William Cardinal Goh The Shepherd's Voice

Simeon in today’s gospel teaches us how to prepare to depart from this world. We read that he “was an upright and devout man.” Living a life of integrity and honesty is certainly a pre-requisite for us to die in peace. When we live an inconsistent lifestyle, a life of sin, a life of deceit and irresponsibility, a life that is lived only for oneself, without regard for the rights of others, then we...

Our children are gifts from God, for us to form them in love and faithfulness to Him. When our children have faith and piety for the Lord, they will be faithful to us and love us even more.

In celebrating the first coming of Christ, the Church puts in perspective His life, death and resurrection. We have regained our dignity as God’s children and we know for certain that our goal is to be with God our Father after our journey in this life. We live with hope and confidence that there is a tomorrow. So how do we celebrate the past so that the present becomes a real foretaste of th...

God wants to be close to us, and all His people. Let us welcome Him, and share about Him with others. Like John the Baptist, may we proclaim the forgiveness of our Lord in our lives, and show the way to those who walk in darkness and in despair by giving them hope in our Lord, the Rising Sun.

Like Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah, we have to ask ourselves how God is working in our lives and wants us to cooperate in His plan of salvation. In these days of preparations and celebrations, let us not forget to make time for our Lord, for silence and contemplation.

Israel suffered from a long series of inefficient, evil and weak kings. The last of whom was King Zedekiah, whose name means "righteousness". But he was anything but that. Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament: a true and righteous king. A king of integrity, justice and peace. 

Without joy, there is no Good News to proclaim. Good news can only be proclaimed when we have encountered the joy of God. The timing of this celebration coincides providentially with the Third Sunday of Advent which is celebrated as Gaudete Sunday, the day of rejoicing. Indeed, today is a day of double rejoicing because we are celebrating our 200th Anniversary and also because we are already exper...

The best way to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ is to bring others to Jesus. By our love, encouragement, joy, prayers, and faith sharing, we help others encounter Jesus. In turn, we will also encounter Him deeply.

In the gospel, Jesus encountered the same lame excuses of the religious leaders in rejecting His message. He used the analogy of how children played among themselves. “What description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place: ‘We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.'” In us...

Like John the Baptist, if we live with honesty, integrity, and a clear conscience - always seeking to do good and what is true - we need not fear anything. Even when others misunderstand and misjudge us, we will do what is right. For we are accountable to God, who gives us grace to live out His will for us.

Being able to respond so freely to the angel’s annunciation of God’s choice for her to be the Messiah’s mother implies she must have had a deep intimacy and relationship with God. When we are able to act freely without hindrance it means that the effects of original sin do not have a hold over us. This is why even for us who are baptized we are given extra graces to resist sin in spite o...

For the glory of God to shine through us, we need to straighten our lives. We need to put our lives in order. What are the mountains that we need to level? Is it our pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, and self-reliance that hinder us from recognizing the goodness of God in our lives and the love of our fellowmen? What are the valleys that keep us from being receptive to God’s love and our fellowm...

In his public ministry, Jesus was often moved with compassion to help those who were poor, sick, and desperate. Today, He is inviting us to be co-workers in the vineyard, to reach out to the lost sheep in our midst. How can we help them to find hope in God?

It does not matter whether we are apostles or prophets, but we are all called to witness to Christ through the blessings and gifts He has given to us for the service of love, which is ultimately the proclamation of the Good News, whether in words or in deeds. This explains why St Paul considered the proclamation of the Good News as a duty imposed on him since the Lord gave him the command to preac...

Acting on the Word of God requires courage, perseverance and faith. It presumes that we believe that God is faithful to His word, that He is the everlasting Rock. In the final analysis, it all depends on our personal relationship with the Lord. If we know Him as a person, we will be faithful to Him. Faith grows in and through intimacy. The final test of faith will be seen in the trials we face and...

The Eucharist is not just consumed by an individual for his or her own needs. Rather, the Eucharist is consumed as a community, to strengthen the bonds of the community. It is spiritual food that helps us to share what we have with others, and in the sufferings of others.

It was with great expectation and hope that the early Christians waited for the Parousia, not with fear but with great joy. With Christ’s coming, He would bring justice, peace and restoration. It would be a time when all sufferings come to an end and those who are faithful will be rewarded with eternal life in Christ. This, too, should be our attitude, whether it is with regard to the first coming...

We live in a world with much hypocrisy and inconsistency. If we are not careful, we will allow the world to desensitise us to what is wrong and right. We must stay awake, praying always for strength.

Our response to the challenges facing us should not be one of discouragement or despair. Scripture is confident that God will reign at the end of time. We need to flourish in our spiritual life. We must produce the fruits of the Spirit. We must allow the Kingdom of God to bear fruits in our life. That is why we must continue to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Eventually, God w...

Like Daniel in today’s first reading, let us be respectful of the customs and laws of the land, whilst being faithful to God. Let us show ourselves to be good citizens, helping to contribute to the growth of the country, promoting dialogue among peoples of different religions and cultures, and most of all, fostering unity in the country.

Only united with our Lord and relying on the Holy Spirit can we overcome the trials and persecution of this world. On our own we will fail. The way to victory is not just fortitude but finding faith in the Lord. Only knowing Christ, His passion, death and resurrection will give us the strength and the endurance to fight the good fight until the end. Jesus assures us that He will give us the Holy S...

Jesus was the king of truth and manifested His royal power not by force but by bearing witness to the Truth. Jesus showed Himself to be King by being faithful to Himself, to His identity and His mission, which is uniting all peoples together in love by being reconciled with God. The kingdom that He came to establish is a spiritual kingdom. He was seeking to establish the rule of God which is one o...

What really makes us happy in life are beautiful, enriching, and lasting relationships. Relationships where bonding, support and encouragement are present. These, in turn, motivate us to extend that same love and support to others.

We often mask the demoralized state of our personal Temple by external worship and observances. This temptation is very real, especially for those of us in positions of power, whether in politics or in religion. We appear to be righteous and serving the people, but we abuse their trust and authority by making use of people for our needs, pleasures and our riches. This is why the temptation to use...

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus set forth the blueprint to peace and a blessed life. He taught us purity of heart, compassion and mercy, poverty of spirit and the call to be peacemakers. The path of Jesus is non-violence and acceptance of sinners and gentiles. Today, let us pray specially for political and religious leaders, that they work together for the common good, so that peace may prevail.