St. Apollinaris

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop 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 all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded to be ever more faithful to the Lord in all things, to do His will and not to give in to the temptations of worldly glory and power, all of which can lead us astray down the path of disobedience, evil and sin. We must always strive to be upright and good in all things, doing whatever we can so that by our good examples and actions grounded and anchored upon our firm foundation of faith in God, we will always be the worthy and faithful bearers of our Christian faith and truth in our world today. All of us should always be the guardians of the truth and of all that our Christian faith teaches us and shows us.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Micah in which the Lord told His people through Micah of His anger and the coming punishments and consequences awaiting His wicked and disobedient people, all of whom had chosen to disobey Him, walking down the path of rebellion and wickedness, choosing to obey the lies of the devil rather than to trust in the Lord, their God and Master. The prophet Micah was sent to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, during the time of the downfall of the northern kingdom of Israel and the Assyrian invasion and domination of the kingdom of Judah by King Sennacherib. He was one of the prophets who were active at the time, and he brought God’s words to His people in Judah.

We heard about all the things that would soon happen to the people and kingdom of Judah, the downfall of those who have long disobeyed His commandments and preferring to follow the wicked paths of the false idols and pagan gods rather than to trust and have faith in their Lord and Master Who had taken care of them all, all throughout the years of their prosperous existence in Judah and Israel. The consequences for those sins have to be faced by the people themselves, and that was why the Lord gave them all this warning and premonition through Micah. Of course, He did so while also telling them of His love and mercy, and showing them the prophecy of the coming liberation and salvation that they would receive from God.

Through this, the Lord wanted to show His people that He truly loved each and every one of them, and He did not truly want to punish them or make their lives difficult, but it was rather their hardened hearts and minds, their stubbornness and their continued rebellion against God which had condemned them and led them to their predicaments. They did not trust in the Lord and refused to obey by His Law and commandments, and as a result, they suffered, they became lost and they were muddled in their paths and thoughts. But the Lord never gave up on them, and He continued to send His help and guidance through His prophets, and promised them the ultimate salvation that He ultimately fulfilled and accomplished through the sending of His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the passage taken from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which the Lord Jesus and how He was treated by the Pharisees and many of the religious elites of His time were highlighted to all of us. The Lord Jesus was indeed the One Whom God had sent into this world, the Son of God Incarnate in the flesh, the Son of Man, through Whom God would gather everyone to Himself, all of His beloved ones, showing them all His love manifested perfectly in the flesh. And yet, He was rejected and opposed by those who were supposedly the most knowledgeable about the Law and the teachings of the prophets, as they saw in Him a great Rival and even threat to their own power, influence and authority among the people of God.

Nonetheless, the Lord continued to do His best to reach out to those who are dear and beloved to Him, caring for them as best as He could, showing them His ever generous and patient love even when the people had disobeyed Him and refused to follow His path, through their stubbornness and disobedience. He still reached out to them, performing His works and miracles in their midst, sending His disciples to share with them all His truth, Good News, love and guidance. The Lord did everything just as the prophets had foretold of Him, loving all of them wonderfully and generously, reaching out to the greatest sinners and those deemed most unworthy in the midst of the people, like the prostitutes and tax collectors, those who were suffering from maladies and diseases, and those possessed by evil spirits.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Apollinaris, a great and holy servant of God whose life and commitment to the Lord is truly inspirational and a great example for all of us to follow in our own lives. He was also known as St. Apollinaris of Ravenna after the place of his ministry as bishop and his martyrdom in the early history of the Church. He was likely born in Antioch or in its surrounding region in Syria, and he was either one of the seventy-two disciples or a disciple of St. Peter according to Apostolic history and tradition. St. Apollinaris was appointed as the first Bishop of Ravenna, covering the region of northern and eastern parts of what is today Italy, as the early Church kept on growing rapidly and gaining more and more converts, expanding the reach of its works to the people who have not yet known the Lord and His salvation.

St. Apollinaris dedicated much of his life and ministry to proclaim the Good News of God to more and more people in his diocese, spreading the Christian faith and truth to those who still believed in the pagan faith of the Roman Empire. He managed to convince quite a number of people to embrace the Lord as their God and Saviour, establishing a vibrant Christian community in Ravenna and its surrounding regions. Despite all the challenges and persecutions that he had to endure and suffer, including being beaten and left half-dead at the seashore by the pagans, and being forced to walk on burning coals, St. Apollinaris continued to remain firmly faithful and committed to his mission, captured and beaten more times, only to miraculously survive and continuing on with his missions. In the end, he was persecuted and beaten again close to death, and before he died, he predicted that while the Church would continue to be persecuted, but it will eventually be triumphant with God.

From the examples shown by the great St. Apollinaris, his life and courageous martyrdom, all of us are reminded that as Christians we have been entrusted with the mission to proclaim the salvation of the Lord and His Good News which we have received and believed in, so that in all the things that we say and do, in our every moments in our respective lives, we will continue to be great role models and inspirations in faith for one another just like how St. Apollinaris and the many other saints, holy men and women of God have inspired us all as well. May all of us continue to be inspired and strengthened to do what God had taught, commanded and entrusted to us to do, now and always, and may He bless us in all of our every good works and deeds, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 12 : 14-21

At that time, the Pharisees went out, and made plans to get rid of Jesus. As Jesus was aware of their plans, He left that place. Many people followed Him, and He cured all who were sick. But He gave them strict orders not to make Him known.

In this way, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled : Here is My Servant, Whom I have chosen; the One I love, and with Whom I am pleased. I will put My Spirit upon Him; and He will announce My judgment to the nations. He will not argue or shout, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush, nor snuff out the smouldering wick until He brings justice to victory, and in Him, all the nations will put their hope.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

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

Psalm 9 : 22-23, 24-25, 28-29, 35

Why, o YHVH, do You stand afar? Why hide from us in times of distress? The wicked are in power; the weak suffer harassment; the poor become victims of evil schemes.

Exploiters boast in their power and greed; the covetous blasphemes and defies God. In their pride the wicked say, “There is no God.” They see no further.

Their mouths are filled with cursing, deceit and threats; spite and mischief are under their tongues. They lie in ambush near the villages, murdering the innocent and the unfortunate, spying upon their next victim.

But You see those in misery, o God, and You take it in hand. The unfortunate commits himself to You; the orphan turns to You for help.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

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

Micah 2 : 1-5

Woe to those who plot wickedness and plan evil even on their beds! When morning comes they do it, as soon as it is within their reach. If they covet fields, they seize them. Do they like houses? They take them. They seize the owner and his household; both, the man and his property.

This is why YHVH speaks, “I am plotting evil against this whole brood, from which your necks cannot escape. No more shall you walk with head held high, for it will be an evil time.” On that day, they will sing a taunting song against you; and a bitter lamentation will be heard, “We have been stripped of our property in our homeland. Who will free us from the wicked who allots our fields.”

Truly, no one will be found in the assembly of YHVH to keep a field for you.

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Thursday, 20 July 2023 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop 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, we are all reminded of the love and kindness of God, Who has always loved us all, His beloved ones. Through the examples highlighted in our reading passages today, and by the Lord’s own words, we are reminded of God’s ever gracious kindness and love, in caring for the needs of His people, and in delivering them out of the hardships and challenges that they are all facing in this world. We heard from the Book of Exodus of the sending of Moses to the Israelites in Egypt, in order to deliver them all out of the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, while the Gospel today reminded us of the love of God Who wanted us all to come to Him and receive rest in Him, to share our burdens and sufferings together.

In our first reading today, from the Book of Exodus as mentioned, we heard of the moment when God reassured Moses, His servant, as He called him at Mount Horeb through the miraculous burning bush. God introduced Himself clearly as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Whose Name is I AM WHO AM (YHVH), the God of Israel and God of all mankind, the Creator and Master of all the whole universe. Moses believed in the Lord and wanted to do what he has been asked to do, but he was still uncertain as he was afraid that he would not be well-received among the Israelites, and that he was not eloquent in speech or charism. But God reassured Moses and told him that He would guide him in everything that he would be doing for the sake of His people, and told him how He has endeavoured to bring all of His people, the Israelites, out of the land of Egypt.

Back then, the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, had been living in Egypt for about four centuries, where they had spent many generations building their lives and grew rapidly in numbers, being blessed bountifully by God, which brought about fear, jealousy and opposition from the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, the one reigning then who did not know of the great deeds of Joseph, who had once led Egypt as Regent in avoiding great disasters due to the extensive famine that happened during his time. The Lord has blessed Joseph and his whole family, keeping in mind what He has promised to his father Jacob and his ancestors, in blessing them and providing for them, and thus in the land of Egypt, the Israelites prospered and multiplied greatly in numbers, which led to the persecution and oppression of God’s people by the Pharaoh and the Egyptians who enslaved them.

God did not forget about His people, and through Moses, God was delivering them all from their darkness and suffering into the new light and hope that He reassured all those who have kept their faith in Him. God did not wish to see the suffering of His faithful, which was caused by the wickedness of man’s evil desires, their jealousy, greed and fears, which manifested in such acts of tyranny and evil, in how the Egyptians and their Pharaoh treated the Israelites, as slaves and less than human beings. Therefore, God reassured Moses and sent him into Egypt so that He might rescue the Israelites through him, and bringing them all out of the land of Egypt by His great power, God proved ever true and faithful to the Covenant that He had made and renewed again and again with us, showing us just how patient and enduring His love for us has been.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples telling all of them and all the people to come to Him, all those who are heavily burdened, troubled and are in suffering, and that He will give them all rest in Him because His yoke is light and He is truly filled with love for each and every one of His beloved ones, whom He was willing to gather from all the far corners of the whole world. Through all of these words, just as the Lord reassured Moses and His people Israel of His salvation, thus, the Lord Jesus manifested God’s love and compassion towards us in an even more perfect manner, being the Love of God manifested in the flesh, as God Himself came into our midst, descending from His heavenly Throne, to come and dwell with us. He gathers us all to Himself and reminds us all of the love He has for us, through which He willingly leads us to freedom from our sins, which has enslaved us all.

Yes, this means that just as the Israelites had been freed from their enslavement by the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, thus all of us in the similar manner have also been liberated and made free from the tyranny of sin and the evil one and his forces seeking our destruction and damnation. At the same time, if we pay more attention to what we have heard from the Lord’s words, He is also reminding us all that to follow Him does not mean that we will immediately be freed from all sufferings and that we will immediately enjoy eternal bliss and joy. Much like the Israelites who have endured forty years of journey in the desert after their Exodus from Egypt, due to their stubbornness and continuous failures to resist the temptations of sin, thus all of us in our own lives, we are also called to be prepared for what may be an arduous journey of faith and life, in striving for the glory of God and His salvation.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Apollinaris, a great saint and man of God whose life and works, whose actions, words and more things about him may hopefully inspire more and more amongst us to be ever more faithful to the Lord and to be more worthy of Him. St. Apollinaris, also known as St. Apollinaris of Ravenna was the Bishop of Ravenna and one of the earliest Church fathers being according to the sacred traditions, a contemporary of the Holy Apostles. St. Apollinaris was probably also one of the disciples of the Lord, and at least was a disciple of St. Peter the Apostle, the first Pope. According to Church traditions and martyrology, St. Apollinaris was a dedicated bishop and servant of God, who devoted his life to the care of his flock, much like how the Lord Himself has sought His lost sheep as we heard in our Scriptures today.

Consequently, he cared for them and remained firm in his faith and dedication to God despite the challenges that he had to face throughout his ministry, amidst the many persecutions and oppressions against the early Christian communities, the Church of God by the Roman authorities. St. Apollinaris did what he could to protect those under his care, hid many of the Christians including those who have been banished, exiled and punished for their faith in God. Eventually, he himself was persecuted and martyred for everything that he had faithfully done for the Lord’s sake and in defiance against the orders from the Roman state itself, and to the very end, he remained firmly faithful, and prophesied that eventually the Church would triumph against all of its oppressors, which indeed did come true.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence follow the examples of St. Apollinaris of Ravenna and remind ourselves of all of his dedications and works for the glory of God and for others, just as we also recall the great love and kindness that God has shown us. Let us all remember that each one of us as Christians have important duties and responsibilities, in proclaiming the truth and Good News of God to the whole world. May the Lord continue to guide us in our path, and empower us so that we may continue to strive to do our best in faith, in persevering strongly despite the many trials and challenges we may have to face in our path. May God bless us all and our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Thursday, 20 July 2023 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 11 : 28-30

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

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Thursday, 20 July 2023 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 104 : 1 and 5, 8-9, 24-25, 26-27

Give thanks to YHVH, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Remember His wonderful works, His miracles and His judgments.

He remembers His Covenant forever, His promise to a thousand generations, the Covenant He made with Abraham, the promise He swore to Isaac.

YHVH made His people fruitful and much stronger than their foes; whose hearts He turned, to hate His people, to deal deceitfully with His servants.

Then He sent Moses His servant and Aaron whom He had chosen. They performed His signs among them, His miracles in the land of Ham.

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Thursday, 20 July 2023 : 15th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Exodus 3 : 13-20

Moses answered God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them : ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ they will ask me : ‘What is His Name?’ What shall I answer them?”

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO AM. This is what you will say to the sons of Israel : ‘I AM sent me to you.” God then said to Moses, “You will say to the Israelites : ‘YHVH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me.’ That will be My Name forever, and by this Name they shall call upon Me for all generations to come.”

“Go! Call together the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘YHVH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob appeared to me and said : I have seen and taken account of how the Egyptians have treated you, and I mean to bring you out of all this oppression in Egypt and take you to the land of the Canaanites, a land flowing with milk and honey.'”

“The elders of Israel will listen to you and, with them, you shall go to the palace of the king of Egypt and say to him : ‘The God of the Hebrews, YHVH, has met with us. Now let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to YHVH our God.'”

“I well know that the king of the Egyptians will not allow you to go unless he is forced to do so. I will therefore stretch out My hand and strike Egypt in extraordinary ways, after which he will let you go.”

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Wednesday, 20 July 2022 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop 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 Scriptures, all of us are being reminded that each and every one of us have been called in different ways by the Lord, to follow Him and to commit our lives to a faithful and virtuous Christian living, that each and every one of us may bear rich fruits of our faith and actions. Each one of us are challenged and called to follow the Lord in everything we say, act and do, and through Him, we may do truly wonderful things and impact many others in the way that we may never have thought possible before. All these are possible if we let the Lord guide us in our way and journey.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah of the calling of this prophet whom God had called to be His servant and messenger to the people of the kingdom of Judah. At that time, the people of Judah had slipped once again into the path of sin and evil, disobedience and wickedness, and hence, God called Jeremiah to be His instrument and as the one to deliver His will and His words to those same people, and He reassured Jeremiah that He would guide him and show him the way, giving him the wisdom and strength to persevere through whatever challenges that he would have to face when Jeremiah was doubtful and unsure about his calling.

Jeremiah was lacking in confidence because he was still relatively young and inexperienced, but by obeying God’s call and doing what the Lord had told him to do, Jeremiah would go on to become one of the greatest of the prophets, enduring a lot of trials and challenges for the sake of the Lord and His people, and patiently enduring them and continuing to do the work of God despite all that he had to go up against, all because God was with him and that God gave him the strength, wisdom and courage to endure even the worst of persecutions. Through this example, we can see how God was always faithful to the promises He made and how He was always with His faithful ones, and what a faithful servant of God can do with God’s guidance and strength.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the story of the Lord telling His followers the famous parable of the sower. In that parable, the Lord spoke of a sower who sowed seeds that fell on various places, some on the roadside, while others fell amongst the thistles and brambles, and others fell on the dry, rocky ground, while some fell on rich, fertile and good soil. Each of these led to different outcomes in the seeds being sown, as those that fell on the roadside were eaten up by the birds and were destroyed, while those that fell on the rocky ground could not grow roots or gain water and was scorched by the intense sun, while those that fell among the thistles and brambles were choked to death.

Only those seeds that fell on the rich and fertile soil managed to grow well and not only that, produced many more times than its weight and number, as they grew well and bore many fruits, and they became bountiful and great. The Lord would later on explain the meaning and significance of this parable to His disciples, telling them that the seeds represent the Word of God and the gifts that God had given and granted all of the people, such as what He had given to His prophets like Jeremiah and many others, including the Apostles and disciples, the innumerable saints and martyrs, and ultimately, all of us.

In essence, the Lord has given us all the means, the guidance, the gifts and various opportunities that He blessed us with, in our unique circumstances, that through Him and His providence, each and every one of us may find the means to contribute to the good works of the Church, in doing good things and obeying the Law and commandments of God. But this requires active participation on our side, our commitment and time, and our contribution to cultivate the gifts and talents that we have received. If we do not provide the optimal condition for our faith and actions to develop, then just like how the seeds that fell into the wrong places failed to grow, we too shall not be fruitful in faith.

Today, all of us should therefore model ourselves based on the examples set by our holy predecessors, one of whom the feast we are celebrating today, namely St. Apollinaris. St. Apollinaris was the Bishop of Ravenna who was remembered as a very dedicated shepherd to his faithful flock, working tirelessly for the evangelisation of the people, enduring and suffering persecutions for his faith. He suffered several episodes of almost death experience and hardships, and he endured them all with faith. All those did not discourage him from continuing to work hard for the sake of the Lord. His faith and continued dedication became inspiration for many others, including us in the present day.

Let us all therefore heed the good examples set by our holy predecessors, the prophets like Jeremiah and also the many saints and martyrs like that of St. Apollinaris of Ravenna. Let us all dedicate and commit ourselves to the Lord in the same way as our faithful predecessors had done, and strive to be exemplary and inspirational ourselves in our way of life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 20 July 2022 : 16th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 13 : 1-9

At that time, that same day, Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around Him. So He got into a boat, and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore; and He spoke to them in parables about many things.

Jesus said, “The sower went out to sow; and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path; and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly, because the soil was not deep. But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they withered, because they had no roots.”

“Again, other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop : some a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!”