Tuesday

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Tuesday, 13 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, commemorating the famous Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima in Portugal, which happened just over a hundred years ago. Today as we recall everything that happened at that time in the small town of Fatima before the three shepherd children who witnessed the Apparition of Mary, the Mother of God, we remind ourselves of the great love that Mary as the Mother of Our Lord and also as our loving mother in loving and caring for us all her adopted children. All of us have been blessed to be loved in such a way by the Mother of Our Lord herself, who has shown herself to us from time to time, with the intention to call on us to come back towards her Son and be saved, and not be lost to sin and darkness.

At that time, at the site of Cova da Iria near the small town of Fatima in Portugal, over a century ago to young children-shepherds, namely St. Francisco Marto and St. Jacinta Marto who were siblings, and their cousin, the Venerable Lucia dos Santos. They had actually begun experiencing the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Fatima from the previous year, 1916. Historically, it was known that Mary, the Mother of God had made appearances during times and moments when wars and conflicts happened in the world, where a lot of hardships, sufferings and trials were faced by the people, and a lot of wickedness and evils were present all around everyone. At that time, the First World War or World War I, then known as the Great War was raging throughout the world, but was particularly terrifying and devastating in Europe.

While Portugal itself was not directly affected by the war, but it was at the year 1916 that Portugal entered into the Great War on the side of the Entente or the Allies against the Central Powers led by Germany. By that time, the Great War had been raging for over two years and millions had perished due to the continuing warfare and conflicts, while many millions more people were suffering because of the effects of the disruptions to their daily livelihood, the hunger and famine due to the entire national resources of many states being pooled and focused for the war efforts. It was at this tumultuous time that the Mother of God, as Our Lady of Fatima, chose to make her appearance to us all. She was calling on the people of God to distance themselves from all the acts of violence that brought about great destruction and also the anger of God.

Initially, people were skeptical of what the three children-shepherds were experiencing and telling to them, about the apparition of a Woman at the site of Cova da Iria, which they associated with Mary, the Mother of God. The Lady in the Apparition told the three children of many things, including the prayer to end the Great War, and the call to return to peace, and for mankind to abandon all the wicked and evil deeds which they had committed through the War and many other things which had indeed angered the Lord greatly. Mary appeared to the three of them calling on them to pass on the messages and the words that she had brought with her to everyone, so that more and more people would come to turn their hearts and minds back towards the Lord, and away from the evils and wickedness which many of them had committed and led them to sin against God.

On this date of the thirteenth of May in the Year of Our Lord 1917, Mary appeared to the three children again, as she showed herself to them as a great Woman, appearing brighter than the Sun, and with light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the clearest water, in the words of the witnesses themselves. The appearance of this Woman, who wore a white and gold-trimmed mantle, with the holy rosary upon her hands would become the inspiration of the images and statues now commonly known and venerated widely all around Christendom as Our Lady of Fatima. The Apparition told the three witnesses to tell everyone to commit themselves to the Lord, the Holy Trinity more and more, and to pray the Rosary everyday to bring an end to the war and return to peace. All those things which the Blessed Virgin had mentioned, eventually came to be, just over a year later.

There were many other things and miraculous signs and wonders which Mary as Our Lady of Fatima had shown to the three children and to many other witnesses in her series of Apparitions, as her messages and words brought upon everyone a message and reminder for them to return once again to God’s love and grace, abandoning the evils and wickedness of the world, to sin no more and to embrace wholeheartedly God’s loving and compassionate mercy, which He has always readily given to us, but yet, our stubbornness and wickedness had often prevented us from being able to receive the fullness of God’s grace, forgiveness and love. And while the messages and the words of Our Lady of Fatima, and the whole Apparition would be approved by the Church authorities, and became one of the most popular and enduring Marian devotions up to this day, but at that time, many were skeptical of the veracity and authenticity of what the three children and witnesses had seen.

That was why those three witnesses had to face scrutiny, objections and obstacles from the secular and religious authorities at that time, who questioned them and doubted them, and some did not believe that the Apparition was real or legitimate. But, through the repeated Apparitions, the many signs and miracles which Our Lady of Fatima had shown, eventually, many were convinced of the truth and authenticity of Our Lady’s appearance, that Mary had indeed appeared to the three shepherd children and through them to many others, who were therefore touched and called to propagate her words and reminders, which were all ultimately meant to direct mankind to return once again to righteousness and virtues in God. Our Lady of Fatima, as our loving adoptive Mother, has always been concerned about us, many of whom are always in the danger of losing in the battle for our souls to those who seek our destruction and downfall.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon what happened that time in Fatima, the events surrounding Our Lady’s appearance before the three children and also the signs that she performed before so many people, let us all remind ourselves what she had told them all, in the messages of Fatima and everything that she had revealed to us. Ultimately, all of her efforts and works were intended to lead us all towards her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, and all of us should therefore make the conscious effort to turn away from our sins and wickedness, embracing instead God’s love and compassionate mercy, doing our very best to commit ourselves to follow God and His will for us, to be good role models and examples to everyone around us, as is our calling as Christians.

May Our Lady of Fatima continue to intercede for all of us sinners who are struggling in our journey through life in this world, and through her guidance may many of us come to realise the depths of our sins and seek her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, with greater vigour and effort, so that we may truly be worthy of His salvation and grace, at the time of the reckoning of our lives. Our Lady of Fatima, Mary, Holy Mother of God, pray for us all sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 10 : 22-30

At that time, the time came for the Feast of the Dedication. It was winter, and Jesus walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him and said to Him, “How long will You keep us in doubt? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered, “I have already told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in My Father’s Name proclaim Who I am, but you do not believe because, as I said, you are not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me and I give them eternal life.”

“They shall never perish, and no one will ever steal them from Me. What the Father has given Me is above everything else, and no one can snatch it from out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.”

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Fatima)

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”

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Tuesday, 13 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 86 : 1-3, 4-5, 6-7

He Himself has built it in His holy mountain; the Lord prefers the gates of Zion to all of Jacob’s towns. Great things have been foretold of you, o city of God.

Between friends we speak of Egypt and Babylon; and also Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia : “Here so-and-so was born.” But of Zion it shall be said, “More and more are being born in her.” For the Most High Himself has founded her.

And the Lord notes in the people’s register : “All these were also born in Zion.” And all will dance and sing joyfully for You.

Alternative Psalm (Mass of Our Lady of Fatima)

Psalm 44 : 11-12, 14-15, 16-17

Listen, o daughter, pay attention; forget your father’s house and your nation, and your beauty will charm the King, for He is your Lord.

All glorious as she enters is the princess in her gold-woven robes. She is led in royal attire to the King, following behind is her train of virgins.

Amid cheers and general rejoicing, they enter the palace of the King. Forget your fathers and think of your sons, you will make them princes throughout the land.

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Tuesday, 13 May 2025 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 11 : 19-26

Those who had been scattered because of the persecution over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message, but only to the Jews. But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the Good News of the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God’s favour, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord; for he himself was a good man filled with Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus to look for Saul and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

Alternative reading (Mass of Our Lady of Fatima)

Isaiah 61 : 9-11

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

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

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

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Tuesday, 6 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in our Scripture passages today, as we all continue to progress through this joyful and glorious season of Easter, we are all reminded of our Christian calling to be the faithful and committed disciples and missionaries of our faith in the Lord, in our belief in the Lord Who has manifested Himself in the flesh before us, embracing our human nature and becoming for all of us the source of our eternal life and salvation. And yes, as we listen to the Gospel passage later today, we will begin to hear from today and for the next few days, the discourse of the Bread of Life from the Lord, reminding all of us that through Jesus and everything that He had done for us, we have been given access to this most wonderful gift of the Bread of Life, by which we have been assured of the promise of eternal life and true happiness with God if we all remain truly faithful to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of the account of the martyrdom of St. Stephen the Protomartyr, as we have heard since yesterday. In that occasion, St. Stephen, one of the seven original Deacons appointed by the Church with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, before the High Priests and other priests, and members of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, many of whom were hostile against the Lord and His disciples, and when they all brought false accusations and witnesses against St. Stephen in trying to silence and discredit him in his works and efforts at evangelisation among the people, St. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, courageously stood up for his faith before all of his opponents, and with great wisdom, spoke of the truth about the works of Christ and everything that He had done, and how He had been persecuted because of the stubbornness of those same people who were persecuting him.

St. Stephen courageously spoke such words because the Sanhedrin had been quite persistent in trying to silence the truth about the Lord’s Resurrection, even to the point of bribing the guards at the Lord’s Tomb to spread lies about how the disciples had stolen the Body of the Lord and claiming that He had risen from the dead. That was why St. Stephen, likely having witnessed the Resurrection himself as one of the earliest disciples and followers of the Lord, or at least having received the faith through the Apostles and the Holy Spirit, chose to remain steadfast and courageously proclaimed the truth as the Light that pierced through the darkness of the lies and falsehoods that the members of the Jewish High Council and their supporters had been spreading in the community. In doing so, he welcomed the sufferings and the martyrdom that he eventually experienced.

Then in our Gospel passage today, as I had just mentioned earlier, we heard of the beginning of the discourse of the Bread of Life by the Lord Jesus, Who told all the people who had come to follow Him after He had miraculously fed them with the multitudes of bread, that He is truly the Bread of Life, the Living Bread from Heaven that had come into our midst, descending upon this world to show the love of God manifested perfectly through His Son, Who has come into our midst, walking among us and becoming for us the source of our salvation. Through His own willing sacrifice on the Cross, Christ has opened for us the path to eternal life, in sharing His own Most Precious Body and Blood for us all to partake and share.

He gave us all freely His own Body and Blood for our salvation, which He has made available for us through His gift of the Eucharist to us, which He has instituted at the Last Supper, at the moment when He gave us all this perfect gift of love, breaking His Body and outpouring His Blood, a sacrifice accomplished and completed perfectly on the Cross, on the Altar of Calvary, offering Himself as the Paschal Lamb of sacrifice, by Whose Body and Blood we have been healed, strengthened and empowered, delivered from the power of darkness and the shackles of sin. And all of us who have received this grace from God should indeed appreciate just how greatly all of us have been beloved by our Lord and loving Father. We should not allow this wonderful gift from God to be neglected and ignored, but we should instead make great use of what we have been given.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be truly faithful to God in all things and strive to do our best so that we may always centre our lives upon the Lord and His teachings and ways just as St. Stephen and our many other holy predecessors had done before us. Each and every one of us are called to be the disciples and followers of the Lord, in our every moments in life. We have been given such great love by the Lord, Who gave us all the gift of His own Body and Blood, so that He may be present with us and within us, in journeying together through this challenging and difficult journey in life. We must not easily give in to the temptations of evil and worldly ambitions and desires, but strive instead to live lives that are truly centred on God at all times, loving one another just as God has loved us.

That is what each and every one of us are called to do as Christians, to be truly loving and committed to each other and towards God, showing our faith by our examples and inspirations in life to one another. As Christians we should always be filled with genuine and generous love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, so that everyone may come to know God through us and our examples in life. Let us all be truly worthy as God’s disciples and followers, in our commitment to Him and in our righteousness and virtues, by which we may continue to serve Him faithfully through our every words, actions and deeds, through our every interactions with everyone around us, like what our holy predecessors had done before us.

May our loving God and Father, our Risen Lord and Saviour continue to guide us in our journey of faith and life. May He strengthen us all with the gift of His Body and Blood, He Who is the Bread and Source of all Life, so that we may always remain firmly faithful in Him, and not be distracted with any kind of temptations and pressures in life all around us. May all of us continue to be ever faithful and devoted to the Lord, and may all of us be blessed in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 6 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 30-35

At that time, the Jews said to Jesus, “Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe You. What sign do You perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says : They were given bread from heaven to eat.”

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven. The Bread God gives is the One Who comes from heaven and gives life to the world.” And they said to Him, “Give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to Me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in Me shall never be thirsty.”

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Tuesday, 6 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 30 : 3cd-4, 6ab and 7b-8a, 17 and 21ab

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Into Your hands I commend my spirit; but I put all my trust in the Lord. I will rejoice and be glad in Your love, for You have seen my affliction.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your love. In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from human wiles; You keep them in Your dwelling.

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Tuesday, 6 May 2025 : 3rd Week of Easter (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 7 : 51 – Acts 8 : 1a

Stephen said to the Council, “But you are a stubborn people, you hardened your hearts and closed your ears. You have always resisted the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did. Was there a prophet whom your ancestors did not persecute? They killed those who announced the coming of the Just One Whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the Law through the Angels but did not fulfil it.”

When the Council heard the reproach Stephen made against them, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand, so he declared : “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God.”

But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying : “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

Then he knelt down and said in a loud voice : “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he died. Saul was there, approving his murder. This was the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem.

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Tuesday, 29 April 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the great love which God has bestowed upon us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and how this great love of God has been manifested in our midst and made real and tangible through the Church, which God Himself established in this world to be the real union of all the faithful people of God, all parts of the same Church, the one united Body of Christ. And we heard of how the early Christians lived their lives in reflection of this loving relationship between God and His Church, as well as between the people of God themselves in their respective communities, which were at that time still at the very early and nascent stage. And yet, they can serve as good examples and inspirations for all of us the faithful people of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, just as I had mentioned earlier, we heard of the lives of the early Christian communities, which were then still mostly centred around Jerusalem and Judea, and its surrounding regions like Galilee, and parts of Syria among the Jewish diaspora and the Gentiles. It was still a relatively small and simple community of the faithful people of God, and as mentioned, we heard how they all lived in a great and incredible state of grace. The earliest Christians lived in harmony and peace with one another, sharing their goods and possessions to support each other, such that no one among them were to be found wanting for the lack of resources and goods. Those who had more with them and been blessed more bountifully shared more of their riches and blessings with those who had less.

Back then the Apostles and the other disciples managed this distribution of goods and resources, which the faithful brought regularly to be offered to the Church through the Apostles. That was how the very earliest Church community lived, in great love both for God and for their fellow brothers and sisters. There we can see how God’s instructions and teachings were manifested in the livelihood of His Church, where the faithful lived with great harmony with each other and in dedication to God. Of course this is not practical or possible in our Church community today, which spans the whole entire world and numbering over 1.4 billion people. However, in our own parishes and smaller Christian communities we should apply the same way of living our lives wherever applicable, to be truly loving towards God and our fellow brothers and sisters alike.

Essentially, as Christians all of us are called and reminded to be truly filled with God’s love and grace, in everything that we say and do, in our every actions and deeds, our every interactions with each other. We should always be doing what the Lord has taught us to do in our lives, to be good and caring, loving and compassionate people who share our blessings with one another. Without genuine love and care for others, we cannot truly call ourselves as Christians, because as Christians we follow God and His ways, and God is Love. We cannot be true Christians if we do not practice love in our actions and way of life, and if we do not carry out Christ’s teachings and love in our every interactions with those we encounter in life. That is why we have been constantly reminded today and on previous days to be truly filled with God’s love in all things.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, in which the Lord Jesus continued with His discussion with Nicodemus the Pharisee, who was one of the few who were sympathetic about the Lord’s teachings and ways, unlike many among his fellow Pharisees and members of the Sanhedrin. The Lord Jesus continued to speak about the matter of being born again in the Lord and how He alone knew all these things and truths hidden from even the wise and learned ones at that time, like Nicodemus and his fellow Pharisees, as Jesus Himself came from God, our Heavenly Father. By the will of the Father, His Son and Word has become incarnate by the power of the Holy Spirit, manifesting perfectly the love of God in the flesh, becoming tangible and real for us.

And yes, this great love of God that has been manifested to us would show this perfect love by His selfless and most willing sacrifice on the Cross, which was alluded in that Gospel passage today, in the conversation of the Lord with Nicodemus, by referring to how the Son of Man would be raised up just as Moses had raised up the bronze serpent during the time of tribulation for the Israelites. At that time, the Israelites had sinned greatly against God and in their stubborn disobedience, they had to suffer and die because of their sins, when fiery serpents from the Lord came against them and bit many among them. But when they all cried towards God and asked Him for His mercy and forgiveness, God gave them this mercy and forgiveness through Moses, who made for them the image of the bronze serpent, which would become the archetype of the Crucifixion and Christ’s salvation.

For by His Cross, His Crucifixion, all of His suffering and death on that same Cross, Christ has made Himself visible to all, the love of God most wonderful and most generous, made available to all of us sinners. Through Him, the Lord has made the path to His salvation and eternal life visible to all, restoring our hope and bringing back the Light of God to all of us who have been living in the darkness. Through Christ and His loving sacrifice, God has opened for us the path to redemption, and hence, the restoration of our unity with Him, as He calls upon each and every one of us to come back to Him with sincere love for Him and with contrite and repentant hearts. All of us as Christians should always heed and remember God’s most generous love, and show that same love to one another as Christ Himself has shown us.

Today also marks the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a truly renowned saint and holy woman, who devoted herself and her whole life to God as a committed laywoman and a mystic who received many visions and inspirations from the Lord, which she wrote extensively about and which eventually led to her being designed as one of the few Doctors of the Church for her contributions. St. Catherine of Siena was born into a large family as one of the youngest children of her parents, and since her youth she had been growing up in a pious state, receiving visions from the Lord from the age of as young as about five years old. She committed herself strongly to God and devoted herself to the service of others around her, eventually becoming a great inspiration to many people around her, helping many who were sick and suffering, and was even involved in the resolution of conflicts and bickering among the people.

St. Catherine of Siena went extensively around the region in her many ministries and involvements in the Church, and was even advising the Pope himself on the need for him to return to Rome during those turbulent years when there were rival claimants to the See of St. Peter, in the years of the Avignon Papacy and the later Western Schism. Through her many efforts, St. Catherine of Siena brought many people close to God and as a result, many more people came to be saved and brought inspiration to countless others throughout the centuries after her time, as she is also to us Christians today, in showing us how we can be truly filled with God’s love, and be loving towards both God and our fellow brothers and sisters, in the manner that St. Catherine of Siena had done.

May the Lord, our most loving God, our Risen Lord continue to be with us all His people, that each and every one of us as Christian faithful, God’s disciples and followers, may continue to walk faithfully in the path that the Lord has shown us. May He continue to bless our efforts and good works, everything that we have done for His greater glory, for the good of the Church and all of His people, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 29 April 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 3 : 7b-15

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again from above. The wind blows where it pleases and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. It is like that with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus asked again, “How can this be?” And Jesus answered, “You are a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things! Truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we witness to the things we have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony. If you do not believe when I speak of earthly things, what then, when I speak to you of heavenly things? No one has ever gone up to heaven except the One Who came from heaven, the Son of Man.”

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”