Here is the homily of his grace Archbishop William Goh at the Holy Mass commemorating the Commencement of the School Year, as well as the commissioning of 11 new principals.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as educators, all of us are called to be leaders, not just in imparting knowledge, but to be educators of life, of love and of truth. We need to do this with authority. But what kind of authority needs to be exercised, so that this authority of instructing—of teaching—would be effective?

In today’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:21-28), we are told that Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. His teaching [leaves] a deep impression on [those who hear Him] because, unlike the scribes, He taught with authority.

What is this authority? Most of us we tend to rely on our juridical authority, because we are principals, because we are bishops, because we are priests. Juridical authority is not a very effective mean to form people and to get things done. In fact, if we have to use juridical authority, it can be a sign of bankruptcy in leadership. Some of us use our professional authority, our academic authority; we like to show our string of degrees and credentials, so people will believe what we say, what we teach.

Of course, juridical and professional authority have importance, especially when people do not yet know us. But, my dear brothers and sisters, at the end of the day, it would not be your juridical or professional authority that would make you an effective leader educator. It is ‘personal authority’ that will bring the two together. Without this ‘personal’ authority we will end up as inept, ineffective leaders. 

This was the situation of the scribes in today’s Gospel. The scribes were professional rabbi, professional teachers. They went to theological schools, they knew all the laws, they were the official interpreter of the laws—and there were 613 of them. [The scribes] were deeply schooled in the commandments, and yet, we are told Jesus taught differently from them; “unlike the scribes” (Mk 1:22). These did not teach with authority, [for] the only authority they had was juridical authority and professional authority; they lacked ‘personal authority’, because what they taught was not how they lived. What they taught was not relevant to the lives of the people, they were just abstract knowledge and laws that did not give the people life, that did not lead them to the truth.

Educators can fall into the same threat. To be a good educator, it is not enough to acquire professional knowledge of whatever subjects we are teaching. Of course, that is important! But unless a teacher—an educator—truly believes in what he or she is teaching, truly interiorises his or her knowledge, he would not be able to teach with passion and conviction; it would just be imparting knowledge, but not [himself].

What is it that changes people’s lives? It’s not just what we say, [but also] how we say it, and how we integrate it into the way we look at the world, the way we look at situations, the way we look at life. Whether you’re teaching geography, history, or mathematics, they have to do with life.

We cannot teach them as if they are just dry subjects; they are not. [This is] why a Catholic school does not mean that we have all these academic subjects, and—over and above all these—we have another optional subject called “Religious Knowledge”. Rather, if a teacher is imbued with the Gospel, and is convinced that what he is teaching has great importance in the lives of our students and of future generations, he would, in a very subtle or unconscious way, inject the values of the Gospel, his convictions, her convictions, into what she is teaching. That is what it means to be a Catholic school: Catholic in the way we look at life, [Catholic] in the values that we are offering.

My dear brothers and sisters, to teach with authority, therefore, requires us that we teach with this ‘personal authority’.

In the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy (18:15-20), we see Moses, who gave the same laws to the people. But Moses was highly respected. The people did not always obey the laws, that is true, because of their weakness, but they respected him. Why? Because Moses was not just a friend of God, he was a man of God. They saw him as someone who was infused with the presence of God, not by what he thought, not by what he said, but by how he lived.

The Book of Exodus told us that Moses, he spoke to God “face to face”, as a friend (33:11). Moses was the one who journeyed with the people 40 years in the desert. Moses was the one who interceded for them whenever things went wrong, and God wanted to punish them. Moses was the one who fed them with manna in the desert when they were hungry, gave them water from the rock when they were thirsty. Moses was the one who was always with them, every step in their journey; he was living among them. That was how Moses was different from the scribes and that was how Jesus lived his life as a teacher.

Interestingly, in the Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the second Moses, the new Moses, the real Moses. That is why the life of Jesus paralleled the life of Moses. Like Moses, Jesus was persecuted by the king. Like Moses, He fled to Egypt. Like Moses, He went up the mountain and He gave them the new law—at the sermon on the mount—the beatitudes. Like Moses, He gave them the new manna, the bread of life. Like Moses, Jesus, in John’s Gospel, is the living water (John 4:14).

Jesus was one person who went about living with the people, healing the sick, carrying their sins and infirmities in his body. He was one with them. He knew the hunger, the thirst, the sufferings of the people that He ministered to. That was the reason why Jesus preached “with authority”, authority that they had never seen before.

In the Gospel [last week], when Jesus said to the disciples, “follow me” (Mark 1:17) and immediately they dropped their nets; they left their boats—Peter, Andrew, James and John—because it was a divine command. Jesus never asked, “would you like to follow me?”. “Follow me”! And they saw in Jesus the divine presence; this is why they followed Him.

Into today’s Gospel, even the evil spirit recognised the divine presence in Jesus. Jesus was only teaching in the synagogue. He was not trying to exorcise anybody! It was the devil who said, “You are the Son of God, the Holy One of God”, because they could not withstand His divine presence, that was the kind of authority that exuded from Jesus.

This is our challenge today: would our students, would our staff, see us a man and woman of authority? Not by what we say, but by our very presence. [This] is very important [for] educators and leaders, because in the final analysis, a true prophet is not so much seen by his teaching, is by his way of life: walking the talk, showing the way, being true to what we believe in.

That’s why, if you as an educator, are not convinced of what you are doing, you are in the wrong job. Don’t stay. Don’t waste people’s time, don’t waste your time. It’ll be a chore. You will be a burden. You must live and breathe this vocation that the Lord has given to you. You must be utterly convinced that what you are doing will make a difference in the lives of many people, and you will be excited, you’ll be passionate, you’ll be enthusiastic, and you’ll give hope to those being taught by you.

‘Leadership’ is the authority of bringing the people together: looking after your staff, caring for your staff [and] students. Everybody needs ongoing formation. Everybody needs to be reassured. Everybody needs to be encouraged. This is what educators are for: to give encouragement [and] hope.

And so, my dear Principals, Vice Principals, educators at large, I urge you: let us pray that we be focused on the Lord, as St Paul asks of us (1 Cor 7:35). When he talks about marriage, it’s not [just] about marriage, about singlehood, [but] about having undivided attention to the Lord, and to our vocation. If you are focused on the Lord, and if you are focused on your vocation, I assure you: you’ll be the greatest educator, and your life will impact the lives of everyone, including your fellow teachers. This is my prayer for you all, and I know: you will live up to your calling. Amen.

Msgr Ambrose Vaz reaffirms Catholic educators of their important role and identity at this year’s Teacher’s Day Mass.

Nearly 200 Catholic educators, staff, family, and friends once again gathered to commemorate Teachers’ Day, at a specially organised Mass held on 12 September. Organised annually by the Archdiocesan Commission for Catholic Schools (ACCS), the Eucharistic celebration took place at Catholic High School, and was presided by Msgr Ambrose Vaz and concelebrants, Fr Edward Seah and Fr Adrian Danker.

In his homily, Msgr Ambrose reaffirmed the identity and mission of Catholic educators as he drew parallels to the week’s gospel, in which Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do people say I am?”

Popular opinion and God’s definition
Msgr Ambrose explained that there is often a popular opinion of the identity of the messiah, who is seen as “a powerful figure; in terms of earthly, political, even military power”, as compared to an identity of the messiah according to God.

He elaborates, “The disciples had got the terminology right, that Jesus is the messiah. But Jesus went on to teach them what this truly meant. The messiah would be like the son of man, a title that would describe obedience to God, such obedience that would even require one to submit to suffering, and to ultimately be put to death.”

In this same way, Msgr Ambrose expresses that there is also often a popular opinion of the identity of teachers, “where the teacher is one that simply imparts knowledge and dispatches information”, as compared to the identity of teachers according to God, “as seen in Jesus, THE teacher”.

He emphasises, “A teacher does much more than impart knowledge, much more than dispatch information. The understanding of the identity of a teacher, as seen in Jesus, is to communicate, to pass on, an experience of God.”

Walking in the presence of the Lord
Going further to reaffirm the identity of a Catholic educator, Msgr Amrbose also highlighted that this seemingly tall order is in fact very possible, if teachers choose to “walk in the presence of the Lord”. This was not only the responsorial psalm for the Mass, but was also the theme of this year’s Teacher’s Day Mass.

“This is what the teacher is ultimately all about. The teacher shares from his or her ordinary experience, of what it is to walk in the presence of the Lord, and to remind others to experience the same joy,” explained Msgr Ambrose.

He also acknowledged the difficulties teachers often face in their work, particularly when students “resist being taught or cared for”. Msgr Ambrose reaffirmed the dedication of educators, who in the face of discouragement, “continues to communicate God’s love in their lives, by the way they live out this conviction of God’s love for us.”

He added that this is why, in the second reading, St James writes that faith is not just something “believed in our minds and hearts, but is also shown, expressed in the way we live”. Because good works always accompanies faith, Msgr Ambrose affirms that, “As teachers, we are tasked really to express, through the life we live, our dedication and service, our commitment to our students, our willingness to express in our lives the love of God.”

Concluding his homily, Msgr Ambrose expressed gratitude to Catholic educators for their service and ministry to God’s children. “On behalf of the Church, the Archdiocese, we really thank all our teachers for being that example of God’s love in the dedication of their lives, in the way that you carry out not only instructing your students, but essentially and hopefully, teaching them the joy of being called by God to be His children,” he said.

The teachers’ fellowship
The Mass was followed by a reception, where visitors as well as student volunteers had their fill of food and drink. Teachers relished in the opportunity to get to know one another, as there were educators who “don’t know many Catholic teachers, because I don’t teach in a Catholic school,” shared Edward Toh, English and Art teacher at East Spring Primary School, “The homily really spoke to me; to recognise Jesus also as a teacher for us.”

Monica Khng, Assistant Programme Teacher at Christian Outreach to the Handicapped, agreed to his sentiments, “It was wonderful to see the students so well co-ordinated with their teachers and the bond and team-spirit they share. It is a nice reminder that we have to be like that as teachers; to build them up and be examples and mentors, as we often stand as moral compasses for students, pointing toward the life of Christ.”

Fr Edward Seah, Interim Executive Director of ACCS, expressed gratitude for the success of the event, which had certainly helped encourage and edify Catholic educators in Singapore. Encouraging educators is one of ACCS’s major interests, as Fr Edward reveals the reason for choosing this year’s theme, “We chose the one that we felt is the most edifying. The theme, ‘Walking in the Presence of the Lord’, helps to remind educators that they are not walking alone. God is always with them, especially so when they are doing God’s work.”

By Msgr Ambrose Vaz

Dear teachers and friends, we come to celebrate this Mass today, not so much as to celebrate a day – Teacher’s Day – but more to celebrate a vocation – a call from God – to teach. The success of our mission, how we carry out our vocation, depends very much on the understanding, the conviction, of our identity. If we’re not clear about our identity of what it means to be a teacher, it will be quite impossible for us to effectively carry out our mission.

We see this in our gospel today (Mark 8:27-35): Jesus asking his disciples who do people say he is and finally asking them: “Who do you say I am?” Not so much for an ego-trip; not because he wanted to know if he was well-known, but because he wanted to share with them and to clarify what their understanding of his identity was and what was his understanding of his identity.

So we find that he [had] asked them “who do people say I am”. The disciples said that [his] identity is John the Baptist, others Elijah, others one of the prophets. What Jesus would say was, “Well, that was far from true, but what do you say?” Peter comes up with the right identity: “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one of God.”

Jesus would say that that was the right answer but then he was quite sure they didn’t really understand the implications. In terms of the terminology, they got it right: he was the Christ, he was the Messiah, but there were so many different opinions – expectations, you could say – as to who and what the Messiah would be all about.

The most popular opinion was that the Messiah would be a powerful figure in terms of earthly, political, even military power. They were hoping that the Messiah would come and defeat the Romans [and] take Israel to the time of King David, victorious in war, extending the borders of the land, and so on. Some would say that besides that, he would be a political figure, one that would also perhaps bring them up to a level of prosperity; material prosperity that would far exceed anything Israel ever knew. They had their idea of a Messiah, but it was wrong. Jesus deepens this conversation so that he could clarify what the world thinks the Messiah is all about and what God expects the Messiah to be.

Jesus began to teach them the true identity of the messiah. He would be like the Son of Man. A title that would describe obedience – obedience to God. Such obedience that would even require him to submit to suffering, destined to suffer grievously, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes and ultimately to be put to death but eventually to rise after three days. Then of course we see Peter, who started to remonstrate with them: “This is not what we understand of the messiah; this is wrong!” But Jesus had to tell him: “Get behind me, Satan“. “Your way of understanding the Messiah is very wrong, that is not the identity of the Messiah.”

Today my dear friends, this Gospel is very apt for us as we celebrate Teacher’s Day; very apt as we reflect on what the identity of a teacher is all about. Because that is, of course, the popular opinion or understanding of what a teacher is all about and God’s understanding of what a teacher should be. Most of the time perhaps, people tend to think that a teacher is one that imparts knowledge – the one that dispatches information. As long as I tell you and give you some information, I have taught you. But God’s understanding as he did in Jesus, the teacher, would be much more than imparting knowledge, dispatching information.

The understanding of the identity of a teacher as seen in Jesus is to communicate, to pass on an experience of God. Essentially, a teacher is one that communicates to the one they had taught, the experience of truth, essentially consisting of a relationship with God, the ultimate truth. And so we make use of the opportunities we get as we pass on knowledge, whether it be secular sciences or any other type of knowledge. Even in the process of communicating this knowledge, it is good to ask ourselves: Do we pass on the experience of a loving God?

This is what we see in our Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116:1-6,8-9): “I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.” This what a teacher is ultimately all about: The teacher, sharing from his or her own experience of what it is to walk in the presence of the Lord and remind others to experience that same joy.

We know today therefore, how difficult it can be to be a teacher. Not only is it just telling others about the ultimate good, but first being able to experience it, to live it out for ourselves, to be able to be convincing in passing it on to others.

When we look at the first reading (Isaiah 50:5-9A), the Prophet Isaiah as a teacher, and his conviction of who God is in his life, that he is able to say: “I set my face like a flint. I know I shall not be shamed. Despite all the difficulties, I’m going to go through, for my part, I made no resistance. I offered my back and did not cover my face.” Basically, a teacher is being very thick-skinned in communicating the truth, in communicating the essential ultimate truth, the experience of a loving God in our life. A teacher will face much difficulties. Sometimes perhaps in total resistance from students who do not want to accept being formed, being taught, being loved, being cared for, being shown the meaning of God’s love; there would be those who completely reject and refuse such instruction. Then there will be others who will perhaps belittle the effort that you make [and] who will not appreciate the need for us to do that.

Yet the true teacher continues to communicate, firstly in our own lives, by the way we live out this conviction of God’s love for us, and secondly, by showing it in practical example. And that is why St James tells us in our second reading (James 2:14-18). Faith is not just something that we believe in our minds or in our hearts, but [it] has to be shown, expressed in the way we live. Faith is like this, St James tells us: Good works must accompany it. And so as teachers, our task will be to express, through the life we live – our dedication, service, commitment to our students – our willingness to express in our life the love of God. Sometimes it is difficult. We find children who are not willing to learn, not willing to cooperate. We find systems, maybe, that do not really encourage us to give of ourselves. Nevertheless that is what faith is all about, expressed in good works.

If we go back to the Gospel again, we see Jesus, the ultimate teacher, who comes to teach us the recipe of life. The whole role and purpose of life is to be able to experience truth, communicated in love, that we see in Jesus. Today, we ask ourselves, as teachers, [if we are] effective in bringing this love of God to the people we minister to, to our students, even as we are called to instruct them in the different sciences, subjects that we teach, all bearing in mind that our ultimate goal is much more than helping them to pass exams but to help them to understand the meaning of life. Sometimes we can do well, we can pass exams, but we still miss out the real meaning of life. The real meaning of life is to be able to experience the joy of God who calls us into his life; to be able to experience him through experiencing love. A love that we cannot teach but can only show; we can only express [it] in the way we live our lives.

Today, dear teachers, we thank you on behalf of the Church and the Archdiocese. We thank all our teachers for being that example of God’s love in the education of their lives, in the way that you carry out, not only instructing your students [and] teaching them many new facts, but essentially and hopefully, teaching them the joy of being called by God to be his children. See him principally in your own joy in being called to be a teacher, to communicate this important message to your students.

As we celebrate this Mass today, we pray for all our teachers, as well as our students. We pray principally for our teachers that they never get too tired of ministering to the students [that] they are called to; that they never get too tired to express the love of God in their own lives, especially in moments when they are burdened, tired, sometimes even perhaps rejected. We pray for our teachers. We pray today that God will continue to send as many good teachers who will be desiring to communicate much more than knowledge but would be desiring to share their lives [and] to share God with their students. We pray for this [and] we pray for one another as we celebrate this Mass.