Universal Church

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Friday, 19 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen, are reminded that we have the important role in living our lives actively, courageously and intentionally for the glorification of God, in living our lives faithfully and in showing the same love which God has shown to each and every one of us, and not instead bringing about scandals and divisions within the Church because of our own actions and ambitions, all the things which we may have done which can harm the unity of the Church and the salvation of souls. All of us should always strive to live our lives worthily in the manner that God Himself has shown us so that we may lead more and more people towards Him.

In our first reading today, we continued to listen to the words from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy in which he exhorted him to continue to be faithful to the Lord at all times. St. Paul encouraged St. Timothy and indirectly all of us, God’s faithful people to continue to live our lives virtuously in the best way possible, doing our best to be good role models for everyone around us. He contrasted this to the attitudes of those who did not profess or teach in the same manner as the Apostles themselves had taught, those who have proclaimed the false message and ideas that do not align with what the Lord Himself has revealed and shown to us through His Church, His disciples and messengers. And we are reminded that we should not do this ourselves, and we have to be ever faithful in everything that we do in life.

St. Paul also spoke of how those false teachers and preachers were steeped in worldliness, in seeking to pervert the truth of God, engaging in controversies and conflicts, ambitions of the world, seeking for worldly glory and financial gain amongst others. These were the behaviours often exhibited by the Pharisees and the elders of the community, as well as some other false teachers such as one Simon the Magus as shown in the Acts of the Apostles. Many of these put their own selfish interests, ambitions and desires as their primary aims in life, and instead of serving God as they should have done. And those who seek worldly ambitions and glory will end up ruining themselves in the long run, and which was why the Apostle reminded St. Timothy and by extension, all the other Christian leaders and also all of us as Christians that we should not follow the same path as well.

Instead, as Christians, each and every one of us need to live our lives virtuously and in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. We have to be the good role models and examples for one another so that in everything that we say and do, we will always inspire many others around us to walk down the same path of righteousness and faith, in doing what is right and just in the sight of the Lord and to help everyone around us to come to know the Lord, His truth and salvation, showing them all the true love of God manifested in our own lives, in each and every one of our actions, words and deeds. This is what we all have been called to do as Christians, as those whom the Lord Himself has called and chosen to be His own holy and beloved people.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard from the account of that Gospel regarding all the women who have followed the Lord Jesus in His ministry to the people of God, all those women both mentioned and unmentioned in their various roles as the followers and friends of the Lord. They spent and dedicated their time and efforts to support the Lord and His ministry, travelling around with Him and providing the needs of the Lord and His other disciples. These holy women were often not highlighted and well discussed in the hagiographies and in the accounts of the lives of the saints, but what they had done for the sake of the Lord, the efforts that they made and everything they committed to the Lord, all of those should indeed inspire us to do ever better in living our lives with faith in Him.

They humbly followed the Lord and listened to Him, quietly working behind the scenes and made use of their own means, funds and other efforts to support the good works of the Lord, and this is what we should be doing as well in our own lives. Each and every one of us are expected to follow their examples in being humble and selfless in doing our works and missions as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen, so that by our daily actions, examples and courageous faith, we will inspire many others to follow in our paths in life leading towards God, and hence, we will help to lead so many others towards Him and that is what God has wanted us all to do in each and every moments of our lives, through the opportunities that He has provided to us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Januarius, who was the Bishop of Naples in the time of the Roman Empire, when the Church and the faithful people of God were persecuted for their faith. St. Januarius according to tradition was born in Benevento in southern Italy to a rich Roman patrician family and he joined the priesthood from a relatively young age, and eventually becoming the Bishop of Naples, leading the Christian faithful in that region. All these happened during the middle of the third century, when the Roman Empire was undergoing lots of internal upheavals and problems, and then afterwards, with the rise of the Roman Emperor Diocletian to power, the latter launched a large campaign of intense persecutions against Christians, leading to the deaths and martyrdom of many among the people of God, including St. Januarius himself.

While not much was known about his martyrdom in detail, according to the accounts of the hagiographies or the stories about the saints, St. Januarius helped to hide Christians who were persecuted and at the same time also visiting secretly those who had been arrested for their faith. And amidst one of those visits, he was arrested by the authorities and he was eventually beheaded after several miraculous occasions that prevented him from being martyred. Nonetheless, the great faith and dedication which St. Januarius had shown became great inspiration for many of the faithful throughout the region and elsewhere even to this day, when the relic containing his blood miraculously liquifies during certain times including that of today, his feast day, and many devoted themselves to God through this holy servant of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having discerned the messages of the Sacred Scriptures and having looked through the great examples shown by St. Januarius in his great faith and dedication to God, are we all willing to follow in his footsteps, and in the path set before us by the many other disciples of the Lord who had gone before us? Each and every one of us can do many great things in our own lives, in living our lives ever more faithfully so that by our good examples and faith, many more people will come to believe in God. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen each and every one of us always, in our determination to live our lives worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 19 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 8 : 1-3

At that time, Jesus walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the Good News of the kingdom of God. The Twelve followed Him, and also some women, who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases : Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward; Suzanna; and others, who provided for them out of their own funds.

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Friday, 19 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 48 : 6-7, 8-10, 17-18, 19-20

Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers ring me round – those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches?

For no ransom avails for one’s life; there is no price one can give to God for it. For redeeming one’s life demands too high a price, and all is lost forever. Who can remain forever alive and never see the grave?

Fear not, when someone grows rich, when his power becomes oppressively great; for nothing will he take when he dies; his wealth and pomp he will leave behind.

Though he praised himself in his lifetime, “All will say that I have enjoyed life,” he will join the generation of his forebears, who will never again see the light.

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Friday, 19 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

1 Timothy 6 : 2c-12

Teach and stress these things. Whoever teaches in some other way, not following the sound teaching of our Lord Christ Jesus, and true religious instruction, is conceited, and understands nothing. This one is crazy about controversies and discussions, that result in envy, insults, blows and constant arguments between people of depraved minds, and far from the truth. For them, religion is merely for financial gain.

In reality, religion is a treasure, if we are content with what we have. We brought nothing into the world and we will leave it with nothing. Let us, then, be content with having food and clothing. Those who strive to be rich fall into temptations and traps. A lot of foolish and harmful ambitions plunge them into ruin and destruction.

Indeed, the love of money is the root of every evil. Because of this greed, some have wondered away from the faith, bringing on themselves afflictions of every kind. But you, man of God, shun all this. Strive to be holy and godly. Live in faith and love, with endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith and win everlasting life, to which you were called, when you made the good profession of faith, in the presence of so many witnesses.

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Thursday, 18 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord had called and chosen to be His own, each and every one of us are called to be good role models and inspirations in our faith, and especially more so for those among us who have been chosen for specific ministries and vocations in the Church, but this at the same time does not mean that for the rest of us as God’s disciples and followers that we should not also do our best to follow what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us to do in our every day moments in life. Each and every one of us also have the important obligation to carry out our lives in the manner that is truly pleasing and in accordance with the Lord’s path.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy in which heard the continuation of what the Apostle wrote to his protege, St. Timothy with regards to the matter of how one ought to lead a life of virtue and faith in God, especially for all those whom the Lord had called to certain ministries and called to be the ones to lead His disciples and followers, as St. Timothy and others had been called to do, as one of the first and earliest overseers or bishops of the Church, as the shepherds of the Lord’s faithful. These people had been entrusted with the gifts from God through the laying of hands by the Apostles themselves, and had received the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, which St. Paul therefore exhorted St. Timothy and the other overseers or bishops to carry out dutifully in their lives and ministries.

Through what St. Paul shared to St. Timothy, it is a reminder that is truly essential for one to be truly committed and faithful to the mission entrusted to each one of us as Christians, as those whom the Lord had called and chosen to be His own. To each and every one of us, in our various and respective areas in life, we have received unique sets of gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities which we therefore ought to make good use of in our lives so that we may truly glorify the Lord in each moments and through even the smallest things that we do, by being ever more generous in how we give our time, effort and attention for the benefit of the salvation of many souls, of countless people whom we encounter in our lives, each day and at every moments.

In our Gospel passage today then, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was invited to a meal in the house of a Pharisee, where His actions and words were carefully watched by the Pharisees who were present there, and we heard then of how a sinful woman came to the Lord, and her next action would baffle the Pharisees whose prejudices prevented them from truly seeing what the Lord had taught and shown them all those while. Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has always shown His kindness, love and compassion towards all those who have lapsed and been lost amidst the sins and darkness of this world. He manifested God’s great and ever generous, enduring mercy and compassion towards each and every one of us.

As such, when the sinful woman came and appraoched the Lord, anointing His feet with expensive perfume and wet the same feet of the Lord with her own tears and wiped them with her own hair, this event was truly rich in symbolism, one that is contrasted with the pride, haughtiness and arrogance of the Pharisees. For the context, the Pharisees at that time were the religious and intellectual elites of the community of God’s faithful people, the Jewish people, and they liked to flaunt their piety and dedication to God for everyone to see. They prayed loudly and very visibly in public places, so that people would praise them and cheer them for their piety, and all these further fed their ego and ambitions, as they sought glory and fame amongst other things in their status within the community.

And on top of that, many among them also often had prejudices against those whom they deemed to be unworthy of God and His salvation. All these attitudes and actions were criticised by the Lord Who told all those assembled there that the ones who have shown greater repentance and been forgiven more will indeed be forgiven more such as what the sinful woman had experienced, and would indeed appreciate such forgiveness more as compared to the Pharisees themselves. It was a criticism directed against those religious and intellectual elites who knew nothing better than to criticise those whom they disagreed with, and those whom they deemed to be inferior and less worthy than they were. And in all these elitist and exclusivist attitudes, they had forgotten that they themselves were sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we all recalled the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we reflected on what we have just discussed earlier, let us all continue to strive to be truly committed to God and to be truly humble in everything that we say and do. We should not be haughty or arrogant in our way of living, like those who have prided themselves in their ways, those Pharisees and the religious and societal elites who thought that they were better than everyone else. Instead, as Christians, as God’s disciples and followers, each and every one of us are challenged to be ever more humble and faithful in our ways. This means that in everything that we say and do, we should always seek to be humble and not be distracted by the many temptations present all around us.

Let us all therefore seek to be ever more faithful to the Lord and to the path which He has shown to each and every one of us. Let us always do our very best so that our way of life may always be exemplary and inspirational to everyone whom we encounter around us. May all of us follow the humility of the sinful woman who sought the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy, honouring and praising her through her sorrows and regret for her many sins. Let us all continue to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and strive our best to glorify God in each and every moments by our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 7 : 36-50

At that time, one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to share his meal, so He went to the Pharisee’s home, and as usual reclined at the table to eat. And it happened that, a woman of this town, who was known as a sinner, heard that He was in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and stood behind Him, at His feet, weeping. She wet His feet with tears; she dried them with her hair; she kissed His feet and poured the perfume on them.

The Pharisee who had invited Jesus was watching, and thought, “If this Man were a Prophet, He would know what sort of person is touching Him; is this woman not a sinner?” Then Jesus spoke to the Pharisee and said, “Simon, I have something to ask you.” He answered, “Speak, Master.”

And Jesus said, “Two people were in debt to the same creditor. One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. As they were unable to pay him back, he graciously cancelled the debts of both. Now, which of them will love him more?”

Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, who was forgiven more.” And Jesus said, “You are right.” And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? You gave Me no water for My feet when I entered your house; but she dried them with her hair. You did not welcome Me with a kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since she came in. You provided no oil for My head; but she has poured perfume on My feet. This is why, I tell you, her sins, her many sins, are forgiven, because of her great love. But the one who is forgiven little, has little love.”

Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others reclining with Him at the table began to wonder, “Now this Man claims to forgive sins!” But Jesus again spoke to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace!”

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Thursday, 18 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 110 : 7-8, 9, 10

The works of His hands are faithful and just, trustworthy are all His precepts, ordained to last forever, bearers of truth and uprightness.

He has sent His people deliverance and made with them a Covenant forever. His Holy Name is to be revered!

The fear of YHVH is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are those who live by His precepts. To Him belongs everlasting praise.

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Thursday, 18 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Timothy 4 : 12-16

Let no one reproach you on account of your youth. Be a model to the believers, in the way you speak and act, in your love, your faith and purity of life. Devote yourself to reading, preaching and teaching, until I come.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift conferred on you with prophetic words, when the elders laid their hands upon you. Think about it, and practice it, so that your progress may be seen by all. Take heed of yourself, and attend to your teaching. Be steadfast in doing this, and you will save both yourself and your hearers.

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Wednesday, 17 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops and Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us are called to live in the manner that the Lord our God Himself has shown and taught us all. As Christians, each and every one of us who have been called to follow the Lord should be good role models and inspirations for all those whom we encounter in our daily living such that through everything that we say and do, in embodying our faith through real and concrete actions in every parts of our lives. Unless we do so, we have not been truly faithful and we cannot call ourselves as true and genuine Christians, as if our actions contradict our faith, then we may even end up scandalising our Christian faith and dishonour the Holy Name of Our Lord and God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to St. Timothy, in which we continue to hear the words of the Apostle exhorting his protege to continue propagating the messages of God’s truth to the faithful, encouraging the latter to be ever more committed to the Christian way of life, to conduct themselves in the manner that is suitable and pleasing to God, and to centre themselves upon the Lord, Our Saviour and King, Whose truth and Good News have been revealed to us, as shining Light of truth to illuminate our paths in this journey of faith and life, and as we move forward towards our true destination that is Heaven. Each and every one of us as Christians should always live in the manner that is worthy of our identity as Christians.

And this means that in all circumstances, our actions should always reflect that truth of God, showing His most wonderful and generous love at all times, so that by our good examples and inspirations in love, in how we show care, concern and love to those around us, we will always touch the lives of others and make them to come to know the love of God as well. This is why each and every one of us in our respective areas in life and in our various callings, missions and vocations, we will always be the shining examples of our faith to all those who witness our lives and actions. This is what we are all called to do, that even in the smallest things that we do in life, we will always be exemplary and inspirational, and help many others to come ever closer to God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and followers, of Him lamenting the fact of how the people were so fickle in their behaviour and faith in God, that they kept on changing their attitudes and actions, in their judgmental responses and attitudes against those whom the Lord had sent into their midst to help and guide them all. Those people, especially the leaders and elders of the Jewish people, the members of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, often criticised both Jesus Himself and His herald, St. John the Baptist, using different reasons to try to justify their criticism.

But in essence, everything was in fact due to their sense of superiority, in their refusal to accept and admit that they could be wrong in their ways and thinking. That was why no matter what they encountered, whether the ways and actions of St. John the Baptist, or whether the actions of the Lord Jesus Himself, none of these could satisfy or be accepted by those religious and intellectual elites of the community. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law considered their ways and teachings to be the only correct versions, and hence, nothing that is different from their teachings could be tolerated or accepted. This is something the Lord Himself wanted to remind us all that we do not walk down the same stubborn and rebellious path in our own respective lives.

We are all reminded that as Christians, all of us need to be humble in how we live our lives, in our words and actions, in our interactions with one another, in everything that we commit ourselves to, so that our faith may truly be genuine, and we may indeed be worthy of being called and considered as the people whom God had called and chosen. If we allow our pride to distract us from our true path in life, in obeying God, in listening to Him speaking to us and in leading us down the right path, then we are no better than those Pharisees and teachers of the Law who had frequently criticised and opposed the Lord and St. John the Baptist, and like how their ancestors had also opposed the works and actions of the prophets and messengers of God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great servants of God, whose great examples and inspirations should serve as the guiding principles and inspirations for all of us to follow so that we may also live our lives worthily in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. First is St. Robert Bellarmine and second is St. Hildegard of Bingen. St. Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and great theologian, who was very involved in the implementations of the reforms of the Council of Trent during the time of the Counter-Reformation. He became a priest and theologian and was noted for his great talent in teaching and theology, as the first Jesuit to teach about theology in the University of Leuven in Brabant, in what is today part of Belgium.

St. Robert Bellarmine was therefore deeply involved in the works of the Church, as the Pope and other Church leaders entrusted to him the ministry of diplomacy and outreach to the different segments of the Church, and was appointed as Archbishop of Capua in Italy, in which capacity he firmly implemented the reforms of the Tridentine Council, in opposition to the wickedness and corruptions that had permeated into the local Church at that time, uprooting all those corruptions and dedicating his efforts and works to combat both the nepotism among the members of the clergy, the corrupt behaviours and attitudes, and also the bad attitudes among both the clergy and the laity alike, which brought about scandal to the Christian faith. He was eventually also appointed as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, and was instrumental in the many works of the reforms of the Church, which he dedicated himself towards until the end of his life.

Meanwhile, St. Hildegard of Bingen was a renowned mystic, and was also a Benedictine abbess, as one of the Doctors of the Church together with St. Robert Bellarmine for her great contributions to the faith in various areas such as theology and Church music, through the works that she had written and her faith experiences, which served as great inspirations for many people during and after her lifetime. St. Hildegard was born as the youngest child of a large noble family, and she has always been pious and faithful in her life since her early childhood. She had that spiritual awareness of herself and the understanding of her faith in God, beginning to receive visions even from her youth, which eventually led her to join the Benedictine monastery and dedicating her whole life to the service of God in prayer.

In her community, St. Hildegard of Bingen was well respected for her great piety and character, and was unanimously elected by her fellow nuns as the leader of their community, as abbess. She devoted herself into leading her fellow nuns, but encountered challenges and problems from her community, facing opposition from an Abbot who wanted to place her and her community under his leadership. Nonetheless, through her patience and perseverance, eventually St. Hildegard of Bingen prevailed in getting her community of nuns to have their own monastery, and even founded a second monastery in the region. She continued to receive visions which she recounted in her works and through her many other contributions, many people truly benefitted from her efforts and devotion.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect carefully upon the words of the Scriptures which we have heard and received, and having heard of the lives and examples shown by both St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Hildegard of Bingen. Let us all do our very best so that we may also follow their good examples in how we are to live up to our faith as well, and let us all continue to strive to glorify God by our lives and actions. Let us not be disheartened by the challenges and struggles which we may have to encounter in our paths and journeys, but instead continue to be courageous in each and every moments of our lives, glorifying God by our actions, words and deeds at all times. Let us all be the shining examples of our faith, continue to be humble and obedient to the will of God always. May God be with us all and bless us all in our every endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 September 2025 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops and Holy Virgins)

Luke 7 : 31-35

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “What comparison can I use for the people? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain, ‘We piped you a tune and you would not dance; we sang funeral songs and you would not cry.'”

“Remember John : he did not eat bread or drink wine, and you said, ‘He has an evil spirit.’ Next, came the Son of Man, eating and drinking; and you say, ‘Look, a glutton for food and wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But the children of Wisdom always recognise her work.”