Ordinary Time

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Thursday, 15 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us, we are all called to keep in mind the commandments and ways of the Lord, distancing ourselves from sinful and wicked things, and doing our best to be holy and exemplary in our lives. We should be sincere in our faith and way of loving God and our fellow brethren, and not doing so because we have ulterior motives and desires, or because we want to be praised and adored for our actions and faith, which would otherwise lead us down the wrong path in life, a path of selfishness and sin instead of towards salvation in God. As Christians, it is very important that we show through genuine example what it truly means for us to live our lives well in accordance with God’s will.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Ephesus, we heard of the truth of how each one of us as Christians, having been called to be God’s people, and having received the adoption from Him to be His own beloved sons and daughters, each one of us are expected to live our lives in the manner that the Lord has taught and shown us through His Church. All of us have received the great grace from God, the forgiveness for our sins, and having been shown the great and tender love from God. And yet, many of us still preferred to choose ways that are contrary to God and His path, those ways which are not aligned to the teachings of the Lord and His Church.

If we listened well to what we heard in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the rebuke which the Lord Jesus spoke and directed towards the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, as many of them had not been truly obedient to God, and they had misused and abused their authority and position, to enrich and empower themselves instead of serving the Lord and the interest of the people of God. They made it difficult for many among the people of God to come close to God, as they imposed very harsh conditions, rules, regulations and practices which essentially deterred many people from following the Lord’s ways, as they made it very challenging for the ostracised and marginalised to follow God’s path

Not only that, the ways and the practices of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves were not truly founded upon the firm foundations of faith. In fact, as mentioned earlier on this week, the Law itself had been changed, affected and corrupted over the many centuries since it was handed down through Moses from God to His people. Over all that time, the various oral traditions and additions, modifications and changes had accumulated such that the Law in its essence and practice was no longer the same Law which the Lord had revealed and intended for His people in the first place. They had become tools of prejudice, bias and marginalisation, serving the purpose and intent of the strong and the elites rather than being the means to help and lead the people of God on their journey towards Him, especially those same people who needed the Lord’s love and mercy the most, to whom the Law at the time became most prejudiced against.

The people and their elders persecuted the faithful and the many prophets and messengers who were sent into their midst in order to remind them and call them back towards the path towards righteousness. They hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord, and refused to listen to the reminders made to them in many occasions. Instead, they chose to indulge in worldly desires and in corrupt ways, that led them further and further into sin. All these were caused by their pride and ego, their ambitions and their unbridled desires which led to them falling further and ever deeper into the traps laid on them by Satan and all those seeking their destruction and downfall.

Instead of doing what the Lord had told them to do, and instead of loving one another as fellow brothers and sisters, all belonging to the same family of God, they used the Law as excuses to gain renown and fame for themselves. They preferred to satisfy their own desires for power, worldly glory, fame and more, rather than to do the will of God. They made it difficult for many of those who were in need of help from God, and who would have benefitted the most from God’s mercy and love, to come towards Him. That is why God chastised those elders and leaders who had not done and lived their lives the way that they should have done.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of a great saint and holy woman of the Church, one of the esteemed and honoured Doctors of the Church, namely St. Teresa of Jesus, also known as St. Teresa of Avila. St. Teresa of Avila was one of the founders of the Discalced Carmelites Order, which was born out of the extensive reform of the original Carmelite Order during the time of the Counter-Reformation. St. Teresa of Avila was born during the time when there were great changes and turmoils in Christendom, and she was brought up as a devout Christian by her mother and family, and after losing her mother at a rather early age of eleven, this experience further brought St. Teresa of Avila closer to the Lord, eventually desiring to join religious life and to commit herself to the Lord.

St. Teresa of Avila eventually joined the Carmelites and lived with great piety and dedication to God, committing herself to a life of prayer and self-mortification, resisting the temptations of the world and while experiencing many spiritual ecstasy and mystical visions that eventually led her even closer to God. She was known for her many other spiritual experiences and sufferings, which she endured patiently with faith, and her piety and examples became great inspiration for everyone both during her time and afterwards. Then, as mentioned, she became a great reformer of the Carmelite Order that she belonged to, seeing the laxity and worldly corruption that had crept up into her religious order and community, that many of the religious no longer committed themselves faithfully to the Lord in the manner that the founder of the Order intended to.

To this extent, together with several others, including St. John of the Cross and all those who shared her vision, St. Teresa of Avila resolved to establish the reformed Carmelite order, which would henceforth be known as the Discalced Carmelites, for their willingness and commitment to adhere more faithfully to the tenets and the practices of the original founders and intentions of the Carmelites, which is kind of similar to what we have been hearing in our Scripture passages earlier and discussed today. The Lord also intended to return everyone to the true intention and practice of the Law that God had granted and given to them, purifying the Law that had been misinterpreted and wrongly practiced in the past centuries by the people of God and their leaders, which had led them to the wrong path. In the similar way therefore, St. Teresa of Avila and the other reformers did the same, as they courageously went through the challenges and trials that they had to face amidst their attempts and efforts to establish the reformed Carmelite order.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the Scripture readings today and from the life and examples of St. Teresa of Jesus or St. Teresa of Avila, let us all therefore strive as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people to follow Him ever more wholeheartedly and worthily in all things. Let us all continue to do our best so that our whole lives, our every actions and deeds, our words and interactions with one another will continue to proclaim the glory of God, and not merely be paying lip service to God’s Law and commandments, or worse still, misusing them to serve our own selfish desires. May God bless each and every one of us, and may He continue to guide us in our journey through life and strengthen us in our every efforts and endeavours to glorify Him like His holy saints had done before us, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 11 : 47-54

At that time, Jesus said to the teachers of the Law, “A curse is on you, for you build monuments to the prophets your ancestors killed. So you approve and agree with what your ancestors did. Is it not so? They got rid of the prophets, and you build monuments to them!”

“For that reason the wisdom of God also said : I will send prophets and Apostles and these people will kill and persecute some of them. But the present generation will have to answer for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the Sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will have to answer for them all.”

“A curse is on you, teachers of the Law, for you have taken the key of knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you prevented others from entering.”

As Jesus left that place, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees began to harass Him, asking Him endless questions, setting traps to catch Him in something He might say.

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Thursday, 15 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

With melody of the lyre and with music of the harp. With trumpet blast and sound of the horn, rejoice before the King, the Lord!

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Thursday, 15 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ephesians 1 : 1-10

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, to you, who share Christian faith : receive grace and peace from God, our Father, and from Jesus, the Lord.

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, Who, in Christ, has blessed us from heaven, with every spiritual blessing. God chose us, in Christ, before the creation of the world, to be holy, and without sin in His presence.

From eternity He destined us, in love, to be His adopted sons and daughters, through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will. This goal suited Him : that His loving-kindness, which He granted us His beloved might finally receive all glory and praise.

For, in Christ, we obtain freedom, sealed by His Blood, and have the forgiveness of sins. In this, appears the greatness of His grace, which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding, God has made known to us His mysterious design, in accordance with His loving-kindness, in Christ.

In Him, and under Him, God wanted to unite, when the fullness of time had come, everything in heaven and on earth.

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we heard the words of the Lord contained in the Scripture passages, we are all reminded to be truly faithful to God in all things, in each and every one of our actions and works, in our every words and interactions with one another. All of us as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord are expected and called to follow His path and obey His ways sincerely and genuinely from our hearts. Otherwise, if we call ourselves as Christians and then yet behave in the manner that is not worthy of being called as disciples and followers of Christ, then we are no better than just hypocrites and unbelievers, like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who loved themselves and their prideful ego and ambition more than they loved God and His Law.

In our first reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Galatia, the Apostle St. Paul exhorted the faithful there in Galatia to adhere to the path that the Lord has shown them and not to fall into the path of worldliness, or to the wrong and mistaken path that the old Law had been guiding them through. This is a reference to the Law as how the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had preserved it and enforced it to the people of God. That old Law, composed of the many rules, regulations, customs and practices was already outdated and imperfect, flawed by the many additions that it had over the centuries. All of these led to misunderstandings and abuses of the Law meant to benefit those who enforced them, as well as their biases and prejudices.

We have to understand that the Law of God was passed down from generations to generations among the faithful people of God, and this Law had undergone numerous modifications and additions throughout the long history of the people of God. As such, it led to the Law being excessive, tedious and cumbersome, and not only that, as mentioned, it has also frequently been misused and misinterpreted even by the very ones who were entrusted with its upkeep and propagation, like those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, who took great pride and ego in how they observed the Law and how they enforced it to the Jewish community. This is especially due to the Pharisees tending to be prejudiced against those group of people they deemed to be unworthy of God, like tax collectors and prostitutes, or those suffering from sickness and demonic possessions.

Unfortunately, that led to difficulties among the faithful in Galatia and elsewhere. As we heard in our Gospel passage today, there were significant frictions and disagreements between the Lord and those who upheld the old ways of doing things, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, who desired to enforce the excesses of the old Law to the people of God. There were some of the sympathisers of the Pharisees and the Pharisees themselves who had become believers of the Lord, but they still held on to their old customs and ways. According to their way of doing things, there were as many as six hundred and thirteen customs, precepts, rules and regulations which the people of God had to fulfil, and imposing all these placed unnecessary burden on the people of God.

Not only that the way the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obeyed and observed those rules and customs were wrong, as many of them ended up doing them for their own vanity and pride, showing off their piety and obedience so that others might praise them for their actions and piety. They focused on themselves instead of on God, and they made it difficult for many others to be closer to God, as many were deterred by the tedious and the harsh nature of the laws and customs presented by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law. This was especially true for those who needed God and His healing and mercy the most, like those suffering from maladies and diseases, those possessed by evil spirits, the tax collectors and the prostitutes among others as mentioned. Yet, the irony is such that the latter were often the ones who were most fervent in seeking God and His mercy, love and compassion.

That is why St. Paul exhorted and reminded the members of the Christian faithful in Galatia to turn away from their misguided ways, their obsession over the many trivial and unnecessary parts from the old Jewish laws and customs, as well as in their prejudice and elitist attitudes against the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people. This attitude at that time had persisted even against those pagans and Gentiles who had embraced the Christian faith, with some among the Jewish Christian converts arguing and trying to enforce the whole Jewish customs and laws on all the faithful including on the converts from the Gentiles and pagans.

That is not what Christians ought to be doing, and hence, St. Paul told all of them to distance themselves from the worldly excesses of those misguided paths and ways, and instead, embrace the Lord, His truth and ways, in loving Him sincerely and in doing the same to our fellow brothers and sisters, to our fellow men and women, regardless of our status, origins, background and affiliations, and thus, showing genuine and most generous love to each other just as how the Lord Himself has loved us all sinners, even those who were most wicked and seemingly unworthy. Through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, God has come into our midst to redeem us all, even the ones who were furthest away from Him.

This is what each and every one of us as Christians ought to be doing, not to be exclusive and elitist in our attitude, and not to be self-righteous in our actions. Instead, we should always remind ourselves that each and every one of us are part of the same Body of Christ, the Church. We are all called to share in the brotherhood and the unity among us Christians, united through the love of God. We should be filled with God’s love and show that same love to the Lord and to our fellow brothers and sisters. Each and every one of us should inspire one another to continue to do what God has taught and shown us to do, and that is to live our lives as Christians and obey the Law and commandments of God as He had intended for us.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy saints, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose commitment and actions should inspire us all in our own lives, in how we ourselves can become good and committed disciples of the Lord, in all of our actions and works. Pope St. Callistus I was the Pope and leader of the Universal Church, as the Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, during a difficult time in the Church’s history, as at that time, persecutions were rampant against the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Oppression and sufferings were often part of life for many of the Lord’s faithful people, who had to endure those sufferings simply because of their faith in God.

Amidst all of these, Pope St. Callistus I, who was a deacon and assistant to the Pope St. Zephyrinus, in managing the catacombs of the city of Rome, serving the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Rome, and then eventually becoming the successor of the same Pope St. Zephyrinus, he had involved himself with many of the works and the service for the sake of God’s people, caring for both of their physical and spiritual needs. The Lord has called Pope St. Callistus I to be His Vicar, and he carried out his duties most diligently, in embracing all of the people of God, including those who have lapsed from the faith and fallen into sin. At that time, this matter of welcoming and allowing lapsed Christians who have given in to the pressure to worship pagan gods and idols, either by choice or not, had caused great divisions and disagreements in the Church.

This division and disagreement had led to one of the first schisms in the Church, as St. Hippolytus, a popular priest and preacher who disagreed with the practice of readmitting lapsed Christians without proper penance and consequences, was elected as a rival Pope to Pope St. Callistus I, becoming the first antipope. Pope St. Callistus I was determined to bridge the differences and worked hard to lead the people of God amidst the turbulent times, beset from all directions, both from outside and within, in the many persecutions and challenges that the faithful people of God were facing daily, and in the disagreements that turned fellow Christians against each other. Pope St. Callistus I patiently led the Church throughout all of that, and remained firm in his faith and conviction in dedicating himself and the Church to God. In the end, he was martyred for his faith, during one of those persecutions, but his efforts helped the Church to remain strong throughout the challenging years.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore follow in the good examples and in the inspiring actions of Pope St. Callistus I, and let us walk ever more faithfully in the path which God has set before us, in all that He has shown and taught us to do. Pope St. Callistus I has shown all of us what it truly means for us to be good and devout Christians, as God’s followers and disciples. We must always do whatever we can, in all the opportunities given to us so that our every words, actions and deeds truly show this commitment and faith in the Lord. It is through our lives and how we practice our faith in God in this world, in our daily living that we can truly show others the path towards the Lord.

May God continue to guide us all and strengthen each one of us in our courage and resolve to live our lives faithfully in Him, and to embrace once again the fullness of His love and mercy. Let us stay away from the path of sin and evil, and instead, strive to live our lives fully and worthily as good Christians from now on. Let us all truly embrace the love of God and His Law wholeheartedly with genuine faith, and not be merely superficial and hypocritical in our faith, as some of our predecessors had done. May all of us be truly faithful and worthy beacons of God’s light and truth, at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Luke 11 : 42-46

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “A curse is on you, Pharisees! To the Temple you give a tenth of all, including mint and rue and other herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. These ought to be practiced, without neglecting the other obligations.”

“A curse is on you, Pharisees, for you love the best seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplace. A curse is on you, for you are like tombstones of the dead which can hardly be seen; people do not notice them, and make themselves unclean by stepping on them.”

Then a teacher of the Law spoke up and said, “Master, when You speak like this, You insult us, too.” And Jesus answered, “A curse is on you also, teachers of the Law. For you prepare unbearable burdens and load them on the people, while you yourselves do not move a finger to help them.”

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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

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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Wednesday, 14 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Galatians 5 : 18-25

But when you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law. You know what comes from the flesh : fornication, impurity and shamelessness, idol worship and sorcery, hatred, jealousy and violence, anger, ambition, division, factions, and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. I again say to you what I have already said : those who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is charity, joy and peace, patience, understanding of others, kindness and fidelity, gentleness and self-control. For such things there is no Law or punishment. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us live in a spiritual way.

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026 : 28th 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 Scriptures, we are all presented with the reminders for each and every one of us to be firmly faithful to God and to believe in Him wholeheartedly, that we do not just pay a lip service to Him or observe the commandments and laws of God for the sake of doing them, or if we do them for the sake of being popular or to get fame and attention to ourselves. That is not how we should be living our faith, and that is not what Christians like us should be doing, or else, we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers who have no true faith in God. We are reminded yet again that we need to be truly faithful and committed to God in words, in actions and in deeds alike.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Galatia. In that passage, St. Paul reminded the faithful in Galatia, many of whom were Jewish converts to the Christian faith, and there were also being a rather sizeable Jewish diaspora there, to no longer be ‘enslaved’ to the old Law, which was not actually really referring to the Law of God, but rather to the customs, traditions, practices and all those which the people of God in the past had gradually grown to ingrain themselves into, and not only that, but even becoming more and more obsessed on, as they became too engrossed and focused on obeying even the smallest details of those rules and regulations.

The Law of God historically and traditionally was revealed by God Himself to His servant, Moses, in the desert, during the time when the people of Israel had just been liberated from their enslavement by the Egyptians. The Lord Who brought them all out of the land of Egypt also showed them His guidance and wisdom, and especially after they had repeatedly shown their stubborn attitudes and disobedience, such as their building of the golden calf idol and its worship, their constant complaints regarding the matter of food and convenience as they journeyed through the desert, all of these led to them going wayward and out of their paths in following God. That was why God, out of His continued and constant love for His people, showed them His Law and commandments to guide and help them.

However, in time, those laws and commandments which had been modified and altered throughout the many centuries of them being passed from generations to generations, led to them being misunderstood and misused by those who failed to truly understand their meaning, purpose and significance. That was what we have also heard throughout the other parts of the New Testament and the Gospels, where there were frequent disagreements and clashes between the Lord Himself and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law as the two latter groups were adamant on keeping, preserving and enforcing their way of obeying and observing the Law of God. As a matter of fact, after many centuries since the Law of God was passed down to the people through Moses, it had gone through very extensive changes and additions, such that the Law as was known and observed by those same Pharisees and teachers of the Law had become very cumbersome and oppressive.

Not only that, but those rules, regulations, practices and customs had become something that made it really difficult for many people to follow and to observe, and in fact became a distraction and barrier for many in their journey towards God. For the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, the Law became a tool for them to achieve fame and glory. Many of them became trapped in the desire to achieve greatness and praise through those laws, by showing off their piety and activities, and in the end, causing them to be focusing upon themselves and their ego rather than on God. While for others, the Law made it difficult for many to approach God, and made them to shun Him and turn away from Him instead.

That is why St. Paul exhorted and reminded the faithful in Galatia not to continue in the way and the path that their ancestors and predecessors had kept, which was erroneous and the Lord Himself had pointed out as He came to reveal the truth about the Law of God and all that He had told us all about Himself and how each one of us ought to live our lives in accordance with God’s will. Those who believe in the Lord and follow Him should heed the words that He has spoken and which He then reminded us again through His Apostles like St. Paul. They are all exhorted and reminded to embrace the path of God’s love, in loving God and one another, and in focusing their lives on Him and following His commandments in its true meaning and purpose. We should not be selfish or self-centred in our ways and actions, unlike those among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were openly prejudiced against those whom they disliked and condemned.

It is also a very important reminder that as Christians, all of us must not allow ourselves to be  swayed by ambition, selfish desires and all the things that can distract us from our paths towards God. As those among the Pharisees and the elders have shown us, that whenever we deem and think of ourselves as superior than others, we end up causing hurt, discrimination, injustice and all sorts of irresponsible behaviours that are not in accordance to God’s teachings and truths. It is easy for us to fall prey to these temptations especially if we are not truly firmly rooted in our faith in God and in our understanding of what we truly profess to believe. And we are also called to live with the ultimate focus in the Lord, and not on ourselves.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to shower us all with His love, show us His wisdom and guidance, through the examples which He Himself has shown us, the example of pure love and compassion towards the marginalised and those who were oppressed and hated. May through His inspiration and love, all of us as God’s beloved people be the beacons of His light and hope, and the bearers of His great love and grace in our world today, inspiring many more to follow Him wholeheartedly rather than merely paying lip service or understanding His Law and commandments superficially as some of our predecessors had done. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 11 : 37-41

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to have a meal with him. So He went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not wash His hands before the dinner.

But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He Who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.”