Church fathers

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Thursday, 11 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard again the reassuring words of the Lord through the Sacred Scriptures in which He continued to strengthen the faith in each and every one of us. During this time and season of Advent, each and every one of us are reminded of the hope that is coming for us from God Himself, all that He has promised to us and which He had made fully accomplished and fulfilled through His own Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, Whom He had sent into this world to show unto us the ever wonderful and enduring love which He has always had for every one of us, without exception. 

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Book of the prophet Isaiah we heard of the reassuring words of the Lord yet again for His people in which He promised all of them that He would provide for all of them, protect them and give them all His providence and blessings. He would not abandon them or be deaf or blind to their plights, difficulties and hardships. He listened to them and heard their cries for help, and all of these were clear to Him, and He would act in due time, to protect and guide all those who were truly dear and beloved to Him. He is ever faithful to His Covenant and to everything which He has promised and constantly reassured His people with, and therefore, we ourselves, inspired by this great reassurance that God has given to His beloved ones, should be reassured as well.

This Advent, this time of waiting, expectation and preparation for the coming of Our Lord and Saviour should be a time of redirection and rediscovery of ourselves and our faith in God. We should make good use of the time and opportunities that God has provided us such that we may indeed draw ever closer to His presence, embracing His ever patient, wonderful and generous love. We should believe that the Lord can truly provide for us in everything that we need, in reaching out to us whenever we need help and guidance, and in protecting us from harm, and even if we have to suffer challenges, trials and difficulties in our paths, we have to remember and keep in mind that the Lord Himself has gone through even worse sufferings for us. He did all these so that we may have a new hope in Him.

Then, from the Gospel today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself speaking about St. John the Baptist, the one who had been sent to prepare His path and coming, and we heard how the Lord praised St. John the Baptist as the greatest one who have ever come from the children of mankind, and yet curiously also less than the least in the kingdom of heaven. We must understand first of all that St. John the Baptist was sent into this world to prepare the coming of the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, and hence he came from before the coming of Christ, representing the last one of the Old Testament, the so-called ‘seal of the Prophets’

Therefore, St. John the Baptist was indeed the greatest of those born under the Old Testament and the old Law, because he alone among all of the Prophets came to witness the Lord and Saviour Himself, and actively worked to prepare His coming into this world. But with the coming of Christ, all of us have been made partakers of His truth and Good News, and we are reminded therefore of just fortunate and blessed all of us are because we have received the assurance and sure evidence of God’s ever enduring love and compassion, all of His kindness, grace and blessings which He has manifested to all of us through none other than Christ, His Beloved and only Begotten Son, born into this world to lead us all into salvation through Him.

Today, we have yet another great servant of God who dedicated his life to Him, and who can also become our role model and inspiration in life. Pope St. Damasus I was the Pope, and therefore leader of the Universal Church during the important years and time of the Church when there were numerous converts and more and more coming to believe in God. At that same time, there were also a lot of divisions and disagreements in the Church, which Pope St. Damasus worked very hard to overcome as the leader of all God’s faithful people. There had been differing ideas and schools of thought at that time, where those different factions and their disagreements threatened to break up the Church unity and the Body of Christ.

Pope St. Damasus himself became Pope during a turbulent time of a succession crisis following the death of the previous reigning Pope due to interference from the secular ruling class and nobles of Rome. There was a contested election and two rival Popes were elected, in a heated campaign before Pope St. Damasus eventually prevailed against his rival. This rival himself belonged to the heretical party, the Arians, who had wrecked a lot of damage and divisions in the Church for many decades up to that time. The Arians had large following and support from the powerful and influential members of the community at the time, and they had even the backing from the Emperor and his nobles, and this made it difficult for the Pope and the Church, but nonetheless this did not discourage Pope St. Damasus I.

Pope St. Damasus was instrumental in leading the charge against the heretics and all of their false teachings, devoting much of his time and efforts to overcome the falsehoods spread by those who claimed to teach the truth of God, but in reality were spreading false ideas. He also helped the creation of the Biblical canon especially in the Western, Latin half of the Church by his works with St. Jerome, whom he tasked with the compilation and the proper translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible into Latin, which would become the renowned Latin Vulgate Bible. Through the many other contributions and great leadership which Pope St. Damasus I had shown and exhibited, 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all continue to put our faith and trust in the Lord, doing our very best so that in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions, good works and efforts, through our every examples in life, we may indeed be ever focused on the Lord at the centre of our lives and existence, and that in what we carry out in our daily actions, we will continue to inspire hope and strength in others who may also face similar struggles in life, especially in the matters of remaining truly faithful and committed to the Lord and His path despite all the hardships, challenges and difficulties that all of us may have to encounter in our daily journeys and in our respective paths in life. We should not be idle but be ever ready to welcome the Lord when He comes again.

May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all in our respective journeys of faith and life, so that as we continue to progress through this time and season of Advent, we will continue to grow ever stronger in faith in God and in our love for Him. May He continue to inspire and guide us in practicing our Christian faith ever more courageously and faithfully in all things. May all of us continue to have a good and fruitful Advent season, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 11 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Matthew 11 : 11-15

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

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

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Thursday, 11 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

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

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

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

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

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Thursday, 11 December 2025 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Isaiah 41 : 13-20

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

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

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

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

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gathered together and listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures and as we all continue to progress through this sacred time and season of Advent, each and every one of us are called to trust in God and in everything that He will provide for us in our respective journeys, in whatever calling, missions and vocations that He has entrusted to us, His most beloved people. We should always strive to do our best in glorifying the Lord through our every actions, words and deeds, in everything that we carry out in our lives, even in the smallest and even in what we may think as the least significant parts of our actions and works. This Advent season we should focus on renewing our faith in the Lord, to put our trust and faith constantly in God, and draw ever closer to Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard the continuation of the passage from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord continued to show His reassurances to His people in Zion, a manifestation of Jerusalem, where the people of God lived in at that time, in the kingdom of Judah centred in Jerusalem. As mentioned in the past week of readings and the prophecies through the earlier parts of this Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of how the people of God had been beset by many troubles, challenges and difficulties which have all been caused by their own doing and that of their ancestors, who had disobeyed the Lord, His Law and commandments, and yet, the Lord kept on reassuring them at the same time, that if they put their faith and trust in Him, He would eventually vindicate and rescue them.

And this is because they were His chosen people, the people whom He truly cared for and loved. He did not want any of them to suffer and be lost to Him. They have all faced sufferings, challenges, difficulties and humiliations all because of their own disobedience and sins, but God had called them all and showed great patience towards them, in gathering and leading them all back towards Him, in showing them His great compassion, mercy and love. And He has also promised them all that all those who remain truly faithful to Him, they shall all enjoy the fullness of God’s love and guidance, and they shall not be found wanting, with their misfortunes to be replaced by good things and wonders, in God’s good time. Therefore, it’s the same with all of us as well, that eventually we shall all share in the great joy that the Lord alone can provide us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we are reminded that each and every one of us are partakers and parts of those working for the Lord at His vineyard, His field, that is none other than this world. We heard how the Lord and His disciples went from places to places, ministering to the people, to those who were sick and beset by troubles and problems, and in doing so, He has fulfilled the many prophecies that were spoken and revealed about Him by the prophets including that of the prophet Isaiah. And then, He also added on with the sobering words on the reality of how the ‘harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few’, highlighting the vast opportunities for many more people to come to know the Lord, His Good News and salvation, but this is usually hampered by the lack of those who carry on works for this purpose.

That is why we are reminded of this reality today so that each and every one of us in our every moments in life, in everything that we say and do, in all that we constantly carry out in our lives, we will always do our parts as faithful members of our Christian community, in whatever areas and vocations that God had called us to do in our respective lives. We do not need to do great and wonderful things, and we should indeed never compare our efforts and works with one another. First of all, everything that we do, even in the smallest things do matter, and even the smallest things we do, when we do them with genuine and sincere hearts, and with the true understanding of what our Christian faith has shown, taught and called us to do, they will all assemble into a much greater impact, far greater than what we perhaps have imagined.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Nicholas, also known as St. Nicholas of Myra. This saint and great man of God is also perhaps better known as Santa Claus by much of the world, as the corruption of the word Sinterklaas, which is the Dutch name and pronunciation of St. Nicholas’ name. Santa Claus is often associated with Christmas celebrations and season, and is ubiquitous and present everywhere there are Christmas celebrations and festivities. However, do we truly know who St. Nicholas of Myra actually was? Santa Claus is often depicted as an elderly man who is wearing a thick and fluffy red coat and overalls, hats and having a long and thick white beard, bringing lots of gifts in a large bag or sack, to be given to children. This is likely from the tradition and beliefs that St. Nicholas of Myra did so during his time and ministry as Bishop of Myra, in showing kindness to the children in his diocese.

However, St. Nicholas of Myra did more than just all that, and he should be remembered much more than merely just in the popular memory and celebration of being a generous old man who brought forth gifts to children. St. Nicholas of Myra was a great and holy man of God, who was a devotee shepherd to the flock that God had entrusted to him. He was known for his great care for the people, both in their spiritual needs as well as their worldly and physical matters, which is why the legend of Santa Claus began in the first place, as St. Nicholas was also known for his great generosity. St. Nicholas of Myra also lived and ministered to the people of God through the time of great division in the Church, as there were many heresies and false teachings running rampant at that time, and he worked hard to keep his people from being misled and misguided.

St. Nicholas of Myra was also a participant at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where he was one of the bishops and Church fathers involved in the proceedings in formalising the expressions and tenets of the Christian faith. At that Ecumenical Council, the great and harmful heresy of Arianism was outlawed and condemned by the Church. Arianism was a heresy based on the teachings of the popular priest named Arius who rejected the consubstantial and co-eternal nature of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and instead teaching falsely that the Son was the first among those whom God had created. The truth as we uphold it, is that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Most Holy Trinity and Triune God, are co-equal and co-eternal, having existed from before time, and that the Son was begotten from the Father, not created. St. Nicholas was one of the bishops who fervently championed the true faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we continue to prepare ourselves as we progress through this time and season of Advent, let us all continue to show our faith courageously and sincerely not merely through words but also through genuine actions, in each and every moments of our lives. Let us all be good role models, inspirations and examples for one another, touching the lives of those whom God had placed into our paths, so that many more people may come to believe in Him through us, and we truly become good labourers of His field that is this world. May God bless our every efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Matthew 9 : 35 – Matthew 10 : 1, 5a, 6-8

At that time, Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom; and He cured every sickness and disease. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with pity; for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only few. Ask the Master of the harvest to send workers to gather His harvest.”

Jesus called His Twelve disciples to Him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and sickness. Jesus sent these Twelve on mission, with the instruction : “Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give.”

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Psalm 146 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia! How good it is to sing to our God, how sweet and befitting, to praise Him! YHVH rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals their broken hearts and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of stars; He calls each of them by name.

The Lord is great, and mighty in power; His wisdom is beyond measure. YHVH lifts up the humble, but casts the wicked to the ground.

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Saturday, 6 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Isaiah 30 : 19-21, 23-26

O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. When you cry, He will listen; when He hears, He will answer. When the Lord has given you the bread of anguish and the water of distress, He, your Teacher will hide no longer. Your own eyes will see Him, and your ear will listen to His words behind you : “This is the way, walk in it.”

He will then give rain for the seed you sow and make the harvest abundant from the crops you grow. On that day your cattle will graze in wide pastures. Your beasts of burden will eat silage tossed to them with pitchfork and shovel. For on the day of the great slaughter, when fortresses fall, streams of water will flow on every mountain and lofty hill.

The light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven times greater, like the light of seven days, when YHVH binds up the wounds of His people and heals the bruises inflicted by His blows.

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Tuesday, 11 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that God had never intended for us all to be facing and enduring these sufferings that we have in this world as He has always meant for us to enjoy the good fruits of His blessings and graces from the very beginning, but sin came in the way and hence caused us to fall into this great predicament. At the same time, since we are also God’s creatures, we are also His servants and people, and this comes with expectations and responsibilities that are demanded and required for us to follow. Each and every one of us should always do our part in living our lives so that we will always do God’s will and serve Him faithfully at all times as we should.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of how each and every one of us created in God’s own image and likeness have been meant to exist in perfect bliss and harmony with God, and not to suffer from the many trials that we are currently facing in this world. Yet, because of our disobedience against Him, we have become separated from God and the fullness of His love, as sin corrupted us and our souls, our whole beings, and prevented us from truly being together with God. And yet, even though we mankind have fallen into such a state, God did not neglect or abandon us, or seek for us to be destroyed and annihilated for our mistakes and faults.

On the contrary, God continues to love each one of us nonetheless, opening wide the doors of His mercy, compassion and love, providing help and assistance at each and every moments so that we may be able to return to Him and be fully reconciled with Him. He has done this through the giving of His own Beloved Son to us, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has also provided and sent us His Holy Spirit to nurture and guide us in our paths so that we may continue to journey towards Him, with the Wisdom and gentle guidance that He has provided to each one of us. God calls us all to follow Him and gave us that desire to seek Him and to be fully reunited with Him in the end.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples telling them that all of them, and also all of us, as the followers of the Lord, are all His servants and we are therefore expected to do what He has told and instructed us to do, and hence, we have to do what we are required and expected. In each and every moments of our lives, we should always do our best such that we are always doing what God, our Lord and Master wants us to do in each opportunities and circumstances. The question is, are we all willing to commit ourselves to do what God has instructed and shown us to do in our lives?

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great saint of God, a great and dedicated servant of God whose righteous deeds and works, outstanding and exemplary life can become great examples and inspirations for us all to follow in how we live our own lives with faith in God. St. Martin of Tours was a soldier turned man of God, who was renowned for his commitment and faith in God, his virtuous life and actions, from even before he gave everything to the Lord. St. Martin of Tours was once a soldier in the Roman army during the late period of the Roman Empire, and it was told that he was called by God during his time as soldier, and one of that unique experiences is when he encountered the Lord Himself disguised as an old man in a blizzard.

At that time, according to the story, St. Martin of Tours was travelling on horseback in his centurion’s armour, and he encountered an old man in the midst of a blizzard or cold weather, who was naked and had nothing to protect him against the cold. It was there and then that St. Martin of Tours cut half of his cloak with his own sword, and then used that half of the cloak to cover the old man’s body. Later on, as he was sleeping, St. Martin of Tours encountered a vision of the Lord appearing to him, and revealing to him that the old man was after all, the Lord Himself in disguise. Through this experience and others, St. Martin of Tours eventually left his life as an army centurion behind, and thereafter, he dedicated himself to God, following the teachings and examples of another great saint, St. Hilary of Poitiers.

Eventually, he became a hermit and preacher, committing himself to preach the word of God and to evangelise to the people, in which many people were convinced and became believers in Christ. Later on, he was chosen by acclamation by the people to become the Bishop of Tours, in which capacity, St. Martin continued to do his best in caring for the needs of the flock entrusted to him. He cared for their spiritual needs and served them well, and established good administration and missionary works in his Diocese, while protecting his flock from the effects of various heresies and falsehoods running rampant at that time. Right up to the end of his life, St. Martin of Tours dedicated himself completely to God and to the people whom He had been entrusted with, truly a great example and role model for us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the good examples set by St. Martin of Tours and do our part such that we may continue to be faithful in all things and at all circumstances, following the good examples and inspiration from St. Martin of Tours and many other examples from our holy predecessors. Let us all continue to walk faithfully in the Presence of God at all times, allowing Him to gently guide us through this journey of life towards Him. Amen.

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Tuesday, 11 November 2025 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 7-10

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner’? No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward.'”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'”