Saints

by

Tuesday, 3 December 2024 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of Missions and Missionaries (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22-23

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.

So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

by

Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord and the brother of St. Peter the Apostle, and was the very first one of the Lord’s disciples and followers, hence why he is also sometimes known as St. Andrew the First-Called. On this day we honour this great man of God, who has devoted himself thoroughly to the service of God, and given himself to the ministry of the proclamation of the Good News of God to the many people and communities he encountered. St. Andrew the Apostle is truly a great inspiration to all of us in how he has lived his life with fervent desire to glorify God in his many missionary works and actions.

Now, first let us all begin with a revisiting of the passages from the Scriptures which we had received and heard earlier. 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 Rome, where where the Apostle was very clear in his words and reminders to the people of God regarding who it is that they believe in and worshipping, namely the Lord God, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who has brought into this world the assurance of His salvation, the promise of eternal life, true joy and glory with God, offered to all of mankind, everyone without any exception, bias or prejudice, whether they were Jews or Gentiles. And this message truly brought great hope to everyone who heard it.

This is because at that time, the belief among the Jewish people, the descendants of the original chosen people of God, the Israelites was that the Jews were the only ones deserving of God’s favour and salvation, while the Gentiles, who were mostly pagans and unbelievers were seen as defiled, corrupt, wicked and unworthy, and would be condemned unless they adopted wholly the ways and practices of the Jews, such as the strict laws and rules according to the Law of God as revealed to Moses including all the subsequent additions, modifications and changes. The problem is that the requirements were so stringent that even the Jews themselves have great difficulty obeying them, and all the more difficult for the Gentiles to do so.

In addition to this, based on historical evidence and Church records, the practices and customs of the Jews such as circumcision and the dietary preferences among other things were abhorrent and considered as alien and undesirable by many of the Gentiles, and forcing the Gentiles to adopt such practices would indeed have made their lives extra difficult, on top of the challenges that they would already have to face by being a follower of Christ. That was why St. Paul made it clear that the belief in the salvation in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all is universal, and not reserved only for any particular group of people. Anyone who truly believe in Him and obey Him, following His teachings and ways will be saved, and they shall all share in the fullness of grace and glory of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle, we heard of the moment when the Lord called His disciples, the first ones that He had, from among the fishermen of the lake of Galilee. St. Andrew was among these fishermen, and he was likely the one to introduce the Lord to his brother, then known as Simon, the future St. Peter the Apostle, as well as to the two sons of Zebedee, namely St. James the Apostle and St. John the Apostle. According to Apostolic and Church tradition, St. Andrew was also a disciple of St. John the Baptist, and was one of the two disciples of St. John the Baptist who went to follow the Lord after He was baptised by the former. This is why St. Andrew is also known as St. Andrew the First-Called as mentioned earlier.

The Lord then called him and the other fishermen, the other disciples to be the ‘fishers of men’, to be the ones to gather all mankind to the Lord, to lead them all to His salvation, just as they had gathered fish in their earlier work and livelihood. Through them, the Lord would reach out to many more people and bring them all towards His loving embrace and compassionate mercy, and that is the very important role which the Lord has entrusted and called the Apostles like St. Andrew to do. They would be the ones proclaiming the Good News of God, bringing hope and light of Christ to those who have suffered and waited in the darkness of this world, separated and sundered from God’s love and grace.

And now, let us revisit the life and examples of St. Andrew the Apostle especially after what was written in the Scriptures. According to Apostolic tradition, St. Andrew would go on to various places to proclaim the Gospels, the Good News of the Lord, including places such as Georgia, Greece and Asia Minor, parts of southern Russia and Ukraine around the Black Sea region, Romania, Cyprus, Malta and other places where he touched the hearts and minds of many with the Good News of the Lord, with His love and kindness, which have been freely and generously given to us. He established many churches and the foundations of the Christian communities in all those places, and was eventually martyred in Patras in southern Greece, being crucified on an X-shaped cross, which henceforth is known as ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore learn and be inspired from the good and worthy life, examples and commitment which St. Andrew has shown to the Lord and to the people he had been sent to. All of us should also have the same vigour and courage in proclaiming the Good News of God like that of St. Andrew and that of the other Apostles because they have shown us what it truly means to be good and faithful Christians, not just in name and formality only, but also through real actions, words and deeds based upon that living and genuine faith in God. We must embody our faith in our daily living and in how we interact with one another, with those whom we encounter, even acquaintances and strangers.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to bless and guide us all in our journey in life so that by His blessings and providence, by His encouragement and strength we may continue to do our best in our respective lives, continuing the good works which the Apostles such as St. Andrew had done in their lives. May our own lives and works be truly worthy of being Christians, and may we continue to be good role models and inspirations for each other, now and always. Amen.

by

Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 4 : 18-22

At that time, as Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come, follow Me; and I will make you fish for people.”

At once they left their nets and followed Him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them.

At once, they left the boat, and their father, and followed Him.

by

Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

by

Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Romans 10 : 9-18

You are saved, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and, in your heart, you believe that God raised Him from the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips, you are saved.

For Scripture says : No one who believes in Him will be ashamed. Here, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, Who is very generous with whoever calls on Him. Truly, all who call upon the Name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call upon the Name of the Lord without having believed in Him? And how can they believe in Him, without having first heard about Him? And how will they hear about Him, if no one preaches about Him? And how will they preach about Him, if no one sends them?

As Scripture says : How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of Good News. Although, not everyone obeyed the Good News, as Isaiah said : Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ.

I ask : Have the Jews not heard? But, of course, they have. Because the voice of those preaching resounded all over the earth, and their voice was heard, to the ends of the world.

by

Monday, 25 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour :  Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that all of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people should always keep our faith in the Lord firm and strong amidst all the difficulties, challenges and hardships that we may be facing in life. As we come ever closer to the end of the current liturgical year that is ending this week, we are constantly being reminded of the need for all of us to remain strong in our faith and commitment to God, in our desire to love Him and to follow Him courageously and honourably all the time. We must not be easily dissuaded and prevented from committing ourselves to the Lord by the many obstacles, trails and opposition we may have to face in our journey.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the account from the Book of Revelations of St. John the Apostle in which the great vision of St. John was told to us, about the presence of the Lamb of God, the Saviour of the whole world, Our Lord Jesus Christ, on Mount Zion, surrounded by the one hundred and forty-four thousand, a large number meant to represent the vast number of those who have been saved and made worthy by their faith in God. All those people have been found worthy in their faith and dedication to God, having lived worthily and righteously amidst all the challenges, temptations and difficulties, all the sufferings that they had to endure in the midst of their obedience and faith in God.

It is a reminder for all of us that regardless of the challenges and trials, all the persecutions and the difficult paths that we have had to traverse in order to come towards the Lord, all these perseverance and endurance in faith, obeying the will of God and doing whatever He has asked us all to do, in the end, we will share in the triumph and eternal glory, true joy and bliss that the Lord has reassured and promised us, and which He showed us all through His disciple, St. John, to share with us the hope of everlasting life, the eternal and true glory that we will enjoy with Him in His Holy Presence, freed from the bondage and dominion of evil and sin. All of us will share in the glory and joy of the saints, and be truly happy forevermore.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the short passage recounting to us the moment when the Lord Jesus praised the faith and commitment of the old widow who gave from her own poverty, the offering of two small coins, when many others gave to the treasury of the Temple in amounts far greater than what she has given. What the Lord truly meant by this mention of the faith of the old widow was not that He disliked or were biased against those who were rich and powerful, or favoured only those who were poor and weak. Instead, what He truly wants us to know is that even if we are facing hardships and challenges in our own lives, it does not mean that we cannot give from even our sufferings and poverty.

Instead, as Christians, we are always called to be generous with ourselves, to love even when there is nothing else we can give in terms of physical and material goods. We can still give others our time and love, our compassion and care. We must always strive to be kind and compassionate to everyone, even when we ourselves have been beset by evil and hatred by those who are around us. We must always remember the examples set by our Lord Himself, Who has forgiven those who have persecuted and oppressed Him, condemned Him to die an unjust death. He prayed for those who had hated and condemned Him, not hating or being angry against them, or seeking vengeance. This is the kind of love that we all must aspire and strive to have in us as well, brothers and sisters, love that is truly pure and selfless.

We are all reminded today that as we continue to carry on our lives in the world today, in each and every moments of our lives, we should be always be mindful of everyone around us, of all the sufferings and difficulties that each and every one of us may be facing in our own respective lives. God has shown us all what it means to be truly loving and generous, and to be truly rooted in His love and compassion. We must never ignore our calling and mission to be truly loving and compassionate towards everyone, regardless who they are, in all and every moments of our lives, doing our very best to show them all the love of God manifested through our genuine actions, deeds, all the care and concern that we have shown one another, in how we all live our lives in a selfless and loving manner.

As Christians we must never be selfish and wicked in all of our deeds and actions. Our lives should indeed reflect the light of God, His virtues and wonderful truth in everything that we say and do, in all of our interactions with one another, just as the Lord Himself has shown and taught us through His Church and His disciples. All of us must always embody our Christian faith within us, or else our faith is meaningless, empty and pointless, and will not avail us on the Day of Judgment. We are all reminded that we have been given so many opportunities by the Lord and endowed with all sorts of various blessings, talents and other things so that we may make good use of them for the benefit of everyone, for ourselves and for everyone around us, through our love and compassion.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria, a great and holy woman, and a devoted servant of God who was remembered for her great faith and commitment to God. According to Sacred tradition and history, she was the daughter of the Roman governor of Alexandria during the third century, and therefore belonged to the social elite at the time, being referred to as a ‘princess’ in the historical writings. At that time, her study of the texts about the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church writings led her to convert to the Christian faith, and it was a time of great turmoil and difficulty for the Christians throughout the Roman Empire, as the then Roman Emperor, Diocletian and his fellow co-Emperors launched intense persecutions against Christians.

St. Catherine was a courageous and faithful woman, and she did not fear the persecutions and hardships that she would have to face amidst the intense persecution of the time, just like what we have heard in our first reading today. She went to the Emperor, then the Roman Emperor Maxentius ruling in Rome to criticise and rebuke him for his persecution of Christians, where the Emperor assembled fifty most experienced and knowledgeable pagan philosophers to debate her without avail, and even many among those philosophers were convinced of the Christian truth and converted, leading to themselves being tortured and martyred. The Emperor then had St. Catherine arrested and imprisoned afterwards. It was told that many, including the Emperor’s own wife visited her in prison, and many including the Empress became Christian converts and were martyred.

The Emperor was desperate to overcome the faith of St. Catherine, and in doing so he wanted to persuade her by asking for her hand in marriage, providing that she abandon her Christian faith. But she remained firm in her faith and refused, declaring her obedience to God and her unshakeable faith. Therefore, St. Catherine was sentenced to death, but even the spikes to be used to kill her fail and prove to be unable to take her life. Eventually, she was martyred by beheading after she willingly allowed herself to be martyred, and it was told that miraculously, a milk-like substance instead of blood poured forth from her wounds. The great examples, faith and commitment, as well as the courage and perseverance of St. Catherine of Alexandria should indeed inspire us all Christians in our own faith in God.

May the Lord, our ever loving God and Father, our wonderful Creator and King continue to guide us all in our lives today, so that we may draw ever closer to His presence, and may all of us continue to be inspired by the great examples shown by His saints, like that of St. Catherine of Alexandria whose life we have just discussed and reflected upon. May all of us continue to love Him first and foremost in our lives and do our best to glorify Him through each and every one of our actions, words and deeds in life, and may God bless our every great efforts and endeavours for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

by

Monday, 25 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour :  Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 21 : 1-4

At that time, Jesus looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury of the Temple. He also saw a poor widow, who dropped in two small coins. And He said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them. For all of them gave an offering from their plenty; but she, out of her poverty, gave all she had to live on.”

by

Monday, 25 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour :  Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 23 : 1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord, the world and all that dwell in it. He has founded it upon the ocean and set it firmly upon the waters.

Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who will stand in His holy place? Those with clean hands and pure heart, who desire not what is vain.

They will receive blessings from the Lord, a reward from God, their Saviour. Such are the people who seek Him, who seek the face of Jacob’s God.

by

Monday, 25 November 2024 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour :  Green or Red (Martyrs)

Revelations 14 : 1-3, 4b-5

I was given another vision : The Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, surrounded by one hundred and forty-four thousand people, who had His Name, and His Father’s Name, written on their foreheads. A sound reverberated in heaven, like the sound of the roaring of waves, or deafening thunder; it was like a chorus of singers, accompanied by their harps.

They sing a new song before the Throne, in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders, a song, which no one can learn, except the hundred and forty-four thousand, who have been taken from the earth.

These are given, to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They are the first taken from humankind, who are already of God and the Lamb. No deceit has been found in them; they are faultless.

by

Saturday, 23 November 2024 : 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, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded of the coming of the end of times and the need for us to continue to have faith and trust in God, no matter what sufferings or hardships we may encounter in our respective paths in life. We must always trust that God will have our back and that we will not be disappointed if we put our faith in Him. At the end of time, we will be raised body and soul to be truly and fully reconciled with God 

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Revelations of St. John, as we continue to hear the series of revelations received by St. John the Apostle during his exile and persecution in the Island of Patmos and in that vision, we heard of how the Lord will send to His people and to this world two great witnesses who then went on to proclaim the Word of God and His truth amongst the many people who have abandoned and rejected Him and His salvation, choosing instead to obey and follow the Devil, the one who is foretold to try to rise up against all of us at the end of time, persecuting all the ones who are faithful to the Lord. But God will not abandon us and through His servants, He will continue to show His love and encouragement.

Then, as we heard in what will happen next, those two servants are protected from all those who will seek to destroy them, up to the appointed time, when the forces of the evil one will come up and strike at those servants of God. And yet, in the end, the Lord raised them all up to His Presence, as His Spirit of Life descended upon them, striking fear against all those who have persecuted, oppressed and attacked them. It also showed how not even Satan, all sorts of evil forces, sin and death can triumph against God and His power. Ultimately, God will be triumphant against all those who are against Him, Satan and all his fellow fallen angels and demons, and all those who sided with them, while all those who are faithful to Him shall be vindicated and shall share His glorious triumph.

In our Gospel passage today then, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the discussion between the Lord and some of the Sadducees who were there and wanted to question Him regarding the matter about the Resurrection from the dead. The Sadducees were one of the two most powerful and influential groups within the community of the Jewish people at the time of the Lord Jesus’ ministry, together with the Pharisees. The Sadducees were powerful and the ruling group of the Jews, those who were chosen as the High Priest and the other chief priests, the religious and secular elites of the community. And many of them were worldly in their views and beliefs, seeking to preserve their worldly influence and power above all else.

And hence, they were among those who refused to believe in the resurrection from the dead and any other spiritual matters and beliefs, as opposed to the Pharisees, who were intellectual elites and the teachers and preservers of the Law, who believed firmly in all things spiritual and the resurrection after death. Thus, as the Lord often spoke about life and existence transcending death, the Sadducees were strongly opposed to the Lord on this matter, and questioned Him about this belief in the resurrection. Their example quoting the seven brothers who shared a wife, as per the Law of Moses which dictated that the wife be taken care of by a man’s brothers should he die without a child, was an example of their lack of understanding and appreciation of the teachings and belief in the resurrection and life after death.

The Lord made it clear that life and existence after death should not be compared to our lives in this world, and it will be different from our lives here on earth which is full of desires and imperfections, corruptions and the temptations due to sin that has afflicted each and every one of us. Those who have passed on from this life to the world that is to come, and eventually after the Last Judgment, all of them, and all of us shall share in the fullness of God’s glory and rejoice together with Him in eternity of true happiness and bliss. We who will share in the joy of the Lord will no longer have desires for worldly matters, possessions, attachments and all the other things that those Sadducees and many among us may be desiring. That is what each and every one of us as Christians must realise as well.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two great saints, holy men of God, whose lives, faith and dedication to God should be great source of inspiration for all of us to follow in our own respective lives. They are Pope St. Clement I, a holy and dedicated Pope and Vicar of Christ, as well as St. Columban, a renowned Abbot and holy man. First of all, Pope St. Clement I was one of the first Bishops of Rome, the successors of St. Peter the Apostle who was the first Pope and Bishop of Rome. He is the fourth Bishop of Rome, succeeding St. Peter the Apostle, Pope St. Linus and Pope St. Anacletus. According to Apostolic tradition and Church history, Pope St. Clement I was the first among the Apostolic Fathers, the successors to the Apostles who continued their work and ministry among the people of God.

Pope St. Clement I was very active in his ministry as bishop and the leader of the Church, caring for the spiritual needs of the people of God, showing great leadership and governance of the flock of the Lord. He wrote many letters and epistles to the faithful, some of which survived in the writings of the early Church fathers, exhorting the faithful people of God to remain committed to Him despite all the challenges, trials and difficulties that they all had to face and endure amidst the persecutions and oppressions from the Roman state that was common at that time. He continued to work hard to the very end, eventually suffering prison and exile, and in the end, according to Apostolic tradition, like most of the other early Popes, died as a martyr of the Church.

Meanwhile, St. Columban, also known as St. Columbanus, was an Irish missionary priest who dedicated himself to the service of the Lord, in his missions in mainland Europe, in what is today parts of France and beyond. St. Columban spread the word of God to many of the people, and established schools and institutions that drew many people who seek to gain greater knowledge and understanding of their faith. However, despite the great and growing popularity of his schools, St. Columban preferred the solitude of the mountains, after many rounds of conflicts and disagreements with the bishops in France and Italy, eventually settling down in northern Italy on the land bestowed on him and others to establish a monastery, over which St. Columban became an abbot. He continued to dedicate himself to the Lord and His people to the very end of his earthly life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have all heard from our Scripture passages today, and also from the good examples and lives of Pope St. Clement I and St. Columban, we are all reminded that as Christians, we are all called to be truly obedient to God and to put our full trust and faith in Him at all times, striving at all times to do whatever is pleasing to Him, to obey Him, His Law and commandments. May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to help, strengthen and empower us all in our journey in life, and may He continue to bless us in all of our efforts and endeavours to glorify Him in each and every moments of our lives. Amen.