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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord contained in the Scriptures, we are all reminded that God is the source of our Hope, comfort and joy, and it is in Him alone that we shall find true satisfaction and liberation from our many troubles and challenges, difficulties and hurdles in life. Unfortunately many of us often do not realise this and we do not perceive His love and compassion for us enough, and many of us sought comfort and satisfaction in worldly things instead of putting our trust and faith in God. This is why we are reminded through these readings from the Scriptures so that we do not end up going down the wrong path in life and seek the false pleasures and satisfactions that came not from God but from the evil ones.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the words of the Lord through Isaiah in which He lamented how the people had not realised that they had been taken care of, given attention and help by the Lord all the way at that time, and yet, those people still complained and refused to believe in Him whenever He gave them His help, love and providence. They often hardened their hearts and minds, and closed them off to the Lord, Who had often come to them offering His help and guidance. And yet, the Lord still patiently cared for them and loved them even as He constantly chastised them for their sins and wickedness, like a loving Father who cared for his children while disciplining them.

The Lord has repeatedly shown His love and kindness to His people, that even though they had always been rebellious and stubborn in their attitudes and ways, but He has never given up on them. Instead, He kept on sending them His messengers and guides, the prophets and many others to help them to find their way back towards Him. He reassured all of them that despite all the sufferings and difficulties that they might be facing, but His might, power and love transcend and surpass all those challenges and trials. As long as they remain firm in their faith in Him and put their faith in Him then He will provide for them, bless them and strengthen them, and they shall share in His glorious promise and inheritance, all the good and wonderful things that He had intended for them.

In our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of reassurance from the Lord Jesus to His disciples and all of us, that all of us can come to Him and we will have rest in Him. He offers us all a yoke that is lighter and more manageable than the yoke of the world. Truly, this is just as what I had just mentioned earlier, how God is truly like a loving Father Who truly cares for all of us His beloved children. Each and every one of us are precious to Him, and that was why He sent to us all His beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour so that through Him we may see and witness His love manifested to us in the flesh, in Christ, Who is tangible and approachable by us all.

And the Lord’s words are important reminders for all of us that as Christians we must also be prepared to expect challenges and hardships, difficulties and obstacles in our path. That is why the Lord referred to the presence of His yoke, which is lighter than that of the yoke of the world. If we become Christians and expecting that we will have good and smooth, easy and comfortable lives, then we may be easily disappointed once we realise that there are likely plenty of challenges, oppositions and labours that we may have to endure throughout our lives and journeys as God’s faithful people. In fact, the more committed we are to the Lord’s path, the chances are that we may encounter even more challenges and difficulties in our journey because this world that has been corrupted by sin and evil, it will be in opposition to the Lord and His righteous path.

However, we must remember that we do not go through this path and journey alone. The Lord is always by our side, guiding and helping us whenever we need His help and guidance, and He will never abandon or leave us alone in our time of greatest need. We may indeed have to suffer and endure hardships, but in the end, we will be triumphant with God and He shall justify us all and bring us all into the true happiness and everlasting glory that we have been promised. In fact, His yoke is indeed lighter and better for us not because it may seem to be easier or less challenging, but rather because it does not lead us into the path towards downfall and eternal damnation. As a comparison, the alternative paths offered by the world may seem to be easier and better, lighter and less challenging, but they give us false hope and delude us into this path of darkness.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of Pope St. Damasus I, one of the Popes of the early Church. Pope St. Damasus I was the leader of the Universal Church as the Pope and Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff in the middle of the fourth century. Pope St. Damasus I was born into a family of a priest in Rome and that eventually inspired and led him to be a priest in turn, rising up to the position of the Archdeacon of Rome under Pope Liberius and when the latter was exiled by the Roman Emperor, it was the future Pope St. Damasus I that helped to take care of the governance and the issues of the Roman Church. Later on, he was elected as Pope to succeed Pope Liberius after the Pope’s death, during a time of strive in the Church. 

At that time, he had to contend with rival claimant and candidate to the Papacy, a popular deacon named Ursinus who became an Antipope for a short time and whose supporters and Ursinus himself continued to oppose Pope St. Damasus I’s election as Pope. Nonetheless, despite the challenges and the difficulties that Pope St. Damasus I had to face, he managed to gain a lot of important achievements in successfully navigating the Church through the difficult period at that time filled with divisions within the Church and conflicts, opposing quite a number of serious heresies that affected many in the Church such as Arianism, Apollinarianism, Macedonianism and many others. He also led the Church courageously through such difficult moments and helped many people to remain strong and firm in their faith.

The great examples shown by Pope St. Damasus I should inspire each and every one of us in our own faith in God, and remembering how even this great servant of God had suffered and endured many challenges in the midst of his ministry throughout his years in service to the Lord, as priest, archdeacon and then as Pope and leader of the Universal Church. He remained firmly faithful to the Lord and did not allow all those difficulties and challenges to stop or dissuade him from continuing to do what God had entrusted to him, and he continued to serve the Lord ever more faithfully in his ministry. This is something that we all as Christians should be doing as well. And therefore, let us all reflect upon these and discern carefully our path forward in our respective lives.

May the Lord our most loving and compassionate God continue to help and bless us, and strengthen us all with the courage and inspiration to continue to do what He has entrusted to us to do. May He continue to love us all and patiently lead us all into His embrace, that we may be always firmly faithful in Him despite the many challenges and trials that we may have to endure in our journey towards Him. Let our actions and efforts continue to be good examples and inspiration for one another to follow, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Matthew 11 : 28-30

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For My yoke is easy; and My burden is light.”

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

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Wednesday, 11 December 2024 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of Pope St. Damasus I, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Popes)

Isaiah 40 : 25-31

To whom, then, will you liken Me or make Me equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and see : who has created all this? He has ordered them as a starry host and called them each by name. So mighty is His power, so great His strength, that not one of them is missing.

How can you say, o Jacob, how can you complain, o Israel, that your destiny is hidden from Me, that your rights are ignored by YHVH? Have you not known, have you not heard that YHVH is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He does not grow tired or weary, His knowledge is without limit.

He gives strength to the enfeebled, He gives vigour to the wearied. Youth may grow tired and faint, young men will stumble and fall, but those who hope in YHVH will renew their strength. They will soar as with eagle’s wings; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and never tire.

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Wednesday, 4 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent, and as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are reminded of God’s providence and love for each and every one of us, how He has always been truly generous towards us, providing us all that we needed and guiding us all patiently and lovingly despite our constant stubborn attitude against Him, our refusal to follow His path faithfully and our waywardness in embracing the temptations, evils and sins of this world rather than to trust in Him. God has always shown us all His love, and He has given us all many opportunities and means for us to reach out to Him. What is left for us to do is to answer His call and to turn away from our sinful ways.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which God spoke to His people in the southern kingdom of Judah giving them His reassurance and promises, reminding them of the love and faithfulness which He has always had for them all despite their constant rebelliousness and disobedience against Him. At that time, as I have mentioned earlier this week the people of Judah wre already in dire straits, surrounded by hostile neighbours and enemies, and having their fellow brethren from the northern kingdom of Israel having been defeated, conquered and exiled by the mighty Assyrians. And during that period, the same Assyrians were also threatening Judah and Jerusalem itself, which truly did not bring about any good prospects for the people in Judah and Jerusalem for sure.

And yet, while God often chastised His people and warned them of the impending destruction and ruin if they continued to disobey Him and if they kept on following the false gods and pagan idols instead of obeying His Law and commandments through HIs prophet including that of Isaiah, God also reminded all of the people that ultimately, He still loved them all and cared for them, and wanted them all to be reconciled and reunited with Him. And there is nothing that He spared from the details just as we have heard in our first reading passage today, how God truly reassured His people that everything will be truly good and wonderful when the Lord comes to gather all of His beloved ones, to bless them and to bring them all into His Holy Presence once again, truly a great light and hope amidst all the darkness of the world.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the account of the famous miracle of the Lord in feeding the multitude of many thousands who were assembled there to listen to His teachings and were hungry. The Lord as mentioned in that Gospel passage showed compassion and care for His people, those who have come flocking to Him to listen to His words, as they all still had physical needs for food and sustenance, and He did not want them to go hungry just as they all came to Him seeking His wisdom and truth. Hence, He asked His disciples about the way how they could feed all those multitudes of people despite having known of what He would do for the sake of all those people.

The Lord took the seven loaves of bread and some small fishes that were available there, and prayed over them, and miraculously, He multiplied all of that small quantities of food so that there was enough food for all the thousands of people to share and have until they were all full, and even still with seven wicker baskets full worth of extra food were gathered by the disciples and the people. Through this miraculous occasion, the Lord wanted to remind us all, His beloved people that His love for us is so great that it surpasses even our disobedience and sins. Nothing can truly separate us from the love and mercy of God unless it is we ourselves who have consciously and repeatedly rejected His love and mercy, compassion and kindness. It is by our sins that we have been condemned, and not God Who desires our destruction and damnation.

This is why we are all reminded today as we continue to progress through this blessed time and season of Advent that we should not lose hope in the Lord because He has indeed been truly kind and compassionate towards us, ever always doing all that He can in order to save us all and to lead us into His light and grace once again. We must remind ourselves to keep our focus and attention in life to the Lord, so that we do not end up falling again and again into the path of evil, corruption and sin. Hence, we should spend this time and opportunity provided for us this Advent well so that we may always come ever closer to the Lord and His salvation. We must remind each other of the wonderful grace and mercy of God, and allow ourselves to be guided by Him in our journey towards righteousness and God’s grace.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John Damascene, also known as St. John of Damascus, a great and renowned servant of God who was a monk and priest living in what is today Syria and then the Holy Land, where he spent many years of his life as a monk in a monastery near Jerusalem. He was born into a family of prominent Roman or Byzantine official, during the time when the region came under the rule of the Arab Muslim rulers. However, the family of St. John Damascene remained prominent even in the service of the new rulers and the young St. John grew well-educated and prepared for the world. Eventually he decided on joining the religious life and priesthood, becoming a monk and priest, devoting himself to the Lord henceforth.

At that time, the Christian world was also being divided among themselves especially with regards to the heresy of iconoclasm that was then promoted even by the Roman Emperors and the powerful nobles of the Empire, which affected many parts of Christendom. This false teaching and heresy believed that the veneration of holy icons and images were idolatrous and hence many of those who supported the iconoclastic heresy destroyed the holy icons, images and others they encountered. St. John of Damascus was one of the Church fathers that opposed strongly this false teaching and courageously wrote theses and other works supporting the veneration of icons, as well as on many other topics about the Christian faith. He remained firm in his faith and dedication to God to the end of his life, but his legacy and works continue to inspire many others even afterwards.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great faith and dedication showed by our holy predecessor, St. John Damascene, so that we ourselves may live our lives ever more faithfully as Christians in each and every moments of our lives. And let us all continue to hold strongly to the hope that we have in the Lord, our God and Saviour, Whose love for us has endured all these while. May the Lord also continue to help and guide us all in our journey throughout our lives so that by our commitment to Him and by our own exemplary lives and faith, we may be truly worthy of the Lord and His saving grace, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 4 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

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, 4 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

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, 4 December 2024 : 1st Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

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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Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord and the brother of St. Peter the Apostle, and was the very first one of the Lord’s disciples and followers, hence why he is also sometimes known as St. Andrew the First-Called. On this day we honour this great man of God, who has devoted himself thoroughly to the service of God, and given himself to the ministry of the proclamation of the Good News of God to the many people and communities he encountered. St. Andrew the Apostle is truly a great inspiration to all of us in how he has lived his life with fervent desire to glorify God in his many missionary works and actions.

Now, first let us all begin with a revisiting of the passages from the Scriptures which we had received and heard earlier. In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, where where the Apostle was very clear in his words and reminders to the people of God regarding who it is that they believe in and worshipping, namely the Lord God, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who has brought into this world the assurance of His salvation, the promise of eternal life, true joy and glory with God, offered to all of mankind, everyone without any exception, bias or prejudice, whether they were Jews or Gentiles. And this message truly brought great hope to everyone who heard it.

This is because at that time, the belief among the Jewish people, the descendants of the original chosen people of God, the Israelites was that the Jews were the only ones deserving of God’s favour and salvation, while the Gentiles, who were mostly pagans and unbelievers were seen as defiled, corrupt, wicked and unworthy, and would be condemned unless they adopted wholly the ways and practices of the Jews, such as the strict laws and rules according to the Law of God as revealed to Moses including all the subsequent additions, modifications and changes. The problem is that the requirements were so stringent that even the Jews themselves have great difficulty obeying them, and all the more difficult for the Gentiles to do so.

In addition to this, based on historical evidence and Church records, the practices and customs of the Jews such as circumcision and the dietary preferences among other things were abhorrent and considered as alien and undesirable by many of the Gentiles, and forcing the Gentiles to adopt such practices would indeed have made their lives extra difficult, on top of the challenges that they would already have to face by being a follower of Christ. That was why St. Paul made it clear that the belief in the salvation in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all is universal, and not reserved only for any particular group of people. Anyone who truly believe in Him and obey Him, following His teachings and ways will be saved, and they shall all share in the fullness of grace and glory of God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle, we heard of the moment when the Lord called His disciples, the first ones that He had, from among the fishermen of the lake of Galilee. St. Andrew was among these fishermen, and he was likely the one to introduce the Lord to his brother, then known as Simon, the future St. Peter the Apostle, as well as to the two sons of Zebedee, namely St. James the Apostle and St. John the Apostle. According to Apostolic and Church tradition, St. Andrew was also a disciple of St. John the Baptist, and was one of the two disciples of St. John the Baptist who went to follow the Lord after He was baptised by the former. This is why St. Andrew is also known as St. Andrew the First-Called as mentioned earlier.

The Lord then called him and the other fishermen, the other disciples to be the ‘fishers of men’, to be the ones to gather all mankind to the Lord, to lead them all to His salvation, just as they had gathered fish in their earlier work and livelihood. Through them, the Lord would reach out to many more people and bring them all towards His loving embrace and compassionate mercy, and that is the very important role which the Lord has entrusted and called the Apostles like St. Andrew to do. They would be the ones proclaiming the Good News of God, bringing hope and light of Christ to those who have suffered and waited in the darkness of this world, separated and sundered from God’s love and grace.

And now, let us revisit the life and examples of St. Andrew the Apostle especially after what was written in the Scriptures. According to Apostolic tradition, St. Andrew would go on to various places to proclaim the Gospels, the Good News of the Lord, including places such as Georgia, Greece and Asia Minor, parts of southern Russia and Ukraine around the Black Sea region, Romania, Cyprus, Malta and other places where he touched the hearts and minds of many with the Good News of the Lord, with His love and kindness, which have been freely and generously given to us. He established many churches and the foundations of the Christian communities in all those places, and was eventually martyred in Patras in southern Greece, being crucified on an X-shaped cross, which henceforth is known as ‘St. Andrew’s Cross’.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore learn and be inspired from the good and worthy life, examples and commitment which St. Andrew has shown to the Lord and to the people he had been sent to. All of us should also have the same vigour and courage in proclaiming the Good News of God like that of St. Andrew and that of the other Apostles because they have shown us what it truly means to be good and faithful Christians, not just in name and formality only, but also through real actions, words and deeds based upon that living and genuine faith in God. We must embody our faith in our daily living and in how we interact with one another, with those whom we encounter, even acquaintances and strangers.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to bless and guide us all in our journey in life so that by His blessings and providence, by His encouragement and strength we may continue to do our best in our respective lives, continuing the good works which the Apostles such as St. Andrew had done in their lives. May our own lives and works be truly worthy of being Christians, and may we continue to be good role models and inspirations for each other, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 30 November 2024 : Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 4 : 18-22

At that time, as Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come, follow Me; and I will make you fish for people.”

At once they left their nets and followed Him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them.

At once, they left the boat, and their father, and followed Him.