Abbots

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Tuesday, 27 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through the season of Lent, we are all reminded through the Scriptures that sin is truly something that is very dangerous to us, and unless we allow ourselves to embrace the love and mercy of God, we will not be able to escape the fate of our destruction and downfall, in which we have been fated to by our rebellion and disobedience against God, His love and truth. We must always keep in mind that our disobedience and refusal to follow the Lord and to believe in His path have sundered us from the fullness of His grace and love, leading us into sin, and through sin, we have been corrupted and stained by the stain of evil. And as long as we are corrupted and stained by these taints of sin, we cannot be truly free from the chains of evil, darkness and death.

That is why we are all reminded that we should always seek God’s mercy and forgiveness before it is too late for us all. We have been given many opportunities, again and again, by our Lord Who has always been full of love, compassion and mercy to each and every one of us. Not even the worst of sinners can be separated from the love of God, His mercy and kindness, the forgiveness for their many sins, unless if they themselves have consciously rejected God’s mercy, forgiveness and love at every possible turns and opportunities that have been given to them. God has given us all the free will, the freedom to choose our course of actions and paths in life, to choose to walk in the path of the Lord, His righteousness and grace, or to choose instead to walk in the path of sin, wickedness and evil.

The first reading today from the Book of the prophet Isaiah showed us all the Lord’s reminders and warnings to His people, the people of Israel and Judah, about the dangers of sin and what sin and evil could bring about for them, ruin and destruction, just as it had happened in the past. The Lord presented the example of the two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were infamous for their great wickedness and sins, the evils and disobedience which they had committed, and also their refusal to listen to the Lord and His messengers, that the two cities were destroyed by the great rain of fire and brimstone from Heaven, and henceforth, the two cities were eradicated from the face of the earth, never to be populated or remembered again.

By mentioning those two cities, and remarking that His people were like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord was in fact making a clear point before all of them that they had all been disobedient and wicked in their way of life and in their actions, and the Lord certainly knew about all that they had done. He therefore warned them of what they would also suffer if they continued to persist in their path of rebellion and evil, and if they refused to repent from their many sins, wickedness and faults. However, at the same time, the Lord also presented to His people a clear avenue and pathway for them to come back to Him, telling them that even if their sins were truly terrible, He would still welcome them back to His loving Presence and forgive them, if they would reject their sinful ways and abandon their evil and wickedness.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord spoke to His disciples and followers, and to the people who were assembled to listen to Him, about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law and why they should listen to them but not to follow what they had been doing, in how they practiced their faith and in their actions, in parading their piety and actions before everyone so that they could be praised and honoured for all of those actions. The crux of the problem here is that, many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law at the time of the Lord acted high and mighty, lording over the others whom they deemed and considered as less worthy and less pious than they were, and they even persecuted those who did not practice the Law in the manner that they had done.

As such, in their pride, ego and greed, many of them succumbed to the temptations of worldly power and glory, and thus, being blinded by the worldly attachments and pride, they ended up closing their hearts and minds to the Lord, persisting in their mistaken paths and erroneous thinking, in their false sense of superiority and pride. This is what we must not do in our lives, as the more we harden our hearts and minds, thinking that we are better or superior, then the easier it will be for us to fall deeper into the path of sin. Instead, all of us should be humbler when we grow more in faith, realising that we have always been prone to sin, and we have committed sins in various forms from time to time, and we are in need of healing and forgiveness from God. This is where we can allow ourselves to come and approach Him, at the Throne of His Mercy, and be reconciled with Him.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Gregory of Narek, one of the Doctors of the Church who was recently declared as such by Pope Francis, our current Pope, hailing from the Armenian Church tradition during the Middle Ages. St. Gregory of Narek lived in the then Kingdom of Vaspurakan, where he was born as the son of a local bishop. His father was suspected of siding with the Chalcedonian beliefs and ways, which is what we Catholics believe in today, as well as many other Christians, but at that time, the Armenian Church refused to accept the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon because of some issues in the dogma and teachings of the Council which did not fit their beliefs. As such, St. Gregory of Narek’s father was excommunicated, and St. Gregory of Narek himself faced those who doubted his faith and beliefs, being suspected of the same faults as his father.

Nonetheless, despite all those challenges and difficulties, St. Gregory of Narek, having been raised in a religious family, grew to be God-fearing and faithful, and eventually took up the calling to be a priest and monk. He was a truly humble and pious man, who was very bright intellectually and wrote extensive works such as his renowned Book of Lamentations, showing many others how to connect to the Lord ever deeper spiritually. He also spent a lot of time teaching the other monks and those who desired to seek the Lord, and devoted himself to a life of prayer and seclusion until his passing from this world. Despite his humble demeanour, the great faith and commitment that St. Gregory of Narek has shown brought countless souls to salvation in God, and still inspired many even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the Lord with renewed heart and mind, with the strong and genuine desire to be forgiven and to be reconciled with Him, with the strong desire to repent and turn away from our many sins and wickedness. Let us all seek the forgiveness and mercy of God, and do our best so that our lives from now on may be truly worthy of Him in all things, which we can gain inspiration from the life and faith that St. Gregory of Narek has shown us. May God be with us always and may He bless us all in our every actions and deeds. May God strengthen and encourage us in our faith. Amen.

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Tuesday, 27 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 23 : 1-12

At that time, then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees have sat down on the chair of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them.”

“They do everything in order to be seen by people : they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first places at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and they like being greeted in the marketplace, and being called ‘Master’ by the people.”

“But you, do not let yourselves be called Master, because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father because you have only one Father, He Who is in heaven. Nor should you be called Leader, because Christ is the only Leader for you.”

“Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.”

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Tuesday, 27 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 49 : 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me. I need no bull from your stalls, nor he-goat from your pens.

What right have you to mouth My laws, or to talk about My covenant? You hate My commands and cast My words behind you.

Because I was silent while you did these things, you thought I was like you. But now I rebuke you and make this charge against you. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Tuesday, 27 February 2024 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 1 : 10, 16-20

Hear the warning of YHVH, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah. Wash and make yourselves clean. Remove from My sight the evil of your deeds. Put an end to your wickedness and learn to do good.

Seek justice and keep in line the abusers; give the fatherless their rights and defend the widow. “Come,” says the Lord, “let us reason together. Though your sins be like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they be as crimson red, they will be white as wool.”

“If you will obey Me, you will eat the goods of the earth; but if you resist and rebel, the sword will eat you instead.” Truly the Lord has spoken.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of the Lord’s love, guidance and providence for all of us, in how He cared for us all in our darkest and most difficult moments, and how through Him we shall truly be delivered from the challenges and trials facing us. Through what we have heard today, we are reminded to keep our focus on the Lord at all times, and to place our faith and trust in Him, just as David as we heard about him in our first reading today had done, and just as how the man paralysed on his hand was healed by the Lord because of his faith and trust in Him. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded of the great graces and love of God that we all have truly been so fortunate in receiving, and why we must really be thankful for all of that.

In our first reading today, we heard about the famous story of how David, the one chosen by God to be king over all of His beloved people Israel, triumphed and won against the great and mighty champion of the Philistines, Israel’s bitter enemy, who was represented by the giant and powerful warrior Goliath. The story of David and Goliath had been well-known throughout time and history, and I am sure we are all familiar with how David, who was much smaller than Goliath, managed to overcome the much larger and more powerful Goliath, through not the force and power of arms, but through God’s guidance, and through the wisdom and knowledge that He had given to him, in protecting him from harm and in providing everything for him and the Israelites to triumph against their adversities.

David placed his faith and trust in God while Goliath the Philistine put his trust in his personal might and physical prowess, in his weapons and armour, and the latter ridiculed David for his small stature, lack of armour and proper battle gear. David chose to put his trust in God rather than any worldly means and human power because in the end, even the greatest of human might and designs could fail in the midst of trials and dangers. And in his pride, arrogance and haughtiness, Goliath thought he could ridicule David and crush him, even to the point of toying around with him and blaspheming against God. This became his undoing as David, guided by God’s strength, wisdom and power, managed to defeat Goliath, silencing his arrogance and blasphemy once and for all.

The Lord had indeed intervened and helped His servant David, as well as His beloved people Israel, in their hour of greatest need. He showed His love and faithfulness, His steadfast strength and guidance to those who have entrusted themselves to Him. By defeating Goliath, David showed us all that in God we can truly find true satisfaction and hope, strength and comfort, because through Him we shall gain greatly in the path towards eternal life and true glory, salvation and liberation from the forces of all those arrayed against us. Each and every one of us should also have faith and trust in the Lord, in following Him and the path that He has shown and revealed to us so that by our lives, lived in obedience to God’s guidance and ways, will come ever closer to His love and grace.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who healed a man with a paralysed hand, which happened on the day of the Sabbath, which earned Him a rather stern criticism and opposition from among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were assembled there. Not only that, but those same Pharisees and the teachers of the Law even planned and plotted to accuse the Lord of wrongdoing and breaking the Law, trying to test if He would indeed heal the paralysed man there before them on the Sabbath day. For the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the Sabbath laws and practices were very important, and they truly enforced them very strictly, not allowing even any kinds of actions and works to be done, no matter what the circumstances were.

That was where the Lord pointed out the folly of their ideals and ways, with the words, ‘What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?’ in order to highlight that God never intended for the Law of the Sabbath to be so restrictive and problematic for everyone that it ended up placing lots of restrictions, hardships and inconveniences for people to come closer to the Lord, which is what the Law was actually about. The Law of God was meant to bring God’s people, that is all of us, ever closer to Him, and to help us all to refocus our attention on Him once again. That Sabbath rule and laws were meant to help the people to spend some time with their Lord and Master, that they should not be tempted by endless pursuits of worldly glory and comfort, attachments and desires.

However, over time, this Law became misunderstood and misrepresented, and taken to the extremes with the way how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law interpreted those rules and practices, that led to them rigidly trying to enforce the letter of the Law but without understanding and appreciating the true intention and purpose of the Law. What was meant to bring the people of God closer to Him, became a source of hardships and divisions, and became an obsession for those who were obsessed with the ways and the implementations of their version of the Law of God. This was why just like David and Goliath earlier in our first reading today, we are reminded that the path of those who sought worldly justification and emphasis was wrong, as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law spent a lot of time and effort in obsessing over their laws and customs, and how they are observed and practiced, that they have overlooked and forgotten about God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of St. Anthony the Abbot, also known as St. Anthony of Egypt or St. Anthony the Great, who was renowned and famous for his great faith in God, his piety and dedication, holiness and actions. He was a great monk who was born to a wealthy family, but quickly found his calling as he felt the call to the ascetic and solitary lifestyle, leaving behind all forms of worldly greed and ambitions, and retreated into the desert, where he spent the rest of his life in a prayerful life, focused on the Lord. He was therefore also known as the ‘Father of Monasticism’ as his practices, while not the first among Christians then, was the beginning of the surge in the ascetic lifestyle, leading many to follow in his footsteps, in becoming closer to God and abandoning the temptations of worldly glory. St. Anthony was known for his great piety, and for the attacks that the devil made on him, which he resisted and endured with great faith. For his whole life, St. Anthony continued to lead a most worthy life, and become great inspiration for many others.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our faith in the Lord, and let us all turn towards Him with renewed heart and commitment, with the desire to follow and serve Him like what David, the king of Israel had done, and just as how St. Anthony the Abbot has shown us by his abandonment of worldly glory and ambitions. Let us always put our faith and trust in God, and not in any earthly means and ways, in any worldly glory and power, and we must not allow our ego, greed and desire from dragging us into the path towards of our downfall and destruction. Let us all do our best that we may be good and worthy examples of our Christian faith, and do our part in proclaiming the Good News and truth of Christ to the world, by our obedience to the Law of God, through proper and meaningful understanding, appreciation and internalisation of what we have been taught and shown to do by the Lord Himself. May the Lord be with us all in our efforts and journey, and may He bless us all in everything we say and do, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 3 : 1-6

At that time, again, Jesus entered the synagogue. A man, who had a paralysed hand, was there; and some people watched Jesus : would He heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.”

Jesus said to the man with the paralysed hand, “Stand here, in the centre.” Then He asked them, “What does the Law allow us to do on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” But they were silent. Then Jesus looked around at them with anger and deep sadness at their hardness of heart. And He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. As soon as the Pharisees left, they met with Herod’s supporters, looking for a way to destroy Jesus.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 143 : 1, 2, 9-10

Blessed be YHVH, my Rock, Who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.

My loving God, my Fortress; my Protector and Deliverer, my Shield; Where I take refuge; Who conquers nations and subjects them to my rule.

I will sing a new song to You, o God; I will make music on the ten-stringed harp, for You, Who give victory to kings and deliver David, Your servant.

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Wednesday, 17 January 2024 : 2nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 17 : 32-33, 37, 40-51

David said to Saul, “Let no one be discouraged on account of this Philistine, for your servant will engage him in battle.” Saul told David, “You cannot fight with this Philistine for you are still young, whereas this man has been a warrior from his youth.”

David continued, “YHVH, Who delivered me from the paws of lions and bears, will deliver me from the hands of the Philistine.” Saul then told David, “Go, and may YHVH be with you!”

David took his staff, picked up five smooth stones from the brook and dropped them inside his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he drew near to the Philistine. The Philistine moved forward, closing in on David, his shield-bearer in front of him. When he saw that David was only a lad, (he was of fresh complexion and handsome) he despised him and said, “Am I a dog that you should approach me with a stick?”

Cursing David by his gods, he continued, “Come, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field!” David answered the Philistine, “You have come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you with YHVH, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. YHVH will deliver you this day into my hands and I will strike you down and cut off your head.”

“I will give the corpses of the Philistine army today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, and all the earth shall know that there is a God of Israel. All the people gathered here shall know that YHVH saves not by sword or spear; the battle belongs to YHVH, and He will deliver you into our hands.”

No sooner had the Philistine moved to attack him, than David rushed to the battleground. Putting his hand into his bag, he took out a stone, slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; it penetrated his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, felling him without using a sword.

He rushed forward, stood over him, took the Philistine’s sword and slew him by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they scattered in all directions.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Abbots)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to remain steadfast in our faith despite the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may have to face in the midst of us living up to the faith which we have in God. As the Scripture passages today ought to have highlighted to us, there may likely be circumstances and moments when we will end up being forced to choose between obeying God and His Law, and following the ways and customs of this world, and the frictions and challenges that happen may lead us to many sufferings and trials in our paths ahead in life.

In our first reading today from the Book of the Maccabees, we heard of the continuation of the discourse from the Maccabean Revolt moments, especially focusing on the moment when the revolution began, as the King of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to enforce all the people throughout his vast empire to follow the ways and customs of the Greeks, abandoning the customs, ways and practices of their ancestors. This was likely meant by the king to help unite his often fractious empire, which was then wrecked by repeated rebellions and civil wars. However, this was met with a particularly heated and vigorous opposition from the Jewish people that resided mostly in Judea, Samaria and Galilee, the regions that were then under the Seleucid dominion.

As we heard in that passage today, the king’s officials went around the whole region trying to impose the pagan worship and Greek customs and ways on all the people, and while some of the Jewish people followed the demands of the king and his officials, many of them resisted the king and refused to obey his commands, just as the priest Mattathias led the uprising and opposition against the king, killing the official who tried to impose pagan worship on the people. That event marked the origin and beginning of the Maccabean Revolt, in which the Jewish people and forces rose up against the Seleucids and eventually, after many years of struggles, hardships and trials, they managed to gain independence against their enemies and oppressors.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the frustrations and sorrows which the Lord had uttered against Jerusalem, for all the wickedness and all the evils that the people there had done, represented by Jerusalem as a metaphor, in not obeying God’s Law and commandments, in committing sinful actions and worshipping pagan and evil gods, and in doing what was wicked in the sight of God and men alike. The Lord has come into this world to bring forth His Good News and truth, His salvation and grace, and yet, His people were being difficult, in stubbornly refusing to accept and embrace His generous love and compassionate kindness. This was why the Lord lamented over Jerusalem, in great anguish over just how ungrateful and wicked His beloved people had been in the way they treated Him.

This is why, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that being Christians is often something that is not easy for us to do. There may be plenty of challenges and trials for us in our journey, as we may have to endure persecutions, rejections, betrayals and difficulties as we carry on living our lives faithfully in the way and path of the Lord. There may be those who are opposed to our choice and faith, and those who persecute and oppress us because of this, and hence, this may likely lead to difficulties and hardships for us, but this does not mean that we should give up our faith or betray our Lord for the false ways and idols that may mislead us down the wrong paths in life towards our downfall and destruction.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban, both being great men of God, who dedicated themselves to lives of great dedication to God, committing themselves to do God’s will and to obey Him amidst the many challenges, distractions and oppositions in this world. Pope St. Clement I was one of the early successors of St. Peter as the Pope and Vicar of Christ, as the leaders of the faithful people of God, in his efforts and works, leading the people of God through difficult and turbulent times, amidst persecutions and challenges they faced at the time. He wrote extensively to the various parts and communities of the Church, some of which letters and their excerpts survived to this day in various forms. He dedicated himself to the flock entrusted to him by the Lord, and died as a martyr amidst his ministry, in proclaiming God’s Good News and in remaining steadfast and faithful to Him.

Meanwhile, St. Columban was an abbot and a missionary who was remembered for his great dedication to his works and ministry, and for his establishments of many monasteries throughout several parts of Christendom. He encountered some difficulties from local figures and even some of the local Church hierarchy and members amidst his works, but this did not make St. Columban to give up on his works and efforts. Instead, it made him to commit himself all the more to his works and efforts, as he continued to do his best in glorifying God by his life at each and every moment. He continued to labour for the people of God, and many were inspired to follow his examples and to join the monasteries he had established throughout his ministry.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let the good examples and inspirations from Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban be sources of strength and inspiration for each and every one of us so that in all the things we say and do, in all things throughout our lives, we may always aspire to be fully and thoroughly committed to God, despite and regardless of any challenges and trials that we may have to face in life. May the Lord continue to guide and bless us in our lives of faith, and bless our many good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Abbots)

Luke 19 : 41-44

At that time, when Jesus had come in sight of the city, He wept over it, and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Yet days will come upon you, when your enemies will surround you with barricades, and shut you in, and press on you from every side.”

“And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and not leave stone upon stone within you, for you did not recognise the time and the visitation of your God.”