ALL ARE WELCOME

20260214 ALL ARE WELCOME

 

14 February 2026, Saturday, Dedication of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

¹ Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,

for soon my salvation will come,

and my deliverance be revealed.

⁶ “And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,

to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,

and to be his servants,

every one who keeps the sabbath, and does not profane it,

and holds fast my covenant—

⁷ these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

will be accepted on my altar;

for my house shall be called a house of prayer

for all peoples.

 

Psalms 84 : 3-5, 10-11

³ Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at thy altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in thy house,

ever singing thy praise! [Selah]

⁵ Blessed are the men whose strength is in thee,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.^r

¹⁰ For a day in thy courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

he bestows favor and honor.

 

Eph 2: 19-22

⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; ²² in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Lk 19:1-10

¹ He entered Jericho and was passing through. ² And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. ³ And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. ⁴ So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. ⁵ And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶ So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. ⁷ And when they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” ⁸ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold.” ⁹ And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”

ALL ARE WELCOME

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isa 56:1,6-7; Ps 84:3-5,10-11; Eph 2:19-22; Lk 19:1-10]

Today, we celebrate the Dedication of our Cathedral. It is significant and most appropriate that among all the names our forefathers could have chosen for this Cathedral, they dedicated it to Christ, the Good Shepherd. What their exact intention was, we do not know; but in hindsight, we can understand the wisdom of naming this Cathedral The Good Shepherd. Accordingly, as we reflect on this Solemnity of the Dedication, it is fitting to ask ourselves what it means for this Cathedral to be truly The Good Shepherd–not just in name, but in fact.

As the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, situated at the heart of the city, our doors must be kept open to anyone who comes to the House of God. It is not enough for the Cathedral to serve only our own parishioners, who come from all over Singapore. True to its role as the mother church, we rejoice that the Cathedral is a gathering place for God’s children from all our parishes, recognising it as the mother of all baptised Catholics in our archdiocese. However, in a special way, those who come to this Cathedral–and even more so those who serve here–have a particular calling to reach out to a larger group of people: visitors from all over the world, many of whom belong to the Universal Church. We are called to care especially for migrants working in Singapore and to make them feel that they are part of this universal Church. In a special way, we are also called to reach out to sinners, whether they are lapsed Catholics or not, offering them peace and reconciliation.

Indeed, in the first reading, the prophet Isaiah said that the day has come when God accepts eunuchs and foreigners into His house. This represents a departure from the Decree of Moses, when eunuchs and foreigners were not admitted to the assembly of the Lord (cf. Dt 23:3). Eunuchs were excluded because a pure sacrifice could only be offered to the Lord when both the sacrifice and the one offering were unblemished. Foreigners were excluded because of the atrocities and hostilities suffered by Israel at their hands. Yet now, all these–eunuchs, foreigners, and outsiders–are given a place in the House of the Lord. There is hope for everyone, whether Jew or not. Truly, all are welcome in this House!

To help us understand our role better, the point of departure is Christ Himself. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.” (Jn 10:10,11,14-16) Jesus comes for everyone, regardless of who we are. His sole purpose is that we might have life abundantly. Jesus is the fulfilment of the Good Shepherd prophesied by Ezekiel: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.” (Ezek 34:16)

Indeed, as the Good Shepherd, Jesus is concerned for everyone’s well-being and, more importantly, their salvation. In the Gospel, we see the conversion story of Zacchaeus. He was a great sinner–a senior tax collector and a wealthy man–yet apparently unhappy and unfulfilled. He was looking for something more. He represents those of us who appear successful in life by worldly standards – wealth, luxury, and comfort. Yet, like Zacchaeus, we may live with guilt, especially when our riches or success are built on dishonesty, exploitation, or injustice.

When Jesus entered Jericho, Zacchaeus “was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd.” Certainly, Zacchaeus was asking himself what this man could offer that he did not have. Deep in his heart, Zacchaeus longed to see Jesus, though he felt unworthy even to meet Him. For him, even a glimpse would bring some consolation. This is true for all who are weighed down by sin: grace is always at work in the heart, creating a vacuum only God’s love can fill. God never truly abandons us even when we sin grievously. Yet, sometimes obstacles–our own limitations or the crowd around us–make it seem almost impossible to encounter the Lord.

Zacchaeus was so desperate to see the Lord that “he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus, who was to pass that way.” And the Lord, sensitive to his search for peace and God, looked up and spoke: “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.” We can imagine the joy Zacchaeus felt–beyond anything he could have imagined–that Jesus noticed him and even made an exception to stay with a sinner. And so “he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.” What greater joy is there than to have Jesus in our hearts!

Accordingly, as parishioners and visitors to the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, we, must also seek to imitate Jesus, the Good Shepherd. In other words, the Cathedral must be a place where all feel welcome in the House of God. Ministry members must serve with this in mind, understanding that they are not only serving Catholics who come regularly to the Cathedral for Mass but also many others who do not. This is important, as not everyone is familiar with the church and its disciplines. It calls for sensitivity, accommodation, and tact in ensuring order in worship, but not to the extent that we become rigid, unbending, or inflexible. Otherwise, we might drive away a sinner or a non-Catholic seeking to encounter the Lord in our Cathedral. We are all ambassadors of the Good Shepherd.

All of us are called to be “citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household.” However, while all are welcome, it does not mean that they automatically belong to the family of God if they continue to live lives that contradict Christ. They are welcome to come to church, but if they desire something more, if they desire salvation, they must choose to change their lives, just as Zacchaeus did. When people complained, seeing what was happening, “He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house” Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody, I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.'” Indeed, to welcome Jesus into our house, we must change our lifestyle.

This same message is found in the first reading. Even though eunuchs and foreigners were welcomed to the Temple to worship, there was a condition: they must observe the Sabbath–not merely keeping Sabbath rest but living a life of justice and integrity. “Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest. Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve Him and to love His name and be His servants–all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant–these I will bring to my holy mountain.” Finally, this means observing all the teachings of our Lord as taught by the apostles and the Church today, as St. Paul reminds us: “You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on Him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in Him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.” All are welcome, but not all are saved unless we change our lifestyle to reflect that of our Lord–walking in charity, justice, and compassion, faithful to His Word.

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

• Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
• Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
• It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

EPHPHATHA, BE OPENED

20260213 EPHPHATHA, BE OPENED

 

13 February 2026, Friday, 5th Week in Ordinary Time

First reading

1 Kings 11:29-32,12:19

Solomon is unfaithful; the Lord moderates his wrath

One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips, saying to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten strips for yourself, for thus the Lord speaks, the God of Israel, “I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give ten tribes to you. He shall keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’

  And Israel has been separated from the House of David until the present day.

How to listen

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 80(81):10-15

I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.

Let there be no foreign god among you,

  no worship of an alien god.

I am the Lord your God,

  who brought you from the land of Egypt.

I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.

But my people did not heed my voice

  and Israel would not obey,

so I left them in their stubbornness of heart

  to follow their own designs.

I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.

O that my people would heed me,

  that Israel would walk in my ways!

At once I would subdue their foes,

  turn my hand against their enemies.

I am the Lord your God: listen to my warning.

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Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn6:63,68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or:	cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Mark 7:31-37

'He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak'

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

 

EPHPHATHA, BE OPENED

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19; Ps 81:10-15; Mk 7:31-37]

As the pace of life becomes faster each day, there is a real danger that we are no longer able to hear one another clearly. We are all so busy with our own lives, rushing from one activity to another, that we no longer have time to listen to our loved ones, our friends, and our colleagues. Most of all, we do not find time to listen to ourselves, to our bodies, and to God. By not listening, we gradually lose touch with life and with people. We begin to live in our own world, thinking and believing that this is the only world that exists, and assuming that others think the same way we do. To know ourselves, to know God, and to understand life, it is important that we learn how to feel with others and to listen to them attentively.

That was how Jesus conducted His ministry. Jesus was always sensitive to the feelings of people, especially those to whom He ministered. When a leper approached Him for healing, Jesus was “moved with pity, stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!'” (Mk 1:41). When Peter’s mother-in-law “was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once, he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up” (Mk 1:30). This was despite the fact that He had just finished preaching in the synagogue and casting out an unclean spirit. Earlier still, just before today’s incident, Jesus healed the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman who was possessed by a demon. He was sensitive to her cry for help even though He had wished to remain unnoticed. Jesus consistently placed the needs of others before His own convenience. 

In today’s Gospel, we have another account of Jesus healing a deaf man, again from the Gentile region of the Decapolis. “They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke clearly.” One might wonder why Jesus went through such deliberate steps when He could have healed the man from a distance, as He did with the centurion’s servant (Lk 7:1-10). It was certainly not because Jesus needed these actions in order to heal him.

Rather, Jesus understood and felt with the deaf man in his situation. Firstly, a deaf man would not have been able to hear what Jesus wanted to say to him, and even after hearing, he might have felt embarrassed to speak because his words were not easily formed. Understanding his predicament and lack of confidence, Jesus took him aside from the crowd so that he would not feel exposed or embarrassed. Secondly, by putting His fingers into the man’s ears, Jesus communicated in a way the man could understand that healing was about to take place. By touching his tongue with spittle, He indicated that the impediment to speech was being removed. Finally, by looking up to heaven and sighing before saying, “Ephphatha,” Jesus made clear that the healing came from God. In other words, the man was being opened not only to hearing and speech, but also to God’s word and healing grace.

Immediately, “his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke clearly.” The reaction of the crowd was one of admiration. “Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said; ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.'” They could not keep silent about the marvellous miracle they had witnessed, even though Jesus “ordered them to tell no one about it; but the more he insisted, the more widely they proclaimed it.” Truly, Jesus was not merely a miracle healer. He was a man deeply in touch with the physical and emotional sufferings of humanity. Being a good doctor in terms of medical skill alone is not enough; true healing also comes from empathy and compassion.

In truth, by restoring the man, Jesus did more than restore his ability to hear and speak. The healing symbolically expressed that Jesus had come to restore creation to what it was meant to be when God first created the world. Because of sin, humanity had lost its integrity and the preternatural gifts bestowed by God. For this reason, Mark’s account of the restoration of the man’s hearing and speech alludes to the work of God in creation, when after each day, “God saw that it was good” (cf. Gn 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 24). In doing so, Jesus reveals the beauty of creation and teaches us how we should mediate the love of God through the realities of created life. God became man so that we might encounter Him in Christ. Our encounter with God remains sacramental because we are not pure spirits.

In contrast, Rehoboam, who succeeded Solomon, was disconnected from his people. Solomon had initiated many large projects, from building works and the repair of the walls of Jerusalem to the construction of reservoirs and temples. Jeroboam was a capable and respected man, and Solomon placed him in charge of the labour force of the house of Joseph. As a result, his close ties with the northern tribes later gave him the power base to rebel against Rehoboam, bringing an end to the rule of the Davidic dynasty over Northern Israel. The main reason for the dissatisfaction among the people of the Northern Kingdom was the inequality practiced during Solomon’s reign, as the southerners were not conscripted for the labour demanded by these projects. This caused resentment in the north toward the south and particularly toward King Solomon.

When Rehoboam ascended the throne, God revealed to Jeroboam that he would one day have his own kingdom. The punishment foretold to Solomon for turning away from the Lord to worship false gods was about to take effect after his death (cf. 1 Kgs 11:11-13). Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh took a new cloak and met Jeroboam outside Jerusalem. He tore the cloak into twelve pieces, gave Jeroboam ten pieces, and explained that Israel would be divided. The descendants of David from the tribe of Judah would retain one additional tribe, Benjamin, while Jeroboam would govern the remaining ten tribes. Thus, Israel remained in the Promised Land, but now in a divided and weakened state.

Again, this situation could have been prevented if Rehoboam had been more sympathetic to the dissatisfaction of the people from the Northern Tribes. He handled the situation badly. He failed to feel with the people who were angered by the king’s double standard policy of forced labour. Instead of listening to the elders, who were more experienced in dealing with the people and who advised Rehoboam to accede to the demands of the Northern tribes by lightening their burdens in building the southern projects, he took the advice of the younger counsellors of his own age. “‘If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.’ But he disregarded the advice that the older men gave him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and now attended him.” (1 Kgs 12:7f) They were young and did not understand the challenges that the people from the Northern tribes were facing. Being ambitious, proud, insecure, and having an entitlement mentality, they advised Rehoboam to put the crowd in its place. Instead of embracing servant leadership, he used his authority to compel the people to serve him. He was harsh with them for making their demands known to him.

The lack of sensitivity and poor judgment caused the people to rebel against Rehoboam. Without hesitation, the people rejected his authority over them. They renounced any responsibility to David’s dynasty and left Rehoboam to rule Judah alone. As a result of his miscalculation of the people’s anger, the kingdom broke apart. Rehoboam fled for his life, and Jeroboam was chosen by the people to be king in the north, and thus God’s word was fulfilled. It is a lesson for us as well that the only way to govern people is through servant leadership. Leaders are meant to be at the service of the people; this is the proper relationship between leaders and those they serve. The moment a leader begins to work for himself, using the people for his own interests and ambitions, the people will rebel, and credibility and authority to rule will eventually be lost. Indeed, we must always be like our Lord who came to serve and to walk with us. He came to heal us and to restore us to wholeness. Jesus redefined power and leadership as service to all. (cf. Mk 10:42-44)

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

• Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
• Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
• It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

---

Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.