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
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.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment