holy priests

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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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Tuesday, 3 December 2024 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church marks the Feast of the great patron saint of all missions and missionaries, namely that of St. Francis Xavier, a well-known Jesuit saint and missionary who had worked and laboured for many years to spread the Good News of the Lord in the Gospels and Scriptures to the far ends of the world as was known then. Thanks to his efforts and works, the foundation and groundwork for many more evangelising missions and efforts had been laid down, and many more would follow this great and faithful saint in their own missions and efforts to evangelise the world. That is why today, we remember his memory and actions, works and commitment to God, while at the same time reflecting and pondering upon our own mission in life.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful throughout the city and region of Corinth, where St. Paul spoke about the matter of his missionary works and efforts, everything that he had done for the sake of God and His people, how he could not and ought not to boast about all of his works and achievements, as everything that he had done, all were done for the glory of God and for the salvation of the people that he had been sent to. The Corinthians like many other people throughout the world at the time, had received the news and words of God’s salvation through the Apostles and many other missionaries, but they all served the Lord humbly, and while performing the miraculous signs and proclaiming the words of wisdom and wonders, all these they dedicated to God and not to themselves.

This is a very important reminder to each and every one of us as servants and followers of God in our respective missions and evangelising efforts that we should not take credit for our efforts and works, and we must always put God at the very centre of our lives and existence. Otherwise, it is easy for many of us to fall into the temptations of power, glory, fame and ambition, which had indeed happened to some among our predecessors, allowing the evil one to tempt them with the false glory and worldly achievements and ambitions. We must not walk down that path, and we have to resist all the pressures, coercions and temptations to enter into the falsehoods of evil, of the many desires and attachments of this world. We have to keep our faith and trust strongly in the Lord.

Then from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard the Lord speaking to His disciples and followers of the commandment which He gave and entrusted to them, in evangelising the people all around the world, proclaiming the Good News of God’s salvation and grace to everyone. The Lord reassured and reminded them that He would always be with them, and He would guide them in all things that no permanent harm shall come to them. Indeed, they might have to suffer and endure a lot of persecutions, oppressions and hardships in their paths, such as what the Lord Himself had predicted for them. But He would not leave them to struggle all alone, as He would send them the strength, courage and wisdom through His Holy Spirit and Presence, guiding and assisting them all the way.

That is why each and every one of us as Christians must not hesitate or be discouraged from following the Lord faithfully and doing what He has entrusted to us to do, in our various missions in life, in whatever area we are in, whether we are member of the ordained ministry like the bishops and priests, or whether we are members of the religious orders and those who have given themselves to a life of prayer and consecrated life to God, or whether we are parts and members of the laypeople, as married couples and family members, as single persons living our lives with holiness and efforts to proclaim the Lord’s truth and Good News through each and every one of our own exemplary living. All of us must always be courageous and trust in God’s Providence, making good use of the opportunities which He has provided to us.

St. Francis Xavier himself was called by the Lord to his great endeavour in being a missionary, devoting himself and his whole life to the mission that God had entrusted to him. He was born in the town of Xavier in the kingdom of Navarre, in what is now part of Spain, which was how he got the name St. Francis Xavier. He was born into an influential noble family and was raised at a time of great turmoil and conflict, around the same time as St. Ignatius of Loyola, who was also born around the same area, the one who founded the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits. St. Francis Xavier studied in Paris for his education and during that time, he encountered both St. Peter Faber and St. Ignatius of Loyola, which eventually led to the former becoming one of the founders of the Jesuits.

The Jesuits became instrumental in the efforts of Counter Reformation throughout Europe at the time, and they also became part of the missionary activities and journeys sponsored early on by the Kingdom of Portugal, which at that time was launching many exploratory efforts to the Far East. St. Francis Xavier was one of those appointed as a missionary, dedicating himself to the missions in India, in the Southeast Asia region, Macau and Japan. He travelled extensively during those years, visiting places after places, teaching the people whom he encountered about the Lord and His Good News, journeying by foot and by boat to visit those various communities, teaching to them about Christ and His salvation.

St. Francis Xavier never wavered in his conviction and efforts to glorify the Lord and to proclaim His truth to many more people, and to the very last moments of his life, he remained adamant in his desire to evangelise to the people who have not yet known the Lord, dying at the Shangguan Island on his time while waiting to enter into the great country of China. It would be another Jesuit, Fr. Matteo Ricci who would begin the work of evangelisation in China. St. Francis Xavier was also known for his miraculous deeds, much as what the Lord Jesus had said to His disciples in our Gospel passage today, as a popular story attributed to the saint spoke of him calming a great storm during one of his missionary trips in Southeast Asia. St. Francis Xavier prayed and threw his crucifix into th waves in the hope of calming the storm, and it subsided. Later on, by the shore, a crab appeared to St. Francis Xavier and his fellow missionaries, holding up the crucifix that was lost to the waves. St. Francis Xavier blessed the crab and henceforth, that crab is known as St. Francis’ crab, having a crucifix on its back.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the missionary zeal and the courageous efforts shown by St. Francis Xavier throughout all his years of ministry in the distant lands, showing no fear and great courage throughout all of his efforts in proclaiming the Good News of God to many more people throughout the whole world. Let us all also realise our own missions in life, and dedicate ourselves to do our best to proclaim God’s Good News to all through our own exemplary living, and then also at the same time, supporting the good efforts and works of the Church and its many missionaries. May the Lord bless us all and empower us with the courage, strength and wisdom to do His will, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 December 2024 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 16 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptised will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned.”

“Signs like these will accompany those who have believed : in My Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

So then, after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His place at the right hand of God. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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Tuesday, 3 December 2024 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of Missions and Missionaries (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 116 : 1-2

Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.

How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.

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Tuesday, 3 December 2024 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of Missions and Missionaries (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22-23

Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.

So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

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Wednesday, 23 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded again just as we had been yesterday, to be ever more vigilant in each and every moments of our lives so that we may truly follow His path and embrace all the love which He has shown us. God’s great and ever patient and generous love has always been shown to all of us, His beloved children, regardless of our background, identity and groups, and we must realise that all of us are equally beloved by God and dear to Him. He has provided us the various means to lead us all back to Him, and opened the path for us to return to the life everlasting and true happiness that He has intended for us all to enjoy, to get away from the darkness and sin which had separated us all from Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Ephesus in which the Apostle reiterated the universal nature of God’s ever generous and bountiful love, which He has always shown to us all, to every one of His beloved children, regardless of whether they were Jews or not. At that time, we must understand the context of the situation in the early Church, as significant parts of the early Christian converts were from the Jewish people, including even some of the Pharisees that had many of its members often criticising and opposing the Lord, and who also held a rather exclusivist and supremacist view on who deserved God’s salvation and grace. There were at the same time many converts and believers from among the non-Jewish people, the Gentiles, namely the Greeks, Romans and the many local people in Ephesus and elsewhere.

St. Paul the Apostle spent a lot of time and effort to evangelise and reach out to the non-Jewish people, to dialogue with them and to introduce Christ and His teachings and truth, His Good News and love for everyone. He was also always supportive of the cause of the Gentiles against the excesses of those converts from the more conservative and hardline Pharisees, who had also made attempts to impose strict Jewish customs, rules and requirements on all the faithful, which was completely unnecessary, and the Apostle was especially critical of those who claimed that obedience and observance of those customs, rites and practices were essential and prerequisite for salvation. Instead, St. Paul kept on reiterating the true teachings and Good News of Christ against all those falsehoods, reaching out to many more people to proclaim God’s salvation.

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to His disciples using a parable of the lazy and diligent servant and their master, in order to highlight the importance of being truly faithful and active in living our lives with true Christian charity and dedication, commitment and effort. In that parable the Lord highlighted the story of a master of a household who went away for a business or errand, and his servants who were entrusted with the care of the master’s estate and property. And He also highlighted how the master could return at any time unannounced and suddenly, and all those servants who were lazy and caught not doing what they had been expected and entrusted to do would be punished, while those who obeyed the master and did as expected would be rewarded and honoured.

This is a clear comparison to how the Lord is our Master and we are all His servants, the stewards who have been entrusted with the care of His creation, that is this world, as well as our brothers and sisters around us, in the various unique capacities and opportunities that He had provided to us. If we do not make good use of those opportunities that we have been provided, neglecting our responsibilities and calling, in whatever area that we have been called to proclaim God and His truth, then in the end, we will have to account for our failure to act and obey the Lord’s will, and to do what He has commanded us to do. As Christians, it is imperative that we always use the opportunities, gifts and talents, all the provisions that God has given us so that we may truly fulfil whatever it is that He has entrusted us to do in our lives, to be truly worthy of Him, our Lord and Master.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. John of Capestrano, a renowned Franciscan friar and priest who was courageous in his life and dedication to God, in all the actions he took in ministering to the people of God and in defending the faith against those who seek to harm the faithful. He was once a soldier and then a civil administrator and governor of the region of Perugia in Italy, who was also a lawyer and then theologian. During years of conflict and difficulties, he had a change of heart and calling, embracing a renewed commitment to God and deciding to follow the Lord as a Franciscan friar and priest. He would go on many missionary trips and works, spending a lot of time in various places and cities, proclaiming the Lord and working with the less privileged and fortunate, living truly holy and pious life, which soon made him very popular, drawing huge crowds to his preachings and works.

At the same time, he was also working tirelessly against heresies and all sorts of falsehoods that had threatened many Christians of his time. He wrote many treatises and works countering all the falsehoods of the heresies and the false teachings that were quite rampant at the time. He was also active in helping to reform the Church and many religious orders and congregations of his time, rooting out wickedness and corrupt worldly practices and influences from the Church and from among the faithful. This included the reform of his own Franciscan order that he belonged to, and he was also involved even in the Crusade against the forces of unbelievers, the mighty Ottomans that were then threatening the security and safety of Christendom and many Christians, persecuted by those who sought to turn them away from the Lord’s truth. In his many works and efforts, St. John of Capestrano always did his best to reach out to more and more people, teaching them about the truth of Christ, directing them away from heresies, while leading them ever closer towards God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all discerned from the words of the Scriptures and from the life and examples of St. John of Capestrano, we are all reminded to do our best at all times, to be ever faithful and committed to Him, exemplary and inspirational to one another in our own words, actions and deeds, in each and every things that we do in life, we will always be the beacons of God’s light, His Good News, His love and truth, and all the things which He has shown us. We should never think that our actions and words, our deeds and interactions, no matter how small, may have no effect or impact on others around us. They can be either good and worthy of God, or wicked and unworthy, and it is up to us to decide how we are to live our lives, and how we are to act and to do things even in the smallest things that we do.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God and Father, our Lord and Master, continue to love us all most generously and help us all to come towards Him with great faith and dedication, now and always. May He continue to strengthen us with the resolve to do His will, to do what is right, just and worthy according to His will, that we may help one another to come and reach the Lord, through each and every things we do in life, to help more and more people to come towards the Holy Presence of God, to be forgiven and reconciled with Him together with us. Amen.

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Wednesday, 23 October 2024 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 12 : 39-48

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

Peter said, “Lord, did You tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants, to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master, on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.”

“But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”

“The servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.”