Tuesday

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Tuesday, 23 December 2025 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures and draw ever closer to Christmas, we are all reminded of the coming of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, into our midst. The Lord has sent us His messenger and herald to prepare the path for His coming into this world, and He has fulfilled that promise, with the coming of St. John the Baptist, the one who was prophesied to be the one to prepare the way for the Lord. As we heard in our Scripture passages today, all these happened so that the Lord might come and rescue us all from our troubles and bring us into His loving presence once again, and that is the reason why we rejoice this Christmas.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the prophet Malachi, speaking about the coming of the days of God’s messenger, who would come to prepare the hearts and minds of the people, to prepare for the coming of the Lord, which was also alluded to in the words of the prophet Malachi. Malachi was one of the last prophets chronologically in the Old Testament era, who ministered to the people of God a few centuries before the Lord’s coming, and his words of prophecy further set the expectation of the coming of God’s salvation, which the people of God looked forward to, as they heard the words of reassurances that God had made through His many prophets, including that of Malachi.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the birth of St. John the Baptist, the one whom Malachi and the other prophets had been prophesying about, the one to prepare the path for the coming of the Lord. His miraculous conception and birth truly became knowledge among the people, as he was conceived by his mother at the age well-past childbearing and after being barren for so many years. His coming, conception and birth were also announced by the Angel of God before his father Zechariah, whose doubt led him to become mute before the moment as we heard in our Gospel today, that once the baby was named John as the Angel spoke of, Zechariah was miraculously able to speak once again. All of these and the later events in the life of St. John the Baptist serve as a reminder for us that as we approach the coming Christmas season with expectation and joy.

St. John the Baptist went on to call the people of God to be converted and to turn away from their sinful paths, and this is also therefore a reminder for all of us that as we approach Christmas, we should also prepare ourselves in heart and mind to turn towards the Lord, to return our focus upon Him, and to make Him the centre of our upcoming Christmas celebrations and rejoicing. We should not be distracted by the many temptations and distractions all around us, all the glamour and merrymaking surrounding the often secular and worldly Christmas celebrations. We have to be committed to the Lord and renew our faith in Him, and serve Him with ever greater conviction and zeal. We should do our best to make sure that we celebrate Christmas in the right way, and with the right predisposition and mindset.

That is why we should make use of this short remaining time before Christmas, whatever is left this Advent season to deepen our understanding of Christmas and its true meaning, its significance and importance for us. Today we should therefore spend some time to reflect upon the life and works of one St. John of Kanty, also known as St. John Cantius, a Polish priest and philosopher whose life and work should inspire us to become ever more worthy of God, ever more connected to Him, and ever closer to Him. St. John of Kanty was remembered for his great intellect and philosophical as well as theological prowess, as he became great professor and instructor, helping many of his students and followers to understand better their faith in God, as well as the many mysteries and aspects of the Christian faith.

Not only that, but the same St. John of Kanty was also well remembered for his great love for God, his personal piety and holiness, and especially also for his great compassion, love and care for the poor and the suffering all around him. He was known for his care for the needy students at his university and faculty, helping to support them whenever and wherever it was possible. He also spent time and effort to care for the poor and the needy in his community, and at wherever he was visiting and ministering. He lived his life simply and full of devotion, spending not more than what was necessary for him, and he made several pilgrimages on foot all the way to Rome. The faith and humility that St. John of Kanty showed in his life should be inspiration for all of us to follow in our own lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us therefore seek the Lord with a new heart, with a new commitment to follow Him and to devote our time and attention to Him, and from this upcoming Christmas celebration, to put Him back as the centre and focus of our lives. Let us all follow the examples set and shown by St. John of Kanty, doing our best to walk faithfully in the path that God has shown us. First let us all start by changing our Christmas celebrations from one that is worldly and self-centred into one that is centred on God, as well as love and life-giving, inspired by the love  and generosity which St. John of Kanty has shown to those who were less fortunate all around him. Let us also remember that Christmas is all also possible, and that we can rejoice exactly because God has shown us His most generous love and kindness, compassion and grace.

May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us, empowering us with the love and courage to do our best in our lives, to be ever more loving and generous to each other. Through our faithful and worthy Christmas celebrations, where Christ is at the very focus and heart of our joy, let us all inspire more and more people that each one of us may be the shining beacons of God’s hope, light and truth. Let us show our love and generosity to those around us and not be distracted by the worldly glamour and desires. May all of us draw ever closer to God and be blessed as we approach the glorious and joyful season of Christmas. Amen.

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Tuesday, 23 December 2025 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 57-66

When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her. When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.”

They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they asked the father, by means of signs, for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name is John,” and they were very surprised. Immediately Zechariah could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.

A holy fear came on all in the neighbourhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea the people talked about these events. All who heard of it pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.

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Tuesday, 23 December 2025 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.

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Tuesday, 23 December 2025 : 4th Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of Kanty, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Malachi 3 : 1-4, 23-24

Now I am sending My messenger ahead of Me to clear the way; then suddenly the Lord for Whom you long will enter the sanctuary. The Envoy of the covenant which you so greatly desire already comes, says YHVH of hosts. Who can bear the day of His coming and remain standing when He appears? For He will be like fire in the foundry and like the lye used for bleaching.

He will be as a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So YHVH will have priests who will present the offering as it should be. Then YHVH will accept with pleasure the offering of Judah and Jerusalem, as in former days.

I am going to send you the prophet Elijah before the day of YHVH comes, for it will be a great and terrible day. He will reconcile parents with their children, and the children with their parents, so that I may not have to curse this land when I come.

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, all of us should always continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, in always believing that the promises which Our Lord has given to us will eventually come true, as He has always reassured us and actually fulfilled for us. God is indeed the only One Who will never abandon or fail us, even as many other means and methods of this world, all of our other ways and manners may fail us in the end. This Advent, as we continue to prepare ourselves well for the joyous celebration of Christmas to come, we should always keep in mind that we continue to focus our attention on the Lord.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah in which the prediction of the coming of God’s salvation and liberation for His people has been made to those whom Isaiah had been sent to minister to, the people of God in the kingdom of Judah, and also to all of us who have listened to it, as reminder of God’s ever wonderful faithfulness and grace, of everything that He had done for us, in fulfilling His part of the Covenant that He has established, maintained and renewed with us. We heard in that passage of Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of the one whom the Lord would send as His herald, to announce the coming of the salvation of God, which in time would come to be fulfilled in the person of St. John the Baptist.

Indeed, St. John the Baptist was that ‘voice in the wilderness’ that spoke of the proclamation of God’s imminent coming, the coming of the Holy One that had been sent into our midst, into this world to gather all of us back to God and to lead us all out of the darkness of evil and sin, and into the light. He called on all the people of God to return to Him, to realise their sinfulness and wickedness, and how they have fallen away from the path of God into the path of worldliness and sin. Hence, as we are reminded of the coming of God’s salvation which He had fulfilled and accomplished by first sending St. John the Baptist to prepare the way for His Saviour, and finally, through the coming of the Saviour of God, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, the One promised and assured to us all, let us all ponder on what we are truly preparing to celebrate this upcoming Christmas season and time.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, our Saviour, reassuring us all of God’s ever wonderful love, compassion and mercy. Through the brief parable of the lost sheep, in which the Lord compared God’s actions to that of a shepherd who had a hundred sheep and lost one of them, and how the shepherd would go and do his best to seek that one lost sheep, therefore, we are reminded that the Lord considers each and every one of us as truly precious and beloved. Therefore, none of us should take for granted that the Lord has done everything in order to gather us all back and to find us all from being scattered and lost to Him throughout the whole world.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as St. Juan Diego, as we recall the life and holiness of this great man of God, whose devotion to Him and to His blessed mother had brought about great conversions and much good for the Church and for the people of God. St. John Diego was especially known for his role in revealing to the world the now world famous apparition of Mary, who appeared to St. John Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe. At that time, not long after the conquest of the New World, the Americas by the Spanish forces, there were a lot of disruptions and chaos, which therefore brought the Blessed Mother of God herself to appear before her beloved children to remind them to turn away from their sins and wickedness, and return to the side of her Son, their Lord and Saviour.

St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was one of the early converts among the native populations of Central America, and he was known to be a devout person, dedicating himself to his new faith zealously, and he was also known to be a righteous and good person in his deeds. One day, at the hill of Tepeyac, where the great Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe now stands, St. John Diego saw the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, appearing to him like a woman of his own race, and she revealed herself to him as the Mother of God and told him to inform the local bishop that a shrine should be built at the site so that she could assist those who have been troubled and distressed. St. John Diego obediently told the bishop and after another apparition, again shared with the local bishop what he had witnessed.

And when the bishop requested from the Apparition for a heavenly sign to show the authenticity of the supernatural event, the Blessed Virgin Lady of Guadalupe told St. John Diego that she would provide one. But when St. John Diego’s uncle was very sick and he missed the appointed time of the apparition, and attending to his uncle, later on when Our Lady of Guadalupe once again appeared to St. John Diego, she chided him gently for not having sought for her intercession and help, telling him in the now famous words, ‘Am I not here, who am your Mother?’ Then, while assuring St. John Diego that his uncle has fully recovered, she told him to gather flowers that were blooming at the site, using his own mantle, known as tilma, to hold those flowers to be shown to the bishop.

The moment that St. John Diego returned to the bishop and revealed the unusual flowers that he had gathered from the Blessed Lady of Guadalupe, the bishop was astonished to have seen the imprint of Our Lady of Guadalupe herself on the tilma or cloak of St. John Diego. This assured the bishop that the Apparition was truly genuine, and he immediately venerated the Blessed Lady of Guadalupe. Henceforth, the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe became very popular, bringing countless souls to God, being saved through His mother’s love and care for us, and until today, countless millions came to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe at her shrines, and many more throughout the world devoted themselves to the Lord through her, His Blessed Mother, who is also our Mother.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard the reminders from the Scriptures about the love and the salvation which God Himself has brought unto us through His Son, and also having listened to the great faith and dedication which St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin has shown us, in his commitment to God, his obedience to His Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and more of his other virtues, let us all therefore strive to be ever good and worthy in our own lives and deeds, so that by our good examples and actions, our every words and interactions with each other, we may always be the good role models and inspirations for all around us, that God may be better known to more and more.

Let us all therefore continue to live our lives worthily of the Lord and do our very best so that as good Christians we may always inspire many others around us to be good, committed and faithful to the Lord as well in all things. Let us continue to be good examples in each and every moments of our lives, in our daily interactions and efforts, our works and contributions so that we may lead more and more people towards Christ our Lord and His salvation. May all of us prepare well for Christmas and be ready to celebrate it wholeheartedly with true joy and appreciation. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Matthew 18 : 12-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it, than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray.”

“It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven does not want even one of these little ones to perish.”

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Psalm 95 : 1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12a, 12b-13

Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Sing to YHVH, praise His Name; proclaim His salvation, day after day.

Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds. Say among the nations, “He will judge the peoples with justice.”

Let the heavens be glad, the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound; let the fields exult and everything in them.

Let the forest, all the trees, sing for joy. Let them sing before YHVH Who comes to judge the earth. He will rule the world with justice, and the peoples, with fairness.

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Tuesday, 9 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Isaiah 40 : 1-11

Be comforted, My people, be strengthened, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of YHVH she has received double punishment for all her iniquity.

A voice cries, “In the wilderness prepare the way for YHVH. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up; every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of YHVH will be revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of YHVH has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry.” and I say, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of YHVH blows upon it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will forever stand.”

Go up onto the high mountain, messenger of Good News to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah : Here is your God! Here comes YHVH Sabaoth with might; His strong arm rules for Him; His reward is with Him, and here before Him is His booty. Like a shepherd He tends His flock : He gathers the lambs in His arms, He carries them in His bosom, gently leading those that are with young.

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Tuesday, 2 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we all continue to progress further through this season and time of Advent, the time of preparation for the coming of the joyful season of Christmas, let us all continue to ponder upon the words of the Lord that we have received and blessed with through the Sacred Scriptures, so that we may better be able to focus our attention on what truly matters, the Lord and His teachings and ways. Each and every one of us must truly be genuine in our faith and belief in the Lord as Christians, and in our preparations for Christmas, we are reminded that we should not just be focused on the worldly aspects of the celebrations, but more importantly, focus ourselves on the more wholesome understanding of what Christmas is truly about.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord given to the prophet Isaiah in which He reassured all of His people, the Israelites and their descendants that despite the difficulties, hardships, challenges and humiliations which they had been facing at that time and before, the day and time will eventually come when the Lord will come for His beloved ones, gathering each and every one of them, calling upon all of them to return back to Him and to be once again in His most loving and generous embrace. God has reassured His people of all of these things, and He would not say things that He Himself would not fulfil or make to come true.

That is why, for those people of Judah to whom the prophet Isaiah had ministered to, such great words of hope and consolation must have meant really a lot to them. They had faced lots of sufferings, humiliations, defeats and other misfortunes from their enemies and all those who opposed them because of their own disobedience and refusals to listen to the Lord and to the prophets and messengers whom He had sent into their midst to remind and help them. The Lord however did not forget about them and He still continued to love them nonetheless, helping them to find their way back to Him, patiently leading and guiding them all, with all the encouragement, reassurance and promises He made after He has first chastised and rebuked them for their sins and wickedness.

God truly cares for all those whom He has considered His own, all those whom He had created out of pure and perfect love. After all, He did not create us so that He can punish and destroy us, but He wants us instead to rediscover the love which we ourselves ought to have for Him, so that we may continue to grow ever stronger in faith, hope and love in Him and through Him. This is what He has constantly reminded His people through the prophets, and which we are therefore also reminded yet again, and again, each and every time we listen to these words of the Scriptures that we may truly be faithful and committed in all things, in doung what God has called us all to do, in being good role models and examples of our faith in our love for God and also our love for one another.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard the prayer of thanksgiving and praise which the Lord Jesus Himself prayed to His Heavenly Father, giving Him thanks on behalf of everyone that He had been sent to, to all of us mankind, in thanking God for His ever present and enduring love, for all the wonderful things that He had done for us all, on our behalf, in reaching out to us all, and presenting to us the finest and best of His love which has been manifested perfectly to us in the Person of His own beloved and only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Indeed, through Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us, are all perfect fulfilment of everything that God our loving Father and Creator has promised to each and every one of us and our ancestors.

And we must count ourselves truly lucky because we have been made partakers of God’s everlasting and true Covenant, which He has renewed and established firmly for us all through His Son, in all that He had done in offering on our behalf a most perfect and worthy offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, so that by that offering all of us may be redeemed and freed from the tyranny of evil, sin and darkness surrounding us. We are reminded that because Christ has come into our midst, God Himself in the flesh, we truly have hope of liberation and true happiness, in an eternity of joy and eternal existence with our most loving God and Father. We must continue to uphold this faith and hope within us, and embody the great and ever enduring love of God in ourselves and our own actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all therefore ponder and reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures, ever being reminded that we are all called to put our trust in the Lord and in everything that He has promised to us. We have to trust that everything which the Lord has promised to us will eventually come true, and that we should not easily give up or lose faith in what He has told us. This is because we must realise that in God alone we can find hope and reassurance that will not fail us, and while anything in this world can fail us, the Lord alone is always with us without fail, and it is He alone that has been there for us, providing for us and steadily loving and supporting us through the darkest and most difficult moments, and He does this even through those whom He has provided to be with us.

May the Lord continue to bless us all in our Advent journey and progress, and as we continue to go deeper into this blessed time of preparation for Christmas and what we will celebrate during that season, let us all continue to deepen our faith and trust in the Lord, allowing Him to come into our lives and our hearts, strengthening our resolve and giving us the courage to continue going forth and doing our best to glorify Him by each and every moments of our lives, in all of our actions, words and deeds. May God bless our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 10 : 21-24

At that time, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and made them known to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will. I have been given all things by My Father, so that no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

Then Jesus turned to His disciples and said to them privately, “Fortunate are you to see what you see, for I tell you, that many prophets and kings would have liked to see what you see, but did not see it; and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”