begin this new liturgical year, our mindset should be improving and not remaining in the same way we have been doing things all these while, especially if we have been distant away from God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the reassuring vision of Isaiah was told to us, in all that God has revealed to him to be told to His beloved people who at that time had been suffering lots of setback, humiliation, struggles and challenges, all mainly due to their own disobedience and lack of faith in Him. Contextually, the prophet Isaiah was sent to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah to help guide and assist them in their ways, in returning to God after many of their ancestors and predecessors had been living in long periods of disobedience and disregard for the Law and commandments of God. Their disobedience and sins have separated them from the fullness of God’s grace and blessings, and they faced the consequences of their disobedience as their fortunes turned downhill.

At about that time, the northern kingdom of Israel was also attacked, conquered and destroyed by the forces of the Assyrians, who destroyed their cities and capital Samaria, and brought many among the people to exile in distant lands. Then the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, also came up with his great and vast army to attack Judah and Jerusalem itself, and this same king mockingly spoke ill of the Lord and the people’s faith in Him, boasting that his armies and forces have crushed and conquered countless nations and states, overthrowing their gods and idols. But God rebuked the Assyrian king and gave him a fitting punishment for having boasted in such a manner and for raising his hands against the people of God, as He sent His Angels to decimate the Assyrian army, sending king Sennacherib back to his lands in great shame.

Therefore, it was against this background and the other historical evidences that the Lord reassured His people, all of those who remained faithful in Him, that all of their trust and faith in Him were not misplaced, and that they would indeed rejoice in the end with Him, because God Who is always ever faithful and loving to all those who are true to Him will be rewarded and will be guided by Him to the right path, to the path of vindication and fulfilment. The Lord was always with His people, even in their darkest and most difficult moments, and the time of His renewal would eventually come, and the people really needed to put their faith and trust in their Lord and Master instead of continuing with their rebellion and disobedience.

And God Himself also revealed that He would also gather all the other nations and peoples, and that His salvation and grace would not be limited only to the Israelites, as ultimately, all the children of mankind are precious, beloved and dear to the Lord. Through Israel as the first example, ultimately, all the people of all the nations would be gathered together to praise the Lord their God, and all the people would be called to come to the Presence of God, to be reconciled and reunited once again with their most loving and compassionate God, their Creator, Who has always desired to be reunited with those whom He had created generously out of love, but have been scattered and lost to Him due to our disobedience and sins against Him.

From our second reading this Sunday, from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, we are reminded by St. Paul that the time of the reckoning of our lives and the coming of God’s salvation, while it may not be as immediate as what St. Paul and the Apostles back then thought of, but it may be sooner than what we expected or may expect. Ultimately, the reality is such that, no one save that of the Lord Himself know when the exact moment of the Lord’s Second Coming and the end of the world and time as we all know it, which is known as parousia, the end of times prophesied and predicted, revealed and shown to us through the servants of God.

What we can be very sure of is the fact that the Lord will come again, at the time of His choosing, and what is most uncertain is the exact time that this will happen. That is why we have to be always ready and alert, vigilant and prepared at any time so that whenever we are expected to commit ourselves to the Lord and account for our actions and works in this life, and including even our failures to act whenever we are capable of and when we have been given the perfect opportunity for, that is where we need to realise that we have to account for all of that before the Judge of all the living and the dead in the end. All of us are sinners, imperfect and unworthy of God, and yet, at the same time, God is so infinite and boundless in His mercy and compassion that He has given His love and mercy towards us without end.

Then, lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard the similar message from the Lord Jesus telling His disciples of the certainty of what will happen one day, in the coming of God’s salvation at the end of time, the reckoning which will happen at the time of God’s choosing, when this will happen in the most unexpected of times and moments, which He likened in a simple parable and comparison, with how no one would have known when a thief would break into a house, and hence, the owner of the house ought to be always vigilant, ready and prepared against all eventualities. Essentially, those who failed to plan and prepare, they are all planning and heading to failure and doom.

That is why, each and every one of us are reminded that as we enter into this new season, the Season of Advent, being a time of spiritual rediscovery, renewal and reconnection with God, we are all called to turn once again towards the Lord. If our lives have been hectic, busy and if we have been distracted by our numerous commitments, responsibilities and attachments in the world, then we are reminded to keep our focus firmly directed towards the Lord, Who ought to be the centre and the focus of our whole lives and existences. We should not forget the presence of God in our lives and remember that no matter what, and no matter how difficult things may be for us, the Lord will always be present in our midst, supporting and strengthening us in our journeys in life.

As we reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures which we have received just earlier on, we are reminded on this First Sunday of Advent that each and every one of us should make good use of this time, season and opportunity for us to prepare ourselves well not only for the upcoming Christmas season which we are surely going to celebrate joyfully and wonderfully, but also for the ultimate coming of our Lord, His Second Coming, given the dual nature of this Advent season, which commemorates both the first coming of Christ that had happened two millennia ago, and which we celebrate in Christmas, as well as the expectation of the parousia, the second coming of Our Lord and Saviour, which had been promised to us, and which will certainly happen in due time.

Let us all therefore live our lives courageously and worthily of the Lord, doing our very best in each and every moments in life. Let us continue to do our best to be good and worthy examples of our Christian faith in each and every actions, words and deeds, in all that we do for the greater glory of God. Let us all shine brightly with the light and hope of our Saviour. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to encourage and empower all of us to be His faithful and committed disciples and followers in all times and circumstances, becoming shining beacons of His light and hope to everyone we encounter, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 November 2025 : Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we celebrate on the Thirty-Fourth and Last Sunday of this Ordinary Time of the year, the great occasion of the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, also known as the Solemnity and Feast of Christ the King. This Feast, which was established in the year 1925 by Pope Pius XI as a strong response to the ever increasing tide of secularisation and materialism in the world, the ending of many traditional hierarchies and societal norms, and especially the rapid ascent of Communism in various places and states, which seeks to detach the Lord and the Christian faith from the daily living of the people, their actions, works and livelihood. That was why Pope Pius XI established this Feast, originally celebrated at the last Sunday of the month of October, to remind all of us that Christ is the King of the whole world, and the Source of all authority of states and worldly powers.

This means that ultimately, whatever the differences may exist between the different states, countries, groups, sovereignties and other ways that we often distinguish ourselves from each other, God holds dominion and sovereignty over all of us. And no power or dominion, authority or sovereignty can claim to be independent of God because in God alone is found the true source of all power and sovereignty. And all of us belong to the Lord, Who is our one true Lord, Master and King, the One Who has created us and Who rules over all of us. The rulers and states of this world have been entrusted with the various authorities and powers by the Lord as stewards of God’s people, and those come along with responsibilities and duties that those who have been entrusted by God have to ultimately account to Him.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel in which we heard of the moment when the tribes of Israel, all the assembly of the Twelve Tribes and their representatives came and gathered to acclaim David as the King over all of Israel, after several years of strife, divisions and civil war between the supporters of David and those who supported Saul’s family and the latter’s claim to kingship. For the context, David was the one that God chose to be the new King and ruler of Israel replacing Saul, the first one to rule as King of Israel. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel who was also the Judge over all Israel. It was also Samuel himself who anointed Saul earlier on as King of Israel, but Saul had disobeyed God and did not do as the Lord has instructed to him, and hence, David was appointed as his replacement.

What was not shown in this passage is that lots of struggles, hardships, sufferings and tragedies happen in the process, as the kingship passed on and went from Saul and his family to that of David. David was persecuted by Saul although he was the favourite of the king, and he was chased by Saul that he had to go into exile even to the land of the Philistines and to the wilderness. And when Saul and his son Jonathan were slain in the battle against the Philistines, David also lost his best and precious friend Jonathan in that tragedy. And in the ensuing civil war between David and the family of Saul, many people were affected in the fighting and conflict, suffered and perished. But eventually David won the civil war and was universally accepted by all the Israelites as their King, ushering the golden age of the United Kingdom of Israel under David and his son, Solomon.

And the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Divine Word Incarnate was born into this world as the Son and Heir of David, as the rightful Heir and descendant of David as King over all of Israel although the kingdom of Israel itself had been destroyed centuries prior to His coming. But the Lord has promised through His many prophets and messengers that He would restore the Kingdom to His people, and the One Whom He would send, would be the One to restore it to its glory and even more. That was then how everything was fulfilled through Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Who was born into the House of David and inherit the Throne of David as King, and with God Himself as King over all of His people, He became the Eternal Ruler and Master of all. Then, in addition, He is King not only just over Israel, because as the Lord, Creator and Master of the whole Universe, He is the King of all the Universe.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Colossae, where the Apostle spoke of the One Whom all of us as Christians have believed in, the One Who is the Son of God, incarnate in this world as the Saviour of all mankind, begotten of the Father before all of the ages and time. St. Paul highlighted Who this King of Kings and the King of the Universe is, the Image of the Unseen God, the Almighty God Who has created this whole Universe, Who was once beyond our understanding, appreciation and knowledge, but through His will and power, has manifested Himself and His love perfectly in the flesh, becoming tangible, real and visible to us, showing us Who our true Lord, King and Master is.

And that is the reality about our King of Kings, the King and Master of the whole Universe. As St. Paul described of Him, He is indeed incomparable and far beyond our league, infinitely mighty and powerful, holding dominion and power over all of Creation. He is the King Who truly loves us, Who is always compassionate and caring towards each one of us, His beloved children and people. That is why we should always appreciate all the love, attention and care that the Lord Himself has shown to us. We are truly fortunate to be loved in such a manner and we should indeed do our best to embrace His love, He Who has united all of us to Himself and to each other, as the Head of the visible Body of Christ, His own Body, the whole Church of God. Each and every one of us, we are part of the same Kingdom of our God and King.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the account from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist about the moment of the Passion and suffering of the Lord, when Jesus, the Saviour and Son of God was nailed to His Cross at the place known as Calvary or Golgotha. At that moment, we heard how the people were mocking Him for not being able to save Himself while He has saved others, mocking Him and telling Him to bring Himself down from His Cross. And yet, He Himself has willingly taken the Cross upon His own shoulders, because He is a King Who truly cares for His beloved people, ever full of love for each and every one of those who are precious to Him, and that is why He was willing to endure the worst of humiliations and punishments for our sake, that we all may live and not perish.

And in His conversations with the two thieves who were crucified with Him, we can see even further the great love, compassion and magnanimity that our Lord and King has for each and every one of us, even to the greatest and worst of offenders and sinners. The repentant thief admitted his faults and sins before the Crucified Lord and King, and he asked that He would remember him when He comes into His kingdom, and the Lord granted his wish, becoming perhaps the first to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, which we are all invited into as well. Our Lord and King has shown us that He is a King Who truly cares for each and every one of us, His people, and not like those kings who cared only about themselves and caused sufferings for many of those whom they ruled.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today on this great Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and King of the whole Universe, let us all therefore remember that as Christians, all of us as God’s people have Him as our King and we truly should behave and act in a way that truly shows that He is indeed our Lord and Master, the One Who rules over each and every one of us. That is why we should do our very best and continue to be good role models and examples, inspirations and encouragement for one another as exemplary and good Christians in all things, in our every actions, words and deeds so that we may truly inspire many more people, all those whom we encounter, that we can indeed glorify the Lord our King at all times.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and King of Kings continue to reign in our hearts and in all of our lives, and may all of us be ever faithful and committed to Him at all times and as always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 2 November 2025 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints yesterday, now on this Sunday, we celebrate and commemorate the occasion of All Souls Day, in which we remember all those holy departed souls, who have gone from this world before us, and are now still in Purgatory. Purgatory refers to the state or situation in which the souls of the faithful departed who have gone from this world, and yet, because they have not yet been cleansed or purified completely from their taint and corruptions of sin, thus they cannot yet enter into the fullness of bliss, glory and happiness in Heaven, to be with God. That is why they are still currently in Purgatory, spending the time and occasion there in purification so that they may be fully and completely free from the taint and corruption of their sins.

This does not mean that God has purposely made it difficult for us mankind to reach out to Him or punished us unjustly. In fact, the truth is that no one can possibly be tainted by the corruption of sin and be in the Holy Presence of God. Otherwise, the sins and wickedness, corruptions and evils remaining in us will condemn us before the Lord, and the Lord’s goodness and perfection will wipe us out from existence. Hence, from the beginning of the Church, the Church fathers and traditions of our Christian faith have always taught that the souls of those who have died in the state of grace, and have not denied the Lord and remained unrepentant to the very last moment, do not end up in either Heaven or Hell.

The former, Heaven, is because the soul was still tainted with some venial sins, the residual effects of the corruptions of their soul, which had not been resolved and forgiven at the moment of their passing from this world. Meanwhile, for the latter, Hell, the Lord’s grace is so great and powerful that, to those whom He has deemed and judged at the moment of death, also known as the Particular Judgment, to be saved, thus, He did not condemn into Hell. Instead, that soul of the departed will eventually end up in Heaven. It is just that, those souls will not be able to immediately enter the glory of Heaven, unlike the saints, whose faith, virtues and commitments to God had deemed them worthy in the eyes of God to enter immediately into the glory of Heaven.

This state of the souls who have not yet been able to enter Heaven is thus known as the Purgatory. Unlike Hell, in which the condemned soul has no hope ever to enter into Heaven, and will suffer eternity of sufferings, punishments and regret for their sins, the souls in Purgatory do suffer, but not for an eternity. Why do they suffer, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because their intense love for God was raging in them, ever desiring to be reunited fully with God, but because of the residual corruptions and effects due to the sins which they had committed and which had not been resolved and forgiven, that ardent and burning love for God made them to endure the purifying fire of Purgatory. This should not be understood as a physical place with fire or any kind of flames that purified the souls in Purgatory, but rather, it was the love those souls had for God which made them to endure those burning love and zeal that had yet to be fulfilled completely.

And what is important today, as we commemorate this All Souls Day, we must remember that we ourselves may also end up in Purgatory one day, and we must not forget or ignore the holy souls in Purgatory. Many of our loved ones and those whom we know, our own family members and friends may be in Purgatory now, and are still awaiting the moment when they will finally enter into the eternal and true glory of Heaven. They are also still part of the Church, as I have mentioned on All Saints Day yesterday. Just as the saints, the holy men and women of God who are already enjoying the glory and the beatific vision of Heaven, are part of the Church Triumphant, and all of us still living in this world are part of the Church Militant, struggling daily for our faith against the temptations of sin and evil, thus the holy souls in Purgatory are part of the Church Suffering.

They are also our brothers and sisters, who need our love, care, compassion and prayers. The holy souls in Purgatory all need our prayers and help, as they cannot help themselves, and they cannot pray for themselves. They can pray for us, who are still living in this world, and no doubt, they hope that we do not make the same mistakes and sins they had done, which prevented and kept them away from the Lord’s glorious inheritance and true joy for the time being. They are in need of our prayers and help, and our every prayers for their sake do matter, as through prayer, we help them by moving God to have pity and mercy on these holy souls who are currently still in Purgatory. When their sins had been expiated, cleansed and they had been completely forgiven from those sins, the holy souls in Purgatory can finally then enter into the glory of Heaven, and enjoy what the saints have been enjoying.

Let us all therefore be charitable and compassionate to our brothers and sisters, the holy souls in Purgatory, that we remember today on this occasion of All Souls Day. Let us all remember that one day, we ourselves may also end up in the same condition and place, suffering the wait in Purgatory just as the holy souls in Purgatory are now enduring and experiencing their temporary wait and separation from God. We should always spend some time and moments to pray on behalf of those poor souls in Purgatory, be it those whom we may know, from our own family and circle of friends and acquaintances, but also those whom we do not know. There are many holy souls in Purgatory who had no one to remember them or pray for them, and today, on this All Souls Day, we should also remember them and love them, show them God’s love and compassion through our efforts and prayers for their sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, on this All Souls Day therefore, let us all first of all remember and pray for all the holy souls in Purgatory, all those who have passed on from this world and have yet to enter the glory of Heaven. Let us all ask the Lord to have mercy on these souls, and allow them to be forgiven and to be cleansed and purified from their residual corruptions by sin, and thus, able to enter into the glory of Heaven the soonest. Then, at the same time, as we have discussed and talked about earlier, we should also remind ourselves that we should strive to do what we can so that our lives will always be truly worthy of God, in obeying His Law and commandments, and in distancing ourselves and keeping ourselves away from sin and its corruption, as best as we can.

Let us all hence do what we can so that we may inspire one another to live our lives worthily in God’s path. Let us all be committed to lives that are truly virtuous and righteous in the sight of God and mankind alike, and do our part such that we may be the faithful bearers of God’s truth, Good News and love to more and more people, and that more souls may be saved from the damnation to Hell, and may at least end up in the purifying fire of Purgatory on their way to Heaven, because of their faith in God. May the Lord be with us all, and especially also with the holy souls in Purgatory, our brothers and sisters, and may He remember them, particularly those who have none to remember them or pray for them. May God grant them all eternal rest in Him, and may they rest in God’s love and peace. Amen.

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Sunday, 24 August 2025 : Twenty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this Sunday all of us are reminded through the passages of the Sacred Scriptures of the great and constant love of God which He has always given to us without cease. God has always shown us consistent and patient love that endures even though we have often disobeyed and turned away from Him. God has been patient in reaching out to all of us with His most generous and compassionate kindness without exception, giving us all His attention and reaching out to us, showing us His mercy and forgiveness, that while He chastises us for our sins, all these are part of His efforts to help us to be truly reconciled with Him, to be reunited wholly with our loving God and Father.

In our first reading this Sunday from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord reassuring His people through the prophecies, reminding them all that God would gather all of His beloved people from all the nations, and everyone shall one day come to worship and glorify Him, and not merely just the exclusive right for the Israelites as many among the people of God thought otherwise during the time of the Lord’s ministry. God truly revealed in a rather discreet way through these prophecies that what He wanted is indeed to be reconciled and reunited with each and every one of us, all of us mankind, all the people of all the nations, with the Israelites being the first one whom He had called and chosen.

And this prophecy of Isaiah would indeed come true and to fulfilment in what the Lord had done afterwards, in sending His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in order to make manifest and tangible for us this great love. Through Christ, God has established His Church in this world, which He proclaimed and then made tangible, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, being born on Good Friday at the moment of the Crucifixion, when the Lord laid there on His Cross, suffering and dying for the sake of all of us mankind. He did not die just for the Israelites and their descendants, but for everyone, for all those who did not belong to the traditional definition of God’s people. And this is because He has made His Church to gather everyone from all races and all the nations, and His salvation made available to all.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard of the author of this Epistle highlighted God’s actions and works to us and in His interactions with us, which is indeed likened to that of a loving Father. Indeed, God is our loving Father as our Creator, as the One Who has loved us all from the moment He created us, all of which He did out of most wonderful love. That is why He has always spent a lot of effort in reaching out to us, and always being concerned about all of us. He led us all through His patient and constant guidance, reaching out lovingly while at the same time also guiding us with discipline, chastising us gently for our misbehaviours and misdeeds. Yet, ultimately, He still loves us and His chastisement are meant for our own good.

That was how He constantly sent to us all His help, His servants and messengers, and after sending us all His Son, He sent to us all the Holy Spirit, through Whom He has shown Wisdom and guidance to all of us, the parts and members of His living Church, the members of His Body, of which Christ Himself is the Head. All of us shared in this relationship with God our Father through Christ, because He has shared in our humanity by being incarnate and born into this world, and just as He is the Son of God, therefore, by bringing all of us together as parts and members of His Church, Christ has made all of us to be God’s own adopted sons and daughters. And this fact is something that is truly amazing to behold, as imagine that, having God as our own Father! How much greater can things be than that?

Finally, from our Gospel passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord to the people that He has been visiting in the villages, responding to their questions about who could be saved and receive eternal life. The Lord told all of them that it is not easy as what some might have thought. The Lord said that there were many who claimed to have known the Lord but would be rejected and cast aside, because in their hearts and minds, God was not truly there. This was in fact a hidden and veiled reference to the attitudes and the actions of many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who indeed claimed to be pious and faithful to the Lord, and yet, they loved themselves and their desires more than they loved God.

And reiterating what the Lord Himself had spoken through the prophet Isaiah as mentioned in our first reading today, Jesus mentioned that nations and people will come from all directions, from all the ends of the earth to come and worship the Lord, believing in Him and becoming part of the Lord’s flock. Salvation is no longer restricted just to the Israelites and Abraham indeed will become the father of many nations, and truly the father of all the nations in faith. And that is why all of us should really appreciate the love which God has so generously given to us in calling on us to come to Him and to follow Him into the path towards eternal life and true happiness with Him. He does not discriminate or be biased with us on our status, background, race or any other worldly parameters we often categorise and bias ourselves with, but loving us all equally.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, having reflected upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures and seeing the great and ever patient love that God has given to all of us, whom He has called out of the darkness and into the light, and by all the kindness that He has always lavished upon us, let us all continue to draw ever closer to Him, to our loving Father and strive ever more to do our best in loving Him and being dedicated to Him in everything that we say and do. We should always be grateful that He has called us all to follow Him and how He has provided for us all His promises and reassurances. Let us therefore be exemplary in our faith and actions  so that we may be the worthy bearers of God’s light and truth, His Good News and love to all those whom we encounter in our lives.

May God continue to bless us all, and be with us all the members of His holy Church, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which we are parts and members of. May God continue to strengthen each and every one of us with the resolve to follow Him wholeheartedly and faithfully in all circumstances and at all times. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours for His greater glory. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are called to remember that to follow the Lord our God is often something that may bring upon us hardships and challenges in our path, and we may have to endure trials and difficulties, obstacles and hardships especially in remaining true to our calling as Christians and in remaining faithful to the Lord and to His teachings and ways. We must not easily give up the struggles and the journey that we are undertaking towards God because in the end, we shall be triumphant with Him, sharing the joy and the glory that He has promised and reassured all of us, and we shall not be disappointed if we continue to hold onto that faith in God because only the Lord alone will not fail us, even when all sorts of worldly means and matters that we usually depend on failed us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah detailing to us what was happening at that time to the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the last King of Judah when the opponents and many officials of Judah were plotting and attempting to destroy Jeremiah as he kept on speaking to the people and to the king regarding the omens and the terrible events that would come upon Judah and Jerusalem because of the disobedience, wickedness and sins of the people of Judah, all of their constant rebelliousness and lack of faith in the Lord, in persecuting the many prophets which had been sent to them to help them to return to the Lord’s path, and that included what was done to Jeremiah himself.

But we then see God’s Providence in protecting Jeremiah through our first reading passage, as even though the king had to follow the pressures and coercions of his councillors and officials who were against the prophet Jeremiah, but the latter still had friends that had the ears of the king. That was how Jeremiah managed to escape his fated suffering and death in a cistern which his enemies and oppressors had been plotting to happen to him. His friends among the king’s advisers reminded the king that such wicked treatments were unjust, and hence, the king allowed them to rescue Jeremiah in secret and took him out from that cistern, to hide from his persecutors and enemies, which continued until the time when Judah and Jerusalem were conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author encouraged those to whom he wrote the Epistle for, reminding them of how they have all shared in the sufferings of Christ, the One Whom the Lord had sent into this world to save us all. And just as Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, had faced great sufferings and challenges, and persevered on nonetheless to show us the true face of God’s love and compassion, God’s undying and ever enduring love and patience with us, therefore, we too should remain resilient and strong amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey as Christian believers and faithful, and we should not expect that our journey ahead should be easy, but with God by our side, we can truly do all things and endure even the hardest challenges.

This is why we should always continue to remind ourselves that with God by our side, strengthening and guiding us, we will not falter and stumble as long as we continue to have faith and trust in Him. God would not abandon us to destruction purposefully, and He would not give us challenges and obstacles that are beyond what we can take and endure, and we certainly will not go through all of them alone. The Lord would always be by our side, helping us to endure and bear our crosses in life. And if we remember everything that the Lord had gone through for our sake, out of His ever always generous love, then truly we shall in fact be grateful to have shared in the sufferings of Christ, for if we have suffered for His sake, then surely it is because we have been truly faithful to Him, as how the prophet Jeremiah had been committed in his missions, and suffered greatly for it.

Finally, from our Gospel this Sunday taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling the disciples that His coming into this world, His teachings, revelations and ways would not bring about peace and harmony, and in fact, more likely than not it would lead to strive and divisions, not because He Himself wanted it, but because the world and all the forces in this world, the forces of Satan, the evil one and all of his fellow wicked forces, all assembled against us, and they are always arrayed against those who walk in God’s path. That is why the Lord told His disciples that they should not expect a good and smooth path in ministry and life in following Him, and unlike what many believed about the Messiah, that following Him would not bring them earthly glory and joy.

Back then, many among the people of God, the descendants of the Israelites, the Jewish people, believed that the Messiah would be born into the House of David, to be the One to bring about liberation and freedom for the Israelites from all of their oppressors and from all their troubles. Therefore, many among them expected that the Messiah would come as a conquering King and Ruler, to overthrow the yoke of the Romans and the Herodians, to bring back and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, as how it was in the glorious days of King David and King Solomon, and to bring peace and prosperity to everyone. This was not how it was to be, and in fact, the Lord Himself would have to suffer grievously for the sake of our salvation and in accomplishing all that He has planned for all those. Yet, He kept on going nonetheless and kept on loving us regardless all the way to the Cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves that sufferings and hardships should not lead us to abandon our faith in the Lord, and in fact, they should strengthen our resolve ever further in following God’s path, and doing whatever we can so that by our exemplary lives and actions, we may inspire many others to follow the Lord and His path, to persevere in faith and to remain truly committed to Him despite the struggles and challenges, obstacles and trials, disappointments and difficulties that we may encounter in the path that we walk. We must help especially those who are troubled and who are facing all these hardships alone and enduring lots of trials, so that by our companionship and help, we may continue to strengthen one another in faith, and journey together in faith towards God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help us in our journey through life, ever strengthening each one of us so that we can continue to journey courageously and with great devotion towards the Lord, with ever stronger desire each day to glorify Him by our lives and actions. Let us all continue to trust and have faith in God, knowing that with God by our side, there is truly nothing that is impossible. For God, everything is indeed possible, and if we remain true in our faith, then we shall indeed share in the fullness of joy and satisfaction that we can find in God alone. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.