Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the works of St. Paul and the other Apostles, who went to many places during the early days of the Church, spreading the Good News of God’s salvation and teaching them about Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. And by their ceaseless and tireless works, they have brought many people to believe in God and thus worthy to receive salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we gather together to remember the commitment which the Apostles had shown to the people of God, by their efforts and their attempts in bringing the people of God closer to Him. They laboured and toiled, suffered and endured persecutions, just so that many of us will be able to find hope in Him, and receive glory and redemption in His Name.

Jesus spoke in the Gospel today, about how those who accepted the messenger, also accepted the master. And therefore, those who welcomed the Apostles and listened to their preachings and teachings have all received the Lord Himself and have welcomed Him as well into their hearts. For the words and the teachings of the Apostles are just the same as what the Lord Himself had taught them and passed on to them.

And yet unfortunately, we should realise how not everyone is willing to accept what the Lord had brought upon us. Many even rejected His message and preferred to follow the ways of the world. And by what we knew of the history of our Church and the faith, we should know how many of the faithful servants of God had suffered under the hands of those who rejected Him and also those who spurned His love.

Even those whom God had chosen had also risen up against Him. From the time of Judas Iscariot, to all the heretics that had risen up against the true teachings of the faith, there had been many who betrayed the Lord and brought much harm and dissension to the Church. And this brought us to the reality, that God had called not the great and the perfect, but instead, He called the imperfect ones, and grant to them the power and the opportunity to bring themselves closer to perfection.

What does this mean, brethren? It means that all of us have the choice that we can make freely, whether we want to follow the Lord and His path, obey His laws and commandments, or instead, we can choose to ignore Him, and walk in the paths contrary to the will of God. We have been given this opportunity to choose, and the impetus is now therefore on us, and for us to make a conscious choice about our actions and how these will impact us as a whole.

Brethren, let us all today reflect on the examples of St. Anselm, the saint whose feast we are celebrating today. St. Anselm was a faithful servant of the Lord, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the high Middle Ages era. St. Anselm was at the forefront of the conflict that arose between the Church and the secular authority under the rule of the king.

At that time, the Church and the king were in contention on the matters of authority, power and influence, with neither sides willing to give way to the other party. Thus, this conflict brought about much difficulties, sufferings and miseries to many people who were torn by the conflict between the Church and the king’s secular authority.

St. Anselm defended the Church’s stance that their authority came from God alone, and that the Church is not subjected to the will of the king. The king and his advisors certainly had a different opinion. They conflicted in various areas, and many obstacles faced St. Anselm during his years of service and leadership of the flock which had been entrusted to him.

The king and his advisors, and even his successor as king made life difficult for St. Anselm and those who worked with him, and St. Anselm was even exiled two times for his opposition to the designs and the inappropriate actions of the king and his advisors. But St. Anselm never gave up, and through fervent prayers and committed life to God, he persevered and continued the good works which many of his predecessors had started.

St. Anselm was not an amazing person, nor was he perfect. Instead, God called him from his lowliness, from his humility and simple origins, and made him to be the great tool through which He made a real difference in the lives of all those whom He had touched through the hands and the works of St. Anselm. Certainly, there are many things which we can be inspired by the works of this holy man and servant of God.

Let us all renew our commitments today, and from now on, let us all recommit ourselves to the Lord, and give our very best in order to bring the word of God to those who have yet to hear of it. Let us all commit ourselves to the works which help many others to draw closer to the source of salvation, the salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. May God help us and strengthen our faith, and may He keep us always in His embrace. God bless us all. Amen.