bishops

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Tuesday, 30 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Jeremiah 14 : 17-22

This you will say to them : Let My eyes shed tears night and day without ceasing! For a great wound has the virgin daughter of My people been wounded, a most grievous wound. If I go into the country, I see those slain by the sword. If I enter the city I see the ravages of famine. For the prophet and the priest did not understand what was happening in the land.

Have You then rejected Judah forever? Do You abhor Zion? Why have You wounded us and left us with no hope of recovery? We hoped for salvation but received nothing good; we waited for healing, but terror came! YHVH, we know our wickedness and that of our ancestors, and the times we have sinned against You.

For Your Name’s sake do not despise us; do not dishonour the throne of Your glory. Remember us. Do not break Your Covenant with us! Among the worthless idols of the nations, are there any who can bring rain, or make the skies send showers? Only in You, YHVH our God, do we hope, for it is You Who do all this.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be ever more faithful to the Lord in all things, to do His will and not to give in to the temptations of worldly glory and power, all of which can lead us astray down the path of disobedience, evil and sin. We must always strive to be upright and good in all things, doing whatever we can so that by our good examples and actions grounded and anchored upon our firm foundation of faith in God, we will always be the worthy and faithful bearers of our Christian faith and truth in our world today. All of us should always be the guardians of the truth and of all that our Christian faith teaches us and shows us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Micah in which the Lord told His people through Micah of His anger and the coming punishments and consequences awaiting His wicked and disobedient people, all of whom had chosen to disobey Him, walking down the path of rebellion and wickedness, choosing to obey the lies of the devil rather than to trust in the Lord, their God and Master. The prophet Micah was sent to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, during the time of the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the Assyrian invasion and domination of the kingdom of Judah by King Sennacherib. He was one of the prophets who were active at the time, and he brought God’s words to His people in Judah.

We heard about all the things that would soon happen to the people and kingdom of Judah, the downfall of those who have long disobeyed His commandments and preferring to follow the wicked paths of the false idols and pagan gods rather than to trust and have faith in their Lord and Master Who had taken care of them all, all throughout the years of their prosperous existence in Judah and Israel. The consequences for those sins have to be faced by the people themselves, and that was why the Lord gave them all this warning and premonition through Micah. Of course, He did so while also telling them of His love and mercy, and showing them the prophecy of the coming liberation and salvation that they would receive from God.

Through this, the Lord wanted to show His people that He truly loved each and every one of them, and He did not truly want to punish them or make their lives difficult, but it was rather their hardened hearts and minds, their stubbornness and their continued rebellion against God which had condemned them and led them to their predicaments. They did not trust in the Lord and refused to obey by His Law and commandments, and as a result, they suffered, they became lost and they were muddled in their paths and thoughts. But the Lord never gave up on them, and He continued to send His help and guidance through His prophets, and promised them the ultimate salvation that He ultimately fulfilled and accomplished through the sending of His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the passage taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus and how He was treated by the Pharisees and many of the religious elites of His time were highlighted to all of us. The Lord Jesus was indeed the One Whom God had sent into this world, the Son of God Incarnate in the flesh, the Son of Man, through Whom God would gather everyone to Himself, all of His beloved ones, showing them all His love manifested perfectly in the flesh. And yet, He was rejected and opposed by those who were supposedly the most knowledgeable about the Law and the teachings of the prophets, as they saw in Him a great Rival and even threat to their own power, influence and authority among the people of God.

Nonetheless, the Lord continued to do His best to reach out to those who are dear and beloved to Him, caring for them as best as He could, showing them His ever generous and patient love even when the people had disobeyed Him and refused to follow His path, through their stubbornness and disobedience. He still reached out to them, performing His works and miracles in their midst, sending His disciples to share with them all His truth, Good News, love and guidance. The Lord did everything just as the prophets had foretold of Him, loving all of them wonderfully and generously, reaching out to the greatest sinners and those deemed most unworthy in the midst of the people, like the prostitutes and tax collectors, those who were suffering from maladies and diseases, and those possessed by evil spirits.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Apollinaris, a great and holy servant of God whose life and commitment to the Lord is truly inspirational and a great example for all of us to follow in our own lives. He was also known as St. Apollinaris of Ravenna after the place of his ministry as bishop and his martyrdom in the early history of the Church. He was likely born in Antioch or in its surrounding region in Syria, and he was either one of the seventy-two disciples or a disciple of St. Peter according to Apostolic history and tradition. St. Apollinaris was appointed as the first Bishop of Ravenna, covering the region of northern and eastern parts of what is today Italy, as the early Church kept on growing rapidly and gaining more and more converts, expanding the reach of its works to the people who have not yet known the Lord and His salvation.

St. Apollinaris dedicated much of his life and ministry to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people in his diocese, spreading the Christian faith and truth to those who still believed in the pagan faith of the Roman Empire. He managed to convince quite a number of people to embrace the Lord as their God and Saviour, establishing a vibrant Christian community in Ravenna and its surrounding regions. Despite all the challenges and persecutions that he had to endure and suffer, including being beaten and left half-dead at the seashore by the pagans, and being forced to walk on burning coals, St. Apollinaris continued to remain firmly faithful and committed to his mission, captured and beaten more times, only to miraculously survive and continuing on with his missions. In the end, he was persecuted and beaten again close to death, and before he died, he predicted that while the Church would continue to be persecuted, but it will eventually be triumphant with God.

From the examples shown by the great St. Apollinaris, his life and courageous martyrdom, all of us are reminded that as Christians we have been entrusted with the mission to proclaim the salvation of the Lord and His Good News which we have received and believed in, so that in all the things that we say and do, in our every moments in our respective lives, we will continue to be great role models and inspirations in faith for one another just like how St. Apollinaris and the many other saints, holy men and women of God have inspired us all as well. May all of us continue to be inspired and strengthened to do what God had taught, commanded and entrusted to us to do, now and always, and may He bless us in all of our every good works and deeds, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Matthew 12 : 14-21

At that time, the Pharisees went out, and made plans to get rid of Jesus. As Jesus was aware of their plans, He left that place. Many people followed Him, and He cured all who were sick. But He gave them strict orders not to make Him known.

In this way, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled : Here is My Servant, Whom I have chosen; the One I love, and with Whom I am pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him; and He will announce My judgment to the nations. He will not argue or shout, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush, nor snuff out the smouldering wick until He brings justice to victory, and in Him, all the nations will put their hope.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 9 : 22-23, 24-25, 28-29, 35

Why, o YHVH, do You stand afar? Why hide from us in times of distress? The wicked are in power; the weak suffer harassment; the poor become victims of evil schemes.

Exploiters boast in their power and greed; the covetous blasphemes and defies God. In their pride the wicked say, “There is no God.” They see no further.

Their mouths are filled with cursing, deceit and threats; spite and mischief are under their tongues. They lie in ambush near the villages, murdering the innocent and the unfortunate, spying upon their next victim.

But You see those in misery, o God, and You take it in hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; the orphan turns to You for help.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Micah 2 : 1-5

Woe to those who plot wickedness and plan evil even on their beds! When morning comes they do it, as soon as it is within their reach. If they covet fields, they seize them. Do they like houses? They take them. They seize the owner and his household; both, the man and his property.

This is why YHVH speaks, “I am plotting evil against this whole brood, from which your necks cannot escape. No more shall you walk with head held high, for it will be an evil time.” On that day, they will sing a taunting song against you; and a bitter lamentation will be heard, “We have been stripped of our property in our homeland. Who will free us from the wicked who allots our fields.”

Truly, no one will be found in the assembly of YHVH to keep a field for you.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 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, today all of us are reminded that while God is always ever loving and kind towards us, we must also remember that our sins and wickedness, all the things we do which are not in accordance with God’s ways, all of these are things that He does not condone and in fact despises. And while He is always ever ready and willing to forgive us from those sins, we must not take it for granted, because by the sins which we have left unrepented and unforgiven, we may be judged and condemned by those sins which we have committed. The Lord does not seek our destruction and annihilation, but it is our own conscious refusal of His love, mercy and grace which had brought us deep into this condemnation and destruction.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord alluded to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when referring to His own chosen people, the remnants of the Israelites living in the southern kingdom of Judah. In using that reference to the example of Sodom and Gomorrah, He reminded them all of what had happened to those two cities that were infamous for their debauchery, sinful ways and wickedness, and likely their refusal to repent from their wicked ways, their stubborn attitudes which eventually led to the two cities being destroyed with great fires and brimstone from the sky itself. Thus, the Lord was in fact warning His people that if they continued to walk down the path of sin and evil as they had done up to then, a similar fate would be theirs as well.

As mentioned, this does not mean that God despised or hated His people, but rather, it was their sins and wickedness which He despised and was angry with. As mentioned, they were not truly faithful to the Lord, but were only going through the motions with their celebrations, festivals and worship, which they carried out without true sincerity and love for God. They still committed sins and wicked deeds, and even worshipped other pagan idols and gods, which added on to their list of sins and all the things which further distanced them away from the Lord and His path. The Lord wanted them all to know that if they kept on doing that, and if they continued to disregard the words and the guidance of the many prophets and messengers that He had sent to them to help and guide them, then in the end, there will be nothing but destruction and doom awaiting them.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus told His disciples frankly that He came into this world not to bring peace and rejoicing, unlike what many of them would have thought. At that time, it was commonly held that the Messiah awaited by the Jewish people, the Son of David, would restore the glorious days of the old Kingdom of Israel, leading the people of God to freedom and glory once more, bringing an era of peace, harmony and prosperity. The Lord revealed to all of them that this was not the case, as His coming, bringing the truth and His Good News, His love and the assurance of salvation to all mankind, would all face opposition, challenges and rejection from the world that is filled with sin, darkness and evil.

The Lord reminded them all that to be His disciples and followers, it often requires great commitment and desire to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, rejecting the wicked and sinful ways of the world, and embracing His grace, love and righteousness fully, all of which may lead to hardships and sufferings among His disciples and followers. Yet, they must not lose heart because God would be with them, and if they truly follow Him wholeheartedly, He assured them all that no one who had dedicated and committed themselves to God with sincerity would not be rewarded greatly and they will be assured of true happiness and the fullness of grace in God. Thus, this is also a reminder to all of us as Christians that we too should aspire and strive to be truly faithful to the Lord in all things.

Today, the Universal Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Bonaventure, a great bishop and servant of God, who has been honoured as one of the Doctors of the Church for his many contributions, writings and works that serve to glorify God and to proclaim His truth to more and more people. He was born in what is today part of Italy during the High Middle Ages in the early thirteenth century, and while nothing much was known of his early life, he eventually became a Franciscan, inspired by the examples of St. Francis of Assisi, whose prayers according to tradition saved the young St. Bonaventure when he was very sick. Eventually as Franciscan, St. Bonaventure would go on to many great works in both preaching and academia, becoming a lecturer and master in theological matters.

St. Bonaventure was also quite deeply involved in the affairs and workings of the Church at the time, as it was his efforts that helped to secure the election of Blessed Pope Gregory X after a turbulent and tumultuous contested Papal election that lasted three years. As such, the then Pope entrusted St. Bonaventure with many works in the Church, and made him as a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, which was indeed a very great honour at the time. However, despite all these honours and the other responsibilities that he held, St. Bonaventure continued to be humble and devoted himself more to serve the people of God and the Church through his great intellectual efforts, in his many writings that benefit the Church, as well as in his efforts in taking part and spearheading the reforms that were much needed in the Church at the time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from the great life examples shown to us by St. Bonaventure, let us all therefore be more committed to a life that is truly holy and worthy of God. Let us all be ever more courageous to follow God in all things, and to dedicate our efforts to walk in His path despite the many challenges we may encounter and face in our journey of faith. Each and every one of us has been called to follow the Lord, and He has given us all various opportunities and the means for us to do our part in being His worthy and holy disciples. It is now up to us all to make the choice and to decide whether we want to follow Him or whether we want to continue persisting in living a life full of sin and evil.

May the Lord be with us all, and may He continue to help and guide us through His ever patient love and kindness, in helping to inspire us through the great examples of St. Bonaventure and the innumerable other holy men and women, the holy saints and martyrs of God, all of whom had dedicated themselves to the Lord and showed great faith and virtues in their lives. May we continue to strive to do God’s will and live our lives righteously in accordance to His Law and commandments at all times, so that we may truly be good and worthy examples and role models for one another, and through us, God’s truth and love may be revealed more and more to all the people around us. Amen.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 10 : 34 – Matthew 11 : 1

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Each one will have as enemies, those of one’s own family.”

“Whoever loves father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life, for My sake, will find it.”

“Whoever welcomes you, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes Him Who sent Me. The one who welcomes a prophet, as a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man.”

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is My disciple, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.”

When Jesus had finished giving His twelve disciples these instructions, He went on from there to teach and proclaim His message in their towns.

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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

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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Monday, 15 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 1 : 10-17

Hear the warning of YHVH, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah. “What do I care,” says YHVH, “for your endless sacrifices? I am fed up with your burnt offerings, and the fat of your bulls. The blood of fatlings, and lambs and he-goats I abhor, when you come before Me and trample on My courts. Who asked you to visit Me? I am fed up with your oblations. I grow sick with your incense.

Your New Moons, Sabbaths and meetings, evil with holy assemblies, I can no longer bear. I hate your New Moons and appointed feasts. They burden Me. When you stretch out your hands I will close My eyes; the more you pray, the more I refuse to listen, for your hands are bloody.

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.

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Saturday, 29 June 2024 : Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Universal Church mark the joyful and glorious occasion of the Solemnity of the two Holy Apostles, St. Peter the Apostle and St. Paul the Apostle, both of whom are among the most prominent of the Apostles, namely those who were considered the inner circle among the Lord’s disciples and followers, and who had been entrusted with the important roles in leading the spread and growth of the Church, with the mission to proclaim the Word of God and the Good News to all the people of all the nations. And in particular, this celebration of the two Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul here is related to their patronage over the city and Diocese of Rome, where the Vicar of Christ, the Pope, the Successor of St. Peter the Apostle as the leader of the whole Universal Church has his seat.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we are part of the Roman Catholic Church, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church formed and established by the Lord Himself in this world, and which He had entrusted to His Apostles and given to St. Peter in particular to lead and guide as His Vicar, therefore, the celebration of the Roman Church, that is the Diocese of Rome, the Pope’s See, is also a celebration that is celebrated throughout the whole entire world, throughout the whole entire Universal Church. It was these two great Apostles who helped to establish the Church in Rome, at the very centre and heart of the then mighty and powerful Roman Empire, the political giant and great power of its time, which ruled over the whole Mediterranean region and much of Europe, as well as the lands of the Holy Land where Our Lord carried out His ministry.

By establishing the presence of the Church in Rome, the Lord had called upon St. Peter and St. Paul to evangelise not only to the Jewish people, but as He had told them, to go forth to all the people of all the nations, and to proclaim His Good News and salvation to everyone, so that every people of every nations may come towards the Lord and receive salvation from Him. Therefore, while St. Peter had also founded the See of Antioch and was its first bishop, but it was the See of Rome that eventually became the See of the Vicar of Christ, St. Peter the Apostle and his successors, the Popes of the Church, right up to our current and reigning Pope, that is Pope Francis. Rome as the seat of secular and worldly power is symbolically made to be the seat of the Lord’s Vicar to highlight the authority that God has over all things, even over the secular world and rulers.

Rome was also most importantly the place where both St. Peter and St. Paul ended their respective ministries in martyrdom. St. Peter and St. Paul both encountered persecutions with the other Christians at that time in Rome during the reign of the infamous Roman Emperor Nero, who began the first intense persecution of Christians first in Rome and then elsewhere in the Empire. First to be martyred was St. Paul, who according to tradition was martyred by beheading at the time when the Great Fire of Rome happened in the Year of Our Lord 64. At that time, St. Paul had been in Rome for a while, awaiting the time of his appeal to the Emperor for the case raised against him by the Jewish authorities and the Sanhedrin. He and the other Christians persecuted were executed as they were blamed for causing the Great Fire of Rome, which according to historical evidences was probably started by the Emperor himself.

Meanwhile, St. Peter was also persecuted and was martyred slightly later, about four years later when he was crucified at the site where the great Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican now stands. Out of humility, St. Peter asked his executioners to be crucified upside-down so that he would not die in the same manner as his Lord and Master. And thus was how both St. Peter and St. Paul, Holy Apostles of the Lord, shed their blood and gave up their lives for the sake of the Lord, as they endured persecutions and oppressions in defending their faith, and in their commitment to continue proclaiming the truth of God to the people of all the nations. They did not fear persecution or death because they trusted in the Lord and they knew that even in martyrdom and death, they would share in the glory of God, Who Himself has suffered and died for the sake of all mankind.

If we wonder how we can follow in the footsteps of these two great saints, as we all indeed should do, we must first realise that they were all flawed and imperfect, normal human beings just like each and every one of us. They had their weaknesses and faults, just as we all had ours, but what matters is that, they let God guide them, answering His call and committing themselves to walk down the path which He has shown and told them to walk through. St. Peter himself was once a humble, illiterate and brash fisherman at the Lake of Galilee as Simon son of John, who would have been relegated to the footnotes of history and mankind’s existence just like many other countless fishermen and others out there from those seemingly humble backgrounds. He was not eloquent and he did commit mistakes, and he was also known for his not just once, but thrice denial of the Lord at the moment when He was arrested and persecuted at the beginning of His Passion.

Meanwhile St. Paul when earlier on he was still known as Saul, he was a great enemy of the early Church and Christians for his overzealous but ultimately misguided campaign to eradicate the followers of Christ. The young Saul was a young Pharisee who blindly followed the tenets and ways of the Pharisees, many of whom were also opposed to the Lord. Thus in his young, hot-tempered and overzealous passionate efforts, he brought a lot of grievances and hardships against the early Christian communities throughout Jerusalem, Judea and beyond. He was on his way to Damascus in Syria to continue the persecutions against the Christians there when the Lord appeared to him and had an encounter with him, which eventually led to Saul realising the mistakes and the folly of his misguided ways, and hence, embracing the Lord as his Saviour.

Both Simon and Saul had profound change in their lives upon encounter with the Lord, and they henceforth were known as Peter, from the word Petros in Greek, or the original Kephas or Cephas in Aramaic, which means ‘Rock’. Saul adopted the name Paul shortly after his conversion, and just like Abram and Jacob in the past, who both changed their names to Abraham and Israel respectively after life-changing moments, these name changes highlighted their commitment to a new life that is blessed and in accordance with God’s will. This is what we usually also practice as we adopt our baptismal names upon our baptism, and also when we add on our confirmation names as well. All of these symbolically signified our willingness to commit ourselves to the Lord, just as the two great Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and other holy servants of God had done.

And even after they have embarked on the path of God’s righteousness, as Apostles, these two men were not perfect either. St. Peter himself still made mistakes, as when he initially followed the opinion of those who sought to introduce strict Jewish customs and practices, and the Lord corrected and helped him to understand what the true desire and intention of the Lord truly was. And according to Church tradition, just before he was to be martyred, it was famously said that St. Peter did flee the city of Rome to flee the intense persecutions then happening against Christians, and he encountered the Lord along the way, carrying His Cross. When St. Peter asked the Lord, ‘Quo Vadis?’ meaning ‘Where are You going?’, the Lord told St. Peter that He was going to Rome to be crucified again. St. Peter, embarrassed at his lack of courage, resolved to go back to Rome, and was crucified upside-down as mentioned earlier on. St. Paul on the other hand was also involved with disputes with the other disciples of the Lord and the Apostles, such as the dispute which he had with St. Barnabas the Apostle who accompanied with him in some of his missionary journeys.

All these showed us all that the Apostles, such as St. Peter and St. Paul, and just like the many other saints and holy men and women of God, are not supermen or superwomen, and they are not people who are greater than us in nature. But what makes them distinct and eventually revered, is the fact that all of them allowed the Lord to lead them in their lives, so that through their imperfections and sins, made better and more perfect, forgiven and reconciled to God by His mercy and love, they have shown us all that all of us indeed have the potential to be saints as well, brothers and sisters in Christ. Today, as we rejoice in this great Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, Holy Apostles of the Lord and the Patron saints of Rome and the Universal Church, we are all reminded that each and every one of us also have the same capacity and potential to be like them, and indeed, we have been entrusted with the same mission that the Lord had entrusted to His Apostles, to St. Peter and St. Paul, two millennia ago.

In our world today, there are still a lot of people who have not yet known the Lord and who are still living in the darkness, in ignorance of God’s truth and love. And it is up to us all, as members and parts of God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, to continue the good works which the Apostles like St. Peter and St. Paul had started. All of us in our own respective areas in life, in our various commitments and vocations in life should always strive to do our best to sanctify our lives, our every good works and efforts, so that in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another, we will always be the worthy and holy disciples and missionaries of the Lord, to proclaim the Good News and the Gospel of salvation through our own lives, just as the Holy Apostles had done. All of us are the ones who can touch the lives of many others and help them to come ever closer to God and His salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best to be good examples and role models for one another in our lives, to be like the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul in their commitment and faith in the Lord. Let us all do our part as active and contributing members of the Church of God to evangelise and proclaim the Lord and His salvation to more and more people throughout the world. Let us joyfully reveal and show the Lord, His love and kindness to all, by our own loving actions and obedience to God’s will in our own respective lives, in how we love the Lord our God wholeheartedly, and in how we love one another, our fellow brothers and sisters, most generously and tenderly at all times. May God bless us all, and be with us in all of our journey throughout life, now and always. Amen.