23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Monday, 8 September 2025 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an occasion in which we celebrate the birth of Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and since we believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God and the Divine Word of God Incarnate, therefore, we mark on this day the birth of the Mother of God herself. To those who did not understand fully the importance and significance of Mary’s role in the story of our salvation, they all may indeed wonder why we spend so much time honouring her and celebrating her birthday today, but once they understand everything that happened through Mary, by her faith and obedience, then they shall appreciate why we celebrate this occasion.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Micah, we heard of the words of the Lord made through the prophet Micah sent to the people of God in the southern kingdom of Judah, in which the Lord gave His encouragement to His people, who had been waiting for a long time for the coming of the salvation and deliverance which the Lord had promised to His people. God showed that He is always true to His promises and He would never abandon those who are truly dear and beloved to Him, and He therefore told them how the Saviour would come, although it would still be in the future, and this Saviour would come in the smallest town of the tribe of Judah, in Bethlehem, which happened to be also the city where David, the famous King of Israel came from.

Through this arrangement we can see how God had prepared and planned all things, getting ready everything for our good and benefit, bringing upon us all the manifestation of His love perfectly, made evident and tangible to us through His Son, Who became incarnate in the flesh, becoming truly approachable to us, becoming for us the manifestation of God’s ever generous and enduring love, which He has lavished on us, and made truly real, and sent unto us, not through glorious appearance, but by the simple manifestation through a humble Woman in Nazareth, that of Mary, the one whom God Himself had prepared well in advance to be the one to bear the Saviour of all, the Son of God Himself. And by this great honour, of being the Mother who bore the Son of God within her, as His Mother, we honour Mary and her birthday today.

In the other first reading today, which is the second reading for the case of a Solemnity, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, God’s grace and love had indeed been manifested in this world, from the perspective opposite to that of the prophet Micah. While the prophet Micah spoke of things that had not yet happened, a few centuries prior to the Lord’s coming, St. Paul spoke from the perspective of those who have seen, witnessed, heard and known of everything which the Lord had planned and how He had accomplished them perfectly through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all Who had been born into this world. 

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the whole long list of the genealogy of Our Lord and Saviour Himself, listing down His descent through Joseph, His foster father, through the House of David and eventually to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the patriarchs of the people of God, the Israelites, and then further back all the way to Adam, the first man that God had created. Through this long genealogy, St. Matthew wanted to highlight that the Lord Jesus, Son of God and the Saviour of all was indeed born of the human race, born as the fulfilment of everything that God had promised to His beloved people, to Adam, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to David and all the Covenant He had made.

And all these became possible because of Mary’s role in accepting her part in the story of salvation. She has accepted what the Lord Himself has revealed to her through the Archangel Gabriel, the Good News of the long awaited salvation which had become manifested in Mary’s acceptance of her role and by the will of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Saviour has become manifested in the flesh in the hallowed womb of Mary. God has blessed Mary above all other children of mankind, because Mary herself would become the bearer of the Saviour, the Son of God Himself, and hence, as the bearer of the New Covenant of God, as the New Ark of the Covenant, Mary must be hallowed and set aside much as the original Ark of the Covenant had been made from the finest materials and blessed by God.

The Church believes and teaches that Mary has been conceived without the taint of original sin, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as this is made by the singular grace of God granted to her, nothing being impossible for God, to keep sin away from corrupting her, unlike all the other children of mankind which had been corrupted by sin due to the disobedience of our forefathers. It is unfitting for the one to bear the Lord Himself within her to be tainted and corrupted by sin, and that was why the Lord preserved Mary and set her aside in this manner. And this is why we rejoice today at her birthday celebration, marking the moment that after she had been conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, the bearer of the world’s salvation was finally shown to the world at last.

Our honour and respect, veneration and praise for Mary is not just based on her role as the Mother of God and the special nature of her conception, but also her total obedience to God and complete love for the Lord, which is why she is truly ‘Full of Grace’, being full of God’s grace and love. And we look up to Mary as our loving Mother and also as the perfect role model for each and every one of us to follow in becoming good and faithful disciples of our Lord. Mary’s perfect obedience and faith, her great and constant love for the Lord, and also the most wonderful love that she has shown to her Son, and which she also now shows to us all, her adopted children, are examples for us to follow so that we may also live our lives in the same way that she had lived hers with great faith.

May our Blessed and loving Mother Mary continue to show us all her love and inspire in us all a strong faith and devotion to her Son, our Lord and Saviour. May she continue to pray and intercede for us all her children, all sinners in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. As we thank the Lord for her birthday today, let us all continue to strive to be more like her in all things, in faith, hope and love, now and always. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Monday, 8 September 2025 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 1-16, 18-23

This is the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon.

Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed. His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah’s wife. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings : Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah.

Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon, Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus Who is called the Christ – the Messiah. This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet : The Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel, which means God-with-us.

Alternative reading (shorter version)

Matthew 1 : 18-23

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

While he was pondering over this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet : The Virgin will conceive and bear a Son, and He will be called Emmanuel, which means God-with-us.

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Monday, 8 September 2025 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 12 : 6ab, 6cd

But I put my trust in Your unfailing love, my heart will rejoice on seeing Your salvation.

I will sing to YHVH, for He has been good to me!

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Monday, 8 September 2025 : Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Micah 5 : 1-4a

But you, Bethlehem Ephrata, so small that you are hardly named among the clans of Judah; from you shall I raise the One Who is to rule over Israel. For He comes forth from of old, from the ancient times.

YHVH, therefore, will abandon Israel until such time as she, who is to give birth, has given birth. Then the rest of His deported brothers will return to the people of Israel. He will stand, and shepherd His flock with the strength of YHVH, in the glorious Name of YHVH, His God.

They will live safely, while He wins renown to the ends of the earth. He shall be peace.

Alternative reading (Second Reading if this Feast is celebrated as a Solemnity)

Romans 8 : 28-30

We know that in everything, God works for the good of those who love Him, whom He has called, according to His plan. Those whom He knew beforehand, He has also predestined, to be like His Son, similar to Him, so, that, He may be the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

And so, those whom God predestined, He called, and those whom He called, He makes righteous, and to those whom He makes righteous, He will give His glory.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for all of us to prepare ourselves for the eternity that we are to experience after our existence in this world. Each and every one of us are reminded that we should continue to live our lives worthily in the Lord, following His Law and commandments faithfully, doing our very best so that we will always be in God’s grace and we will continue to be good role models and inspirations for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, in each and every moments of our lives. Such indeed is what we have been called to do as those whom the Lord has called and chosen, and we should indeed be responsible in embracing what the Lord has entrusted to us to do faithfully, now and always.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard the author of that Book speaking about the many limitations of our human existence, understanding, knowledge, power and capabilities. And the author wanted to highlight how impermanent and limited our human and mortal existence is, and we must realise that we should not try to grasp what is beyond our understanding and instead of worrying about what we are to face in life, and about our various considerations and concerns, we should instead put our faith and trust in the Lord, the One in Whom we should be putting our faith and trust in, doing our very best to follow Him faithfully and to allow Him to lead us into the path which He has designed for us.

That is what each and every one of us as Christians are called to do, to be those who have faith, trust and commitment to the Lord in all things, to be full of the Wisdom of God and entrusting ourselves to the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit that God Himself has given and entrusted to me. The Lord has not left us all without any help or guidance, as He has given us all everything that we ever needed through His gifts to us, the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom, strength and encouragement, the love and grace which He has given to us, all the encouragement and strength that He has provided for us in our journey, allowing us all to carry on the mission which He has entrusted and given to us to do.

Then, in our second reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to Philemon, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul who at that time was already in the last years of his ministry, as an old man, suffering persecutions and prisons for the Lord during his missionary journeys and ministries. He was writing to Philemon, a fellow Christian, to entrust one named Onesimus to him, and this Onesimus was once Philemon’s slave, who ran away from Philemon and went to Rome, becoming a Christian in the process. Hence, St. Paul asked Philemon to take Onesimus back, but not as a slave, rather as a fellow Christian, while forgiving Onesimus from his past trespasses and mistakes. That is what St. Paul wanted to do as a legacy of his last ministry, as at that time, he was about to be martyred and he probably knew about it.

In what we have heard regarding St. Paul, Philemon and Onesimus, we are all reminded of the power of Christian love, forgiveness and compassion, in showing love and mercy to others around us, even those who have caused us hurt, difficulties and challenges. As Christians, we are always called and challenged to be magnanimous, loving, patient and caring even when we ourselves have been shown attitudes and actions that hurt us, all the wickedness and vile deeds which we may have to endure and encounter in life. Are we willing and able to forgive those who have hurt us then? Are we capable of loving others even those who have made our lives difficult? To be able to do so is the true mark of what a Christian is called to be, to be truly unconditional in our love, in all circumstances.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the Lord Jesus speaking to His disciples, telling them all that those who follow Him ought to follow Him wholeheartedly, and should not be divided in their intention, prioritising everything else other than Him, and therefore became distracted and losing sight on what truly mattered in their lives. He also then told them a parable regarding someone who was planning to build a house, as well as a king who was planning and waging a war with another king, and in both of these occasions, the Lord highlighted how both of them would have weighed the options and considerations carefully before going ahead with whatever plans they might have, or else they would have suffered greatly from the lack of planning.

This is a reminder for each and every one of us that we are all obliged to live in the manner that Christ our Lord Himself has shown and taught us, to be ever more faithful and committed in all things, knowing well what is coming up for all of us, as we have to account for all of our actions in the end, at the time of the reckoning of our lives. In the end we will have to account for our actions and for our failures before the Lord, in what we have said, done and acted before those whom we encountered in life, especially more so to those whom the Lord had entrusted to us. That is why we need to show love constantly to our loved ones and also to all those whom we encounter in life, to be truly exemplary in all of our lives and in our every actions, even in the smallest things.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, having been reminded of these words from the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore continue to do our best to live our lives as faithful and exemplary disciples and followers of the Lord, showing our faith not just through mere words but also real actions in even the smallest things we do in life. Let us all be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth in our society and world today, and let us be the faithful bearers of God’s truth and Good News to all those whom we encounter in life. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our resolve to be ever more faithful and loving towards Him, and in doing His will, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 14 : 25-33

At that time, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, He turned and said to them, “If you come to Me, unwilling to sacrifice your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not follow Me, carrying his own cross, cannot be My disciple.”

“Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost, to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you, have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you : ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'”

“And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become My disciple, if he does not give up everything he has.”

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Philemon 9b-10, 12-17

The one talking is Paul, the old man, now prisoner for Christ. And my request is on behalf of Onesimus, whose father I have become while I was in prison.

In returning him to you, I am sending you my own heart. I would have liked to keep him at my side, to serve me on your behalf while I am in prison for the Gospel, but I did not want to do anything without your agreement, nor impose a good deed upon you without your free consent.

Perhaps Onesimus has been parted from you for a while so that you may have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but better than a slave. For he is very dear brother to me, and he will be even dearer to you. And so, because of our friendship, receive him as if he were I myself.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 89 : 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

You sow them in their time, a dawn they peep out. In the morning they blossom, but the flower fades and withers in the evening.

So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o YHVH? Have mercy on Your servant.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. May the sweetness of YHVH be upon us; may He prosper the work of our hands.

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Sunday, 7 September 2025 : Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Wisdom 9 : 13-18

Indeed, who can know the intentions of God? Who can discern the plan of the Lord? For human reasoning is timid, our notions misleading; a perishable body is a burden for the soul and our tent of clay weighs down the active mind.

We are barely able to know about the things of earth and it is a struggle to understand what is close to us; who then may hope to understand heavenly things? Who has ever known Your will unless You first gave Him Wisdom and sent down Your Holy Spirit to him? In this way You directed the human race on the right path; they learnt what pleases You and were saved by Wisdom.

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Saturday, 14 September 2024 : Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the great Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in which we rejoice and honour most wonderful the Triumphant victory which our Lord Himself has won against the forces of evil and darkness, which He has assured us through His Holy and most Precious Cross, the True Cross by which He has purchased on our behalf, the salvation of the whole world, by breaking His own Body and pouring out His own Blood, from His many wounds, to be the source of salvation of all, the Paschal Lamb, the Lamb of God that had been offered and sacrificed, as the one and only worthy offering for the atonement of the sins of all of us, our innumerable sins, that the Lord had shown His mercy and compassion on us, reaching out to us to rescue us.

By His Cross, Our Lord has reassured us all that the power of sin and death over us are not absolute, and in the end, we shall share in the ultimate victory and triumph together with the Holy Cross of Our Lord and Saviour. This celebration today is a combination of three great events in the history of the Church related to the True Cross of Our Lord, namely the finding of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Helena, mother of the famous Emperor Constantine the Great, and then the Dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the greatest churches of Christendom on the site of Calvary itself, where the Lord had suffered and died on the Cross, and was then buried, and lastly, the triumphant entry of the True Cross back to Jerusalem during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius after the True Cross had been seized earlier on by the Persians.

The first event, that of the rediscovery of the True Cross by the Empress Helena happened at the time not long after the official persecution of Christians had ended, first with the famous Edict of Milan by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, Helena’s son, and his co-Emperor, Licinius. Then, when Licinius began persecuting Christians living in the Eastern part of the Empire that was his domain, Emperor Constantine defeated the former and reunited the whole entire Roman Empire, extending toleration and acceptance of the Christian faith to the whole Empire. It was then that the mother of the Emperor, Empress Helena went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find the relic of the True Cross of the Saviour, the very Cross on which the Lord Himself had suffered and died for the salvation of the whole world.

At that time, they discovered the site of the crucifixion buried underneath a pagan temple built after the destruction of Jerusalem more than two centuries earlier. There the Empress Helena and her people discovered three crosses, one of which is the True Cross while the other two crosses belonged to the two thieves who were hung there with the Lord at Calvary. According to Church tradition and history, Empress Helena brought the crosses and touched them to a sick man, and only one of them, which is the True Cross, healed the sick man immediately and miraculously. Thus, the True Cross was restored and venerated henceforth as the physical reminder and most important relic of our Lord’s loving sacrifice on the Cross, and of the triumphant victory which He has won for us.

Then, as mentioned, this celebration also marks the Dedication of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most important shrines and pilgrimage sites in all of Christendom, as it marks the very place where Our Lord has suffered, died and was buried, and is the place of His empty tomb, as the clear evidence and reminder of His glorious Resurrection, the triumphant victory that He had won over sin and death. Up to this day, many pilgrims continue to come and visit the Lord’s empty tomb, remembering His Passion, His suffering and death, and the Triumph of the Cross. And if the earlier mentioned rediscovery of the True Cross by Empress Helena marked the triumph of Christians against their oppressors and persecutors, thus, this event we commemorate regarding the Church of the Holy Sepulchre reminded us of the triumph of Christ on His Cross.

Lastly, this Feast also marks the triumphant return of the True Cross to Jerusalem during the last and most devastating war between the Roman Empire and the Persians under the Sassanids. Taking place about three centuries after the rediscovery of the True Cross and about fourteen centuries ago, this marks the culmination of the efforts and the victories that the forces of Christendom against the forces of the unbelievers, as the Persians earlier on had captured the True Cross relic when they conquered Jerusalem and the region and brought it back to their lands as a war booty. The defeat of the Persians and the victorious triumph of the then Emperor Heraclius was centred upon the triumphant return of the True Cross to Jerusalem.

In our first reading today, we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures in which we heard of the moment when the Israelites rebelled against the Lord because they grumbled about their lives and all that they had to endure amidst the journey they had been making on the way from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Lord had been with them throughout their journey, providing them whatever they needed, giving them food through the manna, the heavenly bread and the flocks of birds that He had been sending their way throughout their path. But they were still unhappy and unsatisfied, refusing to obey His words, Law and commandments, and instead, committed what was evil and wicked in His sight, and as such, through their sins, they had fallen into the darkness, and they had to face the consequences of their sins, the fiery serpents that the Lord sent to them.

We heard how the Lord then showed mercy on them all as He instructed Moses who asked Him to show kindness and compassion on His people to construct a bronze serpent placed on a staff, raised up high for everyone to see, and we heard how all those who have been bitten and then saw the bronze serpent survived and did not perish. This was in fact a prefigurement of the role that Christ, Our Saviour Himself would play in the story of our salvation. This was a fact which He Himself told to the faithful Pharisee, Nicodemus as we heard in our Gospel passage today, who asked Him about what the Lord had planned for us all mankind. As the other alternative first reading or the second reading today from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians highlighted, Christ obeyed His Father’s will and committed Himself so humbly and thoroughly that He would be raised up high on the Cross, to be the salvation for everyone who believe in Him.

This is why all of us are reminded today on this important Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross that we have to remember everything that the Lord had lovingly and caringly done for us through His Cross. By His loving kindness and by His persistence in desiring to be reunited and reconciled with us, He has done everything He could, even to the point of humbling and emptying Himself of all glory and honour, to be led to the slaughter place, and to offer Himself as the perfect and most worthy offering for the atonement of all of our sins, evils and wickedness. Hence, we must be thankful and appreciate all that the Lord had done for us, in having been patient in bearing with us and our infidelities, our stubbornness and arrogance, in having resisted His efforts and attempts to reach out to us all these while.

May the Lord, our Triumphant Lord and King, by Whose Holy Cross has triumphed over evil, sin and death, continue to love us and strengthen us in our respective journeys in life, so that in each and every moments of our lives and existence, we will continue to do whatever we can to honour Him, and to focus our attention on Him once again, and no longer be distracted, swayed and tempted by the many false allures and temptations of sin and all the worldliness around us. May all of us continue to put our gaze towards the Cross of Our Lord and Saviour, and remember at all times, how He has been most generous in His love and compassion, so that we will continue to walk ever more faithfully in His path, now and forevermore. Amen.