13th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 04-07-2026

Amos 9:13-15 / Matthew 9:14-17  

To have pioustic practices to express our devotion to the Lord is certainly a good thing.

These religious practices also let others know how we pray and how we practice our faith.

So, it may be practices like going for Mass, praying the Rosary or other devotions, spending time with the Lord in the adoration chapel, almsgiving and fasting.

All these practices express our faith and also express our relationship with God.

While we may be devoted in our religious practices, it also needs to be said that not everyone must do what we do.

Some practices may appeal to some and we cannot and should not impose our religious practices on others.

In the gospel, John’s disciples asked Jesus why His disciples do not fast, while they and the Pharisees practice it.

It seems like John’s disciples and the Pharisee think that fasting is one of the best ways to practice the religion.

Not to do it might mean that one is not serious with the religion or taking it lightly.

But let us remember that God relates to us in a personal way and there are also many ways to express our relationship with God.

More that just religious and pioustic practices, it is the fruits of love that we bear with our faith.

And one of those fruits is when we understand that each person has his own way to relate with God and that we need to be less critical of how others practice their faith.

St. Thomas, Apostle, Friday, 03-07-2026

Ephesians 2:19-22 / John 20:24-29     

St. Thomas was one the the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus, although the gospels did not give details of how he was called.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told His Apostles that He was going to prepare a place for them to which they also might come because they knew both the place and the way.

But when St. Thomas said that they did not know the way, Jesus had to plainly and clearly say that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Yet St. Thomas was best known for questioning the resurrection of Jesus when the rest of the Apostles testified to it.

He even demanded to touch the wounds of Jesus before he would be convinced.

And because of that he was often called "Doubting Thomas". Yet when the Risen Christ appeared before him, it was St. Thomas who proclaimed the truth of the Resurrection when he addressed Jesus as "My Lord and my God".

St. Thomas was chosen as the instrument to make the first proclamation of the truth of the Resurrection and the Lordship of the Risen Christ.

He may have been skeptical and cynical and labelled as "Doubting Thomas", but we also must acknowledge that he was the first among the apostles to proclaim Jesus as Lord and God.

From St. Thomas we can see that out of a great doubt comes a deep faith.

So if we come across people who are skeptical or cynical about who Jesus is, let us also know that these very same people can be great witnesses of Jesus.

And even from our own doubts and darkness, we will also proclaim Jesus as Lord and God when we see the light.

Annual Priests Retreat 2026

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The priests of the Archdiocese of Singapore will be having their annual retreat from 29th June, Monday to 3rd July, Friday.

I will also be at this retreat and I am really looking forward to it for a time of silence and prayer.

As such, the next homily post will be for 14th Ordinary Sunday, 5th July 2026.

Requesting prayers for myself and my brother priests that we will be renewed and re-focused so that we will continue to faithfully serve the Lord and His holy people.

Thank you. May God bless you!

Msgr. Stephen Yim

13th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 28.06.2026

2 Kings 4:8-11, 14-16 / Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 / Matthew 10:37-42 

Whenever there is a job opening or a project at hand, the qualifications and requirements of the applicants will be stated.

Applicants for the job or the project will not only know what it is about, they will also know whether to send in their applications or not.

So, the job description or project requirements should be clear and specific.

And the qualifications and suitability of the applicants should also be stated so that not anyone and everyone can apply.

And if there is only one opening, then only someone will get it.

But if no one applies for it, then either it is a bad joke or that something is really wrong.

Broadly speaking, people can be generalized as anyone, everyone, someone, or no one.

How it is used depends on the situation, the requirements, and the qualifications.

In the gospel, the word that is repeated a number of times is "anyone."

Jesus made six statements which began with that indefinite pronoun, "anyone."

In those six sentences, Jesus stated His requirements for those who want to follow Him.

And it is quite clear that "anyone" does not mean that no requirements are needed.

In short, it is about choosing between following Jesus or following our preferences.

So, if we prefer the comfort of human relationships, or if we prefer to live life our way, then we would rather not hear about what Jesus is requiring of those who are to follow Him.

Especially when Jesus said that anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Him is not worthy of Him.

That is challenging enough for us to consider.

And needless to say, there is no need to think about that part when Jesus said that anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life for the sake of Jesus will find it.

It seems like the requirements of discipleship are too much and the bar is too high.

Yet when we look around at the others present here in this Church, then how many of us actually met the requirements of Jesus?

The Church is the House of God, and anyone can come in.

The House of God is also the House of prayer.

Anyone coming into the House of God would want to pray.

In fact, that is the only requirement.

In the House of God and in the House of prayer, sinners seek forgiveness and salvation.

In the House of God and in the House of prayer, the sick ask for a cure and pray for healing.

In the House of God and in the House of prayer, we remember the promises of God as we present our problems and petitions.

It is in the House of God and in the House of prayer that the prophecy of Isaiah about Jesus is fulfilled: "He took away our sicknesses and carried our diseases for us."

So, anyone who admits that he or she is a sinner and unworthy to follow Jesus, then that person is most welcome into the house of God.

Because it is in the House of prayer that repentance and conversion can begin.

And we know that we are changing to be disciples of Jesus when we become gentle and kind enough to let people be.

We will not criticize them when they mispronounce a word or sing a wrong note.

We will understand when they look burdened and disheartened and did not notice our greeting and smiling at them.

We will bear with those who are rude and selfish and not to fan their anger into a fire.

Anything is possible for anyone to be a disciple of Jesus in the House of God.

Because in the House of prayer, Jesus can change sinners into disciples.

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 27-06-2026

Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 / Matthew 8:5-17   

No one would want to defy those in authority or those who have earthly power.

To dare to defy or challenge or resist authority or earthly powers would mean two things.

Either it is because the defiance or challenge or resistance comes from someone or a group of a great power.

Or that they are taking a risk and think that they can match the other authority or power.

But the price of defeat is none other than punishment.

The people of God had known the authority and power of God.

Yet, they dared to disobey and disregard the Lord their God.

The first reading is about the lamentations of a people who had gone against their God, and they had to bear the consequences.

But in the gospel, it was a military commander, a centurion, who acknowledges the power and the authority of God.

His servant was paralysed and in great pain.

The centurion knew that no earthly power or authority can cure his servant and bring him back to health.

And so with a humility that even astonished Jesus, the centurion pleaded with Jesus for his servant.

Let us plead with Jesus when we have sinned and gone astray and away from God.

With God’s mercy, forgiveness and healing, let us always be obedient and faithful to God so that we will always rejoice in His love for us.

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 26-06-2026

2 Kings 25:1-12 / Matthew 8:1-4

It is quite unimaginable and even horrific at the barbaric behaviour of human beings in this civilized age and time.

The atrocities of WWII and the other barbaric crimes of subsequent wars and violence will certainly raise questions about the sanity of humanity in this modern age.

It seems that history is repeating itself in updated methods of torture and killing.

In the first reading, the enemy laid siege on Jerusalem for about two years before capturing it.

King Zedekiah was captured together with his family and king Nebuchadnezzar treated him and his sons in a horrible and barbaric way.

But that was only just the beginning. The Temple of the Lord was also burned down together with the palace and all the houses of Jerusalem.

The burning question was this: Why did God allow His Temple to be burned down and looted of all its treasures?

And why was the People of God subjected to such humiliation, tragedy and disaster?

The only possible answer is that the People of God rebelled and defied God in His face, and they may even think that God would still protect them from their enemies and not let anything destroy the Temple.

But they were so wrong, and hence they were subject to the full fury and insanity of the enemy.

When God is insulted, rejected and disregarded, then humanity has lost all its sensibility.

But the gospel shows that when humanity turns to God for healing and salvation, God will certainly grant His blessings.

Let us always revere God in His House and always be a People of prayer.

Then we will be able to show humanity how to be sensible and be civilized.

12th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 25-06-2026

2 Kings 7:15-20 / Matthew 7:21-29

There are times when we think that life is rather unfair.

For example, the rich get better treatment, whereas the poor are ignored and disregarded.

But it is the poor and the underprivileged who need to be supported with means that they are not able to get on their own.

And the rich already had their resources. So it is like the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

In the first reading, the king of Babylon and his army laid siege on Jerusalem.

The king of Judah eventually surrendered to the king of Babylon and with that the king of Judah and his people went into exile.

So all the nobles and all the notables, the blacksmiths and metalworkers and all those who were rich and comfortable were exiled.

Only the poorest people in the country were left behind.

God listened to the cry of the poor and He came to their help.

The nobility, the rich, those of distinction and high society did not need to cry to God because probably there was no need to.

But in the end, it is in exile that they learned how to cry to God for help.

When we are comfortable and having it easy in life, let us remember those who are underprivileged, disadvantaged and disregarded.

They may be the ones who will cry out to God to help us in our time of need.