3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Saturday, 31 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we all reflect and ponder upon its meaning and truth, let us all spend some time remembering just how wonderful God’s love and mercy is for all of us, that even when we have sinned against Him, He has always been rich in mercy, compassion and forgiveness, in wanting to embrace us all with His great love, to bring us all back to Himself, to gather us all, His beloved and yet lost sheep scattered all throughout the world, and He has always been welcoming and kind in reaching out to us, as our most loving and patient Good Shepherd, calling all of us to return to Him, giving us the assurance of His most generous and compassionate love.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the continuation of yesterday’s story of the time when King David of Israel, the king whom God had blessed and secured in his position as king and ruler over all of Israel, in which on one occasion he encountered the beautiful wife of his own captain of the guard, Uriah the Hittite, a woman named Bathsheba, whom we may also know as the one who would become the mother of the famous King Solomon, David’s son who would become his eventual successor. At that time, Bathsheba was still married and the wife of Uriah, and we heard how David was tempted upon seeing Bathsheba which led them to commit sin of adultery before the Lord. We can see from this how even the faithful and famous King David himself was also a sinner and was able to fall into sin during his life.

And not only that, but David tried to conceal the fact and settle the problem by trying to make Uriah to sleep with his wife so that her pregnancy with David would not be discovered and a great disgrace be known to everyone. But Uriah did not do all that, and in the end, David plotted for Uriah’s death by purposely placing him at the frontline of the battle, which then led to his death and then David was free to take Bathsheba as his own wife. Through all of these that we have heard from today’s story of David’s life and this particular incident, and what happened afterwards, we can see how dangerous sin and its allures can be, and how weak our flesh can be, in the face of temptations and sin, which can lead us to commit ever greater mistakes and faults in life.

Yet, despite all of that, God eventually still forgave David after He had chastised him through the prophet Nathan as we heard in our first reading passage today, as unlike his predecessor Saul who doubled down on his sins and disobedience, David was truly repentant after the prophet Nathan pointed out his mistakes to him. This is also therefore an example of how sometimes we may not realise that we are in the wrong, especially when we allow ourselves to be swayed and deluded by the temptations and sins around us. God is however all loving and forgiving, and He wants to forgive us all should we truly seek His forgiveness and mercy, and He never stops any one of us from coming towards Him to be forgiven and loved fully and completely once again. What matters is that we should realise our errors and faults, doing our very best to improve ourselves and seek God’s forgiveness, mercy and love.

We must also take note that although David had committed sin with Bathsheba, God did not forbid them to be together, but instead, transforming both of them to be part of His Divine plan as mentioned. This aligned with what I have highlighted earlier on that our Church and therefore the Kingdom of God is not the gathering place for the perfect and the ones without sin or fault, but rather as often mentioned, is a ‘hospital for sinners’. God gathers everyone that He loves, all of us, without any bias, prejudice or exceptions, and He does not reject anyone, no matter how sinful they have been. Even the worst sinners are still beneficiaries of God’s most wonderful love and mercy, which He always extends to all those who seek them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the moment and time when the Lord Jesus and His disciples were travelling in the lake, likely the Lake of Galilee and they were all afflicted by the terrible storm, waves and wind that battered their boat. We heard how the disciples were all terrified, scared that their boat would capsize and would go under all those waves. And yet, then we heard how the Lord reassured them all and showed them His power and might, calming the storm with the mere command of His words, and everything was well again. The disciples were all naturally astonished and surprised at the turn of events, the great miracle that the Lord Himself has shown them.

Linking to what we have heard from our first reading earlier about what happened to King David, we are reminded that this storm, all the waves and the wind that battered the disciples in the boat are just like the temptations, sins and darkness present all around us, all the uncertainties of our lives and everything which made us all to lose our faith and trust in the world. But as we have seen, God has the answer to all of our troubles, and if we only hold firmly onto Him as our anchor and steady guide in life, He will rescue us and help us all out of our predicaments, because ultimately we must realise that God loves us all so generously and wonderfully, each and every one of us.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, it is right and just for us to follow the Lord once again more wholeheartedly, and learn to commit ourselves to Him once again, to the best of our abilities despite our flaws and sins. Today, we can model ourselves based on the great examples which our holy predecessor, St. John Bosco, a great priest of the Lord and holy man of God, whose feast we celebrate today, have done. St. John Bosco was remembered greatly for his great piety, love and dedication to God, as well as for his great love and compassionate care for those whom he encountered in the midst of his missions and works, as a priest and most well-known in his role as one who initiated and was in charge of an outreach to the underprivileged youth, those juveniles and teenagers who had none to lead and guide them to the right path.

St. John Bosco helped to get them proper education and place to stay for those who were orphaned and homeless, and cared for their spiritual, mental and material needs. He dedicated much of his time to touch the lives of the underprivileged, and inspired many others to begin similar initiatives, resulting in the blooming of many institutions of Christian education that benefitted especially the underprivileged youths, and in particular underprivileged girls. The faith, dedication and commitment which St. John Bosco has shown us should inspire us all as well in our lives so that hopefully we may also become good sources of inspiration and hope for many others whom we encounter and all those who have witnessed our actions and works.

May the Lord continue to guide us all and bless our many good works and efforts in following Him ever more wholeheartedly in all things and at all times. God has always been generous in loving us and we all should appreciate everything that He has always done for us, in calling on all of us to return to Him and to His loving Presence. Let us all be therefore good and worthy witnesses of His truth, bear with courage and confidence the Good News and all that He has presented and taught to us in our world today. May our actions, words and deeds are truly worthy of being good Christian disciples and followers in all things and at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 31 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Mark 4 : 35-41

At that time, on that same day, when evening had come, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they left the crowd, and took Him along in the boat He had been sitting in, and other boats set out with Him. Then a storm gathered and it began to blow a gale. The waves spilled over into the boat, so that it was soon filled with water. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.

They woke Him up, and said, “Master, do You not care if we drown?” And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind, and ordered the sea, “Quiet now! Be still!” The wind dropped, and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

But they were terrified, and they said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

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Saturday, 31 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 50 : 12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Create in me, o God, a pure heart; give me a new and steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence nor take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Give me again, the joy of Your salvation; and sustain me, with a willing spirit. Then I will show wrongdoers Your ways and sinners will return to You.

Deliver me, o God, from the guilt of blood; and of Your justice, I shall sing aloud. O YHVH, open my lips, and I will declare Your praise.

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Saturday, 31 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Samuel 12 : 1-7a, 10-17

So YHVH sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to the king and said to him, “There were two men in a city : one was rich; the other, poor. The rich man had many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb he had bought. He himself fed it and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and slept on his lap. It was like a daughter to him.”

“Now a traveller came to the rich man, but he would not take from his own flock or herd to prepare food for the traveller. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared that for his visitor.”

David was furious because of this man and told Nathan, “As YHVH lives, the man who has done this deserves death! He must return the lamb fourfold for acting like this and showing no compassion.” Nathan said to David, “You are this man! Now the sword will never be far from your family because you have despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself.”

“Thus says YHVH : Your misfortune will rise from your own house! I will take your wives from you and give them to your neighbour who shall lie with them in broad daylight. What you did was done secretly, but what I do will be done before Israel in broad daylight.”

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against YHVH.” Nathan answered him, “YHVH has forgiven your sin; you shall not die. However, because you have dared to despise YHVH by doing such a thing, the child that is born of you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his home.

YHVH struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne to David, and the child became very ill. David entreated God for the child. He kept a strict fast and lay on the ground the whole night. The elders of his house asked him to rise from the ground but he refused. Nor did he join them to eat.

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Friday, 30 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gathered together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we all assemble to share our thoughts about it, we are reminded that as Christians we are all part of the one great united kingdom of God, the Body of Christ in this world, which God Himself has manifested and brought into our midst, and we are all welcome and called to come together in this assembly of all the faithful people of God, despite our faults, flaws and imperfections. All of us are truly beloved and dear to God, and we should realise this fact, knowing that God wishes and desires to forgive us all from our many sins and faults. Even the greatest of saints and servants of God themselves had been sinners, but they all did their best to be faithful to God and to come to Him despite their imperfections.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the time when King David of Israel, the king whom God had blessed and secured in his position as king and ruler over all of Israel, in which on one occasion he encountered the beautiful wife of his own captain of the guard, Uriah the Hittite, a woman named Bathsheba, whom we may also know as the one who would become the mother of the famous King Solomon, David’s son who would become his eventual successor. At that time, Bathsheba was still married and the wife of Uriah, and we heard how David was tempted upon seeing Bathsheba which led them to commit sin of adultery before the Lord. We can see from this how even the faithful and famous King David himself was also a sinner and was able to fall into sin during his life.

And not only that, but David tried to conceal the fact and settle the problem by trying to make Uriah to sleep with his wife so that her pregnancy with David would not be discovered and a great disgrace be known to everyone. But Uriah did not do all that, and in the end, David plotted for Uriah’s death by purposely placing him at the frontline of the battle, which then led to his death and then David was free to take Bathsheba as his own wife. Through all of these that we have heard from today’s story of David’s life and this particular incident, and what happened afterwards, we can see how dangerous sin and its allures can be, and how weak our flesh can be, in the face of temptations and sin, which can lead us to commit ever greater mistakes and faults in life.

Yet, despite all of that, God eventually still forgave David after He had chastised him, as David was truly repentant after the prophet Nathan pointed out his mistakes to him. This is also therefore an example of how sometimes we may not realise that we are in the wrong, especially when we allow ourselves to be swayed and deluded by the temptations and sins around us. God is however all loving and forgiving, and He wants to forgive us all should we truly seek His forgiveness and mercy, and He never stops any one of us from coming towards Him to be forgiven and loved fully and completely once again. What matters is that we should realise our errors and faults, doing our very best to improve ourselves and seek God’s forgiveness, mercy and love.

We must also take note that although David had committed sin with Bathsheba, God did not forbid them to be together, but instead, transforming both of them to be part of His Divine plan as mentioned. This aligned with what I have highlighted earlier on that our Church and therefore the Kingdom of God is not the gathering place for the perfect and the ones without sin or fault, but rather as often mentioned, is a ‘hospital for sinners’. God gathers everyone that He loves, all of us, without any bias, prejudice or exceptions, and He does not reject anyone, no matter how sinful they have been. Even the worst sinners are still beneficiaries of God’s most wonderful love and mercy, which He always extends to all those who seek them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus used the parables to teach the disciples and followers all around Him, speaking to them at this time regarding the matter of the Kingdom of God and how it’s like in the Kingdom of God. In that parable, He used comparisons with mustard seed and other seeds that grew strong and wonderful when they are taken good care of, and when they are given the best conditions and attention. Even a small and tiny mustard seed, much smaller than the seeds of many other plants can grow into a significantly larger shrub and tree which is even bigger than other trees and shrubs. That is what the Kingdom of God is like, all encompassing, all welcoming and everyone who believe in God are part of this same Body.

That is why, in using all these parables and analogies to help bring His points and teachings across, the Lord wanted to highlight how God is loving towards all of His children without exception, and no one can be separated from the great and ever generous love of God. As mentioned earlier, there is always place in the Kingdom of God for everyone, and no matter what, even the greatest of sinners have a place in God’s Kingdom, and is truly beloved by God in the same way as He loves the greatest of the saints. This point was raised and highlighted by the Lord in particular against those spiritual figures and religious leaders of that time, such as the chief priests, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who openly and actively practiced bias  against those whom they disliked and disagreed with.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, that is why we are reminded that as Christians, we are part of this same Kingdom of God, the Body of Christ and the Church, the visible and tangible union of all the faithful people of God in this world, which welcomes all of mankind, everyone equally beloved and dear to our most loving God and Father. Therefore, we must also be truly welcoming to everyone, remembering that God made wonderful and great all those who have come to Him, trusting in Him and walking in His path. He does not discriminate against those whom the society tended to ostracise or be biased against, and we too must be similar in our attitudes and ways, in following God’s example of love.

May the Lord continue to guide us all in our every actions, in our efforts to glorify Him by our lives, so that as parts and members of the one united Church of God, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and the Kingdom of God on earth, we may truly be worthy bearers of His Good News and truth, His love and compassion in our world, in our communities today. May God bless our efforts and endeavours to live always ever in His love and in His ways, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 30 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 4 : 26-34

At that time, Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God it is like this : a man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The soil produces of itself : first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting : the time for the harvest has come.”

Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden, and even grows branches so big, that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”

Jesus used many such stories, in order to proclaim the word to them in a way that they would be able to understand. He would not teach them without parables; but privately to His disciples He explained everything.

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Friday, 30 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 50 : 3-4, 5-6a, 6bc-7, 10-11

Have mercy on me, o God, in Your love. In Your great compassion blot out my sin. Wash me thoroughly of my guilt; cleanse me of evil.

For I acknowledge my wrongdoings and have my sins ever in mind. Against You alone, have I sinned.

What is evil in Your sight, I have done. You are right when You pass sentence; and blameless in Your judgement. For I have been guilt-ridden from birth; a sinner from my mother’s womb.

Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins and blot out all my offences.

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Friday, 30 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Samuel 11 : 1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17

In the spring of that year, when kings usually set out to fight, David sent out Joab, his officers and all the Israelite troops. They slaughtered the Ammonites and attacked Rabbah, while David remained in Jerusalem.

One afternoon, David got up from his siesta and took a walk on the roof of the royal house. From the rooftop, he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. David sent to inquire about the woman, and was told, “She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah, the Hittite.”

So David sent messengers to have her brought to him. As the woman saw she was with child, she sent word to David, “I am with child.” David then sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came, David asked him about Joab, how the people were and how the war was proceeding. Then he told Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”

Uriah left the palace while the king had a portion from his table sent to him. Uriah, however, did not go down to his house but slept by the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord. David was told that Uriah did not go down to his house.

David invited him to table and he ate and drank until he was drunk. When evening fell, however, he went to lie down on his couch with the guards of his lord instead of going down to his house. The next morning, David wrote Joab a letter to be taken by hand by Uriah, in which he said, “Place Uriah in the front row where the fighting is very fierce and then withdraw from him so that he may be struck down and die.”

When Joab was attacking the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew was being defended by strong warriors. And the defenders attacked the men of Joab. Some of David’s soldiers and officers were killed; Uriah the Hittite also died.

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Thursday, 29 January 2026 : 3rd 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 as God’s faithful and beloved people, all of us are expected to live our lives well in the manner that He has shown and taught us to do, and we all ought to carry out our actions faithfully such that we can become good role models for everyone around us in serving the Lord and glorifying Him by our lives. And God knows all of our dealings, actions and deeds. He knows everything that we say and do, even those that we try to hide and even things that we may not even be aware of. This is why we have to be always ever ready to commit ourselves to the Lord in our every actions, words and deeds, and not merely paying lip service to Him, but being truly faithful to Him at all times.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Samuel, we heard of the great hymn of thanksgiving, a song of praise that King David of Israel sang to the Lord with great joy because God has reassured him of blessings and graces towards him and his family, to all of his descendants, who would always be guaranteed the rulership and dominion of the kingdom of Israel, God’s beloved and holy people. That was why David was so jubilant, happy and thankful for the Lord having provided for him throughout many different parts of his life, as if we read more from the history of King David, we can see clearly how God had been with him in all of his endeavours, from the good times to the difficult and challenging times.

And David had always been faithful to the Lord, and while he did commit mistakes and sins, he did not allow all those things and obstacles to prevent him from continuing to serve the Lord as best as he could, and he became truly revered, honoured and respected throughout the history of the Israelites among the people of God and even by many others throughout history because of all of these virtues which he had accumulated and practiced during his life and reign as king. King David became the model and good king which many other kings, both of Israel and Judah, and other later Christian kings aspired to follow and emulate in their own reign as king and ruler of the people entrusted to them by God.

David shone with great virtue and righteousness, becoming a great moral compass and inspiration for many others because he was not ashamed to proclaim his faith in God despite his own shortcomings, mistakes and faults. He courageously and joyfully showed his great faith and trust in the Lord, and his great love for God at all times, and he always strived to be a better version of himself, following the will of God and allowing Him to make use of him as an instrument of His works in the world, that he righteously led the people of God in the manner that is acceptable and worthy of God, and also becoming great inspiration and examples for everyone who have seen and witnessed his great deeds, triumphs and victories with God by his side.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples and followers in which the Lord told His disciples using a parable of the light on a lampstand to highlight to them how it is important that they all do not hide what talents, gifts, blessings and opportunities that God has given to each and every one of them, much like how King David earlier had openly practiced his faith actively in his life and reign as king. Therefore, the disciples and followers of the Lord, who had been given the many gifts, talents, blessings, and all the opportunities presented to them to be the bearers of the Good News and Light of God, they are all called to be active in proclaiming God in all things.

The Lord also continued on with the words reminding those same disciples and followers about the matter of the measure of what they have given and what they have been expected to receive because of what they have given, and this was yet another reminder that as Christians, as faithful and committed disciples and followers of the Lord, each and every one of those disciples, and also all of us living here today in this world are expected to make good use of all the blessings, wonders and all the good things that God has granted to us. God blessed us each and every one of us with these so that His works and wonders can be extended to more and more people, as we must understand that our actions and efforts, no matter how small, are parts of the efforts of the whole Church.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to reflect upon these words of the Scriptures that we have received from the Lord, and all that we have discussed earlier. Let us all do our best so that in every actions, words and deeds that we do, we will always be good role models and examples for one another, so that like King David and our other holy predecessors, we can inspire many others we encounter in our lives, in each and every moments, in all the opportunities that God has presented to us. If the actions of Christians like us are contrary to the ways of the Lord and His teachings, and to what the Church has presented to us and the world, how can we then genuinely bring the Lord to be better known to others around us? Worse still, it may even push people away from the Lord.

May the Lord our most loving, compassionate and patient God continue to help and guide each one of us in our respective journeys in life, in each and every one of our missions and vocations in life so that we will truly find what it is that we ought to be doing faithfully in God’s Presence, in doing His will and obeying His Law and commandments. Let us all continue to do our best and follow God’s calling and encouragement to us, and help one another to be ever always faithful to our own respective calling in life, being good, worthy and responsible Christians, disciples and followers of the Lord at all times. Amen.

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Thursday, 29 January 2026 : 3rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 4 : 21-25

At that time, Jesus also said to His disciples, “When the light comes, is it put under a basket or a bed? Surely it is put on a lamp stand. Whatever is hidden will be disclosed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought to light. Listen then, if you have ears!”

And He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive, and still more will be given to you. For to the one who produces something, more will be given; and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.”