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Friday, 6 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the harm and dangers that our greed, desires and ambitions, as well as jealousy and other negative traits which can lead us into our downfall and destruction if we continue to follow them, as what the Scripture passages today highlighted with the story of Joseph and his brothers, where jealousy almost led to those brothers committing fratricide, as well as the story of the parable of the evil tenants which the Lord Jesus told to His disciples, to remind them all of how our greed and personal ambitions can lead us into committing untold harm and evil deeds.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the beginning of the story surrounding Joseph, one of the many sons of Jacob or Israel, whom we may all know as the one who was brought to Egypt and becoming regent there in that land, and ultimately rescuing his whole family from danger due to the great famine raging over the whole world at the time, making the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob or Israel, prosper greatly in Egypt and in the lands that God had brought them all to stay in. Through this story we can see how God was with His people, protecting them and providing for them, and even turning things that were meant for evil into good things.

First of all, Joseph as mentioned was one of the favourite sons of Jacob, and this was due to him being one of the two sons of Rachel, the woman whom Jacob truly loved wholeheartedly, more than his sister, Leah, who had also married Jacob and gave him the other children. Joseph and Benjamin were the sons borne to him by Rachel, and as his youngest sons, naturally it would have made them their father’s favourites. Joseph in particular received the ire of his other elder brothers because Benjamin was likely still very young, and therefore did not end up in their brothers’ crosshairs. Joseph himself also received many preferential treatments from his father, and his dreams which he shared with his brothers and family, highlighting how they all would be bowing down before him, brought about even more of his brothers’ jealousy.

And that was how Joseph eventually ended up being plotted against by his own brothers, and almost lost his life because many among his brothers wanted to kill him. Instead, by the intervention of some of his elder brothers, Joseph was instead sold off to the slavers of Midian who were on their way to the land fo Egypt, and was spared death. All of these were indeed part of God’s grand design, who influenced the brothers and prevented them from committing such a heinous sin of killing their own brother. He turned the misfortunes of Joseph into great plans for the future, which at that time no one could have seen yet, but it was in fact Joseph’s visions slowly coming to fruition and accomplishment.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus told His disciples and followers using a parable to teach them about the dangers of worldly glory, ambitions and desires, which He highlighted with the story of the wicked and evil tenants who were given the plots of land by the landowner to work on, and yet, they all refused to pay their dues and the parts of the proceed just as they had certainly agreed on with the landowner. Those wicked tenants became greedy and wanted to keep all of their proceeds and profits, reneging on their earlier agreement, refusing to listen to the reminders sent to them by the landowner through his servants.

And not only that, just like the story of Joseph earlier in our first reading today, those evil tenants were affected by their greed and jealousy of the great wealth of the landowner, which led them to commit heinous crimes, persecuting and even murdering those servants sent to them to remind them of their obligations and works. We heard then how last of all, the evil tenants ganged up and plotted against the landowner’s son, whom he sent to those wicked tenants with the same purpose, thinking that they would have at least respected his son. This was in fact a premonition and prefigurement of what Christ Himself, represented by that landowner’s son, would go through as He would be persecuted and killed by those who opposed Him, those represented by the evil tenants.

This is why all of us are reminded as Christians, we should not allow these things to influence us negatively and leading us down the slippery slope towards wickedness and sin. We must realise that first and foremost we should focus our lives and attention on the Lord, and keep in mind that our every actions, words and deeds should always be rooted in our belief in the Lord, and not be rooted in our worldly ambitions, desires and greed. We must remember that nothing we have and gained in this world will last forever, and none of them will endure through difficulties and challenges we may encounter in our path. But if we put our faith and trust in the Lord, everything that we go through, all the challenges and difficulties, we will eventually be able to overcome it, and we will gain true eternal glory with Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon all these which we have heard from the Lord, from the words He has spoken to us and reminded us all with. Let us all no longer hesitate to walk ever more courageously with Him, going forward with great faith that does not dim even amidst the most challenging and difficult moments. All of us should always do our best to live up to our Christian beliefs, particularly in our great love for God and in our generous love for one another, not putting ourselves and our selfish desires ahead of what we should do in loving God and His people, as we have been called to do.

May the Lord our God continue to strengthen us all and empower each and every one of us in our every efforts and endeavours especially throughout this time and season of Lent, so that all of us may continue to walk faithfully in the path which the Lord has shown us. Let us all remain firm in faith and trust in Him, and resist the temptations of worldly ambitions, glory and desires, all of which can drag us down the path of ruin and destruction. This Lent, let us all continue to strive to be ever more faithful and committed people of God, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 6 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 21 : 33-43, 45-46

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Listen to another example : There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a hole for the winepress, built a watchtower, leased the vineyard to tenants, and then went to a distant country.”

“When harvest time came, the landowner sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned a third. Again the owner sent more servants, but they were treated in the same way.”

“Finally, he sent his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”

“Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do with the tenants when he comes?” They said to him, “He will bring those evil men to an evil end, and lease the vineyard to others, who will pay him in due time.” And Jesus replied, “Have you never read what the Scriptures say? The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at it.”

“Therefore I say to you : the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you, and given to a people who will yield a harvest.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realised that Jesus was referring to them. They would have arrested Him, but they were afraid of the crowd, who regarded Him as a Prophet.

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Friday, 6 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 104 : 16-17, 18-19, 20-21

Then the Lord sent a famine and ruined the crop that sustained the land; He sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.

His feet in shackles, his neck in irons till what he foretold came to pass, and the Lord’s word proved him true.

The king sent for him, set him free, the ruler of the peoples released him. He put him in charge of his household and made him ruler of all his possessions.

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Friday, 6 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Genesis 37 : 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, for he was the son of his old age and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. His brothers who saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, hated him and could no longer speak to him in a friendly way.

His brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the flock at Shechem.” So Joseph went off after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.

They said to one another, “Here comes the specialist in dreams! Now is the time! Let us kill him and throw him into a well. We will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams were all about!” But Reuben heard this and tried to save him from their hands saying, “Let us not kill him; shed no blood! Throw him in this well in the wilderness, but do him no violence.” This he said to save him from them and take him back to his father.

So as soon as Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his long-sleeved coat that he wore and then took him and threw him in the well, now the well was empty, without water. They were sitting for a meal when they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh, which they were taking down to Egypt.

Judah then said to his brothers, “What do we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blood? Come! We will sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother and our own flesh!” His brothers agreed to this. So when the Midianite merchants came along they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the well. For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph to the Midianites, who took him with them to Egypt.

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Thursday, 5 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all reminded that as the followers and disciples of the Lord, each and every one of us must always strive to live our lives faithfully in accordance to what He Himself has shown and taught us, in showing great love to one another, especially to those whom we love and those whom the Lord has placed in our lives to love, our beloved ones, and then also all those who are marginalised and less fortunate around us, the poor and the needy, and these are not limited only to those who are having financial and material difficulties, but also those who are ostracised, unloved and forgotten by the community.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, we heard of the words of the Lord which had been delivered by Him to His people through Jeremiah, calling on all of them to repent from their sinful and wicked ways, turning back from their worldly ways and returning once again to follow the path of the Lord. Back then, the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the people of God in the kingdom of Judah, at the last days of its existence to tell them all of the terrible fate that they would soon endure because of their lack of faith in the Lord from the time of their ancestors and predecessors, and their dependance on worldly powers and means rather than on the Lord their God, in Whom they should put their faith and trust in.

The people of Judah, the kingdom and the whole body of nobles, according to the Scriptural accounts, chose to depend on the backing and support of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh, in the struggle between the regional powers, just as the Babylonians were gaining strength and growing in power at that time. And this choice of depending on worldly means instead of trusting in the Lord was the very reason for their downfall, and there were also false prophets who went against the words of the prophet Jeremiah, convincing the king and his nobles to follow their preferred course of action instead, claiming that the Lord would crush the Babylonians with the help of the Egyptians and their forces.

All of that eventually led to the ruin and destruction of Judah as the Babylonians came with their armies and forces, defeating the armies of the Egyptians and leaving Judah without means of protection. And as the Babylonians came upon them and besieged Jerusalem, destroying other cities and eventually conquering the kingdom, destroying the great Temple in Jerusalem and bringing many of the people of Judah to exile in distant lands, everything that Jeremiah had spoken finally came true. And to all of us listening to these words from the Scriptures, we are reminded that we should not put our faith and trust in the power of man and in worldly devices alone, but we must put our faith in the Lord together with all of our efforts.

Then, from our Gospel pasasge today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord told His disciples and followers, of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, using the example of Lazarus, a poor man who was always sitting by the doorway of the house or mansion of a rich man. We heard in this well-known story of how the rich man ignored the sufferings of the poor man Lazarus at his very own doorstep, refusing to allow him to even have the crumbs of bread from his table, even when there were a lot of opportunities for him to help the poor man. And we heard of how when both Lazarus and the rich man passed away, they ended up in different places.

From what we heard of the great joy and vindication of Lazarus, who was finally enjoying relief and happiness together with Abraham and the other righteous people of God, and in contrast how the rich man was suffering in the fires of hell. Through this example and parable which the Lord had used to highlight His points and ideas to the disciples, we ourselves are also being reminded that we should not ignore the plight of the poor and the needy all around us, or else, we will end up facing the same predicament as the rich man. It was not about his wealth or possessions that made him wrong, but the rich man’s apathy and lack of action had caused him to commit the sin of omission in not helping out his fellow man, Lazarus, when he could have done so, many times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, let us all remember that all of us as Christians are called to do good in our daily living, to live up to our Christian calling and mission in whatever way we can, in each and every moments of our lives. We should always remember to put God at the centre of our lives and do our very best in our every actions, words and deeds so that by our everyday efforts and works, even in the smallest things that we do, we will always help more and more people all around us. As Christians, we are called to be active in reaching out to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, to our fellow men and women who need our help and company, among other things.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help and guide us all in our lives, remembering that in each and every moments we should continue to live our lives virtuously, in loving God and in loving one another around us, especially those whom God has given us all to love, and also those whom we encounter in our lives, in our everyday moments that we have been given the opportunities to show care, love and concern for those who have been placed in our paths. Let us all continue to show them the generous love that we can give them, in whatever way we can, so that by our generous love and compassion, we may truly be worthy of God and His love, and show forth God’s love to all those whom we encounter, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 5 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 16 : 19-31

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man’s table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores.”

“It happened that the poor man died, and Angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died, and was buried. From hell where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me, and send Lazarus, with the tip of his finger dipped in water, to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire.'”

“Abraham replied, ‘My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off, while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort, and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you, or from your side to us.'”

“The rich man implored once more, ‘Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father’s house, where my five brothers live, let him warn them, so that they may not end up in this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'”

“But the rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham; but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced, even if someone rises from the dead.'”

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Thursday, 5 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the one who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the law of the Lord and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Thursday, 5 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 17 : 5-10

This is what YHVH says, “Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings and depends on a mortal for his life, while his heart is drawn away from YHVH! He is like a bunch of thistles in dry land, in parched desert places, in a salt land where no one lives and who never finds happiness.”

“Blessed is the man who puts his trust in YHVH and whose confidence is in Him! He is like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots towards the stream. He has no fear when the heat comes, his leaves are always green; the year of drought is no problem and he can always bear fruit.”

“Most deceitful is the heart. What is there within man, who can understand him? I, YHVH, search the heart and penetrate the mind. I reward each one according to his ways and the fruit of his deeds.”

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, that is as those who follow and commit ourselves to walk in the path of the Lord, it is inevitable that somewhere along our paths and journeys in following God, that we will encounter difficulties and challenges, hardships and trials, and yet, we should never lose faith in the Lord. Instead, we should be ever more steady and strong in our commitment and dedication, in everything that we say and do, in each and every moments of our lives. We must always trust that the Lord will guide and provide us in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, we heard of the account of the plots and the attempts against the life of Jeremiah, the prophet whom the Lord sent as the last prophet to guide the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, and how Jeremiah truly suffered greatly in many occasions because of those plots and attempts, from all those who were opposed to hios ministry and works among the people of God. He was falsely accuswed of treason and being disobedient against the King, betraying the people and the country. But God was always with Jeremiah and did not leave or abandon him especially during the times of his greatest trials and difficulties.

God was with Jeremiah when he stood up against the false prophets and messengers, all those who plotted against him, speaking lies and untruths before the king and the people. Jeremiah brought God’s words to His people, words of warning and reminders for them all that their cities and the Temple of God in Jerusalem would be destroyed, and their kingdom crushed and conquered by the Babylonians for the many sins and wickedness which they had committed against the Lord. For this courageous deliverance of the truth of God and for revealing what the people would face and endure, Jeremiah was persecuted and had to face a lot of struggles, and if not God’s providence and intervention, he would have perished.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, where we heard the account of the moment when the two disciples, members of the Twelve, St. James and St. John, who came with their mother to the Lord and asked Him for positions of special favour, to sit by His left and right when He comes into His Kingdom, and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, as was commonly believed at that time. The significance of such a request is that they expected to be made very important individuals in the Lord’s Kingdom, thinking that the Lord came to restore the Kingdom of Israel in the literal sense, such as how it was during the days and time of David and Solomon. Therefore, it was at least part of their expectation to receive wealth, glory, prestige and power.

But they did not realise that the Kingdom of Christ, the Kingdom of God is not like that of this world, and is not the same as how the world operates. To follow Christ is not about gaining glory, majesty, power or fame, wealth or satisfaction of the world. Following Christ is about doing what He has entrusted to us to do, to walk in His path despite the opposition and challenges from the world, and often we may have to face rejection and stubborn refusals from those around us, and sometimes even those who are near us and closest to us just like how the Lord Himself was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of His own closest inner circle member. Yet, we must not lose faith and we must not be disillusioned or disheartened by all these challenges and difficulties because God is and will always be with us.

It is an important reminder for all of us that becoming disciples and followers of the Lord require from us a commitment and dedication that is not easily maintained if we lack the determination and faith in God. To be disciples and followers of Christ truly does not mean that we will gain material or joyful benefits from it, although this may indeed be part of our journey. Our primary focus and intention should be directed towards the Lord our God, our Heavenly Father Who has always blessed us wonderfully, in each and every moments of our lives. We must not be easily distracted by the temptations of worldly glory, fame and ambitions, which had led so many astray in their paths towards the Lord. Instead, we should show good example by our faithful commitment to the Lord, in following Him despite the challenges we may have to encounter in our respective paths in life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to progress through this season of Lent, let us all continue to discern our way of life and see in what way we can be better and more committed disciples and followers of His, and we can do this by following the good examples set by our holy predecessors, one of which, whose feast we are celebrating today, is St. Casimir of Poland. St. Casimir was a Royal Prince of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, who was known for his great piety and devotion to God, as well as charity and care for the needy and the poor in the kingdom from his early age. He was remembered for his exemplary faith and actions, his chaste and holy lifestyle at a time when it was common for someone in his status to embrace a debauched and hedonistic way of life. St. Casimir dedicated his life to the end to the glory of God, and despite dying in a relatively early age due to tuberculosis, the example of his holiness and dedication to God continue to inspire many people right up to this day.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, can we follow the good examples of St. Casimir and many other of our holy predecessors in how we ought to live our lives? In this season and time of Lent, let us all reorientate our lives and redirect our focus in life back towards the Lord, Whom we should put right at the very centre of our lives. Let us all turn towards Him with faith, and do whatever we can to serve Him faithfully each day and at every moments given to us. May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us all and may He empower each and every one of us to be ever better and stronger in our desire to serve Him, and to do His will, at all times. May God bless us always, in our every actions, deeds and efforts, to glorify Him by our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 20 : 17-28

At that time, when Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples and said to them, “See, we are going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, who will condemn Him to death. They will hand Him over to the foreigners, who will mock Him, scourge Him and crucify Him. But He will be raised to life on the third day.”

Then the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down, to ask a favour. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here You have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, when You are in Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink My cup, but to sit at My right or at My left is not for Me to grant. That will be for those, for whom My Father has prepared it.”

The other ten heard all this, and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants over them, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you : whoever wants to be more important in your community shall make himself your servant.”

“And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man Who has come, not to be served but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”