holy bishops

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Friday, 29 December 2023 : Fifth Day within the Octave of Christmas, Memorial of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 John 2 : 3-11

How can we know that we know Him? If we fulfil His commands. If you say, “I know Him,” but do not fulfil His commands, you are a liar and the truth is not in you. But if you keep His word, God’s love is made complete in you. This is how we know that we are in Him : he who claims to live in Him must live as He lived.

My dear friends, I am not writing you a new commandment, but reminding you of an old one, one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard. But, in a way, I give it as a new commandment that is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and true light already shines.

If you claim to be in the light but hate your brother, you are still in darkness. If you love your brothers and sisters, you remain in the light and nothing in you will make you fall. But if you hate your brother you are in the dark and walk in darkness without knowing where you go, for the darkness has blinded you.

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Thursday, 7 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop 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 and as we continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent, all of us are reminded that the Lord alone is our hope and our strength, and the sure source of salvation and liberation from our troubles, challenges and trials. Each and every one of us should always do our best so that we may indeed be focused on the Lord and remember all that He had done for us, particularly in this blessed season and time of Advent when we are preparing to welcome the Lord into our hearts, minds, into our beings and our homes, and celebrate His coming into our midst at Christmas, as we all gather in faith as one united people of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people in the kingdom of Judah, giving them reassurance and confidence that if they all put their faith and trust in Him, they will be guarded and protected, and they will be prosperous and strong. All of these would have resonated very well with the people of Judah, which at the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah, had been beset by many difficulties and troubles. Those among us who are familiar with the history of the kingdom of Judah and the prophets would have known that the prophet Isaiah ministered to the people of God during the reigns of the King Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah, and during the reign of the latter, the Assyrians had come to destroy their northern neighbour, the Kingdom of Israel, and then went on to besiege Jerusalem and beset Judah with their mighty army under King Sennacherib.

Therefore, in the context of what the people of Judah and Jerusalem have experienced at that time, it was indeed a soothing and comforting message that the Lord has brought to His people, reassuring them all of His protection and help, so that despite the many challenges and trials that they all may have to face, the Lord will provide for them. For the case of King Sennacherib of Assyria and his mighty force that came to Jerusalem to besiege it, God destroyed most of that mighty force through His Angel, and wiped off the pride, ego and hubris of that wicked king, who also claimed that he was greater than God Himself, by saying that not even God could have saved the people of Jerusalem and Judah from his forces.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord Who spoke to His disciples and followers using a parable to show and teach them, using the parable of the foundations or the houses, in which He compared what happened when people built their houses on the shaky foundation of sand versus the firm and strong foundation of rock. He mentioned how those who placed their trust in the other things besides the Lord, they are like those who have built their houses upon the loose and weak foundation of sand, which is easily destroyed by the forces of nature. Meanwhile, those who have placed their trust and faith in the Lord are like those who have built their houses upon the firm foundation of rock, which would endure even against the greatest challenges.

All that we heard in our Scripture readings today are reminders for each and every one of us that we should always put the Lord at the centre and the focus of our lives, and we should not be afraid or fearful because God will always be by our side, providing for our needs and protecting us. And while we may suffer and endure hardships, trials and tribulations, but in the end, all of us will be triumphant with God, and the Lord will lead us all into His loving and holy Presence, to enjoy forever the fruits of His inheritance and promises. This is what all of us should remind ourselves and one another during this season of Advent, when we are reminded again and again of everything that God had done for us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, coming down into this world to save us.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the great saints of God, a truly renowned Church father and a devoted man of God, shepherd to his large number of flocks, both within his diocese, as well as those in the larger Universal Church that he has ministered to, and inspired in following the Lord and His path. St. Ambrose of Milan was one of the early Church fathers and was a very influential Church leader as the Bishop of Milan, which is today part of northern Italy. St. Ambrose of Milan was renowned for his works as bishop, his great piety and devotion to God, and for his inspirational leadership of the Church, within Milan and beyond, during the times of great divisions, struggles and conflicts, both within and outside the Church at that time.

St. Ambrose himself was once an important Roman governor and statesman, born into a very prominent Roman family, with his father being a very senior member of the Roman governance, as a praetorian prefect in some accounts. He was born into a Christian family and was brought up well in the faith as well as academically, eventually making his way to be the governor of Liguria province in what is now part of northern Italy, centred in Milan. It was there then St. Ambrose was trust into the limelight in the Church because of the divisions and rivalries that happened at the time between the followers of the Orthodox and true faith against those who sided with the heresy of Arianism. The bishop of Milan, one known as Auxentius, an Arian heretic, died and his succession was very contentious.

St. Ambrose of Milan came to prevent any uproar and rioting that happened because of the disagreements during the election, only for him to be acclaimed by everyone assembled as bishop, which led to St. Ambrose being properly baptised, ordained and then consecrated as the new Bishop of Milan. St. Ambrose proved to be a great bishop and administrator, and a great shepherd to his flock. He helped to reform the Church and then was involved in combatting the heresy of Arianism that had spread over much of Christendom at that time. He even courageously went up against the Roman authorities, many of whom favoured Arianism back then, including the many high level clergy throughout the Empire and the Church.

St. Ambrose championed the cause of the true, orthodox faith, and did not hesitate to use his power and influence to overcome the grip that Arianism and its heretical teachings had on the Church and the Empire. Later on in his life and ministry, he did not hesitate to chastise a powerful and mighty Emperor, Theodosius the Great, for his irresponsible and wicked action in being an accomplice in the slaughter and destruction of innocents in the great city of Thessalonica. Eventually, the Emperor himself relented and as a penitent, in sackcloth and ashes, came humbly before the Bishop of Milan, St. Ambrose himself, and was reconciled to the Lord and His Church. There were many other great things that this great and holy man of God had done for the Church and for God’s people, and they should inspire all of us to be faithful in the manner that St. Ambrose himself had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our best so that we may always be faithful in the Lord, and that we may always be focused on Christ, the very reason why we celebrate Christmas, and why we spend this time to prepare ourselves this Advent, spiritually and wholly. Let us all do our part so that we may indeed be filled with the true joy of Christmas, and be ever more focused and committed to the Lord at all times. May our every actions, words and deeds be filled with true and genuine faith in God, and may all of us draw ever closer to Him, now and always, in all circumstances. Amen.

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Thursday, 7 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 7 : 21, 24-27

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My heavenly Father. Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.”

“But anyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”

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Thursday, 7 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 117 : 1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a

Alleluia! Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in the help of humans. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in the might of princes.

Open to me the gates of the Just, and let me enter to give thanks. This is YHVH’s gate, through which the upright enter. I thank You for having answered me, for having rescued me.

Save us, o YHVH, deliver us, o YHVH! Blessed is He Who comes in YHVH’s Name! We praise You from the house of YHVH. YHVH is God; may His light shine upon us.

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Thursday, 7 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 26 : 1-6

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah : We have a strong city, He Himself has set up walls and fortifications to protect us. Open the gates! Let the righteous nation enter, she who is firm in faithfulness. You keep in perfect place the one of steadfast mind, the one who trusts in You.

Trust in YHVH forever, for YHVH is an everlasting Rock. He brought down those who dwell on high, He laid low the lofty city, He razed it to the ground, levelled it to the dust. Now it is trampled, the poor and the lowly tread upon it.

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Wednesday, 6 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent, we are all lovingly reminded through the Scriptures of God’s ever generous love and providence, and of everything that He has prepared and given to us all, and how beloved all of us are to Him. In this time and season of Advent, we are all preparing ourselves spiritually and mentally so that we may truly be able to celebrate the upcoming joyous season of Christmas with proper disposition and understanding. Instead of all the excesses of the worldly and secular Christmas that we all may be accustomed to, we are all called to remember that ultimately, Christmas is about Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, and all the joy that He has brought us by His coming into this world, fulfilling all that He has promised to us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the prophet spoke of the moment when the Lord will bring all of His people together and bless them forever with everlasting joy and happiness. The Lord promised all of His people that He would gather them to a place of eternal bliss, where suffering, pain and sorrow will no longer exist, and where everything will be perfect just as He has always intended it to be. Sufferings and pain, difficulties, trials and challenges that we faced, all these are the consequences and effects of our sins. Thus, as God will bring us all completely out of the dominion of sin, and as He has revealed it through His Son, Whom He sent into this world to save us by His crucifixion and death on the Cross, this is why all of us are reminded that we all should continue to uphold our faith in the Lord despite the many trials and challenges we face.

Then in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story of the Lord showing His love, care and concern to all of His beloved people, as we listened to the examples and what He had done in healing the sick, making the blind to see again, the deaf and the mute to be able to hear and talk again, among other things, and finally, then, also of how the Lord miraculously fed the multitudes of thousands of people who were gathered there to listen to His teachings. Through all these miracles and wonders, and by the feeding miracle of the thousands, all of us have been reminded of God’s ever generous and enduring love, as He showed each and every one of us the wonders of His grace and love, by caring for us and our needs. This is a really wonderful and important reminder for us, what we are all truly rejoice about in the upcoming season of Christmas.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Nicholas, also known as St. Nicholas of Myra. This saint and great man of God is also perhaps better known as Santa Claus by much of the world, as the corruption of the word Sinterklaas, which is the Dutch name and pronunciation of St. Nicholas’ name. Santa Claus is often associated with Christmas celebrations and season, and is ubiquitous and present everywhere there are Christmas celebrations and festivities. However, do we truly know who St. Nicholas of Myra actually was? Santa Claus is often depicted as an elderly man who is wearing a thick and fluffy red coat and overalls, hats and having a long and thick white beard, bringing lots of gifts in a large bag or sack, to be given to children. This is likely from the tradition and beliefs that St. Nicholas of Myra did so during his time and ministry as Bishop of Myra, in showing kindness to the children in his diocese.

However, St. Nicholas of Myra did more than just all that, and he should be remembered much more than merely just in the popular memory and celebration of being a generous old man who brought forth gifts to children. St. Nicholas of Myra was a great and holy man of God, who was a devotee shepherd to the flock that God had entrusted to him. He was known for his great care for the people, both in their spiritual needs as well as their worldly and physical matters, which is why the legend of Santa Claus began in the first place, as St. Nicholas was also known for his great generosity. St. Nicholas of Myra also lived and ministered to the people of God through the time of great division in the Church, as there were many heresies and false teachings running rampant at that time, and he worked hard to keep his people from being misled and misguided.

St. Nicholas of Myra was also a participant at the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, where he was one of the bishops and Church fathers involved in the proceedings in formalising the expressions and tenets of the Christian faith. At that Ecumenical Council, the great and harmful heresy of Arianism was outlawed and condemned by the Church. Arianism was a heresy based on the teachings of the popular priest named Arius who rejected the consubstantial and co-eternal nature of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and instead teaching falsely that the Son was the first among those whom God had created. The truth as we uphold it, is that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Most Holy Trinity and Triune God, are co-equal and co-eternal, having existed from before time, and that the Son was begotten from the Father, not created. St. Nicholas was one of the bishops who fervently championed the true faith.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard from the Scripture passages and from the life and works of St. Nicholas of Myra, we should indeed be reminded to put our right focus and attention in our Advent commemoration, as well as our Christmas preparations, and also our way of living our lives so that we may always remain focused firmly in the Lord, our God and Saviour. Many of us have lost our focus and attention on the Lord because of the many worldly temptations, distractions all around us. And with regard to Christmas, we are all accustomed to the way how the world celebrates it, with lots of festivities and celebrations, merrymaking and rejoicing. Yet, the one most important thing about Christmas is often missing from many of our Christmas celebrations, and that is the One Whom we ought to celebrate in Christmas, Christ, Our Lord.

Let us all therefore strive to refocus our attention and path in life from now on, and let us all renew our faith in the Lord. Let us remind ourselves and one another of all the love and the kind generosity which God has always shown us, in patiently loving us and caring for our every needs. Let us all truly be worthy and ready to celebrate Christmas with the right disposition, proper focus and understanding of the true significance and meaning of Christmas. And like St. Nicholas of Myra, let us all be generous in giving and sharing our many blessings in life, and our Christmas joy, that all of us may rejoice together in the same Lord, our Saviour. May our Advent season be truly blessed and fruitful, and may St. Nicholas of Myra, our holy role model and example in faith, intercede for us to the Lord. Amen.

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Wednesday, 6 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Matthew 15 : 29-37

At that time, from the place where Jesus healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman, He went to the shore of Lake Galilee, and then went up into hills, where He sat down. Great crowds came to Him, bringing the dumb, the blind, the lame, the crippled, and many with other infirmities. People carried them to the feet of Jesus, and He healed them.

All were astonished when they saw the dumb speaking, the lame walking, the crippled healed, and the blind able to see; and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus called His disciples and said to them, “I am filled with compassion for these people; they have already followed Me for three days and now have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away fasting, or they may faint on the way.”

His disciples said to Him, “And where shall we find enough bread in this wilderness to feed such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few small fish.”

Jesus ordered the people to sit on the ground. Then, He took the seven loaves and the small fish, and gave thanks to God. He broke them and gave them to His disciples, who distributed them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the leftover pieces filled seven wicker baskets.

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Wednesday, 6 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Psalm 22 : 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.

He guides me through the right paths for His Name’s sake. Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me : Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

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Wednesday, 6 December 2023 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. Nicholas, Bishop (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Bishops)

Isaiah 25 : 6-10a

On this mountain YHVH Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained. On this mountain He will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more. The Lord YHVH will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; He will take away the humiliation of His people all over the world : for YHVH has spoken.

On that day you will say : This is our God. We have waited for Him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation. For on this mountain the hand of YHVH rests.

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Wednesday, 15 November 2023 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded yet again to be righteous, good and worthy in all of our works and deeds. Each and every one of us are called to put our faith and trust in the Wisdom that God has given to us, and place ourselves firmly in the path which the Lord has shown us. All of us as God’s followers and disciples, we are all expected to follow God’s ways, obey His Law and commandments at all times, regardless of our background, nature, occupation or whatever it is that we are doing. And today we are also reminded that especially for those in the positions of power and responsibility, it is even more important that we live our lives in accordance with God and His ways, or else we may end up misleading many others down the wrong path, and the consequences for us will indeed be severe.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the words of the Lord delivered to all of His people, and this time, particularly directed to those leaders, sovereigns and rulers of nations and peoples, reminding them all that all of their power, sovereignty and rule all ultimately came from God. Each and every one of them must always keep in mind that they should not allow the temptations of worldly pleasures, corruptions of sin and desires to mislead and trick us down the wrong path in life. Many people throughout history, especially those who have been entrusted with power and authority, fell into the temptations of sin and evil, abusing their power and authority for their own good, seeking to enrich themselves and to gain good things for themselves by misusing what God had entrusted to them.

What the Lord wants us all to know is that, each and every one of us have been given various distinct and unique blessings, gifts and abilities, talents and opportunities in our lives. How we use them is really up to us, and we have been given the freedom to choose how we want to live our lives. We can use those gifts and opportunities to do what is good, right and just according to God, or to misuse them just as how some of our ancestors and predecessors had done. What the Lord reminds us with is that, for everything we have done, be it good or bad, worthy or wicked, we shall be held accountable for them all, and for those of us who have been entrusted with more, then the more shall be accounted for them, in everything that they and all of us say and do, in our lives.

Then, in our Gospel reading today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Luke of the story of the encounter between the Lord Jesus and ten lepers, one of whom was a Samaritan and the healing that happened to all of them. All of them begged the Lord to have them healed from their leprosy, which had made them ostracised and cast out from the rest of the community. According to the Law of Moses, the lepers must be segregated and separated out from the community until they recovered from their illness, as this was meant to avoid the disease from spreading rampantly in the close quarters of the people during the time of the Exodus. However, this has also led to the the lepers from being treated badly and looked upon with disdain by everyone, and no one would have wanted that kind of experiences.

Hence, the Lord in His love and mercy, showed them His power and healed all of them from their sickness. He told them to show themselves to the priests as according to the Law of Moses, they had to present themselves being healed and whole to a priest before they could be readmitted into the community. But this happened before they were healed. They were healed as they made their way to the priests, and as we heard, everyone except for the Samaritan among them rejoiced greatly after knowing that they had been healed. Only the Samaritan retraced his steps and sought the Lord again to thank Him for what He had done. This is actually also an allusion and link to what we have heard in our first reading today, as this is yet another reminder that everything we have, and all that we have received, ultimately came from God, and we really should thank Him and keep in mind of whatever it is that He has entrusted to us.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Albert the Great, or St. Albertus Magnus, a renowned man of God and great teacher of the faith, whose life, works and dedication to God should inspire us all to be dedicated and committed to Him ourselves. Each and every one of us should heed the good examples set by this wonderful man of God, so that we may also be always faithful to Him, at all times. St. Albert the Great was born in what is now Bavaria in southern part of Germany, during the High Middle Ages. He was brought up well academically and showed his talents early on. He then became a member of the Dominican Order, and studied to become a theologian, which began his great and long ministry as a teacher and theologian henceforth.

St. Albert the Great later on became one of the provincials of the Dominican Order, and carried out his duties with great obedience and dedication. And while later on he was appointed as a bishop, as the Bishop of Regensburg, he remained humble and committed to the missions entrusted to him, walking all around his diocese on foot instead of riding a horse as he was entitled to. He dedicated himself to whatever missions God had entrusted him with, and despite the honour and respect that many people and his positions entitled him with, he remained very humble and focused on the Lord, not being swayed by the temptations of worldly power and glory. Instead, he committed himself wholly to the Lord and to the people of God, all throughout his life, and this is something that we should be inspired to follow as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the story of the life and works of St. Albert the Great, let us all therefore strive to be good, worthy and responsible in how we live our lives as Christians in this world. Let us all be filled with the desire to love God and to proclaim His truth and love, with humility and faith, much as St. Albert the Great and the many other saints, holy men and women of God had done. Let us all be good examples and role models for one another, in how we live our lives so that we may inspire more and more people to live their lives worthily and to walk ever always in God’s path. May God bless us all in our every good works and efforts, now and always. Amen.