German saints

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the mission for all of us as Christians to do our part in proclaiming the Good News and the Gospel of the Lord at all times. All of us as Christians have been entrusted with the responsibility to proclaim the Lord in all of our various places and communities, in the many opportunities that we have been given by the Lord all these while. The Lord has provided us with the means to carry out His many good works, all the things that we can do for our fellow brethren, in showing them all the love of God manifested through us and our actions in our daily living. Therefore we should always be courageous in loving Him and in doing our best to follow Him in proclaiming His truth and Good News to all the people of all the nations.

In our first reading today we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of what happened in Jerusalem in the aftermath of the hearing and judgment session by the Sanhedrin against St. Paul, which ended up in great division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the members of the Sanhedrin. This led to a significant limbo and delay in the case which St. Paul stood as a defendant against the accusations which were placed against him by the Sanhedrin. We heard how his case was stalled between two governors, Felix and then Festus who took over his case, and we heard how Festus discussed with King Agrippa also known as Agrippa II, the last Herodian ruler of the lands of Israel, with his sister Berenice regarding St. Paul.

And we heard how St. Paul chose to be judged and to stand before the presence of the Emperor himself instead of allowing himself to be judged and put to task by the local authorities. In this manner therefore, the Lord led St. Paul to the path towards his martyrdom, by which he would help to establish the firm foundation for the Church in Rome and elsewhere along his path. St. Paul trusted in the Lord’s providence and guidance, and he allowed the Lord to lead him to wherever He would lead him to. St. Paul did not fear the persecutions and hardships that he might have to face because he knew that the Lord would always be by his side, and all his enemies and those who persecute him cannot harm him beyond his physical body, and his soul will always be with God and safe with Him.

This is why we are reminded today of the great courage of the Apostle St. Paul and are reminded of how the Lord has always provided for us and our needs, and as long as we put our trust and faith in Him, we truly have no need to be afraid or fearful, as the Lord Himself will always be by our side, guarding and providing for us, strengthening us in our journey and in our every actions. As Christians we must always remember that the Lord is our Shepherd and Master, and with Him ever providing for us, we shall never face ultimate defeat and destruction. We must not fear what can only harm and destroy our bodies but not our eternal souls. That is why we have to be strong in our faith and courage, to embrace the various missions and opportunities that God had provided to us so that we may truly be evangelising and missionary disciples of Our Lord at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the time when the Risen Lord, soon after His Resurrection, appeared to the disciples in Galilee, and after having shown Himself to them and had meal with them, He had a private time with St. Peter, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, and in a very symbolic moment as we heard in today’s Gospel, He asked St. Peter not just once but three times, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’. For those who did not see the link with what happened earlier on, then they may miss the significance of these three repeated questions, which was in fact the Lord showing St. Peter that He has always loved him and had forgiven him for his earlier triple denial of Him.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, at the time of the Lord’s Passion, when He faced His great sufferings and persecutions, being betrayed by one of His own closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, another member of the Twelve, He was also denied not just once but three times by St. Peter himself, who was likely afraid of being found out that he was a disciple of the Lord, at the time when all the disciples were scattered and alone by themselves. And this was despite St. Peter himself having made promises and proclamations that he would even die for the sake of the Lord, previously at the time of the Last Supper and earlier on. And despite having been abandoned by St. Peter and the other disciples, the Lord still loved them and cared for them, and He reached out to them, and especially to St. Peter, knowing that despite his denial, ultimately, his faith and love for Him were really genuine and true.

That is why all of us as Christians have to remember this great love of God, the call that He has in calling us all to love Him wholeheartedly and to follow Him, as St. Peter had done. We are all sinners, but God has called us all and gathered us all from being scattered all over the world, from the darkness, bringing us back to His light and grace. Hence, we need to continue to remind ourselves this calling to love the Lord and to focus our lives and attentions, our efforts and works on the Lord, glorifying Him by everything that we do, carry out and perform in each and every moments of our lives. We should always strive to inspire one another in faith, through our exemplary living and our commitment to follow the teachings of the Lord in the Gospels and His Church, to be missionary and evangelising at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Norbert, also known as St. Norbert of Xanten, a great and holy man of God who had lived in a state of worldliness and pursuit of worldly desires early in his life, and then went through a conversion experience in which he encountered a life-changing experience that led him to lead a more devout life. St. Norbert henceforth devoted his time and efforts to the poor, caring for the needy, and upon the request of the Pope himself, St. Norbert established a community of religious order in the Diocese of Laon in France where he ministered to the people, becoming known as the Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as the Premonstratensians. Later on, through the rapid expansion of this order and his role as the Archbishop of Magdeburg in northern Germany, St. Norbert continued to lead a life of great evangelising and missionary zeal, proclaiming the Good News of God to many more people that he encountered through his life and mission, which he faithfully carried out to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great courage, faith and examples of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Holy Apostles in seeking the Lord and dedicating themselves and their efforts to serve Him faithfully, and also from St. Norbert, the great and holy servant of God, and our many other holy predecessors, so that in everything that we do in our own respective lives may truly be holy and dedicated to God, that we may be truly missionary and evangelising, in our own exemplary faith and actions, in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions with each other. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen us in each and every moments of our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 21 : 15-19

At that time, after Jesus and His disciples had finished breakfast, He said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” And Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Look after My sheep.” And a third time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus then said, “Feed My sheep! Truly, I say to you, when you were young, you put on your belt and walked where you liked. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will put a belt around you, and lead you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus said this to make known the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. And He added, “Follow Me.”

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

The Lord has set His throne in heaven; He rules, He has power everywhere. Praise the Lord, all you His Angels.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 25 : 13b-21

As King Agrippa and his sister Berenice were to stay in Caesarea several days, Festus told him about Paul’s case and said to him, “We have here a man whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews accused him and asked me to sentence him.”

“I told them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a man without giving him an opportunity to defend himself in front of his accusers. So they came and I took my seat without delay on the tribunal and sent for the man. When the accusers had the floor, they did not accuse him of any of the crimes that I was led to think he had committed; instead they quarrelled with him about religion and about a certain Jesus Who has died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.”

“I did not know what to do about this case, so I asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to be tried there. But Paul appealed to be judged by the Emperor. So I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.”

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Thursday, 6 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the love of God which He has given to all of us, as He grants us all the most wonderful graces and blessings, constantly reaching out to us and showing us His love throughout all of history. He has loved us all from the very beginning, and He has indeed created us all out of His ever enduring and patient love. He spared us from destruction and eternal damnation because of this same love, and gave us all the perfect gift of love, manifested in His only begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are reminded this day that we should not take God’s love for granted, and we are also reminded that we have to love Him and our fellow brothers and sisters in the same way.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to St. Timothy, we heard of the words of the Apostle speaking about the salvation which the Lord has shown all of us, and which He has generously and constantly promised to us, and renewed that promise through all that He had done, through the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, by Whom the whole world has been shown the sure path to God’s grace and eternal life. This is what St. Paul wanted to remind all of us, the faithful people of God, of just how wonderful God’s love has been, and how fortunate we truly are for having been beloved in such a manner.

This is why all of us are reminded of this great love of God, and what we all as Christians ought to be doing henceforth, in loving God, our Lord and Master, and in loving one another, our fellow brothers and sisters, at all times. We have truly been very blessed to be in God’s love and favour, and we must never squander the opportunities and the great generosity that God has shown us all these while. Otherwise we may lose sight on what truly matters for us in life, especially if we allow ourselves to be swayed by the many temptations and pleasures of the world around us. This is why we must remind ourselves always to be ever committed to the Lord, to His love and kindness.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard another similar reminder through the interaction between the Lord Jesus and a teacher of the Law who was asking Him about the commandments of the Law and which among them were the most important of all. Contextually, there are about six hundred and thirteen commandments and rule throughout the Law of God that was revealed through Moses to the people of Israel, and the teachers of the Law were those who were particularly strict in following and enforcing the Law and commandments of God, and the teacher of the Law who was asking Jesus might have indeed genuinely be curious on which of all those laws were truly most important one among them.

This is where we must also understand that the teachers of the Law were among those who were so particular and strict in their enforcement of the Law of God, that they were at times very inflexible and rigid in their application, and some among them even took pride and becoming haughty at their supposed better understanding and knowledge of the Law of God and all of its precepts and rules. But in doing so, they actually forgot the true significance, meaning and purpose of the Law of God, which is to bring the people of God closer to Him, and to show them all how to love Him and how they ought to love one another in the same way, which was exactly what the Lord Jesus told to the teacher of the Law.

It is a reminder for all of us that for us to be truly faithful to God, we must be filled first and foremost with love for Him. We must put the Lord at the very heart and centre of our lives, and dedicate ourselves wholly to Him. We cannot be truly faithful to Him unless we can do this, and we have to strive to love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and might, by observing His laws and commandments, obeying Him and glorifying His Name. And we cannot fully do so if we do not also love our fellow brothers and sisters, whom the Lord Himself has loved in the same manner that He has loved each one of us. How can we love God wholeheartedly if we have not also loved all those whom He loves as well?

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Norbert, a great bishop and servant of God whose life and service to the Lord can truly inspire us on how we ourselves can be truly faithful to Him. St. Norbert, also known as St. Norbert of Xanten, was a servant and missionary of the Lord, who was very committed to his ministry of preaching among the people of God throughout various parts of Western and Central Europe, where he proclaimed the Lord and many people followed the Lord through his efforts. He was particularly also concerned about the declining morale and discipline among the clergy throughout the many places that he visited and ministered in.

St. Norbert dedicated himself to help reform the Church and its clergy, in his many attempts to help uproot all the corrupt practices and way of living which many Christians and the clergy at his time had done, in efforts to stem the declining moral and virtues among the people of God and the Church. As part of these efforts, he founded the Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as Norbertians after their founder. He gathered those who were called by the Lord to seek a holy and virtuous life, dedicating themselves to a life of prayer and service. More and more people were inspired by St. Norbert and joined his congregation, and many great fruits were produced of his works in reforming the Church and opposing various heresies in the Church then. And later on as Archbishop of Magdeburg as appointed by the Pope, St. Norbert would continue to carry out his mission and reform works among the people entrusted to him, to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through the great examples showed by St. Norbert and his life, let us all be inspired to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and to commit ourselves thoroughly to His cause. Let us all remind ourselves and one another not to be swayed easily worldly temptations and desires, but as we recall the ever enduring and generous love which God has always had for us, let us all continue to love Him first and foremost and do our very best so that we may truly be committed to God at all times and be the good and worthy role models for our fellow Christians, our fellow brothers and sisters around us, whom we also ought to love and care for, as much as we can. May God be with us always and may He bless us all in our every endeavours and good works. Amen.

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Thursday, 6 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 12 : 28b-34

At that time, a teacher of the Law came up and asked Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?”

Jesus answered, “The first is : Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes a second commandment : You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.”

The teacher of the Law said to Him, “Well spoken, Master; You are right when You say that He is one, and there is no other besides Him. To love Him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.”

Jesus approved of this answer and said, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

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Thursday, 6 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 24 : 4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

Teach me Your ways, o Lord; make known to me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and instruct me, for You are my God, my Saviour.

Good and upright, the Lord teaches sinners His way. He teaches the humble of heart and guides them in what is right.

The ways of the Lord are love and faithfulness for those who keep His covenant and precepts. The Lord gives advice to those who revere Him and makes His covenant known to them.

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Thursday, 6 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

2 Timothy 2 : 8-15

Remember Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, Jesus, Son of David, as preached in my Gospel. For this Gospel I labour, and even wear chains like an evildoer, but the word of God is not chained. And, so, I bear everything, for the sake of the chosen people, that they, too, may obtain the salvation given to us, in Christ Jesus, and share eternal glory.

This statement is true : If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure with Him, we shall reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us; If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.

Remind your people of these things, and urge them, in the presence of God, not to fight over words, which does no good, but only ruins those who listen. Be for God, an active and proven minister, a blameless worker, correctly handling the word of truth.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures of our calling as Christians, that is as all those who have accepted and embraced the Lord’s call, and have faith in Him, to be truly committed to the missions and the vocation which the Lord had entrusted to each and every one of us, in every unique ministries and contributions that each one of us can give to help in the mission of the Church. God has entrusted to all of us the fate of our fellow brothers and sisters, many of whom had not yet known Him, and many of whom were still under the sway and power of sin, living in the darkness of sin and evil, not being aware of the Light, Hope and truth that God alone can bring into our midst. That is why we have to be the good and faithful bearers of Christ’s Light in our world today.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Acts of the Apostles in which the works of the Apostles and the other disciples in spreading the faith in the Lord were narrated and told to us, and we continue to hear how the Church kept on growing and the faith kept on spreading despite the challenges and persecutions that they faced along the way. The efforts made by the Apostles especially by those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas were crucial in extending the reach of the Church and welcoming many more converts from among the non-Jewish community, or the Gentiles. Their efforts and works among the Greeks and others led to many embracing the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Master, leaving behind their old pagan idols and ways.

The Apostles entrusted the mission of the conversion and evangelisation of the Gentiles to those of St. Paul and St. Barnabas, as well as their companions, and this was the foundation of the many missionary journeys that St. Paul would undertake for the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel. St. Paul went to many places, guided by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Risen Lord and managed to gain many new believers, who were convinced of the truth of Christ and who were also inspired by the great examples shown by the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, the early Christians who lived in great harmony and love for one another, showing the love of God manifested in their actions, words and deeds, in all of their interactions.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples and all the other people who were following Him regarding what He had been telling them, and how He is truly the Son of God Incarnate, referring to God as His own Father, the Father Who is in Heaven. This was something that was taboo and forbidden among the Jewish people and tradition at that time, as God was seen as Almighty and incomparable, one and without equal, and for One like Jesus to claim to be the Son of God and calling God as His Father was akin to proclaiming blasphemy against God. However, this was because those who thought this way refused to accept the fact that there can be new revelation that was not found in the books of the Law or the Prophets. It was precisely what the Lord did, in revealing to everyone the fullness of God’s truth.

In truth, the Lord was telling everyone that God’s promises had indeed come into this world, and all had been perfectly fulfilled and manifested in Himself, in the Son and Word of God incarnate in the flesh as the Son of Man, through Whom God’s will had been made clear to us and by Whose Presence the love of God had been made tangible and approachable by us. Through His Son, the Lord has made His salvation and love manifested and real before us, and He showed it all to us through the Passion of our Lord and Saviour, as He suffered most grievously and endured a most painful death on the Cross, all for the sake of our salvation. Through Him, we have seen the Light and Hope of the Lord and we are all called to follow Him, embracing His salvation and love, as we are all expected to do as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, a great servant of God and one whose life and examples can serve as good inspiration for each and every one of us to follow, so that in looking upon what this man of God had done, we can then be more inspired and strengthened in our own efforts to glorify the Lord. St. Fidelis was born in what is today part of Germany and grew up to be an academic, learning about law and philosophy, becoming a lawyer and teacher of philosophy at the institute of his study. Eventually, disillusioned by the wickedness of worldly living and the corrupt nature of his work as a lawyer and the immoral behaviours of the other lawyers of his time made St. Fidelis to join his brother as a Capuchin religious.

St. Fidelis therefore became a priest and began his ministry in the time when the Church and Christendom was greatly ravager and affected by the blight of the Protestant reformation, where many people have fallen sway into the path of heresy and falsehoods. Through his works, St. Fidelis was successful in converting quite a few of the Calvinists in the region and this led to hostile reaction from the other Calvinists who began to threaten St. Fidelis. However St. Fidelis was not deterred or became fearful over those threats, and he began to prepare himself for martyrdom should it come to pass for him. It happened therefore on one day when a group of Calvinist soldiers and agitators went up against St. Fidelis, and when they failed to force him to renounce his true Christian faith, he was martyred at that place. The courage and faith of St. Fidelis nevertheless remained strong and became inspiration for many others, and some of his persecutors were even converted to the true faith.

Through the inspiration of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, his courage and dedication to God, may the Lord continue to help and guide us all in our journey so that by everything that He has provided unto us, we may continue to persevere in our journey and trials of faith, throughout all these moments in life. Let us all commit ourselves ever more thoroughly and courageously to be the worthy disciples and followers of Our Lord and God. May the Lord continue to bless us in our good efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

John 12 : 44-50

At that time, yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, “Whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. And whoever sees Me, sees Him Who sent Me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness.”

“If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I am not the One to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects Me, and does not receive My word, already has a judge : the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.”

“For I have not spoken on My own authority; the Father, Who sent Me, has instructed Me in what to say and how to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed Me.”