Church fathers

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Thursday, 17 October 2024 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, the Lord!

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Thursday, 17 October 2024 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Ephesians 1 : 1-10

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, to you, who share Christian faith : receive grace and peace from God, our Father, and from Jesus, the Lord.

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, Who, in Christ, has blessed us from heaven, with every spiritual blessing. God chose us, in Christ, before the creation of the world, to be holy, and without sin in His presence.

From eternity He destined us, in love, to be His adopted sons and daughters, through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will. This goal suited Him : that His loving-kindness, which He granted us His beloved might finally receive all glory and praise.

For, in Christ, we obtain freedom, sealed by His Blood, and have the forgiveness of sins. In this, appears the greatness of His grace, which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us His mysterious design, in accordance with His loving-kindness, in Christ.

In Him, and under Him, God wanted to unite, when the fullness of time had come, everything in heaven and on earth.

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (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 of the futility of worldly glory, pleasures, ambitions, desires and all the things which often distracted us in our path towards God and His salvation and grace. Each and every one of us are constantly being reminded this day so that we may continue to live our lives worthily in the manner that God has wanted us all to live our lives, in lives that are truly centred and focused on Him, and not on the many distractions and temptations present all around us in this world, all those things which can keep us away from the Lord and His salvation.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Job of the servant of God named Job, who according to Scripture experts might have not existed or might be a metaphor for a suffering and yet obedient servant of God, while some others said that he truly existed. But regardless, the story of Job should serve as inspiration for all of us on how to remain faithful to the Lord despite the challenges and difficulties that we have to encounter and face in life. As we all heard how the life of Job was truly blessed before his misfortune, as a rich man with great family and many possessions, and then, through Satan’s attack and efforts, all of those things were taken from him, while not even his body and health was also spared, in Satan’s effort to tempt him and see if he would abandon God.

If we were to continue reading through the Book of Job, we would then hear how Job remained firm in his faith despite all of his predicaments, and despite everything that he had to endure throughout the ordeals, including being attacked and criticised by his own friends and peers, he did not give up faith and hope in the Lord. And while he did encounter moments of despair and hardships, desolation and difficulties on the way, Job continued to remain strong in his beliefs and remained faithful to the end, and God rewarded him greatly, restoring everything that he had lost and in fact blessed him double than what he had before. Job’s perseverance in faith and devotion to God was known to God and He blessed him greatly for that.

It is a reminder for us all that first, our lives as Christians may not always be smooth sailing and we may encounter trials, hardships and challenges in our ways, and we may have to endure sufferings and challenges in our paths in life. However, if we remain firm in our faith and trust in the Lord, we will then be strengthened and empowered by God Who is always with us and by our side, as He has constantly reassured and shown Job all throughout, and also showed to all of us throughout the whole journey, that He is with us, leading us patiently by our side, ever always guiding and strengthening us through all the challenges and tribulations that we may have to go through. God has not left us all alone and He always provided for our needs, supporting us and encouraging us in this path.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke in which the Lord Jesus were speaking to some of His disciples who were arguing and bickering among themselves, who among them were the most important and prominent, and likely who deserved more favour and honour from the Lord. The Lord rebuked them for all of those attitudes and behaviours, for their pettiness with worldly things, with all the glory and ambitions of the world. Each and every one of them as His followers should not be doing all those things and sought for all the temporary and illusory ambitions, all the false leads and temptations present all around them and all of us. His path, the Christian truth and journey, is all about focusing oneself on God and Him alone, distancing and detaching oneself from the worldly ambitions and pursuits.

As the example of Job, his suffering and the aftermath reminded us all, that all worldly pursuits and ambitions are ultimately meaningless and pointless, and we should not put our trust and focus on all those things but rather on the Lord and His Providence instead. We are all God’s beloved ones and as long as we continue to walk in His path and continue to be committed to His cause, we will surely be rewarded in the end of our journey, receiving the fullness of God’s inheritance and graces, the promise of life everlasting and true happiness and glory, everything that He has promised and assured us all from the very beginning of time, from the moment of Creation to this very day and to everlasting. We must always keep in mind of God’s ever enduring and patient love for each one of us.

This day, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, the renowned saint whose contributions to the Church and the faithful people of God were truly enormous, but particularly was renowned for his role in translating the Scriptures from the Greek Septuagint version, which itself came from the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts, into Latin language, compiling what would come to be known as the Latin Vulgate Bible, from which the various translations and the Scriptural basis of the Western Christianity was derived from, which remains to this very day, in all the Bibles that we have today, which can trace their roots to the works of St. Jerome, who has dedicated himself most wonderfully and faithfully to the Lord.

St. Jerome was born and lived during the fourth century, about the time when the Christian faith began to be tolerated and accepted by large parts of the Roman Empire. He converted to the Christian faith in his middle twenties and went for a while to the desert to live the life of a hermit, which is something that he is also often associated with. Later on, due to his connection and patronage by Pope St. Damasus, he was called to Rome to help the Pope in managing the Church there, as some sort of early predecessor of the office of Cardinals, as there was not yet any well-established system of the Cardinalate at that time. He helped the Pope with the reforms of the Church, rooting out worldliness and corruption from the Church and the clergy, and most importantly, as mentioned, he helped to compile the Latin translation of the Bible for those in Western Christendom.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, St. Jerome has shown us all how we should live in great faith and commitment to God, in living our lives with focus on the Lord and to be holy just as He is holy. There may be difficulties and challenges, as St. Jerome himself encountered throughout his life and missions, but we must not be disheartened or discouraged by all the challenges and trials that we have to face in this journey. Instead, like Job and St. Jerome before us, as well as the innumerable saints and martyrs, holy men and women of God, let us all continue to be faithful to the Lord, trust in His love and providence, and do our best so that our lives may truly be great inspiration to others and glorify the Lord at all times. May the Lord, our ever loving and generous God, be with us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 46-50

At that time, one day, the disciples were arguing about which of them was the most important. But Jesus knew their thoughts, so He took a little child and stood him by His side. Then He said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My Name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes the One Who sent Me. And listen : the one who is found to be the least among you all, is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John spoke up, “Master, we saw someone who drives out demons by calling upon Your Name, and we tried to forbid him, because he does not follow You with us.” But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him. He who is not against you is for you.”

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 16 : 1, 2-3, 6-7

Hear a just cause, o YHVH, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer, for there is no deceit on my lips.

Let my defence come forth from You; Your eyes see what is right. You have probed my heart, searched me at night, tested me by fire, and You have seen no wickedness in me.

I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word. For You do wonders for Your faithful, You save those fleeing from the enemy as they seek refuge at Your right hand.

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Monday, 30 September 2024 : 26th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Job 1 : 6-22

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before YHVH, and Satan came with them. YHVH asked Satan, “Where have you been?” Satan answered, “Going up and down the earth, roaming about.”

YHVH asked again, “Have you noticed My servant Job? No one on earth is as blameless and upright as he, a man who fears God and avoids evil.” But Satan returned the question, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not built a protective wall around him and his family and all his possessions? You have blessed and prospered him, with his livestock all over the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike where his riches are, and I bet he will curse You to Your face.”

YHVH said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power. But do not lay a finger upon the man himself.” So Satan left the presence of YHVH. One day, while his sons and daughters were feasting in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “Your oxen were plowing, and your donkeys were grazing nearby when the Sabaeans came and carried them off. They killed the herdsmen. I alone escaped to tell you.”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came, “God’s fire fell from the sky and burnt all your sheep and the shepherds as well. I alone have escaped to tell you.” He had hardly finished speaking when another messenger arrived, “Three raiding teams of Chaldeans have killed your servants and carried off your camels. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

He was still speaking when another messenger came and said to Job, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking in the house of their eldest brother when suddenly a great wind blew across the desert and struck the house. It collapsed on the young people and they all died. I alone have escaped to tell you.”

In grief Job tore his clothes and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground and worshipped, saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, naked shall I return. YHVH gave, YHVH has taken away. Blessed be His Name!”

In spite of this calamity, Job did not sin by blaspheming God.

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Saturday, 21 September 2024 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the great occasion of the Feast of St. Matthew, one of the great Apostles of the Lord and also one of the Four Evangelists. St. Matthew has once been known as Levi, a tax collector who was among those despised by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law among others for their work and role in collecting taxes on behalf of the rulers and overlords of the land, and were also seen and perceived as being corrupt and greedy by the others which made them hated and shunned by the rest of the community. Yet, as we have seen from the example of St. Matthew himself, that no matter what people might think of or perceive, even great sinners and those deemed to be unworthy of God, are capable of truly great and faithful deeds, and are equally beloved by God like everyone else.

In the Gospels, we heard how Levi was called by the Lord, and he immediately left everything behind in order to follow Him and commit Himself wholly to His cause from then on. St. Matthew as Levi worked in collecting taxes for the Romans and the local rulers, and that led to him and the other tax collectors being despised as they collected taxes which were resented by many among the people, as those taxes were expenses that at times made it difficult for many people to make ends meet. As mentioned, this made the tax collectors to be considered as greedy and corrupt, and they were branded and marginalised, ostracised and rejected because they were seen as wicked and sinful, and the Pharisees in particular acted against them and made them to be the enemies of the people of God.

But, as the Gospel also highlighted, the tax collectors and the others whom those self-righteous people condemned and ostracised as sinners were actually the ones who wanted to seek the Lord for His forgiveness and mercy, and also those who were willing to listen to His truth and teachings, while the ones who thought themselves as worthy and righteous like the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, proudly and arrogantly rejected the Lord and His teachings, stubbornly closing their hearts and minds against God and all the truth that He has revealed through His Son, the Saviour Whom He had sent into their midst. It was St. Matthew and the many other sinners who came closer to God and His salvation, through their humility and desire to love God wholeheartedly.

According to Apostolic traditions and history, St. Matthew continued to minister among the Jewish people, just as his Gospel was noted for his particular aim and focus on the Jewish converts to the Christian faith. He worked hard to proclaim the Lord to them and then he continued on with his ministry to other places like Ethiopia. It was there that according to tradition, St. Matthew was martyred after he rebuked the King of Ethiopia who lusted after a holy virgin who had consecrated herself to God. St. Matthew devoted himself faithfully and wholeheartedly to the Lord all throughout his life to the end, and in doing so, he truly showed us all his commitment to the Lord’s path, and inspire us to do the same as well, giving us all the hope that even he, who was once shunned and ostracised, can become a great disciple of the Lord. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard and discussed in the life and ministry which St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist carried out for the sake of the Lord, as a faithful disciple and servant of God, through his many efforts and works at evangelisation, through his missions and through the Gospel that he had compiled and written, as well as the many other efforts and works he had made, through his courageous testifying of the truth and message of the Gospel that he himself had written, St. Matthew has shown us a great example and inspiration on how each and every one of us can live our lives worthily as Christians as well. All of us are called and reminded to follow in the footsteps of St. Matthew and the other Apostles and disciples of the Lord at all times.

In this world today, there are still many people who have yet to know the Lord and His truth, His Good News and salvation. And there are many people who are still ignorant of His love and grace, His ways and commandments. It is up to us to show what our Christian faith is all about and to reveal God’s Good News and love to everyone around us, to all those whom we encounter in each and every moments of our lives, not through mere empty words and formalities, appearances or pious actions, but through wholesome and thorough embodiment of our faith in our daily lives, in even the smallest details and parts of our words, actions and deeds, in our every efforts and interactions with one another, with those who are less fortunate and unloved, those who are suffering and troubled, and whenever we make ourselves available to them, to show tender care, concern and genuine love, that is how we show the love of God to them.

This is why today, as we rejoice together and honour as one people the memory of the great St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, holy servant of God, our role model and inspiration, let us all be reminded of our important roles and vocations in life as fellow Christians, as God’s holy and beloved disciples and followers. Each and every one of us have the important parts to play in doing whatever it is that God has entrusted to us, to bring forth the love and truth of God to more and more people throughout the whole world. We may think that we cannot do great things, but the reality is that, each and every one of us, no matter how small our contributions may be, but all these will add up together and make up the great works and contributions from every single one of us, reaching much further than we think we can reach through our efforts and works.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to serve the Lord faithfully as St. Matthew and many other holy people of God had done, by doing our very best in each and every moments of our lives so that by our every good efforts and exemplary works, we may inspire many others whom we encounter in life, all those around us, be it those whom we know and even strangers, who have all come to seek God and therefore, through us, they may truly experience God’s love and grace. May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator continue to help and inspire us all in our journey of faith through life, that each and every moments of our lives may truly be enriching in faith and be good examples for each other. May St. Matthew, Holy Apostle and Evangelist, continue to intercede for us sinners and inspire us by his examples and dedication. Amen.

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Saturday, 21 September 2024 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 9 : 9-13

At that time, as Jesus moved on from the place where He cured a paralytic man, He saw a man named Matthew, at his seat in the custom house; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And Matthew got up and followed Him. 

Now it happened, while Jesus was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners joined Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is it, that your Master eats with sinners and tax collectors?”

When Jesus heard this, He said, “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go, and find out what this means : What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Saturday, 21 September 2024 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (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.

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Saturday, 21 September 2024 : Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Ephesians 4 : 1-7, 11-13

Therefore, I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you, to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you, the unity of spirit, through bonds of peace. Let there be one body, and one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God, the Father of all, Who is above all, and works through all, and is in all.

But to each of us, divine grace is given, according to the measure of Christ’s gift. As for His gifts, to some, He gave to be Apostles; to others, prophets, or even evangelists; or pastors and teachers. So, He prepared those who belong to Him, for the ministry, in order to build up the Body of Christ, until we are all united, in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus, we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity, and sharing the fullness of Christ.