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Friday, 19 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Philip Minh, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 131 : 11, 12, 13-14, 17-18

YHVH swore to David a promise, and He will remain true to it : “I will keep your descendants on your throne.”

“If your sons keep My Covenant and the decrees I have taught them; their sons, too, will sit forever upon your throne.”

For YHVH has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling : “This is My resting place forever; this I prefer; here, will I dwell.”

From here, a Saviour shall come forth, a Son of David; here, shall shine forever, the lamp of My Anointed. In shame will I clothe His enemies, but upon His head a crown shall shine.

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Friday, 19 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Philip Minh, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

2 Kings 11 : 1-4, 9-18, 20

When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son had died, she was determined to wipe out all the descendants of the king. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, her nephew, and brought him away from among the king’s sons who were about to be killed, and put him with his wet nurse in the bedroom.

Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that the boy was saved. And Joash remained hidden in the house of YHVH for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land. In the seventh year, Jehoiada the chief priest, summoned the officers of the royal guard and of the Carites to the house of YHVH. After concluding a pact with them under oath, he showed them the king’s son.

The commanders of the guards did what Jehoiada the priest had told them to do; and they showed up with all their men, those who were to go off duty on the Sabbath as well as those who were to come on duty on that day. Jehoiada entrusted to the officers the spears and shields of king David which were in the house of YHVH. And then the guards stood from the southern corner of the house to the north, surrounding the altar and the house of YHVH.

Then Jehoiada, the priest, brought out the king’s son, crowned him and put the bracelets on him, then proclaimed and consecrated him king. All clapped their hands, shouting and crying out, “Long live the king!” When Athaliah heard the noise of the people, she approached the crowd surrounding the house of YHVH.

The king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the officers and the trumpeters were with him. The people were filled with joy and they were blowing trumpets. On seeing this, Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, “Treason, treason!”

Jehoiada the priest commanded the officers, “Surround her and bring her out to the courtyard, and kill anyone who tries to defend her.” He gave this order, because he thought, “She should not die in the house of YHVH.” They brought her out, and when they reached the palace of the king, by the horses’ entrance, there, they killed her.

Jehoiada made a Covenant between YHVH and the king and the people so they would be the people of YHVH. All the citizens went to the temple of Baal and destroyed it. They broke the altars and the images into pieces, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, before his altar. Then Jehoiada, the priest, posted guards over the house of YHVH.

All the citizens were happy and the city was at peace. Now regarding Athaliah, she had died by the sword in the king’s palace.

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Thursday, 18 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we heard from the passages of the Scriptures both the works and deeds of the prophet Elijah, who was taken up from Heaven in a flaming chariot, and also the prayer that the Lord Jesus offered to His heavenly Father, the prayer that we now know and call as the Lord’s Prayer, the Pater Noster. Through these readings from the Scriptures, all of us are reminded that as Christians we have to follow the examples shown to us, in remaining connected to God, in being righteous in all of our actions, words and deeds, and to be faithful to God at all times. We have to be faithful and committed to the Lord despite the challenges and hardships facing us because in the end, God will always be with us and He will provide for us, leading us all to the eternal glory and triumph with Him.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard of the praise that the prophet Sirach spoke with regards to Elijah, one of the most renowned prophets of Israel, who had laboured and worked hard for many years, in serving the Lord and calling on the people of God to turn away from their wicked deeds and ways. Elijah had to go up against the king and those who opposed him and stubbornly refused to listen to him. Yet, he persevered and continued to work hard for the glory of God, facing all the hardships and challenges with faith, enduring the ridicule, rejection and persecution with faith, knowing that God was with him and that He would not abandon His faithful servants in their time of need.

The prophet Elijah continued to labour for the people of God, and eventually, the Lord called him to Heaven, after He had appointed Elisha to be the successor of Elijah for the ministry to the people of Israel. Elijah was taken up in a flaming chariot into Heaven, and while he has been taken up into Heaven, his story, his courage and hardworking efforts remained and had become great sources of inspiration for many people throughout history. There were many other prophets whose lives and dedication to God can also be our inspirations as well, just like that of Elijah’s successor in Israel, the prophet Elisha, and others like the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel among others. All these servants of God showed us what it truly means to be following God.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard the story of the Lord Jesus showing His disciples how they ought to pray to God, His heavenly Father. He told them all that they should not pray in the manner that the pagans liked to pray, who often used many words and invocations, and instead, they should pray in the manner that He Himself showed them, praying to the Lord in a truly Christian manner, as we all have been shown and taught how to do through the Church. In prayer, many of us often made a mistake of not meaning and appreciating what we were saying. Many of us prayed with the prayers common to the Church and yet, not meaning what we said, because we were merely reciting the prayers instead of actually meaning every single words that we utter from our mouths. We were praying more with our mouths and not internalising those words we said, and not linking our mouths with our hearts and minds. This is one of the mistakes that we often made with prayers.

And then, we also often think of prayers as a way for us to get what we wanted and desired. We often think of prayers as means for us to miraculously gain what we hope the Lord would give us, and as such, many of us made such demands with the expectation that God will do something for us. Then, when we do not get what we wanted or if things do not go according to what we wanted it, we ended up getting angry at God, becoming unhappy at Him and even leaving Him behind. If we do get what we wanted, we often forgot about Him afterwards. God is not One Who we can treat at our convenience and seek only if we have need for Him.

No, brothers and sisters in Christ, these are not how we should be praying to God. The true essence of prayer is communication, and it is the way through which we should communicate with the Lord, our God and Father, and how do we do it? A proper communication should involve listening and understanding, and it is very important that we open our hearts and minds to engage in a proper and meaningful conversation with God. We should dedicate time and effort to prayer, whenever we can, and in not demanding God, but rather, to communicate with God and to know His will for us all. That is why prayer must always be at the centre and heart of our Christian faith and living, instead of merely just being an afterthought or even chore.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to these words from the Scriptures, and based on what we had just discussed earlier on, we are all called and reminded to turn back towards the Lord and to be reconciled with Him. We are all called to follow the good examples of the prophet Elijah, the many other prophets and servants of God, the innumerable saints and martyrs who had spent their lives to glorify God by their actions and deeds. And we also have to deepen our spiritual and prayer life, so that we may come to know the Lord and that we may become ever closer to Him. By all of these efforts and by our perseverance in faith, our faith in God will truly show forth and many will come to believe in Him also through us and our examples.

Let us all hence seek the Lord with renewed hearts and desires, to love Him and to serve Him at all times. May the Lord continue to guide us in our journey, and may He empower us and encourage us to walk ever more faithfully like that of the prophets and the saints. Each and every one of us are called to be the shining beacons and bearers of God’s light and truth in our world today, by our own exemplary actions and way of life, filled with genuine faith and love for God and everyone around us. May God bless us always in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Thursday, 18 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 6 : 7-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do; for they believe that, the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask Him.”

“This, then, is how you should pray : Our Father in heaven, holy be Your Name, Your kingdom, come, Your will, be done on earth, as in heaven. Give us today, our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who are in debt to us.”

“Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.”

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Thursday, 18 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 96 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7

YHVH reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the distant islands be glad. Clouds and darkness surround Him; justice and right, are His throne.

Fire goes before Him, burning His foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth watches and trembles.

The mountains melt like wax before YHVH, the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His justice, all peoples see His glory.

Shame on worshippers of idols, on those proud of their worthless images. Let all spirits bow before Him.

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Thursday, 18 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 48 : 1-15 (Greek Septuagint – Sirach 48 : 1-14)

Then came the prophet Elijah, like a fire, his words a burning torch. He brought a famine on the people and in his zealous love had them reduced in number. Speaking in the Name of the Lord he closed down the heavens, and on three occasions called down fire.

How marvellous you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Who could ever boast of being your equal? By the word of the Most High you brought a dead man back to life; you brought kings to destruction and thrust famous men from their beds. You heard a rebuke at Sinai and sentences of punishment at Horeb; you anointed kings to be avengers and prophets to succeed you.

You were taken up by a whirlwind of flames in a chariot drawn by fiery horses. It was written that you should be the one to calm God’s anger in the future, before it broke out in fury, to turn the hearts of fathers to their sons and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

Happy are those who will see you and those who die in love, for we too shall live. Such was Elijah, taken up in a whirlwind, and Elisha was filled with his spirit. During his life no leader could shake him, no one dominated him. Nothing was too difficult for him and even in death his body prophesied. In life he worked wonders, in death his deeds were amazing.

Despite all this, the people were not converted and did not turn away from sin; not until they were deported far from their country and scattered over the earth.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2026 : 11th 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 our actions as Christians in responding to God’s call for us to follow Him and dedicating ourselves to Him. Each and every one of us as Christians must be truly faithful and genuine in our way of life so that we are truly deserving of being called as God’s followers and His people. God has always been kind in reaching out to us, and He has shown us the path forward in life. It is then up to us whether we want to follow Him or instead following our own path in life. All of us should put our faith and trust in our loving Father, the One Who will always be with us and Who will show us the way to eternal life and true joy with Him.

In our first reading today, we heard of the transition between the prophets Elijah and Elisha, as Elisha had been appointed to be the successor of the prophet Elisha in the ministry to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel. Elijah had come to the end of his ministry while the Lord had called and appointed Elisha to be the successor to Elijah. Hence, today as we heard in our first reading, Elisha followed Elijah to the place where Elijah was suddenly taken up to Heaven in a flaming chariot in the presence of Elisha himself, and Elisha was left to continue the good works that Elijah had begun. Thus the story of Elijah came to an end and Elisha became the one through whom God would correspond with His people, the Israelites.

Elisha was called by God and he responded to this calling with faith. Elisha dedicated himself henceforth to the works that he had been entrusted with, in labouring among the people of Israel. He continued to work for the greater glory of God, despite the stubbornness of the people and their kings all of whom refused to listen to the Lord and continued to rebel against Him, in their worship of pagan idols and gods, and in their continued disobedience and in all the wicked deeds that they had committed. Elisha had to work hard and labour against the challenges he had to face, but he followed the Lord faithfully and gave his all to his ministry. Through his many contributions and efforts, Elisha had shown how God was still with His beloved people despite the many errors and wicked deeds they had committed, calling them all to repentance.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the Lord telling His disciples on how each of them ought to behave and act as His followers. The Lord Jesus called on them to be generous in giving and charity, and to do so not because they want to be lauded by others. The Lord told them that as Christians, they ought to do so because they genuinely want to give, and have care and concern to the other person they are giving to. They also ought to do other things and practices like their fasting and observance of other rules, with the right reasons and intentions. Otherwise if they did things with the wrong intentions, then they are no better than hypocrites like many of the Pharisees and the chief priests at that time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all called through the words of the Scriptures to embrace the call which the Lord had made to us, in calling us to be genuine in our Christian living. We should not be like hypocrites who profess to believe in the Lord and yet did not do things or act in the manner of how they believed in. We have to spend the time and effort to follow the Lord and to commit ourselves to His cause, and we must not allow ourselves to be distracted and swayed by the lies and the falsehoods of the devil, or any other worldly temptations to make us fall deeper and deeper into the wrong path in life. This is why it is important that we truly embody our faith in every moments of our lives, in our every words, actions and deeds, and not merely putting a show of faith.

We are all sharers in the works and efforts of the Church, called to minister to our fellow men and women, to those around us who are perhaps not yet attuned and still ignorant of the way and the truth of Christ. It is through us and our actions that we can bring forth the Lord’s truth and His love to our brethren. Otherwise, if we ourselves did not act and do things in the manner that we have believed, who will then believe in the Lord? In fact, if our actions are contrary to what we believe in, then that will push other people further and further away from the Lord, and we will be fully responsible for having led and pushed them away from the path to salvation. Yes, indeed, we are capable both of good and wonderful deeds, as well as deeds that bring about scandal and hurt to the whole community of the faithful people of God, the Church.

That is why, we are all reminded of this obligation that we have, that as Christians we cannot be idle anymore in living our faith. We have to be active in living our lives and practicing all that God had revealed and told us to do through His Church. And we should not wait for others to begin doing so, as that may end up causing none of us doing anything in the end. Instead, we have to initiate it from ourselves and from every little things that we do in life. That is how we live our lives as faithful Christians and how we can be good inspiration for each other and help one another in our path and journey towards the Lord and His salvation. We should continue to be good inspiration and strength, good role models for one another, in bringing God’s light, truth, hope and love to others whom we encounter daily in life.

May the Lord continue to guide us and strengthen us in our respective journeys, that we may faithfully commit ourselves to glorify the Lord by every actions, words and deeds we make. May He empower us and give us the courage to stand up for our faith, and to be His exemplary disciples and followers at all times. May God bless us and all of our good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 6 : 1-6, 16-18

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Be careful not to make a show of your righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be praised by the people. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.”

“If you give something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father, Who sees what is kept secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you, they have already been paid in full.”

“When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father Who is with you in secret; and your Father Who sees what is kept secret will reward you. When you fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on a gloomy face, so that people can see they are fasting. I tell you this : they have already been paid in full.”

“When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for appearances or for people, but for your Father Who sees beyond appearances. And your Father, Who sees what is kept secret, will reward you.”

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Wednesday, 17 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 30 : 20, 21, 24

How great is the goodness which You have stored for those who fear You, which You show, for all to see, in those who take refuge in You!

In the shelter of Your presence You hide them from human wiles; You keep them in Your dwelling, safe from the intrigues of wagging tongues.

Love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves His faithful, but He fully requites the arrogant.

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Wednesday, 17 June 2026 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Kings 2 : 1, 6-14

YHVH took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. It happened this way : Elijah and Elisha had left Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, I beg you, for YHVH is only sending me to the Jordan.” But Elisha answered, “I swear by YHVH and by your life that I will never leave you.” And as they went on their way, fifty fellow prophets of Jericho followed them at a certain distance.

When Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan, Elijah took his mantle, rolled it, and struck the water with it. The water parted to both sides and they crossed over on dry ground. After they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What shall I do for you before I am taken away from you? Ask me.”

Elisha said, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.” Elijah answered, “Your request is most difficult. Yet if you see me while I am being taken from you, then you shall have it. But if not, you shall not have it.”

As they were talking on the way, a chariot of fire with horses of fire stood between them, and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw him and cried out, “Father, my father, chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” When Elisha lost sight of him, he took hold of his own clothes and tore them. He then picked up the mantle which had fallen from Elijah and returned to the banks of the Jordan.

He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, hit the water with it, and asked, “Where is the YHVH, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water again, it divided and Elisha crossed over.