20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Monday, 18 August 2025 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all reminded through our Scripture readings today that we should truly be faithful to the Lord wholeheartedly and sincerely, and we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the temptations present all around us, all the desires and all the pursuits of worldliness that are always tempting and pulling us away from the path towards God. We must always be mindful that to love the Lord our God means that we should always put Him at the centre and forefront of everything that we say and do in life. As long as we continue to trust in the Lord and allow Him to guide us in our path and journey, then we will be strengthened and empowered by Him to walk faithfully in His Presence. But if we allow the many temptations and desires around us to lead us astray, then we will likely end up being distracted and pulled away from God’s path.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Judges, detailing of the activities of the Judges of Israel, the ones that God appointed as the leaders of the people of Israel during the time between their arrival in the land of Canaan and the days of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And as we heard in that passage, the Israelites had grown lax in their faith in the Lord, and they failed to remain faithful to God despite them and their ancestors having promised and committed themselves to be faithful to God and having made a Covenant with Him. They abandoned Him and instead worshipped the pagan idols and gods of their neighbours, Baal, Astarte and many other gods. And because of this betrayal and lack of faith, God withdrew His protection and providence towards them, which He had shown to them as they conquered and took the lands where they stayed in earlier on, allowing them to be subjugated by their enemies and neighbours.

But this did not mean that God did not love His people, as on the contrary, He still always cared for them and provided for them in their time and hour of need by sending upon them His chosen servants, the Judges to help and lead them in the manner of how Moses and Joshua had led their ancestors in the years of their Exodus and journey to the Promised Land. The Judges were sent to guide the Israelites back towards the Lord and to liberate them from their oppressors, from those people in their neighbouring regions that attacked them like the Ammonites, the Moabites, Amalekites, Philistines among other Canaanites. They also reminded the people of God of the responsibilities which they had in obeying the Law and commandments of God.

All these showed just how much God had loved His people and cared for them, that even after repeated rebellions, disobedience and all the stubborn attitudes that they had shown, He still loved them all nonetheless and still wanting to help and guard them, even as those people were being punished and disciplined for their lack of faith in Him. He still sent them His help and protection, and rescued them from their troubles when they called on Him, having mercy on them when they repented from their sins and mistakes. And thus, through this, we ourselves are reminded that as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we are also called and expected to be faithful to God and to trust Him at all times. And we should not easily be dragged down by the various temptations and pressures all around us, which seek to force us to turn away from God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the conversation between the Lord Jesus and a wealthy young man who asked of Him how he could attain eternal life. And the Lord responded asking him whether he had obeyed the Law and commandments of God as he should have done, and that wealthy young man responded affirmatively, saying that he had done everything which the Law had commanded him to do, in his obligations to serve the Lord and in the obligations to love his fellow neighbours. And then, when the Lord asked of the wealthy young man to sell everything that he had and give them to the poor, then the man went away with sorrow as he had a great amount of wealth with him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect upon what the Lord told the wealthy young man, we are reminded that Christ did not actually oppose us having wealth or worldly possessions with us, and He does not intend through His interactions with the wealthy young man to tell us to sell all of our possessions and wealth. If that is what we desired and wanted then sure, we can do so, but what the Lord intended to let His disciples know is that to follow Him wholeheartedly and to be truly faithful, then we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the various attachments that we may have to all sorts of worldly desires, ambitions, pleasures and all other things such as possessions which may prevent us from committing ourselves to the Lord.

In addition, we must also understand the context in which the Lord’s advice was made, as He was making an example of how one ought to detach oneself from worldly things and matters so that one may truly be worthy of God and eternal life. It is the willingness to detach from all these distractions and worldly desires and ambitions that is truly important and which we all should take note of, and be open to the suggestion and idea. And the wealthy young man might have also inquired to be a disciple and follower of the Lord like that of the Twelve Apostles and the other committed disciples, who spent their full time serving the Lord and the missions entrusted to them. Such a mission certainly would require one like the wealthy young man to divest and detach himself from all worldly distractions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, after having discussed these words of the Sacred Scriptures and discerned on their meaning and intention, we are reminded that if we truly want to be faithful and dedicated, committed and worthy Christians, then we have to make the commitment and the willingness to follow the Lord with zeal and genuine love for Him. If we do not do what we should in following the Lord, His teachings and ways, then how can we truly call ourselves as Christians? We should be good role models and examples for one another in faith, in everything that we say and do, at all circumstances and opportunities. May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen us always in our every efforts and resolve to glorify Him by our lives. Amen.

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Monday, 18 August 2025 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 19 : 16-22

At that time, it was then, that a young man approached Him and asked, “Master, what good work must I do to receive eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you ask Me about what is good? One, only, is good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.”

The young man said, “Which commandments?” Jesus replied, “Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honour your father and mother. And love your neighbour as yourself.” The young man said to Him, “I have kept all these commandments. What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow Me.” On hearing this, the young man went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

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Monday, 18 August 2025 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 105 : 34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43ab and 44

They dared not destroy the pagans, as YHVH commanded; they mingled with these nations and learnt to do as they did.

In serving the idols of the pagans, they were trapped into sacrificing children to demons.

They defiled themselves by what they did, playing the harlot in their worship. The anger of YHVH grew intense and He abhorred His inheritance.

He delivered them many a time, but they went on defying Him and sinking deeper into their sin. But He heard their cry of affliction and looked on them with compassion.

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Monday, 18 August 2025 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Judges 2 : 11-19

The Israelites treated YHVH badly for they served the Baals instead. They abandoned YHVH, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt, and served other gods, the gods of the neighbouring peoples. They bowed before those gods and offended YHVH.

When YHVH saw that they had abandoned Him to serve Baal and Ashtaroth, He became angry with His people and gave them into the hands of plunderers who left them in misery. He Himself sold them to their enemies who completely surrounded the Israelites, so that these Israelites could no longer withstand them. Whenever they felt strong for an offensive, YHVH would turn against them and send evil upon them, as He had warned them and sworn to do. And this caused much distress and anguish for the Israelites.

YHVH raised up “judges” (or liberators) who saved the Israelites from their exploiters. But neither did they obey those “judges” for they still prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them. They soon left the way of their fathers who obeyed the commandments of YHVH; they did not follow the way of their fathers.

When YHVH made a judge appear among His people, YHVH was with him and saved them from their enemies. That lasted as long as the judge lived, for YHVH was moved to pity by the lament of His people who were oppressed and persecuted. But when the judge died, they again became worse than their ancestors – worshipping and serving other gods. They would not renounce their pagan practices and stubborn ways.

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are called to remember that to follow the Lord our God is often something that may bring upon us hardships and challenges in our path, and we may have to endure trials and difficulties, obstacles and hardships especially in remaining true to our calling as Christians and in remaining faithful to the Lord and to His teachings and ways. We must not easily give up the struggles and the journey that we are undertaking towards God because in the end, we shall be triumphant with Him, sharing the joy and the glory that He has promised and reassured all of us, and we shall not be disappointed if we continue to hold onto that faith in God because only the Lord alone will not fail us, even when all sorts of worldly means and matters that we usually depend on failed us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah detailing to us what was happening at that time to the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the last King of Judah when the opponents and many officials of Judah were plotting and attempting to destroy Jeremiah as he kept on speaking to the people and to the king regarding the omens and the terrible events that would come upon Judah and Jerusalem because of the disobedience, wickedness and sins of the people of Judah, all of their constant rebelliousness and lack of faith in the Lord, in persecuting the many prophets which had been sent to them to help them to return to the Lord’s path, and that included what was done to Jeremiah himself.

But we then see God’s Providence in protecting Jeremiah through our first reading passage, as even though the king had to follow the pressures and coercions of his councillors and officials who were against the prophet Jeremiah, but the latter still had friends that had the ears of the king. That was how Jeremiah managed to escape his fated suffering and death in a cistern which his enemies and oppressors had been plotting to happen to him. His friends among the king’s advisers reminded the king that such wicked treatments were unjust, and hence, the king allowed them to rescue Jeremiah in secret and took him out from that cistern, to hide from his persecutors and enemies, which continued until the time when Judah and Jerusalem were conquered and destroyed by the Babylonians.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author encouraged those to whom he wrote the Epistle for, reminding them of how they have all shared in the sufferings of Christ, the One Whom the Lord had sent into this world to save us all. And just as Christ Himself, Our Lord and Saviour, had faced great sufferings and challenges, and persevered on nonetheless to show us the true face of God’s love and compassion, God’s undying and ever enduring love and patience with us, therefore, we too should remain resilient and strong amidst all the challenges and trials that we may have to face in our journey as Christian believers and faithful, and we should not expect that our journey ahead should be easy, but with God by our side, we can truly do all things and endure even the hardest challenges.

This is why we should always continue to remind ourselves that with God by our side, strengthening and guiding us, we will not falter and stumble as long as we continue to have faith and trust in Him. God would not abandon us to destruction purposefully, and He would not give us challenges and obstacles that are beyond what we can take and endure, and we certainly will not go through all of them alone. The Lord would always be by our side, helping us to endure and bear our crosses in life. And if we remember everything that the Lord had gone through for our sake, out of His ever always generous love, then truly we shall in fact be grateful to have shared in the sufferings of Christ, for if we have suffered for His sake, then surely it is because we have been truly faithful to Him, as how the prophet Jeremiah had been committed in his missions, and suffered greatly for it.

Finally, from our Gospel this Sunday taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling the disciples that His coming into this world, His teachings, revelations and ways would not bring about peace and harmony, and in fact, more likely than not it would lead to strive and divisions, not because He Himself wanted it, but because the world and all the forces in this world, the forces of Satan, the evil one and all of his fellow wicked forces, all assembled against us, and they are always arrayed against those who walk in God’s path. That is why the Lord told His disciples that they should not expect a good and smooth path in ministry and life in following Him, and unlike what many believed about the Messiah, that following Him would not bring them earthly glory and joy.

Back then, many among the people of God, the descendants of the Israelites, the Jewish people, believed that the Messiah would be born into the House of David, to be the One to bring about liberation and freedom for the Israelites from all of their oppressors and from all their troubles. Therefore, many among them expected that the Messiah would come as a conquering King and Ruler, to overthrow the yoke of the Romans and the Herodians, to bring back and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, as how it was in the glorious days of King David and King Solomon, and to bring peace and prosperity to everyone. This was not how it was to be, and in fact, the Lord Himself would have to suffer grievously for the sake of our salvation and in accomplishing all that He has planned for all those. Yet, He kept on going nonetheless and kept on loving us regardless all the way to the Cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind ourselves that sufferings and hardships should not lead us to abandon our faith in the Lord, and in fact, they should strengthen our resolve ever further in following God’s path, and doing whatever we can so that by our exemplary lives and actions, we may inspire many others to follow the Lord and His path, to persevere in faith and to remain truly committed to Him despite the struggles and challenges, obstacles and trials, disappointments and difficulties that we may encounter in the path that we walk. We must help especially those who are troubled and who are facing all these hardships alone and enduring lots of trials, so that by our companionship and help, we may continue to strengthen one another in faith, and journey together in faith towards God.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Father continue to help us in our journey through life, ever strengthening each one of us so that we can continue to journey courageously and with great devotion towards the Lord, with ever stronger desire each day to glorify Him by our lives and actions. Let us all continue to trust and have faith in God, knowing that with God by our side, there is truly nothing that is impossible. For God, everything is indeed possible, and if we remain true in our faith, then we shall indeed share in the fullness of joy and satisfaction that we can find in God alone. May God be with us all, and may He bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 49-53

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what anguish I feel until it is finished! Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on, in one house five will be divided : three against two, and two against three.”

“They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Hebrews 12 : 1-4

What a cloud of innumerable witnesses surround us! So let us be rid of every encumbrance, and especially of sin, to persevere in running the race marked out before us.

Let us look to Jesus the Founder of our faith, Who will bring it to completion. For the sake of the joy reserved for Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and then sat at the right of the throne of God. Think of Jesus Who suffered so many contradictions from evil people, and you will not be discouraged or grow weary.

Have you already shed your blood in the struggle against sin?

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 39 : 2, 3, 4, 18

With resolve I waited for YHVH; He listened and heard me beg.

Out of the horrid pit He drew me; out of deadly quicksand, He settled my feet upon a rock and made my steps steady.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and be awed and put their trust in YHVH.

Though I am afflicted and poor, yet the Lord thinks of me. You are my Help and my Saviour – o God, do not delay!

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Sunday, 17 August 2025 : Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Jeremiah 38 : 4-6, 8-10

Then the officials told the king, “This man should be put to death, because he is weakening the will of the fighting men and the people left in the city. In fact he is not out to save the people but to do harm.”

King Zedekiah said, “His life is in your hands for the king has no power against you.” So they took Jeremiah and pushed him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, in the guard’s court. They lowered him by means of ropes. There was no water in the cistern but only mud; and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Ebedmelech, an Ethiopian official of the king’s house, heard that they had lowered Jeremiah in the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate, Ebedmelech went and spoke to him, “My lord king! These men have acted wickedly in all they did to Jeremiah the prophet. They threw him into the cistern where he will die.”

So the king ordered Ebedmelech the Ethiopian : “Take three men with you from here, and draw Jeremiah the prophet out from the cistern before he dies.”

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Saturday, 24 August 2024 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of one of the Twelve Holy Apostles of the Lord, namely that of St. Bartholomew the Apostle. The name Bartholomew had its origin from the patronymic name, Bar-Tholomew, indicating that this St. Bartholomew was the son of someone named Tholomew, Tholomaios or Talmai. In the Scriptures and Apostolic tradition, he was also known and associated with Nathanael, as we all heard his story today from the Gospel according to St. John. Regardless of his actual name, on whether it is Bartholomew or Nathanael, or whether it is Nathanael bar Talmai/Ptolemy or Nathanael son of Talmai/Ptolemy as some Biblical scholars proposed, what matters is that this faithful servant of God has lived his life in commitment to God and has done many wonderful deeds in His service.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Revelations of St. John about the vision of St. John the Apostle who saw the vision of the great city of New Jerusalem, the City of God that has come down from Heaven. This vision of the heavenly and new Jerusalem is the symbol of the coming of the eternal Kingdom of God, the restoration of everything that had fallen into disarray by our disobedience and sins. Everything would be restored to how God had intended it to be at the beginning of time and creation. God had always meant for us all to enjoy the fullness of His love and grace, to share in everything that He had created and prepared for us, the eternal joy and happiness which He has meant for us to have with us. And St. John saw the vision of the twelve gates of the city decorated richly with precious stones, with the names of the Twelve Apostles written on them.

From what we have heard in this account of the heavenly vision of St. John the Apostle, we heard of the ultimate destination which we all have in our lives, that is to be reunited completely and fully with God, with our loving Father and Creator. The heavenly and new Jerusalem present at the end of time, after all the tribulations, trials and sufferings which St. John witnessed in his visions, showed us all the end of all of our journeys and hardships, as we endure all those in our path to seek God’s salvation and to be reunited with Him. We must not give up easily on this journey, as in the end, all of us will have a share in the eternal glory of God, and we are meant to live and exist with Him in an eternity of joy, free from all hardships and sufferings. The Apostles themselves have also received this same assurance, and they would indeed be the ones by the side of the Lord, honoured greatly as the pillars of His Church.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus called the person named Nathanael to Him, and when He convinced this same Nathanael to join Him in His mission to the people of Israel. As mentioned earlier, this Nathanael is likely the same as Bartholomew, by his patronymic ‘son of Talmai or Ptolemy’, and this Nathanael was a rather wise and learned man, as someone who was knowledgeable in the Scriptures and the prophets. When it was mentioned that the Lord Jesus hailed from the area of Galilee, Nathanael knew that no prophet or great man would come from that region, showing his knowledge and understanding of the prophets and the Scriptures, but he did not know that the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea just as the prophets had prophesied about Him and His coming.

The Lord then told Nathanael that He knew of what he was doing and where he was, a truly supernatural experience and ability which convinced Nathanael that the Lord Jesus was truly the One Whom the prophets and the Scriptures had predicted, the Messiah or the Saviour of the whole world. He told them that he and the other Apostles would see even more great and wonderful things, all the signs and wonders that He would perform before them, and ultimately, in the end of their respective journeys, they would be among the first to experience the beatific vision of Heaven, of the Angels of God glorifying the Lord, the One Whom St. Bartholomew himself had seen, witnessed and interacted with. His faith and commitment to the Lord would truly be rewarded by the Lord, and they would share in the glory of their Lord and Master just as St. John had seen and shared with us.

St. Bartholomew according to the Apostolic traditions would go on to carry out the mission which had been entrusted to him by the Lord after He has accomplished His works, His Passion and death, and after He has risen from the dead and ascended into Heaven. St. Bartholomew went on missionary journeys to many places, such as Mesopotamia, Parthia, Armenia, Lycaonia, Ethiopia and even as far as India. He worked tirelessly to proclaim the word of God to those places, ministering to the people of God and proclaiming God and His truth to many more people who have not yet known Him. St. Bartholomew spent his life to do whatever he could to evangelise the truth of God to more people, committing himself to the service of God.

According to Apostolic tradition, St. Bartholomew went to Armenia where he managed to convert Polymius, the local Armenian king, who became a Christian. This resulted in the riot and rebellion from the local pagan population, which led to the king’s brother to order the arrest, torture and execution of St. Bartholomew. Yet another related and popular tradition stated that St. Bartholomew was martyred in the nearby region of what is today Azerbaijan, where he was skinned alive and then beheaded. Regardless of the details of the sufferings and martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, what was clear is that he has truly devoted himself to the service of God, proclaiming His truth and Good News to the far ends of the world, suffering many things amidst his efforts and works, not fearing the persecutions, oppressions and tribulations that he had to face in the midst of doing so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the examples of St. Bartholomew the Apostle and remember that each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s holy and beloved people, we have the shared responsibilities to continue the good works and ministry which the Apostles and disciples of the Lord, our predecessors have started. We should continue to do our best in whatever opportunities that have been given to us so that we may always be exemplary and good role models for our fellow brethren, and that our whole lives may truly shine with God’s ever present and wonderful light. May God continue to empower and bless us all in all of our endeavours, and may St. Bartholomew, Holy Apostle of the Lord continue to intercede and pray for us sinners still struggling and persevering daily in this world today. Amen.