Doctors of the Church

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us continue to progress through the season of Advent and towards the time and season of Christmas, we are constantly being reminded of everything that God has done for us, in His love for each and every one of us, that by this same love, this has made it possible for us to find our path towards the Lord and His ever enduring love for us. Through God’s love, He has shown us His ever present guidance and existence in our midst, and that we are never alone in this journey of faith and life. We must therefore always strive to put our focus in the Lord at all times, and we should not easily be swayed to abandon Him for other, worldly sources of satisfaction and pleasures.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Songs, we heard of the words of the author speaking about the love that God has for us all, we who are His lovers, the ones who are enjoying the grace of His Presence, His love and kindness. The Lord is calling upon all of His people to come forth away from the darkness and the desolation of sin, that they may embrace His love, His light and warmth that have been generously and ever consistently been projected and shared to all of us without fail. He has always been generous in showing us all His love and mercy, His patience and kindness, that we should really consider ourselves truly blessed and fortunate for having been beloved in such a way by our Lord, Who loves us all.

In our other first reading option today, from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, we have also heard a similar series of words of reassurance and affirmation, telling all the people of God that their Lord and Master Who loves them all, will come to them, and all o will indeed come true, showing us how loving, patient and forgiving God has been to all of those who are dear to Him. The prophet Zephaniah came to the people of God and ministered to them during the time and reign of King Josiah of Judah, who reigned after the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians, and after many misfortunes have befallen the people of God, the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem.

Hence, the words of the Lord’s affirmation and love must have truly come at a very timely moment then because it means that the people who had been suffering and enduring a lot of hardships were reminded yet again that despite their stubborn and wicked attitudes, the Lord still loved His people nonetheless, and He wanted all of them to be reconciled with Him, and hence, He told them of His ever generous mercy and love, by which His people through genuine repentance, may always come to seek Him, and this includes each and every one of us as well, because we are all also God’s beloved people, whom He has called and gathered from among the nations, to follow Him and to walk in His Holy Presence.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story of the moment when Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Child within her, as she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also bearing St. John the Baptist in her own womb. We heard of the great joy which both Elizabeth and her baby, St. John the Baptist had experienced upon knowing that Mary and Our Lord Himself had come to their dwelling place. We may not realise it, but this occasion was truly a very symbolic and meaningful one as this represents the moment when the Lord came towards His people, manifesting Himself by being Incarnate and present in this world through His Mother, fulfilling all that God had promised to us.

This is why it is important that today we must ensure that our lives’ focus and our attention are properly directed towards God, and not upon other distractions in life. We must make sure that we are all centred on the Lord and not on our selfish desires and wants, our ambitions and attachments to worldly pleasures and greed. And in our upcoming Christmas celebrations and festivities we must always keep in mind to focus our attention on the Lord and not on all the glamour and the festivities that often took up much of the event, and we end up actually forgetting the One in Whom we ought to be all celebrating about, that is Christ Himself, our Lord and Saviour, by Whose love and actions, we have been saved from our impending damnation.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Canisius, the holy priest and man of God, and a renowned teacher of the faith and honoured as a great Doctor of the Church, who is also one of my patron saints and therefore is the patron of this blog. St. Peter Canisius was a Dutch Jesuit priest renowned being one of the founders and first members of the Jesuits or the Society of Jesus, and who was remembered greatly for his works in Counter-Reformation, and in the works of evangelisation and catechesis among the people of God. He helped to spearhead the efforts of the Jesuits in the German speaking regions of Christendom, establishing institutions and schools meant to strengthen the knowledge of the faithful about their faith through proper catechesis.

He also wrote and authored the now-still famous Catechism which became a great standard of many other catechism works and books, in being very effective in delivering the teachings and aspects of the Christian faith to the people, and managed, together with St. Peter Canisius’ constant efforts in reaching out and having dialogues and conversations with the lapsed Catholics, and all who had been swayed by the false heresies of Protestantism. He helped the implementations and the reforms of the Council of Trent which strengthened the foundation and the teachings of the Church, and through his efforts, countless souls had been saved from the threat of damnation, and brought back to the Holy Mother Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in all of his works and efforts, St. Peter Canisius has always been rooted and focused on Christ. Let us all therefore follow his good examples and do whatever we can so that we may also be truly faithful in all things, and that we may indeed be filled with genuine faith and commitment to God at all times. May the Lord be with us always and may He guide us through this time of Advent, and help us to prepare ourselves well through this time towards a proper and worthy celebration of Christmas. Amen.

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 39-45

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 32 : 2-3, 11-12, 20-21

Give thanks to YHVH on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.

But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design, through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance.

In hope, we wait for YHVH, for He is our help and our shield. Our hearts rejoice in Him, for we trust on His holy Name.

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Song of Songs 2 : 8-14

The voice of my Lover! Behold He comes, springing across the mountains, jumping over the hills, like a gazelle or a young stag. Now He stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, peering through the lattice.

My Lover speaks to me, “Arise, My love, My beautiful one! Come, the winter is gone, the rains are over. Flowers have appeared on earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard. The fig tree forms its early fruit, the vines in blossom are fragrant. Arise, My beautiful one, come with Me, My love, come.”

“O My dove in the rocky cleft, in the secret places of the cliff, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice. Your face – how lovely! Your voice – how sweet!”

Alternative reading

Zephaniah 3 : 14-18a

Cry out with joy, o daughter of Zion; rejoice, o people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHVH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YHVH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day, they will say to Jerusalem : Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YHVH your God is within you, YHVH, saving warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for He has revived His love. For you He will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast. I will drive away the evil I warned you about.

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Thursday, 14 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent and as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded more and more of the coming of our salvation in God, which He has brought into our midst through none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God, and the One Who has been prophesied and predicted to come into this world, as the Saviour of all mankind. This Advent all of us are reminded as usual of this fact, so that we may indeed remember the very reason why we even celebrate Christmas in the first place. Christmas is truly not all about the festivities, merrymaking, all the joy and the parties, the gifts and the food that we are going to have, but it is all about Christ, our Lord, and the love that God Himself has shown us through His Son.

In our first reading today, we continue to hear the reading from the prophet Isaiah, in which we are constantly being reminded yet again of God’s love and all the reassurances and promises which He has given to us all, His beloved ones, which He has also fulfilled and accomplished through the coming of His Son, Our Messiah or Saviour. The context for those words of reassurance were that God wanted to remind all of His beloved ones, that despite of their many sins, wickedness and evils, He continues to care for them and love them as usual, just as He has always done from the very beginning. What He despises from them, and hence, from all of us, is our sins and disobedience, our wickedness and evils, but not us personally. The Lord our God, is our loving God, Father and Creator, and He has always loved us all these while.

And that was why, He promised us all the path to leave the evils and darkness of this world. He opened the path to eternal life and righteousness through Jesus Christ, His own begotten Son, through Whom He has shown us a new path out of the darkness, and into His eternal Light. He has shown us all by His own examples what it truly means for us to be disciples, followers and the holy people of God, and by His own perfect obedience, He brought us all into the new assurance of eternal life, reconciling us with our loving God and Father, overcoming the sin borne out of the disobedience and unfaithfulness which our forefathers and predecessors had done, in their folly and inability to resist the many temptations and pressures to sin.

The Gospel passage today then spoke of how the Lord Jesus praised St. John the Baptist, whom the Lord had also prophesied as the one to prepare the way for the world’s Saviour. What we heard is yet again another affirmation that everything that the Lord has planned and wished to happen, had indeed come true and into its full fruition because He has always intended for us to be reconciled and reunited with Him. The Lord has sent St. John the Baptist who called many to the path of repentance, reminding them of their sins and wickedness, so that they might open their hearts and minds once again to the Lord, freeing themselves from the dominion and corruption of sin and evil which have corrupted and clouded their minds and hearts for so long, that God may lead them all once again to the path of righteousness.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, today through those passages from the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we should always hold onto the faith which we have in the Lord, and remain focused on Him throughout our lives. And in particular, with regards of our preparations for Christmas and all the observances we made during this time and season of Advent, we should always remain firmly focused on the Lord and not be easily distracted and swayed by the many temptations present all around us, and be distracted by all the very prominent and loud celebrations and festivities, all the Christmas shopping, merrymaking and all the parties that are bereft and lacking of the true focus and attention on Christ, the One in Whom we ought to be celebrating and be rejoicing about.

We should not allow these temptations and worldly attachments, pleasures and all other things to dissuade and tempt us away from the path of righteousness and virtue in God. As Christians, each and every one of us should always be committed to the Lord, and we should always be Christ-like in all of our actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions and works, in our every good efforts and endeavours. This time and season of Advent is truly a good time for us to reconnect ourselves with the Lord, and to reevaluate our lives thus far, especially if we have allowed our many concerns and desires in life to interfere with our Christian faith and obligations. We should not allow all those distractions from keeping us away from the path of God’s truth, and we should also seek inspiration and strength from our holy predecessors, and their examples.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of the Cross, a renowned saint and holy man of God, who was one of the founders of the Discalced Carmelites order. St. John of the Cross was born into a family of Jewish Christian convert in the area near Avila in Spain, and he had a difficult early life due to having lost his father early on. St. John of the Cross eventually became a priest and while initially he wanted to join the Carthusians, an encounter with St. Teresa of Avila, with whom he would become the co-founders of the Discalced Carmelites, this led to St. John of the Cross helping St. Teresa of Avila in reforming the Carmelites and rediscovering their ancient discipline, rule and way of the Carmelites which had been distorted and corrupted over the centuries.

St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila worked in tandem to reform the Carmelites and they were joined by many who were interested and called to follow the Lord in the way that both these holy saints had done. However, they did not have it easy, as tensions with the original Carmelites as well as with the other religious orders brought about quite a lot of hardships and challenges, as they encountered even moments when the Discalced Carmelites were almost disbanded by the pressure and the order of those who were opposed of the works of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. Nonetheless, they remained firm in their conviction and dedication, in doing whatever they could to glorify God by their lives and works.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples set by St. John of the Cross and the many other holy men and women of God who have gone before us. Let their examples be our inspiration and strength that we may draw ever closer to God and be ever more courageous in how we continue to live our lives worthily in God’s Presence, and in how we continue to labour to prepare ourselves well for the upcoming celebration of Christmas. May God be with us always, and may He bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, our Advent journey and our lives. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 11 : 11-15

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I tell you this : no one greater than John the Baptist has arisen from among sons of women; and yet, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is something to be conquered; and violent men seize it.”

“Up to the time of John, there was only prophesy : all the prophets and the Law. And if you believe Me, John is indeed that Elijah, whose coming was predicted. Let anyone with ears listen!”

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Thursday, 14 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 144 : 1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab

I will extol You, my God and King; I will praise Your Name forever. YHVH is good to everyone; His mercy embraces all His creation.

All Your works will give You thanks; all Your saints, o YHVH, will praise You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom; and speak of Your power.

That all may know of Your mighty deeds, Your reign, and its glorious splendour. Your reign is from age to age; Your dominion endures, from generation to generation.

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Thursday, 14 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 41 : 13-20

For I, YHVH, your God, take hold of your right hand and say to you : “Fear not, I am your assistance.” Fear not, Jacob, poor worm, and you, people of Israel, so frail. I am your Redeemer, says YHVH, the Holy One of Israel, your Helper.

I will make you a thresher, new and with sharp double teeth : you will thresh hills and mountains, crushing them and reducing them to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will carry them off and the storm will scatter them. But you will rejoice in YHVH and glory in the Holy One of Israel.

The poor and the afflicted seek water, and find none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I, YHVH, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open up streams over the barren heights and let the rivers flow through all the valleys; I will turn the desert into lakes and brooks and the thirsty earth into a land of springs.

I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle and the olive; I will plant in the wasteland fir, cypress and pine – that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of YHVH has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

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Thursday, 7 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor 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 and as we continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent, all of us are reminded that the Lord alone is our hope and our strength, and the sure source of salvation and liberation from our troubles, challenges and trials. Each and every one of us should always do our best so that we may indeed be focused on the Lord and remember all that He had done for us, particularly in this blessed season and time of Advent when we are preparing to welcome the Lord into our hearts, minds, into our beings and our homes, and celebrate His coming into our midst at Christmas, as we all gather in faith as one united people of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people in the kingdom of Judah, giving them reassurance and confidence that if they all put their faith and trust in Him, they will be guarded and protected, and they will be prosperous and strong. All of these would have resonated very well with the people of Judah, which at the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah, had been beset by many difficulties and troubles. Those among us who are familiar with the history of the kingdom of Judah and the prophets would have known that the prophet Isaiah ministered to the people of God during the reigns of the King Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah, and during the reign of the latter, the Assyrians had come to destroy their northern neighbour, the Kingdom of Israel, and then went on to besiege Jerusalem and beset Judah with their mighty army under King Sennacherib.

Therefore, in the context of what the people of Judah and Jerusalem have experienced at that time, it was indeed a soothing and comforting message that the Lord has brought to His people, reassuring them all of His protection and help, so that despite the many challenges and trials that they all may have to face, the Lord will provide for them. For the case of King Sennacherib of Assyria and his mighty force that came to Jerusalem to besiege it, God destroyed most of that mighty force through His Angel, and wiped off the pride, ego and hubris of that wicked king, who also claimed that he was greater than God Himself, by saying that not even God could have saved the people of Jerusalem and Judah from his forces.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who spoke to His disciples and followers using a parable to show and teach them, using the parable of the foundations or the houses, in which He compared what happened when people built their houses on the shaky foundation of sand versus the firm and strong foundation of rock. He mentioned how those who placed their trust in the other things besides the Lord, they are like those who have built their houses upon the loose and weak foundation of sand, which is easily destroyed by the forces of nature. Meanwhile, those who have placed their trust and faith in the Lord are like those who have built their houses upon the firm foundation of rock, which would endure even against the greatest challenges.

All that we heard in our Scripture readings today are reminders for each and every one of us that we should always put the Lord at the centre and the focus of our lives, and we should not be afraid or fearful because God will always be by our side, providing for our needs and protecting us. And while we may suffer and endure hardships, trials and tribulations, but in the end, all of us will be triumphant with God, and the Lord will lead us all into His loving and holy Presence, to enjoy forever the fruits of His inheritance and promises. This is what all of us should remind ourselves and one another during this season of Advent, when we are reminded again and again of everything that God had done for us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, coming down into this world to save us.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the great saints of God, a truly renowned Church father and a devoted man of God, shepherd to his large number of flocks, both within his diocese, as well as those in the larger Universal Church that he has ministered to, and inspired in following the Lord and His path. St. Ambrose of Milan was one of the early Church fathers and was a very influential Church leader as the Bishop of Milan, which is today part of northern Italy. St. Ambrose of Milan was renowned for his works as bishop, his great piety and devotion to God, and for his inspirational leadership of the Church, within Milan and beyond, during the times of great divisions, struggles and conflicts, both within and outside the Church at that time.

St. Ambrose himself was once an important Roman governor and statesman, born into a very prominent Roman family, with his father being a very senior member of the Roman governance, as a praetorian prefect in some accounts. He was born into a Christian family and was brought up well in the faith as well as academically, eventually making his way to be the governor of Liguria province in what is now part of northern Italy, centred in Milan. It was there then St. Ambrose was trust into the limelight in the Church because of the divisions and rivalries that happened at the time between the followers of the Orthodox and true faith against those who sided with the heresy of Arianism. The bishop of Milan, one known as Auxentius, an Arian heretic, died and his succession was very contentious.

St. Ambrose of Milan came to prevent any uproar and rioting that happened because of the disagreements during the election, only for him to be acclaimed by everyone assembled as bishop, which led to St. Ambrose being properly baptised, ordained and then consecrated as the new Bishop of Milan. St. Ambrose proved to be a great bishop and administrator, and a great shepherd to his flock. He helped to reform the Church and then was involved in combatting the heresy of Arianism that had spread over much of Christendom at that time. He even courageously went up against the Roman authorities, many of whom favoured Arianism back then, including the many high level clergy throughout the Empire and the Church.

St. Ambrose championed the cause of the true, orthodox faith, and did not hesitate to use his power and influence to overcome the grip that Arianism and its heretical teachings had on the Church and the Empire. Later on in his life and ministry, he did not hesitate to chastise a powerful and mighty Emperor, Theodosius the Great, for his irresponsible and wicked action in being an accomplice in the slaughter and destruction of innocents in the great city of Thessalonica. Eventually, the Emperor himself relented and as a penitent, in sackcloth and ashes, came humbly before the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose himself, and was reconciled to the Lord and His Church. There were many other great things that this great and holy man of God had done for the Church and for God’s people, and they should inspire all of us to be faithful in the manner that St. Ambrose himself had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best so that we may always be faithful in the Lord, and that we may always be focused on Christ, the very reason why we celebrate Christmas, and why we spend this time to prepare ourselves this Advent, spiritually and wholly. Let us all do our part so that we may indeed be filled with the true joy of Christmas, and be ever more focused and committed to the Lord at all times. May our every actions, words and deeds be filled with true and genuine faith in God, and may all of us draw ever closer to Him, now and always, in all circumstances. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 7 : 21, 24-27

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My heavenly Father. Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.”

“But anyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”