14th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 12 July 2025 : 14th 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 Scriptures we are all reminded of the trust that each and every one of us ought to have in the Lord, believing in Him and His Providence, and not to worry about what we are to have in this life. God knows what we need, and He will give us what is necessary through various means, including through those whom we encounter in our daily lives so that we may gain what we need. God often blesses us in manners and ways that we may not fully understand and realise, but He did all these nonetheless, to care for us and to provide for us. We are never alone even in our darkest and most difficult moments, and this is something that we have to remember especially when we want to give up or are overwhelmed in life.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Genesis, we heard of the conclusion of the story of the family of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob with the passing of both Jacob and Joseph in the land of Egypt. Jacob had been reunited with his long lost son Joseph in Egypt after earlier on Joseph’s brothers were reconciled and reunited with their brother. And if we recalled what we have covered in the earlier days, that the brothers of Joseph were jealous of him and were trying to kill him, and ended up selling him to slavers who brought Joseph to Egypt. God was with Joseph and made him to be appointed by the Pharaoh of Egypt as the Regent of his kingdom. And that was eventually how he was reunited with his brothers and then with his family including his father.

Jacob, after having arrived in Egypt with his whole extended family, eventually passed away in peace, after blessing all of his sons and their families as we heard in today’s reading. After he was buried back in his homeland in Canaan together with his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, as we heard, the brothers of Joseph were worried that Joseph would treat them badly as how they had once treated him, and yet Joseph reassured his brothers that everything that happened truly occurred because it was all part of God’s plan, and all of their evil and wicked designs were turned into good things by the Lord. That was why Joseph did not hold any grudge against his brothers and was in fact happy to be reunited with them and his family.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, the Lord spoke to His disciples, telling them about several matters, all of which reminding us that we are truly fortunate that we have God our Father Who has always loved us all at all times and in all circumstances, and we really should not take this love and grace for granted. The Lord was reassuring them all that God and His love are truly above all things, greater than anything that can harm any one of them, any earthly forces and the forces of the evil ones arrayed against them. God will take good care of all those whom He loves, that is all of us, and we have to trust in Him, in His constant love and providence.

Each and every one of us are truly precious and dear to the Lord, as the ones whom He had created out of His great and ever enduring love for us, and we truly have no need to fear or be afraid because God Himself will be by our side, journeying with us, holding us all up amidst our struggles and hardships in life. We are never alone in our endeavours, paths and efforts, and God is aware of everything that we are going through, all the good and bad ones, all of our fortunes and misfortunes. And He wants us all to trust in Him regardless whether we are experiencing good times or bad times. We must never lose faith in Him, and we must always stay by His side, following Him and remaining committed to Him at all times, remembering His love and providence always.enduring all things with God 

From what we have heard in our Scripture readings, we are reminded that God has always been around in our lives, providing for us and helping us even in the most mysterious and unexpected ways and moments, and that is why we should really appreciate all the love which He has constantly shown us all these while. We should continue to love the Lord to the best of our abilities and at the same time, love our fellow brothers and sisters in the same way as well. This is what we have been called to do as Christians, as those whom the Lord had called and chosen, and whom He had blessed and guided in each and every moments of our lives, and we should love Him as best as possible, and love one another as love is the hallmark of our Christian faith and life.

Let us all as Christians be the ones to show God’s love and kindness, His ever enduring compassion for each and every one of us, through our lives lived with true and genuine faith, with fullness of love for each other and for all those whom we encounter in life. For this is what the Lord had called us all to do, and what He has entrusted to us, in being genuine examples of Christian love and generosity, compassion and care for one another, in a world where it is more common to encounter selfish actions, prideful attitudes, ego and ambition, all the things that we have commonly been exposed to. As Christians, we are called and reminded to be good and loving in all of our actions, words and deeds to one another, even to those who have hurt and made our lives difficult, and to be forgiving, just as how Joseph had forgiven his brothers for what they had done.

May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate and wonderful God continue to bless each and every one of us, and strengthen us all with His courage and power, with His love and compassion, so that we may continue to show love and compassion in our own lives, in our interactions with one another and in all the things that we say and do. Let us all continue to be the beacons of light and hope to our brethren, particularly those who are suffering and are in darkness. May God bless our every loving endeavours and efforts, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 12 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Matthew 10 : 24-33

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. A student should be content to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the household has been called Beelzebul, how much more, those of his household! So, do not be afraid of them!”

“There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered. There is nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of Him Who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

“For a few cents you can buy two sparrows. Yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father knowing. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. Do not be afraid : you are worth more than many sparrows! Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven. Whoever rejects Me before others, I will reject before My Father in heaven.”

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Saturday, 12 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Psalm 104 : 1-2, 3-4, 6-7

Give thanks to YHVH, call on His Name; make known His works among the nations. Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds.

Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek YHVH rejoice. Look to YHVH and be strong; seek His face always.

You descendants of His servant Abraham, you sons of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is YHVH our God; His judgments reach the whole world.

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Saturday, 12 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Genesis 49 : 29-32 and Genesis 50 : 15-26a

Jacob then gave his sons these instructions : “I am soon to be gathered to my people; bury me near my fathers, in the cave in the field of Ephron, the Hittite; in the cave in the field of Machpelah, to the east of Mamre in Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place. It was there that Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried. There they buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hittites.”

When Joseph’s brothers realised that their father was dead they said, “What if Joseph turns against us in hate because of the evil we did him?” So they sent word to Joseph saying, “Before he died your father told us to say this to you : Please forgive the crime and the sin of your brothers in doing evil to you. Forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.”

When he was given the message, Joseph wept. His brothers went and threw themselves down before him, “We are your slaves,” they said. But Joseph reassured them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? You intended to do me harm, but God intended to turn it to good in order to bring about what is happening today – the survival of many people. So have no fear! I will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he touched their hearts and consoled them.

Joseph remained in Egypt together with all his father’s family. He lived for a hundred and ten years, long enough to see Ephraim’s great-grandchildren, and also to have the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, placed on his knees after their birth.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am going to die, but God will surely remember you and take you from this country to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Joseph then made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “When God comes to bring you out from here, carry my bones with you.” Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten.

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Friday, 11 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded through the Word of God contained within the Sacred Scriptures of the importance of trust and faith in the Lord even in the midst of hardships, trials and difficulties in life, and we must not lose faith in God or abandon Him just because things are difficult or not ideal for us. We have to hold fast to the promises and reassurances that God had provided to us at every steps of our journey in life, and from what we have heard from today’s Scripture readings that we may be courageous and strong even when our lives may be difficult and hope may be far away and lacking in us, when the outlook in life may be quite bleak and unlikely. The Lord Who is always with us, providing for us will not abandon us alone and He will always guide us in our journey in life at all times.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the Lord appeared to Jacob who was on his way from the land of Canaan at Beersheba that is on the boundary of the land of Canaan with Egypt, as he was making his way towards his long lost son, Joseph, whom he long thought to be dead. He was skeptical at first because his other sons had told him earlier on that Joseph had been beset and attacked by wild animals and killed, only to be told that Joseph was in fact alive and well, and was the Regent of Egypt. In this continuation of the story from earlier this week, the brothers of Joseph after their reunion and reconciliation with Joseph went back to Canaan to bring their father Jacob to Egypt, together with all of their whole extended family because the severe famine was still raging then throughout the world.

God appeared to Jacob and spoke to him, reassuring him that everything happened in accordance to His will and plan, and that his family would prosper and be guided by God in that new land, the land of Egypt, where they would become a great nation just as the Lord had promised to Jacob and his forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. And He also promised that Jacob would enjoy his old age with Joseph, his long lost son, and would be well taken care of. And in all these, we can see that God always provided for His faithful and beloved ones, not allowing them to continue to suffer, but giving them hope and consolation in times of trouble and difficulties, and also assurances and strength, encouragement and hope when things seem to be bleak and dark.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples the reality of following Him and His path, and how they all would likely face difficulties, oppositions, rejections and hardships in their path in life and in their ministry. He did not mince His words when He told the disciples that He was sending them like sheep to go among the wolves, highlighting the challenges that they would likely face in their journey. Yet, He also told them and reassured them that all of their struggles and trials, their difficulties and challenges came about because of their faith in Him, and they would never be alone in their perseverance and struggles.

That is because the Lord Himself would be with them, guiding them all in what they would be saying through the Holy Spirit that God would give to them, and they would be strengthened and encouraged amidst all those sufferings. God would give them all the power and the wisdom to pull through the various challenges and trials that they would face, and by their trust in Him and support for one another, they would be strengthened in all of their struggles and fights, in their faithful witness of their Christian faith and their belief in God before everyone who accused, persecuted and hated them. And many among the Lord’s disciples did indeed suffer, but they joyfully went through those sufferings with the sure hope in God’s grace and deliverance, in His Providence and help.

Therefore, together with what we have heard earlier on from the conversation between God and Jacob, these are important reminders for all of us as Christians that we should always trust in God and allow Him to lead us all in our respective journeys in life, doing our best to stay firm in our commitment to walk down this path ever more courageously and faithfully, trusting in the Lord and doing our best in being great role models and examples for one another so that we may ourselves inspire many more of those whose lives we have touched and whom we interact with daily. Let us all be the beacons of God’s hope, His light, truth and Good News at all times, and be worthy bearers of His love and compassion to all.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Benedict, also known as St. Benedict of Nursia, a holy abbot and the renowned founder of the Benedictine Order, which remains until today as one of the oldest and most popular religious order in the Church. St. Benedict was born in Nursia or Norcia in central part of Italy today, into a noble Roman family just after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. He went to Rome to seek to advance his academic studies but was disappointed at what he discovered there, and it was afterwards that he encountered in the region of Subiaco a valley where he decided to become a hermit for a few years, where he grew in faith and wisdom, before deciding to start a community of those who committed themselves to the Lord in prayerful life.

And this was the beginning of the Benedictine Order, a system which St. Benedict initiated, inspired by the hermits of the past like St. Anthony the Great and other holy saints, as well as his own experiences in living as a hermit. St. Benedict founded many monasteries as his community kept on growing, and this began the flourishing of Christian monasticism in the western part of Christendom, with many people seeking to have a better relationship with God and being called to that life of prayer and solitude following the examples and the call of St. Benedict in becoming members of the monastic orders. To the very end of his life, St. Benedict kept on working hard for the sake of the Lord and His Church, inspiring many others to live a truly holy and devoted life to the Lord.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great faith and commitment which St. Benedict of Nursia has shown to us, follow in his examples and do our very best to live our lives faithfully in the Lord, trusting in Him and committing ourselves to walk in the path which He has shown to us. Let us all help one another to remain firm and true in our faith as well, and be the worthy beacons of God’s hope, light and truth at all times. Amen.

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Friday, 11 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 10 : 16-23

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Look, I send you out like sheep among wolves. You must be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of Me, so that you may witness to them and the pagans.”

“But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father, speaking through you.”

“Brother will hand over his brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of Me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, you will not have passed through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

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Friday, 11 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 36 : 3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

Trust in YHVH and do good; dwell in the land and live on it. Make YHVH your delight; and He will grant your heart’s desire.

YHVH watches over the lives of the upright; forever will their inheritance abide. They are not crushed in times of calamity; when famine strikes, they still are satisfied.

 Do good and shun evil, so that you will live secure forever. For YHVH loves justice and right, and never forsakes His faithful ones. The wicked, instead, will perish, and their breed will be cut off.

YHVH is the salvation of the righteous; in time of distress, He is their refuge. YHVH helps them, and rescues them from the oppressor; He saves them, for they sought shelter in Him.

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Friday, 11 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Genesis 46 : 1-7, 28-30

Israel left with all he owned and reached Beersheba where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. God spoke to Israel in visions that he had during the night. “Jacob! Jacob!” “Here I am,” he said. “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I will go with you to Egypt and I will bring you back again and Joseph’s hand will close your eyes.”

Jacob left Beersheba and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father with their little children and their wives in the wagons that Joseph had sent to fetch him. They also took their flocks and all that they had acquired in Canaan. And so it was that Jacob came to Egypt and with him all his family, his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters, in short all his children he took with him to Egypt.

Jacob sent Judah ahead to let Joseph know he was coming and that he would soon arrive in the land of Goshen. Joseph got his chariot ready in order to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself, threw his arms around his father and wept on his shoulder for a long time. Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die, for I have seen your face and know you are alive.”

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

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Scripture which we have received today, we are all reminded of the great grace and blessings which God has given to us all, for all that He has done for us in each and every moments of our lives and in ensuring that we can attain true happiness and satisfaction through Him just as we have heard with the amazing story of reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers. God has also called upon each and every one of us to be His faithful and holy disciples, sending us out on missions to reach out to many more people out there, in order to bring to them the Good News of God, Good News and truth that bring about transformation in the lives of those to whom we have brought them to, just as the Lord’s disciples had carried them out to the people to whom He was sending them at that time.

In our first reading today, as we have heard earlier on yesterday, it is the continuation of what we heard about the encounter between Joseph, the son of Jacob, who was then the powerful Regent of Egypt, the second most powerful person in all of Egypt after the Pharaoh himself, with his brothers who came from the land of Canaan. And at that time, the brothers of Joseph had not realised yet that the Regent of Egypt they were speaking to was in fact their own younger brother whom they had plotted against many years previously and sold off to slavery to a Midianite slaver who brought Joseph to Egypt. As I had elaborated and explained in yesterday’s homily and reflections, this was in fact part of God’s grand plan, putting into motion what seemed to be a tragedy, and turning it all into great things for everyone.

For as I mentioned yesterday, Joseph being sent to Egypt in fact became the catalyst for the events that would unfold for his whole family. Joseph would be the one to prepare for all of them to move over to the land of Egypt where they would prosper for some time before the eventual slavery their descendants would experience there, and all these were parts of God’s plan. God turned the humiliation and harm that was supposed to strike at Joseph into greatness, as he was rescued from his troubles and trials after many years, to be the one entrusted by the Pharaoh himself, the ruler of Egypt as his right hand man. That was how Joseph came to be the powerful Regent of Egypt, the one entrusted by the Pharaoh with the governance of the whole kingdom and the administration of its many rich resources.

And not only that, as I mentioned yesterday, through the shrewd administration that Joseph carried out, the wisdom that he had been given by God, he managed to save lots of grains and food in stockpile during the years of plentiful harvest that happened, in preparation for the seven years of famine that followed, which affected the whole entire world. Had Joseph not taken the precautionary steps and preparations earlier on, it would have led to countless people suffering from the famine and perishing, not just in Egypt but also in many other parts of the known world then. As it happened, Egypt had lots of food and resources, more than enough for themselves, and they could even sell to the other neighbouring countries and people, which set the stage for the reunion between Joseph and his brothers.

In what we heard in our first reading today was the moment, after Joseph first tested his brothers and discreetly showed that he knew them well even after all the years that passed, even when they all did not recognise him, eventually, after having asked them to bring Benjamin, his beloved younger brother to Egypt with them, and with Judah pleading on behalf of all his brothers to let Benjamin go as if he was to be kept in Egypt that would have doomed their father, Joseph eventually broke down and revealed to all of his brothers who he truly was. In a truly heartfelt moment of reconciliation and reunion, we saw the long awaited fulfilment of God’s grand plan, in turning evil and wickedness, darkness and jealousy into hope and light, love and reconciliation.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the instructions which the Lord Jesus gave to His disciples that He sent out ahead of Him, two by two to the different places and communities that He Himself would visit later on. This was so that they could do so many more works and impact the lives of so many more people, and the Lord told them all to carry no excessive items and goods with them, but just with their sandals and staffs. This was meant to let them to depend on the Lord for His Providence, through those people and communities that they were to encounter, rather than to depend on their own power and designs.

The Lord also reminded them that their paths and works might not be always smooth and good, as they would likely encounter rejection and opposition just as they would encounter successes and good results. But they must not let those to deter them from doing their works and missions, and instead, they should keep on going, doing whatever they could to glorify the Lord by their every works, efforts and endeavours. And this is therefore a reminder for all of us that we should also trust in the Lord in every missions, works and challenges that He has presented to us in our respective vocations and areas of responsibility in life. We should strive to do our best and be good role models and inspirations of faith for one another, at all times.

May the Lord continue to strengthen and reassure us all in our faith and in our journey through life, so that as He has shown and reminded us all through the story of the reconciliation and reunion of Joseph and his brothers, and what He Himself had told His disciples, all of us will be further strengthened and reassured, knowing that God has always been with us, and will always provide us all with everything that we need to move forward in life. May God bless us always in our every good endeavours, and help us in our every efforts and works, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 10 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 10 : 7-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse the lepers, and drive out demons. Freely have you received, freely give. Do not carry any gold or silver or money in your purses. Do not take a travelling bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or a walking stick : workers deserve to be compensated.”

“When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person, and stay there until you leave. When you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people are worthy people, your peace will rest on them; if they are not worthy people, your blessing will come back to you.”

“And if you are not welcomed, and your words are not listened to, leave that house or that town, and shake the dust off your feet. I assure you, it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment, than it will for the people of that town.”