William Cardinal Goh The Shepherd's Voice

How should Christians respond to authority figures who fail in their responsibility or abuse their power? The story of David and King Saul teaches us that respect for authority does not mean endorsing wrongdoing. David chose patience, humility, and deep trust in God’s timing, and believed that only God has the authority to remove a leader. Even when he had the opportunity to seize power and harm Saul, David was convicted that goodness must never be achieved through violence or revenge.The Gospel reminds us that even Jesus walked patiently with imperfect leaders, including Judas, who could not accept God’s way of working. True leadership and discipleship require walking closely with God and with those we serve, trusting that God remains in control even when human authority fails. Reflection Question: Where in your life are you being invited to trust God’s timing rather than taking control yourself?

The world celebrates ambition, yet ambition often breeds jealousy, fear, and insecurity, as seen in King Saul’s response to David’s success. Christian life calls us instead to vocation, a life oriented toward God and the service of others. When we trust God’s plan and embrace where He has placed us, we are freed from comparison, envy, and the need for recognition. Jonathan shows us the peace of a heart secure in God’s will, David reminds us to examine our motives, and Jesus models service rooted in love rather than fame or power. True vocation transforms our hearts, allowing us to serve with joy, humility, and courage, celebrating the success of others while remaining faithful to God’s calling in our own lives.Reflection Question: Where in my life might ambition be disguising itself as service and what would change if I truly trusted that God has placed me exactly where I am meant to be?

Where is our focus in life? What we choose to focus on will shape how we respond, how we endure, and even how we hope.David stood before Goliath not by relying on weapons or strength, but by fixing his eyes on God who had never failed him. On this memorial of St Agnes, we see the same faith at work. Though young and vulnerable, she found courage by focusing her life entirely on the Lord. Jesus shows us true focus, not on rules for their own sake, but on mercy, compassion, and the urgent need to do good. His attention is fixed on the one who is suffering, reminding us that love cannot wait.When we focus on God rather than our fears, inadequacies, or self-interest, we gain the freedom and courage to act with faith, compassion, and hope, even in the midst of struggle.Reflection Question: When I am faced with my own “giants” or encounter suffering around me, where is my focus? How is the Lord inviting me to shift my gaze today?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges a rigid understanding of the Sabbath law. While the law was given to guide God’s people, Jesus reminds us that it must always serve life, love, and the glory of God. The Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath. True obedience is not about legal perfection, but about living in the spirit of love, mercy, and grace. When everything we do—work, service, ministry, or rest—is offered for God’s glory and the good of others, the law is not broken but fulfilled.Reflection Question: In my daily life, do I focus more on simply following rules, or on living the spirit of love and grace that Jesus calls me to?

When Israel was defeated in battle, instead of discerning God’s will, they assume that bringing the Ark of the Covenant will guarantee victory. But the real problem was not the absence of the Ark, it was their refusal to live the covenant. When the Ark was captured, the message was clear: God cannot be manipulated. What He desires is a conversion of heart. Failures, suffering, and setbacks are not signs that God has abandoned us or His way of revenge on us. Often, they are invitations for us to examine our lives, purify our intentions, humble ourselves and deepen our trust in Him. True healing begins not when we try to control God, but when we surrender to Him.Reflection Question: Where have I been relying on religious habits, rituals, or explanations to avoid honestly facing what God is calling me to change?

Jesus’ life and ministry are completely one. From morning to evening, he serves tirelessly: not only the crowds, but also his close collaborators and their families. Jesus’ ministry is not a job with fixed hours; it is his life, flowing from his deep love for the Father and for the people. His strength comes from prayer. By rising early to pray, Jesus remains clear, focused, and free from self-interest. In contrast, Eli whose years in ministry led to complacency and spiritual blindness. He could no longer recognise God’s voice or respond with urgency. What was once a calling, had become a routine.When love fades into habit, when service becomes a burden, when we cling to roles instead of responding to God’s call, ministry quietly turns into just another job. Jesus shows us the way: a life poured out, sustained by prayer, always free to go where the Father sends.Today we are invited to examine our own service: Is it still rooted in prayer and love, or has it become mere routine? Like Samuel, may we learn to say, “Here I am, Lord,” and serve with renewed zeal and faithfulness.Reflection Question: Is my service still flowing from prayer and love, or has it become routine, obligation, or mere work?

True ministry draws its power from prayer and holiness, not from position or activity. Eli held religious authority but lacked spiritual depth. Over time, he became blind to what God was doing and failed those entrusted to his care. Hannah, though insignificant in society, prayed with humility and trust. When God gave her a child, she did not cling to him but offered him back to the Lord for the service of others. Her prayer was answered because it was not centred on herself.In the Gospel, Jesus reveals the true source of authority: a life rooted in intimacy with the Father. Leadership in the Church and in life, cannot be reduced to efficiency, activity or status. Without prayer, integrity, and self-gift, leadership becomes empty. Only lives offered beyond ourselves, like Hannah and Jesus, can truly bear fruit for the community.Reflection Question: How is my relationship with God shaping the way I serve, lead, and give myself to others in this season of my life?

After the Feast of the Epiphany, the Church continues to reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation. St John reminds us that to deny Jesus’ coming in the flesh is to misunderstand salvation itself. If Jesus were not truly human, He could not truly save us. As the Letter to the Hebrews teaches, Jesus lived fully as one of us, sharing our struggles and suffering, so that He could lead us to God. Today, while Jesus’ humanity is easily accepted, His divinity is often softened or avoided. Out of fear of appearing exclusive, Jesus is reduced to a good teacher or one figure among many. In doing so, we weaken our faith and obscure the Gospel. Reflection Question: How does believing that He is both truly God and truly human change the way I trust Him, follow Him, and live the Gospel today?

We are often tempted to be vague about our faith in order to be inclusive or socially acceptable. Jesus is sometimes presented merely as a moral teacher, a social reformer, or a symbol of peace; rather than the Son of God and Saviour of the world. Such ambiguity may sound gentle, but in truth, it erodes integrity. When faith is reduced to vague values and carefully chosen words, truth becomes negotiable.St John reminds us to hold fast to what we received from the beginning. Rooted in Scripture and Tradition, and guided by the Holy Spirit, we are called to confess Christ without fear and to surround ourselves with friends who help us grow in truth and holiness, like Saints Basil and Gregory.Reflection Question: Have I become ambiguous about my faith in Jesus, and who in my life helps me grow in truth, holiness and courage?

Anna, the prophetess, was not influential, powerful, or publicly recognised. Yet her faithfulness did not go unnoticed by God. Anna represents the many hidden servants in the Church: those who pray silently, who serve faithfully behind the scenes, who offer their lives in small, unseen ways. Though the world may overlook them, God sees their hearts.Because her heart was prepared, Anna was able to recognise Jesus when He was presented in the Temple. This reminds us that Christmas is not merely the remembrance of Christ’s birth in history, but an invitation for Christ to be born anew in our hearts.St John reminds us that sin and love for the world create barriers to encountering God. True freedom and joy come not from material gifts, but from forgiveness and obedience to God’s Word. Reflection Question: What might be crowding my heart this Christmas, and what is the Lord inviting me to let go of so that He may truly be born in me?

Christmas reveals a love that does not stop at tenderness or sentimentality. God’s gift is not merely a beautiful baby in a crib, but His very self: a love that empties itself completely, even unto the cross.St Stephen understood this deeply. For him, welcoming Christ meant embracing the whole Christ—His life, His teaching, His passion, and His resurrection. That is why Stephen’s faith was lived out in service to the poor, courage in witness, and love even for his persecutors. As he was being put to death, he prayed for those who harmed him, just as Jesus did on the cross.Christmas is an invitation to let Christ be born in us, through lives poured out in love, quietly, steadily, and faithfully.Reflection Question: Where do I sense God calling me to love more deeply, forgive more freely, or give more of myself, even when it costs?

As we approach the Nativity of our Lord, we are invited to reflect on the lives of Mary and Hannah, ordinary, humble women through whom God worked extraordinary miracles. Their praise was not self-centred; it magnified God for His power, mercy, and faithfulness. Like them, we are called to praise God not just for what we receive, but for who He is and what He does in our lives and in the world, especially raising the lowly and filling the poor with blessings. True praise transforms our hearts, elevates God, and points others to His goodness.Reflection Question: How can I cultivate a heart of praise like Mary and Hannah, focusing not on what I receive, but on who God is and what He does in the world?

Barrenness is not only the inability to have children, but the deeper feeling that our lives have not been fruitful or meaningful. Many of us work hard, sacrifice much, and even succeed in the world, yet still feel an emptiness within. In the lives of Manoah’s wife and Elizabeth, we see that nothing is impossible for God. When God gives life, He also gives a plan. True fruitfulness is not measured by success, but by faithfulness to God’s call.Advent reminds us to slow down, listen, and trust. When we place our faith in God’s plan, He turns barrenness into blessing and fills our lives with hope and joy as we prepare for Christmas.Reflection Question: Where do I experience barrenness in my life, and how is God inviting me through silence and trust to bear fruit according to His plan?

As we pray O Adonai, we remember that the world longs for a true King. Human leadership often fails, but Jesus comes as a different kind of ruler — one who leads with wisdom, integrity, and compassion. His authority flows from his relationship with the Father, and his leadership unites rather than divides.The Gospel shows us St Joseph as a model of quiet leadership: faithful, humble, and obedient to God’s will. Jesus grew up witnessing Joseph’s integrity and learned that true leadership is lived, not claimed.This Advent, Christ invites us to lead not by power, but by service — with humility, faithfulness, and trust in God.Reflection Question: How is Christ calling me to grow in wisdom, integrity, and compassion so that my leadership reflects His kingship?

As we begin the O Antiphons with O Wisdom, the Church invites us to prepare for Christmas by trusting God’s long and patient plan of salvation. The genealogy of Jesus reminds us that God works through real history and imperfect people. From Abraham to David and beyond, salvation unfolded slowly, not because God delayed, but because humanity needed time to be formed. Jesus’ family tree is filled with sinners and saints alike, showing us that God does not wait for perfection before He acts. Grace heals and elevates our broken nature, and neither sin nor failure can stop God’s plan.As Christmas draws near, we are called to trust God’s wisdom in our own lives. Even our weaknesses and mistakes can become part of His saving work when we surrender them to Him.Reflection Question: Where in my life am I struggling to trust God’s timing or wisdom, and how is He inviting me to surrender this Advent?

Advent invites us to look again: to see not with our natural eyes, but with the eyes of faith. Today’s homily reminds us that discouragement, confusion, and even the darkness we face in the world do not have the final word. God has already promised renewal, restoration, and new life. But to recognise His work, we must learn to see as He sees.Like the two blind men in the Gospel, we may each have our own limitations, weaknesses, or wounds. Yet God always compensates. Where one faculty is lacking, another is strengthened. And He continues to reveal Himself in countless ways, through Scripture, through others, through silence, through unexpected moments of grace. The real question is: Are we paying attention?During this Advent season, the Lord invites us to slow down, to take time to reflect on the past year, and to recognise the subtle, gentle ways He has been guiding, forming, and loving us. Faith does not mean God will answer our prayers exactly as we wish. Rather, faith means trusting that He sees more than we do, and that His answers, visible or hidden, are always for our good.May this Advent be a time for renewed sight, humble trust, and deeper intimacy with the Lord who comes to heal, to restore, and to make all things new.

St Francis Xavier did not become one of the Church’s greatest missionaries because he was brilliant, adventurous, or influential. His mission began the moment he encountered Jesus personally and allowed that encounter to reorient his life. Authentic mission, whether in our families, workplaces, or parishes, cannot grow out of obligation or cultural convenience. It springs from a heart convinced that Jesus is the One who gives fullness of life. Like St Francis Xavier and St Paul, we are invited to rediscover this inner call: a renewed personal conversion that allows us to proclaim the Gospel not merely by words, but by the way we accompany people, listen with humility, and walk with them in the Spirit. True synodality begins here, shepherds and sheep journeying together, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak, purify, and guide. This is the path of real evangelisation today: to be with people, to understand their world, their culture, and to reveal Christ who is already present in their midst.Reflection Question: How is Jesus inviting me to a deeper personal encounter with Him: one that renews my desire and courage to share the Gospel with others?

Advent invites us to look beyond the surface chaos of our world and recognise the quiet work of God breaking in. Today’s readings remind us that Jesus comes not only to restore creation to harmony, but to restore our relationship with the Father. True peace begins when we allow Jesus to reveal the Father’s heart to us and when we receive our identity as His beloved children.But this gift is seen only by the humble, those who stay grateful, attentive, and open-hearted. If we live with humility, we begin to notice God’s tender interventions in the small, ordinary moments: a new morning, a simple act of kindness, a quiet prompting of grace. This is how the Kingdom is already unfolding in our midst.As we journey through Advent, may we cultivate hearts that see, receive, and rejoice in the Father’s love: the deepest joy of all.Reflection Question: How can I recognise God’s presence with greater humility, gratitude, and openness this Advent?

Today's Scriptures remind us that the true danger of success is not success itself, but the illusion that it is ours alone. King Belshazzar inherited greatness, but pride blinded him. Instead of remembering the God who had delivered and taught his father, he grew complacent, arrogant, and dismissive of the Holy God of Israel. Like Belshazzar, we too risk drifting into pride when life goes well; when our work flourishes, when people praise us, when we feel strong and capable. Pride convinces us that we owe nothing to God, and humility becomes an inconvenience. But God, in love, confronts us. Sometimes through failures, sometimes through crises, and sometimes simply through a quiet inner stirring that unsettles our self-sufficiency.Jesus promises that if we remain faithful and responsible, He will defend us. Not necessarily by preserving our earthly life, but by safeguarding us for eternal life. True security is not in our achievements, but in belonging to Him.Reflection Question: How is God inviting me to return to humility and dependence on Him today?

As the liturgical year ends, the Church reminds us to reflect on our own ending, a moment we often avoid because we assume we have plenty of time. Yet Jesus tells us that everything in this world, even the greatest things we build, will one day pass away. What endures is not our achievements but our faithfulness and trust in God.Instead of clinging to what fades, the Lord calls us to live each day with gratitude, purpose, and trust. To enjoy the simple gifts of life. To fulfil our vocation with humility. To face life’s joys and sorrows without fear. And when the world feels chaotic, wars, crises, uncertainties, Jesus assures us that God remains in control. The kingdom is already among us. Our task is not to predict the end, but to live faithfully in the present, trusting that His grace will triumph over all.Reflection Question: What changes might you make today if you truly lived with the awareness that everything in this world is passing, and that God is ultimately in control?