25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Sunday, 18 September 2022 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 16 : 1-13

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “There was a rich man, whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.'”

“The steward thought to himself, ‘What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do : I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be people will welcome me into their homes.'”

“So he called his master’s debtors, one by one. He asked the first debtor, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ The reply was, ‘A hundred jars of oil.’ The steward said, ‘Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write fifty.’ To the second debtor he put the same question, ‘How much do you owe?’ The answer was, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ Then the steward said, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.'”

“The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness : for the people of this world are more astute, in dealing with their own kind, than are the people of light. And so I tell you : use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that, when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones.”

“So if you have been dishonest in handling filthy money, who would entrust you with true wealth? And if you have been dishonest with things that are not really yours, who will give you that wealth which is truly your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money.”

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Sunday, 18 September 2022 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Timothy 2 : 1-8

First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for rulers of states, and all in authority, that we may enjoy a quiet and peaceful life, in godliness and respect. This is good and pleases God. For He wants all to be saved, and come to the knowledge of truth.

As there is one God, there is one Mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, Himself human, Who gave His life for the redemption of all. This is the testimony, given in its proper time, and of this, God has made me Apostle and herald. I am not lying, I am telling the truth : He made me teacher of the nations regarding faith and truth.

I want men, in every place, to lift pure hands, in prayer, to heaven, without anger and dissension.

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Sunday, 18 September 2022 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 4-6, 7-8

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of YHVH, praise the Name of YHVH! Blessed be the Name of YHVH now and forever!

YHVH is exalted over the nations; His glory above the heavens. Who is like YHVH our God, Who sits enthroned on high, but also bends down to see on earth as in heaven?

He lifts up the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap. He makes them sit with princes, with rulers of His people.

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Sunday, 18 September 2022 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Amos 8 : 4-7

Hear this, you, who trample on the needy, to do away with the weak of the land. You who say, “When will the new moon or the Sabbath feast be over that we may open the store and sell our grain? Let us lower the measure and raise the price; let us cheat and tamper with the scaled, and even sell the refuse with the whole grain. We will buy up the poor for money and the needy for a pair of sandals.”

YHVH, the Pride of Jacob, has sworn by Himself, “I shall never forget their deeds.”

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Saturday, 25 September 2021 : 25th 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 through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures all of us are called to remember God’s love and providence for us, how He cares about us and has always been present for us, loving us dearly and never giving up on us despite our constant stubborn attitudes and our waywardness. He still patiently cared for us and sent to us His Saviour as He has promised, that everything which He has proclaimed and spoken through His prophets and messengers would be fulfilled.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the Lord speaking through the prophet to His people regarding the Lord Who would protect His people and would not allow harm to come to them, even as the city of Jerusalem back then was in the midst of being rebuilt. Contextually, the prophet Zechariah was active during the reign of the King of Persia, Darius, some time after the Israelites had returned from their exile in Babylon and Assyria.

At that time, the people of Israel were gradually beginning to rebuild their cities and lives anew, and the city of Jerusalem itself was in the midst of reconstruction after having been devastated and razed by the Babylonians many decades previously. The Temple of God in Jerusalem was also then in the midst of rebuilding, as the people turned back towards the Lord under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, as well as the influence of other prophets including that of Zechariah himself.

Therefore, with this context, we can understand better how the Lord reassured His people of His continued presence in their midst and how He would be the centre and focus of their lives, being their Hope and strength amidst the darkness and evils surrounding them. This He communicated to them, and He later on would make evident and firm His commitment by sending us His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to be our Saviour, to bring unto us the Light of Hope that we all have been awaiting for.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard the Lord Himself speaking on this matter as He told His disciples how He would be betrayed into the hands of His enemies and how He would be persecuted and made to suffer by the authorities, and eventually, would be condemned to die and to suffer for everyone’s faults and sins. He did all of these because He has patiently loved us and wanted us all to be reconciled to Him, and He wants us to put our trust once again in Him. Yet, despite all that we had done for us, we persecuted Him and rejected Him.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we listened to the words of the Scripture today, we are all called to reflect on our lives and how we have lived them as Christians thus far. Have we been faithful to the Lord as we should? Have we been committed to Him and loved Him as we should? Have we realised just how fortunate we are to be constantly beloved by God despite of our sins and wickedness? We should spend the time to carefully reflect on our actions in life so that we may not end up in the wrong path.

Today we are all challenged to grow in love and faith towards the Lord, and to leave behind our sinful ways, our disobedience and all the things that had prevented us from being able to reach out to the Lord. Let us all humble ourselves before the Lord and realise just how ungrateful and sinful we have been thus far. Let us follow the Lord with ever greater sincerity and commit ourselves to Him anew with a heart filled with love for Him, with the strong and genuine desire to be a good and committed Christian from now on.

May the Lord be with us always and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us to walk faithfully in His path so that we may be inspiration and good examples, as great role models for one another. May all of us do in whatever way we can to glorify the Lord by our lives, thankful that He has always loved us and blessed us in each and every one of our activities, and given even His Son for our salvation. May God bless us always, at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 25 September 2021 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

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

Luke 9 : 43b-45

At that time, while all were amazed at everything Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Listen, and remember what I tell you now : The Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of men.” But the disciples did not understand this saying; something prevented them from grasping what He meant, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

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Saturday, 25 September 2021 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

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

Jeremiah 31 : 10, 11-12ab, 13

Hear the word of YHVH, o nations, proclaim it on distant coast lands : He Who scattered Israel will gather them and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.

For YHVH has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the hand of his conqueror. They shall come shouting for joy, while ascending Zion; they will come streaming to YHVH’s blessings.

Maidens will make merry and dance, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness, I will give them comfort and joy for sorrow.

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Saturday, 25 September 2021 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

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

Zechariah 2 : 5-9, 14-15a

Raising my eyes again, I saw a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered, “I am going to measure Jerusalem, to find its width and its length.”

As the Angel who spoke to me came forward, another Angel met him and said, “Run and tell this to that young man : ‘Jerusalem will remain unwalled because of its multitude of people and livestock.’ For this is the word of YHVH : I, Myself, will be around her like a wall of fire, and also within her, in glory.”

“Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people.”

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Friday, 24 September 2021 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are all reminded through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures of the great works by which the Lord had done in guiding us through our life’s journey, and all that He has done for our sake, and how He will restore all of us and redeem us. He has always stayed by our side, and He is ever present in our lives, even if we have not realised it. God wants us to know that He shares our sufferings with us, and through this same sharing, we shall share in His eternal glory at the end.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Haggai, we heard of the words of the Lord spoken to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, as the Exilarch of the Israelites being descended from the House of David, as well as to Joshua the then High Priest. The Lord told them that they must not be hesitant to rebuild the House of God in Jerusalem, the Temple that was there in the Holy City, but which had been destroyed many decades earlier by the Babylonians who also destroyed Jerusalem and exiled the people of Israel for many years.

Contextually, at that time, the descendants of Israel had just returned to the land of their ancestors after the long exile, and they were allowed to return with the permission from King Cyrus of Persia who had emancipated them and specifically mentioned that the House of God in Jerusalem ought to be rebuilt again. Yet, after a number of years, by the reign of King Darius of Persia, the Temple of God had not yet been rebuilt and through the prophet Haggai, God spoke to the leaders of the people telling them to trust in Him and to rebuild the Temple as they ought to.

The Lord reassured them that He would always be with them, and His Spirit would dwell in their midst. He told them that they have nothing to worry of be afraid of since He will glorify Himself before all, and all who trust in Him shall be glorified together with Him, and share in the inheritance and true joy that they had been promised. And this would come to fulfilment eventually in Christ, the Saviour of all mankind, Who came to the midst of His people, as God’s Holy Presence in the flesh, no longer hidden but fully manifested, His love fully revealed before all.

And all of that happened because of what Christ would do for our sake, as He Himself foretold it before His disciples and the people, how He would be made to suffer and to endure rejection and ridicule from the people, and from the elders and the chief priests no less, from those most powerful and influential in the community who rejected Him and His truth, and persecuting His followers. But it was there then that the Lord would glorify Himself as the Living Temple of God, as the very Presence of God in the world, even as He laid down His life on the Cross and died.

That is because He rose triumphantly from the dead, overcoming the power of sin and death itself, and winning for all of us mankind the price of our freedom. And He established in this world the Church, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church as the visible symbol of His Presence and the unity that we share with Him. God reassured us through His Church that He is always with us and He will never abandon us, as He will always be with us and His Church, that in His own words, ‘will stand even against the gates of hell’.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, reflecting on what we have heard from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are all called to put our trust in the Lord even as we have been called out of our exile from the world of sin, just as the Israelites had been brought out of their exile back to their ancestral homeland. And God is now calling us all to do whatever we can and to contribute to the works of His Church, just as He had called on the leaders of Judah to contribute to the rebuilding of the House of God in Jerusalem.

Are we willing and able to commit ourselves to this cause and effort, brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we willing to trust in the Lord and to contribute our works and our labours, even in the smallest things to work for the greater glory of God through His Church? We are all called to be the shining examples and role models of our faith, and we should do whatever we can, at all times, to be inspiration for our fellow brothers and sisters, to be good and faithful followers of God by doing His will and obeying His Law and commandments.

Let us all strive to work together as members of this same Church of God, to establish God’s kingdom in this world, and to gather together all the faithful in one united effort to serve our Lord to the best of our abilities, not to be afraid anymore to stand up for our faith and to speak and to show the truth of God in our respective communities. May the Lord continue to guide us and watch over us, and may He bless us in our every endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 24 September 2021 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 9 : 18-22

At that time, one day, when Jesus was praying alone, not far from His disciples, He asked them, “What do people say about Me?” And they answered, “Some say, that You are John the Baptist; others say, that You are Elijah; and still others, that You are one of the Prophets of old, risen from the dead.”

Again Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” Then Jesus spoke to them, giving them strict orders not to tell this to anyone. And He added, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, and be put to death. Then after three days He will be raised to life.”