Reflections

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Friday, 20 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Laurent Imbert, Bishop and Martyr, St. Jacques Chastan, Priest and Martyr, and St. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and Martyr, and St. Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we are all believers in the Lord’s resurrection from the dear and the promise of the life that is to come for us with God. Each and every one of us as Christians are partakers of the Lord’s promise and the eternal life and grace which He will bless us all with, and which He has shown us and proven to us through the Resurrection which He Himself has experienced, gloriously risen from the dead and triumphant against all the forces of sin and evil, crushing forever the dominion and power of Satan, and opening for us all the sure path to eternal life and salvation with Him and in Him. Today we are reminded that as Christians, all of us ought to have firm and strong faith in Him and the resurrection.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke to the Corinthian faithful with regards to the important and core Christian tenet and belief in the resurrection from the dead. There were likely those among the faithful in Corinth who did not truly believe in the resurrection from the dead, and they may not have believed in the Apostles and the other disciples who had come to them bearing the news of the Lord’s resurrection. Therefore, St. Paul reiterated again that the belief in the resurrection from the dead, particularly in the Resurrection of Our Lord is an essential and crucial part of our Christian beliefs and faith.

He stated that if the Lord had not risen from the dead, then all of their beliefs and faith in Him would have been useless, as if the Lord Jesus Himself had perished and been defeated by the power of Satan, by sin and death, by all of His enemies and all those who have persecuted and oppressed Him, then it would indeed be folly for any of them to believe in the Lord and His teachings. Then there would also have been no hope for any one of them to be able to overcome sin and death, and death itself would have been the end of everything. Among the Jewish people themselves, there were those like the Sadducees, the priestly elites who did not believe in the resurrection from the dead or in any forms of life after death. Even among the Jewish elders and traditions themselves there were many disagreements on this matter.

But St. Paul firmly spoke of the most fundamental Christian belief in the resurrection from the dead, and how the faithful ought to hold firmly to this faith, trusting that there is life and existence after death and end of our lives in this world as we know it to be. The Lord Himself has shown it, as He revealed Himself and His Risen glory right after He rose from the dead, reassuring all of His disciples and followers of the truth which He has told all of them. He reassured them that through the resurrection of the dead, all of them, and hence each and every one of us shall share in the glory of Our Lord’s Resurrection, and share the joy and happiness that He has promised to each and every one of us, the true and lasting happiness that can be found in Him alone, and this is the faith which all of us Christians share together as one beloved and holy people of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the short passage from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord’s ministry was highlighted to us, and we heard the names of several women being mentioned to us, and how the Lord went about many places healing people and performing miracles, casting out demons and helping many people out of their predicaments. Although that passage was rather short, it did show to us the dedication which many of the Lord’s disciples, particularly that of the women, who spent many efforts to help and facilitate the Lord’s ministry and works, and that also included St. Mary Magdalene, a woman from whom the Lord had cast out seven demons or evil spirits, and who later on would become a truly great and respected saint, highlighting to us again, how important it is for us as Christians to put our trust in the Lord, to follow Him wholehearted as always.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Korean Martyrs, or the Holy Martyrs of Korea, which are composed of many local Korean Christians and converts, both among the clergy and the laity alike, as well as the many missionaries who had come from distant lands, serving the Lord and His people, and all of whom endured great challenges, trials and sufferings amidst their ministry and living of their Christian faith. Today we remember all of these most courageous, faithful and loving people of God, who have borne the pains and struggles of being God’s faithful and beloved children and disciples, suffering prison, pains and sufferings, humiliations and hardships, and many of them even died as martyrs, choosing to die in faith rather than to give up their faith in God or to abandon Him and His Church.

At that time, the Korean state and government were very suspicious and hostile against the Christians and the missionaries who came to Korea to evangelise and proclaim the Lord and His Good News. They viewed the Christian faith and the missionaries as threat to their way of life and the authority of the state, as opposed to the strict Confucian nature of the society and the worldview of the time prevailing in Korea. And therefore, the state persecuted the Christians, both the foreign missionaries and also the local converts, oppressing and attacking them, forcing them to choose between their faith and suffering, or to obey the commands and demands of the state and abandoning their newfound faith and trust in the Lord.

St. Andrew Kim Taegon was particularly renowned among the saints and martyrs commemorated today as he was the first Korean Catholic priest, and he had a rough early life because his family, who had converted to the Christian faith were persecuted and he had his family members martyred for being followers of Christ. At a young age of fifteen, St. Andrew Kim Taegon chose to be baptised and then went to Macau to study as a seminarian and eventually was ordained as a priest in Shanghai in China. He later on returned to Korea to preach the Christian faith and Good News, evangelising to many of the people in his homeland. Eventually, he was persecuted with many other Christians, both missionaries, clergy and laity alike during intense persecutions against them, but he and the other faithful martyrs remained firmly faithful to the very end.

There was also the story of the faith of St. Laurent Imbert, the first Vicar Apostolic of Korea, the missionary which the Pope appointed to be the representative of the Church in Korea, laying down the important groundwork for the growth of Christianity in that area. St. Laurent Imbert dedicated himself to minister to the faithful people of God, the flock entrusted to his care by the Lord, despite the intensifying persecutions against him and many other missionaries. When he and the other missionaries had to go into hiding during those persecutions, St. Laurent Imbert voluntarily surrendered himself to the authorities, and encouraged two other priests to do the same as he hoped that by doing so, he might spare many other Christians, his own flock, from suffering more for being followers of Christ. Before he was martyred, he was remembered for his great quote from the Gospel, ‘The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.’, showing the action that he and the Lord Himself had done in ensuring our salvation and liberation from sin and destruction.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the faith and examples shown to us by the Holy Martyrs of Korea, those whose lives and dedication to God have been most exemplary and strong, and who have inspired us all to continue to live our lives with genuine and strong faith in the Lord as we should have always done. Each and every one of us as Christians have been called to commit ourselves thoroughly and wholeheartedly to the cause of the Lord, to be truly loving and generous with our compassion and mercy to one another, and to trust in the Lord’s providence and care, and in everything which He has reassured and promised us, the promise of everlasting life and true happiness, of glory everlasting with Him.

May the Lord our most loving, compassionate and merciful God continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey, and may He continue to empower and strengthen us in our resolve to live our lives worthily at all times, so that by each and every blessings and providence that He has given us, we may continue to stay firmly faithful in Him, dedicating ourselves to proclaim His truth, and be courageous witnesses of His glorious Resurrection, of His Good News and the everlasting life which He has promised to us. May God bless us all, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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(Apostolic Journey) On Pope Francis’ remark during the Inter-religious Dialogue with Youth at Catholic Junior College and Its Responses

I was inspired to write this during the Sunday Evening Mass at Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Singapore) earlier today as I was serving at the Sanctuary:

I felt the tug in my heart to share these thoughts and reflections regarding the recent controversy and disagreements surrounding what Pope Francis had said during the Interreligious Dialogue with Youth at Catholic Junior College (in Singapore).

I am not going to repeat what had been endlessly discussed here but I would like to invite all of us to reflect upon these points and particularly the Gospel passage from Mark 8 : 27-35 today (Sunday, 15 September 2024 – Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time),

Satan is always hard at work in trying to undermine the good works of the Lord through His Church. It is precisely this very moment when the Pope concluded his trip to Singapore focusing on the theme of ‘Unity and Hope’ that he is making his move on us all trying to break this unity and dampen the hope that we have kindled.

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Unity: 

I am deeply saddened by those who called out the Pope for being supposedly unfaithful to the teachings of the Church, and even the more extreme ones saying that he has committed heresy. 

First of all, the Pope stated that there is only one God, and this is true. He also stated that religions are like languages, paths to reach God. He did not say that it is not true that in Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

What he intended to say, if we understand the whole conversation is that, we all seek salvation in God, and he invites all the youths of different religions to continue to do good as what their beliefs state, and indirectly welcoming them to get to know more about Jesus.

If they one day may be touched by what they learnt about Him and through the encounter with the Pope who has opened the gates of their hearts and minds, then it is up to them to choose to embrace Christ fully and wholeheartedly.

We must understand the whole context of this event and why this was mentioned this way. Indeed, the Pope is also human and he is not perfect in using words to explain or elaborate his intentions – but it is clear that from the earlier parts before this, Pope Francis stated that if everyone is focusing on ‘my religion is true, and yours is not’ and starts attacking on each others’ supposed shortcomings, then indeed, ‘destruction’ and loss of unity is what will happen. We will no longer be united on our purpose and journey towards the Lord, but we’ll hating and attacking each other instead.

We can already see this at work with the attacks against the Pope’s remarks and comments, coming from within no other than the Church and her members. At Holy Communion today, as the Choir sang ‘Anima Christi’, and as I ponder upon all these, I literally teared up thinking about the tears in unity of the Body of Christ, the Church brought about by this.

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Hope:

On the matter of Hope, and with regards to this conversation – we are reminded that God’s salvation is offered for everyone, and that as Nostra Aetate mentioned clearly that there is good and truth in all religions and beliefs. And while in Jesus Christ and the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the fullness of truth and assurance of salvation are found, but this does not mean that others are excluded from this hope of salvation in God.

Let me bring forth the example of Christ Himself, the Good Shepherd, Who used the parable of the lost sheep to highlight this as an analogy:

Imagine that you are a sheep that is lost and separated from the flock and the shepherd comes towards you, chiding and scolding you for not listening to him (and running away), won’t you flee even further away from the shepherd? The Lord as the Good Shepherd is patient, in stepping out of His comfort zone, going to the distant places in looking out for us, calling us and reassuring us of His love. This was precisely what Pope Francis had done. As the Vicar of Christ, the Good Shepherd, he went to the peripheries, to places where there are still many who misunderstood God’s teachings and words, to show what our Christian faith is all about.

Just as mentioned earlier, using this opportunity of Interreligious Dialogue to mention the superiority of the Christian faith to other religions or to ask for people to convert to the faith is not just tone-deaf but also inappropriate. Pope Francis as the Pontifex Maximus, the ‘bridge-builder’, he established the ‘bridges’ and the opportunities so that more people from other faith and beliefs may come to find out more and know the Lord, and if they so choose, then they may come to embrace Him in the future.

I saw how some of the naysayers and the media that fanned out the controversy even said that this visit and trip should not have even been done in the first place. Then let me put it this way, it would have been a big missed opportunity for this dialogue and opportunity for true evangelisation of the Good News of Christ.

Hope in God’s salvation is what we offer to all the people, and the manner how we present it, is very important.

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Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a perspective that I am offering on this matter to those of you who are affected in mind and heart by this issue, and also to those who are not aware of this.

Feel free to disagree with what I have said earlier, and it is alright for people to have differing perspectives and opinions. But I felt the Lord calling on me earlier today to share this, and I did what He asked me to do.

May the Lord continue to strengthen the Unity in our Church, united as one Body of Christ under His Vicar, Pope Francis, and encourage us always with the Hope in His Resurrection and eternal life, which He offers to all of us, calling us all to come to Him, not by force, but by our own free will.

Amen.

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Thursday, 19 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through what we have heard in our Scripture passages today that we have truly received God’s most generous love and mercy, and each and every one of us should truly be thankful and appreciative of the great wonders and kindness that God has given to us, in His patient and persistent love, in Him never giving up on us, in all of these moments. We are reminded how He has come into our midst, showing us His love and mercy manifested perfectly in the flesh, making Himself approachable and tangible for us, revealing the fullness of His patient and ever enduring love and care for us. All of us are truly fortunate that God has never given up on us and still wants us to be reconciled and reunited with Him.

In our first reading passage today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region Corinth, in which the Apostle exhorted them all about everything that the Lord had done for their sake, in sending unto them the deliverance and salvation which He has promised and reassured them for, all that He had told them and their ancestors through the many prophets and messengers He sent to them. St. Paul spoke of how the Lord had begun and then carried out His ministry, calling His Apostles and disciples to follow Him, and to witness everything that He had done and performed. And He revealed all of that as well to St. Paul himself, whom God had called afterwards, turning from a great enemy of the Lord and the faithful to be a most courageous and faithful servant of God and champion of the faith.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the moment when the Lord was at a dinner in the house of a Pharisee who invited Him there, and an infamous and sinful woman who was living in that city came up to Him as we heard, anointing the feet of the Lord with the perfume she poured from the jar of alabaster she carried, and together with her tears and her hair, she wiped the feet of the Lord. This action and event immediately brought about the criticism and harsh remarks from the Pharisees who were gathered there, as they would not even come near those whom they deemed as sinners and unclean. To the Pharisees, such an action would have made them ritually unclean as well, defiling them by association and contact with one whom they deemed as sinners and unworthy before God.

But the Lord did not care about all that, and He let her to come to Him, honouring and respecting Him with great humility, humbling herself publicly and using her hair, the crown of her beauty and worldly appearances to wipe the feet of the Lord, with the feet often being associated with filth and dirt. Essentially, what she had just done was in fact a premonition of what the Lord Himself expected of us all, and what He wants to do with us, that is to come to Him with love and commitment towards Him, being sorrowful, regretful and humble over all of the sins and wickedness which we have committed in our own respective lives. And that the Lord Himself did not reject her but in fact embraced her warmly and defended her actions against the Pharisees showed clearly that God wants us all to come to Him and to be forgiven from our sins, to be reconciled and reunited with Him once again.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Januarius, a great and holy servant of God, a faithful and committed shepherd to his flock as a bishop of the Church. St. Januarius was mainly known from his hagiography and popular Christian legends, as actual details were rather scant due to the harsh nature of the intense persecution of Christians during the time when St. Januarius carried out his mission and works as a bishop and suffered persecution and martyrdom under the infamous Emperor Diocletian and his attempts to oppress Christians throughout the Roman Empire. St. Januarius was born into a rich Roman patrician family in the third century, during time of turmoil in the Roman Empire and persecution of Christians.

Eventually, he became the Bishop of Naples at a relatively young age, and he had to help protect the various people under his care, his flock and the ones persecuted by the Roman state at that time. He had to hide many Christians under his care and made the efforts to visit those Christians and others that had been persecuted and arrested, jailed and made to suffer. He was caught and arrested by the Roman magistrates, and eventually he himself was persecuted and tortured, sentenced to death for sedition and treason, and according to the hagiographic stories, St. Januarius was either thrown to the wild beasts or into a furnace, but he was unharmed in both instances and stories. He was eventually put to death and martyred, but his courage and commitment to God inspired many long after his passing. His blood relic stored in Naples is the centre of popular devotion to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we have listened to the story of the faithful and courageous St. Januarius, and as we remember the words of the Scriptures that we have just discussed about God’s love and generous mercy, let us all therefore remember that each and every one of us are truly beloved by God, and He has always patiently looked after us, caring for us all these while, sending unto us His help and guidance through the various means all around us and in every aspects of our lives. We should therefore be more aware of this great love and blessings which we have indeed received from the Lord, and strive to do our best so that our lives may truly be more attuned and worthy towards Him, by doing what we can so that we may truly be faithful to Him, and to keep ourselves away from all sorts of vices and evils.

May the Lord, our ever always loving and merciful God continue to love us all tenderly and may He continue to strengthen us all in our faith so that in everything that we say and do, hopefully we may come ever closer to God and continue to commit ourselves in each and every moments with great compassion and love for both the Lord and for our fellow brethren around us. Let us all humble ourselves and realise that we are all sinners in need of healing and forgiveness from God, and therefore strive to seek Him and to love Him with ever greater passion and commitment with each and every passing moments in our lives. May God continue to bless us all and may He continue to empower and strengthen us in faith, in our resolve and commitment to follow Him, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 18 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we are all called to be faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord in all things, to do His will and to obey His calling and commandments so that by each and every one of our actions, words and interactions with one another, we will always strive to do what is right and just in accordance with what the Lord has taught us to do, to be full of His love, kindness and mercy, and not to follow instead the path and corruptions of this world, or the distractions and temptations of worldliness around us which can keep us away from the path of God’s salvation and grace.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth in which the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God that unless each and every one of them have love in them then all their gifts, blessings, abilities, specialties, talents and all sorts of other things they possess, all would come to nothing as these would not bring them to true righteousness and virtue in God, as God seeks the hearts and minds of those who love and showcase this same love in all opportunities, those who truly love Him and love one another in the same manner as how God Himself has loved each and every one of us, His beloved children and people. God wants each and every one of us to model ourselves based on His love, kindness and compassion, and to follow His path at all times.

St. Paul the Apostle reminded the faithful in Corinth and elsewhere that their Christian faith must not be based on boasting of one’s own proud ambitions and power, and all the glory and fame of the world. Instead, the greater each of us are, the more loving and the more humble we should become, and the more we should show the generous love that God Himself, our Lord and Master has shown to each one of us. A lot of sufferings in this world came to be because of our failure to do so, and our inability to resist the temptations of worldly glory and pleasures, all of which led us down the ruinous path towards our doom and downfall. If we allow our pride, ego and ambition to lead us this path to ruin then there will be nothing for us but regret in the end, of having chosen the wrong path of rebellion and disobedience against God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples in which He spoke of the inconsistencies of the people of His time, those who criticised and attacked Him and His efforts because they disagreed with Him and refused to listen to reason despite everything that He had done to them and showed them. The Lord told them all of how those people were swayed by their worldly desires and perceptions, and hence refusing to accept the truth and Wisdom of God guiding them in their path in life. Instead, they preferred to trust in and follow their own worldly prejudices and preferences, their arbitrary sense of judgment and understanding of things rather than to trust in the Lord and to follow Him in each and every moments of their lives.

Linking to what we have heard earlier in our first reading today, this is a reminder for us that if we allow our ego, ambition, pride and all those things to distract us from God and His path, and if we do not put His love at the centre and as the focus of our lives and existence, then it will be easy for us to end up falling ever deeper into the trap of sin and worldliness. Those Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the Law who often opposed the Lord in His ministry and works were all swayed by their pride and ego, their sense of self-righteousness and superiority which led them to think that they were better and more worthy than all others, and hence, looked down upon anyone else who did not obey the Lord or lived their lives in the manner that He had taught and shown them to do.

Each and every one of us are reminded that unless we do our best to focus our lives on God and embody His love in our hearts and minds, we cannot truly be faithful and worthy, righteous and committed disciples and followers of the Lord. As Christians we must always centre our lives and existence on God’s love, and do our best so that in each and every one of our own actions, words, efforts and everything that we take up in this life, we will always be full of love and care for those who are less fortunate than us and all those who are in need of our love and kindness. God has blessed us greatly and loved each one of us and as a result we should follow Him and His examples, and not be tempted to satisfy selfishly our own ambitions and desires in this world.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to embody our love for God and for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. We should always be the shining beacons of God’s Light and grace, proclaiming His Good News and love at all times, by our exemplary living and actions, loving those who have none to love them and showing care to everyone, to those who are in our families, our relatives and friends, but even also those who have hurt and persecuted us. Certainly this is much easier said than done, but that is exactly the challenge that each and every one of us as Christians have received from the Lord, for to be Christians is to be truly like the Lord Himself, Who has loved everyone including even those who persecuted and oppressed Him.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father continue to strengthen us with His love and kindness, blessing us with His generous and ever abundant compassion and care, His patient and ever enduring generosity and passion in reaching out to us and in spending time and moments with us. May He continue to strengthen and empower us all with His love and teach us to continue to love in the same manner and to be always generous in giving from the depths of our hearts, to be fully attuned to God’s ways and love, to be ever worthy to be called His disciples, followers and children. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops, Holy Virgins and Doctors of the Church)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened from the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the various gifts and talents, opportunities and blessings which God has granted to us, and we are reminded that all those things had been provided to us so that we may put them to good use in the various distinct opportunities and areas of our lives that we have been entrusted to by God. All of us should not squander these various gifts and blessings that He has given us but we ought to do our best to continue living faithfully in His Presence in this world, proclaiming His truth and love, His Good News and wonders by our every words, actions and deeds, in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth, we are all reminded of the various gifts and graces that God had granted, and also the calling which He has made upon us so that we may follow the Lord in whatever missions and ministries that He has entrusted to each and every one of us, doing our part to reach out to those around us who may be in need of our help and guidance. St. Paul also spoke of the various gifts and areas where the faithful people of God could contribute their talents and abilities, as not everyone can be Apostles, prophets and teachers, and therefore each and every one of them should strive to do their best in whatever calling and missions that God had entrusted to them.

This is why it is a reminder for all of us that we should embrace our own respective calling and missions in life as faithful and dedicated Christians instead of competing with each other and desiring another mission or calling, or looking down or negatively on other forms of calling and ministry in our Christian efforts and endeavours in this world. We should not think that our own ministry, calling and commitments should be less important or even less prestigious and important than the other one, as each and every ministries, missions and vocations are equally important and distinct in their scope and impact on the people around us. Each and every one of us as the ones whom God had called and chosen to be His disciples and followers ought to understand this and strive our best to fulfil what He has commanded us to do.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord miraculously raised the dead only son of a widow in the town called Naim, where He had been going to minister. In that occasion, the Lord saw the great sorrow that the mother had for the death of her son as well as the sorrow of everyone else in that entourage. The Lord therefore showed His power and raised the dead man back to life, showing that He truly had the power over life and death. This astonished the people who were there and witnessed all the miraculous occasions, and we are reminded through this event that the Lord Jesus Himself obeyed the commandments and missions which His heavenly Father has entrusted to Him.

The Lord made good use of the power and authority granted to Him, obeying His Father in all things, becoming for us the perfect example of faith and obedience, doing all that He could so that by His works and efforts, He might indeed touch the lives of many of God’s beloved people, who have seen and experienced the love of God manifested in the flesh, in the person of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Through this great example, all of us are therefore reminded that we should always be willing to listen to God and to allow Him to guide us in our path, embracing everything that He has told us and entrusted to us to do. Each and every one of us have been given the mission to proclaim the Lord and His Good News, in each and every moments of our lives, and we should do our best to fulfil these, being active evangelisers and missionaries even in the smallest things.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints, whose lives and dedication to God can be source of great inspiration and strength for each and every one of us. They are St. Robert Bellarmine and St. Hildegard of Bingen. St. Robert Bellarmine was a Jesuit priest, and later an Archbishop and Cardinal who had been very influential in the era of Counter-Reformation, when the Church and Christendom were bitterly divided and afflicted by divisions due to the many heretical thoughts and radical ideas from the numerous Protestant reformers and others who did not obey the teachings of the Church, and sought to follow their own standards and ways instead of following the true teachings of the Church as they should have done.

St. Robert Bellarmine spent a lot of time as an educator in teaching theology and other Church ideals and teachings, to many of his students in various educational institutes, including his mentorship of many members of the clergy and bishops. He was then involved in the reforms of the Church as someone who helped to implement the decrees and decisions of the Ecumenical Council of Trent in rooting out corrupt and wicked practices done by the clergy and the laity alike in the Church. He opposed the then common practice of having bishops frequently not residing within their respective dioceses, among other irregularities and corruptions in the Church. His personal piety and dedication to God inspired many long after his passing.

Meanwhile, St. Hildegard of Bingen was someone who had always been attracted to monastic life and a life of dedication to God from her early years, and she eventually professed to be a religious nun, living her life in hermitage and isolation from the world. She spent a lot of time in prayer, receiving various visions that made her to be a renowned mystic, and she wrote rather extensively about her experiences. That was her gift and talents given to her by God, just as St. Robert Bellarmine was given the gift of intellect and passion for reform, as well as the opportunities to do so. And as we discussed earlier, each one of them made good use of those talents and opportunities, doing great works for the Lord and positively affecting their fellow brothers and sisters, and also the Universal Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our part to accomplish our respective mission and calling in life, to make good use of the gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities that the Lord has provided us. Let us all serve Him faithfully and be good role models, inspirations and examples for one another, doing all that we can to glorify Him by our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 16 September 2024 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr, and St. Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord being spoken to us through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that the Lord has given us truly great grace and wonderful blessings through His Son, by which He has granted us all not just His love and kindness, manifested in the flesh and having become tangible and approachable to us, but He also gave us all none other than His own Most Precious Body and His Most Precious Blood, which He willingly and generously gave to us all from His Cross, as He laid there suffering and dying, nailed to the Cross, by which He would save and redeem each and every one of us. Through His love and ultimate sacrifice, all of us have received the assurance of salvation, and we should indeed respond to His love with our faith and trust.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in the city and region of Corinth in which the Apostle spoke to them all about the moment of the Last Supper, which he himself had not attended or been present in, as he was then not yet a disciple of the Lord, but which the tradition of the Apostles and their witnessing of everything that had happened were passed down to the faithful, telling them all of everything that the Lord had said and done, and which He had commanded all of them to do, to commemorate His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross, and giving them the power and authority, through the Apostles and their successors, our bishops and priests, to offer the same sacrifice of Calvary and through union to that supreme moment of selfless love and sacrifice, giving to each and every one of us, the very Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord.

That is what our Holy Eucharist is all about, and our firm belief that God Himself has given His own Body and Blood for us all to partake, He Who called Himself as the Bread of Life and as the Lamb of God, Who has willingly allowed Himself to be persecuted and led to the slaughter, and by Whose suffering and death had opened for us all the gates of Heaven and the path to eternal life. He Himself has said that whoever partake of His Body and Blood will not perish but have eternal life with them, and that His Body is real food and His Blood is real drink, and the Eucharist that we have received from the hands of our bishops and priests are the exact same Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord. This is our core tenet and faith in the transubstantiation of the bread and wine, that while both the bread and wine may still appear and seem to be bread and wine in appearance, in taste and senses, but we believe that what we partake is the Lord Himself.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the account of the interactions between the Lord Jesus and an army centurion, also described as a Roman military officer. Regardless of the exact detail, it was certain that this officer was a high ranking and very well-respected man as at that time, being a Roman and a Roman military officer no less, was something of a very high stature and standing in the area. He did not just represent the powerful and mighty Roman Empire but he also led many of its soldiers, and he was rightly powerful and feared for his prowess, position and capabilities. And yet, this same Roman military officer came to the Lord humbly, seeking Him to help him with his very sick servant, and trusted in the Lord to heal that servant and make him whole again.

We heard how the Roman military officer had such great faith in the Lord that he told the Lord that he believed that his servant would be well again if the Lord just declared it to be, and he trusted and had faith in the Lord’s power in being able to heal his dear servant. He did not require the Lord to perform the miracle before His own eyes or for himself to witness everything in order for him to believe in the Lord. This is clearly a contrast with the attitudes of many among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who kept on doubting and questioning the Lord Jesus even after they had heard Him many times and saw the miracles that He performed before them on many occasions as well. The Roman military officer also had the humility to tell the Lord that he was not worthy to welcome Him into his house.

This was because at that time, among the Jewish people it was considered taboo for a Jew to come and enter into the house of a non-Jew or Gentile or pagan, and for the Pharisees who interpreted the Law of God very strictly, it would have made them to be ritually unclean and defiled. In fact, it was kind of taboo and looked down upon for one to interact with a non-Jew or pagan at that time. Yet, that was what the Lord precisely had done, and the Roman military officer, likely aware of this custom, told the Lord humbly that he was unworthy to receive Him at his house not only because he knew the Lord to be One greater than he was, but he also likely wanted to prevent any misfortunes or difficulties to fall upon the Lord should He come to visit his house.

And this is precisely the attitude that all of us as Christians ought to have, and we should be inspired to follow in the footsteps of the Roman military officer who believed so wholeheartedly in the Lord that he did not have to see the miracle to believe in Him. Linking this to what we have just discussed earlier in the first reading today on the Institution of the Holy Eucharist and our core belief in the doctrine of transubstantiation, of the bread and wine that truly became the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord at every celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Mass, let us all therefore believe in Him and in His Real Presence in the Eucharist wholeheartedly as well. And when we are shown the Lamb of God, the One Who has taken away the sins of the world just before we are about to receive Him into ourselves, let us repeat what the Roman officer had spoken with great faith, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.’

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two of the Lord’s great saints, namely that of Pope St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage. Both of them were great leaders of the Church, and as the important Church fathers and leaders, they had shown us all great examples of faith and dedication to God, that despite all the challenges and difficulties which they had to face, they continued to be exemplary in faith and trust in God. Pope St. Cornelius was the leader of the Universal Church during a turbulent time in its history in the middle of the third century, when both the Roman Empire was troubled with a lot of wars and conflicts, while the Church and Christian believers were persecuted heavily for their faith and belief in God. Meanwhile, St. Cyprian was the influential Bishop of Carthage in North Africa at around that same time.

Both of them had to face the various persecutions of the Church and Christian believers as well as the divisions within the Church caused by the followers of one Novatian, also known as Antipope Novatian, who was a popular preacher and priest that opposed the re-admittance of Christians who had lapsed from their faith through various reasons, but especially due to the intense persecutions which forced some of them to at least publicly offered sacrifices to the Roman pagan gods and idols. Pope St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian both argued strongly against the Novatianists, and when the latter chose to elect Novatian as an Antipope, both of them worked hard to restore unity in the Church and to care and guide their flock at the same time. They were martyred for their faith under the persecutions of the Roman Emperors, but their faith and dedication to the Lord lived on in their veneration for long after their passing.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great examples of our holy predecessors and do whatever we can so that our lives may truly be faithful to God, and that we may truly have faith in Him, believing wholeheartedly in Him and trusting in His guidance and help in all the things that we say and do in our respective lives. May all of us continue to walk faithfully in God’s Holy Presence, and do our very best so that we may always glorify Him by our exemplary lives, our every words, actions and deeds, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 15 September 2024 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all presented from the readings and words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures, the reminders for all of us to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and not to allow ourselves be easily swayed by the temptations of worldliness, and by the fears, uncertainties and doubts that we may have in our hearts and minds. Instead we have to continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and do our very best at all times so that our lives may truly be exemplary and be full of faith and righteousness, that in everything which we say and do, we will continue to proclaim the Lord and His truth, and that our lives may be truly sincere and worthy in all things, our faith truly vibrant, living and real, and not merely empty proclamations of faith and belief, but one that truly embody our love for God.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the accounts of the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophecy of the Suffering Servant or the Suffering Messiah, as the prophet highlighted the prophecy from God on the coming Servant and Man of God Who would have to suffer grievously for the sake of everyone. What we have heard from our first reading account today is a reminder for all of us of the mission which the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Our Lord and Saviour, had to take up in order to save us all from eternal damnation and destruction. This prophecy of the prophet Isaiah would indeed be a strange prophecy to the Israelites and their descendants, as God did promise them the coming of His Saviour and salvation, but they could not comprehend why this Saviour must suffer and endure bitter challenges, oppressions and difficulties in doing so.

But this is where we are reminded that as Christians, each and every one of us must not only have faith but we must also act and live our lives in the manner that is compatible and in accordance to the faith which we have in the Lord. In our second reading this Sunday we heard from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle in which the famous phrase uttered by St. James the Apostle was highlighted to us, that is ‘faith without good works is dead’. This is an important tenet and part of our Christian faith and beliefs, as each and every one of us are reminded that if our faith is not made complete with real and authentic actions, good works and efforts in accordance to that faith, then our faith would not have existed or been genuine in the first place, and hence, we will be found wanting by the Lord on the Day of Judgment.

Some people actually misunderstood this, thinking that our Catholic faith and true belief in the Lord involved us gaining entry into Heaven and righteousness, justification and salvation through our good works and efforts. These peope who misunderstood this truth and reality failed to understand that we are ultimately still saved and justified by our faith in God, but such a faith cannot be devoid of true and genuine commitment to God. It is entirely possible for one to profess to have faith in God and yet, his or her faith may be empty and meaningless faith, namely a faith that is merely superficial and external, and does not translate into true and enduring relationship with God, or faith that is truly rooted in our strong and vibrant belief in God, in our genuine and loving relationship with Him.

That is why each and every one of us are reminded by St. James the Apostle to live our lives and embody our faith most genuinely through our efforts, works and contributions in life, in each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, our various interactions with one another and our commitment to love and serve the Lord among other things. We should not be Christians who are merely paying lip service to our faith in the Lord. Instead, we should always aspire to love the Lord wholeheartedly, in each and every moments in our lives, remembering as always His love and kindness, His compassion and mercy towards us, particularly in what we have just discussed earlier, in how He has done so much for us, in enduring the worst of sufferings, oppressions, humiliations and pain for the sake of our salvation and for our reconciliation with Him.

In the Gospel passage this Sunday, we then heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark in which the Lord asked His disciples about who they thought He was, and we heard the different answers they uttered, on whether He was a Prophet or Holy Man of God, but St. Peter courageously spoke the truth before everyone, stating that He was the Messiah, the Saviour Whom the Lord had promised, the Son of God Most High. Then, the Lord told them all that He would suffer and be persecuted just exactly as how the prophet Isaiah had predicted and prophesied that He would. This was met with the confusion and consternation from the disciples of the Lord, and a strong objection from St. Peter who tried to argue with the Lord and dissuade Him from carrying out such a mission.

This was when the Lord rebuked Satan who had been tempting St. Peter and the other disciples, while He Himself also kept His courage and commitment, dedication and desire to save us all strong, to obey fully and wholeheartedly the will of His heavenly Father. This was one of Satan’s many attempts to distract, persuade and coerce the Lord from completing His mission, and to tempt Him much as he had once successfully tempted away Adam and Eve to disobey God and to fall into sin. But the Lord Jesus obeyed perfectly and completely, dedicating Himself wholly, willingly humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and power, to embrace each and every one of us so that we may receive through Him and from Him the promise of eternal life and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore renew our efforts and convictions so that we can continue to walk ever more faithfully in God’s Holy Presence. If we have not truly devoted ourselves wholly and completely in the Lord’s path, let us all continue from now on, changing our paths and our commitments, so that we no longer merely obey His Law and commandments by external obligations and appearances. Instead, let us all commit ourselves anew and dedicate ourselves in each and every moments to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and wholeheartedly from now on. Let us no longer be idle in how we live our lives and faith, and let us all no longer be ignorant of our responsibilities and calling in life as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people in all the things we say and do, in every moments of our lives.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our Creator and Master, continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith through life. May He empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to continue devoting ourselves to the Lord, in each and every moments of our lives. May God bless each and every one of us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 September 2024 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in which we rejoice and honour most wonderful the Triumphant victory which our Lord Himself has won against the forces of evil and darkness, which He has assured us through His Holy and most Precious Cross, the True Cross by which He has purchased on our behalf, the salvation of the whole world, by breaking His own Body and pouring out His own Blood, from His many wounds, to be the source of salvation of all, the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God that had been offered and sacrificed, as the one and only worthy offering for the atonement of the sins of all of us, our innumerable sins, that the Lord had shown His mercy and compassion on us, reaching out to us to rescue us.

By His Cross, Our Lord has reassured us all that the power of sin and death over us are not absolute, and in the end, we shall share in the ultimate victory and triumph together with the Holy Cross of Our Lord and Saviour. This celebration today is a combination of three great events in the history of the Church related to the True Cross of Our Lord, namely the finding of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena, mother of the famous Emperor Constantine the Great, and then the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the greatest churches of Christendom on the site of Calvary itself, where the Lord had suffered and died on the Cross, and was then buried, and lastly, the triumphant entry of the True Cross back to Jerusalem during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius after the True Cross had been seized earlier on by the Persians.

The first event, that of the rediscovery of the True Cross by the Empress Helena happened at the time not long after the official persecution of Christians had ended, first with the famous Edict of Milan by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, Helena’s son, and his co-Emperor, Licinius. Then, when Licinius began persecuting Christians living in the Eastern part of the Empire that was his domain, Emperor Constantine defeated the former and reunited the whole entire Roman Empire, extending toleration and acceptance of the Christian faith to the whole Empire. It was then that the mother of the Emperor, Empress Helena went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find the relic of the True Cross of the Saviour, the very Cross on which the Lord Himself had suffered and died for the salvation of the whole world.

At that time, they discovered the site of the crucifixion buried underneath a pagan temple built after the destruction of Jerusalem more than two centuries earlier. There the Empress Helena and her people discovered three crosses, one of which is the True Cross while the other two crosses belonged to the two thieves who were hung there with the Lord at Calvary. According to Church tradition and history, Empress Helena brought the crosses and touched them to a sick man, and only one of them, which is the True Cross, healed the sick man immediately and miraculously. Thus, the True Cross was restored and venerated henceforth as the physical reminder and most important relic of our Lord’s loving sacrifice on the Cross, and of the triumphant victory which He has won for us.

Then, as mentioned, this celebration also marks the Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most important shrines and pilgrimage sites in all of Christendom, as it marks the very place where Our Lord has suffered, died and was buried, and is the place of His empty tomb, as the clear evidence and reminder of His glorious Resurrection, the triumphant victory that He had won over sin and death. Up to this day, many pilgrims continue to come and visit the Lord’s empty tomb, remembering His Passion, His suffering and death, and the Triumph of the Cross. And if the earlier mentioned rediscovery of the True Cross by Empress Helena marked the triumph of Christians against their oppressors and persecutors, thus, this event we commemorate regarding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre reminded us of the triumph of Christ on His Cross.

Lastly, this Feast also marks the triumphant return of the True Cross to Jerusalem during the last and most devastating war between the Roman Empire and the Persians under the Sassanids. Taking place about three centuries after the rediscovery of the True Cross and about fourteen centuries ago, this marks the culmination of the efforts and the victories that the forces of Christendom against the forces of the unbelievers, as the Persians earlier on had captured the True Cross relic when they conquered Jerusalem and the region and brought it back to their lands as a war booty. The defeat of the Persians and the victorious triumph of the then Emperor Heraclius was centred upon the triumphant return of the True Cross to Jerusalem.

In our first reading today, we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we heard of the moment when the Israelites rebelled against the Lord because they grumbled about their lives and all that they had to endure amidst the journey they had been making on the way from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Lord had been with them throughout their journey, providing them whatever they needed, giving them food through the manna, the heavenly bread and the flocks of birds that He had been sending their way throughout their path. But they were still unhappy and unsatisfied, refusing to obey His words, Law and commandments, and instead, committed what was evil and wicked in His sight, and as such, through their sins, they had fallen into the darkness, and they had to face the consequences of their sins, the fiery serpents that the Lord sent to them.

We heard how the Lord then showed mercy on them all as He instructed Moses who asked Him to show kindness and compassion on His people to construct a bronze serpent placed on a staff, raised up high for everyone to see, and we heard how all those who have been bitten and then saw the bronze serpent survived and did not perish. This was in fact a prefigurement of the role that Christ, Our Saviour Himself would play in the story of our salvation. This was a fact which He Himself told to the faithful Pharisee, Nicodemus as we heard in our Gospel passage today, who asked Him about what the Lord had planned for us all mankind. As the other alternative first reading or the second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians highlighted, Christ obeyed His Father’s will and committed Himself so humbly and thoroughly that He would be raised up high on the Cross, to be the salvation for everyone who believe in Him.

This is why all of us are reminded today on this important Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that we have to remember everything that the Lord had lovingly and caringly done for us through His Cross. By His loving kindness and by His persistence in desiring to be reunited and reconciled with us, He has done everything He could, even to the point of humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and honour, to be led to the slaughter place, and to offer Himself as the perfect and most worthy offering for the atonement of all of our sins, evils and wickedness. Hence, we must be thankful and appreciate all that the Lord had done for us, in having been patient in bearing with us and our infidelities, our stubbornness and arrogance, in having resisted His efforts and attempts to reach out to us all these while.

May the Lord, our Triumphant Lord and King, by Whose Holy Cross has triumphed over evil, sin and death, continue to love us and strengthen us in our respective journeys in life, so that in each and every moments of our lives and existence, we will continue to do whatever we can to honour Him, and to focus our attention on Him once again, and no longer be distracted, swayed and tempted by the many false allures and temptations of sin and all the worldliness around us. May all of us continue to put our gaze towards the Cross of Our Lord and Saviour, and remember at all times, how He has been most generous in His love and compassion, so that we will continue to walk ever more faithfully in His path, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 13 September 2024 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day all of us listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Sacred Scriptures in which we are reminded not to be proud, arrogant or egoistic in how we carry on living our lives. Instead, the greater we are, and the more knowledgeable we are, the wiser and the better we are, the more we should be humble and willing to listen to others, especially the Lord Himself in how we should be living our lives. We must not allow our ego and pride to become our downfall and be the serious obstacles and challenges in our path, preventing us from truly being able to approach the Lord and be filled with His grace and love. If we allow ourselves to be swayed by those evils and ambitions, and if we harden and close our hearts and minds against Him and against others, then more often than not we may find ourselves falling into the wrong path in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and faithful people of God in Corinth in which the Apostle spoke of the matter about his ministry and how he did not boast about his accomplishments and achievements before everyone. Instead, he highlighted that being Christians, that is as the disciples and followers of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, one must be more humble and focused on the Lord in all things, rather than to be proud and full of oneself. He reminded all Christians to be always vigilant against the various temptations of worldly glory and ambitions, all of which can lead one astray and away from the Lord and His salvation unless we are careful and vigilant in how we live our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and followers in which He rebuked those hypocrites and those who have been blinded by their arrogance, pride and greed that they failed to see the truth of God and His love. He was clearly referring to the actions and attitudes of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom had not welcomed Him and in fact opposed Him vehemently, always making a lot of efforts to put stumbling blocks and obstacles in the path that the Lord had taken, opposing His ministry and good works, doubting Him and His authority, sowing seeds of dissension and divisions by their constant and repeated efforts at refusing to follow the Lord and what He has taught and shown to the people of God.

All these likely came about because of their great pride and sense of self-entitlement given their standing in the community of the people of God, as well as their strong sense of superiority against those others whom they deemed to be inferior and less worthy than they were, so much so that they frequently criticised and condemned many people, such as the tax collectors, prostitutes and those afflicted by diseases, thinking that those people were wicked and unworthy of God, and had been cursed by their many sins. But they failed to realise that they themselves were sinners and by their indulging in their pride, ego and ambition, they have allowed themselves to be led into the path of rebellion against God, and closed the doors of their heart from the Lord.

That was why they were ‘blind’ because they had been blinded by all that pride and ego, all of which kept them from truly being able to appreciate the truth and Good News which the Lord had brought into our midst. This is an important reminder therefore for each and every one of us not to fall into this same trap, falling into the same predicament of hardening our hearts and minds, closing ourselves off from the Lord and His ever generous offer of love and His truth. We should instead be more humble, the greater we are. We must not let all these pride and wickedness of the world to distract us from our true goal in Christ, in His truth and love, His grace and salvation. We must always be willing to let the Lord to come into our hearts and minds, while humbly seeking Him to forgive us all our own sins and imperfections.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John Chrysostom, a great servant of God and bishop, who was honoured afterwards as one of the great and esteemed Doctors of the Church for his many contributions and works, and his commitment to God in the early periods of the Church’s history. St. John Chrysostom was one of the famous Early Church fathers who dedicated himself to his mission of evangelisation and care for the flock of God’s holy and beloved people and who was remembered well for his great courage and determination to stand up for his beliefs and convictions amidst the various challenges and difficulties that he might have to face in the process of his efforts and works, in his commitment as a good and faithful shepherd of the Lord’s people. St. John Chrysostom is truly a worthy role model for all of us to follow in how we ought to live our lives with faith.

St. John Chrysostom was born in a pagan family to a high-ranking military officer who died early in St. John Chrysostom’s life. His mother raised him and gave him good education in various areas of academics and other philosophical pursuits. However, he soon developed strong desire to learn more about God, devoting his time more to his Christian faith and embraced deep learning of theology. He then became a hermit for a while, adopting an ascetic lifestyle, before becoming a deacon in Antioch, gaining great popularity for his great charism and eloquence in his service and dedication, in his wonderful style of preaching and teaching to the people regarding various matters of the faith. Eventually, he was chosen as the Archbishop of Constantinople, a position of truly great influence in the Roman Empire at that time, being the Eastern capital of the Empire.

During his time as the Archbishop and shepherd of the flock of the people of God in Constantinople, St. John Chrysostom had to face a lot of challenges and difficulties, as he soon gained the enmity and the wrath of the powerful nobles, especially that of the Roman Empress Eudoxia, the wife of the Emperor Arcadius. The Empress was angry at St. John Chrysostom spoke out courageously against excesses of worldly wealth and also display of feminine elegance and ornamentations, which she presumed to be directed against her. She therefore managed to get him to be banished from his See and persecuted, which led to violent opposition by those who supported St. John Chrysostom, and this, coupled with the omen of an earthquake that struck the very night the man of God was arrested led to him being released and reinstated. However, the troubles did not end there are conflicts kept on going between the Empress and the Archbishop of Constantinople, which led him to be exiled again and persecuted to the end of his life. But all these did not dampen his efforts, and St. John Chrysostom remained firmly faithful to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the faithful examples of St. John Chrysostom, who dedicated himself wholly and thoroughly to God, and that he spoke up courageously against those who abused their power and against all those who acted with pride, ego and arrogance, and who humbly dedicated himself to God and His people despite his status and the prestige that he enjoyed. He did not allow himself to be swayed by the temptations of sin, of pride and ego, of ambition and greed. Each and every one of us should be inspired to follow in his footsteps and continue to do our best so that we may grow ever stronger in our faith and commitment to God, and we may distance ourselves from all the things that may lead to our downfall and destruction, and keeping us away from God. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to bless us in all of our efforts and endeavours, to come ever closer to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 12 September 2024 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, in which moment we praise and honour Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, who has always been with us, interceding for us and helping us all throughout our journey of faith and life, by her constant and persistent intercessions and other efforts through which she had reached out to us and calling on us to follow her on the way towards her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom we shall gain the assurance of salvation and eternal life. Through Mary, whose memory and holy Name we honour today, we have the surest and best path towards God and His grace, His salvation and light.

In our first reading today, taken from either the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians or to the Ephesians, we are all reminded by the Apostle St. Paul of the nature of the coming of the salvation of God through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who had been brought into this world via the cooperation and acceptance which Mary had given to the whole plan of God’s salvation for all of us mankind. Mary has resolutely said yes and embraced wholeheartedly the role that she would play in the entire plan of God’s salvation, when she responded to the Archangel Gabriel, that she is indeed the handmaid of the Lord, and let all things be done to her according to His will. Through Mary’s faith and obedience therefore, God’s salvation had become incarnate and tangible to us through Christ.

Not only that, but as St. Paul also mentioned to both the Ephesians and the Galatians, through this coming of Christ, the Saviour Whom God had sent into this world, all of us through our sharing in Christ’s human nature, have become brothers and sisters to one another, and become the adopted children of God. And through that, we have been given the share in the glorious resurrection of Our Lord, and receive the assurance of eternal life beyond this world, by He Who has conquered death for us, triumphant and victorious against the forces of evil and wicked ones who sought to destroy us and lead us into the darkness. And Mary, as the Mother of God, has been standing by her Son, and all of us, whom the Lord had entrusted to her as her own children.

And if the evil forces, the demons and spirits are afraid of the Lord, because they know that He is truly the Lord and Master over all things, and that no matter what they do, they cannot overcome Him, fearing the very mention of His Name, therefore, by association to her Son, Mary’s holy Name is equally feared and has the same power over those evil spirits as well. By invoking the Most Holy Name of Mary, we bring into our presence the protection of the Mother of God herself, who has always been our greatest ally and intercessor, ever praying for and helping us sinners, guiding us all towards her beloved Son, our Lord and Saviour. She has also constantly given us all the inspiration and the help to make us find our way towards the Lord and His salvation.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account of the visitation by Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, when Mary came to the place where the latter stayed having heard from the Archangel Gabriel that she was pregnant with a child, about six month earlier than Mary herself. Both of these cases involved miraculous conception and pregnancy, with Elizabeth’s case being that the pregnancy happened when she was already old and definitely beyond child-bearing age. In the meantime, Mary became pregnant without having relationship with a man, and she was not yet married to Joseph, her spouse-to-be at the moment of her conceiving her Son. This was because the Lord Himself has made the conception possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, that the Son of God, the Word of God Incarnate has entered into our world through Mary’s cooperation and faith.

We heard in that account how the Lord had truly performed great and wonderful deeds through these two women, and how He has rescued and brought them out of their respective predicaments. The Lord showed His power and might to rescue all those who have faith in Him, and He proved it to all of us through these great wonders and miracles. He will not abandon His faithful and beloved ones to the darkness, and He will always be by our side, not leaving us alone. We have heard how Mary received the great grace of God, blessed by her faith and obedience, and also the unique and special role that she has in the story of our salvation and liberation from the power of evil and darkness, through her Motherhood of Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect on all these from the Scriptures and on the role that Mary has played in the story of our salvation, let us all continue to honour and respect her, as the Mother of God and also as our loving Mother, who has always looked kindly upon us, caring for each and every one of us, guiding and helping us to find our way towards the salvation in God. Mary has always committed herself to us as our loving Mother, ever always wanting us all to repent from our sinful attitudes and actions so that we may be fully reunited with her Son, and gain a place in the eternal life and receive the fullness of inheritance of what He has promised to each and every one of us from the very beginning.

May Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of Our Lord and Saviour, our loving Mother, continue to help and intercede for our sake before her Son in Heaven, ever concerned and ever praying for us, giving us all every possible help and means for us to come closer to the Lord. May she continue to inspire us all to live our lives worthily and well in all things and at all opportunities. In times of trouble let us continue to invoke the Most Holy Name of Mary, our Mother, calling sincerely and earnestly upon her to come and help us, to assist and intercede for us all. Holy Mary, Mother of God, our loving Mother, pray for us sinners, now and always, and at the hour of our death. Amen.