holy men

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Saturday, 13 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Henry (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded first of all that God is the source of all of our lives, the One Who is the Ruler and Author of all things, the Master of all the whole Universe. He loves each and every one of us, His beloved people, Whom He has called and gathered from among all the nations, from all the ends of the earth, to come and share once again in His joy, to be reconciled to Him through forgiveness of our many sins and wickedness. God had created us all out of His pure and ever enduring love for each one of us, and He has intended to share this love with us if not for our disobedience and refusal to obey His will; which resulted in our separation from Him and the loss of grace, leading to sin and death. But God never gave up on us, and He kept on reaching out to us to help us out of our predicament and to return us all to His loving Presence.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the account of how Isaiah was called by God in a heavenly vision was told to us. Isaiah saw the vision of the Lord seated at His Temple in all His glory, attended by the Angels and surrounded by the mighty Seraphim, who forever adore Him singing the praises of His glory and power. We heard how the Lord is the King and Master over all of these mighty spiritual beings, and hence, from this account we can see how the Lord is truly the Almighty Lord and Master over all of the whole Universe, over all Creation, the One and only True God, the Lord of all. Amidst all these, we then heard how one of the Seraphim came to Isaiah, who was bowed down in fear of the great glory of God, taking the hot coal from the altar of the heavenly Temple and purified Isaiah with it.

Through this action, God was calling upon Isaiah to follow Him and to be His mouthpiece among His people, sending him to be the bearer of words and will to those whom he had been sent to, that is the people of the kingdom of Judah. He was to be God’s prophet, as the one to deliver God’s will and to make His thoughts and desires known to the people who have long erred and disobeyed the Lord. God sent Isaiah to help all those people to find their path once again back towards His love, mercy and kindness. God called on all of the people to embrace His love and mercy, to change their ways for the better, reminding them of their responsibilities and obligations as God’s beloved people to be always committed and dedicated in all things to Him, to be the bearers of God’s light and examples for all the people of all the nations.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples regarding how a student is not greater than his or her master, and He also mentioned Beelzebul, the prince of demons at the same occasion. This was the same Beelzebul which the Pharisees had accused the Lord of colluding with in His performance of miracles and wonders among the people. What He was mentioning is that, if Beelzebul was indeed a prince of demons, far lesser in majesty, power and glory compared to God, and who as a fallen angel was created by God and is still subject under His dominion and power despite his rebellion, thus all the lesser his subordinates and lesser demons would be. He essentially told His disciples and also all of us that we should not be afraid of their power and might, which are truly insignificant against the power of God.

At the same time, the Lord was also likely criticising those Pharisees who were probably present there on their false accusation that He had performed His signs, miracles and wonders by the power of Beelzebul. It was truly a sin against God and the Holy Spirit just as the Lord mentioned in another occasion because they doubted God’s power to forgive sins through His Son, Who has clearly shown Himself to be the One Whom the prophets and messengers of God had been prophesying about. God had made known His salvation to the nations, revealing His Son to everyone, through the many miracles and wonders He had performed before them. But those Pharisees refused to listen to the Lord or believe in Him because they considered themselves better and superior than others, refusing to accept that someone else could have better knowledge of the truth and the ways of the Lord than they did.

Their pride and ego became their undoing as they hardened their hearts and minds through their pride, while their ambitions and desires led them down the slippery slope of disobedience against God, to do things that bring glory, fame and satisfaction for them, but which do not please the Lord and are actually against His commandments and laws. This is why, again we are all reminded today through these readings that the Lord our God is the one and only true God, the one and only true focus and emphasis of our lives, and we should never allow ourselves to be swayed by our pride, ego or any of the desires we have for worldly things and matters, all the temptations surrounding us which can lead us to our downfall, if we are ever to allow these things to mislead us down the path of ruin.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Henry, also known as Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor. He was born into the noble family of the Duke of Bavaria, and as a member of the royal Ottonian dynasty that has provided the Holy Roman Emperors at the time. Eventually he succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria and then after his cousin, the then Emperor Otto III died at a relatively young age without an heir, St. Henry was elected as the King of Germany after defeating several other contenders to the throne. He was also crowned as King of Italy and eventually crowned by the Pope as the Holy Roman Emperor. He developed close and good ties with the Church and the Pope, carrying his duties and responsibilities as Emperor most devotedly, helping out in the process of Church reforms and evangelisation, as contrasted to the later Holy Roman Emperors and other secular leaders who sought to aggrandise and advance their own power and ambitions, even against the Church. St. Henry was also renowned for his great personal piety and commitment to God, and for all these examples and great works he did, he inspired many people even long after he had passed away.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, what we have discussed earlier on and from the examples of the great servant of God, St. Henry, Holy Roman Emperor, who although powerful and mighty, remained humble and committed to glorifying God through his contributions and efforts to serve Him, let us all therefore also strive to do the same in our own lives. Let us all continue to do God’s will and obey Him in all the things He had told us to do, so that we always keep in mind His precepts and laws, and enthrone Him truly as the one and only Lord and Master over all of our lives. May God be with us all and may He continue to bless us in all of our efforts and deeds, in all of our good works and help us to get ever closer to Him. Amen.

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Saturday, 13 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Henry (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Matthew 10 : 24-33

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. A student should be content to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the household has been called Beelzebul, how much more, those of his household! So, do not be afraid of them!”

“There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered. There is nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of Him Who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

“For a few cents you can buy two sparrows. Yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. Do not be afraid : you are worth more than many sparrows! Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven. Whoever rejects Me before others, I will reject before My Father in heaven.”

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Saturday, 13 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Henry (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

YHVH reigns, robed in majesty; YHVH is girded with strength.

The world now, is firm; it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o YHVH; from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your House, day after day, without end, o YHVH.

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Saturday, 13 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Henry (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Isaiah 6 : 1-8

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; the train of His robe filled the Temple. Above Him were Seraphs, each with six wings : two to cover the face, two to cover the feet, and two to fly with. They were calling to one another : “Holy, Holy, Holy is YHVH Sabaoth. All the earth is filled with His glory!”

At the sound of their voices the foundations of the threshold shook and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said, “Poor me! I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips, and yet I have seen the King, YHVH Sabaoth.”

Then one of the Seraphs flew to me; in his hands was a live coal which he had taken with tongs from the Altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?”

I answered, “Here I am. Send me!”

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Thursday, 11 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that each and every one of us are truly beloved by God, He Who has always been patient in loving and caring for us, and Who has always reached out to us to help bring us back from the darkness into the light of His grace. God has always been kind to us, in sending to us His guidance and providence, through all those servants, messengers and helpers that had assisted us in our journey back towards Him all these while. And while He did chastise and punish us whenever we erred and made mistakes, He did all these not because He despised or hated us, but instead, His love for us truly endured, so much so that He wanted us all to be redeemed and forgiven from the many sins we have committed, which is what He despises.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Hosea in which God after having told His people of the coming destruction and sufferings that they had to face, the punishments and hardships that they would have to endure for their sins and wickedness, their disobedience and refusal to follow the path which He has shown them, He then told them of the mercy and love which He, as their loving God and Father, has for each and every one of us. The Lord told His people, the Israelites, that they would be brought back eventually from their misery and sufferings, just like how they had once been rescued from their enslavement and sufferings in the land of Egypt, under the rule and yoke of the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

God highlighted to them all His frustrations and all the problems that His people had caused Him, that despite all the things which He had done for them, in patiently instructing and guiding them, they kept on getting further and further away from Him, abandoning His Law and precepts, worshipping and following pagan idols and false gods rather than obeying Him and worshipping Him alone. Nonetheless, despite this, God kept on caring for His beloved ones, and still watched over them, sending His servants again and again to help them on their paths. He never gave up on them, and later on, afterwards, He gathered them back from their exile and helped them to return once again to their homeland, fulfilling all the promises and predictions He had spoken to them through the prophets like what we heard in today’s reading from the prophet Hosea.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and followers, as He instructed them all on what they should be doing in the missions and works that He has entrusted to each and every one of them. He sent them out two by two to the many towns and villages that He Himself would be going to, and He encouraged them all that whatever sufferings and challenges that they might have to face, He would be with them and He would guide and strengthen them, and they should not depend on their own means or power in achieving what they had been sent out to do, or else, they might end up forgetting the purpose and reason why they were all sent out in the first place, that is to minister and to proclaim the Good News of God.

That was why He told them all not to bring too many things with them, and in fact just what they barely needed to survive upon themselves, and that they should instead depend on the good will and kindness of the people that they had visited and ministered amongst. He sent them all to proclaim His words and Good News, to show His truth and love, by granting them the power over evil spirits and the power of miracles so that through their works, they might heal many people who have been afflicted and troubled by various maladies and difficulties, especially from that of sin. Through these things we have heard from the Lord Himself, all of us are reminded that first of all God’s love for us is truly great and universal, and then, each and every one of us as Christians, we have the same mission to reach out to our fellow brethren, to proclaim and show the Lord to all of them.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of the great and renowned St. Benedict, also known as St. Benedict of Nursia, the founder and initiator of Western monasticism. He was born in Nursia, in what is part of Italy today, into a family of Roman nobility just right after the downfall of the Roman Empire in the West and in Italy itself. He and his twin sister, St. Scholastica was brought up during this turbulent time, and for St. Benedict, he was initially sent to Rome to study and be an academic, however he found the academic life in the city of Rome to be disappointing, and this eventually led to him discovering a community of hermits in Subiaco nearby the town of Enfide outside of Rome. He became a hermit for about three years and as he grew and mature in his faith and wisdom, he eventually grew to appreciate monastic life.

St. Benedict therefore slowly went on the path of religious life, and despite facing challenges and difficulties along the way, it did not dissuade him from his path and commitment, and it was told from his hagiographic story, how miracles happened to St. Benedict and in one of them a jealous priest named Florentius tried to harm and poison him with a poisoned bread, only for a raven to snatch the bread from St. Benedict after he prayed and said blessing over the bread. This and many other miracles that happened inspired many people who came to visit him in Subiaco and later on in Monte Cassino where he established a great Benedictine monastery, the first of the many Benedictine monasteries, where the rule of St. Benedict eventually became popular among all other monastic traditions. Many people flocked to the monasteries and the Christian faith thanks to the efforts and the holy life led by St. Benedict.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore now spend some time to reflect upon our lives and our path in walking down this life, on whether we have truly been faithful to the Lord or whether we have allowed ourselves to be tempted and swayed by the temptations of this world, of pleasures and human greed, the desires for power and worldly fame, glory and ambitions, all of which could mislead us away from the path towards God’s salvation and grace. Instead, let us all be committed to the Lord wholeheartedly like how St. Benedict had done in his life, and let us also be good examples ourselves in our own lives, so that we may truly embody the light of God’s grace and salvation, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 11 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 10 : 7-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give. Do not carry any gold or silver or money in your purses. Do not take a travelling bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick : workers deserve to be compensated.”

“When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person, and stay there until you leave. When you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people are worthy people, your peace will rest on them; if they are not worthy people, your blessing will come back to you.”

“And if you are not welcomed, and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town, and shake the dust off your feet. I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than it will for the people of that town.”

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Thursday, 11 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 79 : 2ac and 3bc, 15-16

Listen, o Shepherd of Israel, You, Who sit enthroned between the Cherubim. Stir up Your might and come to save us.

Turn again, o YHVH of hosts, look down from heaven and see; care for this vine, and protect the stock Your hand has planted.

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Thursday, 11 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hosea 11 : 1-4, 8c-9

I loved Israel when he was a child; out of Egypt I called My Son. But the more I have called, the further have they gone from Me – sacrificing to the Baals, burning incense to the idols. Yet, it was I Who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; yet, little did they realise that it was I Who cared for them.

I led them with cords of human kindness, with leading strings of love, and I became for them as One Who eases the yoke upon their neck and stoops down to feed them. My heart is troubled within Me and I am moved with compassion. I will not give vent to My great anger; I will not return to destroy Ephraim, for I am God and not human. I am the Holy One in your midst; and I do not want to come to you in anger.

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Tuesday, 9 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that we have all sinned against God through our disobedience against Him, and we have disappointed God many times in our respective areas in life. Yet, the same Lord our God still continues to love us, and He still shows His patience and kindness, His ever generous love and commitment to the Covenant which He had made with each and every one of us. We must not take all the love which He has shown us all for granted, and we have to be thankful and appreciative of the many opportunities which He has constantly given to us because He wants us all to be reconciled to Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Hosea in which the Lord spoke to His people, the Israelites living in the northern kingdom known also as Israel, and listed down all the complaints and the grievances against all the wickedness and all the sins which they had committed against Him, in their refusal to obey the Law and the commandments which He had given and taught them to follow. The Lord told them all that His anger was blazing against them, against all those who had defiled His Name and the sanctity of His sanctuaries and dwelling places, all the wicked deeds they had committed in worshipping pagan idols and false gods instead of embracing and loving their one and only true God, the One Who had always provided for them in times both good and bad.

The prophet Hosea was sent to the people of Israel towards the end of their existence as an independent kingdom and entity, approximately two and a half centuries after the once united Kingdom of Israel had been divided between the descendants of David in Judah and the rebel regime in the northern regions. At that time, the rising power of Assyria was ascendant, and it would come to pass that everything which the Lord had predicted and warned against His people in Israel, would indeed happen, as soon after, the Assyrians with their mighty armies and forces came to defeat the Israelites and conquered their cities and kingdom, destroying Samaria and bringing the people into exile in distant lands. Their disobedience and their wickedness, their refusal to follow and obey God’s Law led them to ‘return back to Egypt’, which was in fact an allusion of their renewed enslavement by the forces of the Assyrians just as once they had been under the yoke of the Egyptians.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the time from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the works of the Lord were highlighted to us, in how He miraculously healed the man possessed by a demon, which made him dumb and mute. The Lord showed His power and compassion towards the man, and drove out the demon from within him, which led to an almost immediate ridicule and criticism from the Pharisees who were there, accusing Him of colluding with the prince of demons in doing so. They hardened their hearts and minds because they refused to accept the fact that their ways and actions, their understanding and knowledge of the Law of God could have been wrong or mistaken, and they accused the Lord of wrongdoing because they did not want to admit their weakness and imperfections.

Yet, despite all of that, we heard how the Lord still continued on with His ministry, caring for the people, performing His miracles, signs and wonders regardless, reaching out to those who are poor and needy, those who have no one else to turn to, those who have been neglected and were facing challenges and difficulties in life. He showed pity on them, as we heard how they were described as sheep of the flock without a shepherd. And this highlights what the Lord has done for His people, that He embraced each and every one of us as a loving Shepherd and Guide, as the One Who will lead us all into the path of righteousness and virtue, out from the darkness and wickedness in this world. He wants us all to be reconciled to Him and to find our path out of the destruction and damnation awaiting us if we continue to remain in sin.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions, who were persecuted, made to suffer and eventually were martyred in China. At that time, missionaries went to China to bring the Christian faith to many people who have not yet known the Lord, proclaiming the Good News of God to more and more people. However, the Christian faith and the missionaries were seen with great suspicion and even treated with hostility by the government and officials who saw them as threats to their power and control over the people. The government persecuted the Christian missionaries and local converts sporadically and systematically at times, forcing them to abandon their faith in the Lord at the threat of great sufferings and torture.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong himself was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, a French missionary from the Paris Foreign Mission Society who was persecuted, arrested and then eventually martyred in the capital in Beijing. This experience among others led him to be a Christian convert himself, and eventually he became a diocesan priest serving the local Christian community, facing many challenges and hardships during his missions and works. Eventually, like many other Christians at that time, he was martyred about two centuries ago amidst an intense episode of persecutions against Christians. We remember this day the great courage and faith which St. Augustine Zhao Rong and the many other holy martyrs, the Holy Martyrs of China, have shown in their faith, dedication and commitment to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do our best to follow in the great footsteps of the holy martyrs, St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of China. All of us should realise how much we have been blessed and loved by God, and by calling on us, and by us following Him and embracing His love, His compassion and kindness, we should always do our best to glorify Him and His Name in all things, and we should continue to live in the path of righteousness and justice, no longer distracted and misguided by sin and evil. Let us all be the great examples and inspirations for one another just as the holy martyrs had inspired us all in our own lives. May God be with us always and may He bless us in all of our good endeavours and works, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 July 2024 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 9 : 32-38

At that time, as the two blind men were going away, some people brought to Jesus a man who was dumb, because he was possessed by a demon. When the demon was driven out, the dumb man began to speak. The crowds were astonished and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

But the Pharisees said, “He drives away demons with the help of the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom; and He cured every sickness and disease. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with pity; for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only few. Ask the Master of the harvest to send workers to gather His harvest.”