Popes

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Monday, 11 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, all of us are continuously being reminded of the true reason why we celebrate in this time and season, the upcoming great joy and happiness we are looking forward to in Christmas, as well as the reason why we spend this time of Advent to prepare ourselves thoroughly so that hopefully we may be more prepared and worthy, properly oriented and focused in our Christmas commemorations and celebrations. Advent is a time for us to rediscover our love for God, and for us to redirect and reorientate ourselves that if thus far our lives have been focused on ourselves and worldly pursuits, we may return once again to lives that are centred on God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord’s words of assurance to His people, reminding them all of His love and providence, and how He would come again into their midst to bless them and to make things right for them again, which would be marked with the appearance of wonderful miracles and supernatural events like that had never happened before. The Lord reassured His people of His love through Isaiah, as part of the prophecies that He gave them, to reveal to them the coming of His salvation through none other than Jesus Christ, His one and only begotten Son, Whom He would send into this world in order to lead us all into His loving Presence, to save us all from certain death and destruction.

All the signs and things which the Lord had spoken about and prophesied through Isaiah were meant to reveal to them the One in Whom the Lord would bring all of His people to true happiness and joy once again, free from the troubles and trials that beset them, and brought free from the slavery of sin much as how He had once so with their ancestors in Egypt as He led them out through Moses and Aaron, destroying the shackles of their slavery by Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Thus, this Advent, we ought to remember how the Lord, our God and Saviour, had liberated us all from the shackles and bonds of sin, and reunited us all with Himself, opening the direct and sure path to salvation and eternal life, by the coming of His Son, the Saviour of the world.

Meanwhile, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story of the time when the Lord Jesus healed a paralysed man, who was unable to move at all, brought upon his mat to the presence of the Lord. And we heard how the Lord was moved by the faith of the paralysed man and his friends who brought him, and healed him from his ailment. This led to the criticism and opposition from the teachers of the Law who happened to be there at the place. Those teachers of the Law take offence at the Lord’s words to the paralysed man, as He forgave the latter his sins. The teachers of the Law argued that only God alone can forgive sin, and thus the Lord Jesus had committed blasphemy against God by claiming to be able to forgive sins.

Yet, this same Lord Jesus Christ is indeed the One Whom Isaiah and the other prophets had been prophesying about, with all the wonders and signs that had been predicted in the prophecies of the prophets, including the healing of the paralysed man, and many other wonders and miracles that the Lord Himself had done, often in the plain sight and witness of those same teachers of the Law and the Pharisees and Sadducees who were with them. Unfortunately, their pride and ego, their thinking that no one else could have known better about the Lord and His Law had clouded their minds and judgment, and which was likely the reason why they had hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord, refusing to believe in Him, and even placing obstacles in His path.

This is what we ourselves should not be doing, brothers and sisters in Christ. Like how many of us had often done ourselves, in closing off our hearts and minds against the Lord, we must be careful lest we fail to recognise the Lord being present in our lives in all circumstances. And in this time and season of Advent and upcoming Christmas season, this is where we often see God being neglected because we are so focused on all the festivities, celebrations and rejoicing that we end up forgetting the very One Whom we ought to be celebrating and commemorating about this Christmas, that is Christ Our Lord and Saviour, Whose coming into this world had brought unto us God’s love manifested before us, becoming tangible and approachable to us, and how He has reassured us all of His salvation and grace.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Damasus I, one of the leaders of the early Church who helped to strengthen the Church amidst turbulent and challenging times, as he was very committed in devoting his time and efforts to the Church, even from before the time he was elected and reigned as the Pope and hence leader of the Church. Pope St. Damasus I was an Archdeacon of the Church and according to tradition, he also followed the then Pope Liberius into exile when the latter was persecuted by the then Roman Emperor Constantius II who was a supporter of the Arian heresy. Later on, during his time as Pope, Pope St. Damasus I was a very ardent defender of the faith against various heresies plaguing the Church and the faithful at that time.

Pope St. Damasus I should serve as our inspiration and role model because he tirelessly dedicated himself in guiding and shepherding the faithful people of God and the Church against the forces of heretics and others who sought to divide the Church, as he had to face many challenges like the presence of an Antipope in opposition to his rule, as well as challenges from the nobles and other powerful factions in the Church. He carried out important reforms and works that were meant to help the Church to remain firmly rooted in the faith, and was the one who commissioned St. Jerome to compile the Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible, which would later on become the Latin Vulgate. Truly, Pope St. Damasus I did many great works, in establishing the Church and its institutions for the good of the people of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we have been reminded and hopefully inspired by the faith and courage shown by Pope St. Damasus I, let us all therefore strive to commit ourselves anew to the Lord especially during this time and season of Advent so that, hopefully we may grow ever closer to God, and be able to inspire others to seek the true joy and reason for Christmas, that is Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and celebrate Christmas together with right understanding and true joy, and not with the excesses of worldly festivities and celebrations. May God be with us always, and may He continue to bless us in all things, and guide us in our Advent journey, now and henceforth. Amen.

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Monday, 11 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Luke 5 : 17-26

At that time, Jesus was teaching and many Pharisees and teachers of the Law had come from every part of Galilee and Judea, and even from Jerusalem. They were sitting there, while the power of the Lord was at work to heal the sick. Then some men brought a paralysed man who lay on his mat.

They tried to enter the house to place him before Jesus, but they could not find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof, and removing the tiles, they lowered him on his mat into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

At once the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to wonder, “This Man insults God! Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” But Jesus knew their thoughts and asked them, “Why are you reacting like this? Which is easier to say : ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? Now you shall know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

And Jesus said to the paralysed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” At once the man stood before them. He took up the mat he had been lying on, and went home praising God. Amazement seized the people and they praised God. They were filled with a holy fear, and said, “What wonderful things we have seen today!”

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Monday, 11 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Psalm 84 : 9ab-10, 11-12, 13-14

Would that I hear God’s proclamation, that He promise peace to His people, His saints. Yet His salvation is near to those who fear Him, and His Glory will dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness have met; righteousness and peace have embraced. Faithfulness will reach up from the earth while justice bends down from heaven.

The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its fruit. Justice will go before Him, and peace will follow along His path.

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Monday, 11 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Isaiah 35 : 1-10

Let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and blossom. Covered with flowers, it sings and shouts with joy, adorned with the splendour of Lebanon, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon. They, my people, see the glory of YHVH, the majesty of our God.

Give vigour to weary hands and strength to enfeebled knees. Say to those who are afraid : “Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding justice. He is the God Who rewards, the God Who comes to save you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unsealed. Then will the lame leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb sing and shout. For water will break out in the wilderness and streams gush forth from the desert. The thirsty ground will become a pool, the arid land springs of water. In the haunts where once reptiles lay, grass will grow with reeds and rushes.

There will be a highway which will be called The Way of Holiness; no one unclean will pass over it nor any wicked fool stray there. No lion will be found there nor any beast of prey. Only the redeemed will walk there. For the ransomed of YHVH will return : with everlasting joy upon their heads, they will come to Zion singing, gladness and joy marching with them, while sorrow and sighing flee away.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to remain steadfast in our faith despite the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may have to face in the midst of us living up to the faith which we have in God. As the Scripture passages today ought to have highlighted to us, there may likely be circumstances and moments when we will end up being forced to choose between obeying God and His Law, and following the ways and customs of this world, and the frictions and challenges that happen may lead us to many sufferings and trials in our paths ahead in life.

In our first reading today from the Book of the Maccabees, we heard of the continuation of the discourse from the Maccabean Revolt moments, especially focusing on the moment when the revolution began, as the King of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV Epiphanes tried to enforce all the people throughout his vast empire to follow the ways and customs of the Greeks, abandoning the customs, ways and practices of their ancestors. This was likely meant by the king to help unite his often fractious empire, which was then wrecked by repeated rebellions and civil wars. However, this was met with a particularly heated and vigorous opposition from the Jewish people that resided mostly in Judea, Samaria and Galilee, the regions that were then under the Seleucid dominion.

As we heard in that passage today, the king’s officials went around the whole region trying to impose the pagan worship and Greek customs and ways on all the people, and while some of the Jewish people followed the demands of the king and his officials, many of them resisted the king and refused to obey his commands, just as the priest Mattathias led the uprising and opposition against the king, killing the official who tried to impose pagan worship on the people. That event marked the origin and beginning of the Maccabean Revolt, in which the Jewish people and forces rose up against the Seleucids and eventually, after many years of struggles, hardships and trials, they managed to gain independence against their enemies and oppressors.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the frustrations and sorrows which the Lord had uttered against Jerusalem, for all the wickedness and all the evils that the people there had done, represented by Jerusalem as a metaphor, in not obeying God’s Law and commandments, in committing sinful actions and worshipping pagan and evil gods, and in doing what was wicked in the sight of God and men alike. The Lord has come into this world to bring forth His Good News and truth, His salvation and grace, and yet, His people were being difficult, in stubbornly refusing to accept and embrace His generous love and compassionate kindness. This was why the Lord lamented over Jerusalem, in great anguish over just how ungrateful and wicked His beloved people had been in the way they treated Him.

This is why, through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that being Christians is often something that is not easy for us to do. There may be plenty of challenges and trials for us in our journey, as we may have to endure persecutions, rejections, betrayals and difficulties as we carry on living our lives faithfully in the way and path of the Lord. There may be those who are opposed to our choice and faith, and those who persecute and oppress us because of this, and hence, this may likely lead to difficulties and hardships for us, but this does not mean that we should give up our faith or betray our Lord for the false ways and idols that may mislead us down the wrong paths in life towards our downfall and destruction.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban, both being great men of God, who dedicated themselves to lives of great dedication to God, committing themselves to do God’s will and to obey Him amidst the many challenges, distractions and oppositions in this world. Pope St. Clement I was one of the early successors of St. Peter as the Pope and Vicar of Christ, as the leaders of the faithful people of God, in his efforts and works, leading the people of God through difficult and turbulent times, amidst persecutions and challenges they faced at the time. He wrote extensively to the various parts and communities of the Church, some of which letters and their excerpts survived to this day in various forms. He dedicated himself to the flock entrusted to him by the Lord, and died as a martyr amidst his ministry, in proclaiming God’s Good News and in remaining steadfast and faithful to Him.

Meanwhile, St. Columban was an abbot and a missionary who was remembered for his great dedication to his works and ministry, and for his establishments of many monasteries throughout several parts of Christendom. He encountered some difficulties from local figures and even some of the local Church hierarchy and members amidst his works, but this did not make St. Columban to give up on his works and efforts. Instead, it made him to commit himself all the more to his works and efforts, as he continued to do his best in glorifying God by his life at each and every moment. He continued to labour for the people of God, and many were inspired to follow his examples and to join the monasteries he had established throughout his ministry.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let the good examples and inspirations from Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban be sources of strength and inspiration for each and every one of us so that in all the things we say and do, in all things throughout our lives, we may always aspire to be fully and thoroughly committed to God, despite and regardless of any challenges and trials that we may have to face in life. May the Lord continue to guide and bless us in our lives of faith, and bless our many good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 19 : 41-44

At that time, when Jesus had come in sight of the city, He wept over it, and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Yet days will come upon you, when your enemies will surround you with barricades, and shut you in, and press on you from every side.”

“And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and not leave stone upon stone within you, for you did not recognise the time and the visitation of your God.”

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (Psalm)

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

Psalm 49 : 1-2, 5-6, 14-15

The God of gods, YHVH has spoken; He summons the earth, from the rising of the sun to its setting. God has shone from Zion, perfect in beauty.

Gather before Me, My faithful ones, who made a Covenant with Me by sacrifice. The heavens will proclaim His sentence, for God Himself is the Judge.

Yet, offer to God a sacrifice of thanks, and fulfil your vows to the Most High. Call on Me in time of calamity; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.

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Thursday, 23 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Clement I, Pope and Martyr, and St. Columban, Abbot (First Reading)

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

1 Maccabees 2 : 15-29

In the meantime, the king’s representatives, who were forcing the Jews to give up their religion came to Modein to organise a sacred gathering. While many Israelites went to them, Mattathias and his sons drew apart.

The representatives of the king addressed Mattathias, and said to him : “You are one of the leaders of this city, an important and well-known man, and your many children and relatives follow you. Come now, and be the first to fulfil the king’s order, as the men of Judah have already done, and the survivors in Jerusalem as well. You and your sons will be named friends of the king and the king will send you gold, silver and many other gifts.”

But Mattathias answered in a loud voice : “Even if all the nations included in the kingdom should abandon the religion of their ancestors and submit to the order of king Antiochus, I, my sons and my family will remain faithful to the Covenant of our ancestors. May God preserve us from abandoning the Law and its precepts. We will not obey the orders of the king nor turn aside from our religion either to the right or to the left.”

When he finished speaking these words, a Jew came forward, in the sight of everyone, to offer incense on the altar that was built in Modein, according to the king’s decree. When Mattathias saw him, he was fired with zeal. His heart was stirred; and giving vent to his righteous anger, he threw himself on the Jew and cut the man’s throat on the altar. At the same time, he killed the king’s representative who was forcing the people to offer sacrifice; and then tore down the altar. In doing this, he showed his zeal for the Law, as Phinehas had done with Zimri, son of Salu.

Mattathias then began to proclaim loudly in the city : “Everyone who is zealous for the Law and supports the Covenant, come out and follow me!” Immediately, he and his sons fled to the mountains and left behind all they had in the city. Many Jews who looked for justice and wanted to be faithful to the Law went into the desert.

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Friday, 10 November 2023 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope 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, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to be faithful to God in all things and to do His will at all times. We must always strive to be truthful, virtuous and righteous in our ways and in our dealings so that we can truly be good and worthy in all of our actions, words and deeds so that we may not end up falling into the path of sin and evil, which may lead us to our downfall and destruction in the end. God has shown and taught us all how we should live in accordance with His ways, and we must always therefore seek to carry out God’s will, be obedient to His Law and commandments, in everything that we say and do so that we may always be exemplary and worthy of Him, at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, we heard of the Apostle St. Paul who wrote to the faithful there in Rome of everything that he had done in the service of God, in spreading the Good News and the truth of the Lord in Rome and in many other places, in serving the cause of the Lord and in seeking to bring about His greater glory. He elaborated on some of his works and ministry, in spreading the Good News to more and more places, bringing the knowledge of God to those who have not yet heard of them, and at the same time, also spoke of how everything were done for the greater glory of God and not for his own pride and ambitions.

St. Paul also highlighted how he did not go to those places where the other Apostles and missionaries had gone before, so that his efforts and works would not overlap those who had come earlier. This was a reminder yet again, that everything that St. Paul and the other Apostles and missionaries had done, were not for their own personal ambition, achievements and renown, but instead for the advancement of the cause of the Lord, and the spread of the Good News, the Gospels of the Lord, which He had entrusted to all of them, to His Church, to be propagated and spread to all the whole entire world, so that more and more people may come to know about His salvation and grace, and that many more souls will be saved because of the revelation of truth and God’s love that they all had received.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord teaching His disciples and followers, and all those who were present using the parable of the dishonest steward. In that parable, the Lord highlighted the actions of a steward who had been dishonest with his dealings and works, and when he was discovered in his deeds by his master, he was dismissed from his work and employment, and we heard how this dishonest steward began making arrangements quickly to ensure that he had a means to survive despite him having about to lose his employment with the master. He made use of whatever tricks he knew, and told the others who owed his master some money and materials to change the amounts they owed, so that by doing so, he might gain favour with those people, and thus allowed him to survive somehow.

Then, in that same parable, the master seemed to be praising the dishonest servant for his astuteness and actions, for having done what he did, in ensuring his own safety and well-being before he was about to be unemployed. It is the reason why this passage from the Gospels is one of the most controversial among them all, as it might seem to some people that the Lord was condoning the behaviour of the dishonest steward, or might even be praising his dishonesty. However, this is where we need to realise that what the Lord Jesus referred to in His parable, in the master praising the dishonest steward, was rather that the master praised the astuteness and the calculative actions and efforts that his dishonest steward had done, not so much his dishonesty and wickedness.

It was a reference to the astuteness, awareness and efforts which the master praised the dishonest steward for, that all of us should take heed of. Neither the master or the Lord Jesus were condoning the wicked and dishonest acts of the steward, as those deeds were still vile, wicked and unworthy of those who call themselves God’s faithful people. But it was the planning and preparation, and all the efforts and the thinking that the steward made to safeguard for himself a living afterwards that we are all called to take note and follow. What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that each and every one of us should follow in being prepared and ready for whatever it is to come, at the time of our reckoning, when God will call on us to account for our lives and our efforts, or for our failure to do what He has asked us to do.

All of us will face death in the end, the moment when our earthly existence comes to an end, and we shall have to account for our lives, for each and every things we have done, and for what we have also failed to do in our everyday living and moments. God had given us many opportunities, talents, gifts and abilities, blessings and chances, which we should have made good use of in our lives, in how we interact with others all around us, and in how we carry out our actions and live in accordance to everything that God had taught and shown us. All of us should therefore be inspired, not by the evils and the dishonesty of the steward, but rather by his astute mind, his preparedness and preparations, for what was to come. Thus, in our own lives, we should also always be prepared for the end, and do our best at every moment, to live our lives ever worthily of God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Leo the Great, one of the great leaders of the Church and a renowned Pope, whose contributions and deeds were so great that he was indeed one of the very few Popes known with the epithet, ‘the Great’. Pope St. Leo the Great was one of the longest reigning Popes in the Church, reigning over the whole Church over a period of over two decades, during an important and tumultuous time both for Christendom and in the secular world. His efforts, works and deeds had inspired many and helped many people to remain firmly faithful to the Lord despite the many trials and challenges facing them at that time. Pope St. Leo the Great helped to lead the Church through those difficult times, and his leadership, actions and numerous writings, which made him to be honoured as a Doctor of the Church, should inspire us all to be ever more faithful to God as well.

Pope St. Leo the Great led the Church through a divisive time in Christendom, as there were numerous heresies and disagreements which had not been completely resolved and settled by the preceding Ecumenical Councils, such as the ones at Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus. Pope St. Leo the Great wrote extensively and sent his ambassadors and legates to the Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon in the Year of Our Lord 450, ten years into the reign of Pope St. Leo the Great, condemning the heresies of monophysitism that were rampant in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Then, in the secular side, Pope St. Leo the Great was also well-renowned for having led the Church and the city of Rome through two difficult time periods, first was when the King of the Huns, Attila, came to the city, and the Pope came to see him personally, and managed to make the Hunnic king to turn away back to his lands, sparing Rome from destruction. He was less successful with the Vandals that came few years afterwards and sacked Rome, but he managed to reduce the extent of the destructions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to live our lives to the best, in obedience and adherence to God, at all times. Let us all be inspired by Pope St. Leo the Great and his examples, and do our very best so that we may indeed live our lives worthily, in seeking not our own glory and ambition, but instead, as St. Paul reminded us all earlier on, to live our lives for the greater glory of God. Let us all turn away from the path of sin and evil, and do our best to inspire others by our good, worthy and holy lives and examples, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 10 November 2023 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Romans 15 : 14-21

As for me, brothers and sisters, I am convinced, that you have goodwill, knowledge, and the capacity to advise each other; nevertheless, I have written boldly in some parts of this letter, to remind you of what you already know. I do this, according to the grace God has given to me, when I was sent to the pagan nations. I dedicated myself to the service of the Good News of God, as a minister of Christ Jesus, in order to present the non-Jews to God, as an agreeable offering, consecrated by the Holy Spirit. This service of God is, for me, a cause of pride, in Christ Jesus.

Of course, I would not dare to speak of other things, but what Christ, Himself, has done, through me, my words and my works, with miracles and signs, by the power of the Holy Spirit – so, that, non-Jews may obey the faith. In this way, I have extended the Good News to all parts, from Jerusalem to Illyricum.

I have been very careful, however, and I am proud of this, not to preach in places where Christ is already known, and not to build upon foundations laid by others. Let it be as Scripture says : Those not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.