Doctors of the Church

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 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)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, and as we all heard them we are reminded that we should always learn to trust in the Lord, put our faith ever more in Him and do our very best so that by our every actions, words and deeds, God may always be glorified, and that we should not lose our hope in Him no matter how tough or difficult the situation may be because we have to remember and realise that God is always with us, for us and there for us by our side, even in our most troubled moments. We have to remember this when we encounter lots of obstacles and difficulties in our paths, when we are facing things that may seem impossible and utterly hard for us. That is because God has the power to overcome whatever seems impossible for us, and He has the power and authority over all things.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of the story of the birth and arrival of the prophet and Judge of Israel, the famous Samuel who would go on to anoint both Saul and David as Kings of Israel, and was the last of the line of Judges that God had appointed over His people. At that time, Samuel’s father, Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah although the latter had more children, and we heard how out of jealousy, Peninnah treated Hannah badly and often mocked her for her barrenness and childlessness. For the context, in the ancient Israelite community, being barren and unable to conceive a child was considered as a bad omen and even sign of Divine displeasure and sin. That was why Hannah was so distraught at this treatment, and she went to seek the help from the Lord.

That was when we heard in our passage today about Hannah baring her heart and soul out before the Lord in His Presence in Shiloh, where the Ark of God and the Judge of Israel, Eli, resided. There Hannah made a truly heartfelt plea and prayer to God, asking Him to help her and promised that if He were to fulfil her wishes and prayers for a child and son, she would dedicate that son to the service of God. We then heard of the exchange between Eli and Hannah, and how eventually Eli prayed for Hannah and interceded for her, asking that God might answer her prayers. And we heard how Hannah was transformed by that experience and time, and by the grace of God, she eventually became pregnant and had the child, the prophet Samuel himself, even after a long time being unsuccessful in having a child.

Then from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the occasion of the miraculous healing of a man who had been possessed by evil spirits who came to the Lord Jesus as He was teaching in a synagogue. The evil spirits possessing the man tried to expose the Lord’s identity and said before everyone assembled that He was indeed the Holy One of God, the Son of God, while also acknowledging that He has the power and authority to destroy them, something that no one else but God could have done. In doing so, those evil spirits in fact tried to disturb and prevent the Lord from carrying out His mission and ministry smoothly. This was because of the opposition that the Lord had been facing from the chief priests and the Pharisees that put obstacles in His path wherever He and His disciples went.

Hence, should the evil spirits proclaimed loudly before everyone that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the long awaited Saviour, and that He was none other than God Himself, manifested through His Son in the flesh, this would have led to great consternation and chaos among the people, who were divided among those who fervently believed in the Lord and His miracles and against those who were adamantly hardened in hearts and minds, refusing to believe in Him even despite all the signs, miracles and wonders that He had performed before their own eyes and despite all the wisdom and teachings which He had delivered to them with such great authority. The irony is indeed that it was the evil spirits that readily recognised the Lord for Who He is, while many among the leaders of the people and the religious elites failed to do so.

And then, more importantly, the Lord also told those evil spirits to be silent and to get out of those men, a feat that no one else but God and those whom He gave the power and authority to, could have done. Just like the case with Hannah, the Lord showed His power of resolving whatever seem to be impossible, and reminding us all that if we continue to have faith and trust in Him, eventually our faith and belief in Him will bear rich fruits in due time, in God’s good time. What we need to do is indeed to learn to be patient and continue to trust in the Lord and in His Providence, and let God do the rest for us. Truly, those who hope in God and trust in Him will never be disappointed for it is in God alone we can find true Hope that is always true and will never disappoint us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we heard about how the Lord provided for His faithful and beloved ones, today all of us also ought to look upon the good examples and inspirations set by St. Hilary, one of the great Church fathers, also known as St. Hilary of Poitiers, whose love and devotion to God, zeal and faith by which he had lived his life and ministry, can be great source of inspiration for all of us in how we live our own Christian living and faith. St. Hilary of Poitiers was the Bishop of Poitiers who was renowned for his great dedication to his flock and for his opposition to the heretics and all those who had perverted and misused the truth of God for their own selfish purposes. He was particularly energetic and passionate in opposing the then greatly influential Arian beliefs that distorted the truth about Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of all.

St. Hilary spent a lot of time and effort in reaching out to his flock and opposing those who sought to divide the Church and snatch the faithful from the hands of the Lord’s shepherds, having to endure persecutions and even exile for his courageous struggles for the truth, for the Lord and for the Lord’s beloved flock. He wrote extensively on many aspects of the faith, against the heretical teachings and ideas, which eventually made him proclaimed as one of the great Doctors of the Church for his immense contributions, long after he has passed on from this world. The faith and dedication which St. Hilary has shown us should serve as a good example for us to follow, so that each and every one of us may also follow him in his devotion and efforts in serving and glorifying God, in our own respective lives and actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our very best in each and every moments of our lives so that we may continue to be good examples of persevering hope and faith in God even amidst great challenges and even impossible odds. Let us share our faith and hope in the Lord to everyone around us, so that we may inspire and inflame in each one of them the ever stronger and burning flame of hope that should continue to be in us, in our constant faith and trust in God, at all times. May God bless us all and our every endeavours and efforts, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 1 : 21b-28

At that time, Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The people were astonished at the way He taught, for He spoke as One having authority, and not like the teachers of the Law. It happened that, a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue, and he shouted, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are : You are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent, and come out of this man!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him. All the people were astonished, and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority He preaches! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him!”

And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.

The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the proud mother is left alone.

YHVH is Lord of life and death. He brings down to the grave and raises up. YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and He exalts.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

1 Samuel 1 : 9-20

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah stood up not far from Eli, the priest whose seat was beside the doorpost of YHVH’s House. Deeply distressed she wept and prayed to YHVH and made this vow : “O YHVH of Hosts, if You will have compassion on Your maidservant and give me a son, I will put him in Your service for as long as he lives and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she prayed before YHVH, Eli observed the movement of her lips. Hannah was praying silently; she moved her lips but uttered no sound and Eli thought Hannah was drunk. He, therefore, said to her : “For how long will you be drunk? Let your drunkenness pass.”

But Hannah answered : “No, my lord, I am a woman in great distress, not drunk. I have not drunk wine or strong drink, but I am pouring out my soul before YHVH. Do not take me for a bad woman. I was so afflicted that my prayer flowed continuously.”

Then Eli said, “Go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you asked for.” Hannah answered, “Let Your maidservant deserve Your kindness.” Then she left the Temple; and when she was at table she seemed a different woman. Elkanah rose early in the morning and worshipped before YHVH with his wives. Then they went back home to Ramah.

When Elkanah slept with his wife, Hannah, YHVH took compassion on her, and she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel because she said : “I have asked YHVH to give him to me.”

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Friday, 2 January 2026 : 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 we are still progressing through the season and time of Christmas which will still last for another week at least. Liturgically, the season of Christmas lasts up to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which will happen about a week from now and traditionally, Christmas is celebrated right up to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on the second day of February, making a whole forty days of the Christmas season. That is why we are still continuously being reminded of the Lord and His coming into this world, the salvation and truth that He has brought into our midst among other things. The Lord and His coming into this world has brought upon us all a new hope and renewal, as Christ assured us all that if we have faith in Him, we shall receive the guarantee of eternal life and grace.

However, as we heard in our first reading today, there were a lot of those who threatened to derail our path towards the Lord, as we heard from the Epistle of St. John to the faithful people of God and the Church, detailing how there were antichrists and false prophets, false teachers and messengers, all those who taught different messages and Gospels from what has been delivered and taught by the Apostles. St. John warned the faithful against all of those, the heresies which had risen even as early as the beginning of the Church, as those who sought to subvert and change the Church teachings and doctrines to suit their own desires and wishes, caused divisions among the faithful and confusion, which led to some of the faithful falling into heretical ways. This is a truly regrettable event which unfortunately kept on happening throughout the history of the Church.

Among those heresies were those that denied the Divinity of Christ, or even denying the existence of Christ Himself, and those who considered the Lord Jesus as a false Messiah, and claiming to be the Messiah themselves. Those false leaders and teachers harmed the unity of the Church and led many to the wrong paths, which then caused many to fall away from the path of righteousness and truth. St. John reminded all the faithful of everything that they had received from the Lord, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the anointing which has been given to them through baptism and chrism, and the Wisdom and strength which they had received so that they might all persevere amidst all the challenges, trials and all the false leads that they had to face. With God’s guidance, strength and help, nothing is truly impossible for us to endure and to overcome.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the confrontation between the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law with St. John the Baptist, who was the one sent by God to prepare the way for His Son, the true Messiah, Saviour of the whole world. Those Pharisees and teachers of the Law questioned St. John the Baptist, asking him why he was doing everything that he had done, in calling the people to repentance and to be baptised by him in the River Jordan, as they doubted his authenticity and they refused to believe in him simply because his path and ways did not agree with the way that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had set for themselves. For those people, anyone who did not share their perspective or belong to their group were not legitimate, and they even condemned others as sinners and blasphemers for that.

St. John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees and their high-handed and proud attitude, and told them that he was truly the one that God had sent into this world to prepare the way for the Saviour, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord!’ This must have been well-known by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who knew the prophets and their teachings and prophecies well, but their pride and hardened hearts still prevented them from believing in the truth, despite having seen the proof of the fulfilment of God’s words and prophecies before their own eyes. They continued to doubt him and asked if he was the Messiah that was to come into this world. Their constant refusals and stubborn attitudes are great hurdles in the Lord’s work of saving His people, and which was why St. John the Baptist was particularly harsh on them.

It was there then that St. John the Baptist again told those hardened hearted Pharisees that he was merely the one who came to prepare the way for the Lord, and that he was unworthy even to untie the straps of His sandals. As we can see here, contrasted with the antichrists, the false Messiahs and all those who claimed to have the truth as St. John highlighted in our first reading today, St. John the Baptist remained firmly entrenched in the truth and did not let worldly glory, fame and other sorts of temptations to get to him. He could very well have claimed to be the Messiah given his great popularity among the people just like some others had done at that time, but St. John the Baptist did not do so. He humbly did what he was sent to do, and committed himself wholeheartedly to God. This is what we have to follow as well, as Christians.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints whose dedication and commitment to God can and should become the source of inspiration for us to follow in how we can be better and more committed Christians in life. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen were two great contemporaries whose life and works inspired countless people to be faithful to God, and who were also instrumental in the evangelisation of the true faith, especially against the many heresies, falsehoods and lies rampant at their time. Both of them were considered among the original Doctors of the Church, and were widely venerated for their great contributions to the Church and their service to the people of God, which we ourselves can follow as well.

St. Basil the Great was the Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia in what is today part of Turkey, who was a great theologian and leader of the Church especially against all those who upheld heretical teachings particularly the Arians. Those Arians who listened to the heretic Arius claimed that Jesus Christ is not Co-Equal and Co-Eternal with God, but was a Being created and inferior to God Himself. This false teaching gained large amount of support among the people and not few bishops also joined the cause of the Arians, causing divisions and splits within the Church in various places. St. Basil the Great together with other faithful bishops, including that of St. Gregory Nazianzen, another great theologian and bishop, struggled and resisted the power and influence of the Arians, and defended the true, orthodox Christian faith and teachings.

Both saints inspired the Church and their flock, as well as their brother bishops to take a stand against the heresies and the falsehoods, and working to heal the divisions among the faithful through their great knowledge in theology and also skills in preaching the faith. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen did not have it easy of course, as they faced great opposition from all those who supported the Arian position and teachings, but they persevered on and kept on going, doing their best to serve the Lord, by continuing to proclaim the true faith among the people of God, as well as calling on all of them to remain steadfast and strong in the faith. These kind of actions and zeal are what should also inspire each one of us in our own faith. Can we do the same and commit ourselves to God as they had done?

May the Lord continue to guide us all to Himself, and through the good examples of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, let us all live a more devoted and holy Christian living at all times, drawing ever closer to God in all things. Let us all continue to renew our faith in the Lord and keep our focus in God as we continue to progress through this season of Christmas, as we keep reminding ourselves Who it is that we are celebrating for, that is for Christ our Lord and Saviour, and not for ourselves. May God bless us always and may He empower all of us to live ever more faithfully in His presence, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 2 January 2026 : 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.

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Friday, 2 January 2026 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

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Friday, 2 January 2026 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 2 : 22-28

Who is the liar? The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is an antichrist, who denies both the Father and the Son. The one who denies the Son is without the Father, and those who acknowledge the Son also have the Father.

Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you, too, will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise He Himself gave us : eternal life.

I write this to you thinking of those who try to lead you astray. You received from Him an anointing, and it remains in you, so you do not need someone to teach you. His anointing teaches you all things, it speaks the truth and does not lie to you; so remain in Him, and keep what He has taught you.

And now, my children, live in Him, so that when He appears in His glory, we may be confident and not ashamed before Him when He comes.

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded through the words of the Lord as we continue to progress through this season of Advent, the time of spiritual renewal and preparation for the upcoming joyous celebration that we usually have in the upcoming Christmas time and season, that each and every one of us may be truly ready to celebrate it worthily and properly in the manner that we should do it. We should always strive to centre our lives on the Lord, on His truth and love, doing our very best to embody our faith in everything that we say and do. Let this time of Advent be a truly fruitful one, filled with moments that we spend preparing ourselves well in all aspects so that we can indeed celebrate Christmas with the right spirit and joy.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord continued to reassure His beloved people, the Israelites in the southern kingdom of Judah where Isaiah had been sent to minister in, who had been beset by many troubles and challenges, and yet, the Lord would be with them always, and they would not be abandoned even when the people themselves had often abandoned and ignored God and His constant reminders of love and compassion for all of His people. The Lord has always been a source of hope and recourse for the people whenever they faced challenges and trials, and He has sent them help and guidance repeatedly over many years and circumstances. And the Lord reassured His people that He would stand with them even through the most difficult moments.

This would come true very soon indeed in the perspective of the sequence of events that were depicted in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, as a few chapters after what we heard in today’s first reading, where the story of the events surrounding the invasion of Judah by the forces of King Sennacherib of Assyria were recorded, detailing how the Assyrians led by their king came in vast numbers, over a hundred thousand strong to raze and conquer the whole of Judah and besieging its capital city Jerusalem. And if we recall what we have just heard in our first reading today, that was precisely what the Lord had told His people through the prophet Isaiah, and just as He has reassured them, that He would protect them and laid low those who were haughty and proud, the Lord smote down the Assyrians and their king, the latter which had in his great pride and hubris claiming that he would conquer Jerusalem and not even God could stop him.

God sent His mighty Angels to strike upon the armies of the Assyrians, killing most of them through unknown means, but leaving the Assyrian king completely humiliated and shattered, and he had to flee back to his homeland in great shame. Meanwhile, Judah and Jerusalem were rescued and restored, and peace returned to the people of God and their homeland. Hence, we can see clearly here how God had intervened for the sake of those who had been faithful to Him, and that those who have been faithful and committed to God, putting their trust and hope in Him will be vindicated in the end, and no hope in the Lord will come to disappointment, as God is always ever faithful to His Covenant and everything that He has promised to us and reassured us with. This is why we are reminded of this during this time of Advent so that we can continue to grow in faith in the Lord.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus Himself using a parable to highlight to His disciples what it truly means to be HIs disciples and followers, and that is to put themselves in the firm foundation of faith in God and not in all sorts of worldly means and powers, by which many often put their foundations on. He used the comparison between the strong foundation of solid rock upon which if a house were to be built, it can withstand all kind of storms and waves battering it, while those who built up upon the weak foundation of sand would easily have their houses being destroyed and torn down by the forces of nature assailing it because of the lack of that solid foundation.

In the same way therefore, if we all put our trust in our worldly means, matters and our plans and machinations, more than we put our trust and faith in God, then sooner or later we will find ourselves utterly disappointed because in the end, no matter how firm or secure they may be, none of them can truly satisfy us or support us in the manner that God can. Even if we are to face challenges and trials, but with the Lord by our side, even the greatest and hardest challenges can be overcome if we continue to hold strongly and firmly upon the faith that we have in Him. This of course does not mean that we do not do anything and solely trust in God only, but instead, in all that we do, in our every actions, words and deeds, in every moments, everything that we do must always be firmly anchored in our faith and hope in the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Damascene, also known as St. John of Damascus, a renowned monk, priest and theologian, who is honoured as one of the esteemed Doctors of the Church for his may works and contributions. St. John of Damascus was born in a prominent Christian Arab family in part of what is Syria today, which then was under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. As he came from a family of officials who were involved in the earlier Byzantine bureaucracy, and then later on the Arabic Umayyad government, St. John was raised up and educated well, and became a well-educated man, serving in the court of the Umayyad Caliph before he became a priest and monk.

St. John of Damascus dedicated his life thereafter to the study of the Christian faith, its theology and mysteries, which he discussed and touched upon in his many writings and works. St. John was also notedly involved in the controversies surrounding the matter of iconoclasm that was then widespread through the Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire and the other parts of Christendom. At that time, there were parties and members of the Church and the clergy, with support even from some of the Emperors, who wished to ban the veneration of icons and images, considering them to be un-Christian in nature. This iconoclastic practices were opposed by the Pope and many other members of the clergy and the Church, including that of St. John of Damascus.

St. John of Damascus worked hard against all those who took part and sided in the iconoclastic heresy, and he had to face a lot of hardships in doing so, even to the point of being persecuted, falsely implicated in crimes and suffering from plots against him, that he even had his hand cut off. Miraculously, before the icon of the Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God through his fervent prayers, his hand was restored. St. John remained firm and courageous in his defence of the true faith, despite the trials and challenges against him, and he persevered throughout his life, finally being vindicated and exonerated from all the false accusations against him when the iconoclast heresy was finally overthrown and defeated.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just discussed from the messages of the Sacred Scriptures and also from the life and experiences of St. John of Damascus. Let us all see in what way that we can continue to move forward in life with strong and genuine faith which we all ought to have, doing our very best to care for those whom the Lord has entrusted to us, our beloved and precious ones and all those whom we encounter in our daily and every moments in life. May God be with us always and may He continue to strengthen our faith during this journey throughout this Advent season, that we may continue to grow ever closer to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

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!”