holy men

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Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the love of God which He generously ever poured down upon us, showing us His mercy, love and compassion, just as we have often been reminded of. At the same time, we are also reminded to seek the Lord and His mercy, His forgiveness and love, just as how the Syro-Phoenician woman had done in our Gospel passage today, that our sincere and strong desire to seek the Lord, to find His love, mercy and compassion shall liberate us from the bondage of our wickedness and sins, and deliver us into a renewed life blessed and strengthen by God and His grace. God has always loved and been kind to us, and He has also always been full of mercy and forgiveness for us, but we have to be cooperative with Him, allowing Him to come to us, to transform our lives for the better.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, in which God would restore His people, the Israelites once again, to be His blessed and beloved people, restored and empowered, saved and liberated from their troubles just as He had done for them many times previously. These words of the Lord which He spoke to His people, the remnants of the Israelites living in the kingdom of Judah, would indeed come true in the upcoming decades. And these came after the Lord has spoken of all the misfortunes, destructions and hardships that they all would have to encounter in their path, as they had disobeyed Him and disregarded His Law, His commandments and precepts, and thus, they would have to endure the consequences of their actions. This showed us all that God truly loves each and every one of His people, but He does not condone their actions.

As a loving Creator and Father to His people, as their Lord, Master and King, God has always cared for them all as He has constantly shown throughout history and as recorded in the Old Testament, but at the same time, as a just and holy God, as mentioned, He does not condone their sinfulness, wicked actions and deeds that are contrary to the way and the teachings which He had passed on to them. He does not want any one of them to be swayed into the wicked path in life, into the path of darkness from which there could be no escape or hope. That was why God chastised His people, punishing them and correcting them but with the ultimate intent of leading them all towards Himself and restoring them to the state of grace together with Him. God does not desire our destruction, as it was us who have willingly chosen to reject His salvation and grace.

God remembers the Covenant which He had made and established with His people, and through Jeremiah, He wanted to remind them with all of that, that while He abhorred their sins and wickedness, but He still wanted them all to return to Him and to repent from their many sins and evils before it was too late for them. That is why, it is also a very important reminder for all of us that we should not take God’s love, compassion and mercy for granted. God has always been very patient with us, but at the same time, we must realise that if we continue to resist Him and refuse His love and kindness, it may come to pass that it ends up too late for us to accept God’s favour, love and mercy, and when it is too late for us, it is by all those sins and wickedness that we shall be judged by, and we shall be condemned by all those wicked and evil attitudes which we have carried out in our lives.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, as mentioned earlier we heard of the interactions between the Lord Jesus and a Syro-Phoenician woman who had come to seek His help with regards to her very sick daughter. The Syro-Phoenician region was outside the lands where the Israelites lived in, and at that time, that region was also not where the descendants of the Israelites lived in, and therefore the Syro-Phoenician woman in the reckoning of the Jews would be considered as an outsider and a pagan. And for many among the Jews, the Syro-Phoenician like the other Gentiles were considered unworthy and unclean, and it was often taboo for a Jew like the Lord Jesus Himself to mingle and interact with the non-Jews like the Syro-Phoenician woman. Not only that, but the Jews at that time also had a rather exclusive and elitist view of themselves as God’s chosen people, and looking down on others who did not believe in God as they did.

Thus, when the Lord seemingly mocked the woman and was being rude in replying harshly to her by stating that He was only sent to the people of Israel and that the food should not be given to the dogs, it was a representation of the folly of the prejudices shown by the Israelites and their descendants against those others whom they had deemed to be inferior and less worthy than them as God’s disciples and followers. But the Lord showed His disciples and others, including all of us that even among the non-Israelites, there could be great and wonderful faith too. The Syro-Phoenician woman ignored the insults and kept on asking the Lord with great faith, even humbling herself, saying that even the dogs gained the scraps of food from the table. This is a representation of just how one with great faith shall be blessed by God, and God’s love is in truth, for everyone, and not just for any particular group of people. All of us, regardless of race, background or origin, have all been called and chosen by God to be His beloved people.

Today, the Church also celebrates the feast of two great saints and holy men of God, whose lives and dedications to God can serve as great role models and inspirations for each and every one of us in how we should live our own lives as Christians. Pope St. Sixtus II and St. Cajetan both had lived truly virtuous and worthy lives that have shown us all what it truly means to be true and genuine, faithful and committed Christians, as God’s holy and committed disciples and followers. They have lived their lives with great faith in their own unique ways, that even when they faced difficulties and challenges, they continued to persevere on in trusting in the Lord and in being faithful to Him. They did not let the hardships, oppositions and all the other obstacles they encountered to dissuade them from their efforts and good works for the sake of the Lord and for His people.

Pope St. Sixtus II was one of the important and influential leaders of the early Church, who has dedicated himself as the Pope and thus as leader of the whole Universal Church, to lead the faithful and the Church through turbulent and difficult times. He led the Church through a time of challenges and divisions, as there was a particularly divisive Novatian heresy that happened just prior to his pontificate, which caused divisions in the Roman Church, and also in relationships with the Church in Africa and in the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Pope St. Sixtus II dedicated himself to heal the rifts and divisions in the Church, while at the same time, he also led the Church through the difficult times of persecutions and oppressions by the Roman state. It was during one of these oppressions, during the reign of Emperor Valerian that Pope St. Sixtus II was martyred. He remained firm in his faith and commitment to God, to the very end.

Meanwhile, St. Cajetan was an Italian priest who lived and ministered to the Church and the people of God during the Renaissance period, at the time when there were lots of challenges facing the Christian faithful, both from the corruption within the clergy and laity alike, and when the moral and spiritual standards of the people of God were waning. St. Cajetan committed himself thoroughly to minister to the people of God, devoting himself to reach out to those who have been lost from the Lord, calling upon them to return to Him. He established a congregation named the Theatines, gathering those who wished to follow the Lord’s call and serve the people of God, particularly those who were poor and less privileged. Through his efforts and works, St. Cajetan impacted the lives of many and brought many ever closer to God and helped them to come to God’s salvation and grace.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all remind ourselves that we all should have strong and genuine faith in the Lord, devoting our time and effort to follow Him wholeheartedly. Let us all continue to follow in the good examples and in the footsteps of our holy predecessors, like that of Pope St. Sixtus II and St. Cajetan. Let us all continue to walk in the path which the Lord has shown us, and continue to show our love for God and for our fellow brethren, in all and every one of our actions, words and deeds in life, now and always. May God be with us all, and may He empower us in faith, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 15 : 21-28

At that time, leaving that area, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from the area, came and cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”

But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So His disciples approached Him and said, “Send her away! See how she is shouting after us.” Then Jesus said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”

But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus, and said, “Sir, help me!” Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to puppies.”

The woman replied, “That is true, Sir, but even puppies eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said, “Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

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Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (Psalm)

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

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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Wednesday, 7 August 2024 : 18th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Sixtus II, Pope and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Cajetan, Priest (First Reading)

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

Jeremiah 31 : 1-7

YHVH declares that when that time comes He will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be His people. Thus says YHVH : The people who survived the sword have found grace in the desert. As Israel was seeking for his rest YHVH appeared from afar saying, I have loved you with a love everlasting, so I have kept for you My mercy. I will restore you again, and you shall be rebuilt, o virgin Israel!”

“You will take up your tambourines and go out dancing joyfully. You will plant vineyards again on the hills of Samaria, and the farmers who plant them will enjoy their fruit. There shall be a day when watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, “Come, let us go to Zion, to YHVH our God!”

For YHVH says this, “Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say : ‘YHVH has saved His people, the remnant of Israel!’”

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures we have received today, we are all again reminded as ever of God’s ever bountiful and generous love and mercy, which He has always extended to us all without exception. Each and every one of us are truly precious to God and He has loved us all patiently and wonderfully despite our frequent disobedience and stubborn attitudes, in refusing to listen to Him and in choosing to follow the path of the evil one instead of His path. God has always been kind, loving and merciful towards us, but ultimately, the choice is ours whether we want to embrace God’s mercy and forgiveness, or whether we continue to walk down the path towards ruin and damnation, as sin will lead us surely to those.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the discourse from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which God spoke to His people in the kingdom of Judah, to whom Jeremiah had been sent to be minister and guide. Prophet Jeremiah had faced a lot of difficulties, challenges and hardships throughout his years of ministry and work among the people of Judah, as he had to face the stubborn attitude of all those who refused to believe in God and His truth. Yet, the Lord continued to support and strengthen Jeremiah in his ministry, and continued to send His words of reassurance and love for His people in the midst of all the warnings and premonitions He had told them all, of the consequences of their wickedness and sins.

God was essentially telling His people and reminding them that while they had to be responsible for the wickedness and evil deeds that they had committed, and while they had to realise that their sins and wickedness could tear them away from God’s love and kindness, His mercy and love, but if they remember God’s love and the great and loving mercy and compassion that the Lord has for them, and if they repent from their sinful ways, there would be path for them to enter into God’s glorious inheritance and receive the bountiful blessings that He has prepared for all of them. God does not desire the destruction and doom of any of those whom He loves, and He truly loves each and every one of us, brothers and sisters. Through the example of a potter moulding his pottery that the prophet Jeremiah mentioned, we are reminded that we should allow the Lord to mould us all and our lives so that our lives henceforth may truly be pleasing to God.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. Matthew, in continuation of the parables that the Lord used to describe and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God, He described it as we heard in today’s passage using the example of a great fishing net that gathered all kinds of fish, big and small, and where the Angels of God sort out the good from the bad ones. These are reminders for us all that first of all, the Kingdom of God is open to everyone, to all of God’s children because God truly loves each and every one of us without exception. God wants all of us to come to Him, and He has extended this generously and freely to us. However, just as we have been reminded as well, how the bad and flawed fish are rejected and destroyed, we must remember that God calls us all to follow Him into the path of righteousness and virtue.

This means that just as how God described Himself like a Potter in the reading from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, thus, all of us must also allow the Lord to transform us according to His will. We must not be stubborn and hardened in our hearts and minds anymore, but we must be willing to listen to God speaking in the depth of our hearts, as He constantly reached out to us and calling us to embrace His love and compassionate mercy. We should heed His call and appreciate all the efforts that He had put into caring for us and our needs, in patiently guiding us down the right path in life. We should not take this love we have been blessed with for granted, as we have been reminded that at the end of time, at the moment of reckoning, we will have to account for everything we do, be it good or wicked deeds. We do not want the situation when it is too late for us to repent and return to God especially when He has given us so many opportunities to do so.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, who is known well today as the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, also known as the Redemptorists. He was born in what is today the southern part of Italy near the city of Naples to a noble but impoverished family. As he had physical and visual defects that prevented any careers in the military, he was prepared to a career in the civil and legal profession as a lawyer. He became a successful lawyer but later on heard a calling from God to be His servant, especially so after he lost an important legal case. He began preparing to be a priest, and had some initial tussle with his father who disagreed with his decision. Eventually he was ordained as a priest and began a wonderful work and mission as a servant of God spanning no less than six decades.

St. Alphonsus Liguori reached out to many of the people in the various places that he ministered in, becoming well known and loved for his simple yet powerful homilies which touched the hearts and minds of many among the people, encouraging many of them to be active in living their Christian faith, with many following in his footsteps and participating in his popular Evening Chapels program run by the young people. And eventually, as mentioned, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, gathering those who have been called by God to preach and minister to the people of God especially those who have been living in ignorance of God and His ways, corrupted and misguided by sin, and to all those who are poor and disadvantaged in the community.

And even when later on he was appointed as bishop, as the Bishop of Sant’ Agata de Goti, he devoted himself to his flock and diocese, caring for the people of God and devoting himself to the reform of the Church and his diocese, rooting out corruptions and excesses that had afflicted many of the members of the clergy that had brought upon scandal on the Church. St. Alphonsus Liguori continued to dedicate himself to the last moments of his life, and after he retired from his works as bishop, he continued to minister through prayer and righteous life, which inspired many others to follow his examples, as shown by the rapid growth of the Redemptorists, which flourished to this very day, with many answering God’s call to proclaim His mercy and compassion, His redemption and love to the people of all the nations.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from today’s Scripture passages and the life and examples of St. Alphonsus Liguori, let us all therefore strive to be ever more faithful and committed to God in all things. Let us all first be reminded of God’s ever wonderful love and compassion for us, and then let us all follow in the footsteps of St. Alphonsus Liguori in always doing our very best to show God’s love and truth in the midst of our communities, by living our whole lives worthily and faithfully as Christians, in being good role models and examples to our fellow brothers and sisters around us. May the Lord, our ever loving and merciful God continue to bless us with His love and grace, and may He continue to empower us all to live ever more worthily in His Presence, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 13 : 47-53

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net, let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish into buckets, but throw the bad away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the Angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just, and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”

Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. So He said to them, “Therefore, every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, is like a householder, who can produce from his store things both new and old.”

When Jesus had finished these parables, He left that place.

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 145 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

Alleluia! Praise YHVH, my soul! I will sing to YHVH all my life; I will sing praise to God while I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in a great one, who cannot save. Not sooner his spirit has left, that he goes back to the earth; on that very day, any plan comes to nothing.

Blessed are they whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in YHVH their God, Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and all they contain.

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Thursday, 1 August 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Jeremiah 18 : 1-6

This is the word of YHVH that came to Jeremiah : “Go down to the potter’s house and there you will hear what I have to say.”

So I went to the potter’s house and found him working at the wheel. But the pot he was working on was spoilt in his hands, so he reworked it all over again into another pot that suits his desire.

Meanwhile YHVH sent me His word, “People of Israel, can I not do with you what this potter does? As clay in the potter’s hand so are you in My hands.”

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Wednesday, 31 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all reminded that we should continue to put our focus, attention and emphasis on the Lord at all times and opportunities, and we should not allow the many temptations and allures of worldly glory, pleasures, ambitions and other things from leading us astray down the path towards our downfall and destruction. We should always keep in mind that as Christians, each and every one of us are the ones whom God had called and chosen from this world, and whom He embraced as His own beloved sons and daughters, as those whom He is pleased with, and seek to be reunited with.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah in which we heard of the frustrations of the prophet Jeremiah who at that time had been sent by God to minister to the people of the kingdom of Judah, the southern half of what was once the united kingdom of Israel. Jeremiah was sent to proclaim God’s words and judgment to the people and kingdom of Judah, telling them all of the wickedness that they had done as well as the consequences of those wickedness and sins. The Lord wanted His people to know that He still loved them and was concerned for them, and therefore told them through His prophet that they should repent from their many sins, and warning them of the doom and destruction which they would face if they continued to disobey Him.

But for all these works and things that he had done in God’s employ, Jeremiah faced a lot of stubborn resistance and rejection from those who refused to listen to God’s words. He was persecuted and had a difficult journey and life as God’s prophet, just like many others before him. And just like any one of us, even Jeremiah could break under pressure and duress, after he had to face such stubbornness and all the difficulties that he had to endure amidst all those challenges. But at the same time, as we heard in that same passage, the Lord also spoke to Jeremiah, reassuring him of His protection and guidance, and how despite all the hardships, challenges and dangers that he had to endure, God would always be with him and guard him, and indeed, if we follow the life and story of the prophet Jeremiah, God had saved and protected him on many occasions, and gave him the strength to persevere through those difficulties.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the account from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord spoke to His disciples and followers using two parables to highlight what the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God is like. He used parable of the treasure in the field and the parable of a pearl of great price to show that the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s glorious Kingdom, His triumph and victory is something that we should value over all else, and is what we should put as the focus and emphasis of our whole lives. Each and every one of us as Christians should put our focus on the Kingdom of God and value it above everything else in our lives, above all the temptations and distractions all around us, the false treasures that will not lead us to the ultimate triumph and victory with God.

We are reminded as we heard these readings from the Scriptures that first of all, following God is not an easy matter, just as how the prophet Jeremiah and the many other holy men and women of God had suffered. To be a disciple and follower of Christ, we may often have to face difficulties and challenges just as the many stories and experiences of our holy predecessors have shown us. But we must also be strengthened and encouraged by the fact that God is always with us throughout the way, and just as He had done with the prophet Jeremiah and His many other servants, He will always be by our side, providing for us and giving us His help in our respective paths and journeys. The path we tread and walk through may indeed be difficult and arduous, but we must not be afraid to make the sacrifices and the efforts needed for us to remain true to this path, just as the person who discovered the treasure and the merchant who found the pearl in the Lord’s parables had done.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the great founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, namely that of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who was born in the northern part of Spain today as the youngest son of a local Basque nobility, at the time when there were many conflicts and wars happening in the region. St. Ignatius of Loyola eventually grew up into a young man who was interested in military matters and career, seeking for glory and fame through wars and battles, seeking all that through the various romanticised war stories and legends he was inspired by in his youth. Hence, he joined the army at the young age of seventeen, fighting in many battles in Navarre in northern Spain, until one day, he was seriously injured by a cannonball hitting one of his legs, which effectively ended his military career.

St. Ignatius of Loyola went through a spiritual conversion as he was recovering from that major injury, as he was exposed to the story of the Lord and His saints, realising that his earlier pursuit of fame and glory through war and conflicts had ultimately been illusory and fleeting, a fact further emphasised by his mangled leg and injury, reminding him and also all of us of just how fickle life in this world can be, and how fleeting any kind of earthly glory and satisfaction can be. And as he grew closer to God, he eventually came to the idea of establishing an order and congregation of men dedicated and committed to God and His Church, to the mission of evangelisation and ministering to the people of God, which came to reality with the Society of Jesus.

Through the Society of Jesus, St. Ignatius of Loyola gathered many other people who were called to serve the Lord, including those like St. Peter Faber and St. Francis Xavier who were counted among the founding members of the Jesuits. They worked tirelessly to serve God and His people in both Christendom at the time when the Protestant reformation was causing great harm and divisions on many of the faithful, as the spearhead of the Counter Reformation efforts, as well as in distant lands to proclaim the Gospel of Christ among the people who have not yet known God and His truth, like what St. Francis Xavier and many others did in the Far East and beyond. St. Ignatius of Loyola committed himself and the rest of his life in serving God faithfully and we should be inspired by his great examples.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we have heard from the Sacred Scriptures, pondered and reflected, and then through the life and experiences of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the great saint whose memory we remember and venerate today, let us all as Christians renew our commitment to be ever more faithful, zealous and committed disciples and followers of God, giving our best in whatever areas and missions that He had entrusted to us, so that by our various contributions and efforts, we may truly glorify Him and bear rich fruits of our efforts in the advance of the proclamation of the truth of God and His salvation to all.

May the Lord, our most loving God continue to guide and strengthen us in our journey and faith, at each and every moments so that we may continue to be good and worthy examples for everyone around us in our lives and actions. May He bless our many good works and endeavours, our efforts and contributions to the missions of His Church, and may He strengthen us in the commitment and conviction to continue proclaiming Him at all times, in our every niches in life and in all of our various communities. Amen.

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Wednesday, 31 July 2024 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 13 : 44-46

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field. The one who finds it, buries it again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field.”

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader, who is looking for fine pearls. Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it.”