Church fathers

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Friday, 26 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Bishops (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the two great saints and Church fathers, St. Timothy and St. Titus, both of whom were the disciples and followers of St. Paul the Apostle, the Apostle to the Gentiles. Both of them were inspired and mentored by St. Paul who taught them more about the Christian faith and guided them in their path, that they, in their own ways, contributed greatly to the development and the growth of the early Church. St. Timothy and St. Titus were among the earliest bishops of the Church, as those who have been chosen and appointed to be the successors of the Apostles, who had the Apostles laying their hands upon them, giving them the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

St. Timothy was one of the companions of St. Paul during his missionary journeys, and as mentioned, the latter was the mentor of St. Timothy, guiding him in the way of the Christian faith. He was a native of Lystra or Derbe in what is today part of Turkey, then known as Anatolia, one of the places that St. Paul visited during his missionary journeys, and where he performed miracles and healings that brought quite a number of the locals, likely including that of St. Timothy, to embrace the Christian faith. Eventually, St. Timothy became the disciple of St. Paul, and helped him during the later missionary journeys that he carried out, proclaiming the Good News of God to more and more people all throughout the region, where many accepted the Lord as their God and Saviour.

St. Timothy continued the works of St. Paul when he left for Rome in his final missionary journey, which would led to St. Paul’s martyrdom there. He was appointed as bishop in Asia Minor, likely in Ephesus, one of the great early centres of Christianity. There, he continued to work hard for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls, courageously spreading the Word of God and His Good News to more and more people. According to the Apostolic and Church traditions, he was also persecuted and endured prison more than once, eventually suffering martyrdom for his faith and commitment to God, after many decades of continuous and courageous hard work for the Lord. Yet, his examples continued to inspire many people long after his time.

Meanwhile, St. Titus also had a similar story to St. Timothy, as he was also likely converted by St. Paul, and then later on followed him on his missionary journeys, assisting him as a scribe and interpreter. He was sent by St. Paul from Ephesus to Corinth to settle the issues which arose there, and which was highlighted in St. Paul’s Epistle to the Corinthians. He managed to resolve the issue and the situation successfully, and later on continued to join St. Paul in his various further missionary and evangelising works. Eventually St. Titus was also chosen and appointed as bishop to succeed and continue the works of the Apostles, and was entrusted with the care of his native island of Crete. There he continued to minister to the people of God much as St. Timothy had done, and perhaps had also suffered martyrdom as well, although the information was scant regarding this.

This is the essence of what we have heard from the Gospel passage today, in which the account of how the Lord Jesus sent out the seventy-two disciples on various missions was told to us. At that time, the Lord appointed and sent out the seventy-two disciples, most of whom were not known by name, but all those people were instrumental in extending even further the reach of the Lord’s works, beyond what His Twelve Apostles had done and could do. Some of those among the seventy-two disciples were themselves appointed later on as the successors and companions of the Apostles, and through them, their witnessing of the Lord’s ministry and good works, and through the knowledge of truth that they had received from the Lord Himself and through the Holy Spirit, they passed on that truth to the Church of God, and therefore, eventually to all of us.

The Lord sent them all out to prepare His path and to do His works among the people of God, and telling them to be strong and courageous, and to remain faithful and committed to their mission, because they would likely face persecutions, hardships and trials for what they have done and worked for. Yet, the Lord also reassured all of them that He would be with them, guiding and helping them along the way. He told them to go to the houses of those who received them well and accepted their message, while those who have stubbornly refused to believe in the truth of God, they should ignore and leave behind. Through this reminder, the Lord wanted to tell His disciples and followers to place their trust in Him, and follow Him.

As we have heard from the lives and examples of St. Timothy and St. Titus, their courage and faith in God, and also from the passages of the Sacred Scriptures that we have heard today, let us all therefore discern carefully what the Lord may intend for us to do in our respective lives. Each and every one of us should always be attuned to the Lord and be willing to listen to Him, so that we all may know what it is that we are all called to do in our lives, in our respective vocations and areas of responsibilities. This is why we should not remain idle in life, but do our best, in showing by our own good examples, what we all can do in our everyday moments. Let us all be the good and worthy role models for others to follow.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He empower everyone of us, so that we can follow in the footsteps of His faithful servants, St. Timothy and St. Titus, in doing what we can for the glory of His Name and in proclaiming His truth and love to more and more people, all around us. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 26 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Bishops (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 10 : 1-9

At that time, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of Him, to every town and place, where He Himself was to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to His harvest.”

“Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know. Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.”

“When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them : ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’”

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Friday, 26 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Bishops (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 95 : 1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10

Sing to YHVH a new song, sing to YHVH, all the earth! Sing to YHVH, praise His Name.

Proclaim His salvation, day after day. Recall His glory among the nations, tell all the peoples His wonderful deeds.

Give to YHVH, you families of nations, give to YHVH glory and strength. Give to YHVH the glory due His Name.

Say among the nations, “YHVH reigns!” He will judge the peoples with justice.

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Friday, 26 January 2024 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Bishops (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Timothy 1 : 1-8

From Paul, Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, for the sake of His promise of eternal life, in Christ Jesus, to my dear son Timothy. May grace, mercy and peace be with you, from God, the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.

I give thanks to God, Whom I serve with a clear conscience, the way my ancestors did, as I remember you constantly, day and night, in my prayers. I recall your tears, and I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, so like the faith of your grandmother Lois and of your mother Eunice, which I am sure you have inherited.

For this reason, I invite you to fan into a flame, the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in labouring for the Gospel, with the strength of God.

Alternative reading

Titus 1 : 1-5

From Paul, servant of God, Apostle of Christ Jesus, at the service of God’s chosen people, so that they may believe, and reach the knowledge of truth and godliness. The eternal life we are waiting for was promised from the very beginning, by God, Who never lies, and as the appointed time had come, He made it known, through the message entrusted to me by a command of God, our Saviour.

Greetings to you, Titus, my true son in the faith we share. May grace and peace be with you from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I left you in Crete because I wanted you to put right, what was defective, and appoint elders in every town, following my instructions.

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Saturday, 13 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today in our Scripture readings all of us as Christians are reminded that God loves each and every one of us, and He gives His blessings unto us, consecrating us all to the truth, bringing us ever closer to His grace and love. Through Him, all of us have received the most graceful and generous bounty of forgiveness for our many sins, as well as the redemption of our souls, the promise of everlasting life, true and most wonderful happiness in each and every one of our lives, and in the world that is to come. We are all called to return to the Lord and to seek Him with faith, to love Him and follow Him at all times and all the days of our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Samuel, in which the Lord gave His people, the Israelites, their first king, Saul, through the help of His prophet Samuel, who was also the Judge and leader over all of Israel. The context was that, the people were demanding that they have a king to rule over them just like that of their neighbours and other states around them, and not under the authority and rule of the Judges. At that time, the Judges were the leaders of the people, and guided them all through the Law and commandments of God. The people insisted that they must have a king to rule them, and hence, God gave them what they asked for, choosing Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to be the first king to rule over Israel.

Saul was chosen from the smallest tribe among the Israelites, and from among the smallest clan in the tribe of Benjamin. He was just an ordinary man whom God called to be the leader over His people, fulfilling what the people requested of Him. But God did not choose by worldly standards, prestige or power, and instead, called those whom He deemed to be worthy, and helped and guided them to be truly worthy and capable in doing what they had all been entrusted to do. God empowered and guided Saul to be the worthy leader over all of his beloved people. Saul was called to follow the Lord and to put himself in the service of God, in doing whatever was necessary to lead and guide God’s people to their one true Lord and King. This was what God had entrusted to Saul to do, by making him as the king over all of His people.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus came by the place of Levi, the tax collector and called him to follow Him. Levi listened to the Lord’s call, left everything he had behind, his job and works, his office and all, and followed the Lord. Not only that but he also brought the Lord to his fellow tax collectors, and the Lord had dinner with all of them, as many among them wanted to listen to Him, His teachings and follow Him as well. This earned the Lord the derision, disapproval and criticism from the Pharisees who thought that the Lord should not have spent time to mingle and even have dinner with those tax collectors, who were widely despised and hated, treated as sinners and people who were unworthy of God and His grace.

The tax collectors were treated badly because the people widely considered them as traitors to their nation and cause, as they likely collected the taxes on behalf of the Romans, and other rulers like King Herod, who were also equally disliked and despised. Hence, that was why they were hated and treated unfairly by those people, especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, the elders and the chief priests, who looked and thought highly of themselves, considering themselves superior than any other people. But the Lord immediately rebuked those Pharisees, who were being selfish and immersed in their self-righteous attitude, thinking that they could not be wrong, and that they were better than anyone else. The Lord told them that it was precisely because of the presence of those sinners that He had come, to reach out to them and to bring them all back to Him.

In fact, because Levi and his fellow tax collectors were open-minded and willing to listen to the Lord’s call, they were all closer to the salvation and grace of God than that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, who were blinded by their hypocrisy and blind insistence on obedience to the Law, that they could not see or realise that they themselves were sinners too, in need of forgiveness and mercy of God. Everyone has been called by God to follow Him, like Saul, Levi and many others, even those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, but not all of them were willing to follow Him wholeheartedly. For many different reasons, people throughout time and history have diverged away from the Lord because they trusted more in their own machinations and power rather than in God.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great servant and man of God, whose life and dedication to God, as well as his commitment to the flock of the faithful entrusted to him, can inspire many of us in how we all should be living up to our Christian faith and calling in life. St. Hilary, also known as St. Hilary of Poitiers, was a renowned Church father and the early Bishop of Poitiers. St. Hilary of Poitiers was born into a pagan family, and later on was baptised with his family, and was a very upright, pious and outstanding person. This was why the people of Poitiers unanimously elected him to be their bishop and shepherd, and as bishop, St. Hilary devoted himself tirelessly to work for the benefit of all the faithful people of God, working against all the heresies that were then rampant and threatening many of them.

St. Hilary committed himself to oppose all the corrupt teachings and false ways of the heretics, and through all of his contributions and works, writings and more, he was so well-known and respected that he was known by the epithet of ‘Hammer of the Arians’, referring to the widespread heresy of Arianism that was then deeply entrenched throughout many parts of Christendom. St. Hilary of Poitiers spent a lot of time in helping and guiding his flock, and he had to face even exile and sufferings for years for his opposition against the dangerous heresies threatening the people of God. After he returned back to his diocese, he would continue to do God’s will and works, leading the flock of the faithful back towards Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard in our Scripture passages today, and as we have reflected upon them and the life and works of St. Hilary of Poitiers, great man and servant of God, let us all therefore reflect upon our respective calling and vocations in life as Christians. Each and every one of us have been entrusted and given the responsibilities and missions to do what God had called us to do, and we should commit ourselves to follow Him in all the things that He has shown us. Let us all be filled with faith and strength, with the courage and the hope that we all should do our best to love and serve the Lord, at all times. May God bless us always, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 13 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

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

Mark 2 : 13-17

At that time, when Jesus went out again, beside the lake, a crowd came to Him, and He taught them. As He walked along, He saw a tax collector sitting in his office. This was Levi, the son of Alpheus. Jesus said to him, “Follow Me!” And Levi got up and followed Him.

And it so happened that, when Jesus was eating in Levi’s house, tax collectors and sinners sat with Him and His disciples; there were a lot of them, and they used to follow Jesus. But Pharisees, men educated in the Law, when they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to His disciples, “Why does your Master eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Jesus heard them, and answered, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Saturday, 13 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

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

Psalm 20 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

The king rejoices in Your strength, o YHVH, and exults in Your saving help. You have granted him his desire; You have not rejected his request.

You have come to him with rich blessings; You have placed a golden crown upon his head. When he asked, You gave him life – length of days forever and ever.

He glories in the victory You gave him; You shall bestow on him splendour and majesty. You have given him eternal blessings, and gladdened him with the joy of Your presence.

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Saturday, 13 January 2024 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

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

1 Samuel 9 : 1-4, 17-19 and 1 Samuel 10 : 1a

There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a valiant Benjaminite. Kish had a son named Saul, a handsome young man who had no equal among the Israelites, for he was a head taller than any of them.

It happened that the asses of Kish were lost. So he said to his son Saul, “Take one of the boys with you and go look for the asses.” They went all over the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah but did not find them. They passed through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but the asses were nowhere to be found.

So, when Samuel saw Saul, YHVH told him, “Here is the man I spoke to you about! He shall rule over My people.” Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and said, “Tell me, where is the house of the seer?” Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me. In the morning, before you leave, I will tell you all that is in your heart.”

Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul’s head.

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Tuesday, 2 January 2024 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of why we celebrate this Christmas season, which we are still in the midst of. In this time and season of Christmas, as we rejoice in the Lord, we joyfully welcome Him into our lives, remembering how He has come into our midst, embracing our humanity and becoming incarnate in the flesh, showing us the truth and Good News of God. This is why today we all are reminded to be committed to keep firmly the truth and the Good News which the Lord has taught us, and not to fall victim to the lies and falsehoods which the devil and all the enemies of the Lord have put all around us so that we may end up being misled by all of their efforts.

This is what St. John spoke about in his Epistle which is our first reading passage today. He mentioned about the dangers of the antichrists, all those who denied the truth of God, and spread false teachings and heresies. Heresies and false teachings are quite common throughout the history of the Church, right up to this day, but those words from St. John highlighted the fact that even from the earliest days of the Church there had been those antichrists and false prophets and leaders who had been subverting the message of truth and the Good News of God, which brought about a lot of confusion and divisions among the Church and the faithful community of God’s people, as those antichrists and false leaders led many among the people of God into the wrong paths.

That was why St. John the Apostle reminded all the faithful Christians that they should always remain focused on the Lord and His truth, and they should not allow the confusions and divisions sown by those antichrists and false prophets and leaders from dividing them into factions, sects and groups, that lead into further disagreements and divisions that could harm not only the unity of the Church, but also the state and salvation of many souls that might be led astray from the path of God’s righteousness and grace. This reminder remains true for us all even today because we are all also still exposed to all those falsehoods, temptations and persuasions from those who sought to bring us to our downfall and destruction.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. John, we are all further reminded of this truth, as we heard how St. John the Baptist responded to all those who queried and asked him about his works and whether he was the Messiah or not. St. John the Baptist was very popular back then and many people came to follow him, going to him in large numbers, seeking to be baptised by him, and repenting from their wicked and sinful ways. Yet, he clearly stated before all those who asked him whether he was the Messiah that God had promised His people, that he was not the One that they were waiting for, but rather, he was merely the Herald and servant who was to prepare the path for the coming of the Lord, to make His path and way straight before His coming.

Many people would have been tempted by the temptations of fame, glory and renown that they might end up doing things that benefit themselves and this was the main reason why all those antichrists and false prophets and leaders had risen up. Many of them confused the faithful and the people of God because they wanted to draw all of these people to themselves, for their own benefits, so that they could gain more fame, wealth, renown and glory for themselves. But St. John the Baptist remained firm in his conviction and commitment to see through what the Lord had entrusted to him, the mission and calling which he has been given, to call on all the people of God to return to Him, and to open their hearts and minds to welcome the Lord and Saviour of the world when He came.

This is why all of us as Christians should always be reminded by those Scripture passages, that we should not allow worldly temptations, attachments and ways to corrupt us and to lead us down the wrong paths in life. We should not allow our desires and greed to mislead us down the path towards sin and evil, and we should always do our best to commit our hearts and minds to follow the Lord and focus our attention on Him, and not on ourselves and our selfish ambitions, greed and desires. We must always be centred on Christ in all things, and not to let ourselves be dragged into sin and downfall, and hence we should model ourselves on our holy predecessors, those holy men and women who had gone before us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great saints and holy men of God, great and respected early Church fathers who were remembered for their steadfast faith and commitment as shepherds to their respective flock, and also active participation in the greater Church matters, in their commitment to resist the various heresies and falsehoods which had been widespread throughout the Church and Christendom at that time. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen were bishops and elders of the Church during the time when the Church’s orthodoxy and truth were being challenged by those who had perverted and misconstrued the teachings of the Lord for their own agenda and benefits.

St. Basil the Great was also known as St. Basil of Caesarea, as the Bishop of Caesarea in Asia Minor during the time of the late Roman Empire when the Empire has gradually accepted Christianity as its dominant religion and belief, and persecutions had ceased earlier on with the toleration Edict of Milan. He was known well for his theological works and efforts in opposing the encroachment of the Arians and other heresies threatening his flock. Both him and St. Gregory Nazianzen, the then Archbishop of Constantinople, who were friends and contemporaries, courageously defended the Church against the heresy of Arianism, which had affected many parts of the Church, and which had misled many of the faithful people of God into the wrong paths. Back then, the Arian heresy had a rather strong following from the clergy and the laity alike, and they had strong following and support especially among the Imperial family and nobles.

This made it rather difficult and challenging for St. Basil and St. Gregory to carry out their mission and works, but they continued to persevere through nonetheless, facing hardships, trials and challenges for their constant commitment to the true teachings of the Lord, but they continued to devote themselves to God. St. Gregory Nazianzen in particular was also known for his great humility and refusal to entangle himself in any matters pertaining to worldly ambitions and power. He refused to be ordained a bishop for a while before eventually, he accepted the role as Archbishop of Constantinople, with the support of the new Roman Emperor, Theodosius the Great, who supported the cause of the Nicene and Trinitarian party, against the Arians. St. Gregory Nazianzen would go on to preside over the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, which further solidified the true Christian teachings against the heretics. And when controversies arose because of all the disagreements and intrigues that surrounded that Council and its aftermath, St. Gregory Nazianzen chose to humbly retire and while continuing to quietly work for the greater glory of God in his retirement.

Through the many great works of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, their fearless defence of the true faith, and their commitment to God, to those flock entrusted to them, both of these holy saints of God should indeed be great inspirations and role models for all of us in how we should live our lives with faith. Let us all always be inspired by the great faith, commitment and humility which they have shown us, and do our best that our lives will always be centred and focused on the Lord as well. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to lead us down the path of righteousness, in the path of His servants, especially St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 January 2024 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 19-28

This was the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” John recognised the truth, and did not deny it. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”

And they asked him, “Then who are you? Elijah?” He answered, “I am not.” They said, “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Tell us who you are, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?”

And John said, quoting the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord!”

Those who had been sent were Pharisees; and they put a further question to John, “Then why are you baptising, if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John answered, “I baptise you with water, but among you stands One Whom you do not know; although He comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.”

This happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.