Church fathers

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Scriptures, we are all reminded that God is the source of our Hope, comfort and joy, and it is in Him alone that we shall find true satisfaction and liberation from our many troubles and challenges, difficulties and hurdles in life. Unfortunately many of us often do not realise this and we do not perceive His love and compassion for us enough, and many of us sought comfort and satisfaction in worldly things instead of putting our trust and faith in God. This is why we are reminded through these readings from the Scriptures so that we do not end up going down the wrong path in life and seek the false pleasures and satisfactions that came not from God but from the evil ones.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord through Isaiah in which He lamented how the people had not realised that they had been taken care of, given attention and help by the Lord all the way at that time, and yet, those people still complained and refused to believe in Him whenever He gave them His help, love and providence. They often hardened their hearts and minds, and closed them off to the Lord, Who had often come to them offering His help and guidance. And yet, the Lord still patiently cared for them and loved them even as He constantly chastised them for their sins and wickedness, like a loving Father who cared for his children while disciplining them.

The Lord has repeatedly shown His love and kindness to His people, that even though they had always been rebellious and stubborn in their attitudes and ways, but He has never given up on them. Instead, He kept on sending them His messengers and guides, the prophets and many others to help them to find their way back towards Him. He reassured all of them that despite all the sufferings and difficulties that they might be facing, but His might, power and love transcend and surpass all those challenges and trials. As long as they remain firm in their faith in Him and put their faith in Him then He will provide for them, bless them and strengthen them, and they shall share in His glorious promise and inheritance, all the good and wonderful things that He had intended for them.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of reassurance from the Lord Jesus to His disciples and all of us, that all of us can come to Him and we will have rest in Him. He offers us all a yoke that is lighter and more manageable than the yoke of the world. Truly, this is just as what I had just mentioned earlier, how God is truly like a loving Father Who truly cares for all of us His beloved children. Each and every one of us are precious to Him, and that was why He sent to us all His beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour so that through Him we may see and witness His love manifested to us in the flesh, in Christ, Who is tangible and approachable by us all.

And the Lord’s words are important reminders for all of us that as Christians we must also be prepared to expect challenges and hardships, difficulties and obstacles in our path. That is why the Lord referred to the presence of His yoke, which is lighter than that of the yoke of the world. If we become Christians and expecting that we will have good and smooth, easy and comfortable lives, then we may be easily disappointed once we realise that there are likely plenty of challenges, oppositions and labours that we may have to endure throughout our lives and journeys as God’s faithful people. In fact, the more committed we are to the Lord’s path, the chances are that we may encounter even more challenges and difficulties in our journey because this world that has been corrupted by sin and evil, it will be in opposition to the Lord and His righteous path.

However, we must remember that we do not go through this path and journey alone. The Lord is always by our side, guiding and helping us whenever we need His help and guidance, and He will never abandon or leave us alone in our time of greatest need. We may indeed have to suffer and endure hardships, but in the end, we will be triumphant with God and He shall justify us all and bring us all into the true happiness and everlasting glory that we have been promised. In fact, His yoke is indeed lighter and better for us not because it may seem to be easier or less challenging, but rather because it does not lead us into the path towards downfall and eternal damnation. As a comparison, the alternative paths offered by the world may seem to be easier and better, lighter and less challenging, but they give us false hope and delude us into this path of darkness.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Damasus I, one of the Popes of the early Church. Pope St. Damasus I was the leader of the Universal Church as the Pope and Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff in the middle of the fourth century. Pope St. Damasus I was born into a family of a priest in Rome and that eventually inspired and led him to be a priest in turn, rising up to the position of the Archdeacon of Rome under Pope Liberius and when the latter was exiled by the Roman Emperor, it was the future Pope St. Damasus I that helped to take care of the governance and the issues of the Roman Church. Later on, he was elected as Pope to succeed Pope Liberius after the Pope’s death, during a time of strive in the Church. 

At that time, he had to contend with rival claimant and candidate to the Papacy, a popular deacon named Ursinus who became an Antipope for a short time and whose supporters and Ursinus himself continued to oppose Pope St. Damasus I’s election as Pope. Nonetheless, despite the challenges and the difficulties that Pope St. Damasus I had to face, he managed to gain a lot of important achievements in successfully navigating the Church through the difficult period at that time filled with divisions within the Church and conflicts, opposing quite a number of serious heresies that affected many in the Church such as Arianism, Apollinarianism, Macedonianism and many others. He also led the Church courageously through such difficult moments and helped many people to remain strong and firm in their faith.

The great examples shown by Pope St. Damasus I should inspire each and every one of us in our own faith in God, and remembering how even this great servant of God had suffered and endured many challenges in the midst of his ministry throughout his years in service to the Lord, as priest, archdeacon and then as Pope and leader of the Universal Church. He remained firmly faithful to the Lord and did not allow all those difficulties and challenges to stop or dissuade him from continuing to do what God had entrusted to him, and he continued to serve the Lord ever more faithfully in his ministry. This is something that we all as Christians should be doing as well. And therefore, let us all reflect upon these and discern carefully our path forward in our respective lives.

May the Lord our most loving and compassionate God continue to help and bless us, and strengthen us all with the courage and inspiration to continue to do what He has entrusted to us to do. May He continue to love us all and patiently lead us all into His embrace, that we may be always firmly faithful in Him despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to endure in our journey towards Him. Let our actions and efforts continue to be good examples and inspiration for one another to follow, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Matthew 11 : 28-30

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For My yoke is easy; and My burden is light.”

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Isaiah 40 : 25-31

To whom, then, will you liken Me or make Me equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and see : who has created all this? He has ordered them as a starry host and called them each by name. So mighty is His power, so great His strength, that not one of them is missing.

How can you say, o Jacob, how can you complain, o Israel, that your destiny is hidden from Me, that your rights are ignored by YHVH? Have you not known, have you not heard that YHVH is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He does not grow tired or weary, His knowledge is without limit.

He gives strength to the enfeebled, He gives vigour to the wearied. Youth may grow tired and faint, young men will stumble and fall, but those who hope in YHVH will renew their strength. They will soar as with eagle’s wings; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and never tire.

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Saturday, 7 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from our Scripture passages today, we are all reminded that each and every one of us are called to follow the Lord and to walk faithfully in His path, which is our mission in life, to obey and to do what God has willed for us. As Christians we must always endeavour to glorify God by our everyday living and by each and every one of our words, actions and deeds, and by whatever good works and contributions we have done for the good of everyone in the Church and elsewhere. We have been entrusted with the important mission to proclaim the Lord and His salvation to the world, and to make Him known to more and more people, so that many more may come to be saved through Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah we heard of the words of assurance from the Lord for His people in the kingdom of Judah, in which God reassured them that they would no longer suffer all the difficulties and challenges, trials and persecutions that they had endured at that time. For at that time, the people of God in the kingdom of Judah were in dire straits, facing lots of threats from their enemies and hostile neighbours, and their separated brethren in the northern kingdom of Israel had earlier on been conquered and defeated by the Assyrians, who destroyed their cities and scattered them into the distant lands away from their homeland, and made them to endure bitter and humiliating exile, bondage and submission.

The people of Judah themselves had faced similar difficulties, as they had to face the invasion by a mighty force of the Assyrians that laid siege to their cities and to Jerusalem itself, and yet, for all their hubris, pride and arrogance, God laid them low and humbled them all as He struck many of them and crushed the arrogance of their king, who had to go back to his homeland with great embarrassment and disgrace. These words of God as spoken by the prophet Isaiah in our first reading today are therefore message of hope and assurance, and the people of God themselves likely had experienced God’s help and guidance firsthand, and encountered His great love and mercy, which He had Himself shown before them. This is a reminder therefore for all of us that we may also believe in God and His loving providence.

As we all continue to progress through this time and season of Advent towards Christmas we are constantly therefore being reminded of God’s love and presence in our midst at all times, how He will always be there for us, guiding and strengthening us in our journey throughout the way. We are reminded that in God is our hope and salvation, and if we continue to trust in Him and follow Him wholeheartedly, then eventually we will share in the true and eternal happiness, glory and all that He has promised and reassured us again and again throughout time. In this time and season of Advent, we are all reminded that we are preparing ourselves to celebrate the Lord’s coming into this world, and remember everything that He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

Then, from the Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding the matter of the mission which He has entrusted to all of them as His disciples and followers. He went from place to place, ministering to the people and teaching them, healing their sick and those with all sorts of ailments, and He cured them all, which led to even more people coming towards Him, seeking His help and healing. It was mentioned how the Lord was moved by the desire in all those people to be healed by Him, and how they were like a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Hence, He made Himself to be their Shepherd, Guide and Leader.

He also commissioned the Apostles and the other disciples to go forth and to proclaim the coming of the salvation in God, giving them the power and authority to heal the sick, to cast out demons and to do all the things that He Himself had done to the people of God. He sent them out to spread His Good News and to do His works, the mission which still continues even to this very day. The Church and all of us, fellow Christians, have all been entrusted with this mission to proclaim the Lord and His salvation to the whole world, to evangelise and to lead more and more people towards the Lord and His salvation. And in this season and time of Advent, once again we are reminded of this salvation which God has sent to us in our midst through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ambrose of Milan, one of the great early Church fathers and one of the four original Doctors of the Church. He was born as Aurelius Ambrosius into a Christian Roman family in the early fourth century, and according to some Church tradition, his father was a high ranking official, the Praetorian Prefect of Gaul in what is France today, and yet some other traditions associated his father as an imperial official. Having been born to such a family and upbringing, he was well educated and brought up to follow his father’s example, rising eventually to the position of governor of the region of Aemilia-Liguria in northern parts of Italy today. From his pious and wise mother, St. Ambrose grew in the faith and his wisdom.

Eventually, during his time as governor, at that time, there was bitter and difficult rift and division among the faithful, as many among them had been influenced by the then popular and raging Arian heresy. When the previous Bishop of Milan, an Arian, passed away, there was great dispute regarding his successor, which led to St. Ambrose coming to the church where the election was held to prevent violence and uprising from the opposing parties. According to tradition, he was then acclaimed by the people to be the new Bishop of Milan. Although initially he was reluctant to do so, and refused at first the position of bishop, eventually through the intervention and encouragement from the Emperor, St. Ambrose eventually relented and was consecrated as the new Bishop of Milan.

As the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose lived a simple and holy lifestyle, and he was very popular with his flock, many of whom had been touched by his tireless efforts to care for them, and in his efforts to eradicate the corruptions and falsehoods of the Arian teachings and heresy that had by then become very popular especially among the higher classes and the clergy. He managed to maintain the unity in his diocese and beyond while at the same time working tirelessly to promote the true, orthodox and clear teachings of the Christian faith as handed down and preserved by the Church from the days of the Apostles. And in one occasion, he was even courageous to stand up against the Emperor himself, when the Emperor Theodosius the Great was implicated in the brutal massacre at Thessalonica, which prompted the excommunication of the Emperor, and the Emperor was only welcomed back to the Church as a penitent through the patient efforts of St. Ambrose of Milan.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow in the footsteps of the saints and the Apostles, like those of St. Ambrose of Milan and the countless other servants and disciples of the Lord who had done their best in their lives to show the love and kindness, mercy and compassion of God to all the people whom they encountered and ministered to. Each and every one of us are partakers of God’s mission, the ones entrusted with the responsibility to lead more and more people towards God, through our exemplary lives and actions, through our commitment and dedication to Him, at all times. May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in us and empower us all so that we may always grow ever stronger in faith and devotion to God, and in our hope in His salvation. Amen.

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Saturday, 7 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

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, 7 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

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, 7 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

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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Monday, 11 November 2024 : 32nd Sunday 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 all reminded to be ever faithful and committed to God, to be full of God’s grace and love in all of our actions, words and deeds, in all of our dealings and works, so that we will always be truly righteous and just in all of them, so that we may truly be the worthy, good and committed bearers of our Christians truth and Good News, to be the beacons of God’s light in our world today, in the midst of our communities and among all those whom we encounter in life in each and every moments of our lives. We should always strive to be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us in how we live our faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Titus, one of his protege in which the Apostle spoke of the matter of the overseers of the faithful, which would eventually be known as the bishops of the dioceses once the administration and management of the ever growing Christian community developed further. Those overseers were chosen by the Apostles and their successors, as the ones to take care of the needs of the people of God, especially in their spiritual needs, to help and guide the people on their way towards the Lord and salvation in Him, and hence, as St. Paul mentioned to St. Titus, it is very important that they all must be of good character and truly worthy of such a role, and hence, they ought to be selected carefully from among the people of God.

Such was the demand placed on those who were to be entrusted with the position of overseers, the precursor to the office of bishops, as they would be the ones to shepherd the people of God. If the shepherds were corrupt and wicked in their lives and actions, then the people would be very easily misled down the wrong path, become corrupted and misguided into the wrong path, or they might have led the people to be disillusioned and discouraged to follow the Christian path and ways any further, due to the scandals and the wicked living of their leaders, overseers and elders. This had happened in many occasions throughout the history of the Church, and we are all reminded therefore that we have to strive to be truly faithful in all things, especially those among us who have been called to give our service to the Lord and to guide others towards Him.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the words of the Lord to His disciples were recounted to us. And echoing what St. Paul had told St. Titus regarding the quality of the candidates and those who were to be chosen as overseers of the faithful, therefore, the Lord also spoke to us about the matter of how we should truly be faithful as well in our every words, actions and deeds. All of us must also practice what we believe in our lives and in every actions that we do, in our every interactions with one another, or else we are no better than hypocrites who did not truly believe in God or paying only lip service to the Lord, having no real love or faith, commitment and dedication to God.

All of us must live a good and virtuous life, and to avoid any scandals or behaviours that are contrary to our faith in the Lord, so that we do not end up misleading others away from the path towards God, or to discourage people from following the Lord, which can very well happen if our actions and deeds are not in accordance to the Lord and His path, His commandments and will. All of us are representatives of the Lord’s works, His truth and teachings, His Good News and the face of His Church in this world, and if we do not practice our faith in the manner that we should have done, how can we expect others then to believe in the same manner? That is why we are all reminded that we should always be truly full of faith in the Lord, to trust Him ever more wholly in our lives, to be filled at all times with the great love and mercy from God.

The expectation and difficulties are even greater for those who have been called to the higher office, of those who have given themselves in service to God, to be His priests and even more so as the bishops of the Church, as the shepherds of the Lord’s flock. As we heard from the words of St. Paul to St. Titus, the expectations for those who have been called and chosen to be bishops are truly great, and no matter how pious, holy and devout they are, they can still falter and fall into sin, as quite a number of bishops and priests in the past have fallen into the path of sin, which led to great scandals of the Church, causing untold harm and destruction, for many souls to be lost away from the Lord and His salvation. It is important therefore that each and every one of us continue to support them and to help them, to pray for them all so that they may all truly remain faithful to their missions.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Martin of Tours, a renowned and holy bishop whose life and great dedication to the Lord and to his flock is an inspiration to all of us the faithful people of God. St. Martin of Tours was born during the late era of the Roman Empire after the persecution of Christians by the state had ended, and Christianity had become tolerated and further widespread throughout the Empire. He was born into a military family and according to Church tradition, at the young age of ten, he became a catechumen against the wishes of his family, but he persisted on in this desire to become a Christian. As he continued to grow up, he became a member of the military, and eventually become a respected centurion or army captain in the military.

He was conflicted throughout his ministry as an army officer, and according to one popular hagiographic tradition, St. Martin of Tours encountered the Lord Himself in one occasion when on a cold winter night, he saw a poor old man by the roadside who had nothing to protect him against the bitter cold. St. Martin of Tours took his sword and cut off half of his officer’s cloak, giving it to the old man to help him cover against the cold. Later on, the Lord would appear in a vision to St. Martin, showing that the old man was none other than the Lord Himself in disguise, and He came appearing in the cloak that St. Martin had given Him. This is a truly nice reminder of the Lord’s own words in the Gospels, namely, ‘Whatever you have done to the least of your brothers and sisters, you have done it unto Me.’

The generosity and great faith of St. Martin would lead him later on in life to be entrusted with the governance of the region of Tours, and later on, having won the support and admiration of the people of the region, he would be acclaimed as the successor to the position of the Bishop of Tours, becoming the third bishop to guide the flock of the Lord there. As the bishop of Tours, St. Martin would continue to do his best in dedicating himself to the Lord and to His people, showing loving care and concern to their needs, and standing up for the truth and genuine teachings of the Lord against those heresies that were rampant at the time, as a courageous and most dedicated shepherd, standing ever ready to guard his flock against all those seeking to destroy and bring ruin to the Lord’s flock.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today therefore as we remember the words of wisdom from the Scriptures and the life of St. Martin of Tours, let us all continue to strive to do our best to live our lives in the manner that is truly holy and worthy of God. All of us should always continue to live our every day living with genuine devotion and commitment to God, showing the love of God manifested through our actions, through our genuine care and concern for those around us, much as St. Martin of Tours and the many other holy men and women of God had done, those who are our inspirations and role models to follow. May we all also become good and worthy role models for our fellow brethren as well, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 11 November 2024 : 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 17 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.”

“Listen carefully : if your brother offends you, tell him, and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times in one day, but seven times he says to you, ‘I am sorry,’ forgive him.”

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it will obey you.”