St. Irenaeus

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Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that if we put our trust in the Lord and follow Him, we shall gain assurance, providence and grace, and we shall be triumphant with Him in the end. Meanwhile, if we place our trust in worldly things and means, then we are likely to face disappointments and defeats handed down to us, as nothing in this world can give us the same assurance and providence as the Lord alone can give us. The examples shown in our Scripture passages today should serve as good examples for us of what will happen to us should we decide to follow the Lord and trust in Him versus putting our trust in the world and all the things it can provide us with, and the choice is ours to make on which path we want to choose in our own respective lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the moments of the final defeat, downfall and destruction of the kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem of the ancient Israelites came to fruition after the people of God had disobeyed Him, disregarded and refused to obey His Law and commandments for a long time, after many of the kings of Israel and Judah had led the people down a path of rebellion and sin, by following and worshipping pagan idols and foreign false gods instead of worshipping and obeying the Lord, their one and only True God, the One Who had liberated all of them from the hands of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, and led them to the Promised Land where they had been dwelling in all those times.

Their disobedience and sins culminated in this tragic destruction of the lands of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the many other cities and towns of the land, echoing what had happened about a century and a half earlier on, when the northern kingdom of Israel, the northern half of the kingdom of God’s people, the Israelites, was conquered and destroyed by the forces of the Assyrians, who also destroyed Samaria, the capital of Israel and the many cities belonging to the Israelites, carrying many of its people into exile. Thus, this same fate eventually befell those in the southern kingdom of Judah as well, with this time the Babylonians who came to crush the kingdom of Judah and its capital Jerusalem, also carrying many of its people to exile in distant lands.

All these as mentioned, happened because of the disobedience and sins which were committed by the people of God, in their refusal to follow the path and the Law which the Lord had provided to them, refusing to listen and to heed the words and reminders, the guidance and the help from the many prophets and messengers that God had sent to them to help them in their path. They also chose to trust in man’s power, in worldly powers and means instead of trusting in the Lord, their God. The prophet Jeremiah had warned the king and the people of Judah of the impending destruction, and not to rebel against the King of Babylon, or else Judah and Jerusalem would be destroyed.

Yet, the false prophets and the nobles all encouraged and forced the king to side with the Egyptians to free themselves from the dominion of the Babylonian kingdom, and this led to the rebellion as we heard in our first reading today, and its aftermath, after the King of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar brought his mighty force to besiege and destroy Jerusalem, and how the city was taken, the Temple and its hallowed halls were destroyed, the Ark of the Covenant disappeared, and the last King of Judah and his sons were captured, the former blinded while the latter were killed. All these things happened because of the lack of faith by those Israelites in God and His Divine providence and protection, choosing instead to trust in the worldly powers and false idols.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel of St. Matthew of the account of the moment when the Lord Jesus healed a leper who asked Him to help and heal him from his condition. Leprosy was a condition which was then feared and those who suffered from it were ostracised and cast out from the community, forced to wander off into the desert. This was interestingly the fate of the Israelites after both the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had been conquered and destroyed by Assyria and Babylon respectively, and many of the people of God had to wander off in exile, away in distant lands and cast out from the Promised Land of their ancestors and inheritance.

The Lord healed the leper and made him whole again, and told the leper to follow the customs of the Law, by showing himself to a priest as prescribed so that he could be readmitted once again into the community. Through this and what we have just discussed from our first reading passage today, all of us are reminded that first of all, in God we have the sure hope of salvation and liberation from all the troubles and trials facing us, from the corruption and depredation of sin and evil, represented by the leprosy that afflicted the man. And then, we are also reminded that if we allow worldly temptations and allures, corruptions and distractions to affect us, we will end up suffering like what the people of Israel had suffered in the past. But if we put our faith and trust once again in God, then we can have the sure path out of the darkness and into the light of God’s salvation and grace.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Irenaeus, one of the early Church fathers whose life and works, dedication and commitment to God can help inspire and strengthen us in our own paths in life so that we may continue to live worthily and faithfully in God’s Presence. St. Irenaeus lived during the second century, about a century or so after the time of the Lord’s ministry during the height of the Roman Empire and at a time when the Christian faith began to spread widely throughout the Empire, while facing persecutions from the Roman authorities at certain times. He was a priest in the area of Lyon in today’s southern part of France, and eventually became a bishop there. At that time, there were several heresies facing the faithful which threatened the unity of the Church and the salvation of the souls.

Some of these heresies include Montanism, Gnosticism, among others, which did not correspond or adhere to the true teachings of the Lord and to the deposit of faith handed down through the Church from the Apostles. St. Irenaeus spent a lot of time and effort combatting those heresies among his flock and wrote extensively on the matter, especially in his renowned treatise, Adversus Haereses, which literally meant ‘Against Heresies’, reminding the faithful throughout Christendom of the dangers of heresies and falsehoods which could mislead them into the wrong and sinful paths, and encouraging them to remain true to the Holy Mother Church and the true Christian faith. Eventually St. Irenaeus himself also faced martyrdom like many other early Christians of his time, but his many contributions continued to affect the Church for many centuries to come, even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having heard the inspirational examples and commitment of St. Irenaeus in living a holy and worthy life in God, and in devoting himself to oppose all the false teachings and heresies that threatened the unity of the Church and the salvation of souls, therefore, all of us should be reminded that we too should also do the same in our own respective lives, in living a truly holy and worthy life centred on God, putting our faith and trust in Him, and helping to lead others around us by example so that more and more may come to know and recognise God and His truth, His love and salvation through us and our lives. Let us all continue to seek God’s grace, mercy and love, asking Him to strengthen us all in our every good efforts, endeavours and works for His greater glory.

May the Lord continue to inspire and strengthen us each day and at every moments of our lives, to be faithful to Him at all times, much as how His great servant, St. Irenaeus, holy bishop and martyr, great Doctor of the Church, had lived his life and inspired so many people after his lifetime. May God be with us all His beloved people and flock, with His Church, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 8 : 1-4

At that time, when Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. Then a leper came forward. He knelt before Him and said, “Sir, if You want to, You can make me clean.”

Jesus stretched out His hand, touched him, and said, “I want to, be clean again.” At that very moment, the man was cleansed from his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not tell anyone; but go to the priest, have yourself declared clean, and offer the gift that Moses commanded as evidence for them.”

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Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 136 : 1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

By the streams of Babylon, we sat; and then wept, as we remembered Zion. When, on the poplars, we hung our harps.

Our captors asked for song. Our tormentors wanted songs of joy : “Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!”

How could we sing YHVH’s song in a strange and alien land? If I forget you, o Jerusalem, may my right hand fall useless!

May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if Jerusalem is not the first of my joys.

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Friday, 28 June 2024 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Kings 25 : 1-12

In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched with his entire army and laid siege to Jerusalem. They camped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was under siege up to the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah.

On the ninth day of the fourth month famine became a serious problem in the city, and throughout the land there was no bread for the people. When the city was opened by a breach in the wall, the Judean army fled through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, while the Chaldeans were still around the city; and they fled towards the Arabah. The Chaldeans followed in hot pursuit of king Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plains of Jericho. All his army deserted him and scattered.

The Chaldeans seized the king and led him away to Riblah in the territory of Hamath and there the king of Babylon passed sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah in his presence. He then put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with a double bronze chain and took him to Babylon.

On the seventh day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, commander of the captain of the royal guard and servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem and set fire to the House of YHVH and the royal palace, as well as to all the houses in Jerusalem. The Chaldean army under the commander of the bodyguard completely demolished all the walls around Jerusalem.

Nebuzaradan, commander of the bodyguard, carried off into exile the last of the Jews left in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the remainder of the artisans. But he left those among the very poor who were capable of working in vineyards and cultivating the soil.

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the Sacred Scriptures that we are all ought to follow the Lord and His truth, His righteousness and virtuous path. The Lord has shown us the path of righteousness and virtue, and taught us His Law, commandments and precepts, and we should do well to resist the temptations to disobey and to abandon Him, for the many wickedness and the evils of this world, which will likely lead us down the path to ruin and destruction. And we should not allow ourselves to be so easily misled and misguided by those who sought to corrupt us and to turn us away from the path of God’s truth and grace. We must also always be vigilant and careful lest we are easily persuaded by the false prophets and teachers who will lead us to our downfall if we are to follow them.

In our first reading today, we listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Scriptures, taken from the Book of Genesis, in which we heard of the moment when God made His Covenant with Abraham, our father in faith, whom He had called from the distant lands of Ur of the Chaldeans, following Him in His commands, all the way to the land of Canaan, which He promised to give to Abraham and to his descendants, even when Abraham himself had not had any son or child to continue his line and inheritance. Abraham was already old and his wife, Sarah was already way beyond the age of childbearing. Yet, Abraham entrusted himself wholly to God and obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly, knowing that God will truly provide for him and his descendants, even when he had not seen all that God had promised yet.

That was why God chose to make His Covenant with Abraham, because of the latter’s tremendous faith and commitment for Him, in his total obedience and commitment to His precepts and path. The Lord knows the heart and the mind, and He knows that the faith in Abraham’s heart is truly true and tested, even amidst the many challenges and trials, and hence, God made His Covenant with him, to be the example to all of mankind, to all of His people, of the love and commitment that He Himself would show them, in caring for them most compassionately, and with the greatest of dedication. The Lord has not abandoned His people and wanted all of them to receive the fullness of His love, and that is why, He called Abraham and all of us to follow Him.

He taught us all that His way is the path of righteousness and justice, which all of us should very well embody in our own lives. Each and every one of us should follow the examples of Abraham, in his unwavering faith and commitment to God, in his conviction to live righteously and worthily in God’s Presence. All of us should follow in the examples of our good, holy and worthy predecessors, while keeping in mind what the Lord Jesus Himself warned His disciples in our Gospel passage today, regarding the matter of false prophets and how those false prophets can mislead and bring about our downfall should we listen to them and follow in the path that they have shown and preached to us. We must not waver in our faith, but remain strong in our dedication and commitment, to serve the Lord ever more worthily in each and every moments.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us as Christians, all of us are God’s people, and therefore, all of us are reminded to be truly His, and His alone, as the Lord went on to use the example of good tree and good fruits that tree will bear, as opposed to the rotten and bad fruits that bad trees will likely bear. Since God is all good and perfect, hence all of us should also show this goodness and perfection in us, within our every words, actions and deeds, and in our every interactions with each other, and in our commitment to follow the Lord in all of our lives, in doing His will and in obeying His Law and commandments, just as how Abraham, our father in faith, and many other holy saints and martyrs, holy men and women of God, our holy predecessors had done.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the great St. Irenaeus, a renowned Church father, holy bishop and martyr of the Faith, who was recently recognised by Pope Francis as one of the venerable Doctors of the Church, with the title of Doctor of Unity, in recognition for his efforts in defending the faith against the heresy of gnosticism and other false teachings, and in his commitment to the Lord, his many works and writings, which inspired many long after his passing, to follow the Lord and to dedicate themselves to Him ever more wholeheartedly. St. Irenaeus had learnt and heard from the other Church fathers, the faith and inspiration of the Apostles, which he carried on to his own mission in becoming the bishop and shepherd of the flock of the Lord in Lyon, in the southern part of what is now known as France.

St. Irenaeus dedicated himself to proclaim the faith in God as a missionary and also as a loving bishop and shepherd, in caring for the needs of those who have been entrusted under his care. He spent a lot of effort in combatting the aforementioned gnostic heresy, dedicating himself to many writings that affirmed the teachings of the Church and God’s truth, and spending a lot of time among his flock to care for them and to lead them from the threats of the false prophets and false teachers who might attempt to twist the truth and misguide those who were not strong enough in their faith and those who were not vigilant against the temptations of the evil one. According to tradition, he was martyred for his faith like many other early Christians and Church fathers, wholly committed to the Lord to the very end.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all hence be inspired by the great examples shown by St. Irenaeus, in his faithful dedication to God and in his courage to stand up for the truth of God, and in his perseverance in his ministry, in how he has faithfully dedicated himself to God and to all those who have been entrusted under his care. Let us hence be inspired by his examples and also by the many others of our holy predecessors, father Abraham, and many of our fellow brothers and sisters, who have lived worthy and holy lives. May God be with us always, and may He empower each and every one of us so that in our every actions, we may always glorify Him by our lives, at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 7 : 15-20

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware of false prophets : they come to you in sheep’s clothing; but inside, they are voracious wolves. You will recognise them by their fruits. Do you ever pick grapes from thorn bushes; or figs, from thistles?”

“A good tree always produces good fruit. A rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit; and a rotten fruit cannot bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruit.”

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 104 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

Give thanks to YHVH, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds.

Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek YHVH rejoice. Look to YHVH and be strong; seek His face always.

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHVH our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

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

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Wednesday, 28 June 2023 : 12th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Genesis 15 : 1-12, 17-18

After Abram met with Melchizedek, the word of YHVH was spoken to Abram in a vision : “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward will be very great!” Abram said, “My Lord YHVH, where are Your promises? I am still childless and all I have will go to Eliezer of Damascus. You have given me no children, so a slave of mine will be my heir.”

Then the word of YHVH was spoken to him again, “Eliezer will not be your heir, but a child born of you (your own flesh and blood) will be your heir.” Then YHVH brought him outside and said to him, “Look up at the sky and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that.”

Abram believed YHVH Who, because of this, held him to be an upright man. And He said, “I am YHVH Who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” Then Abram asked, “My Lord, how am I to know that it shall be mine?” YHVH replied, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon.”

Abram brought all these animals, cut them in two, and laid each half facing its other half, but he did not cut the birds in half. The birds of prey came down upon them, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep came over Abram, and a dreadful darkness took hold of him.

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the victims. On that day YHVH made a Covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this country from the river of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”

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Tuesday, 28 June 2022 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are reminded that all of us must have trust in God, and believe that in Him we shall be well taken care of, and we have nothing to fear or worry about. We have to believe that in God we shall be triumphant in the end, and not fall into the temptations to abandon Him for other sources of comfort in life. Often times we may be swayed to turn to those distractions that can prevent us from finding our path in God, but this is where our Christian faith should hold us firm in our trust in God.

In our first reading, we heard yet again from the prophet Amos, the prophet whom God had called from the land of Judah to prophesy and proclaim the word and will of God among the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, during the last years of its existence. By that time, the northern kingdom of Israel had already long defied the Lord and its people and king had always committed what is vile and wicked in the sight of God, and the Lord hence proclaimed His judgment on them through Amos.

The Lord told them all that there is nothing that He does not know about the actions and behaviours of the people whose wickedness had been so despicable and unbecoming of those whom God had called to be His own people. He said to them that everything that happened in this world, are known to Him, and by their own actions and deeds hence, they would be judged and crushed by their sins, by their stubbornness and wickedness, and shall be consigned to the eternal darkness and suffering.

The prophet Amos was prophesying of the coming downfall of the kingdom of Israel, which happened just a few decades after the time of the ministry of Amos, proving that everything which the Lord had spoken truly came true, and serve as a good lesson and reminder to us, that if we turn away from God and continue walking down the path of sin, in the end, we will likely fall into ruin and destruction, if we leave the Lord and His assurances behind, and follow the tides and sway of the world instead.

Today, in our Gospel passage, we also heard about the story of when the Lord Jesus and His disciples were travelling a boat in the middle of a great storm, with lots of wind and waves, battering against the boat in which the Lord and His disciples were in. The disciples were afraid and were panicking, worried that the storm and the waves would overcome them, and sink the boat. They woke the Lord up and begged Him to help them, and to save them from their predicament. The Lord rebuked and chided them for their lack of faith, but said then that they truly had nothing to fear about, and they ought to have faith in Him.

The Lord proceeded then to miraculously calm the storm down, and the whole place become calm again, with no trace of the storm, the wind or the waves, in the sight of all the incredulous disciples, who were all astonished at seeing such great miracles occurring before their very own eyes. They were persuaded that truly, the One they were following was the Holy One of God, the Messiah and the Son of God, as they themselves witnessed in many other occasions, of His miraculous deeds, works and great Wisdom.

Now, through what we have heard in that story, there were plenty of symbolisms there, which should serve as a reminder for us in how we are to follow the Lord faithfully. First of all, the boat is a representation of the Church, while the waves, the storm and the wind are representative of the troubles, trials and challenges that the Church and the faithful often face in this world, all the temptations and struggles, the forces of evil and those who seek to sway us to the path towards destruction. And what we must then therefore remember is that the Lord never abandons His Church and His flock, and He is journeying with us through this turbulent world.

If we choose to jump ship and to abandon Him and the Church, then we shall surely perish in the waves and the storm. The disciples, although they were afraid and were panicking, but they at least trusted in the Lord and believed in Him, and called on Him to help them out of their predicament. Contrast this to the Israelites who sought for help from various sources but the Lord, putting their trust in the pagan gods and idols, and believing in the false prophets and leaders who misled them down the path of evil and disobedience against God. The Lord showed us all what those people would experience and how they fell from His grace into suffering.

Today, we should also heed the good examples set by St. Irenaeus, whose feast day we are celebrating today. St. Irenaeus was the renowned bishop of the region of what is today southern France, who hailed from Smyrna in Asia Minor, who was a courageous defender of the faith and was renowned for his many efforts to defend the Christian orthodoxy against the many heretical teachings and efforts to undermine the Church by various groups and peoples. The Lord has called St. Irenaeus to minister to his flock, and he did so amazingly, spending a lot of time and effort to care for them and also in his time spent in his writings and works against the heretical teachings of his day.

In his most famous work, Against Heresies, St. Irenaeus strongly defended Christian truths and orthodox teachings against the numerous fallacies and falsehoods promoted by the supporters of those wicked teachings, and he also persevered and laboured hard against those among the authorities and the people who supported the heretical paths. St. Irenaeus committed himself thoroughly to serve the Lord and to glorify Him by his works and deeds, becoming a great champion of the Christian faithful, and whose dedication earned him the title of Doctor Unitatis or the Doctor of Unity, declared by Pope Francis, our current Pope as the newest Doctor of the Church very recently.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the Lord with renewed faith and commit ourselves thoroughly to Him from now on. Let us no longer be stubborn and be easily swayed by those who sought to lead us down the path of ruin, and remember that through the Lord alone there is salvation, true happiness and grace. May God be with us all and may He bless each and every one of us, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 28 June 2022 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Matthew 8 : 23-27

At that time, Jesus got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a fierce storm burst upon the lake, with waves sweeping the boat. But Jesus was asleep.

The disciples woke Him up and cried, “Lord save us! We are lost!” But Jesus answered, “Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?” Then He stood up and rebuked the wind and sea; and it became completely calm.

The disciples were astonished. They said, “What kind of Man is He? Even the winds and the sea obey Him.”