Novena Preaching @ Novena Church

On Christmas Eve 2024, the late Pope Francis opened the Jubilee Year by opening the Holy Doors, which now draw to a close on the Solemnity of the Epiphany. While the physical doors close, we are reminded that the door that truly matters is the door of our hearts - called to remain open in mercy, love, and forgiveness. Crossing the Holy Doors was an invitation to encounter God's mercy and to be...

For our Lord, this phrase refers to mothers. The first person every human being relates to is your mother. And Mary is the mother who rocked the cradle of Jesus. In this Christmas season, Fr Glenn reflects on the birth of Jesus, the truth that changes everything. God has chosen to come close to us. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” God did not save us from afar, through Mary, He entered o...

In this advent homily, Fr. Ino reflects on the candle of love. He invites listeners to contemplate the depth of God's love through what he calls "reverse creation" - when God becomes human. The all powerful, all perfect God chooses not to appear as an angel or a mighty being, but as one like us - fragile, human, and vulnerable. This, Fr. Ino emphasizes, is the clearest and most tangible proof of G...

The theme of the 3rd week of Advent is joy. How do we feel the joy of Christmas in the midst of all our struggles? Fr Simon reflects on his upcoming 28th Sacerdotal anniversary and the word ‘appreciation’ comes to mind. Appreciation of encounters with people of faith who still trust in God despite their sufferings, people who have supported the Novena church and all these have contributed to the j...

In this second week of Advent, Fr. Prabhu reflects on the Bethlehem Candle, the candle of peace. Just as Bethlehem—small, noisy, and unnoticed—was chosen to receive the Prince of Peace, so too our own hearts, often messy and overwhelmed, are the very places where Christ desires to enter. True peace, he reminds us, is not the absence of problems nor the ability to control life’s circumstances. Chri...

In today's homily, Fr. Antony Prabhu shares that he once felt lost and directionless, unsure of his vocation and carrying an emptiness nothing can fill. Yet he kept returning to Novena Church, where through Our Mother of Perpetual Help, God worked quietly within him - like a hidden seed growing beneath the soil. This, he says, is the meaning of Advent: Christ who come, who will come again, and...

We celebrate The Solemnity of Christ the King tomorrow. Fr. Vincent reflects on a portion of the gospel reading from Luke 23:35-43 about the crucifixion scene with Jesus and the two thieves. The first thief was unrepentant, but the second thief (the “good” thief) showed 2 qualities that were praiseworthy - 1. Sincerity - he was sincere to admit his wrongdoing and accept punishment for his crime. I...

In today’s homily, Br. Albert Khoo reflects on the call to care for God’s creation. From Genesis, we are reminded that God brought beauty and order out of chaos and entrusted humanity with the mission to be faithful stewards of the Earth. Creation is not just a backdrop to our lives but a sacred gift that sustains us, and its care remains our responsibility today. Through the example of the Blesse...

‘Lord increase our faith’ - this was the disciples’ request to Jesus, despite living with him and witnessing all the miracles. Have you asked Jesus to increase your faith? We may pray intensely, do novena devotion, come to church, attend mass regularly and be involved in ministries but none of these guarantees genuine faith. This is because the way we live our lives is opposite to practice of our...

This weekend, the Church celebrates two deeply meaningful feasts - All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Though different in focus, both reveal one unified truth - our call to holiness and our unbreakable connection with all who have gone before us in faith. Our Common Call - we are called to be saints in our daily lives, not perfect but faithful and persevering. The Communion of Saints - we are conne...

Victor Franco who is a psychiatrist who witnessed tremendous suffering in Auschwitz who discovered that our greatest prison lies in our mind and so does our greatest liberation. The way we perceive our hardships can either be hopefully or hopelessly. Fr Eugene reflects that for those who have hope they can still feel joy and peace in the struggles as they feel God accompanying them, they are not a...

in today's homily, Fr. Antony Prabhu reflects on Pope Leo XIV's title for Mother Mary "Mary, the Synodal Woman, one who never walks alone but journeys with all people in faith." Drawing from Scripture and her quiet strength, from the Annunciation to the Wedding at Cana and Calvary, Mary shows herself to be a model of listening, bridge-building, and unity, guiding the Church to wa...

Br. Celestine tells of St Gerard Majella who inspired his vocation. This year we commemorate the 300th birth anniversary of St Gerard Majella. Saint Gerard was a Redemptorist lay brother known as a miracle worker with deep relationship with the Lord and also a patron for expectant mothers and childless couples. There was a legend of a lady with a difficult pregnancy who, with the help of his handk...

In this homily, Fr Vincent reflects on the recent 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Cebu and the remarkable resilience of the Filipino people. Despite devastation, loss of lives, and homes destroyed, their faith in God remains unshakable. Fr Vincent reminds us that faith is not a feeling but a conviction: trusting in God even when we don't understand, surrendering control, and believing that with Go...

In September, the church commemorates two important events - the Season of Creation and the World Day for Migrants and Refugees The Redemptorist charism is to bring the good news to those who are most abandoned and these two groups are among the most abandoned in the world today. The first is God’s creation which we have used, abused and destroyed, and migrants and refugees are one of the most vul...

In this Jubilee Year 2025, Pope Leo XIV gives Mary a new title: the Jubilee Woman. From her "yes" at the Annunciation to her faith at Calvary, Mary embodies renewal and new beginnings. Fr. Antony Prabhu reminds us that Mary is showing us how we can live jubilee by listening more than speaking, welcoming more than judging, and starting again when life is broken. Each Novena Devotion becom...

We celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross tomorrow (14th September). At first, the cross looks like a sheer tragedy: Jesus nailed between thieves, mocked, abandoned, and dying in agony. His mother, Mother Mary, stood pale and shaken, just meters away from the cross. But there is something more - the Triumph of the Cross. The cross is life: from death comes new life in Christ. The cross...

Fr Paul recalls a homeless lady who danced with joy and gave thanks to our heavenly Father when she was given a meal and tiramisu. How often do we do that when we receive blessings? Similarly in this 75 years, our Novena Church has received plentiful blessings and we stand in solidarity with our mother to give thanks to our Lord as we reflect on the Magnificat and savour the words. ‘My soul procla...

As we celebrate 75 years of Novena Church, Fr. Charles Antony, invites us to remember God's abundant blessings, rejoice in His faithfulness, and renew our commitment to His mission. Novena Church, through the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, has become a refuge for all - welcoming people of every race, religion, and background as beloved children of God. Fr Charles reminds us that eve...

Mary our Mother - She is the mother to all of Jesus’ disciples The term Mother is in fact a symbol of unconditional love, intimacy, care, affection, and sacrificial love Fr Gerard reflects on three ways that Mary shows us unconditional love, care and how she nurtures us. With our reflection today of how Mary shows her motherly love for us, she is also showing us how to live our Christian mission b...

In this homily, Fr Glenn de Cruz reflects on the theme “Pastoral heritage of the Redemptorist, mission of hope from Mary to Jesus.” Drawing from Mary’s own journey of rejection, exile, widowhood, and the suffering of her Son, he reminds us that she understands the struggles of the marginalized and broken. Entrusted to us by Jesus as our Mother, she continues to intercede and offer hope for all gen...

Today’s theme is Remembering our blessing and God’s faithfulness: What is the significance of celebrating Singapore’s 60th year of Independence as well as Novena Church’s 75th anniversary? Those early days marked times of uncertainty and anxiety, and milestone anniversaries are days to remember and acknowledge that what we have received as a church and nation are blessings from God and how God has...

In today’s reflection, we draw from Matthew 28:19–20, where Jesus commands us to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This call to mission is brought to life in a true story shared by Br Celestine of an 18-year-old girl who, after suffering abuse and slavery, found hope at Novena Church through a stranger’s simple invitation to pray to Mother Mary. Though not yet Catholic, she encountered love,...

What is Hope? A mental and emotional conviction? The mind and heart is one conviction that ultimate good will prevail over the many difficulties, problems or evil that surrounds life It is not just being positive. Hope rooted in something more than just our human self is God. It is sacred. Hope is founded in our relationship with God. Our Novena Church community can help each other sense the messa...

This week’s theme is ‘gratitude’, why it matters and how we can live it out. Gratitude is a spiritual virtue present across all faiths and cultures, often expressed through offerings or acts of thanksgiving. For Catholics, the Eucharist is our greatest act of thanksgiving. As Scripture reminds us, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Even in weakness and suffering, God remains present and active. A g...