Doctors of the Church

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Friday, 10 November 2023 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor 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 all reminded of the need for all of us to be faithful to God in all things and to do His will at all times. We must always strive to be truthful, virtuous and righteous in our ways and in our dealings so that we can truly be good and worthy in all of our actions, words and deeds so that we may not end up falling into the path of sin and evil, which may lead us to our downfall and destruction in the end. God has shown and taught us all how we should live in accordance with His ways, and we must always therefore seek to carry out God’s will, be obedient to His Law and commandments, in everything that we say and do so that we may always be exemplary and worthy of Him, at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, we heard of the Apostle St. Paul who wrote to the faithful there in Rome of everything that he had done in the service of God, in spreading the Good News and the truth of the Lord in Rome and in many other places, in serving the cause of the Lord and in seeking to bring about His greater glory. He elaborated on some of his works and ministry, in spreading the Good News to more and more places, bringing the knowledge of God to those who have not yet heard of them, and at the same time, also spoke of how everything were done for the greater glory of God and not for his own pride and ambitions.

St. Paul also highlighted how he did not go to those places where the other Apostles and missionaries had gone before, so that his efforts and works would not overlap those who had come earlier. This was a reminder yet again, that everything that St. Paul and the other Apostles and missionaries had done, were not for their own personal ambition, achievements and renown, but instead for the advancement of the cause of the Lord, and the spread of the Good News, the Gospels of the Lord, which He had entrusted to all of them, to His Church, to be propagated and spread to all the whole entire world, so that more and more people may come to know about His salvation and grace, and that many more souls will be saved because of the revelation of truth and God’s love that they all had received.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord teaching His disciples and followers, and all those who were present using the parable of the dishonest steward. In that parable, the Lord highlighted the actions of a steward who had been dishonest with his dealings and works, and when he was discovered in his deeds by his master, he was dismissed from his work and employment, and we heard how this dishonest steward began making arrangements quickly to ensure that he had a means to survive despite him having about to lose his employment with the master. He made use of whatever tricks he knew, and told the others who owed his master some money and materials to change the amounts they owed, so that by doing so, he might gain favour with those people, and thus allowed him to survive somehow.

Then, in that same parable, the master seemed to be praising the dishonest servant for his astuteness and actions, for having done what he did, in ensuring his own safety and well-being before he was about to be unemployed. It is the reason why this passage from the Gospels is one of the most controversial among them all, as it might seem to some people that the Lord was condoning the behaviour of the dishonest steward, or might even be praising his dishonesty. However, this is where we need to realise that what the Lord Jesus referred to in His parable, in the master praising the dishonest steward, was rather that the master praised the astuteness and the calculative actions and efforts that his dishonest steward had done, not so much his dishonesty and wickedness.

It was a reference to the astuteness, awareness and efforts which the master praised the dishonest steward for, that all of us should take heed of. Neither the master or the Lord Jesus were condoning the wicked and dishonest acts of the steward, as those deeds were still vile, wicked and unworthy of those who call themselves God’s faithful people. But it was the planning and preparation, and all the efforts and the thinking that the steward made to safeguard for himself a living afterwards that we are all called to take note and follow. What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that each and every one of us should follow in being prepared and ready for whatever it is to come, at the time of our reckoning, when God will call on us to account for our lives and our efforts, or for our failure to do what He has asked us to do.

All of us will face death in the end, the moment when our earthly existence comes to an end, and we shall have to account for our lives, for each and every things we have done, and for what we have also failed to do in our everyday living and moments. God had given us many opportunities, talents, gifts and abilities, blessings and chances, which we should have made good use of in our lives, in how we interact with others all around us, and in how we carry out our actions and live in accordance to everything that God had taught and shown us. All of us should therefore be inspired, not by the evils and the dishonesty of the steward, but rather by his astute mind, his preparedness and preparations, for what was to come. Thus, in our own lives, we should also always be prepared for the end, and do our best at every moment, to live our lives ever worthily of God.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Leo the Great, one of the great leaders of the Church and a renowned Pope, whose contributions and deeds were so great that he was indeed one of the very few Popes known with the epithet, ‘the Great’. Pope St. Leo the Great was one of the longest reigning Popes in the Church, reigning over the whole Church over a period of over two decades, during an important and tumultuous time both for Christendom and in the secular world. His efforts, works and deeds had inspired many and helped many people to remain firmly faithful to the Lord despite the many trials and challenges facing them at that time. Pope St. Leo the Great helped to lead the Church through those difficult times, and his leadership, actions and numerous writings, which made him to be honoured as a Doctor of the Church, should inspire us all to be ever more faithful to God as well.

Pope St. Leo the Great led the Church through a divisive time in Christendom, as there were numerous heresies and disagreements which had not been completely resolved and settled by the preceding Ecumenical Councils, such as the ones at Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus. Pope St. Leo the Great wrote extensively and sent his ambassadors and legates to the Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon in the Year of Our Lord 450, ten years into the reign of Pope St. Leo the Great, condemning the heresies of monophysitism that were rampant in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Then, in the secular side, Pope St. Leo the Great was also well-renowned for having led the Church and the city of Rome through two difficult time periods, first was when the King of the Huns, Attila, came to the city, and the Pope came to see him personally, and managed to make the Hunnic king to turn away back to his lands, sparing Rome from destruction. He was less successful with the Vandals that came few years afterwards and sacked Rome, but he managed to reduce the extent of the destructions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to live our lives to the best, in obedience and adherence to God, at all times. Let us all be inspired by Pope St. Leo the Great and his examples, and do our very best so that we may indeed live our lives worthily, in seeking not our own glory and ambition, but instead, as St. Paul reminded us all earlier on, to live our lives for the greater glory of God. Let us all turn away from the path of sin and evil, and do our best to inspire others by our good, worthy and holy lives and examples, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 10 November 2023 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 16 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “There was a rich man, whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.'”

“The steward thought to himself, ‘What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do : I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be people will welcome me into their homes.'”

“So he called his master’s debtors, one by one. He asked the first debtor, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ The reply was, ‘A hundred jars of oil.’ The steward said, ‘Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write fifty.’ To the second debtor he put the same question, ‘How much do you owe?’ The answer was, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ Then the steward said, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.'”

“The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness : for the people of this world are more astute, in dealing with their own kind, than are the people of light.”

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Friday, 10 November 2023 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

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

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

YHVH 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 YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Friday, 10 November 2023 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Romans 15 : 14-21

As for me, brothers and sisters, I am convinced, that you have goodwill, knowledge, and the capacity to advise each other; nevertheless, I have written boldly in some parts of this letter, to remind you of what you already know. I do this, according to the grace God has given to me, when I was sent to the pagan nations. I dedicated myself to the service of the Good News of God, as a minister of Christ Jesus, in order to present the non-Jews to God, as an agreeable offering, consecrated by the Holy Spirit. This service of God is, for me, a cause of pride, in Christ Jesus.

Of course, I would not dare to speak of other things, but what Christ, Himself, has done, through me, my words and my works, with miracles and signs, by the power of the Holy Spirit – so, that, non-Jews may obey the faith. In this way, I have extended the Good News to all parts, from Jerusalem to Illyricum.

I have been very careful, however, and I am proud of this, not to preach in places where Christ is already known, and not to build upon foundations laid by others. Let it be as Scripture says : Those not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th 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 have listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded yet again of just how fortunate we are to have been beloved by God so much, that He has provided us with such great graces, in sending us His most wonderful guidance and help throughout all these time, and how He gave us the assurance of His salvation that He has fulfilled perfectly and completely through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Lord has loved each and every one of us so much that He has given us the perfect gift, the manifestation of His wonderful love in His Son, that through Him, all of us have been shown and led to the path towards eternal life and true joy.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the vision which Zechariah received from God, a heavenly vision in which an Angel and a Man went around a heavenly Jerusalem, the Holy City, measuring its length and size, and how the Angel revealed to Zechariah that there would be no wall or protection required for the heavenly city of God, because the Lord Himself would be with His people, as He gathered all of His beloved people to Himself, calling all of them from wherever they had been scattered to, reuniting them all to Him, and reconciling them to Himself. They will be His people and He will be their God, and they all will enjoy forever the fruits of His love and kindness, blessings and graces.

We can understand this better if we know the context of the works and the ministry of the prophet Zechariah. The prophet Zechariah ministered to the people of God during the time after their exile and then return back to the land of their ancestors, and after they had started rebuilding their home back from the ashes and the destruction inflicted decades earlier by the Assyrians and the Babylonians. Back then, the city of Jerusalem was still in ruins, with not just its Temple, but the whole city and its walls had been torn down and destroyed. Therefore, God’s words to His people came at a most appropriate time, reminding all of them, that if they all trust in Him and walk ever more faithfully in His ways, then there is nothing that they should be afraid of. God Himself would protect them and defend them.

And as we heard from the Gospel passage today, we heard of how the Lord sent His Son into our midst as we have discussed just earlier on. And there, the Lord Jesus foretold of His upcoming sufferings, the moments of His Passion and struggles that would come upon Him, as He warned His disciples and followers so that they would be ready for those moments and remain strong in the faith, and not falling into temptation or despair, when the enemies of the Lord were to rise against Him. Linking to what we have heard in our first reading today, we should realise the significance of what the Lord had done for us. Just as He had come into our midst, and willingly took upon Himself our many sins and wickedness, He had put Himself between us and our accusers, Satan and all of his forces that sought our destruction.

Thus, that is how the Lord, our most loving God and Saviour, had suffered for all of us, as He looked lovingly upon us from His Cross. He chose to suffer so that we may all be saved and have eternal life and true happiness through Him. His love for us endures even through the various challenges and the many trials that He had to face, and through all the betrayals and stubbornness that He has suffered and faced from us. He reached out to us nonetheless, and tried His best to save us all, and to lead us all back to the right path, so that none of us may end up being lost from Him, and that we may enter into the glorious kingdom and inheritance prepared for us from the very beginning, just as He has always intended.

That is why, today, brothers and sisters, let us all discern carefully what we have heard and discussed earlier, and discern carefully our path forward in life. Are we going to continue to disobey the Lord and to harden our hearts and minds against Him? Or are we going to rectify our mistakes and errors, and listen to His words and advice being spoken in our hearts and minds? Let us all make best use of whatever time and opportunities that have been given to us so that we will always continue to live our lives most faithfully and worthily in all things, and that we ourselves may be good inspirations and role models for others all around us, in how we live our lives with faith in God. Let us all appreciate all the love we have received from God, and the compassion and mercy we have received from Him.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome, a great priest and servant of God, who is one of the four original Doctors of the Church, who is a great disciple of the Lord, and whose life and holiness should inspire us all in how we can live our lives in a more committed way to the Lord. St. Jerome was well-known for his ascetic lifestyle and dedication to God, and he was also remembered for his many theological works and writings, as well as his efforts in compiling the Latin translation of the Greek Septuagint Bible, which would become the Latin Vulgate, the version of the Bible used by many others up to this very day. He was also active in his other contributions to the Church, including as an important and close advisor to the Pope, so much so that he was considered as one of the precursors of the Cardinals that assist the Pope in the governance of the Church today. He was a truly dedicated and holy servant of God, in all the things he has done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the faithful examples of St. Jerome, his works and commitment should inspire all of us to live our lives worthily of the Lord as well, with focus ever directed towards God and not upon our own personal ambitions and desires. We should also help one another in putting our faith and trust ever more in God, and in doing what we have been all called to do as Christians, as God’s people. Each and every one of us should always be filled with the desire to love the Lord our God and to have constant faith in Him, at all times. We should not easily be swayed or distracted by the many temptations and challenges present all around us. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen all of us in our devotion to Him. St. Jerome, holy man of God, and devout servant of God, pray for us all sinners. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 9 : 43b-45

At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coast lands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.

For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.

Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.

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Saturday, 30 September 2023 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 5-9, 14-15a

Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its length.”

As the Angel who spoke to me came forward, another Angel met him and said, “Run and tell this to that young man : ‘Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people and livestock.’ For this is the word of YHVH : I, Myself, will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her, in glory.”

“Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people.”

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Wednesday, 13 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded that each and every one of us should keep ourselves away from worldly temptations and evils, and all the things that usually keep us away from the path of righteousness and virtue in God. Each and every one of us as Christians have been called to do God’s will, to obey His Law and commandments, and to free ourselves from the many temptations and the shackles of evil and sin that have often kept us chained to our desires and all the attachments we have to worldly glory and pleasures, so that we do not remain bound to those wicked and evil thoughts and ways, but receive from God the assurance of eternal life and true joy through our faith and commitment to Him. All of us should do our best so that our every words, actions and deeds are exemplary and full of true and genuine faith in God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians, in which the Apostle told the faithful and the Church community there to remain firm in their faith and to seek to live their lives as best as they could in accordance to the way that the Lord has taught them through the Church and those who have shown them what it meant to be Christians. St. Paul exhorted the faithful Colossians to keep away from immorality and wickedness of the world, from all the impure desires and evils, from the worship of idols and all the other things that could make them to be corrupted by sin and wickedness of the world. They should reject the malice and the evils of worldly ways and customs, and instead, do what the Lord Himself has shown and taught them to do, in loving God and loving one another, with true and genuine faith and dedication.

This is very important indeed as how we live our lives and faith will determine how others perceive this faith we have in God. As long as we do what is right and just according to the Law and commandments of God, keeping ourselves away from wickedness and evils of this world, the various temptations and pressures to disobey God’s Law and will, and as we carry out dutifully our actions and our way of life, in being good examples and inspiration for one another, we are all truly good and worthy Christians, and through us, our words, our actions and our lives, the truth and Good News of God, the love and grace of God are shown unto more and more around us, to those who have not yet known the Lord or experienced His love and grace. We have the capacity and potential either to turn people towards God or to make people to turn away from Him.

That is why, just as we have also heard from our Gospel passage today, each and every one of us are reminded to be like the ideal Christians as described by the Lord Jesus in the famous Sermon on the Mount, also known as the Beatitudes. In that occasion, the Lord revealed to all His disciples and everyone who had heard Him, what it truly means to be Christians, as those who follow the Lord and His path, that they should be living their lives virtuously and worthily according to the guiding principles of the Beatitudes that He has taught and shared with all of them. The Beatitudes highlighted the attitudes and the approach that we ought to have with our lives so that we may know how we can live them with ever greater conviction and with greater faith in the Lord.

As the Lord Himself said, that all of us as His faithful people ought to be poor in spirit, hungry not only for food but also in this context, for the righteousness and justice, and also for the truth of God, and also to be ever faithful amidst all the challenges and trials that they would have to face in the living of their lives with faith in God. Through the Beatitudes, the Lord highlighted and reminded all of us as God’s beloved people, that we should always place Him first and foremost in our hearts and minds, in all of our whole lives. We should not allow the corruption of this world, of the various pressures and coercions that we may have to face in our journey of faith and life to dissuade us from following the Lord and from committing ourselves and our lives to Him, as we should have done according to our calling and mission.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Chrysostom, who was the famous Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the most renowned leaders of the early Church and well-respected by his contemporaries. He was born into a pagan Roman family, and became a convert to the faith in his early adulthood, having been well brought up academically and intellectually, and eventually for a while, he sought to abandon the world and seek the Lord through very deeply ascetic lifestyle through which he shunned the excesses of the world and sought to learn more about the Lord while deepening his knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. Eventually, his eloquence and charisma, his piety and sanctity led him to be respected by many throughout Christendom, being renowned for his very inspiring and frank homilies that touched the hearts and minds of many, and brought many of them to the faith.

St. John Chrysostom was then appointed as the Archbishop of Constantinople, one of the capitals of the Roman Empire, which was then ascending in its power and glory. He worked hard to minister to his flock and denounced the excesses both among the clergy and the laity, especially those who were in the positions of power. In particular, he was despised by the then reigning Roman Empress Aelia Eudoxia, the wife of the then Roman Emperor Arcadius. The Empress loved to dress and live extravagantly, and those excesses were denounced by the saintly Archbishop, who sought to bring the people back to the path of obedience and purity in God, free from the worldly wickedness and corruptions. This brought him a lot of hardships and trials, leading him to be exiled from his See. However, he continued to persist in his efforts and did not back down from standing up for the faith, right to the very end of his life.

Echoing what we have heard in our Gospel passage today, the experiences faced by St. John Chrysostom, the challenges and trials that he faced in his works and ministry should remind us all that we are also likely to face such struggles, trials and hardships amidst our faith journey throughout our respective lives. Let us all not be discouraged and be disheartened by all those things, but instead, let us be strengthened by the examples and inspirations that our many holy predecessors have shown in their lives, all these while. May the Lord continue to bless our efforts and works, and help guide us in our journey towards Him, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 13 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 6 : 20-26

At that time, looking at His disciples, Jesus said, “Fortunate are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Fortunate are you, who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Fortunate are you, who weep now, for you will laugh.”

“Fortunate are you, when people hate you, when they reject you and insult you and number you among criminals, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. Remember, that is how the ancestors of the people treated the prophets.”

“But alas for you, who have wealth, for you have been comforted now. Alas for you, who are full, for you will go hungry. Alas for you, who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Alas for you, when people speak well of you, for that is how the ancestors of the people treated the false prophets.”