bishops

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Tuesday, 27 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 137 : 1-2a, 2bc-3, 7c-8

I thank You, o Lord with all my heart, for You have heard the word of my lips. I sing Your praise in the presence of the gods. I bow down towards Your holy Temple and give thanks to Your Name.

For Your love and faithfulness, for Your word which exceeds everything. You answered me when I called; You restored my soul and made me strong.

You save me from the wrath of my foes, with Your right hand You deliver me. How the Lord cares for me! Your kindness, o Lord, endures forever. Forsake not the work of Your hands.

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Tuesday, 27 May 2025 : 6th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 16 : 22-34

So the slave owners of Philippi set the crowd against Paul and Silas and the officials tore the clothes of them and ordered them to be flogged. And after inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them safely. Upon receiving these instructions, he threw them into the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly a severe earthquake shook the place, rocking the prison to its foundations. Immediately all the doors flew open and the chains of all the prisoners fell off.

The jailer woke up to see the prison gates wide open. Thinking that the prisoners had escaped, he drew his sword to kill himself, but Paul shouted to him, “Do not harm yourself! We are all still here.” The jailer asked for a light, then rushed in, and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas. After he had secured the other prisoners, he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.” Then they spoke the word of God to him and to all his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer took care of them and washed their wounds; and he and his whole household were baptised at once. He led them to his house, spread a meal before them and joyfully celebrated with his whole household his newfound faith in God.

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Friday, 2 May 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that our faith in the Lord is truly worth it and we must always hold firmly to this faith and trust that we have in the Lord, no matter what challenges and trials may come our way. We need to continue to be faithful at all times and do not easily lose faith in God, even when times may be challenging and difficult. We must always trust in the Lord that He will be able to do great things for us, on our behalf. After all, He has shown His love and faithfulness all to us throughout history and most evidently through His Son, Who has come to us in the flesh, revealing the great love of God made Man. And since the Lord is always by our side, therefore, that is why we will be triumphant and successful in the end, and we will share in the true happiness and eternal glory that can be found in God alone.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the High Priest and his fellow chief priests and the other members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Council were debating about what they would do to the disciples of Jesus who had been performing miracles, wonders and other works in the Name of the Lord Jesus, the One Whom they had persecuted and handed over to the Romans to be crucified. Many among the Sanhedrin were hostile to Jesus and His teachings, and many of them wanted to destroy the disciples in the same manner how they had done to the Lord Himself. But as we heard, a renowned teacher of the faith, a rabbi known as Gamaliel calmed the whole Sanhedrin and spoke words of wisdom regarding what course of action that they ought to be taking.

Gamaliel quoted the examples of several false messiahs that had arisen during that period of time, stating how each and every one of them had come and claimed that they were the ones sent by God to save the people, and yet, their movement rapidly fizzled out the moment that they were killed and captured by the Romans when they rose up in rebellion against them. Therefore, Gamaliel urged caution and patience to the members of the Sanhedrin, telling them that they should refrain from taking harsh actions against the disciples and followers of Jesus, with the argument that if their movement did not come from God, then it would also fizzle out in the manner of how the other false messiahs’ followers had experienced. On the other hand, if the works of Jesus and His disciples truly came from God, then it would be impossible to stop.

Through this event of Gamaliel and his words to the Sanhedrin and how the disciples continued to proclaim the Lord, His teachings and works joyfully despite the trials, sufferings and hardships that they would have to face and endure amidst their respective ministries, all these are reminders for us of God’s faithful guidance and Presence in our lives. We should not easily be led to give up on God and our struggles for His cause. Instead, our faith should always be stronger, inspired and strengthened by the great love which God has always had for us, the ever wonderful and enduring love which the Lord has lavished on us, and His Resurrection is a reminder of this ever constant reassurance and hope that we can find in God alone. Therefore, with God we can do so many wonderful things, if we can only put more of our trust in Him.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the account of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand men and many others by the Lord taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. In that well-known miracle, we heard how the Lord miraculously multiplied the loaves of bread and fishes to be fed to all the multitudes of the people, and we heard how everyone had their fill and even to the excess, a whole twelve baskets full of food. This is an important reminder for us that God’s love for us is so great that He will fill us up and strengthen us, providing us to the brim and beyond, fulfilling and empowering each and every one of us who trust in Him and who love Him. And we should indeed allow the Lord to guide and strengthen us with His love and blessings, seeking Him as the centre and focus of our lives.

This story of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand serves as an important reminder for each one of us that we should trust in the Lord for His Providence and not be easily swayed or distracted by the many temptations and disturbances, desires and other obstacles present all around us that may lead us astray from the path towards God. We should look to the Lord as the One Who has always loved us, and as the One Who has always provided us with the grace and blessings for us to be able to move forward in life, strengthening us in body, mind, heart and soul. When we have nothing with us, the Lord always provides, and He always knows what we need even when we ourselves may not know them. He has always showed His most patient and enduring love all the time, and He has revealed His loving kindness to every single one of us without exception.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, having been shown such great love of God and how precious we truly are to Him, that is why we must deepen our loves and relationship with Him, doing our very best and striving in each and every moments to glorify Him by our lives in this world. We must allow ourselves to be filled with His great love, and be willing to share the same love with each other, to be loving first and foremost to God, and then to show that same great love to everyone around us, especially to those whom we love the most. In our every moments in life, we should always be steadfast in living our lives as faithful Christians, in showing everyone that we truly belong to God by the way we live, through our continuous, steadfast and enduring love for one another.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Athanasius, a great and holy servant of God, a staunch defender of the Church and the Christian faith against all those that sought to lead the faithful astray into the wrong path of heresy and falsehoods. St. Athanasius was the Bishop and Patriarch of Alexandria, and hence, during that time, the middle of the fourth century, he was one of the most influential leaders of the Church, which had just recently emerged from the intense official persecution by the Romans. At that time, the Church was bitterly divided between those who supported the Arian party, namely the heresy proposed by one popular preacher named Arius which denied the equality of Jesus Christ, the Son of God to the Father, with those who, headed by among many, St. Athanasius himself, defended the true teachings of the Church.

St. Athanasius succeeded to the position of Patriarch of Alexandria approximately three years after the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea which affirmed the true, orthodox teaching of the Church and rejecting the heresy of Arianism. However, the influence and support that the Arians were receiving ensured that the conflict between the Arians and those who held on to the true faith would go on for the next few decades, in which St. Athanasius often found himself in direct crossfire, becoming target of those who supported the Arian teachings and heresy, including those in power and close to the Emperor himself. As such St. Athanasius even had to endure several exiles and other hardships that he had faced amidst his ministry as the shepherd of the flock of the faithful people of God. Nevertheless, St. Athanasius remained firm in his resolution to do the best for those entrusted to him, and continued to do God’s great works in good and bad times alike, to the very end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have all heard from the life, ministry, work and dedication of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, let us all therefore strive to do our best in following Christ, our Risen Lord, and be the good role models and inspirations ourselves to our fellow brothers and sisters. Let us all be the bearers of Christ’s Light and Hope, the Light and Hope of His Resurrection to the people of all the nations, to everyone whom we encounter in our daily life, to our brothers and sisters, and even to strangers as well. May the Lord continue to inspire us and strengthen us in our commitment to serve Him most faithfully each day in our lives. Amen.

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Friday, 2 May 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 6 : 1-15

At that time, Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, near Tiberias, and large crowds followed Him, because of the miraculous signs they saw, when He healed the sick. So He went up into the hills and sat down there with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

Then lifting up His eyes, Jesus saw the crowds that were coming to Him, and said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?” He said this to test Philip, for He Himself knew what He was going to do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred silver coins would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a piece.”

Then one of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there, so the people, about five thousand men, sat down. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish, and gave them as much as they wanted.

And when they had eaten enough, He told His disciples, “Gather up the pieces left over, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with bread, that is, with pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

When the people saw the miracle which Jesus had performed, they said, “This is really the Prophet, the One Who is to come into the world.” Jesus realised that they would come and take Him by force to make Him King; so He fled to the hills by Himself.

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Friday, 2 May 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 13-14

The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of the Lord, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His sanctuary.

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Trust in the Lord, be strong and courageous. Yes, put your hope in the Lord!

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Friday, 2 May 2025 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 5 : 34-42

But one of the members of the Council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law highly respected by the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin. He ordered the men to be taken outside for a few minutes and then he spoke to the assembly.

“Fellow Israelites, consider well what you intend to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas came forward, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed and all his followers were dispersed or disappeared.”

“After him, Judas the Galilean appeared at the time of the census and persuaded many people to follow him. But he too perished and his whole following was scattered. So, in this present case, I advise you to have nothing to do with these men. Leave them alone. If their project or activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. If, on the other hand, it is from God, you will not be able to destroy it and you may indeed find yourselves fighting against God.”

The Council let themselves be persuaded. They called in the Apostles and had them whipped, and ordered them not to speak again of Jesus Saviour. Then they set them free. The Apostles went out from the Council rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the Name. Day after day, both in the Temple and in people’s homes, they continued to teach and to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah.

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Status of College of Cardinals prior to Papal Conclave 2025 (as of 23 April 2025)

Total Cardinals : 252

Cardinal-Electors : 135

Cardinal Non-Electors : 117

Next Cardinal-Elector turning 80 :

Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra (Spain), Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid on 16 May 2025.

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Cardinal Bishops : 13

Cardinal Priests : 205

Cardinal Deacons : 34

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Dean of the College of Cardinals : Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re

Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals : Cardinal Leonardi Sandri

Cardinal Protopriest : Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu

Cardinal Protodeacon : Cardinal Dominique Francois Joseph Mamberti

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Funeral of Pope Francis – St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, 26 April 2025 at 10 am Rome Time

Pope Francis, the 266th Pope and Vicar of Christ passed away on Monday, 21 April 2025.

The Papal Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, 26 April 2025, 10 am Rome Time (CET) – St. Peter’s Square.

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Passing of Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ on 21 April 2025

Pope Francis has passed away in the Vatican at the age of 88, today on Monday, 21 April 2025.

Requiescat in Pace, Holy Father 🙏

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Friday, 11 April 2025 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Stanislas, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the persecutions, hardships and challenges which we have to face in the midst of our journey of faith and life as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own because the world itself and all those wicked forces all around it have opposed the Lord and His works, persecuting the Lord and even rejecting Him, in their unwillingness to obey the Lord and in refusing to listen to Him. That is why, being made aware of these obstacles, and all the challenges we may face, we should be more resilient and persistent in our desire to follow the Lord and to be faithful to Him at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which we heard of the plots and the dangers which Jeremiah had to face amidst his ministry among the people of God in the kingdom of Judah. For the context, Jeremiah had been sent to the people of the kingdom of Judah at the time just before that kingdom met its end at the hands of the Babylonians, and he came bearing God’s words of warning to the people of Judah, telling them of the consequences of their many sins and wickedness, all of which would prevent them from truly living a righteous and worthy life in God’s Presence. But Jeremiah was hated and reviled for his works and ministry, labelled as doomsayer and even traitor to the nation for what he delivered to the people of God.

There were many false prophets who had risen during that time, misleading the people of Judah and their king to continue on the path of rebellion and disobedience against God. That was how many disregarded Jeremiah’s words and prophecies, as they chose rather to trust in the words of the false prophets and in the arrangements and plans of man, depending and trusting in worldly powers and strengths rather than in their Lord and God Who has always been faithful to them. And those enemies of Jeremiah plotted even the destruction and downfall of the prophet, and almost managed to do so if not for the intervention and protection from God which prevented those people from succeeding in their plots.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the continuation of the bickering and disagreements between many of the Jewish people in Jerusalem and the Lord Jesus, with the former mostly belonging to the group of the Pharisees and their supporters, those who followed the overly rigid and legalistic approach of the observance of the Law of God, in the manner that the Pharisees had observed them. They continued to harden their hearts and minds, closing them against the Lord Who had repeatedly brought His truth and love to His people, but the stubborn attitudes shown by those same people had rebuffed Him and His efforts.

And the main problem as I had mentioned in the previous days was that of pride, ego and arrogance, all of which had hardened the hearts and minds of the people of God against the love of their Master and Creator. They thought that they could not have been wrong in their interpretations and way of living their faith and the Law of God. The Lord revealed to them the truth and many among them could not accept it, being angry and refusing to believe in Him, especially when He revealed that He is the Son of God, the manifestation of God’s perfect Love and kindness, His mercy and compassion towards us all. And this is despite His identity having been alluded in the prophecy of the prophets and servants of God, and despite all the signs and wonders that He had performed before each and every one of them. This is also a prelude to everything that we are about to commemorate in the Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Stanislas, also known as St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów, a Polish bishop and martyr of the Church, whose faith and life should be good inspiration for all of us to follow in our own lives as Christians. St. Stanislas hailed from the village of Szczepanów in Poland during the Medieval era, about a thousand years ago. He eventually joined the priesthood and was ordained first as priest and then as bishop succeeding the Bishop of Krakow who had ordained him. He did many good works in Poland, establishing relationship between the domains of Poland and the Church in Rome, and the establishment of Church hierarchy in Poland, bridging between the King of Poland and the Church.

In what many saw as a parallel as the story of another famous bishop and holy servant of God martyred by the secular ruler due to conflicting ideals and disagreements, like that of St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England, St. Stanislas got into a conflict and argument with the Polish king with regard to land disputes pertaining to the Church lands and properties. The king claimed that the lands which the Church had purchased through St. Stanislas as bishop from a man named Piotr, and which was claimed by the man’s family belonged to the family and not the Church. When the king challenged St. Stanislas to produce an evidence of the purchase, deemed impossible because the man Piotr had died, St. Stanislas miraculously brought the man back to life and the latter testified for St. Stanislas and chastised his sons who had claimed the land for themselves.

St. Stanislas also got into another, more serious conflict with King Boleslaw of Poland, whom he chastised for his actions in war and in another immoral behaviours that he had done, leading to St. Stanislas excommunicating the king for his grave sins and faults. This brought about conflict in the royal court and made the king and his allies to accuse St. Stanislas of treason against the king and state, and sentenced him to death. When no one among his nobles and allies dared to lay their hands on the bishop, the king himself came to slay St. Stanislas as he was celebrating the Mass outside the walls of Krakow or within Wawel Castle depending on the traditions. He was martyred defending the Church and the Christian teachings against the immoral and sinful king, leading to great outrage and eventual dethronement of the same king.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon the readings from the Sacred Scriptures today and from the life of St. Stanislas, let us all therefore remember that we are all called to be truly holy and worthy of God as His beloved children and people. We should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations present all around us, all the challenges and oppositions that we may have to face in living our lives faithfully as Christians. Many of our holy predecessors like St. Stanislas and ultimately the Lord Himself had faced a lot of persecutions and hardships throughout their lives and ministry, and we should in fact strengthen ourselves with the knowledge and resolve that we are all enduring these for the faith and love that we have for the Lord.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to love and serve the Lord ever more faithfully, doing our very best so that by our commitment, dedication and efforts, we will continue to walk faithfully down this path that the Lord has shown us and led us through, the path that leads to eternal life and to reconciliation with Him. Let us no longer be separated from our loving, merciful and most compassionate God, but instead let us take the initiative and make the conscious effort to follow the Lord our God with zeal and devotion, with true courage and faith so that in everything that we do, we will always glorify Him at all times, coming ever closer to Him and to His salvation. May our Lenten observances and practices continue to bear rich fruits and be truly blessed. Amen.