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Monday, 6 October 2025 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Jonah 2 : 3, 4, 5, 8

In my distress I cried to YHVH, and He answered me; from the belly of the netherworld You heard my voice when I called.

You cast me into the abyss, into the very heart of the sea, and the currents swirled about me; all Your breakers and Your billows passed over, engulfing me.

Then I thought : I have been cast out from Your presence, but I keep on looking to Your holy Temple.

When my soul was fainting within me, I remembered YHVH, and before You, rose my prayer up to Your holy Temple.

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Monday, 6 October 2025 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Jonah 1 : 1 – Jonah 2 : 1, 11

The word of YHVH came to Jonah, son of Amittai, “Go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach against it, because I have known its wickedness.”

But Jonah decided to flee from YHVH and go to Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, found a ship bound for Tarshish, and paid the fare. Then he boarded it and went into the hold of the ship, journeying with them to Tarshish, far away from YHVH.

YHVH stirred up a storm wind on the sea, so there was a sea tempest, which threatened to destroy the ship. The sailors took fright, and each cried out to his own god. To lighten the ship, they threw its cargo into the sea. Meanwhile Jonah had gone into the hold of the ship, where he lay fast asleep. The captain came upon him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your God. Perhaps He will be mindful of us and will not allow us to die here.”

The sailors said to each other, “Let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this disaster.” So they dod, and the lot fell on Jonah. They questioned him, “So you are responsible for this evil that has come upon us? Tell us where you are from. What is your country, your nationality?” And Jonah told them his story, “I am a Hebrew and I worship YHVH, God of heaven Who made the sea and the land…”

As they knew that he was fleeing from YHVH, the sailors were seized with great fear and said to him, “What a terrible thing have you done! What shall we do with you now, to make the sea calm down?” The sea was growing more and more agitated.

He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea. It will quiet down, for I know it is because of me that this storm has come.” The sailors, however, still did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea had grown much rougher than before. Then they called on YHVH, “O YHVH, do not let us perish for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us guilty of shedding innocent blood. For You, YHVH, have done this as You have thought right.”

They took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm again. At this the men were seized with great fear of YHVH. They offered a sacrifice to YHVH and made vows to Him. YHVH provided a large fish which swallowed Jonah. He remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. Then YHVH gave His command to the fish, and it belched out Jonah onto dry land.

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Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, each and every one of us have been reminded of the need for us all to trust in God, as His servants and followers, that we do not easily give up the struggle and fight for the sake of our faith in Him. All of us should always persevere in our faith even when it may be very difficult for us to endure through the various challenges, trials and difficulties that we encounter daily in our lives. We must continue to do our best each and in every moments to be good role models and examples for everyone around us. We should not allow ourselves to be dissuaded by those challenges and trials that we end up losing our sight and focus on the Lord and on what He wants us to do in our lives.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Habakkuk in which the conversation between Habakkuk and God was highlighted to us. Prophet Habakkuk was sent by God to the people of the kingdom of Judah during the years of its waning and final existence, when the Babylonians were rising as a threat that would eventually lead to the end and destruction of the kingdom of Judah, its capital Jerusalem and the Temple that God had established and built in that city. Prophet Habakkuk delivered God’s words to the people of Judah, and much like his near contemporary, Jeremiah, he faced a lot of hardships, rejection and persecutions due to his efforts and works, as the people resisted what the Lord had wanted to tell them through His prophets.

The Lord revealed to the people of Judah through Habakkuk that if they continued to disobey Him and if they kept on committing what was wicked in His sight, worshipping pagan idols and gods, refusing to follow His Law and commandments and if they kept on persecuting and murdering His prophets, then in the end they would all face the consequences of their actions, where they would be conquered by their enemies, facing humiliation for losing their cities and lands, and they would be exiled from those lands to distant lands. But the stubbornness of those in Judah brought great misery upon Habakkuk, and the prophet sought the Lord’s help, for which he was strengthened and empowered, reassured and reminded that God could do everything for those who are faithful to Him.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard of the words of St. Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to his protege, St. Timothy, one of the first bishops of the Church and the successor of the Apostles as the leaders of the Church, reminding him and the other Church leaders about the reality of what it is like to struggle and to labour for the sake of the Lord in the works of evangelisation and the proclamation of the Good News of God. While sufferings and struggles, trials and difficulties would indeed be part and parcel of the works and ministry of the Apostles and their successors, all the disciples and the other missionaries of the Lord, but they were not alone in their struggles and efforts, as the Lord was always with them, guiding and journeying with them.

St. Paul encouraged St. Timothy and the other early Christians to remain strongly rooted in their faith in God, to remain true to what the Lord had called them to do, to be faithful to the teachings of the Gospels and the truth of God in all things, never be discouraged and be prevented from doing their good works because of the oppositions and challenges that they had to face. They should trust in the Lord and remember His assurances, just as what He has assured the prophet Habakkuk in the Old Testament. Through their hard works and efforts, firmly entrenched in the gifts of God through the Holy Spirit, they would indeed carry out many good and wonderful works for the Lord’s sake, and touched countless people and bringing many closer to God.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples in the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which He highlighted that first of all, if they were to have genuine faith in the Lord, no matter how small it is, then they can do all things in Him, and everything will become possible for them. This is the Lord highlighting to His disciples the importance and the power of faith, one which we ourselves should also have, the trust and faith that we ought to have in God, despite the hardships and challenges that they may have to encounter in their path and endure. The Lord does not abandon His servants and disciples in their hour of need, and even when they suffer, the Lord would always be with them, guiding and strengthening them in their paths, at all times.

Then, the Lord also highlighted to the disciples how each and every one of them should not expect remunerations and benefits from the Lord for what they were doing in carrying out the missions that the Lord had entrusted to them. They were supposed to be doing whatever the Lord had asked of them to do, and the Lord technically did not owe anything to them either. This is an important reminder which the Lord told to His disciples and also to all of us as well, that we should not be faithful merely to seek personal gains or for our own selfish desires and ambitions. We should serve the Lord because we genuinely seek to glorify Him and to do His will, and to carry out His good works in our community and among all those whom we encounter daily and at all times.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remember that following the Lord will likely be full of challenges, trials and difficulties for us. There may be moments when we may want to give up and abandon our missions and even our faith, but we must remember that the Lord is always with us, by our side, ever encouraging us all throughout the way. We should always trust in God and His Providence and continue to do our very best so that in each and every things we do, in our every words and actions, in our interactions and in how we treat everyone around us, we will always be genuine in showing the most Christian love and way of living, so that we may become the powerful inspirations for all those around us, now and always.

May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours and strengthen us always in faith, in all that we say and do, in our every interactions, to be God’s ever faithful disciples, followers and servants at all times, ever full of devotion and faith in Him. Amen.

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Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 5-10

At that time, the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!’ and it will obey you.”

“Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, ‘Go ahead and have your dinner?’ No, you tell him, ‘Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward.’”

“Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I do not think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, ‘We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.’”

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Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Timothy 1 : 6-8, 13-14

For this reason, I invite you to fan into a flame, the gift of God you received, through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of fearfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in labouring for the Gospel, with the strength of God.

Follow the pattern of the sound doctrine which you have heard from me, concerning faith, and love in Christ Jesus. Keep this precious deposit, with the help of the Holy Spirit, Who lives within us.

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Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 94 : 1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful sound to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him giving thanks, with music and songs of praise.

Come and worship; let us bow down, kneel before the Lord, our Maker. He is our God, and we His people; the flock He leads and pastures. Would that today you heard His voice!

Do not be stubborn, as at Meribah, in the desert, on that day at Massah, when your ancestors challenged Me, and they put Me to the test.

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Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Habakkuk 1 : 2-3 and Habakkuk 2 : 2-4

YHVH, how long will I cry for help while You pay no attention to me? I denounce the oppression and You do not save. Why do You make me see injustice? Are You pleased to look on tyranny? All I see is outrage, violence and quarrels.

Then YHVH answered me and said, “Write down the vision, inscribe it on tablets so it can be easily read, since this is a vision for an appointed time; it will not fail but will be fulfilled in due time. If it delays, wait for it, for it will come, and will not be deterred. Look : I do not look with favour on the one who gives way; the upright, on the other hand, will live by his faithfulness.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Offertory, Secret Prayer of the Priest, Communion and Post-Communion Prayer

Liturgical Colour : Green

Offertory

Daniel 9 : 17, 18, 19

Oravi Deum meum ego Daniel, dicens : Exaudi, Domine, preces servi Tui : illumina faciem Tuam super sanctuarium Tuum : et propitius intende populum istum, super quem invocatum est Nomen Tuum, Deus.

English translation

I, Daniel, prayed to my God, saying, “Hear, o Lord, the prayers of Your servant, show Your face upon Your sanctuary, and favourably look down upon this people upon whom Your Name is invoked, o God.”

Secret Prayer of the Priest

Majestatem Tuam, Domine, suppliciter deprecamur : ut haec sancta, quae gerimus, et a praeteritis nos dilectis exuant et futuris. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

We implore Your majesty, o Lord, that the holy mysteries which we are celebrating may free us of past and save us from future sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Communion

Psalm 75 : 12-13

Vovete et reddite Domino, Deo vestro, omnes, qui in circuitu Ejus affertis munera : terribili, et ei qui aufert spiritum principum : terribili apud omnes reges terrae.

English translation

Vow all of you, and pay to the Lord your God, all you who round about Him bringing presents, to Him who is terrible, even to Him Who takes away the spirit of princes, to the terrible with all the kings of the earth.

Post-Communion Prayer

Sanctificationibus Tuis, omnipotens Deus, et vitia nostra curentur, et remedia nobis aeterna proveniant. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

By Your grace, o Almighty God, let our wicked propensities be cured and everlasting remedies be forthcoming. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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(Usus Antiquior) Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 22 : 34-46

In illo tempore : Accesserunt ad Jesum pharisaei : et interrogavit eum unus ex eis legis doctor, tentans eum : Magister, quod est mandatum magnum in lege? Ait illi Jesus : Diliges Dominum, Deum tuum, ex toto corde tuo et in tota anima tua et in tota mente tua. Hoc est maximum et primum mandatum.

Secundum autem simile est huic : Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum. In his duobus mandatis universa lex pendet et prophetae. Congregatis autem pharisaeis, interrogavit eos Jesus, dicens : Quid vobis videtur de Christo? Cujus Filius est? Dicunt ei : David.

Ait illis : Quomodo ergo David in spiritu vocat eum Dominum, dicens : Dixit Dominus Domino meo, sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum? Si ergo David vocat eum Dominum, quomodo Filius ejus est? Et nemo poterat ei respondere verbum : neque ausus fuit quisquam ex illa die eum amplius interrogare.

English translation

At that time, the Pharisees came to Jesus, and one of them, a doctor of the Law, asked Him, tempting Him, “Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?” Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.”

“And the second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the prophets.” And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think of Christ, whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “David.”

He said to them, “How then did David, in spirit, called Him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit on My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool?’ If David then called Him Lord, how is He his Son?” And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither did any man, from that day forth, asked Him any more questions.

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(Usus Antiquior) Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 5 October 2025 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 32 : 12, 6 and Psalm 101 : 2

Beata gens, cujus est Dominus Deus eorum : populus, quem elegit Dominus in hereditatem sibi.

Response : Verbo Domini caeli firmati sunt : et spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Response : Domine, exaudi orationem meam, et clamor meus ad Te perveniat. Alleluja.

English translation

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He had chosen for His inheritance.

Response : By the word of the Lord the heavens were established, and all the power of them by the Spirit of His mouth.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Response : O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to You. Alleluia.