Doctors of the Church

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Tuesday, 2 January 2024 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded of why we celebrate this Christmas season, which we are still in the midst of. In this time and season of Christmas, as we rejoice in the Lord, we joyfully welcome Him into our lives, remembering how He has come into our midst, embracing our humanity and becoming incarnate in the flesh, showing us the truth and Good News of God. This is why today we all are reminded to be committed to keep firmly the truth and the Good News which the Lord has taught us, and not to fall victim to the lies and falsehoods which the devil and all the enemies of the Lord have put all around us so that we may end up being misled by all of their efforts.

This is what St. John spoke about in his Epistle which is our first reading passage today. He mentioned about the dangers of the antichrists, all those who denied the truth of God, and spread false teachings and heresies. Heresies and false teachings are quite common throughout the history of the Church, right up to this day, but those words from St. John highlighted the fact that even from the earliest days of the Church there had been those antichrists and false prophets and leaders who had been subverting the message of truth and the Good News of God, which brought about a lot of confusion and divisions among the Church and the faithful community of God’s people, as those antichrists and false leaders led many among the people of God into the wrong paths.

That was why St. John the Apostle reminded all the faithful Christians that they should always remain focused on the Lord and His truth, and they should not allow the confusions and divisions sown by those antichrists and false prophets and leaders from dividing them into factions, sects and groups, that lead into further disagreements and divisions that could harm not only the unity of the Church, but also the state and salvation of many souls that might be led astray from the path of God’s righteousness and grace. This reminder remains true for us all even today because we are all also still exposed to all those falsehoods, temptations and persuasions from those who sought to bring us to our downfall and destruction.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel of St. John, we are all further reminded of this truth, as we heard how St. John the Baptist responded to all those who queried and asked him about his works and whether he was the Messiah or not. St. John the Baptist was very popular back then and many people came to follow him, going to him in large numbers, seeking to be baptised by him, and repenting from their wicked and sinful ways. Yet, he clearly stated before all those who asked him whether he was the Messiah that God had promised His people, that he was not the One that they were waiting for, but rather, he was merely the Herald and servant who was to prepare the path for the coming of the Lord, to make His path and way straight before His coming.

Many people would have been tempted by the temptations of fame, glory and renown that they might end up doing things that benefit themselves and this was the main reason why all those antichrists and false prophets and leaders had risen up. Many of them confused the faithful and the people of God because they wanted to draw all of these people to themselves, for their own benefits, so that they could gain more fame, wealth, renown and glory for themselves. But St. John the Baptist remained firm in his conviction and commitment to see through what the Lord had entrusted to him, the mission and calling which he has been given, to call on all the people of God to return to Him, and to open their hearts and minds to welcome the Lord and Saviour of the world when He came.

This is why all of us as Christians should always be reminded by those Scripture passages, that we should not allow worldly temptations, attachments and ways to corrupt us and to lead us down the wrong paths in life. We should not allow our desires and greed to mislead us down the path towards sin and evil, and we should always do our best to commit our hearts and minds to follow the Lord and focus our attention on Him, and not on ourselves and our selfish ambitions, greed and desires. We must always be centred on Christ in all things, and not to let ourselves be dragged into sin and downfall, and hence we should model ourselves on our holy predecessors, those holy men and women who had gone before us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of two great saints and holy men of God, great and respected early Church fathers who were remembered for their steadfast faith and commitment as shepherds to their respective flock, and also active participation in the greater Church matters, in their commitment to resist the various heresies and falsehoods which had been widespread throughout the Church and Christendom at that time. St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen were bishops and elders of the Church during the time when the Church’s orthodoxy and truth were being challenged by those who had perverted and misconstrued the teachings of the Lord for their own agenda and benefits.

St. Basil the Great was also known as St. Basil of Caesarea, as the Bishop of Caesarea in Asia Minor during the time of the late Roman Empire when the Empire has gradually accepted Christianity as its dominant religion and belief, and persecutions had ceased earlier on with the toleration Edict of Milan. He was known well for his theological works and efforts in opposing the encroachment of the Arians and other heresies threatening his flock. Both him and St. Gregory Nazianzen, the then Archbishop of Constantinople, who were friends and contemporaries, courageously defended the Church against the heresy of Arianism, which had affected many parts of the Church, and which had misled many of the faithful people of God into the wrong paths. Back then, the Arian heresy had a rather strong following from the clergy and the laity alike, and they had strong following and support especially among the Imperial family and nobles.

This made it rather difficult and challenging for St. Basil and St. Gregory to carry out their mission and works, but they continued to persevere through nonetheless, facing hardships, trials and challenges for their constant commitment to the true teachings of the Lord, but they continued to devote themselves to God. St. Gregory Nazianzen in particular was also known for his great humility and refusal to entangle himself in any matters pertaining to worldly ambitions and power. He refused to be ordained a bishop for a while before eventually, he accepted the role as Archbishop of Constantinople, with the support of the new Roman Emperor, Theodosius the Great, who supported the cause of the Nicene and Trinitarian party, against the Arians. St. Gregory Nazianzen would go on to preside over the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople, which further solidified the true Christian teachings against the heretics. And when controversies arose because of all the disagreements and intrigues that surrounded that Council and its aftermath, St. Gregory Nazianzen chose to humbly retire and while continuing to quietly work for the greater glory of God in his retirement.

Through the many great works of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, their fearless defence of the true faith, and their commitment to God, to those flock entrusted to them, both of these holy saints of God should indeed be great inspirations and role models for all of us in how we should live our lives with faith. Let us all always be inspired by the great faith, commitment and humility which they have shown us, and do our best that our lives will always be centred and focused on the Lord as well. May the Lord be with us all and may He continue to lead us down the path of righteousness, in the path of His servants, especially St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 January 2024 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 19-28

This was the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?” John recognised the truth, and did not deny it. He said, “I am not the Messiah.”

And they asked him, “Then who are you? Elijah?” He answered, “I am not.” They said, “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Tell us who you are, so that we can give some answer to those who sent us. How do you see yourself?”

And John said, quoting the prophet Isaiah, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness : Make straight the way of the Lord!”

Those who had been sent were Pharisees; and they put a further question to John, “Then why are you baptising, if you are not the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?” John answered, “I baptise you with water, but among you stands One Whom you do not know; although He comes after me, I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.”

This happened in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptising.

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Tuesday, 2 January 2024 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

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

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.

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Tuesday, 2 January 2024 : Weekday of Christmas Time, Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 2 : 22-28

Who is the liar? The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is an antichrist, who denies both the Father and the Son. The one who denies the Son is without the Father, and those who acknowledge the Son also have the Father.

Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you, too, will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise He Himself gave us : eternal life.

I write this to you thinking of those who try to lead you astray. You received from Him an anointing, and it remains in you, so you do not need someone to teach you. His anointing teaches you all things, it speaks the truth and does not lie to you; so remain in Him, and keep what He has taught you.

And now, my children, live in Him, so that when He appears in His glory, we may be confident and not ashamed before Him when He comes.

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us continue to progress through the season of Advent and towards the time and season of Christmas, we are constantly being reminded of everything that God has done for us, in His love for each and every one of us, that by this same love, this has made it possible for us to find our path towards the Lord and His ever enduring love for us. Through God’s love, He has shown us His ever present guidance and existence in our midst, and that we are never alone in this journey of faith and life. We must therefore always strive to put our focus in the Lord at all times, and we should not easily be swayed to abandon Him for other, worldly sources of satisfaction and pleasures.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Songs, we heard of the words of the author speaking about the love that God has for us all, we who are His lovers, the ones who are enjoying the grace of His Presence, His love and kindness. The Lord is calling upon all of His people to come forth away from the darkness and the desolation of sin, that they may embrace His love, His light and warmth that have been generously and ever consistently been projected and shared to all of us without fail. He has always been generous in showing us all His love and mercy, His patience and kindness, that we should really consider ourselves truly blessed and fortunate for having been beloved in such a way by our Lord, Who loves us all.

In our other first reading option today, from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, we have also heard a similar series of words of reassurance and affirmation, telling all the people of God that their Lord and Master Who loves them all, will come to them, and all o will indeed come true, showing us how loving, patient and forgiving God has been to all of those who are dear to Him. The prophet Zephaniah came to the people of God and ministered to them during the time and reign of King Josiah of Judah, who reigned after the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel to the Assyrians, and after many misfortunes have befallen the people of God, the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem.

Hence, the words of the Lord’s affirmation and love must have truly come at a very timely moment then because it means that the people who had been suffering and enduring a lot of hardships were reminded yet again that despite their stubborn and wicked attitudes, the Lord still loved His people nonetheless, and He wanted all of them to be reconciled with Him, and hence, He told them of His ever generous mercy and love, by which His people through genuine repentance, may always come to seek Him, and this includes each and every one of us as well, because we are all also God’s beloved people, whom He has called and gathered from among the nations, to follow Him and to walk in His Holy Presence.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story of the moment when Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Child within her, as she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was also bearing St. John the Baptist in her own womb. We heard of the great joy which both Elizabeth and her baby, St. John the Baptist had experienced upon knowing that Mary and Our Lord Himself had come to their dwelling place. We may not realise it, but this occasion was truly a very symbolic and meaningful one as this represents the moment when the Lord came towards His people, manifesting Himself by being Incarnate and present in this world through His Mother, fulfilling all that God had promised to us.

This is why it is important that today we must ensure that our lives’ focus and our attention are properly directed towards God, and not upon other distractions in life. We must make sure that we are all centred on the Lord and not on our selfish desires and wants, our ambitions and attachments to worldly pleasures and greed. And in our upcoming Christmas celebrations and festivities we must always keep in mind to focus our attention on the Lord and not on all the glamour and the festivities that often took up much of the event, and we end up actually forgetting the One in Whom we ought to be all celebrating about, that is Christ Himself, our Lord and Saviour, by Whose love and actions, we have been saved from our impending damnation.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Peter Canisius, the holy priest and man of God, and a renowned teacher of the faith and honoured as a great Doctor of the Church, who is also one of my patron saints and therefore is the patron of this blog. St. Peter Canisius was a Dutch Jesuit priest renowned being one of the founders and first members of the Jesuits or the Society of Jesus, and who was remembered greatly for his works in Counter-Reformation, and in the works of evangelisation and catechesis among the people of God. He helped to spearhead the efforts of the Jesuits in the German speaking regions of Christendom, establishing institutions and schools meant to strengthen the knowledge of the faithful about their faith through proper catechesis.

He also wrote and authored the now-still famous Catechism which became a great standard of many other catechism works and books, in being very effective in delivering the teachings and aspects of the Christian faith to the people, and managed, together with St. Peter Canisius’ constant efforts in reaching out and having dialogues and conversations with the lapsed Catholics, and all who had been swayed by the false heresies of Protestantism. He helped the implementations and the reforms of the Council of Trent which strengthened the foundation and the teachings of the Church, and through his efforts, countless souls had been saved from the threat of damnation, and brought back to the Holy Mother Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in all of his works and efforts, St. Peter Canisius has always been rooted and focused on Christ. Let us all therefore follow his good examples and do whatever we can so that we may also be truly faithful in all things, and that we may indeed be filled with genuine faith and commitment to God at all times. May the Lord be with us always and may He guide us through this time of Advent, and help us to prepare ourselves well through this time towards a proper and worthy celebration of Christmas. Amen.

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 1 : 39-45

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 32 : 2-3, 11-12, 20-21

Give thanks to YHVH on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.

But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design, through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is YHVH – the people He has chosen for His inheritance.

In hope, we wait for YHVH, for He is our help and our shield. Our hearts rejoice in Him, for we trust on His holy Name.

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Thursday, 21 December 2023 : 3rd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Song of Songs 2 : 8-14

The voice of my Lover! Behold He comes, springing across the mountains, jumping over the hills, like a gazelle or a young stag. Now He stands behind our wall, looking through the windows, peering through the lattice.

My Lover speaks to me, “Arise, My love, My beautiful one! Come, the winter is gone, the rains are over. Flowers have appeared on earth; the season of singing has come; the cooing of doves is heard. The fig tree forms its early fruit, the vines in blossom are fragrant. Arise, My beautiful one, come with Me, My love, come.”

“O My dove in the rocky cleft, in the secret places of the cliff, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice. Your face – how lovely! Your voice – how sweet!”

Alternative reading

Zephaniah 3 : 14-18a

Cry out with joy, o daughter of Zion; rejoice, o people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! YHVH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YHVH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day, they will say to Jerusalem : Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YHVH your God is within you, YHVH, saving warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for He has revived His love. For you He will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast. I will drive away the evil I warned you about.

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Thursday, 14 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent and as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded more and more of the coming of our salvation in God, which He has brought into our midst through none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God, and the One Who has been prophesied and predicted to come into this world, as the Saviour of all mankind. This Advent all of us are reminded as usual of this fact, so that we may indeed remember the very reason why we even celebrate Christmas in the first place. Christmas is truly not all about the festivities, merrymaking, all the joy and the parties, the gifts and the food that we are going to have, but it is all about Christ, our Lord, and the love that God Himself has shown us through His Son.

In our first reading today, we continue to hear the reading from the prophet Isaiah, in which we are constantly being reminded yet again of God’s love and all the reassurances and promises which He has given to us all, His beloved ones, which He has also fulfilled and accomplished through the coming of His Son, Our Messiah or Saviour. The context for those words of reassurance were that God wanted to remind all of His beloved ones, that despite of their many sins, wickedness and evils, He continues to care for them and love them as usual, just as He has always done from the very beginning. What He despises from them, and hence, from all of us, is our sins and disobedience, our wickedness and evils, but not us personally. The Lord our God, is our loving God, Father and Creator, and He has always loved us all these while.

And that was why, He promised us all the path to leave the evils and darkness of this world. He opened the path to eternal life and righteousness through Jesus Christ, His own begotten Son, through Whom He has shown us a new path out of the darkness, and into His eternal Light. He has shown us all by His own examples what it truly means for us to be disciples, followers and the holy people of God, and by His own perfect obedience, He brought us all into the new assurance of eternal life, reconciling us with our loving God and Father, overcoming the sin borne out of the disobedience and unfaithfulness which our forefathers and predecessors had done, in their folly and inability to resist the many temptations and pressures to sin.

The Gospel passage today then spoke of how the Lord Jesus praised St. John the Baptist, whom the Lord had also prophesied as the one to prepare the way for the world’s Saviour. What we heard is yet again another affirmation that everything that the Lord has planned and wished to happen, had indeed come true and into its full fruition because He has always intended for us to be reconciled and reunited with Him. The Lord has sent St. John the Baptist who called many to the path of repentance, reminding them of their sins and wickedness, so that they might open their hearts and minds once again to the Lord, freeing themselves from the dominion and corruption of sin and evil which have corrupted and clouded their minds and hearts for so long, that God may lead them all once again to the path of righteousness.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, today through those passages from the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that we should always hold onto the faith which we have in the Lord, and remain focused on Him throughout our lives. And in particular, with regards of our preparations for Christmas and all the observances we made during this time and season of Advent, we should always remain firmly focused on the Lord and not be easily distracted and swayed by the many temptations present all around us, and be distracted by all the very prominent and loud celebrations and festivities, all the Christmas shopping, merrymaking and all the parties that are bereft and lacking of the true focus and attention on Christ, the One in Whom we ought to be celebrating and be rejoicing about.

We should not allow these temptations and worldly attachments, pleasures and all other things to dissuade and tempt us away from the path of righteousness and virtue in God. As Christians, each and every one of us should always be committed to the Lord, and we should always be Christ-like in all of our actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions and works, in our every good efforts and endeavours. This time and season of Advent is truly a good time for us to reconnect ourselves with the Lord, and to reevaluate our lives thus far, especially if we have allowed our many concerns and desires in life to interfere with our Christian faith and obligations. We should not allow all those distractions from keeping us away from the path of God’s truth, and we should also seek inspiration and strength from our holy predecessors, and their examples.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of the Cross, a renowned saint and holy man of God, who was one of the founders of the Discalced Carmelites order. St. John of the Cross was born into a family of Jewish Christian convert in the area near Avila in Spain, and he had a difficult early life due to having lost his father early on. St. John of the Cross eventually became a priest and while initially he wanted to join the Carthusians, an encounter with St. Teresa of Avila, with whom he would become the co-founders of the Discalced Carmelites, this led to St. John of the Cross helping St. Teresa of Avila in reforming the Carmelites and rediscovering their ancient discipline, rule and way of the Carmelites which had been distorted and corrupted over the centuries.

St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila worked in tandem to reform the Carmelites and they were joined by many who were interested and called to follow the Lord in the way that both these holy saints had done. However, they did not have it easy, as tensions with the original Carmelites as well as with the other religious orders brought about quite a lot of hardships and challenges, as they encountered even moments when the Discalced Carmelites were almost disbanded by the pressure and the order of those who were opposed of the works of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. Nonetheless, they remained firm in their conviction and dedication, in doing whatever they could to glorify God by their lives and works.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the good examples set by St. John of the Cross and the many other holy men and women of God who have gone before us. Let their examples be our inspiration and strength that we may draw ever closer to God and be ever more courageous in how we continue to live our lives worthily in God’s Presence, and in how we continue to labour to prepare ourselves well for the upcoming celebration of Christmas. May God be with us always, and may He bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, our Advent journey and our lives. Amen.

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Thursday, 14 December 2023 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

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!”