Cardinals

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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, 22 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded clearly that as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us must always be guided by God in all of our ways, in all of our words, actions and deeds, or else, we will find that it is easy for us to be persuaded, tempted and swayed into evil and wicked path in life, into actions that are contrary to the will and commandments of God. We will be dragged by all those temptations and wickedness into the ways that lead us into destruction and eternal damnation, rather than righteousness and salvation in God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the second Book of Chronicles of Israel and Judah in which the story of the development in the kingdom of Judah during the reign of King Joash of Judah was told to us. In the earlier passage yesterday before today’s passage, we have how this king by the grace of God had been saved from the massacre done by her grandmother, Queen Athaliah of Judah who usurped power from the House of David. We heard how God restored him and the House of David to power through the efforts and works of one faithful priest, Jehoiada, who helped and guided King Joash throughout the early years of his reign, ensuring that he and the people obeyed the Lord’s commandments and Law, and to live righteously and faithfully in God’s path.

However, as we heard in today’s first reading passage, the moment the faithful Jehoiada passed away, King Joash was persuaded by his courtiers, nobles and advisors to carry out actions and practices that were against God’s Law and commandments, and the people once again began worshipping pagan gods and idols once again as they had done before. The people slipped once again back to their old wicked ways because they allowed themselves to be tempted by the many temptations, pressures, coercions and the allures of worldly pleasures, fame and glory being present all around them. All these were the reasons why God then raised the son of Jehoiada, named Zechariah to speak up against the King.

But neither Zechariah nor the other prophets sent by the Lord to His people were able to persuade the King and all the others who had veered off from the path of righteousness and virtue. And not only that, but as we heard, the King and the others plotted against Zechariah and stoned the righteous man of God at the courtyard, committing murder against the Lord’s servant, a truly heinous and wicked act, and especially for the King, it was a total lack of appreciation and gratitude that he committed against the late Jehoiada, who had helped to shelter and protect the King himself in his youth, and raised him back to power, when this same King slaughtered Jehoiada’s son when the latter tried to advice and remind him to stay true to the Lord’s path as he should have done.

Eventually, the retribution would come for the wicked, as the King and his forces, presumably all those who have committed the murder of Zechariah and led the people of God into sin, were crushed and routed by the forces of the Aramaeans, who wounded the King, and eventually, this same King Joash would be plotted against and killed by the other officers who disagreed with him, much in the same way that he had plotted the death of Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son. It was also mentioned in the Scriptures that he was not given burial in the place reserved to the kings of Israel and Judah, which was a clear sign that the king’s wickedness and vile actions were truly abominable and despised even after his death.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples, followers and all the people clearly that one cannot be the servant of both God and Money. The Lord told all of His disciples and followers that they all should not be worried about anything in this world, stating how the birds of the air and others were well taken care of, and no amount of worrying or planning could change anything in our lives. The Lord wanted to let us all know, and remind us that all of these worries and desires, all the attachments and considerations we have for the many worldly and material things all around us can often prevent us from truly being able to love and commit ourselves to the Lord wholeheartedly.

The Lord also reminded each and every one of His disciples, and hence all of us, that we are truly beloved and precious to the Lord, our God, and all of us should not worry because God Himself will always provide for us, and even in the challenging times and moments, we are all never truly alone as the Lord will always be by our side, protecting and guiding us, helping and supporting us all along the way. And even if we have to face difficulties, trials and challenges in our path, we must always have faith in the Lord, because in the end, no matter what, we shall have part in the eternal glory and true happiness which we can only find in the Lord alone, and which the world cannot give or provide us. No amount of worldly glory, possessions, ambitions or things can truly satisfy us or last forever.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us should also heed the good examples of the holy saints, our predecessors, whose feasts we are celebrating today, so that we may be better able to live our lives in accordance to God’s will, to His Law and commandments. St. Paulinus of Nola was the Bishop of Nola in the region of Campania in today’s Italy, well known for his great virtue and holiness, while the two saints, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were two great martyrs of the period known as the English reformation, at the time when the Church in England was torn apart due to the actions of the then King who separated the Church there from the Universal, One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church due to the disagreements he had with the Pope and the Church.

St. Paulinus of Nola was born into influential and powerful senatorial Roman family at the time of the late Roman Empire, at the time when the Christian faith had been accepted and in fact became the most common faith and belief throughout the Roman Empire. He eventually became the governor of the region and province of Campania, and was remembered as a just and great administrator, who was also concerned about the well-being of the people under his care, building up shrines and hospices, and all these was before St. Paulinus was even baptised yet. Eventually, he chose to be baptised as a Christian, and became a priest, and finally as a bishop, where he continued to do many good and wonderful works for the people of God, caring for the physical and spiritual well-being of the people in his dominion, and becoming great role model and example for all of them.

Meanwhile, both St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were martyred for their dedication and commitment to God, in refusing to obey the King’s order to abandon their faith in the Holy Mother Church, and instead follow the King’s rebellion in establishing the independent Anglican church. St. Thomas More was the powerful chancellor of the Kingdom, while St. John Fisher was the respected and powerful Bishop of Rochester, who was also an influential advisor to the King and his court. Back then, King Henry VIII sought to divorce his wife, Queen Catherine of England without success, as he was seeking for a son to be his heir. The marriage between the King and the Queen had produced a daughter, and by the then standards and even today’s standards, such a marriage should not and cannot have been dissolved. But the King insisted on, and eventually declared the independence of the Church in England from the Pope and the Universal Church.

This led to the divisions in the Church in England, with many were being forced to obey the King and to show their fealty to him and the new Anglican church. However, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were among those who refused to do so, and they were prominent especially because of their prominent positions and their firmness in refusing the King’s demands for them to recant their faith and obedience to the Holy Mother Church. St. Thomas More chose to resign his chancellorship and remain faithful to the true Church and teachings of Christ rather than to submit to the King’s demands. Both him and St. John Fisher faced a lot of trials, tribulations and sufferings, before they were martyred as the first ones among many others who would follow in their footsteps in the years and decades after in the persecutions against those who remained faithful to the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having witnessed and heard the great lives of these holy saints and martyrs, let us all therefore do our best so that in our own respective lives, we may continue to live our lives worthily as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, so that in all the things that we say and do, we will always do our best to put God first and foremost in all things. We are all reminded that we should not allow the temptations and wickedness of this world to distract and mislead us down the path of ruin and damnation, and we are reminded to remain ever strong and faithful in our journey towards the Lord. May God be with us all, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 22 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 6 : 24-34

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “No one can serve two masters, for he will either hate one and love the other; or he will be loyal to the first and look down on the second. You cannot, at the same time, serve God and money.”

Therefore, I tell you, not to be worried about food and drink for yourself, or about clothes for your body. Is not life more important than food; and is not the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, they do not harvest, and do not store food in barns; and yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more worthy than they are?”

“Can any of you add a day to your life by worrying about it? Why are you so worried about your clothes? Look at how the flowers in the fields grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was clothed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass in the field, which blooms today and is to be burnt in an oven tomorrow, how much more will He clothe you? What little faith you have!”

“Do not worry, and say : What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? or : What shall we wear? The pagans busy themselves with such things; but your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your heart, first, on the kingdom and righteousness of God; and all these things will also be given to you. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

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Saturday, 22 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Psalm)

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

Psalm 88 : 4-5, 29-30, 31-32, 33-34

I have made a Covenant with David, My chosen one; I have made a pledge to My servant. I establish his descendants forever; I build his throne for all generations.

I will keep My Covenant firm forever, and My love for him will endure. His dynasty will last forever; and his throne, as long as the heavens.

If his sons forsake My law and fail to follow My decrees, if they violate My statutes and do not keep My commandments.

I will punish their crime with the rod, and their offences, with the scourge; yet, I will not withdraw My love from him, nor will I withdraw My faithfulness.

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Saturday, 22 June 2024 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, and St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (First Reading)

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

2 Chronicles 24 : 17-25

After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came to pay court to the king, and the king now turned to them for advice. The Judaeans abandoned the house of YHVH, the God of their ancestors, and worshipped the Asherah poles and idols. Because of this sinful activity, God was angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He sent them prophets to bring them back to YHVH, but when the prophets spoke, they would not listen.

The Spirit of God took control of Zechariah, son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood up before the people and said, “God says this : Why are you disobeying the commandments of YHVH? You cannot prosper. You have abandoned YHVH and He will abandon you.”

They then plotted against him and, by order of the king, stoned him in the court of YHVH’s house. King Joash forgot the kindness of Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, and killed Jehoiada’s son who cried out as he died, “Let YHVH see and do justice!” When a year had gone by, the Aramaean army made war on Joash. They reached Judah and Jerusalem, and killed all the officials among the people, sending back to the king of Damascus all that they had plundered from them.

Though the Aramaean army was small, YHVH delivered into its power an army of great size, for they had abandoned Him, the God of their ancestors. The Aramaeans wounded Joash and when they withdrew they left him a very sick man; and his officers, plotting against him to avenge the death of the son of Jehoiada the priest, murdered him in his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, though not in the tombs of the king.

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Wednesday, 21 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for us all as Christians, as God’s beloved and holy people to heed God’s call and embrace His mercy, compassion and love. Each and every one of us have been given the opportunities and chances to come back to Him, as He offers us always His ever generous and plentiful mercy and redemption. Yet, many of us still resist God’s generosity and love, preferring to follow our own path filled with sin and wickedness. That is why many of us are still distant from the grace and righteousness that God has called us into, and many of us are still trapped by the many attachments we had for worldly matters, goods and things around us. Those temptations have often become serious obstacles preventing us from returning to the Lord.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jonah in which the ministry of Jonah to the city and the people of Nineveh has been highlighted to us all. At that time, the prophet Jonah had been sent by God to the people of Nineveh, the then great capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire, which had ruled over many other nations and states, and committed many atrocities and vile deeds during their campaigns of destruction and conquest. They were a warlike and proud race of people, who had glorified themselves over their conquest of many of those whom they had defeated, and therefore, God sent Jonah to them to remind them of the consequences and the retribution for their many sins and wickedness, and that in the end, whatever earthly glory they had gained and amassed, all are nothing before the Lord.

That was why Jonah spoke of the great destruction that would soon befall Nineveh, the great and mighty city, because of the multitudes of their sins, a fate that was echoed and preceded by the well-known case of the destruction and doom of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed by the Lord for their many sins and wickedness. Those people had disobeyed the Lord, followed the path of worldliness and sins, and as such, they were crushed by a storm of fire and brimstones, and the whole two cities were overturned, crushed and destroyed completely, erased from the face of the earth. The same fate could have befallen Nineveh as well, if they had not repented in the manner that they did, like those people who once lived in Sodom and Gomorrah.

Yet, as we heard and as I mentioned, the people of Nineveh immediately believed in the Lord and in the warnings which He presented to them through the prophet Jonah. They humbled themselves and repented from their sins, showing genuine regret for all the wicked things which they had done, and hence, the Lord did not carry out the destruction and the damnation which He had planned for them. This also shows us all that God’s love for us is truly great and wonderful, and that even sin and darkness, evil and wickedness of the world cannot come in between us and God’s love and grace. God’s mercy and love transcends the chasm of sin which had separated us from the grace and love of God all these while.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke in which the same story of Jonah and the people of Nineveh were also presented to us, in the manner how the Lord Jesus used that together with the story of the coming of the Queen of the South or the Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem, in order to highlight how many of the people to whom the Lord had been sent to, were lacking in their faith and trust in God, that they failed to believe in the One Whom God had sent into their midst, despite the obvious signs and all that the Lord Jesus Himself had done, in fulfilling everything that God had promised to His people from the very beginning of time. This was also presented as an irony and comparison, between the attitudes of the people of that time with those in Nineveh and that of the Queen of the South.

That is the people who should have believed in the Lord and followed Him, chose to shut their ears, close their hearts and minds against Him, rejecting and doubting Him, questioning His authenticity and authority, refusing to trust in Him or put their faith in Him. They turned their backs against the Lord Who has always been so loving and merciful, kind and compassionate towards them, seeking in the false leads and pleasures of the world instead. Meanwhile, the tax collectors, prostitutes, foreigners and pagans whom the Jewish people, especially the Pharisees among them, had looked down upon, were indeed closer to God and His salvation, because they, like the people of Nineveh in the past, sought to repent and turn away from their sins, embracing God’s love and mercy. This is what we all should be doing as well, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Damian, a great servant of God and a holy man of God, whose dedication and actions, contributions to the Church and the community of the faithful inspired many throughout Christendom and through time right to this very day. St. Peter Damian was a great religious and servant of God, who had dedicated his life to the works of the Lord and to the good of His Church, and he was also involved in the great reforms of the Church which he spearheaded, as he was involved in many programs to help restore the sanctity and purity in the Church, especially amongst the members of the clergy and the Church hierarchy. He himself resisted the temptations of worldly glory, and giving up any such ambitions, chose to become a religious and dedicated himself to God as a religious.

St. Peter Damian however was deeply involved in the works of the reforms of the Church, due to his good friend, who would eventually be elected as Pope St. Gregory VII. As a religious Benedictine monk, although he lived in his monastery, but St. Peter Damian continued to watch closely the affairs and workings of the Church of his time, and later on, when Pope St. Gregory VII chose his advisors, he placed St. Peter Damian as one of his close collaborators, being therefore closely involved in the process of reforms. The next Pope who succeeded Pope St. Gregory VII also treasured the contributions of St. Peter Damian and insisted to make him as a Cardinal, which St. Peter Damian resisted for a while, before eventually relenting and he was thus consecrated as the Cardinal Bishop of Ostia as a chief and very important advisor to the Pope, continuing with his works and missions in reforming the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore make good use of the examples shown to us by this holy man of God, St. Peter Damian, in all that he had done for the sake of God’s Church, and also remind ourselves of the need for us to repent and turn away from all of our many sins and wickedness. Let us all be the beacons of hope and strength for one another, doing whatever we can so that by our loving examples and inspirational actions, filled with love and grace of God, we may help many others to come ever closer towards God, and to be redeemed from their sins, like how the people of Nineveh had done in the past, in embracing God with great desire to be forgiven and to be redeemed from their sins. Let us all come towards the Lord with contrite hearts and minds, and seek Him with ever greater commitment from now on, especially as we journey through this blessed time of Lent. May God be with us always throughout this journey of faith and life, and throughout this Lenten season. Amen.

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Wednesday, 21 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 11 : 29-32

At that time, as the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words : “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.”

“The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.”

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Wednesday, 21 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 12-13, 18-19

Have mercy on me, o God, in Your love. In Your great compassion blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil.

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

You take no pleasure in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, You would not delight in it. O God, my sacrifice is a broken spirit; a contrite heart, You will not despise.

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Wednesday, 21 February 2024 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jonah 3 : 1-10

The word of YHVH came to Jonah a second time : “Go to Nineveh, the great city, and announce to them the message I give you.”

In obedience to the word of YHVH, Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a very large city, and it took three days just to cross it. So Jonah walked a single day’s journey and began proclaiming, “Forty days more and Nineveh will be destroyed.”

The people of the city believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. Upon hearing the news, the king of Nineveh got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes. He issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh :

“By the decree of the king and his nobles, no people or beasts, herd or flock, will taste anything; neither will they eat nor drink. But let people and beasts be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call aloud to God, turn from his evil ways and violence. Who knows? God may yet relent, turn from His fierce anger and spare us.”

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not carry out the destruction He had threatened upon them.

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Tenth Anniversary of the Election of Pope Francis as Successor of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff

(Taken from Cathedral of the Good Shepherd Sunday Bulletin, the Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Singapore)

Wishing our Holy Father, His Holiness Pope Francis, a most blessed tenth anniversary of his election to the Papacy, as the Successor of St. Peter, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church!

Ad multos annos, Your Holiness!