Today, let us be messengers of mercy and compassion to all by being credible witnesses of the Lord and not just teachers of faith. “So they set out and went from village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere.” We too must find all opportunities to spread the gospel, using our personal authority, living a life of faith, love and trust in God. Hence, let us be grateful if the Lord has appointed us to authority, and to use it well for the good of the community.

The truth is that in the eyes of God, we are all great. Greatness does not lie in what we do or what we achieve. We cannot make ourselves greater than what God has made us to be. The greatest thing on earth is not to be known as the Prime Minister or the President or the CEO but to be a child of God. Jesus guided His disciples to look at people in a new way, not by the standards of the world. All of us have the same value in the eyes of God. We have all been given the same gift of eternal life in Christ regardless of our status on earth. Jesus invites us to change our priorities. Jesus redefined greatness, especially in leadership, as one who serves and makes himself last of all.

We need to hear the Word of God, and practise it, so that it is firmly established in our hearts. We practise by talking about it, and putting it into action. If one does not use it, one will lose it.

True happiness in life comes from building meaningful and loving relationships with God and our fellowmen. It also comes from being contented with what we have. It does not mean that we should be lazy, or not seek to excel in what we do in life. No, it means we are called to do our best and be contented with our best.

One cannot be a leader and yet not be criticised. Nevertheless, may we heed Saint Paul's advice to Timothy: "Do not let people disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity."

When we reflect on the seven sorrows of Mary, we wonder where she got the strength to carry all these pains in her heart. The answer lies in love. She carried her pain with the love of God in her heart. When there is love for God and for her fellowmen, including her enemies, she could accept the innocent and unjust suffering of her Son. She knew that the suffering she carried with her Son would not be carried in vain but for the greater good of humanity. So too, when we suffer, we should not suffer for ourselves but for others and for the salvation of souls. Because Jesus “submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard”, not in the sense that He was delivered from physical suffering but God gave Him the strength to obey His divine will. It was His obedience that saved us all. If we want to accept our crosses and submit humbly, we too must pray earnestly like our Lord, growing in intimacy with Him, feeling His love and presence in our lives. If we find difficulty in suffering, let us ask the Lord to give us the strength to love more, like our Blessed Mother.

Catholic education is not just for students, it is meant for all. It is an on-going process of being formed in the faith, and growing as holistic individuals. Whether in schools, church or at home, we need a Catholic ambience for individuals to personally encounter the love of Jesus.

When we discern whether a person is good or not, it must not just be based on what the person does now, but we need to observe the beginning, the middle and the end. It is constancy in the person’s words and actions that we come to know his character. Reputation is made in a few moments but character requires a whole life. This is why Jesus gave us an analogy of a tree because a tree needs time to grow before it can bear fruits. So when Jesus told us to judge by the fruits the tree produces, He was not simply asking us to judge the tangible facts we see, but whether such fruits are lasting. If a tree bears just a few fruits and dies, it means it is not a genuine tree.

The Lord knew that Paul was persecuting the Christians out of ignorance, but once enlightened, he would use the same zeal for the spread of the gospel. The conversion of St Paul would be an inspiration for everyone who are sinners and ignorant like him. If Christ could change St Paul so radically from a persecutor to a great apostle, He too can change and transform our lives, if only we allow Him. Indeed, Paul is our model in leadership, one who has gone through hard times, making foolish mistakes because of ignorance, but once enlightened and forgiven, became a true leader for Christ and for His people. As leaders we must acknowledge our blindness and turn to Christ.

If we can truly from our hearts claim that what we do is what God wants us to do, and that we are doing it in His name, and are able to praise and thank God for what we have done, then we should find peace in our moral decisions. However, if we cannot truly say from our hearts that what we are doing gives glory to God and inspires lives, brings true love in what we do, promotes peace and justice, then certainly what we do is not from God. The psalmist says, “Let everything that lives and that breathes give praise to the Lord.” We are called to praise Him not just with words, psalms and hymns but to praise Him with our lives. If we cannot praise Him in what we do, it is because “the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.