holy bishops

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Tuesday, 23 April 2024 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. George, Martyr, and St. Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White or Red (Martyrs)

Acts 11 : 19-26

Those who had been scattered because of the persecution over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message, but only to the Jews. But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the Good News of the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of God’s favour, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the Lord; for he himself was a good man filled with Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the Lord.

Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus to look for Saul and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

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Thursday, 11 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Stanislas, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord through the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded yet again of the need for all of us as Christians, as God’s disciples and followers, to be ever ready to proclaim His truth and Good News in our world today, at every opportunities and in every circumstances and places that we have found ourselves in. This is such that by our every words, actions and deeds, by our every way of life and commitments, our efforts, we may proclaim the Risen Lord faithfully and truthfully like how our holy predecessors had done, in their tireless and ceaseless efforts and hard work, in doing God’s will and in showing the truth through their whole beings.

In our first reading today, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard of the continuation of the moment when the Apostles were arrested yet again after they continued to preach about the Risen Lord, the Saviour of all mankind, despite having been warned earlier on not to do so anymore, and despite having been arrested and made to suffer for the sake of the Risen Lord. They continued to preach courageously and fearlessly in public, in the grounds of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, where many people witnessed their good works and miracles, listening to the wisdom of God and the revelation of truth through those same Apostles, which had been revealed to them through Christ and the Holy Spirit Who had been sent to them to guide and strengthen them.

Those chief priests, the members of the Pharisees and the Sadducees that made up the Sanhedrin, or the Jewish High Council were angered at the continued persistence of the Apostles in proclaiming the Risen Lord, the same One Whom they had arrested, charged with blasphemy, surrendered to the Romans to be condemned to death on the Cross. Despite their many efforts, including spreading of fake information about what happened to the Lord’s Body and the Empty Tomb which were proofs of His Resurrection, they could not contain the truth from spreading out ever more quickly and vigorously, especially because of the great efforts and tireless works of those Apostles. They tried to threaten them, but as we heard, the Apostles led by St. Peter courageously refused to obey the demands made upon them.

They continued to proclaim the truth, and fearlessly spoke about the truth of everything that had happened, and professed as they had done before the people in Jerusalem and elsewhere, how the Risen Lord had indeed risen from the dead, and they had witnessed everything that happened, and they would not remain silent anymore, not even with the threats upon themselves and their own safety. They had been strengthened by the Lord Himself, and the Holy Spirit had given them the courage and power to carry on their ministry despite the tough challenges, trials, suffering and difficulties that they had to endure. They did not allow fear to mislead them down the path of inactivity anymore, but allowing the Lord to lead them in their path of faithfulness.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words from the Gospel of St. John in which the words of St. John the Baptist, the one that the Lord had sent to prepare the way for the Lord, the Saviour of the world. St. John the Baptist, as the Herald of the Saviour, had spoken about Him and called upon all the people to come back to their Lord with contrite heart and the desire to be forgiven from all of their many sins and wickedness. St. John the Baptist told the people that the One Who would come after Him would come from Heaven itself, and would proclaim the salvation of God to all, and all of that would come true indeed with the coming of Christ, the Son of God Whose coming St. John the Baptist was preparing.

In his efforts and works, St. John the Baptist himself also faced a lot of hardships and struggles, as he faced the opposition and rejection even from the same Pharisees and all those who also opposed the Lord later on. He also had to face difficulties from the immoralities of the leaders of the people at the time, particularly that of King Herod, the ruler of Galilee at that time, who he criticised and rebuked for his immoral attitude, in his adulterous behaviour with his own brother’s wife Herodias, whom he had taken as his own wife despite his brother still likely being alive at the time. For that, St. John the Baptist arrested and eventually, through the mechanism and plotting of Herodias, he was martyred.

Once again, we have heard and witnessed how the servants of the Lord often faced a lot of hardships and difficulties in the conduct of their missions and ministry, and they had to endure those challenges amidst their fulfilment of the things and missions entrusted to them. Yet, they embraced those sufferings and hardships with joy as they knew that through their faith, obedience and commitment to God, they would receive their just rewards in the Lord, the promise of eternal life and glory with Him, that even though they might have to suffer persecutions and challenges, in the end, they shall all be triumphant together with the Lord. The Lord has strengthened and given them the courage to carry out their mission with faith, committing themselves wholeheartedly to God.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of a great saint and martyr, whose life and dedication to God, and eventually whose martyrdom echoed what we have heard in our Scripture readings today regarding the sufferings, challenges and trials that we may have to face amidst our lives and ministries as faithful and devoted Christians, as disciples and followers of the Lord. St. Stanislas was a renowned Bishop in Medieval Poland, who was martyred in defence of his faith by the Polish King himself, and whose commitment to the Lord and His Church inspired many people during his life and ministry, as well as after his martyrdom. He was one of the earliest native Polish bishops, as it was just a century or so after the conversion of Poland. He worked hard and was crucial in the establishment and the strengthening of the Church and its institutions throughout Poland at that time.

He ended up in disputes with the then King of Poland, Boleslaw II, over disagreements about certain matters such as Church land and property, which according to tradition led him to miraculously resurrect a dead man who had sold the land to the Church, only for the land to be claimed by his family, so that the man could testify before the king and his court, and everyone assembled, that the land had indeed been legally and rightfully sold to the Bishop, St. Stanislas himself. Then later on, he ended up in even bigger dispute over the treatment that the King gave to his own men during his wars, and their wives which were punished for their lack of faith in their husbands. St. Stanislas disagreed with the brutal nature of the King’s punishments and treatments, and these acts among others were seen by the King as being disobedient against royal authority and undermining his power, culminating in the King personally slaying the faithful Bishop as he said the Mass, when his servants were hesitant to act.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can see very clearly how it can be challenging for us to embrace God’s path faithfully, living them with faith and dedication to Him. It can be difficult for us to follow the path of God because of all the difficulties, trials and oppressions that we may face in our journey. However, that should not discourage us from committing ourselves to the Lord, but instead it should strengthen and encourage us ever more, like how St. Stanislas and many others of our holy predecessors, the holy martyrs and saints, had done in their own lives and ministries. Let us all therefore ask them all to intercede for us so that God may bless us and strengthen us in our every good works, efforts and endeavours, all for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 11 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Stanislas, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 3 : 31-36

At that time, John the Baptist said, “He Who comes from above is above all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and his words belong to the earth. He Who comes from heaven speaks of the things He has seen and heard; He bears witness to these things, but no one accepts His testimony. Whoever does receive His testimony acknowledges the truthfulness of God.”

“The One sent by God speaks God’s words, and gives the Spirit unstintingly. The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything into His hands. Whoever believes in the Son lives with eternal life; but he who will not believe in the Son will never know life, and always faces the justice of God.”

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Thursday, 11 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Stanislas, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 33 : 2 and 9, 17-18, 19-20

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. Oh, see and taste the goodness of the Lord! Blessed is the one who finds shelter in Him!

But His face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught. Many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers them from all.

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Thursday, 11 April 2024 : 2nd Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Stanislas, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Acts 5 : 27-33

So the High Priest and his supporters brought the Apostles in and made them stand before the Council and the High Priest questioned them, “We gave you strict orders not to preach such a Saviour; but you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend charging us with the killing of this Man.”

To this Peter and the Apostles replied, “Better for us to obey God rather than any human authority! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus Whom you killed by hanging Him on a wooden post. God set Him at His right hand as Leader and Saviour, to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses to all these things, as well as the Holy Spirit Whom God has given to those who obey Him.

When the Council heard this, they became very angry and wanted to kill them.

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Saturday, 23 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that despite all of our disobedience, rebelliousness, our waywardness and evils, God’s love for us still endures nonetheless, and He still cares for each and every one of us. That was why He went through all the trouble of sending down to us none other than His own Beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to be the means through which we are all brought together to His salvation, grace and eternal life, reassuring us all of His constant love, providence and protection.

In our first reading today, we heard of the words of the Lord and His reassurances that He made to all of His people, that He had made through the prophet Ezekiel, reminding them all that despite of their many sins, wickedness and rebelliousness, in the end, He still truly cares for each and every one of them nonetheless. At that time, when the prophet Ezekiel was active, he was ministering to the exiles of the people of God in the distant lands of Babylon, where many of the people had ended up in after they had disobeyed the Lord and thus, facing hardships and destruction of their homeland when the Babylonians came to conquer and destroy their land, their city of Jerusalem and its Temple, carrying many of the people to the distant lands.

All those were caused by the stubborn attitudes of the people of God, who have preferred to follow their own ways and paths, not heeding or listening to the message of God’s reminders and truths which He had given them all through His many prophets and messengers. They thought that they were better and more knowledgeable than others, and they refused to admit their mistakes and flawed way of life when the prophets and messengers of God pointed out their errors before them. They instead persecuted those whom the Lord had sent to them in order to help and guide them along, leading to the murder of innocents and the holy servants of God, because the people refused to admit their weakness and sinfulness.

It was these same attitudes that we have also seen exhibited by many of the leaders of the Jewish people, the members of the Jewish High Council or also known as the Sanhedrin, which members were composed of the powerful and influential members of the Pharisees and also the Sadducees. They had different points of contentions and disagreements with the Lord, but essentially, all of them refused to believe in the Lord or to listen to the words and the revelations which He Himself had brought to them, or to trust in Him through the signs and miracles that He had shown them, as proofs that He was indeed the One that God had promised to send to His beloved ones that He might save all of them from damnation and destruction.

That was why we heard the discussions and disagreements among the members of the Sanhedrin, and many of them, including the High Priest, Caiaphas, wanted to eliminate the threat that the Lord Jesus posed to them, because His teachings and activities were not just in accordance or agreement with how the Pharisees and the Sadducees often did their observances of the Law and the commandments of God, but they were also afraid that His activities could lead to the Romans destroying and cancelling the privileges and good life that those Jewish elites had been enjoying, and thus, they agreed that they should condemn the Lord Jesus and hand Him to the Romans to be condemned to death. Thus, on this last day before the commencement of Holy Week, the stage has been sent for the events that would soon transpire during that most momentous week.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, a great and holy servant of God who was renowned for his efforts and works as the Archbishop of Lima in what is today part of Peru, during the time of the Spanish rule of the territory. He was very active in his many missions and works among the people throughout his diocese, carrying out his duties faithfully and caring for his flock with dedication, defending the rights of the poor, the weak and the less privileged against the powerful, the landowners and nobles who often took advantage against them. St. Turibius campaigned bravely against the exploitations and the efforts from those who greedily sought to expand their worldly gains on the expense of others.

St. Turibius de Mogrovejo spent a lot of time ministering to the people entrusted to him, often going around his diocese on foot, preaching the word of God to the natives of the region, baptising many people who have been convinced of the truth and salvation in God through his works. According to records and Church tradition, he baptised no less than one and a half million people personally throughout his ministry, and called many people to come closer to God. St. Turibius helped to establish many facilities and places for the benefit and good of the faithful, such as roads and schools, chapels and hospitals among other things. Through his efforts, many of the less privileged, the poor and the sick got well taken care of, and shown God’s great love.

St. Turibius also spent a lot of time in reforming his diocese and clergy, uprooting many scandals and corruptions that had plagued the Church at that time. He enforced and introduced the decrees and reforms from the Ecumenical Council of Trent to his diocese and helped to reestablish discipline among the clergy and the members of the Church, and through his great dedication and works, he had brought about many good changes and improvement to the Church, and brought many souls and people of God ever closer to His Presence and to salvation in Him. As contrasted to the attitudes of those who have not obeyed the Lord as highlighted in the Scriptures today, St. Turibius de Mogrovejo showed us all what it truly means to be followers and disciples of the Lord, and showed God’s great love for us through his works and missions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we all therefore capable of following the good examples and inspirations shown to us by St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, and keep in mind how we all should live our lives with faith, with commitment and obedience to God? Are we all capable of following the Lord wholeheartedly once again, dedicating ourselves thoroughly to Him, so that we may continue to glorify Him at each and every moments of our lives? As we all enter into the most solemn occasion and commemoration of Holy Week tomorrow, let us all remind ourselves of our sinfulness, unworthiness and all the things which have kept us away from God and His love, and let us all seek His forgiveness, with the resolve to cast aside our sins and wickedness, so that we may once again be truly worthy of God and His love. May the Lord bless us always, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Saturday, 23 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 11 : 45-56

At that time, many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw what He did; but some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called together the Council.

They said, “What are we to do? For this Man keeps on giving miraculous signs. If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him and, as a result of this, the Romans will come and destroy our Holy Place and our nation.”

Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all, nor do you see clearly what you need. It is better to have one Man die for the people than to let the whole nation be destroyed.” In saying this Caiaphas did not speak for himself, but being High Priest that year, he foretold like a prophet that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also would die to gather into one the scattered children of God. So, from that day on, they were determined to kill Him.

Because of this, Jesus no longer moved about freely among the Jews. He withdrew instead to the country near the wilderness, and stayed with His disciples in a town called Ephraim. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and people from everywhere were coming to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover. They looked for Jesus and, as they stood in the Temple, they talked with one another, “What do you think? Will He come to the festival?”

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Saturday, 23 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coastlands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guard 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, 23 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Turibius de Mogrovejo, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 37 : 21-28

You will then say to them : Thus says YHVH : I am about to withdraw the Israelites from where they were among the nations. I shall gather them from all around and bring them back to their land. I shall make them into one people on the mountains of Israel and one king is to be the king of them all.

They will no longer form two nations or be two separate kingdoms, nor will they defile themselves again with their idols, their detestable practices and their sins. I shall free them from the guilt of their treachery; I shall cleanse them and they will be for Me a people and I shall be God for them.

My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all. They will live according to My laws and follow and practice My decrees. They will settle in the land I gave to My servant Jacob where their ancestors lived. There they will live forever, their children and their children’s children. David My servant will be their prince forever.

I shall establish a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I shall settle them and they will increase and I shall put My sanctuary in their midst forever. I shall make My home at their side; I shall be their God and they will be My people. Then the nations will know that I am YHVH Who makes Israel holy, having My sanctuary among them forever.

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Monday, 18 March 2024 : 5th Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the Scripture readings, particularly the long reading from the Book of Daniel in our first reading, each and every one of us are reminded of the dangers of sin and how sin can lead us down the path of ruin and destruction, and how we have been constantly reminded to resist those temptations of sin, and stay within the path that God had shown and taught us all to walk in. But at the same time we are also reminded that God has the power to forgive us our sins, and to restore us to His grace and love, as long as we are willing to commit ourselves to Him, rejecting our past sinful way of life and embracing His forgiveness and mercy wholeheartedly, as we all should have. This season of Lent is the perfect time for us to seek the Lord with contrite and repentant hearts, to be reunited once again to Him.

In our first reading today, as mentioned, from the Book of Daniel we heard of the story of Susanna, the wife of a wealthy Jewish man in Babylon, during the time of the exile of the people of God in that land after the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. We heard how two of the elders from the community of the exiled Israelites there grew to lust upon Susanna when they saw her bathing in her estate’s garden, and tried to force themselves upon her. When they could not get what they wanted, they tried to silence her and bring about false accusations upon her so that she would be punished and sentenced to death, which would therefore prevent their wickedness and their evils from being discovered, abusing their status and authority to serve their own selfish purposes.

But God intervened through Daniel, who was then a young man blessed by God’s favour and wisdom, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, God led Daniel to intercede for Susanna’s cause, asking the people to reconsider the judgment that they had prematurely given to Susanna based on the lies and false accusations made by the two elders against her. Therefore, we heard how Daniel, speaking with great wisdom from God, helped Susanna to escape her fated demise, and instead, by revelation of truth and the inconsistency of their lies, the two elders were judged by their own words and admissions, through which they revealed how they have lied about the affairs involving them and Susanna, the latter being cleared of all charges while the two elders were sentenced to death.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Gospel of St. John the Apostle about the interactions between the Lord Jesus, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law wanted to use the adulterous woman to trap the Lord in a difficult situation from which they likely hoped that they could benefit from, by accusing the Lord falsely of colluding with those who sinned against God, should He decide to be kind and nice to the adulterous woman, as they expected that He would, based on His other actions. Even if the Lord were to be harsh on the adulterous woman, they could still benefit from that by saying that what the Lord had done, was merely following what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves had done.

But the Lord knew everything that was planned against Him, and at the same time, He also saw the adulterous woman and had pity on her, knowing that this poor soul was also repentant and desiring His love and compassion, His mercy and forgiveness. That was why He told everyone that if any one of them was without sin, then he or she could throw the first stone at the woman. This Law was meant to discourage the people from sinning, but was never meant to cause people to discriminate against those whom they deemed to be less worthy or greater sinner than they were, just as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had done to many people including to the adulterous woman. The Lord wanted to guide all sinners back to Himself, and therefore, at that moment, He reminded all of those people of their sins.

No one present there obviously was without any sin, and hence, as we heard, beginning with the oldest ones among them, who had lived the longest and therefore were aware that they had committed the most sins and disobedience against God, and then to the youngest ones, all of them left one by one, realising that they themselves were sinners, ashamed and embarrassed, and no one dared to claim that any of them was without any sin, and hence, we heard how no one was left to condemn and punish the woman. What we must realise is the Lord Himself was actually the One Who was without any sin, and He could have condemned and punished the woman, and yet He did not do so, because He loved her and all sinners, and wanted everyone of us to return to Him, to be forgiven our sins and reconciled with God.

This is a reminder for all of us that we must not let sin to continue to be an obstacle in our path towards God and His salvation. We have to strive to do what the Lord has taught us all to do, to live faithfully and worthily in accordance with God’s will. What the Lord told the adulterous woman is a reminder for us not to sin anymore and to turn away from our evil and wicked ways, embracing God’s ever generous love and compassion, His mercy and desire to forgive us our many sins. That is why during this time and season of Lent, we should make good use of the opportunities and moments given to us so that hopefully we may come ever closer to the Lord with sincere, contrite and repentant hearts and minds, committed to walk once more in the path of God’s grace and righteousness.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who was one the great early Church fathers, and honoured as one of the venerable Doctors of the Church for his many contributions to the Church. He was remembered for his great dedication to the Lord and His Church, for the many efforts and hard work that he had done as the Bishop of the prominent See of Jerusalem, in opposing the then terrible heresy of Arianism that was raging throughout the Church, leading countless souls astray from God’s path. He was locked in long years of struggles against the Arians, particularly with Metropolitan Acacius of Caesarea, a prominent Arian leader who had the support of the powerful members of the Roman state and governance at the time. St. Cyril had to face many struggles and even exile from his See at times, and yet, he remained firm in his dedication and conviction, doing his best to continue leading the people of God to the right path, especially through his many theological works refuting the falsehoods of Arianism and other heresies.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect well upon what we have discussed today, and be inspired by the great examples that our holy predecessors, particularly that of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, so that our whole lives may be great examples and inspirations for everyone around us. May God be with us all at all times, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey of faith and life. May He empower and strengthen all of us so that we may continue to be strong and courageous in living our lives in His path, now and always. Amen.