29th Week of Ordinary Time

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Thursday, 23 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 1 : 1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed is the man who does not go where the wicked gather, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit where the scoffers sit! Instead, he finds delight in the Law of YHVH and meditates day and night on His commandments.

He is like a tree beside a brook producing its fruit in due season, its leaves never withering. Everything he does is a success.

But it is different with the wicked. They are like chaff driven away by the wind. For YHVH knows the way of the righteous but cuts off the way of the wicked.

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Thursday, 23 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John of Capestrano, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Romans 6 : 19-23

You see, that I speak in a very human way, taking into account that you are not fully mature. There was a time, when you let your members be slaves of impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; convert them, now, into servants of righteousness, to the point of becoming holy.

When you were slaves of sin, you did not feel under obligation to righteousness, but what were the fruits of those actions, of which you are now ashamed? Such things bring death. Now, however, you have been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit, and growing in holiness, and the result will be life everlasting.

So, on one side is sin : its reward, death; on the other side, is God : He gives us, by grace, life everlasting, in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

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Wednesday, 22 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Lord contained within the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that all of us have been shown the way how we ought to live our lives, being virtuous and righteous in all things, doing our best to resist the temptations to sin and doing our best to commit our lives to a worthy existence in God’s Presence. We should always be doing our part in obeying the Law and commandments, and doing what God wants us to do, in living our lives to the fullest in the manner that inspires confidence and faith in many others around us. We should be good role models and examples for our fellow brothers and sisters around us, leading more and more people towards God by our good examples and lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, the Apostle continued to remind the faithful followers of the Lord there of the need to distance themselves from sin and evil, all the things which can lead us astray from the path of the Lord. As Christians, each and every one of us are reminded that the Lord has freed us from our sins and trespasses, our debts and all those things that are obstacles in our paths towards Him. That is why we should do our best to resist being tempted by those sins, which can still lead us away from God, and seek the goodness of God and His love instead of the many ambitions, pursuits and glory of this world. All of us are reminded that as Christians we should always strive to be worthy of God, holy and virtuous in all of our dealings and actions.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself telling His disciples using a parable to highlight just how important it is for all of those who follow Him to be ever vigilant and ready, keeping themselves above reproach and be truly worthy in all of their words, actions and deeds. They should not think that they could get away with not doing as what their Lord and Master wanted them to do, as just how in the parable, the master’s servants who delayed, disregarded and neglected their responsibilities were punished in the end for having abandoned and ignored what they were supposed to do. That is the same therefore as what is expected of all of us as Christians in our own respective lives, that we should always be exemplary in our own lives.

We have been given the many opportunities and means for all of us to do what God has entrusted to us, and therefore it is important that we should continue to make good use of them whenever and wherever possible so that we will continue to exercise good judgment and decision in how we can use those blessings, opportunities and good things for the greater glory of God, for the good and benefit of God’s faithful, for our fellow brothers and sisters around us. In all the things that we do let us always be mindful of how our actions, our words and our every moments can impact those around us negatively or positively, depending on how we use these opportunities and what we do. This is why we should always continue to live our lives worthily in the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the great recent saint, whose name and memories must be familiar to so many among us both young and old, as he was the leader of the Universal Church as the Successor of St. Peter, the Pope and Bishop of Rome. Pope St. John Paul II, also known by his birth name as Karol Jozef Wojtyla, the first Polish Pope and non-Italian Pope after close to five hundred years. Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born in Poland after the First World War to a loving family, but unfortunately, he lost his family members one by one, beginning with his mother, then his elder brother and finally his father, during the harsh early years of the Second World War.

The young Karol Wojtyla suffered hardships during the war years, and during that time, he went through discreet seminary preparation as he committed himself to priesthood. He was ordained a priest, and then went through another hard period of oppression of Christians by the Communists, who were in power at that time. Christians were persecuted and oppressed, but Fr. Wojtyla cared for the needs of his flock, and this quiet obedience and commitment to the Lord eventually led to him being chosen as first the Auxiliary Bishop of Krakow, and then succeeding as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, and from there on, his participation as a leader of the Church continued to rise on.

After being made a Cardinal by the Pope, the then Cardinal Wojtyla continued to fight for the rights of the Christians in his homeland, in Krakow and elsewhere, and he was particularly remembered for his period of struggle against the Communist government, as he led the faithful in the effort to establish a church in the new town of Nowa Huta, which the Communist government had touted back then as a churchless town, in a seeming symbol of triumph of Communism over the Christian faith. Cardinal Wojtyla helped to lead the campaign which eventually led to the completion of the church and shrine at Nowa Huta of the now famous Black Madonna of Nowa Huta.

He was then elected as the successor of St. Peter as the Pope and leader of the Universal Church. As Pope St. John Paul II, he led the Church on a great campaign of renewal, in leading the Church through efforts to evangelise to many more people, to lead to the greater unity within the Church, the repair of relations between the separated brethren among the Christian Church splinters, as well as in his great and memorable role in leading to the downfall of Communism, which happened just over a decade after he took over as the Pope and leader of the Church. He travelled to many countries, more than any Popes ever before and ever since until today, and as the Apostles long before his time and ours, Pope St. John Paul II continued to carry on the mission entrusted to the Church of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Pope St. John Paul II has shown us all, each and every one of us are called to be courageous and committed disciples of the Lord, striving to do His will at all times and circumstances. All of us as Christians should always strive to live our lives worthily of the Lord at all times, to do God’s will at all time. Let us all be good role models and examples for everyone and let us continue to inspire many more people to follow God’s will just as Pope St. John Paul II had inspired us all. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 22 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Luke 12 : 39-48

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Pay attention to this : If the master of the house had known at what time the thief would come, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.”

Peter said, “Lord, did You tell this parable only for us, or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Imagine, then, the wise and faithful steward, whom the master sets over his other servants, to give them wheat at the proper time. Fortunate is this servant if his master, on coming home, finds him doing his work. Truly, I say to you, the master will put him in charge of all his property.”

“But it may be that the steward thinks, ‘My lord delays in coming,’ and he begins to abuse the male servants and the servant girls, eating and drinking and getting drunk. Then the master will come on a day he does not expect, and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him off, and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.”

“The servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare and do what his master wanted, will be soundly beaten; but the one who does unconsciously what deserves punishment, shall receive fewer blows. Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one who has been entrusted with more.”

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Wednesday, 22 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Psalm 123 : 1-3, 4-6, 7-8

Had not YHVH been on our side – let Israel say – had not YHVH been on our side, when people rose up against us, then, they would have swallowed us alive; such was their anger against us.

A bit more, and the flood would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us; the raging waters would have swept us away. Blessed be YHVH, Who did not let us be devoured.

Like a bird, our soul escaped from the snare of the fowler; the snare was broken and we were freed. Our help is in the Name of YHVH, Who made heaven and earth.

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Wednesday, 22 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, Pope (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Romans 6 : 12-18

Do not allow sin any control over your mortal bodies; do not submit yourselves to its evil inclinations, and do not give your members over to sin, as instruments to do evil. On the contrary, offer yourselves, as persons returned from death to life, and let the members of your body be as holy instruments, at the service of God. Sin will not lord it over you again, for you are not under the Law, but under grace.

I ask again : are we to sin because we are not under the Law, but under grace? Certainly not. If you have given yourselves up to someone as his slave, you are to obey the one who commands you, are you not? Now, with sin, you go to death, and by accepting faith, you go the right way.

Let us give thanks to God, for, after having sin as your master, you have been given to another, that is, to the doctrine of faith, to which you listen willingly. And being free from sin, you began to serve true righteousness.

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that each and every one of us as Christians as people of Hope and people of the Resurrection, reminding all of us of the ultimate victory and sacrifice which our Lord had paid and offered on our behalf as He took up His Cross and suffered the worst of injustices, rejections, humiliations and sufferings for the sake of us all, and for the great and ever-wonderful love which He has always had for us. Through what He has done for us all, He has opened for us the sure path to eternal life and true happiness with Him, and He has redeemed us from the domination of sin and evil, and release us all from the tyranny of the evil one, the great enemy of all the living.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome in which we are reminded of everything that Christ our Lord and Saviour Himself had done for our sake, all the love which He has shown us so patiently all these while, all the things He had done for us, by His most selfless sacrifice on the Cross, as He accepted humbly everything that His Heavenly Father has planned for all of us mankind. And this is what we should be ever thankful and appreciative for, because without the ever great and wonderful love that God has always shown us then there would have been no hope for any one of us, and we would have been condemned to an eternity of suffering without any hope or recourse of our situation.

We are reminded that through sin we have fallen from grace and been separated from God and His most wonderful love. But through the perfect obedience of Christ our Lord and Saviour, we have been shown the path to eternity of true joy and wonders, because through His perfect obedience and most selfless love, Christ has undone the damage which had been caused to us by our own disobedience and weakness, our succumbing to the temptations of Satan, the temptations for worldly glory and ambition, as what he had successfully done against Adam and Eve, and our ancestors, and to all of us as well. But the Lord showed us all that Satan and sin do not have the final say and power over us, as through Him and what He had done, He has freed us all from this domination and fate of damnation.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord telling His disciples and everyone of those who listened to Him to be prepared and ready for the Lord’s coming, at the time most unexpected, comparing it to the preparedness of the servants of a master who was returning all of a sudden from a wedding event. That comparison showed the nature of the moment when the Lord would come again at His Second Coming, which the Lord Jesus Himself had foreshadowed and predicted on several occasions, that it will indeed happen at the time when everyone will least expect it to happen. That is why it is important for all of us as Christians to be ever vigilant in our lives and works, so that we will continue to live our lives worthily in God’s Presence.

We are reminded that we should always be active in the living of our faith as Christians, so that in each and every things that we do, in our every words, actions and deeds, we will always be exemplary and be good role models and inspirations for everyone around us, to all those whom we encounter in life. That is why we are reminded this day that we should continue to practice and implement what we have believed in our very own lives, in each and every moments. That is how we truly show our Christian faith and carry out our mission in obeying God’s will and in doing what He has sent us into this world for, to be the living examples of what we believe in, that everyone who witness our actions and works, will believe that we truly belong to God, and hopefully will come to believe in Him as well, through us.

All of us have been blessed and given with various talents, opportunities and means for us to reach out to others around us, showing God’s love and care, His compassion and kindness to everyone through our own actions, works and deeds. In every words we said and in all of our interactions with each other, we should always show our genuine faith in God, and what a true Christian should behave like, in a manner that is truly upright, virtuous and full of love for those whom the Lord had entrusted to us. We should not behave in ways that lead to scandal against our faith, because we cause harm and hurt to others, or by manipulating or exploiting others around us, or by behaving in ways that are selfish and wicked, all of which are unbecoming of us as Christians.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to encourage one another to live our lives to the fullest, doing our part in each day and in each opportunities that God has given to us, so that we may always be the bearers of the truth and Good News of God, in each and every moments of our lives, even in the smallest things that we do. We should always be the inspiration for everyone because of that light of faith and the hope that is always found in us. We should be the ones that people turn to because they know that we are indeed blessed by the light and love of God, through everything that we sincerely do and carry out daily in our respective lives. We should always be active in proclaiming the Lord not only through words but also through genuine and sincere actions grounded in our faith, in even the smallest and least significant things.

May the Lord continue to empower and encourage each one of us so that by our continued dedication and commitment to God, in each and every one of our works, being the bearers of God’s light and hope to our darkened world, being the ones to show the hope in God to everyone around us, especially those who are downtrodden and facing hardships in their lives. May God bless us all and strengthen us in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 12 : 35-38

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Be ready, dressed for service, and keep your lamps lit, like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding. As soon as he comes and knocks, they will open the door to him. Happy are those servants whom the master finds wide-awake when he comes.”

“Truly, I tell you, he will put an apron, and have them sit at table, and he will wait on them. Happy are those servants, if he finds them awake when he comes at midnight or daybreak!”

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 39 : 7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

Sacrifice and oblation You did not desire; this, You had me understand. Burnt offering and sin offering You do not require. Then I said, “Here I come!”

As the scroll says of me. To do Your will is my delight, o God, for Your law is within my heart.

In the great assembly I have proclaimed Your saving help. My lips, o YHVH, I did not seal – You know that very well.

But may all those who seek You, rejoice, and be glad in You; and may all who love Your saving grace continually say, “YHVH is great.”

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Tuesday, 21 October 2025 : 29th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 5 : 12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21

Therefore, sin entered the world through one man; and through sin, death; and later on, death spread to all humankind, because all sinned. All died, because of the fault of one man, but how much more does the grace of God spread, when the gift He granted, reaches all, from this unique Man, Jesus Christ.

If death reigned through the disobedience of one and only one person, how much more, will there be a reign of life, for those who receive the grace, and the gift of true righteousness, through the one Person, Jesus Christ. Just as one transgression brought sentence of death to all, so, too, one Man’s good act has brought justification and light to all; and, as the disobedience of only one, made all sinners, so the obedience of one Person, allowed all to be made just and holy.

But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, and, as sin caused death to reign, so grace will reign, in its own time, and, after making us just, and friends of God, will bring us to eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.