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Wednesday, 10 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scripture, we are reminded of the faith that we have in the Lord, and how we have to commit to this faith and stand up for it in the face of the opposition and challenges that we may have to endure in the path of our lives as Christians. There are plenty of obstacles and trials that we may have to face just as our predecessors had experienced, as we heard it from our Scripture readings today, in the story of the prophet Elijah and how he went alone against the four hundred and fifty priests of Baal at Mount Carmel. The servant of God was alone in his fight and struggle against all those supporters of the pagan gods, and yet, God was with him throughout all the ordeals.

At that time, king Ahab of Israel had been persecuting those who were faithful to the Lord and the prophets of God, including Elijah and many other prophets. They had been persecuted, harassed and even killed, such that only Elijah remained among the prophets of God still actively working and ministering to the people of the land of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab also promoted the worship of the pagan god Baal, with the support from his wife, the queen Jezebel, who was a pagan worshipper. As such, that was why we saw how there were so many Baal priests assembled against Elijah before the people of Israel at Mount Carmel. There was no other faithful servant of God remaining except for Elijah himself.

Elijah made his stand before king Ahab and the people of Israel, risking his own safety and life, to end the dispute once and for all, and to show the people who the real true God is, between the God of Israel, the God of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or Baal, the god of the pagans. Elijah went up alone against his enemies, but God was with him and guided him through those challenging moments. And Elijah showed that the Lord, the God of Israel is truly the one and only true God, when the false god Baal failed to intercede for all of his worshippers despite there being four hundred and fifty priests and many others including the king who sided with him against God, to the chagrin of Elijah who was watching the whole spectacle.

Elijah remained firm and resolute, and prayed to God, asking Him to remember His people and the love He had for them, and for Him to show forth His might before all so that the people might come to know who the one and only true God is. God sent fire from Heaven that completely consumed the sacrificial offering and Altar that Elijah built on Mount Carmel even when he had poured a lot of water on the Altar, purposefully handicapping himself against the priests of Baal. With that, God showed the people of Israel that He was indeed the one true God, deserving of worship, and not Baal, the false idol and god. And He showed that He was always with them, watching and guiding them, and not those false gods that the king and his queen had been promoting and supporting.

But that was not the end of Elijah’s struggle, as due to the defeat of Baal’s priests, queen Jezebel held a strong hatred and grudge against Elijah, who had to endure the persecutions, and wandered off even into exile at times to continue to minister to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel that he had been sent to. Nevertheless, Elijah kept on going and did what he could to serve the Lord and to glorify His Name, to the best of his ability. He kept proclaiming the Lord and His truth to the people, even if many among them were stubborn and refused to budge and believe in God. And whatever he had revealed and spoken, was echoed by the Lord Jesus, our Lord and Saviour as well.

In our Gospel passage today, the Lord was going against His critics, who accused Him of trying to abolish the Law and to destroy the laws of Moses by His teachings and works. Contextually, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law opposed the Lord Jesus because He refused to follow and has always critiqued their misrepresentation and flawed application of the Law of God as revealed through Moses and the prophets. Much like Elijah who had to go against the multitudes of the priests of Baal, the Lord Jesus also had to go against the many Pharisees, teachers of the Law and even the chief priests who were against Him. He had to face a lot of hardships and oppositions, obstacles to His works and efforts from the stubborn leaders of the people.

But the Lord revealed that what He was doing was the real truth, and everything He did was to return the Law to its original intention and purpose, long misunderstood and misused by mankind, by the people of God, especially those who opposed Him because they preferred and were attached to their version of the Law which satisfied their own intentions and purposes, rather than obeying the will and desires of God. Just like Elijah revealing who the one and only true God is to the people, the Lord Jesus through His actions revealed that He is the Way, the Truth and Life, the One true God, incarnate in the flesh, through Whom the salvation of God and His perfect Love has been manifested fully to us all.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the lessons from today’s Scripture readings remind us that as Christians we are likely  to encounter some or even many challenges, trials and oppositions to our beliefs and way of life. Some of us have already suffered this, just as multitudes of our predecessors had, right from the beginning of the Church. Those who were faithful to God had faced a lot of trials and sufferings, and yet, they remained firm in their faith and were adamant in their desire to continue following and proclaiming the truth of the one and only true God, the same God we worship and believe in.

Are we willing to stand up for our faith, brothers and sisters in Christ, despite the challenges and trials we may have to face amidst those persecutions, difficulties and obstacles we encounter? We are all called to be genuine Christians in life and be the beacons of God’s light and truth in our world today, so that through us more and more people may come to know the Lord and believe in Him. Let us all therefore dedicate ourselves anew to Him from now on, and commit ourselves to a life truly righteous and just, at all times. May God be with us always and may He bless us in our every good works and endeavours. Amen.

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Wednesday, 10 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 17-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfil them. I tell you this : as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the Law will change until all is fulfilled.”

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Wednesday, 10 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 15 : 1-2a, 4, 5 and 8, 11

Keep me safe, o God, for in You I take refuge. I say to YHVH, “You are my Lord.”

Those who run after foreign gods only have their sorrows multiplied. 

Let me not shed blood for them, nor their names be heard on my lips.

O YHVH, my inheritance and my cup, my chosen portion – hold secure my lot. I keep YHVH always before me; for with Him at my right hand, I will never be shaken.

You will show me the path of life, in Your presence, the fullness of joy, at Your right hand, happiness forever.

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Wednesday, 10 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Kings 18 : 20-39

So Ahab sent for all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel. Then Elijah addressed the people and asked, “How long will you follow two ways at the same time? If YHVH is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God then follow him.” The people remained silent.

So Elijah continued, “I am the only prophet of YHVH left here to face Baal’s four hundred and fifty prophets. Get us two bulls. Let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood; and I will do the same with the other bull. But we will not set it on fire. Then you shall call on the name of your gods while I shall call on the Name of YHVH. The God Who answers with fire is the true one.” Then the people answered, “That is right.”

Then Elijah told the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many. Then call on the name of your god lest you are left without fire!” So they took the bull and prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice; and no one answered them while they went on, dancing on one foot around the altar they had built.

By noontime, Elijah began to mock them, “Shout out louder. Baal is a busy god; or he may have gone out, or perhaps he has gone on a trip, or he is sleeping and must be wakened.” So they shouted louder gashing their skin with knives, as they are used to doing, until they bled. It was already past noon and they were still raving on, until the time of the evening offering. But still there was no voice. No one answered or gave a sign of life.

Then Elijah said to the people, “Draw closer to me,” and the people drew closer to him. He then repaired the altar of YHVH which had been thrown down. He took twelve stones corresponding to the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob whom YHVH had addressed saying, “Israel shall be your name.” With these stones, he built an altar to the Name of YHVH; and dug a trench around it that would contain about thirty litres.

He then arranged the firewood, cut the bull in pieces and laid them on the wood. Then, he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the firewood.” He said, “Do it again;” and they did it again; “one more time,” and they did it a third time. The water ran around the altar and filled the trench.

When the time of the evening offering came, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O YHVH, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel; and that I am Your servant, doing all these things at Your command. Answer me, o YHVH, answer me so that this people may know that You, o YHVH, are God; and that You are turning back their hearts to You.”

Then the fire of YHVH fell and consumed the burnt offering, together with the wood, the stones also, and the dust; the water also dried up in the trench. All the people witnessed this. Then they fell on their faces and said, “YHVH is God! YHVH is God!”

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Tuesday, 9 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Deacons)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded that we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, that is to be good and active in living our lives as Christians, such that we may inspire one another and even more people to be faithful to God and to follow Him just as we have followed and loved Him as Christians, those who believe in God and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. We are all called to reach out to those who have not yet known the Lord and touch their lives much as how our predecessors had done, as we heard from our Scriptures today. And the best way we can do this is by living lives that are truly centred on God and being genuine in how we believe in God and in our way of life as Christians.

In our first reading today, we heard the story of the prophet Elijah when he came to the region of Zarephath beyond the land of the Israelites, during the time of a great drought and famine that affected not just the land of Israel but also the surrounding regions. Elijah went to Zarephath and he met a widow whom the Lord had told him earlier on that she would provide him with food. The famine was of such great intensity that many must have perished without food and provisions, or from lack of water and other needs. The widow herself suffered, and she and her only son had almost nothing left on them, save for a little bit of flour and oil that were enough only for themselves as one last meal. It was truly a very difficult time for many people, both the Israelites and their neighbours alike.

The prophet Elijah came to the widow and asked of some food from her, and while the widow hesitated due to her own predicaments, Elijah reassured her and comforted her with God’s love and providence, that if she did everything in accordance with God’s will, all would be taken care of, and as per the Lord’s words, her supply of flour and oil would not run out until the drought and famine ended. The widow hence took the flour and oil and made food for the prophet, and miraculously her supply of flour and oil continued to flow and did not stop as long as the famine and drought continued, as God provided her and her family, as well as Elijah, by His kindness and compassionate care. This miraculous occasion shows how God truly cares for all, and not just those belonging to the race of the Israelites.

In our Gospel passage today, as I mentioned earlier on, we heard of the Lord calling on His disciples to become the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and that they must truly have that flavour of the salt and not hide their light, for salt that had lost its saltiness and light that is not placed on a lampstand or hidden truly have no meaning and use at all. As the Lord’s disciples and followers, each and every one of us are called to be these same salt of the earth and the light of the world. We may not understand fully the reason why the Lord called us to be such unless we understand the context of these two very important commodities, which we may easily take for granted in our world and communities today.

First of all, we live at a time when salt and light are no longer difficult to come by, and where salt and light are in such great abundance that we tend to dismiss them as trivial things and matter. But at the time of the Lord and His ministry, as it was for most of our human history, salt and light were extremely important commodities and I could not highlight or emphasise any less just how important and crucial they were to many people and communities. For salt was used in the preservation of food at the time when refrigeration and other methods of preservation were still non-existent. Salt was used in flavouring food that would have otherwise been bland and tasteless, and it was also used for the preservation of the bodies of the dead and many other purposes.

Not only that salt was very useful but as compared to the present day, the process of extraction and obtaining of salt was really time consuming and labour intensive, and hence, salt was a truly important and even expensive commodity back then, so much so that many countries imposed taxes and monopolised salt production to ensure the happiness and well-being of their people. When the Lord called on all of us to be the salt of the earth, He truly called on us to be full of this flavour of faith, to be precious to Him, and to be exemplary in our way of life, actions, words and deeds such that in everything we have, we will be great inspiration for others who witness us and our actions.

Then regarding light, in a world today where light is in abundance, due to the prevalence of electricity and electric-based lighting all over the world, we may not see the significance and importance of light. However, back then, light was supremely important just as salt was. Back when electricity was still non-existent, at night time when the Sun had set, except for the light from the Moon and the stars, darkness would have completely engulfed the whole land, and no one would have been able to see things clearly, unlike the often light-saturated streets and homes that we are familiar with today. Back then, many wild animals and other dangers lurked around in the darkness, and people truly treasured light wherever and whenever they could get hold of it, be it light from candles, torches, or any other natural sources of light present around them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, hence when the Lord called on us all to be the light of the world, we are all called to be that source of inspiration, strength and hope for others who are still lost and searching for the way forward in the darkness. We are the beacons of God’s light and the bearers of His Good News, the Good News and hope that will illuminate the path of those who are still in the darkness of the world, and also strengthen and invigorate those who have not yet tasted and known the goodness of the Lord, His love, kindness and compassion. That is why the Lord called and challenged us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are called to be the ones to bring about a great difference for the lives of everyone around us, to our communities and even beyond.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ephrem the Deacon, a great man of God and servant of God whose life, works and dedications should serve as source of inspiration for all of us as Christians, in how each and every one of us ought to be living our lives with faith, with dedication and commitment to God. St. Ephrem was a Syrian Christian born during the last parts of the Diocletianic persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, and he was baptised in his youth, eventually growing up as a devout Christian and becoming a venerable teacher of the faith, and was ordained as a Deacon to assist in the ministry of the Church in his local region. St. Ephrem spent significant amount time to teach and proclaim the Christian faith, the Good News of God and the Lord’s truth and love to many of the people around the region.

St. Ephrem was also credited in his teaching ministry and in the many works he was working on, in many matters of the faith and in theology, where he became the author of many great and inspirational works which still influenced and helped many future theologians and Church philosophers. St. Ephrem wrote extensively on many issues and he helped many people to come to know the Lord better, in his many songs, proses and many other works through which he helped to correct many of the faithful’s wrong ideas and thoughts, in his famous ‘Hymns against Heresies’ by which he helped many people to stay away from the false teachings of those who sought to divide the Church and harm the faithful people of God, misleading them for their own selfish desires and benefits. St. Ephrem was always hard at work to counter all these. For all of his many contributions and works, he was declared as one of the Doctors of the Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, are we able to remember the love and providence from God, which He has always provided for us? Are we willing to make the commitment and to put in the effort to do His will, as how St. Ephrem the Deacon and many others had done in their own lives? Let us all do whatever we can in our own lives, in our own areas of responsibilities so that we may truly be inspirational and good role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, in everything that we say and do, that we may truly be the ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world’. May the Lord also continue to guide and strengthen us in our lives, and empower us all to carry on living our Christian faith with ever greater devotion from now on. Amen.

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Tuesday, 9 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Deacons)

Matthew 5 : 13-16

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It has become useless. It can only be thrown away and people will trample on it.”

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a mountain cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and covers it; instead it is put on a lampstand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before others, so that they may see the good you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

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Tuesday, 9 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Deacons)

Psalm 4 : 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

Answer when I call, o God, my justice! When I was in distress, You gave me solace. Have compassion on me and hear my plea. And you, people, how long will you harden your hearts? How long will you delight in deceit and go in search of falsehood?

But you must know that YHVH has shown His kindness to me. When I call to Him, He hears me. Be angry, but do not offend. Keep your words to yourself, when you are in bed, and be still.

Many ask, “Who will give us a happy time? Would, that His favour shine upon us!” You, o YHVH, have put joy in my heart; more than by giving me wine and food.

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Tuesday, 9 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Deacons)

1 Kings 17 : 7-16

After a while, the brook dried up because no rain had fallen in the land. Then YHVH spoke to Elijah, “Go to Zarephath of the Sidonites and stay there. I have given word to a widow there, to give you food.”

So Elijah went to Zarephath. On reaching the gate of the town, he saw a widow gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called after her and said, “Bring me also a piece of bread.”

But she answered, “As YHVH your God lives, I have no bread left, but only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am just now gathering some sticks so that I may go in and prepare something for myself and my son to eat – and die.”

Elijah then said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go, and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me. Then make some for yourself and your son. For this is the word of YHVH, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of meal shall not be emptied nor shall the jug of oil fail, until the day when YHVH sends rain to the earth.’”

So she went and did as Elijah told her; and she had food for herself, Elijah and her son from that day on. The jar of flour was not emptied nor did the jug of oil fail, in accordance with what YHVH had said through Elijah.

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Monday, 8 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we listened to the words of the Scripture listening first of all to the account from the First Book of Kings in which we heard of the great drought and famine that occurred during the reign of king Ahab of Israel. At that time, king Ahab was infamous as one of the most sinful among the kings of Israel, as he and his wife, queen Jezebel did not just disobey God and led the people of the northern kingdom of Israel into sin, but their deeds such as the murder of Naboth the vinegrower was truly wicked and evil. Their sins and disobedience against God were leading the people away from God and His righteous path, and this was certainly known by the Lord, Who has always watched over His people.

Therefore, that was why the Lord sent them all the punishment of drought and famine to humble those wicked and proud rulers, and all those who thought that they did not need God. The drought and famine were not meant to make the people to suffer without reason or justice. Rather, the Lord wanted to remind them all that their wickedness and evil have not been in accordance with what He had shown and taught them all to do through His Law and the Prophets, and as a result, with nature out of balance, they had to suffer by their refusal to obey the Lord and by ignoring His calls for them to repent from their sins and return to Him. In truth, God did all that because He loved them all and wanted them to be rescued from their wickedness.

Meanwhile, the prophet Elijah who was sent to minister to the people of Israel had to suffer a lot as well, as he was one of the few prophets who remained in Israel. Many of the other, earlier prophets had been persecuted and even killed, exiled and cast out from the land. Prophet Elijah was alone in his courageous efforts to turn the people back towards God, against not only just the king and the queen, but also against the worshippers of Baal and the other pagan gods, with the Baal priests alone numbering at least four hundred and fifty. It was truly a very disheartening experience for the prophet Elijah, and yet Elijah trusted in God and allowed Him to perform His wonderful works through him.

It would be difficult not to think that the prophet Elijah might have considered to give up his very difficult and challenging ministry, working among a people that were not open and willing to listen to his words and the words of God. But God reassured Elijah that those who remained faithful in Him would not be disappointed, for there would be justice given to them, just as the right justice and punishment would also be due to those who consistently and stubbornly refused to listen to Him. God does not remain silent against those who persecuted His righteous and just ones, and He is always present and by the side of all those who are truly committed towards Him, those who carry out His good works.

In our Gospel reading today, then we heard of the famous Sermon on the Mount by the Lord Jesus, also known as the Beatitudes. These are a series of eight pronouncements by the Lord, as a very powerful reassurance to those who have listened to the Lord, followed Him, obeyed Him and walked in His ways. This is just what the Lord reassured the prophet Elijah with, and after hearing the punishment due to the wicked in our first reading, then we heard how being faithful to God is truly a good thing. The Lord wants each and every one of us to live our lives well, in accordance to the path that He has set before us, with the precepts and commandments that He had put in place to teach and guide us in our ways.

Therefore, as we heard, the Lord said that we are truly blessed if we are poor in spirit, mourn, gentle, hunger and thirst, gentle, merciful and being peacemakers, and these are reminders for all of us that as Christians, we are called to live our lives with virtues, obeying God’s laws, show love to our fellow brethren, and when we encounter challenges and difficulties, persecutions and troubles for being faithful then we must not give up our faith. All of us have to remain strong in our faith and stay committed to the end. We should not easily be swayed by the temptations and pressures found all around us, but instead remaining ever steady and ever vigilant in living our faith courageously and with conviction at each and every moments in our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, through what we have heard in our Scriptures today, we are all encouraged and called to walk with the Lord and to follow Him. We are called to devote ourselves, our time and effort for the greater glory of His Name following the examples of the ancient prophets like Elijah, as well as our many saints and martyrs, our predecessors in the faith. And we are reassured by God, that no matter what, if we are faithful to Him, then we will be protected and strengthened. We are the beloved and holy people of God, and God Who is loving towards us, will always be with us and will bless us all in our every endeavours and good efforts for His greater glory, at all times and in every moments.

Let us all therefore renew our commitment to be ever more faithful from now on, to be more Christian in our way of life, to be good examples of our Christian virtues and actions in our every way of life and in our every interactions with one another. May the Lord be our Guide, source of strength and provide us with what we need, just as He protected and guided the prophet Elijah in his perilous missions and journeys. Amen.

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Monday, 8 June 2026 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 1-12

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain. He sat down and His disciples gathered around Him. Then He spoke and began to teach them :

“Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.”

“Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land. Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.”

“Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.”

“Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God. Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are My followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.”