Pope St. Callistus I

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we heard the words of the Lord contained in the Scripture passages, we are all reminded to be truly faithful to God in all things, in each and every one of our actions and works, in our every words and interactions with one another. All of us as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord are expected and called to follow His path and obey His ways sincerely and genuinely from our hearts. Otherwise, if we call ourselves as Christians and then yet behave in the manner that is not worthy of being called as disciples and followers of Christ, then we are no better than just hypocrites and unbelievers, like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who loved themselves and their prideful ego and ambition more than they loved God and His Law.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Galatia, the Apostle St. Paul exhorted the faithful there in Galatia to adhere to the path that the Lord has shown them and not to fall into the path of worldliness, or to the wrong and mistaken path that the old Law had been guiding them through. This is a reference to the Law as how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had preserved it and enforced it to the people of God. That old Law, composed of the many rules, regulations, customs and practices was already outdated and imperfect, flawed by the many additions that it had over the centuries. All of these led to misunderstandings and abuses of the Law meant to benefit those who enforced them, as well as their biases and prejudices.

We have to understand that the Law of God was passed down from generations to generations among the faithful people of God, and this Law had undergone numerous modifications and additions throughout the long history of the people of God. As such, it led to the Law being excessive, tedious and cumbersome, and not only that, as mentioned, it has also frequently been misused and misinterpreted even by the very ones who were entrusted with its upkeep and propagation, like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, who took great pride and ego in how they observed the Law and how they enforced it to the Jewish community. This is especially due to the Pharisees tending to be prejudiced against those group of people they deemed to be unworthy of God, like tax collectors and prostitutes, or those suffering from sickness and demonic possessions.

Unfortunately, that led to difficulties among the faithful in Galatia and elsewhere. As we heard in our Gospel passage today, there were significant frictions and disagreements between the Lord and those who upheld the old ways of doing things, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who desired to enforce the excesses of the old Law to the people of God. There were some of the sympathisers of the Pharisees and the Pharisees themselves who had become believers of the Lord, but they still held on to their old customs and ways. According to their way of doing things, there were as many as six hundred and thirteen customs, precepts, rules and regulations which the people of God had to fulfil, and imposing all these placed unnecessary burden on the people of God.

Not only that the way the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obeyed and observed those rules and customs were wrong, as many of them ended up doing them for their own vanity and pride, showing off their piety and obedience so that others might praise them for their actions and piety. They focused on themselves instead of on God, and they made it difficult for many others to be closer to God, as many were deterred by the tedious and the harsh nature of the laws and customs presented by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. This was especially true for those who needed God and His healing and mercy the most, like those suffering from maladies and diseases, those possessed by evil spirits, the tax collectors and the prostitutes among others as mentioned. Yet, the irony is such that the latter were often the ones who were most fervent in seeking God and His mercy, love and compassion.

That is why St. Paul exhorted and reminded the members of the Christian faithful in Galatia to turn away from their misguided ways, their obsession over the many trivial and unnecessary parts from the old Jewish laws and customs, as well as in their prejudice and elitist attitudes against the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people. This attitude at that time had persisted even against those pagans and Gentiles who had embraced the Christian faith, with some among the Jewish Christian converts arguing and trying to enforce the whole Jewish customs and laws on all the faithful including on the converts from the Gentiles and pagans.

That is not what Christians ought to be doing, and hence, St. Paul told all of them to distance themselves from the worldly excesses of those misguided paths and ways, and instead, embrace the Lord, His truth and ways, in loving Him sincerely and in doing the same to our fellow brothers and sisters, to our fellow men and women, regardless of our status, origins, background and affiliations, and thus, showing genuine and most generous love to each other just as how the Lord Himself has loved us all sinners, even those who were most wicked and seemingly unworthy. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, God has come into our midst to redeem us all, even the ones who were furthest away from Him.

This is what each and every one of us as Christians ought to be doing, not to be exclusive and elitist in our attitude, and not to be self-righteous in our actions. Instead, we should always remind ourselves that each and every one of us are part of the same Body of Christ, the Church. We are all called to share in the brotherhood and the unity among us Christians, united through the love of God. We should be filled with God’s love and show that same love to the Lord and to our fellow brothers and sisters. Each and every one of us should inspire one another to continue to do what God has taught and shown us to do, and that is to live our lives as Christians and obey the Law and commandments of God as He had intended for us.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy saints, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose commitment and actions should inspire us all in our own lives, in how we ourselves can become good and committed disciples of the Lord, in all of our actions and works. Pope St. Callistus I was the Pope and leader of the Universal Church, as the Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, during a difficult time in the Church’s history, as at that time, persecutions were rampant against the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Oppression and sufferings were often part of life for many of the Lord’s faithful people, who had to endure those sufferings simply because of their faith in God.

Amidst all of these, Pope St. Callistus I, who was a deacon and assistant to the Pope St. Zephyrinus, in managing the catacombs of the city of Rome, serving the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Rome, and then eventually becoming the successor of the same Pope St. Zephyrinus, he had involved himself with many of the works and the service for the sake of God’s people, caring for both of their physical and spiritual needs. The Lord has called Pope St. Callistus I to be His Vicar, and he carried out his duties most diligently, in embracing all of the people of God, including those who have lapsed from the faith and fallen into sin. At that time, this matter of welcoming and allowing lapsed Christians who have given in to the pressure to worship pagan gods and idols, either by choice or not, had caused great divisions and disagreements in the Church.

This division and disagreement had led to one of the first schisms in the Church, as St. Hippolytus, a popular priest and preacher who disagreed with the practice of readmitting lapsed Christians without proper penance and consequences, was elected as a rival Pope to Pope St. Callistus I, becoming the first antipope. Pope St. Callistus I was determined to bridge the differences and worked hard to lead the people of God amidst the turbulent times, beset from all directions, both from outside and within, in the many persecutions and challenges that the faithful people of God were facing daily, and in the disagreements that turned fellow Christians against each other. Pope St. Callistus I patiently led the Church throughout all of that, and remained firm in his faith and conviction in dedicating himself and the Church to God. In the end, he was martyred for his faith, during one of those persecutions, but his efforts helped the Church to remain strong throughout the challenging years.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow in the good examples and in the inspiring actions of Pope St. Callistus I, and let us walk ever more faithfully in the path which God has set before us, in all that He has shown and taught us to do. Pope St. Callistus I has shown all of us what it truly means for us to be good and devout Christians, as God’s followers and disciples. We must always do whatever we can, in all the opportunities given to us so that our every words, actions and deeds truly show this commitment and faith in the Lord. It is through our lives and how we practice our faith in God in this world, in our daily living that we can truly show others the path towards the Lord.

May God continue to guide us all and strengthen each one of us in our courage and resolve to live our lives faithfully in Him, and to embrace once again the fullness of His love and mercy. Let us stay away from the path of sin and evil, and instead, strive to live our lives fully and worthily as good Christians from now on. Let us all truly embrace the love of God and His Law wholeheartedly with genuine faith, and not be merely superficial and hypocritical in our faith, as some of our predecessors had done. May all of us be truly faithful and worthy beacons of God’s light and truth, at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 11 : 42-46

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “A curse is on you, Pharisees! To the Temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other obligations.”

“A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. A curse is on you, for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people do not notice them, and make themselves unclean by stepping on them.”

Then a teacher of the Law spoke up and said, “Master, when You speak like this, You insult us, too.” And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the Law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves do not move a finger to help them.”

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Galatians 5 : 18-25

But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law. You know what comes from the flesh : fornication, impurity and shamelessness, idol worship and sorcery, hatred, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition, division, factions, and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I again say to you what I have already said : those who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy and peace, patience, understanding of others, kindness and fidelity, gentleness and self-control. For such things there is no Law or punishment. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us live in a spiritual way.

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Tuesday, 14 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, we are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own, to be truly faithful to Him in all things. We should be filled with genuine understanding of the faith and the appreciation of everything that God had shown and presented to us, all the love that He has bestowed on us, lavished on us and given to us time and again. We should not take for granted what God has given to us and we should also not allow any divisions and disagreements to tear us apart, to threaten the unity of the Church, the Body of Christ to which we all belonged to.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire then, where the Apostle spoke to the faithful there that came from diverse origins, from among both the Jewish diaspora in Rome and from among the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people. St. Paul reminded all the faithful there that regardless of their origins, differences and whatever backgrounds they had, God had revealed Himself to all of them and called them all to do their will, to follow the path that He had shown to them, and not to fall into the temptations and the folly of those who have given themselves to the pagan worship of the idols that were commonplace at that time.

Essentially, St. Paul highlighted the foolishness of man in worshipping the created things like the Sun, Moon, the stars, the elements and other aspects of nature, which were the origins of many of the pagan idols and gods that they worshipped in their pagan temples. Instead, having learnt and realised the truth behind all things, St. Paul encouraged the faithful in Rome to continue to walk the path of faith, believing in the One and only True God that they ought to worship and believe in, the One Who has created this world and all things, instead of settling for the worship of worldly matters and created beings. It is a reminder for all of us as well as Christians that we need to be firm in our faith and continue to be good inspiration in our faith in God in all things.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, where the Lord Jesus was presented with a query from a Pharisee who had a meal with Him where He was questioned why He did not wash His hands according to the rules that were prescribed among the Jews, especially the particularly rigid and unbending version championed and promoted by the Pharisees. According to this application and observance of the Law of Moses, the Jews ought to observe many rituals and many practices that were superfluous and superficial in nature, and the Pharisees among all were the ones most absorbed into this way of practicing the faith. These rules and rituals developed from the manner how the Lord had prescribed to them through Moses while they were in their Exodus from Egypt towards the Promised Land.

There were indeed reason and importance behind such rules, and in this regard, the rule regarding the need to wash one’s hands before a meal was rooted in the importance of hygiene and in preventing the outbreak of epidemics and diseases that could easily happen during the period of Exodus in close quarters within the tents of the Israelites. However, by the time the Pharisees practiced these rituals and ways, they had made them so extensive and difficult to observe and follow that they also ended up focusing so much on the details, such as having to wash the hands and arms up to the elbows or else the Law would not have been observed properly, to the point that they forgot and overlooked why the Law was given by God to His people in the first place.

The Lord therefore rebuked the Pharisee and the others for their overly obsessed attitude in their way of believing and practicing their faith, how they valued appearances and external piety over true understanding of what the Lord had truly taught them and wanted them all to do in their lives. He does not want any of us, His faithful flock and people to follow in the same misguided and deluded way, to practice our faith in such a superficial way and focusing only on the externals. Instead, the people of God, that is all of us should have a strong, genuine, organic and living faith, one that is based on true appreciation of what the Lord has taught and revealed to us. Each and every one of us ought to be genuine and committed disciples of the Lord, not merely in appearances only, but also in every moments of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy saints, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose commitment and actions should inspire us all in our own lives, in how we ourselves can become good and committed disciples of the Lord, in all of our actions and works. Pope St. Callistus I was the Pope and leader of the Universal Church, as the Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, successor of St. ‘Peter the Apostle, during a difficult time in the Church’s history, as at that time, persecutions were rampant against the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Oppression and sufferings were often part of life for many of the Lord’s faithful people, who had to endure those sufferings simply because of their faith in God.

Amidst all of these, Pope St. Callistus I, who was a deacon and assistant to the Pope St. Zephyrinus, in managing the catacombs of the city of Rome, serving the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Rome, and then eventually becoming the successor of the same Pope St. Zephyrinus, he had involved himself with many of the works and the service for the sake of God’s people, caring for both of their physical and spiritual needs. The Lord has called Pope St. Callistus I to be His Vicar, and he carried out his duties most diligently, in embracing all of the people of God, including those who have lapsed from the faith and fallen into sin. At that time, this matter of welcoming and allowing lapsed Christians who have given in to the pressure to worship pagan gods and idols, either by choice or not, had caused great divisions and disagreements in the Church.

This division and disagreement had led to one of the first schisms in the Church, as St. Hippolytus, a popular priest and preacher who disagreed with the practice of readmitting lapsed Christians without proper penance and consequences, was elected as a rival Pope to Pope St. Callistus I, becoming the first antipope. Pope St. Callistus I was determined to bridge the differences and worked hard to lead the people of God amidst the turbulent times, beset from all directions, both from outside and within, in the many persecutions and challenges that the faithful people of God were facing daily, and in the disagreements that turned fellow Christians against each other. Pope St. Callistus I patiently led the Church throughout all of that, and remained firm in his faith and conviction in dedicating himself and the Church to God. In the end, he was martyred for his faith, during one of those persecutions, but his efforts helped the Church to remain strong throughout the challenging years.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the great examples of the faith shown by Pope St. Callistus I, a holy man of God and martyr of the Faith, most courageous in his desire to bring unity and reconciliation to the feuding factions of the Church, and which is our good role model and inspiration in how we should lead lives that are truly attuned to the Lord as well. Each and every one of us are reminded to walk faithfully in God’s Presence as Pope St. Callistus I and the many other saints and martyrs had done, and may we continue to glorify the Lord by each and every actions we carry out in life, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 11 : 37-41

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to have a meal with him. So He went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not wash His hands before the dinner.

But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He Who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.”

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Tuesday, 14 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 18 : 2-3, 4-5

The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. Day talks it over with day; night hands on the knowledge to night.

No speech, no words, no voice is heard – but the call goes on, throughout the universe, the message is felt to the ends of the earth.

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Tuesday, 14 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Romans 1 : 16-25

For I am not ashamed at all, of this Good News; it is God’s power, saving those who believe, first, the Jews, and then, the Greeks. This Good News shows us the saving justice of God; a justice that saves, exclusively by faith, as the Scripture says : The upright one shall live by faith.

For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven, against all ungodliness, and injustice, of those who have silenced the truth by their wicked ways. For everything that could have been known about God, was clear to them : God Himself made it plain. Because His invisible attributes – His everlasting power and divinity – are made visible to reason, by means of His works, since the creation of the world.

So they have no excuse, for they knew God, and did not glorify Him, as was fitting; nor did they give thanks to Him. On the contrary, they lost themselves in their reasoning, and darkness filled their minds. Believing themselves wise, they became foolish : they exchanged the glory of the Immortal God, for the likes of mortal human beings, birds, animals and reptiles. Because of this, God gave them up to their inner cravings; they did shameful things and dishonoured their bodies.

They exchanged God’s truth for a lie; they honoured and worshipped created things, instead of the Creator, to Whom be praise forever. Amen!

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Saturday, 14 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that as God’s faithful people, His followers and disciples, each and every one of us are part of His flock and kingdom, His family and inheritance. Each and every one of us should always heed His words, listen to Him speaking in our hearts and minds, and allow Him to lead and guide us in our path and journey throughout life. We must trust in the Lord and we must do what He has commanded and taught us to do, so that in all of our actions, words and deeds, we will always be full of love for God, righteous and virtuous in our works and way of life, and we may indeed be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, His Good News at all times, being good inspirations to one another.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Joel, we are reminded of God’s love and grace, His providence and kindness to His beloved people, that despite of their many sins and wickedness, which had brought them down and made them to suffer condemnation and humiliations, but God did not wish for them to remain in that despicable state caused by their own folly and disobedience. The Lord has always patiently reached out to them, gave them His help and assistance, and sent His prophets and messengers to lead and guide them down the right path. He has always pointed them all to the right path, and has called on all of them to follow this same path. Those who are willing to listen to His words and obey His commandments will be vindicated, found worthy and will receive the inheritance promised to them, to live with God in glory and true joy in the end.

The Lord promised all of His people that they would no longer be despondent or afflicted, and that they would once again enjoy the favour of His love and compassion, as He has always intended them to be. God has always loved all of the ones that are precious to Him, and He does not want any of them to fall into their fallen state due to their unwillingness to obey His Law and commandments, and by their abandonment of His tenets and precepts, in favour of following and worshipping pagan idols and false gods, that had brought about ruin upon themselves, and which they had ben chastised for. God reminded all of His beloved ones that in the end, His love for them will triumph, and if they side with Him, then they all shall share in His most wonderful love.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the very simple reminder from the Lord, as He responded to one of those who told Him that His mother and relatives are truly blessed, and especially so, His mother who has given birth and raised Him. To this statement, the Lord responded by saying that all those who listen to the Lord and follow Him, obeying His will and commandments, doing what they are all supposed to do in their lives, all are bound to be blessed, and will be the benefactors of everything which God has promised His faithful ones. He was not saying this out of disrespect of His mother, but in fact, the Lord was pointing at the perfect example of Mary herself, who as the most faithful and committed servant of God, together with the other saints of God, are great role models for us to follow.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy saints, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose commitment and actions should inspire us all in our own lives, in how we ourselves can become good and committed disciples of the Lord, in all of our actions and works. Pope St. Callistus I was the Pope and leader of the Universal Church, as the Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, during a difficult time in the Church’s history, as at that time, persecutions were rampant against the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Oppression and sufferings were often part of life for many of the Lord’s faithful people, who had to endure those sufferings simply because of their faith in God.

Amidst all of these, Pope St. Callistus I, who was a deacon and assistant to the Pope St. Zephyrinus, in managing the catacombs of the city of Rome, serving the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Rome, and then eventually becoming the successor of the same Pope St. Zephyrinus, he had involved himself with many of the works and the service for the sake of God’s people, caring for both of their physical and spiritual needs. The Lord has called Pope St. Callistus I to be His Vicar, and he carried out his duties most diligently, in embracing all of the people of God, including those who have lapsed from the faith and fallen into sin. At that time, this matter of welcoming and allowing lapsed Christians who have given in to the pressure to worship pagan gods and idols, either by choice or not, had caused great divisions and disagreements in the Church.

This division and disagreement had led to one of the first schisms in the Church, as St. Hippolytus, a popular priest and preacher who disagreed with the practice of readmitting lapsed Christians without proper penance and consequences, was elected as a rival Pope to Pope St. Callistus I, becoming the first antipope. Pope St. Callistus I was determined to bridge the differences and worked hard to lead the people of God amidst the turbulent times, beset from all directions, both from outside and within, in the many persecutions and challenges that the faithful people of God were facing daily, and in the disagreements that turned fellow Christians against each other. Pope St. Callistus I patiently led the Church throughout all of that, and remained firm in his faith and conviction in dedicating himself and the Church to God. In the end, he was martyred for his faith, during one of those persecutions, but his efforts helped the Church to remain strong throughout the challenging years.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow in the good examples and in the inspiring actions of Pope St. Callistus I, and let us walk ever more faithfully in the path which God has set before us, in all that He has shown and taught us to do. Pope St. Callistus I has shown all of us what it truly means for us to be good and devout Christians, as God’s followers and disciples. We must always do whatever we can, in all the opportunities given to us so that our every words, actions and deeds truly show this commitment and faith in the Lord. May God continue to guide us all and strengthen each one of us in our courage and resolve to live our lives faithfully in Him, and to embrace once again the fullness of His love and mercy. Let us stay away from the path of sin and evil, and instead, strive to live our lives fully and worthily as good Christians from now on. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 October 2023 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 11 : 27-28

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to Him, “Blessed is the one who gave You birth and nursed You!”

Jesus replied, “Truly blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it as well.”