28th Week of Ordinary Time

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Monday, 13 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 11 : 29-32

At that time, as the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words : “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.”

“The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.”

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Monday, 13 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to YHVH a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

YHVH has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love, nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you, lands, make a joyful noise to YHVH, break into song and sing praise.

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Monday, 13 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 1 : 1-7

From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle, called and set apart for God’s Good News, the very promises He foretold through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures, regarding His Son, Who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and has been recognised as the Son of God, endowed with Power, upon rising from the dead, through the Holy Spirit.

Through Him, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and for the sake of His Name, we received grace, and mission in all the nations, for them to accept the faith. All of you, the elected of Christ, are part of them, you, the beloved God in Rome, called to be holy : May God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace.

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scripture, we are reminded that each and every one of us have been given such great gifts and opportunities by the Lord, Who has always been very compassionate, patient and kind towards us, in showing us ever more loving concern and in His desire to heal us all from our troubles and faults. That is why we should really appreciate that the Lord has done for us with such great love, persistence and patience, and not take all these for granted because if we allow ourselves to remain distant and separated from Him, then in the end, it is only us that will regret having disobeyed Him and refusing to listen to all the things that He has constantly tried to show us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Second Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the story of Naaman the Syrian and the prophet Elisha was told to us, where this Naaman was the famous general of the Aramaeans, a Syrian kingdom that was bordering the kingdom of Israel. He came to the land of Israel when he heard of the famous deeds of the prophet Elisha and his miracles, through which he hoped to be healed from his problem of leprosy. Naaman went to seek Elisha and eventually found him, and before what was depicted in today’s passage, the prophet Elisha told Naaman to go and immerse himself seven times in the River Jordan, and initially Naaman felt insulted at being asked to do such a trivial task.

He further argued and tried to justify himself by saying that there were better and superior rivers in his own homeland in Aram and Damascus, as compared to the River Jordan in Israel. But his servant was quick to remind him that he should just obey and listen to the words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Elisha if he wanted to be cured of his condition. It was Naaman’s pride and ego which initially prevented him from doing what was necessary in order to find healing and while he wanted to be healed, he initially could not do so because he kept on refusing to follow the Lord and His commands. But eventually he relented and humbled himself, doing exactly as what he had been asked to do, and as a result, he was healed from his leprosy.

We heard how Naaman thanked the prophet Elisha greatly and appreciated everything that God had done to him through the prophet. However, when the prophet Elisha was offered with generous gifts from Naaman, who was full of praise and thanksgiving to God, the former refused to accept those gifts, as the prophet humbly highlighted that he was merely following God’s will and not doing all the things for his own personal gain and benefit. And again we can see here the importance of humility and obedience in our faith, and hence, we need to reflect upon what we have heard today from this passage from the Book of Kings, reminding us that at all times we should always be ready to listen to God speaking to us in various ways, even through those who disagreed with us.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy in which the Apostle spoke of the matter of what the true Christian faith is all about, and how everything that St. Paul himself had endured and encountered throughout his ministry and works, all of them were done for the greater glory of God, and in full trust of everything that God had called on him and the other disciples and missionaries of Christ to do. Therefore, St. Paul wanted to remind and strengthen his protege, St. Timothy and the other early Christians, that they should not be afraid to continue to do their best for the greater glory of God. They should remember that even as they suffer, they were suffering for the sake of the Lord, and they were never truly alone in their journey and in their struggles.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus encountered ten lepers who were cast out from their community, being forced to wander off in the wilderness as prescribed by the Law of Moses. According to that Law, the lepers were unclean and they could not return to the community until their leprosy had been cured. This definition of leprosy first of all may differ from what we commonly know as leprosy today, as it covered a rather broad variety of skin diseases and infections. But at that time, as we heard, when the ten lepers came to seek the Lord and sought His miraculous healing even from a distance, knowing that if they came to Him they would make Him and His disciples unclean, He did not keep Himself away from them, but approached them and showed them His mercy and love.

He told them all to go and see a priest as prescribed by the Law, even though they had not by then been physically healed from their leprosy. Yet, they chose to have faith in the Lord and trusted in Him, even when He did not perform grand gestures and miraculous powers before them, choosing to trust in God and go forth on their journey back to the priest as asked. They showed obedience and faith, and as a result, as we heard, they were all healed from their leprosy, and they realised it afterwards that they had been made whole again. Yet, none of them except for one among them, a Samaritan, who then went back all the way to the Lord again to thank Him for everything that He had done for their sake. This showed the Samaritan’s great character and virtue, not only that he had obedience and faith in him, but he was also grateful for the Lord’s goodness.

This leprosy is also a representation of an even greater ‘leprosy’ that often afflicts us, which is something that no earthly doctors and means can cure. This leprosy refers to sin, which is often likened to the leprosy that affects us even to the depths of our souls, corrupting and affecting our whole and entire beings. But with God’s help, and if we put our faith and trust in Him, then by His power, grace and forgiveness, we can indeed be healed and made whole again after the struggles that we have with sin. While sin and the temptations to sin against God are always ever around us, but we must put our faith and trust in God, knowing that it is in Him alone that we will be able to overcome the domination of sin and evil, and their hold on us.

Through what we have heard in this Gospel passage this Sunday, and from the other readings that we have discussed and reflected about, we are reminded that each and every one of us as Christians need to have a greater trust and faith in the Lord, and strive our best to do our part, in each and every moments of our lives such that we may indeed truly be obedient in all things to the Lord, ever righteous and virtuous in all that we say and do. Let us all be like the Samaritan leper, who obeyed the Lord and was faithful to Him, and yet at the same time, also know when to give thanks and praise to God when it is due. Let us all be good role models and examples for one another, and strive to be freed from the leprosy of our souls, that is our sins. May God be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 11-19

At that time, on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria and Galilee, and as He entered a village, ten lepers came to meet Him. Keeping their distance, they called to Him, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Jesus said to them, “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.” Then, as they went on their way, they found they were cured. One of them, as soon as he saw that he was cleansed, turned back, praising God in a loud voice; and throwing himself on his face before Jesus, he gave Him thanks. This man was a Samaritan.

Then Jesus asked him, “Were not all ten healed? Where are the other nine? Did none of them decide to return and give praise to God, but this foreigner?” And Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go your way; your faith has saved you.”

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Timothy 2 : 8-13

Remember Christ Jesus, risen from the dead, Jesus, Son of David, as preached in my Gospel. For this Gospel I labour, and even wear chains like an evildoer, but the word of God is not chained. And, so, I bear everything, for the sake of the chosen people, that they, too, may obtain the salvation given to us, in Christ Jesus, and share eternal glory.

This statement is true : If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; If we endure with Him, we shall reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us; If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Kings 5 : 14-17

So Naaman went down to the Jordan where he washed himself seven times as Elisha had ordered. His skin became soft like that of a child and he was cleansed.

Then Naaman returned to the man of God with all his men. He entered and said to him, “Now I know that there is no other God anywhere in the world but in Israel. I ask you to accept these gifts from your servant.”

But Elisha answered, “I swear by YHVH Whom I serve, I will accept nothing.” And however much Naaman insisted, Elisha would not accept his gifts. So Naaman told him, “Since you refuse, let me get some sacks of soil from your land – the amount that two mules can carry. I shall use it to build an Altar to YHVH, for I shall not offer sacrifices to any other god but Him.”

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Saturday, 19 October 2024 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord speaking to us through the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the great things that the Lord has assured each and every one of us, the salvation that He has promised to us from time immemorial, and the revelation of everything that He has shown and done for us through His Son, the perfect manifestation of God’s ever enduring and wonderful love for all of us mankind. Through Christ, the Son of God that had taken up our nature and existence, God has opened for us all the path to eternal life and true happiness and fulfilment in Him. He has shown how great His power and love is, far surpassing anything else in this world and transcending all boundaries and limits, reassuring us as always of His ever present and boundless love, which we should therefore respond with the same love and faith.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Ephesus, in which the Apostle reminded all the faithful people of God of the Lord’s great and amazing power, His might and glorious dominion over the whole world. Through all of these, God has assured us all of the constant care and protection, love and compassion that He has always patiently had for each one of us. God has always been there for us and we have to remember this truth and fact, especially when we may be constantly facing a lot of trials and challenges in life. We must not easily give up our faith and commitment to God because we think that God did not care for us or that God was not there by our side through our challenges, trials and difficulties. Those were the main reasons why many people had abandoned the Lord and left Him, because they did not realise that God has actually always been with them.

The reality is such that, although we may not be able to see Him directly in person before us, but He is truly all around us, journeying with us and guiding us throughout the way. And if we do bother spending the time and effort to recognise His Presence around us, we can truly feel Him being there in our midst, walking with us and giving us all His assurance that He is always ever been there for us, being patient with us despite us having constantly been stubborn and disobedient against Him. God is always ever ready to forgive us and to reach out to us whenever we are regretful, repentant over our many sins and wickedness. God has always shown His great patience and kindness from the very beginning, as an ever loving Father Who truly loves His children very much, caring for us in each and every occasion without cease and with ever present patience, and always with the intention to bring us back to Himself..tiaenges anaempowe ov EPhes

Then, in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord told His disciples that everything which they had to face in the midst of their mission and journey, their work and commitment, all of these would be faced together with God by their side, and they would never be alone, as the Lord would give them His guidance, help and strength, granting and blessing them with His Holy Spirit, the great Advocate and Helper, Who would encourage and inflame our hearts, guiding us to the right path and giving us the strength and wisdom to stand up for our faith, if we continue to put our trust in His love and faithfulness, as we should always do. The Lord also prepared us saying that there would indeed be challenges, trials and obstacles, and we must be ready for them, but we must not be afraid of them.

As Christians, each and every one of us must always have that firm faith and conviction to trust the Lord and follow Him at all times. We must not allow ourselves to be dissuaded, tempted and coerced otherwise to think that we are alone in all the challenges and sufferings that we may be facing in life and in our journey and mission as Christians, because that is exactly what the evil one is trying hard to do, to convince us that we are all alone and that God is not there for us, when He has actually always been there for us, guiding us and strengthening us, providing us generously all throughout every steps and moments of the journey and mission in our lives. We should continue to be faithful to the Lord and to do whatever we can so that we may indeed live our lives in the manner that is truly holy and worthy of God at all times. Advhis H  erm

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, holy priests and martyrs, together with their many companions in holy martyrdom in the region now encompassing Canada and the northern part of North American continent. They were missionaries from the Society of Jesus sent from France to evangelise and minister to the native populations of the many parts and wilderness of French Canadian colony at the time and beyond. Many of these missionaries faced great challenges amidst their mission, as while they did encounter significant successes in having quite a number of the natives embracing the Lord and the Christian faith, but they also faced bitter and determined opposition from those who refused to believe and embrace the Christian faith, on top of the many harsh conditions they had to endure in their missionary journey and lives.

At the time, many of those missionaries faced bitter cold condition, diseases and other problems beside the persecution and attacks from the tribes that were opposed to the efforts of the missionaries in proclaiming the Good News of God. Some of the missionaries like St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues were captured by the hostile natives who persecuted and tortured them, and with some other Christians, both the missionaries and converts alike, many of them were martyred in the defence of their faith, refusing to give up their faith and remaining firmly committed to God to the very end, not allowing the sufferings and persecutions to tempt them to abandon their faith and trust in the Lord, their God and Master.

And we also commemorate St. Paul of the Cross on top of our commemoration of the Holy Martyrs of Canada. St. Paul of the Cross was an Italian priest who was the renowned founder of the Passionists, a religious congregation for men, dedicated to the devotion to the Lord’s Passion, His love and great compassion for all of us mankind. St. Paul of the Cross was convinced from when he was young and through the various experiences he encountered, that there was a need for a community to live together in total dedication and commitment to the Lord, particularly to His great Passion and love for us mankind, and this eventually became the inspiration and foundation for his eventual founding of the Passionists, whose members dedicate themselves to serve the people of God and to show His care and love to those who need them, to those who were marginalised and suffering.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all have heard from the lives of the great and holy saints, the Holy Martyrs of Canada and that of St. Paul of the Cross, among others, and as we have discussed through the readings of the Sacred Scriptures we have heard, let us all therefore renew our commitment to God, our faith and trust in Him, as well as our desire to love Him wholeheartedly and to continue to do His will at all times and in all circumstances. Let us all remember and keep reminding one another of the great love that God has for each one of us, and strive therefore to show the same love to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, just as much as we all should love God and be ever thankful for His ever patient love.

May the Lord, our most loving God, Father and Creator continue to show us all His love, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us with His strength, guidance and love, and through His Holy Spirit so that we may always continue to live worthily of the Lord, full of His love and compassion towards everyone around us, and may He continue to guide and help us all, so that by our inspirational and exemplary way of life, we will draw ever closer to His loving Presence and be worthy to share in the glorious inheritance that He has promised and reassured us. May God be with us always and bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 19 October 2024 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs, and Companions, Martyrs, and St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs) or White (Priests)

Luke 12 : 8-12

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before people, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the Angels of God. But the one who denies Me before others will be denied before the Angels of God. There will be pardon for the one who criticises the Son of Man, but there will be no pardon for the one who slanders the Holy Spirit.”

“When you are brought before the synagogues, and before governors and rulers, do not worry about how you will defend yourself, or what to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you have to say.”