holy bishops

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 7 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware of false prophets : they come to you in sheep’s clothing; but inside, they are voracious wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thorn bushes; or figs, from thistles?”

“A good tree always produces good fruit. A rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit; and a rotten fruit cannot bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruit.”

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 104 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

Give thanks to YHVH, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds.

Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek YHVH rejoice. Look to YHVH and be strong; seek His face always.

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHVH our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

He remembers His Covenant forever, His promise to a thousand generations, the Covenant He made with Abraham, the promise He swore to Isaac.

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Genesis 15 : 1-12, 17-18

After Abram met with Melchizedek, the word of YHVH was spoken to Abram in a vision : “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great!” Abram said, “My Lord YHVH, where are Your promises? I am still childless and all I have will go to Eliezer of Damascus. You have given me no children, so a slave of mine will be my heir.”

Then the word of YHVH was spoken to him again, “Eliezer will not be your heir, but a child born of you (your own flesh and blood) will be your heir.” Then YHVH brought him outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”

Abram believed YHVH Who, because of this, held him to be an upright man. And He said, “I am YHVH Who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” Then Abram asked, “My Lord, how am I to know that it shall be mine?” YHVH replied, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon.”

Abram brought all these animals, cut them in two, and laid each half facing its other half, but he did not cut the birds in half. The birds of prey came down upon them, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep came over Abram, and a dreadful darkness took hold of him.

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the victims. On that day YHVH made a Covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this country from the river of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

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Tuesday, 27 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (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 Scriptures, all of us are called and reminded to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and not to allow ourselves to be tempted by worldly vices, desires and ambitions. All of us as Christians are God’s beloved people, and naturally all of us should also reflect His love and truth in our lives. That is why all of us have been reminded today of our obligations and callings as Christians, to walk ever more faithfully in God’s presence and to follow Him at all times, so that by our every actions and deeds, we may truly be the great role models and inspirations as Christians to everyone, at all times and occurrences, in every opportunities and places. All of us are the bearers of God’s light and truth, and we should do well to do as God has told and taught us to do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the story of Abraham and Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who came along with Abraham and his family from their ancestral lands in distant Ur of the Chaldeans to the Promised Land of Canaan. As mentioned, both Abraham and Lot were very wealthy and had a lot of possessions, including large number of flocks. Hence, there were disputes between the servants of Abraham and the servants of Lot, which then led to Abraham and Lot to agree to part ways and to separate themselves, staying at different parts of the land of Canaan so that they and their workers would not continue to bicker over the land and their territories. Abraham entrusted himself in the Lord and did as the Lord has told and commanded him to do.

That was why the Lord repeated again His promises to Abraham, that He would establish His Covenant with him, and all of his descendants after him. Abraham followed the Lord and committed himself thoroughly to His cause, following His path and abandoning even the gods and idols of his ancestors and family, leaving everything to seek the Lord, Whom he has embraced as his own Lord and Master. God made His Covenant with the one whom He was pleased with, and the one whose heart and mind had been set and focused in God. Abraham had a lot of money, material wealth and possessions, but he did not let all those things to distract him from following the Lord, and committing himself to His cause completely, and truly, he is our exemplary and great role model.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard from the Lord Himself telling His disciples that they should not give what is holy to the dogs and the treasures to the pigs, lest they be trampled and crushed, which symbolised the comparison between choosing the treasures and the riches of the world, against choosing to follow the Lord and His truth. This was then added on with the Lord saying that the path towards salvation is through a narrow gate, reminding His disciples and all of us that following Him is not something that is very easily done, requiring commitment and effort, and often along the way many might end up faltering and failing, not being able to reach the Lord and His salvation, because they are not able to resist the pull of worldly temptations and vices, all the things that had often kept us separated from God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today through these readings from the Scriptures therefore, we are all reminded that each and every one of us have to our part as Christians, in obeying the Law and commandments of God, and in doing God’s will. The Lord has taught us and shown us what it means for us to live our lives in accordance to His ways, and it is now up to us to do what He has revealed to us. We also have the examples of our holy predecessors like that of Abraham, our father in faith, as well as many others who had lived their lives most nobly and excellently in accordance to God’s ways. They are all the great role models, inspirations and wonderful examples that we should follow in our own lives, so that we may walk the right path and not end up falling into the path of evil and darkness, the path of disobedience and sin against God.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria, a great and holy bishop, and a renowned Church father, honoured as one of the venerable Doctors of the Church for his great contributions to the Church and the Christian faithful. St. Cyril of Alexandria has dedicated himself to the service of the Church and his flock, and was remembered for his staunch defence of the faith and truth of God, amidst the many challenges he had to face, and the great heresy propagated by the heretic Nestorius and his followers. St. Cyril did not let the power and influence of the heretical party to dissuade him from his works and efforts, and he did not allow himself to be swayed by the persuasions and the struggles which he had to endure. Instead, he committed himself all the more to do God’s will and to help his flock to remain firmly faithful to God.

St. Cyril as the Patriarch of Alexandria was one of the most influential leaders of the Church of his time, and he was committed in caring for the need of his flock, their spiritual well-being and also in continuing to expand the Church’s influence and teachings among the people. He was particularly influential in convoking the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus in which the teachings of the heretic Nestorius and his supporters were deemed as heretical and unlawful, and where the Church fathers affirmed their support to the unity of the dual nature of Our Lord and Saviour, Who is both Man and Divine in nature, when the supporters of Nestorius argued that the Lord Jesus was separate in His Human and Divine nature, which the Council of Ephesus repudiated and opposed with the declaration of the Motherhood of God, Mary as the Theotokos, confirming that the One born of Mary was truly both Man and Divine, inseparable though distinct in His two natures. St. Cyril had to endure arrest and persecution for this, but he continued to labour in faith to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be inspired by the faith and the commitment showed by St. Cyril of Alexandria, our holy predecessor, just as we are inspired by Abraham, and our many other holy men and women, all our fellow brothers and sisters who had lived their lives with so great a faith, that they become for us a source of inspiration, hope and encouragement. Let us all therefore also live our lives most faithfully and commit ourselves anew to the Lord, from now on, in all of our actions and works, and may all of us continue to live our lives worthily, in the way that the Lord had taught and shown us. May God be with us always, and may He strengthen us and empower us, to live our lives as great and most dedicated Christians, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 27 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Matthew 7 : 6, 12-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs, or throw your pearls before pigs. They might trample on them, and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.”

“So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you : there, you have the law and the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the road, that leads to destruction, and many go that way. How narrow is the gate that leads to life; and how rough, the road; few there are, who find it.”

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Tuesday, 27 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Psalm 14 : 2-3ab, 3cd-4ab, 5

Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right, who speak truth from their heart and control their words, who do no harm to their neighbours.

Those who cast no discredit on their companions, who look down on evildoers but highly esteem God’s servants.

Those who do not lend money at interest and refuse a bribe against the innocent. Do this, and you will not be shaken.

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Tuesday, 27 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Genesis 13 : 2, 5-18

Now Abram was very rich in flocks, silver and gold. Lot who went with Abram also had flocks, cattle and tents. The land was not sufficient to allow them to stay together, for their possessions were too great for them to live together.

A quarrel arose between the herdsmen of Abram’s flock and those of Lot. (The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at the time.) Abram said to Lot, “Do not let there be a dispute between you and me, nor between my herdsmen and yours, since we are brothers! Is not the whole land before you? Let us part company. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

Lot looked up and saw the whole valley of the Jordan : how well it was watered! Before YHVH destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, this was like one of YHVH’s gardens, like the country of Egypt, on coming to Zoar. Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley and journeyed eastward. In this way they separated from each other.

Abram settled in the country of Canaan while Lot lived among the towns of the plain and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked, sinning greatly against YHVH. YHVH said to Abram after Lot had left him, “Raise your eyes and look from where you are, towards the north, the south, the east and the west; all the land you see I will give to you and your descendants forever.”

“I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; if the grains of the dust can be counted, then your descendants may be counted. Come, travel through the length and breadth of the land, for it is to you that I am giving it.” So Abram moved his tent and came to live by the oaks of Mamre at Hebron. There he built an altar to YHVH.

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Thursday, 22 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, all of us are reminded to follow the Lord wholeheartedly and keep away from wicked thoughts and deeds. All of us should uphold the truth of God fully and do not allow ourselves be easily swayed by the falsehoods and the evils of this world, which can lead us down the wrong path, as what many among our predecessors had done, and unfortunately, all these had also led to great harm to the Church of God. In the past, throughout the history of the Church, we have had cases when the faithful had been misled and misguided, and the unity of the Church had been harmed and destroyed by the selfish ambitions and desires of certain individuals who placed their own ambitions above that of obedience to God and true faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Corinth about the matter of how sin and wickedness could have corrupted and twisted the faithful people of God from the right path, leading them down the path of sin and evil, further and further away from God. This was a time when there were preachers and teachers of the faith who preached and taught different versions and interpretations of the Gospels and the teachings than that of St. Paul and the other Apostles, either due to misinterpretations or because of the corruption from those who tried to syncretise and change the teachings of the Church to suit their own pursuits and desires. This led to the divisions within the Church, friction among the faithful and troubles which would continue to trouble the Church later on throughout its history.

In the Gospel today we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples regarding the matter of praying to God, in which He told them that prayers are not about saying many words or making a long litany of things, but rather, glorifying God and thanking Him, recognising one’s need for God and His love, and showing the desire to love one another and to forgive each others’ sins just as the Lord Himself had taught us, in what would eventually be known as the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer, also known as Pater Noster, is the embodiment of what true and genuine prayer should be like, one in which we open our hearts and minds to listen to the Lord speaking to us, thanking Him and allowing Him to lead and guide us, instead of selfishly and stubbornly putting ourselves and our own greedy desires as the focus of our lives.

We have to realise that our desires can bring about our downfall if we are not careful about it, as we may easily end up being distracted and swayed to walk away from the path of God, and into the path of worldliness and evil. If we allow worldly desires and greed to lead us, it will likely not end well for us, and we may end up getting drawn ever further away from the Lord and His salvation. Worse still, it can also affect others around us, causing harm to the unity of the Church and the faithful people of God, by our stubbornness and attachments to the many worldly glories and fame, temptations and other things that may distract us from God and His truth. That is why all of us should strive to turn away from all these wickedness and evils, and look upon our good and dedicated predecessors as inspirations and guides to help us discern our path forward.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of not just one but three great saints, holy men of God who had dedicated their lives and actions to the Lord, giving themselves thoroughly to Him and committing themselves to His cause. All the three of them are truly exemplary in their actions and works, leading a life truly worthy of the Lord, and when they were faced with hardships and tribulations, persecutions and trials, all those things did not dissuade them or prevent them from continuing to live their lives with the same kind of faith and commitment. On the contrary, they kept on going and dedicated themselves even more to the Lord and His cause, and did not mind the sufferings and persecutions that they had to face, with two of these three saints suffering martyrdom for the sake of the Lord and His Church, standing firm in their faith to the end.

This day we celebrate the feast of St. Paulinus of Nola, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, with the first one being a Roman era saint and bishop, renowned for his faith in God and generosity, commitment and dedication to his flock and to all those who have encountered him, while the other two, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were the most prominent among the many martyrs of the so-called English reformation, in their staunch opposition of the English King’s efforts to break free from the authority of the Pope and the Universal Church, defying even their own liege and king in doing so, in order to stand by their faith and to uphold what they truly and sincerely believed, against the wrong ideas and ways that the king wanted to impose on the faithful people of God, in breaking the unity of the Church.

First of all, St. Paulinus of Nola was born into a prominent Roman family in what is today part of southern France, and became a Roman aristocrat and statesman, becoming ultimately the governor of Campania, prior to his conversion to the Christian faith. Eventually, he embraced the Lord and the Christian faith, and abandoning his worldly posts, he became the Bishop of Nola, for which he was greatly remembered, in his renunciation of the world and all of its excesses, and in his embracing a holy and ascetic way of life, dedicating himself wholly to God. St. Paulinus of Nola was also remembered for his many correspondences with the other early Church fathers, as well as in his many efforts to build and strengthen the Church in his diocese of Nola and beyond. Through his piety, humility and dedication to God, St. Paulinus of Nola is truly a great example for all of us.

Meanwhile, St. Thomas More was a prominent statesman and also the Lord High Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII. St. John Fisher was the Bishop of Rochester and one influential Church leaders during the reign of the same king. King Henry VIII was infamous in his efforts to beget a male heir to the throne, in his six marriages to six women, and eventually in his futile attempts in doing so, with the male heir that he begotten, passed away in early youth not long after that boy ascended the throne. However, very unfortunately, in his desperate measures, King Henry VIII chose to disobey the Lord and His Church, by divorcing his own wife, who had begotten for him a daughter, and chose to marry another woman, in contravention of the divine and the Church law, hence, triggering the breakaway of the Church in England, resulting in the English reformation.

Amidst such a state, as King Henry VIII demanded that all the people converted to his new establishment and church leadership, while many did so out of opportunism and fear of the king, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher were notable as the highly ranked members of the king’s influential advisors who refused to obey the king’s commands, and in the case of St. Thomas More, he chose to oppose the king’s decision in breaking away from the Universal Church and the decision to divorce his wife, and preferred to remain faithful to the Lord despite the persuasions and coercions for him to follow the king’s orders. St. Thomas More faced suffering and persecution, and eventually together with St. John Fisher, who was a courageous Church leader made a Cardinal for his dedication by the Pope, were martyred for their great and committed faith in God. They both showed us that we have to remain truly faithful to the Lord and not to give in to wickedness and worldly desires as the fallen King had done.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow the examples of these holy and faithful predecessors of ours, be inspired by their examples and great works, and walk in the path of the Lord ever more faithfully from now on. Let us all be good examples and role models of our faith, in our every works and endeavours, in our every words, actions and deeds. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to guide and strengthen us all to be His faithful disciples, ever focused on Him and His teachings and truth, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 22 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 6 : 7-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do; for they believe that, the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask Him.”

“This, then, is how you should pray : Our Father in heaven, holy be Your Name, Your kingdom, come, Your will be done on earth, as in heaven. Give us today, our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who are in debt to us. Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one.”

“If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.”

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Thursday, 22 June 2023 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop, St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and St. Thomas More, Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops) or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 110 : 1-2, 3-4, 7-8

Alleluia! I thank YHVH with all my heart in the council of the just, in the assembly. The works of YHVH are great and pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are His deeds, His righteousness endures forever. He lets us remember His wondrous deeds; YHVH is merciful and kind.

The works of His hands are faithful and just, trustworthy are all His precepts, ordained to last forever, bearers of truth and uprightness.