4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Sunday, 1 February 2026 : Fourth 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 passages of the Sacred Scriptures which we have heard and received, that each and every one of us as Christians, as the holy and beloved people of God, those who have been called and chosen by Him, all of us should live our lives in the manner that the Lord has shown and taught us Himself, and also which He has guided us all through His Church and our Christian faith. All of us have been taught what it means to be good disciples and followers of the Lord, in loving God first and foremost and then applying the same love to our fellow brothers and sisters, and especially more so to the ones that God has entrusted to us to love.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Book of the prophet Zephaniah, in which we heard of the prophecy of the coming of good and blessed days for the people of God, the Israelites, whom by the time of the prophet Zephaniah’s ministry had been facing a lot of hardships and struggles. The prophet Zephaniah himself according to Biblical and prophetic evidences was supposedly active during the reign of the last kings of the southern kingdom of Judah, particularly that of King Josiah, the last of the righteous kings to rule over God’s people. The northern kingdom of Israel had been destroyed and its people brought into exile, the lands and cities desolated and inhabited by foreigners for about a century by that time, all because of their disobedience and sins.

And amidst that background and context, the prophet Zephaniah delivered a reassuring promise from the Lord Himself that He would find bring them all to justice and those who were meek and lowly, the poor of the land would be vindicated, and they would all indeed receive the assurance of God’s ever enduring love and grace, which He has always committed to them, through the Covenant that He had made and constantly renewed with them and with their ancestors. This is a reminder also for all of us that God always loves each and every one of His people, and He never abandons them even when they themselves had constantly disobeyed and disregarded Him and His Law. He always reached out to them and giving them hope and reassurance of His constant presence and guidance in all things.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful people of God in the city and region of Corinth, we heard of the words of the Apostle St. Paul speaking to the people of God there about how God has chosen those whom the world has considered to be ordinary, unimportant and without the qualities that many in the world deems to be better and worthy. This does not mean that God never chose anyone who is deemed wise, good and worthy by the world to be His followers, disciples and to be Christians like us, as that was not what St. Paul or the Lord Himself intended. Instead, what the intention truly was is that the Lord is the One Who made us worthy and He is the One Who empowered us all to be the better version of who we are.

It is not us who deem ourselves worthy, and worse still, we should not think that we are in any way superior to others simply because of our faith or our way of living our lives as Christians. Ultimately, each and every one of us are equally beloved and dear to God, and every one of us are precious to Him. And what St. Paul made in comment in today’s passage from his Epistle was intended also to educate the people of God, especially those from the Jewish origin as at that time, there were those like the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and others who deemed themselves better and superior, spiritually better and more worthy than others whom they deemed to be sinful and unworthy, such as the tax collectors, prostitutes and those who were suffering from diseases.

This is not what the Lord wanted from His people, and something which St. Paul and the other Christian missionaries therefore highlighted in their message and preaching of the Christian truth and Good News in their missions and works among the people. God loves everyone regardless of their origins and backgrounds, and He does not have any favourites, and neither was He judgmental or biased against a certain group simply because they were seen to be less than worthy and more likely to commit sin because of their circumstances and way of living their lives. God loves everyone equally and He wants us all to know that there is no one that is excluded from His love and grace, His compassion and mercy.

Finally, from the Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was preaching to the people gathered to listen to Him with the famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ or also known as ‘The Beatitudes’, which was a series of eight blessings or beatitudes which the Lord pronounced to those people who have lived virtuously and worthily in accordance to what God had called them to do in their lives. And through those, we are reminded yet again that the Lord is not calling the mighty and the glorious, but rather the meek, the humble and all those who are truly worthy of the Lord and His kingdom. The Lord uplifts and honours those who have been truly faithful towards Him as He has highlighted it, and we should hence take note of this in our own actions in life.

What does this mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? It means that we should strive to be like what the Lord mentioned in His Beatitudes, firstly being ‘poor in spirit’, which does not mean being physically or materially poor, but rather having an attitude of humility and desiring fulfilment in God, something which many of us tend to lack in a world full of ego and ambition. And also those who have faced hardships, sorrows, persecutions, those who hunger for justice, and those with pure intentions and pure hearts, full of love for God and for others, as these are the qualities that God is seeking in us. All of us are also called to work for peace in this world, for harmony and love between people, and for righteousness among the nations.

These are all that the Lord has entrusted to all of us as His disciples and followers to do, in living our lives to the best of our abilities as good and inspirational role models and examples. This is why as Christians we should always strive to live our lives with great faith and trust in the Lord, in doing whatever we can to follow the Lord faithfully at all times. We should not worry whether we are good enough or worthy of the Lord, because it is the Lord Himself Who will make us worthy of Him, strengthening, empowering and encouraging us with His blessings, opportunities, talents and the many other things He has given us all so that we may make good use of them in bringing forth His love, truth and Good News into this world.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen us all in faith, now and always so that by our actions, words and deeds, we will always be the worthy examples and inspirations for many others all around us, in following God’s will and in doing what is right and just according to what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 1 February 2026 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 5 : 1-12a

At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain. He sat down and His disciples gathered around Him. Then He spoke and began to teach them :

“Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted. Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.”

“Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy. Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.”

“Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God. Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are My followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.”

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Sunday, 1 February 2026 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 1 : 26-31

Brothers and sisters, look and see whom God has called. Few among you can be said to be cultured or wealthy, and few belong to noble families. Yet God has chosen what the world considers foolish, to shame the wise; He has chosen what the world considers weak to shame the strong.

God has chosen common and unimportant people, making use of what is nothing to nullify the things that are, so that no mortal may boast before God. But, by God’s grace you are in Christ Jesus, Who has become our wisdom from God, and Who makes us just and holy and free. Scripture says : Let the one who boasts boast of the Lord.

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Sunday, 1 February 2026 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 145 : 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10

The Lord is forever faithful; He gives justice to the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.

The Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord straightens the bent. The Lord loves the virtuous, but He brings to ruin the way of the wicked. The Lord protects the stranger.

He sustains the widow and the orphan. The Lord will reign forever, your God, o Zion, from generation to generation. Alleluia!

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Sunday, 1 February 2026 : Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Zephaniah 2 : 3 and Zephaniah 3 : 12-13

Seek YHVH, all you poor of the land who fulfil His commands, do justice and be meek, and perhaps you will find refuge on the day YHVH comes to judge.

I will leave within you a poor and meek people who seek refuge in God. The remnant of Israel will not act unjustly nor will they speak falsely, nor will deceitful words be found in their mouths. They will eat and rest with none to threaten them.

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Saturday, 8 February 2025 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the love of God which has been revealed to us so generously and wonderfully through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Who has embraced our humanity and existence in the flesh, becoming our Shepherd and Guide, as our Good Shepherd, the One to gather each and every one of us, the lost sheep of the Lord’s flock. Each one of us are reminded of how precious all of us are to the Lord, our loving God and Father, and how much He wants us all to be reconciled to Him, which He gave us the best help and means through the giving of His own Son to be our Saviour. This is why as we reflect upon these words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we should do our best to follow the leads of our loving Good Shepherd.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author of this Epistle to the Hebrews spoke about the love and the great, wonderful things which God had done for their sake through the sacrifice and offerings of Christ, the Good Shepherd, and our High Priest, for our salvation. The author had been spending a lot of time throughout the Epistle to convince and strengthen the faith of the believers from among the Jewish community by going through with them the true nature and the identity of Jesus Christ, the One Who had been prophesied by the prophets, the Son of God Who had been incarnate in the flesh, coming into our midst to give unto us the sure hope of God’s salvation, which He had done by laying down His own life, to suffer and die for us all, the sheep of the Lord’s flock.

Like in the parable of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Himself told us all that He will always be going forth to seek us, the lost sheep of God, who have been scattered in this world because of our disobedience and sins. He does not want us all to be lost forever to Him, and He opened the path for us to seek Him, to embrace His love and mercy, to call on us all to return back once again to God’s Holy Presence, leaving behind our sinful existence and actions, embracing instead the holiness and virtues of the Lord in all things. We have been scattered and lost from Him because we have allowed our sins to tempt and pull us away from the Lord, and the Lord did everything that He could to reach out to us and to bring us all back to His loving embrace, to forgive us our many sins.

Then, in our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard the story of how the Lord and His disciples ministered to the people of God, and how the Lord had pity on all those who had come to seek Him and to listen to His words. He saw them all as sheep which were without a shepherd, scattered and lost, and thus, as mentioned, Him being our Good Shepherd, He gathered all of them and showed them all His most wonderful and patient love, ministering to them and caring for them, teaching them even though He Himself, in His humanity, must have felt so tired and exhausted after all the endless works that He had performed with His disciples. And yet, He kept pushing on and showed His continued love to us, because He truly loves each and every one of us, without exception.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Jerome Emiliani, also known as Gerolamo Emiliani, an Italian humanitarian and holy man of God, known as the founder of the Somaschi Fathers, gathering together like-minded individuals who shared in his desire to reach out to the less fortunate in the community of the people of God, caring for the need of the poor, the sick and all those who were less privileged and less fortunate. He was born in Venice in the early sixteenth century, and he ran away in his teenage years to join the military. After having been in the military for a while, becoming even the governor of a fortress in the region of northern Italy, he was taken prisoner, during which time, he had a change of heart, realising the guidance of God through Mary, His blessed Mother, to whom he committed himself and gave thanks for his escape and liberation from the imprisonment.

Henceafter, St. Jerome no longer focused on himself or on any sorts of worldly ambitions and desires. Instead, he began caring for the needs of those around him, showing care and concern for those who are suffering, from famine and from diseases, and all those who have been abandoned by the community, the orphans and others who have not experienced the love of others, and who have been neglected by their fellow men and women. He ministered to their needs and as mentioned, inspired many others to follow his examples, establishing charitable institutions and other organisations for the benefit of those poor and the needy who are lacking in basic needs and many others like prostitutes and those who have been ostracised and condemned by the people in their own community. He initiated the community of the Congregation of Regular Clerics at Somasca, which eventually became the Somaschi Fathers.

The other saint we also celebrate today is St. Josephine Bakhita, who was a slave woman from the region of the present day Sudan in northern part of Africa. St. Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped from her family in her early youth and was sold as a slave, passing from masters to masters, enduring all sorts of physical and other abuses, before eventually ending up in the service of the Italian Vice-Consul in the region. During that time, conflicts were happening in the area, and the Italian Vice-Consul decided to relocate back to Italy together with his family. St. Josephine Bakhita was brought to Italy in this manner, leaving behind the land of her past slavery. She was handed over to the Vice-Consul’s friend, another Italian, who wanted to bring her back to Sudan as he was considering relocating there completely. St. Josephine Bakhita resisted and firmly refused to return to that land.

At that time, she was already beginning her period of catechumenate, having been left in the care of the Canossian sisters, with whom she would later on spend the rest of her life serving as a member. Eventually, the matter was settled by the Italian courts, with the support of the Church for St. Josephine Bakhita, which ruled that she had never legally been a slave due to the rules implemented before her birth. Thus, St. Josephine Bakhita was finally a freewoman, and she chose to stay on with the Canossian Sisters for the remaining more than four decades of her life, ministering to the Canossian sisters and the community, living a holy and devout life, which became great inspiration for many others around her, both in the Canossian community and beyond. Many people came to pay last respects to her when she finally passed away in 1947 after years of being sick.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be reminded always of God’s love for us, the love that our loving Shepherd, Father and Creator has for all of us. And let us all therefore respond to Him with the same love, devotion and commitment, one that has also been shown by our many holy predecessors, particularly from the examples of St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita that we had just discussed. Let us all be inspired by them and do our best in our own respective areas and communities, to be truly dedicated to God and His cause, and to show His love to our fellow brothers and sisters around us, so that hopefully, many more people may come to believe in God through us and our good examples. May God be with us all in our every missions, good works and endeavours, and may St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita continue to intercede for us all sinners. Amen.

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Saturday, 8 February 2025 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Gospel Reading)

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

Mark 6 : 30-34

At that time, the Apostles returned and reported to Jesus all they had done and taught. Then He said to them, “Go off by yourselves to a remote place and have some rest.” For there were so many people coming and going that the Apostles had no time even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a secluded area by themselves.

But people saw them leaving and many could guess where they were going. So, from all the towns, they hurried there on foot, arriving ahead of them. As Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He had compassion on them for they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began a long teaching session with them.

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Saturday, 8 February 2025 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (Psalm)

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

Psalm 22 : 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He restores my soul.

He guides me through the right paths for His Name’s sake. Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are beside me : Your rod and Your staff comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup is overflowing.

Goodness and kindness will follow me all the days of my life. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.

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Saturday, 8 February 2025 : 4th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Jerome Emiliani, and St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin (First Reading)

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

Hebrews 13 : 15-17, 20-21

Let us, then, continually offer through Jesus a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips celebrating His Name. Do not neglect good works and common life, for these are sacrifices pleasing to God. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are concerned for your souls and are accountable for them. Let this be a joy for them rather than a burden, which would be of no advantage for you.

May God give you peace, He Who brought back from among the dead Jesus our Lord, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, Whose Blood seals the eternal covenant. He will train you in every good work, that you may do His will, for it is He Who works in us what pleases Him, through Jesus Christ, to Whom all glory be forever and ever. Amen!

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Friday, 7 February 2025 : 4th 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 all reminded of the kind of life and actions that we are all expected to do as Christians, that is as those who are considered as followers and disciples of the Lord, and who have professed our faith in God. Each and every one of us as Christians must always strive to be truly devoted, genuine and committed to God, doing whatever we can so that by our holy and exemplary lives, we may always be good examples, role models and inspirations to everyone whom we encounter daily in life. We should be the shining beacons of God’s light, hope and truth, showing forth Who our Lord and Saviour is through our good examples and lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the discourse from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we heard of the words of the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews exhorting the faithful people of God from among the Jewish community to follow the path which the Lord has shown and taught them, that they all ought to obey sincerely and truly the Law and commandments of God by living their lives as good and devout followers of God, in being faithful to one another, as spouses and members of the family and the loving community of God’s people, to be ever righteous and just in everything that they say and do, so that they may be good examples to everyone. They were reminded to be kind and loving to those who are suffering, and to follow the examples of Christ Himself.

All of us as Christians ought to embody our faith in our everyday living, doing our best so that we may reveal the Lord and His truth to everyone we encounter in our daily living. It is through each and every one of us that God may be proclaimed and glorified, and it is indeed our duty and responsibility to be missionary and evangelistic in our everyday actions and life. If we cannot carry out these faithfully and live our lives instead in the manner that is contrary to our faith, full of sin and wickedness, then we cannot call or consider ourselves as true Christians, as God’s truly beloved and faithful disciples, the ones whom He had called and chosen to be His own. Many people throughout history had been called by God and came to His salvation through the great examples of many of those who have lived their lives worthily as Christians, and equally many had been prevented and repulsed from doing so by the wickedness of those who called themselves as Christians as well.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Mark the account of the time when St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah was imprisoned after having been arrested by King Herod Antipas upon his criticism and rebuke of the adulterous relationship which the king had with his own brother’s wife, Herodias, the wife of Philip, the brother of Herod Antipas himself. This relationship was considered as adulterous because according to inferences of Scriptural records and historical evidence, Philip, the brother of Herod was still very much alive, and this marriage had produced a daughter, the one named as the daughter of Herodias in the Gospel today, likely the stepdaughter of Herod. As Herod’s brother was still alive, for him to take his own brother’s wife as his own was adulterous.

Therefore, St. John the Baptist harshly rebuked the immoral behaviour of the king, which did not show a good example for the people under his dominion and leadership, among other wicked deeds he had done. And as we heard, this led to him being hated especially by Herodias, who plotted to have him killed, and this succeeded when Herodias managed to get Herod to make promises to her daughter, when he was bewitched by her beauty during a celebration, and hence, as we heard, Herod had no choice but to order the execution of the holy man of God, who was beheaded, and his head was delivered to Herodias on a platter. St. John the Baptist, the Herald of the Messiah, the one to announce the coming of the Lord, was faithful to the very end, and showed his faith to all of us as good inspiration and example.

This is of course contrasted to the wicked deeds of Herod Antipas, which if we recall what we have just discussed from our first reading today, is yet another reminder for us why all of us as Christians cannot act and live our lives in a manner that is contrary to God’s Law and commandments, to His will and path, and to cause scandal because of our immoral and improper way of life. All of us as God’s people ought to reflect His light, truth and love, and this has to be done in each and every moments of our lives, or else we are no more than hypocrites who claim to profess in believing in God, and yet, we do not truly believe in Him wholeheartedly as we all should have done. Each one of us have indeed been saved by our faith in God, but this faith has to be made concrete and alive through true action in our lives, or else, it is just merely empty, dead and meaningless faith.

And we must remember that our every actions, words and deeds, our whole lives and every moments in our existence will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment. If we have been faithful and committed ourselves sincerely and lovingly to the Lord, to the cause He has entrusted to us, and doing what we can to glorify God even in the smallest things we do in life, then we shall be righteous and justified because of this living and genuine faith which we have in God. On the contrary, if we have ignored our calling and mission in life, refusing to do what we are able to do to help others around us, to do what is God according to God’s Law and commandments, then those failures and omissions will be judged against us, and the Lord may count us among the unworthy and the condemned.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore let us all continue to do whatever we can so that in our everyday living. we may always be good and faithful beacons of God’s light to everyone, to be great examples and inspirations to our brothers and sisters in our midst, to help many others to come to know the Lord and His truth, by sharing our faith with them, and by walking this path of life with righteousness and virtue in all the things that we say and do. May God bless us always, and may He empower us in all the efforts and works that we do so that our every good works and endeavours may bring even more good things and be ever more fruitful, now and forevermore. Let us all be good and worthy disciples of God, His beloved and holy children, His holy people. Amen.