10th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 14 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people that we must always ever be genuine in our faith in God and in how we live our lives so that our every actions, words and deeds may truly reflect what we believe in, or else we are no better than hypocrites who claim to believe in this way and yet, practice our lives, show our actions and deeds in a completely different and even contradictory way. All of us must always embody our Christian faith in each and every moments of our lives, and we must never take our faith just as a formality or merely paying lip service to the Lord, or mere externalities. It is important that we have to be truly genuine in our Christian faith at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth, we heard of the Apostle St. Paul speaking to the faithful people of God there regarding the matter of how Christ, the Lord and Saviour, had indeed died for everyone’s sake, and therefore, all of us members and parts of the Church, just as all those faithful in Corinth to whom St. Paul had addressed his Epistle to, are also partakers in this same New and Eternal Covenant that the Lord had established with us all, His holy and beloved people through His Son, the same Jesus Christ, Who has taken upon Himself the weight, burden and sufferings of the Cross, which is no other than all the weight and burden of all of our sins and wickedness.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us have gained great grace and forgiveness from God, the atonement for our many sins and wickedness through what God had done in sending His most Beloved Son to us, Who willingly bore upon Himself and putting it all on His shoulders, the weight of our innumerable sins and evils. He has done do so that we may indeed be freed from them, and that we will not have to suffer the consequences of the sins which we have committed, that is death and destruction. And the Lord did so because He truly loves each one of us genuinely and tenderly, with His generous love, compassion and mercy ever flowing from His Most Sacred Heart, ever bleeding and wounded by our sins, and yet, His infinite compassion, mercy and love have been poured upon us, always.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, we must always follow the examples of Our Lord Himself and be inspired by His great, ever wonderful compassionate love for us which He has never stopped giving to us, no matter what. We should therefore also show that same love which we have received generously from God, in our own love for Him and also more importantly, in how we love one another, how we act towards each other, our care and compassion for those whom the Lord had entrusted to us, even to the strangers and acquaintances we meet daily in life, in whichever circumstances and occasions we have encountered and received. We are all challenged and called to be the ones to bear the love of God to everyone around us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples and followers reminding them that while it was written in the Scriptures that one ought to make good and fulfil what one made in oath and commitment to God, but He told them that they ought not to make such oath and vows as they should not swear by the Lord or by anything in this world and beyond. Yet, this must be understood in the context of what the Lord had in mind when He told the disciples and followers of these words and teachings, as what He actually wanted to tell them is that as His disciples and followers, they must all truly be genuine and sincere in all of their words, actions and deeds, and not to say things or do things that they themselves may not mean or contradict later on.

That means as Christians all of us should always be true in our words, speech, actions, interactions and everything, and we should truly mean every single thing that we say, and not to make empty promises and commitments without honouring them. We are all challenged to be truly honest, loving, caring and compassionate in everything and to everyone. This is why we must always work on ourselves and our care and concern for everyone around us, and we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by our selfishness and desires, all the things that may lead us astray into the wrong paths, and worse still, may cause hurt and harm for those around us, especially to those whom we love and who love us all. This is what we must not do as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have all heard from our Scripture passages today, let us all therefore reflect on what we have heard and consider, discern and think carefully on what we should do in our lives and how we should truly embody our faith in our daily lives. It is indeed important that as Christians, we are all truly practice our faith in the manner that the Lord Himself has shown and taught us, and we should always be ready to commit ourselves to the Lord whenever He calls us to do what is right and just in every moments in our lives. By our faithful action and truthful words, our genuine commitment and love for God and for our fellow brethren around us, that is how we can truly show that we are truly good and faithful Christians.

May the Lord continue to provide us His strength, wisdom and guidance so that in all and everything that we say and do, we will continue to be truly genuine, righteous and worthy of Him, and that we may always be truly faithful to Him in all things. May He also continue to bless us greatly and wonderfully in everything that we do, in our every actions, good deeds and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Matthew 5 : 33-37

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “You have also heard that people were told in the past : Do not break your oath; an oath sworn to the Lord must be kept. But I tell you this : do not take oaths. Do not swear by the heavens, for they are God’s throne; nor by the earth, because it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.”

“Do not even swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white of black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything else you say comes from the evil one.”

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Saturday, 14 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8-9, 11-12

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His Holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

YHVH is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger; He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

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Saturday, 14 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

2 Corinthians 5 : 14-21

Indeed, the love of Christ holds us, and we realise, that, if He died for all, all have died. He died for all, so, that, those who live, may live no longer for themselves, but for Him, Who died, and rose again for them. And so, from now on, we do not regard anyone from a human point of view; and even if we once knew Christ personally, we should now regard Him in another way.

For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new creature. For Him, the old things have passed away; a new world has come. All this is the work of God, Who, in Christ, reconciled us to Himself, and Who entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. Because, in Christ, God reconciled the world with Himself, no longer taking into account their trespasses, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So we present ourselves as ambassadors, in the Name of Christ, as in God, Himself, makes an appeal to you, through us. Let God reconcile you; this, we ask you, in the Name of Christ. He had no sin, but God made Him bear our sin, so, that, in Him, we might share the holiness of God.

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all called to reflect upon what we have just heard from the Lord speaking to us through His Word, reminding each and every one of us that as Christians, we are all called to be truly genuine in loving the Lord and His people, our fellow brothers and sisters in the same Lord, to be truly compassionate and kind, full of grace and love of God manifested in us and our actions in daily life. All of us should truly embody what we believe in, and we should not merely just believing outwardly and externally only. Instead, we should be truly genuine in our faith, commitment and dedication to God, and we should be the great examples of how beautiful our Christian faith is in all the things we do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth, we heard of the reminder from the Apostle to us all that we should not be disheartened should difficulties and challenges come to us and become barriers in our path. Instead, we should continue to trust in the Lord and in His Providence, entrusting ourselves to His loving care and compassion. God has given us all His assurances that we will always be taken care of and that we will never be alone. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us all in our journey throughout life. And therefore it is indeed important that we should make good use of what God has granted to us at all times, by using them for good purposes.

Then, from the Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord’s reminders for His disciples and followers, and all of those who were listening to Him, and hence all of us of the dangers of sin and why we must therefore strive to keep ourselves from sin and from the corruptions of this world. In the language that the Lord used in delivering His ideas and teachings, it may indeed bring about discomfort for some of us as He used a rather blatant and direct language, telling all of them that if any parts of their bodies should lead them to sin, then they should discard and cut them off from their bodies. This is actually one very good example why we should not take every words of the Lord and the Scriptures literally without understanding the context behind them.

What the Lord wanted to highlight in using such a language and terms is that sin is something serious and harmful to us, and sin separates us from God and His love, His grace and compassion. Yet at the same time, the mercy of God is so great and boundless, that He is capable of healing us of all those troubles. At the same time, those limbs and parts of our bodies themselves are not to blame for our sins. Rather, it is our desires that had led us to disobey the Lord and therefore leading us into sin and evil. In fact, what God has given to us, our body and all are capable of many great and wonderful things just as they are capable of evil and sin. That is why what we need to do is rather to focus on using them for good things instead of evil.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a renowned saint and dedicated servant of God who had been born into a wealthy noble family in Portugal, and he was eventually joining the Order of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross and was ordained a priest at a rather young age, which then led him on a journey of encounter with several Franciscan friars that inspired him to join their order. St. Anthony of Padua adopted his well-known name from the name of the patron saint of the friary, St. Anthony the Great. He went to various places like Morocco and then Italy in pursuit of his vocation and mission, and in Italy, in one well known occasion, when the Dominicans and the Franciscans in the town of Forli could not agree on who to preach in an ordination ceremony, it fell onto St. Anthony of Padua, whose homily moved the heart of the entire audience with his wisdom and eloquence.

St. Anthony worked together with the founder of the Franciscan order, St. Francis of Assisi himself, convincing the latter of the importance of theological and spiritual preparation, studies and all related matters for the Franciscan friars, and he was tasked to take care of this matter henceforth for the friars. And in what happened in Bologna would later inspire the popular tradition and devotion that St. Anthony of Padua is often invoked for his intercession in finding lost items as it was told that a Franciscan novice stole the psalter that belonged to St. Anthony of Padua, and the latter prayed that the book be returned to him, and indeed it happened, as not only that the thief returned the book but he also returned to the order as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures and look upon the inspiring life and examples of St. Anthony of Padua, remembering how he dedicated his life in service to the Lord and in his commitment for the betterment of the lives of those who were around him. As Christians, let us all always be full of faith in the Lord, full of hope and trust in Him, and then also full of love firstly of the Lord but also full of the same love for our fellow brothers and sisters as well. Our love and care for one another, just as our strong and enduring faith in the Lord are hallmarks of our Christian faith, and it is what we are all challenged to do in each and every moments of our lives.

May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in Him, giving us the courage and inspiration to remain firm in our path as we walk and journey together towards Him, and to remain holy and worthy of Him at all times, distancing ourselves from sin. Let us all continue to encourage one another that we may always strengthen each other and support our fellow brethren around us as much as we are able to, that all of us may find the path towards the Lord and remain fully committed to Him at all times despite the many challenges in life. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 5 : 27-32

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said : Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this : anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

“So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell.”

“It was also said : Anyone who divorces his wife, must give her a written notice of divorce. But what I tell you is this : if a man divorces his wife, except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 115 : 10-11, 15-16, 17-18

You, family of Aaron, trust in YHVH; He is your help and your shield! You who fear YHVH, trust in Him; He is your help and your shield!

May you be blessed by YHVH. Maker of heaven and earth. Heaven belongs to YHVH, but the earth He has given to humans.

It is not the dead who praise YHVH, for they have gone down to silence; but it is we, the living who praise YHVH, from now on and forever.

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Corinthians 4 : 7-15

However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours, but as God’s. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed.

At any moment, we carry, in our person, the death of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. For we, the living, are given up continually to death, for the sake of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence. And as death is at work in us, life comes to you.

We have received the same Spirit of faith referred to in Scripture, that says : I believed and so I spoke. We also believe, and so we speak. We know that He, Who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us, with Jesus, and bring us, with you, into His presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you, and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God.

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Thursday, 12 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for each and every one of us as Christians to be truly loving, forgiving and compassionate in the manner that the Lord Himself had done to us, in what He has presented to us in love and compassion at all times. Each and every one of us as Christians must always continue to live our lives faithfully in the Lord in the manner that He has shown and taught us all these while, either directly in His ministry and actions, or through what He has inspired the Church and all of us via the Holy Spirit. It is important that we have to embody what we believe in and be sincere in our faith or else we may not be true disciples and followers of God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth, we heard about the Apostle reminding the faithful there in Corinth about the truth, revelations and graces which they have all received from the Lord, the revelation on how they all can become true and committed disciples and followers of the Lord, in living their lives in the right manner and not to be distracted by the many path of worldliness and temptations which had kept many from truly being able to follow the Lord. This is what each and every one of us are being constantly reminded of as well so that in our every actions, words and deeds we will always be worthy of the Lord, showing true faith and dedication to Him in all things.

St. Paul also made reference to those who followed the Law of Moses, referring to the Law of God which had been revealed and passed down to the people of God through Moses at the time of the Exodus, telling the Christian faithful in Corinth how those people had remained in being veiled from the fullness of God’s truth. We must understand the context and circumstances of how these words were spoken by St. Paul or else we might end up having the wrong idea why he mentioned this about those who followed the old ways that is the way of the ‘Law of Moses’. In truth, what he was referring is the way how the Law of God had been interpreted and handed down the generations from Moses down to their time, many centuries later, which had resulted in a lot of misunderstandings and misconceptions.

That is because especially regarding the actions and behaviours of many among the Jewish elders at that time, such as the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, those who had been entrusted with the guardianship and care of the Law of God. However, they had lapsed from such a duty and they enforced a very hardline and strict approach on the Law, so much so that they ended up causing a lot of hardships and inconveniences on many of the people whom they had imposed the Law upon, including all the precepts and details, consisting of over six hundred and thirteen rules and regulations, not including all the additional details, complex rituals and requirements, restrictions and many other things that had led to many people finding it difficult to obey and fulfil the whole breadth and depth of the commandments of the Law of God.

Then, our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus teaching His disciples and followers about what it truly means to be those who have faith in Him and believe in Him. He told all of them that they all ought to be more faithful and knowing of the Law more than that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, related precisely to what we have heard from our first reading passage today. We are reminded just as the disciples had been by the Lord that all of us should not be hypocrites in our faith and we should not behave in the same manner as those Pharisees and teachers of the Law who made it difficult for others to follow the Lord and yet they themselves did not obey faithfully.

Instead, as the Lord Himself often criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for, many among them showed their piety and practices to be praised and glorified by others, and they also sought the best of places, looking down on all those whom they deemed to be less than worthy than them. As such, the Lord was warning all of His disciples and also all of us that we should not follow in their examples, and instead, we should always put our faith in the Lord and trust in Him. All of us should seek to learn to love God and love our fellow brethren most sincerely and genuinely, because as the Lord Himself has taught and shown His disciples that the whole entire Law can be summarised into this, and the Law was indeed meant to teach us how to love, loving God and our fellow brethren alike. Obeying the Law should not be an empty and self-glorifying practice that exclude others and even cause harm and discomfort on those around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all continue therefore to show love and compassion in all of our actions, words and deeds, in our every interactions and dealings with each other. Let us all truly show our Christian faith by our love and compassion, as it is indeed said that it is by our love that everyone will know that we are Christians, something that distinguishes us from the world and all others who have not believed in the Lord in the manner that we have done. That is why we have to continue to love one another generously and sincerely, and to practice our faith in the manner that we have been taught and shown by the Lord all these while through His Church. We should always be sincere in our love and care, compassion and kindness to one another.

May the Lord continue to guide us all in our lives so that in each and every moments, in everything that we say and do, we will continue to follow Him faithfully and glorify Him by our lives, now and always, in all things and in all circumstances in our lives. Amen.

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Thursday, 12 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you, if your sense of right and wrong is not keener than that of the Lawyers and the Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

“You have heard, that it was said to our people in the past : Do not commit murder; anyone who murders will have to face trial. But now I tell you : whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister is liable, to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or sister ‘Fool!’ is liable, of being thrown into the fire of hell.”

“So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there, in front of the altar; go at once, and make peace with your brother, and then come back and offer your gift to God.”

“Do not forget this : be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There, you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.”