bishops

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Wednesday, 30 July 2025 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Exodus 34 : 29-35

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant after speaking with YHVH. Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw that Moses’ face was radiant and they were afraid to go near him.

But Moses called them, and Aaron with all the leaders of the community drew near, and Moses spoke to them. Afterwards all the Israelites came near and he told them all that YHVH had commanded him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

Whenever Moses went before YHVH to speak with Him, he took off the veil until he came out again. And when he came out and told them what he had been commanded, the Israelites saw that his face was radiant. Moses would then replace the veil over his face until he went again to speak with YHVH.

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Tuesday, 15 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of God’s love and providence, His kindness and compassion for all those who are dear and beloved to Him. God has always remembered us all in our good and bad times, and we are never forgotten or abandoned even when we cannot feel or see His Presence and works immediately. God is always with us regardless of the circumstances because He truly cares for us, and He has shown us His wonders and love again and again throughout history, in what He had done to His first-called people, the Israelites when they suffered in Egypt, and also in giving us all the best and most perfect gift of all, His own Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the account from the Book of Exodus in which the moment when Moses was born was told to us. Moses was the one whom God had promised to His people to be the one to lead them all out of their slavery in the land of Egypt. At that time, the new generation of Pharaohs had arisen in Egypt that did not know about the great deeds of Joseph and his exploits, and feared the rapidly growing numbers and prosperity of the Israelites who were dwelling in the region of Goshen somewhere in the Nile River delta region. Therefore as we heard yesterday, the Pharaoh decreed first the enslavement of the Israelites, forced to do hard labour for the Egyptians, and then, in a more desperate effort, the order to throw all the sons born to the Israelites into the Nile River to try to destroy them as a nation.

But God was with His people and despite all these challenges that they faced, they kept on growing in numbers and in one of the babies which had been saved from the water by God’s interventions, it was Moses who was named as such because he had been taken out and rescued from the water by his adoptive mother, the Pharaoh’s daughter. According to tradition, the Pharaoh’s daughter was childless and hence, she took upon herself the Hebrew baby that she found floating on the Nile as her own adopted son, and that was how Moses grew up in the court of Pharaoh as an Egyptian prince. But then we heard how Moses grew up seeing the injustice faced by his people, the Israelites, who were persecuted and oppressed by the Egyptians, and he fled from Egypt after killing one of the Egyptian slavemasters that struck upon a Hebrew, one of his own people.

But God would be with Moses, who fled to the land of the Midianites, and after many years later, he would be called by God and would return back to Egypt with God’s mission and words to the Pharaoh, beginning the fulfilment of His promises to them and their ancestors, where by His power and might, God would rescue all of them, with the Ten Great Plagues that He sent unto Egypt, the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. All of these show us the great might of God and the enduring love and patience which God has always had for those who are dearly beloved to Him. And this is an important reminder for all of us not to take this same love which He has shown all of us for granted. We should always be grateful of God’s love and Providence, everything that He had done for our sake.

Then, in our Gospel passage, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus and His lamentations on the cities in the region of Galilee such as Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida. Why did the Lord make such denunciations and lamentations? That is because of the lack of faith which many of the people in those places had shown despite having witnessed and seen all the miracles and wonders that the Lord had performed before them all. Some among them, especially from among the Pharisees, doubted and criticised the Lord for His actions and teachings, questioning His authority and authenticity, and even accusing Him of colluding with evil spirits and demons in doing His works.

It is all these lack of faith and trust in the Lord, in all that God had done through His Son, sent into our midst, into this world to bring all of us into His loving embrace and salvation which had led to the lamentations and anguish that the Lord had spoken against those places. This was compared to the faith of those whom the people of God then often deemed to be sinners and unworthy, like those of the Syro-Phoenicians, those living in the region of Tyre and Sidon that the Lord mentioned, as a Syro-Phoenician woman had such great faith in the Lord that she believed in Him so wholeheartedly even against His harsh words towards her. And the Samaritans whom the Jewish people often regarded as heretics and pagans, proved to be more welcoming to the Lord and His words and teachings.

All these showed us that we must not be prejudiced against anyone, and we must realise that God truly loves each one of us, all of us mankind without limits and boundaries. He loves each one of us unconditionally and He has always patiently done so, even when we ourselves had not been faithful to Him, and even when we have taken His love and kindness for granted. Each and every one of us should strive to do what is right and just, in loving, following and obeying the Lord to the best of our abilities, in each and every moments in life so that by our love for Him and in loving one another in the same manner, we may truly be worthy to be called as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen as His own holy and beloved people.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Bonaventure, a renowned Franciscan bishop and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church who was remembered for his great many works and writings that eventually also earned him the honour of being one of the Doctors of the Church. St. Bonaventure was born in Italy during the High Middle Ages and while nothing much was known about his childhood and younger years, he eventually joined the Franciscans, and at the same time gaining great experiences and respect as an academic, earning his doctorate in theology which inspired him further in his many writings and works later on. St. Bonaventure was then also elected as the Minister General of the Franciscan Order, the overall head and authority over all the Franciscans.

He was also involved deeply in the works of reform of the Church at that time, before and after he helped the election of Pope Gregory X, who then appointed him as a Cardinal, as the Cardinal Bishop of Albano for his role in his election. St. Bonaventure continued to do great works in his various capacities, and it was well-known that he led the Franciscans in a moderate way, balancing faith and reason, making them very popular and outstanding in the Church. While he passed away not long after his appointment as Cardinal, St. Bonaventure’s legacy and inspiring works in various areas, especially in many matters of the faith and theology continued to touch the lives of many people even long after his lifetime.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the words of the Scriptures that we have received today, remembering the love that He has always shown us, and through the inspiration and examples of St. Bonaventure, who has dedicated his life in the service of God and his fellow brothers and sisters. May the Lord help us all to be ever more faithful and committed to Him, to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly in each and every moments, becoming good role models and examples in faith to one another, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 15 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 11 : 20-24

At that time, Jesus began to denounce the cities in which He had performed most of His miracles, because the people there did not change their ways.

“Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I assure you, for Tyre and Sidon; it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.”

“And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? You will be thrown down to the place of the dead! For if the miracles which were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would still be there today! But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

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Tuesday, 15 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 68 : 3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

I am sunk in the miry depths, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, swept and engulfed by the flood.

But I pray to You, o YHVH. At a time most favourable to You, in Your great love, o God, answer me, with Your unfailing help.

But I myself, am humbled and wounded; Your salvation, o God, will lift me up. I will praise the Name of God in song; I will glorify Him with thanksgiving.

Let the lowly witness this, and be glad. You who seek God, may your hearts be revived. For YHVH hears the needy; and does not despise those in captivity.

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Tuesday, 15 July 2025 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Exodus 2 : 1-15a

Now a man belonging to the clan of Levi married a woman of his own tribe. She gave birth to a boy and, seeing that he was a beautiful child, she kept him hidden for three months. As she could not conceal him any longer, she made a basket out of papyrus leaves and coated it with tar and pitch. She then laid the child in the basket and placed it among the reeds near the bank of the Nile; but the sister of the child kept at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile; her attendants meanwhile walked along the bank. When she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to fetch it. She opened the basket and saw the child – a boy, and he was crying! She felt sorry for him, for she thought : “This is one of the Hebrew children.”

Then the sister of the child said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, and the girl went to call the mother of the child. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take the child and nurse him for me and I will pay you.”

So the woman took the child and nursed him and, when the child had grown, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him as her son. And she named him Moses to recall that she had drawn him out of the water. After a fairly long time, Moses, by now a grown man, wanted to meet his fellow Hebrews. He noticed how heavily they were burdened and he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people.

He looked around and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day he saw two Hebrews quarrelling. Moses said to the man in the wrong, “Why are you striking a fellow countryman?” But he answered, “Who has set you prince and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must be known.” When Pharaoh heard about it he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the mission for all of us as Christians to do our part in proclaiming the Good News and the Gospel of the Lord at all times. All of us as Christians have been entrusted with the responsibility to proclaim the Lord in all of our various places and communities, in the many opportunities that we have been given by the Lord all these while. The Lord has provided us with the means to carry out His many good works, all the things that we can do for our fellow brethren, in showing them all the love of God manifested through us and our actions in our daily living. Therefore we should always be courageous in loving Him and in doing our best to follow Him in proclaiming His truth and Good News to all the people of all the nations.

In our first reading today we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of what happened in Jerusalem in the aftermath of the hearing and judgment session by the Sanhedrin against St. Paul, which ended up in great division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the members of the Sanhedrin. This led to a significant limbo and delay in the case which St. Paul stood as a defendant against the accusations which were placed against him by the Sanhedrin. We heard how his case was stalled between two governors, Felix and then Festus who took over his case, and we heard how Festus discussed with King Agrippa also known as Agrippa II, the last Herodian ruler of the lands of Israel, with his sister Berenice regarding St. Paul.

And we heard how St. Paul chose to be judged and to stand before the presence of the Emperor himself instead of allowing himself to be judged and put to task by the local authorities. In this manner therefore, the Lord led St. Paul to the path towards his martyrdom, by which he would help to establish the firm foundation for the Church in Rome and elsewhere along his path. St. Paul trusted in the Lord’s providence and guidance, and he allowed the Lord to lead him to wherever He would lead him to. St. Paul did not fear the persecutions and hardships that he might have to face because he knew that the Lord would always be by his side, and all his enemies and those who persecute him cannot harm him beyond his physical body, and his soul will always be with God and safe with Him.

This is why we are reminded today of the great courage of the Apostle St. Paul and are reminded of how the Lord has always provided for us and our needs, and as long as we put our trust and faith in Him, we truly have no need to be afraid or fearful, as the Lord Himself will always be by our side, guarding and providing for us, strengthening us in our journey and in our every actions. As Christians we must always remember that the Lord is our Shepherd and Master, and with Him ever providing for us, we shall never face ultimate defeat and destruction. We must not fear what can only harm and destroy our bodies but not our eternal souls. That is why we have to be strong in our faith and courage, to embrace the various missions and opportunities that God had provided to us so that we may truly be evangelising and missionary disciples of Our Lord at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the time when the Risen Lord, soon after His Resurrection, appeared to the disciples in Galilee, and after having shown Himself to them and had meal with them, He had a private time with St. Peter, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, and in a very symbolic moment as we heard in today’s Gospel, He asked St. Peter not just once but three times, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’. For those who did not see the link with what happened earlier on, then they may miss the significance of these three repeated questions, which was in fact the Lord showing St. Peter that He has always loved him and had forgiven him for his earlier triple denial of Him.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, at the time of the Lord’s Passion, when He faced His great sufferings and persecutions, being betrayed by one of His own closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, another member of the Twelve, He was also denied not just once but three times by St. Peter himself, who was likely afraid of being found out that he was a disciple of the Lord, at the time when all the disciples were scattered and alone by themselves. And this was despite St. Peter himself having made promises and proclamations that he would even die for the sake of the Lord, previously at the time of the Last Supper and earlier on. And despite having been abandoned by St. Peter and the other disciples, the Lord still loved them and cared for them, and He reached out to them, and especially to St. Peter, knowing that despite his denial, ultimately, his faith and love for Him were really genuine and true.

That is why all of us as Christians have to remember this great love of God, the call that He has in calling us all to love Him wholeheartedly and to follow Him, as St. Peter had done. We are all sinners, but God has called us all and gathered us all from being scattered all over the world, from the darkness, bringing us back to His light and grace. Hence, we need to continue to remind ourselves this calling to love the Lord and to focus our lives and attentions, our efforts and works on the Lord, glorifying Him by everything that we do, carry out and perform in each and every moments of our lives. We should always strive to inspire one another in faith, through our exemplary living and our commitment to follow the teachings of the Lord in the Gospels and His Church, to be missionary and evangelising at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Norbert, also known as St. Norbert of Xanten, a great and holy man of God who had lived in a state of worldliness and pursuit of worldly desires early in his life, and then went through a conversion experience in which he encountered a life-changing experience that led him to lead a more devout life. St. Norbert henceforth devoted his time and efforts to the poor, caring for the needy, and upon the request of the Pope himself, St. Norbert established a community of religious order in the Diocese of Laon in France where he ministered to the people, becoming known as the Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as the Premonstratensians. Later on, through the rapid expansion of this order and his role as the Archbishop of Magdeburg in northern Germany, St. Norbert continued to lead a life of great evangelising and missionary zeal, proclaiming the Good News of God to many more people that he encountered through his life and mission, which he faithfully carried out to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great courage, faith and examples of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Holy Apostles in seeking the Lord and dedicating themselves and their efforts to serve Him faithfully, and also from St. Norbert, the great and holy servant of God, and our many other holy predecessors, so that in everything that we do in our own respective lives may truly be holy and dedicated to God, that we may be truly missionary and evangelising, in our own exemplary faith and actions, in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions with each other. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen us in each and every moments of our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 21 : 15-19

At that time, after Jesus and His disciples had finished breakfast, He said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” And Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Look after My sheep.” And a third time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus then said, “Feed My sheep! Truly, I say to you, when you were young, you put on your belt and walked where you liked. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will put a belt around you, and lead you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus said this to make known the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. And He added, “Follow Me.”

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

The Lord has set His throne in heaven; He rules, He has power everywhere. Praise the Lord, all you His Angels.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 25 : 13b-21

As King Agrippa and his sister Berenice were to stay in Caesarea several days, Festus told him about Paul’s case and said to him, “We have here a man whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews accused him and asked me to sentence him.”

“I told them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a man without giving him an opportunity to defend himself in front of his accusers. So they came and I took my seat without delay on the tribunal and sent for the man. When the accusers had the floor, they did not accuse him of any of the crimes that I was led to think he had committed; instead they quarrelled with him about religion and about a certain Jesus Who has died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.”

“I did not know what to do about this case, so I asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to be tried there. But Paul appealed to be judged by the Emperor. So I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.”

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Thursday, 5 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the need for all of us to continue to put our trust and faith in the Lord, to be united to Him and to be united with one another, with our fellow brothers and sisters. That is because if we are united with God and are united with our fellow brethren, united in our purpose and faith, then we will be strong against all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in life, and we will not be easily swayed by the temptations, pressures and coercions around us. We have to be resilient and faithful, trusting in the Lord and His Providence, while also praying for one another and helping each other in our journey towards God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of the moment when St. Paul faced the whole Sanhedrin or the Jewish High Council, consisting of the members of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the two most influential groups within the Jewish community at that time. The Pharisees were those religious and intellectual elites of the community, who were highly educated and knowledgeable about the Torah and the saying of the prophets, and who also espoused a rather strict interpretation of the Law of God, enforcing it upon the people of God. In contrast, the Sadducees were the ones who were influential in worldly ways, the opposite of the Pharisees in nature, as they upheld worldly influences more, and their members included the chief priests and the High Priest, those who have been given worldly importance and power.

And it was against these two groups that St. Paul was facing, with both groups fully intent on bringing about condemnation and punishment upon the faithful servant of God. St. Paul himself was a former Pharisee, as early in his youth, as Saul, he was a very ardent and zealous young Pharisee, dedicating himself and his works to try and destroy the early Church, arresting and persecuting Christians in various places, using even violent and harsh methods in doing so. But he was converted to the true faith in the Lord after the encounter which he had on the way to Damascus, and thereafter becoming a great champion and defender of the Christian faith and truth. St. Paul, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, knew of the division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who were fielding a lot of accusations against him.

Hence, as we heard, he was speaking about how he did believe what the Pharisees were believing, in matters such as the resurrection and other beliefs which the Sadducees were very loathful against, and as we heard, a great argument immediately broke out in the place where St. Paul was to be judged by the Sanhedrin. This proves to all of us that as united as the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the Sanhedrin were in their desire to stamp out the Christian faith and the efforts of St. Paul, but in the face of the Wisdom and truth of the Lord, their facade of unity came apart, and they ended up fighting each other and continuing their old bickering and disagreements rather than to do what they had originally intended to do.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard the continuation of the prayer that the Lord Jesus prayed on behalf of His disciples and followers, directed to His heavenly Father, which took place not long before He was to embark on His last mission, the moment of His Passion, His path of suffering and the Cross, and His ultimate sacrifice on that same Cross, to die for the sins of the whole world. He prayed for the unity of all those who have followed Him and became His disciples, so that they would truly be one in unity just as He Himself and the Father are One, the Holy Trinity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. With the same unity therefore, the Lord wanted His faithful ones in His Church to have, to be truly united in the one Body of all believers, the Body of Christ, the Church of God.

This is the prayer that the Lord Jesus offered to His Father, the prayer which He has prayed for all of us His faithful ones, for the unity of our purpose and our existence as those who have followed Him and entrusted ourselves to Him, so that we will not be divided one against another anymore. As we heard from our first reading passage today, we can see what happens when people were not united in their purpose and action, as what happened in the bickering between the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. They ended up quarrelling and fighting each other, and being distracted and misguided in their ways and path, instead of doing what the Lord had entrusted to them and wanted them to do. As Christians, we should not end up doing the same against one another, against our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Instead, as Christians, unity should always be an important priority for us, and we should always strive for unity in our actions and purpose, remaining firmly united in the Lord, in remaining as a united body of believers, and not to stray from God and be divided against each other. In the past history of the Church, there had been quite a number of occasions when this unity had been threatened and harmed, and led to the divisions and bitter tears and break in the unity of the Body of Christ, the Church of God. And all these divisions bring about difficulties and obstacles in the many good things that the Church could have done together, in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel, and in doing what the Lord has commanded us to do. If only we have stayed united in the Lord, there could have been so many more great things we can do together instead of by ourselves, or worse still, us working against each other.

One of the main reason of this division is pride and stubbornness, our prideful attitude and stubbornness in refusing to listen to the Lord and to one another. It is when we stop to listen actively and properly to one another that we end up being divided against each other. As our Pope, Pope Leo XIV himself said that, ‘We have to know how to listen, not to judge, and not to shut doors as if we hold all the truth and no one else has anything else to offer.’ This attitude of thinking that we know it better than others and thinking that we are superior than another is what often led to bitter divisions in the Church, harming many souls and all those who have been caught in the division. Who ultimately benefits from all these? It is Satan, the evil one, the orchestrator of division.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Boniface, a great and holy man of God, a devoted bishop and martyr, who was known particularly for his great commitment to the works of mission, in evangelising to the pagans and to all those who have not yet known God. St. Boniface is also known as the Apostle to the Germans for his great contributions in the area of evangelisation and mission amongst the pagan German peoples at the time. St. Boniface was known for his missionary zeal and efforts in introducing Christ to the people in Germania, especially the northern parts where pagan worship was still commonplace. In one often known story, St. Boniface chopped down a sacred oak that was held sacred to Odin, the chief god of the Norse and Germanic paganism, and the people there expected that St. Boniface would be struck down from doing so. But when he remained unharmed, many were convinced and became Christians.

St. Boniface himself tirelessly went to do many works and efforts to build up the Church in the areas that he has visited, planting the firm foundation for the Church in those areas, and as bishop, he established the Church and its various institutions among the new communities that he had helped establish by his courageous missionary zeal and works. And in the midst of one of these many missionary works and journeys, St. Boniface and his entourage was beset by Frisian bandits, who attacked him and killed him, and hence, he died a martyr for the faith, thinking that the items that they had been holding and carrying were precious treasures and wealth. Instead, they were in fact the Scriptures and other holy books of the faith. To the very end, St. Boniface carried out his mission with faith, and many people were inspired by his dedication and example long after his martyrdom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to do our best in our own lives, to strive for unity in the Church, by first maintaining unity among ourselves, among our fellow brothers and sisters. Let us always be ready to listen to one another and to understand each other, instead of being so ready to judge and point fingers to others, or to disagree without first trying to listen and empathise to another. Let us also continue to pray for one another and support each other in our journey together towards God. Let us continue to be united as one Church in our mission to proclaim the Lord, His Good News and truth to all the people of all the nations. Amen.