First Sunday of Lent

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Saturday, 28 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are being reminded that as God’s holy and beloved people, each and every one of us are called to be the ones to remain true and faithful to the Law and commandments which the Lord Himself has presented and shown to all of us. Each and every one of us as Christians must remember that we are the role models and examples for everyone around us, in showing God’s light and truth to everyone in our midst. Therefore, if our actions, words and deeds do not match that of what we believe in, how can we then profess to believe in the Lord and call ourselves as genuine and true Christians, brothers and sisters in Christ?

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard of the words of the Lord as spoken through His servant Moses, the one whom God Himself has appointed as leader over all the people of Israel at the time of the Exodus from Egypt and the journey towards the Promised Land of Canaan. Moses reminded the people of God through a series of exhortations, part of which we heard in that first reading passage today, which he made towards the end of his life and ministry, at the time when the Israelites were almost about to enter into the lands promised to them and their ancestors by God. And Moses reminded them all that as God’s people, all of them ought to uphold the commandments and Law that God had given them all.

And they all ought to also remember that God had made a Covenant with them and their descendants, a binding agreement and arrangement which the Lord had generously presented to them. A Covenant is a pact and agreement between two parties, in this case between the Lord and His people, in which each of the parties have specified obligations to each other. And the Lord bound Himself to this Covenant out of His ever enduring and wonderful love for each and every one of His beloved people, whom He had called and brought by His own power and might out of their enslavement and suffering in the land of Egypt. He offered His love, compassion and kindness, which He promised and reassured them that they all would always receive as His people.

Then, in turn, the people of Israel also have their obligations to the Covenant which God had made with them, and this includes following and obeying the Law and commandments that the Lord had taught and revealed to them all through Moses. The Lord has made His Covenant clear and manifested through the Law and commandments which He passed to His people, and also making His Presence felt among all of them through the Ark of the Covenant, where His Holy Presence came down and rested often among the Israelites. Through those Law and commandments, God wanted to show and guide His beloved people so that they might be able to find their way and live their lives worthily of Him at all times. That was what Moses reminded and exhorted the Israelites to keep in mind and uphold, to their descendants after them as well.

From our Gospel passage, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples on what it truly means for them all to be His disciples and followers, in the manner that is genuine and true, and not merely just paying lip service and superficial. We should not seek personal glory, ambition or achievement, but instead we should do our very best that we will always be full of faith in God and be genuine in every actions that we do, even in the smallest and what may seem to be least significant for us. In each and every one of these, our faith in the Lord is manifested, or our lack of faith in Him, and by our actions, words and deeds, others can see whether we have faith in God or lacking this faith in Him.

The Lord is highlighting the fact that the true meaning, purpose and intention of the Law is that of love, to love God with all of our heart and might as best as we are able to, and to love our fellow neighbours around us, showing the same love which we have shown God and ourselves, to those whom we love and who are dear to us, and even to those who have hated and despised us. We should not allow ourselves to be swayed by hatred and instead learn to forgive one another our faults and mistakes, just as the Lord Himself has forgiven us all our sins and evils. We should indeed follow the Lord’s good examples and do our very best to walk in His path, in all the things that we do and in everything that we say, in all of our interactions, to be always full of love and generous compassion to everyone around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that we are the ones whom the Lord had called to be His faithful disciples and followers. And that is why each and every one of us should always strive to be exemplary in all things, in everything that we say and do so that we may lead those whom we encounter and those who witness us and our actions, on the path ever closer to the Lord. Each and every one of us are reminded that we have this important obligation and responsibility in each and every moments of our lives so that we will always be the good example and inspiration for all the people we meet, in proclaiming the Lord and His truth to all of them.

May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us so that we may always be committed to live our lives in each and every moments, doing our best to live genuinely in faith, practicing our faith and whatever we believe in the Lord in our every actions, words and deeds. May He continue to show us the way forward in life so that we may grow ever more in the faith in Him and conviction to live ever more righteously at all times in His Presence. May all of us continue to be blessed throughout this time and season of Lent, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 28 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 43-48

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “You have heard that it was said : Love your neighbour and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you : love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and He gives rain to both the just and the unjust.”

“If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? As for you, be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect.”

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Saturday, 28 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 118 : 1-2, 4-5, 7-8

Blessed are they whose ways are upright, who follow the Law of the Lord. Blessed are they who treasure His word and seek Him with all their heart.

You have laid down precepts to be obeyed. O, that my ways were steadfast in observing Your statutes!

I will praise You with an upright spirit when I learn Your just precepts by heart. I mean to observe Your commandments. O, never abandon me.

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Saturday, 28 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Deuteronomy 26 : 16-19

On this day, YHVH, your God, commands you to fulfil these norms and these commandments. Obey them now and put them into practice with all your heart and with all your soul.

Today YHVH has declared to you that He will be your God, and so you shall follow His ways, observing His norms, His commandments and His laws, and listening to His voice. Today YHVH has declared that you will be His very own people even as He had promised you, and you must obey all His commandments.

He, for His part, will give you honour, renown and glory, and set you high above all the nations He has made, and you will become a nation consecrated to YHVH, your God, as He has declared.

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Friday, 27 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all gather together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and to reflect on all these which we have heard and received from God through the Church, we are reminded that each and every one of us are called to a life of holiness and virtue in accordance with what the Lord has called us all to do, in each and every aspects of our lives. All of us as Christians are always expected to do our best in each and every moments, in our every interactions and endeavours so that we may always be worthy bearers of God’s truth and love. We are all the ones who are supposed to live up to our Christian faith and beliefs in the Lord that all those who witness our lives and actions may truly believe in God through us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel, we heard of the Lord speaking to His people, the Israelites, telling them all of how everyone will be judged and have their fates determined by each and every one of their actions and deeds, their words and interactions in life. The Lord essentially told His people that there is no one who is already condemned from the beginning, and opportunity is always provided to all those who seek for reconciliation with Him. God is always ever generous with His love and mercy, and He never ceases to love us all, caring for us and giving us the necessary guidance and help in life, so that by all these, He hopes that each and every one of us may find salvation through Him, and be truly free from our bondage and enslavement by sin. Sin is a great enemy to all of us, and one which we have to overcome in order for us to come closer to God.

The Lord told His people that those who were considered as righteous can fall into sin and be damned for their sins they committed, if those sins truly were serious and were not repented or overcome, forgiven by God and absolved by Him. Meanwhile, all those considered and deemed as wicked, evil and sinful, could be saved if they repented from their sins and change their ways. The Lord will forgive all those who came seeking Him and His forgiveness, with the sincere and real desire to love Him and to return to Him, and this is what the Lord wanted all of His people, including all of us to know. Back then, during the time of the prophet Ezekiel, the people of God had suffered a lot and been humbled and thrown down, for all the wickedness that they and their ancestors had committed, and even so, God still loved each and every one of them, and desired for them to be reconciled with Him.

He called on them to return to Him, and gave them help, reassurance and assistance all throughout their way, sending His prophets, messengers and guides to them, and eventually, even His own beloved Son, the One promised to be the Saviour of all mankind, Our Lord Jesus Christ. In our Gospel passage today, the Lord said to His disciples of how they ought to be truly faithful and dedicated to God, and that they have to be genuine in their beliefs, and their way of life ought to truly reflect of their status as God’s beloved children and people, and that is, they have to be truly good and righteous in all of their ways and actions. Otherwise, if we profess to believe in God and yet act in ways that are contrary to our faith and beliefs, we are then no better than hypocrites and unbelievers in our faith and way of life, and worse still, we can even cause scandal for our faith and tarnish the Lord’s Holy Name.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we are reminded by the Lord Jesus Himself as He told His disciples of the reminder that they all had to believe in the manner that is better and more comprehensive than that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, or else they would not have truly believed in God as they should have. This must be understood in the context that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law having often practiced their faith in God by having a very strict and rigid interpretation of such laws and rules, emphasising a lot on the details and ritual aspects of the Law while neglecting the understanding and appreciation of the true intention, meaning and purpose of the Law.

Not only that, but many among them also had different motive and intention while they were observing the Law and commandments of God. As the Lord often mentioned in other occasions in the Gospels, those people who were the intellectual and religious elites of the community often took great pride in their way of observing the Law, loudly proclaiming their prayers and visibly exhibiting their practices so that they could be seen by everyone around them, and be praised for what they had done and for their piety and devotion. This is not what the Lord had wanted from His people, and especially not those who were entrusted with the care and guardianship of the Law and the people. And that was why the Lord also taught His disciples how they could be truly faithful to God in all of their ways.

Today the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Gregory of Narek, one of the Doctors of the Church who was recently declared as such by Pope Francis, our current Pope, hailing from the Armenian Church tradition during the Middle Ages. St. Gregory of Narek lived in the then Kingdom of Vaspurakan, where he was born as the son of a local bishop. His father was suspected of siding with the Chalcedonian beliefs and ways, which is what we Catholics believe in today, as well as many other Christians, but at that time, the Armenian Church refused to accept the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon because of some issues in the dogma and teachings of the Council which did not fit their beliefs. As such, St. Gregory of Narek’s father was excommunicated, and St. Gregory of Narek himself faced those who doubted his faith and beliefs, being suspected of the same faults as his father.

Nonetheless, despite all those challenges and difficulties, St. Gregory of Narek, having been raised in a religious family, grew to be God-fearing and faithful, and eventually took up the calling to be a priest and monk. He was a truly humble and pious man, who was very bright intellectually and wrote extensive works such as his renowned Book of Lamentations, showing many others how to connect to the Lord ever deeper spiritually. He also spent a lot of time teaching the other monks and those who desired to seek the Lord, and devoted himself to a life of prayer and seclusion until his passing from this world. Despite his humble demeanour, the great faith and commitment that St. Gregory of Narek has shown brought countless souls to salvation in God, and still inspired many even to this day.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore seek the Lord with renewed heart and mind, doing our very best to live our lives ever more faithfully, devoting our time and attention to follow Him like how St. Gregory of Narek and our other holy predecessors had done. Let us all be good role models and examples in how we carry ourselves, in all of our actions, words and deeds, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 27 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 20-26

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you then, if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to our people in the past : Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you : whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial.”

“Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council. Whoever calls a brother or a sister, ‘Fool!’ deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar, and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God.”

“Do not forget this : be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.”

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Friday, 27 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 129 : 1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8

Out of the depths I cry to You, o Lord, o Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears pay attention to the voice of my supplication.

If You should mark our evil, o Lord, who could stand? But with You is forgiveness.

For that You are revered. I waited for the Lord, my soul waits, and I put my hope in His word. My soul expects the Lord more than watchmen the dawn.

O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with Him is unfailing love and with Him full deliverance. He will deliver Israel from all its sins.

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Friday, 27 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Ezekiel 18 : 21-28

If the sinner turns from his sin, observes My decrees and practices what is right and just, he will live, he will not die. None of the sins he committed will be charged against him, he will live as a consequence of his righteous deeds. Do I want the death of the sinner? – word of YHVH. Do I not rather want him to turn from his ways and live?

But if the righteous man turns away from what is good and commits sins as the wicked do, will he live? His righteous deeds will no longer be credited to him, but he will die because of his infidelity and his sins. But you say : YHVH’s way is not just! Why, Israel! Is My position wrong? Is it not rather that yours is wrong?”

“If the righteous man dies after turning from his righteous deeds and sinning, he dies because of his sins. And if the wicked man does what is good and right, after turning from the sins he committed, he will save his life. He will live and not die, because he has opened his eyes and turned from the sins he had committed.”

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Thursday, 26 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we reflected upon them during this time and season of Lent, we are reminded that we should always trust in the Lord our God even during the most difficult and challenging moments. We must always trust that the Lord has the power to change our situation and that He will never leave us alone in our struggles and difficulties. God has always loved us all unconditionally and most generously no matter what, and He has always consistently showed us His Presence when we needed Him the most. Even when we suffer, we do not suffer it alone because with the Lord by our side, Who has suffered far greater for us, we will be triumphant in the end.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Esther we heard of the moment when Esther, the Queen of Persia, who came from the people and race of Israel, went to seek the Lord for help, in her great anguish and desperate effort to help her people which was at that time under threat of annihilation and destruction, prayed before the Lord asking Him to help and to remember the love He has always had for them. For the context, the story began from the ascent of Esther from a humble Israelite woman living in exile in the community of the people of God in Persia, whom together with her relative, Mordecai, gained great favour from the king because the Lord was with them, and while Esther became the new Queen of Persia, Mordecai, who had saved the life of the king before from an attempted plot, received honour from the king.

However, within the court of the King of Persia there was one named Haman, the Agagite, known as such because he was directly descended from Agag, the historical king of Amalek. The Amalekites were the bitter enemies of the Israelites in the past, and despite several centuries having passed since the time when Israel destroyed Amalek and their king Agag, but their descendants likely sought vengeance against the Israelites, and they had the perfect opportunity through Haman. This Haman also rose greatly in the court of the King of Persia and became very powerful as the right hand man of the king and as vizier of the kingdom, essentially the most powerful person in the whole kingdom after the king himself.

And Haman, fueled by jealousy against Mordecai and anger against the Israelites, managed to get the king to declare a law against all the Israelites, considering them as outlaws and making it legal and allowed for anyone to attack them and to seize their properties and materials without any repercussions. Hence, it would have been the end of the Israelites, and because the Law of the kingdom of Persia could not be repealed, then it would have been certain doom and destruction for the whole people of Israel. That was therefore why Queen Esther was in a particularly difficult situation, and she was in the perfect opportunity and place to help her people. However, as what happened to her predecessor, Queen Vashti, if she did so, she was risking her position and even her own life.

That was why Esther prayed to the Lord asking Him to assist her and to give her the strength and courage to carry out what she was about to do, all for the sake of God’s own beloved people. She trusted the Lord wholeheartedly and allowed Him to guide her actions, eventually leading to her coming before the king and pleading for her people, and leading to the downfall of Haman, who got his just consequences of all his plots and attacks against the people of God. And the people of Israel were saved because the Lord was with them and Esther moved the heart of the King and convinced him to allow the Israelites to defend themselves against their enemies. That was how the people of God was saved and liberated from the plots of their enemies, and Haman, the prime instigator, was put to death by the king.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples and reminding them that God is indeed like our loving Father, Who truly cares for us and Who has always been loving towards us, showing us His ever patient and wonderful love, which He constantly lavished on us without end. The Lord told His disciples with the words, ‘Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who knocks.’ reminding them and all of us that all that God is and has always been available for us, as our ever patient and loving Father.

Unfortunately, many of us do not have enough faith and trust in the Lord, not realising that if we only open our mouth and ask Him, open our hearts and minds to welcome Him into them and to listen to Him, communicate with Him as like that of a father and his children, and vice versa, therefore, we need to put that faith and trust in Him because just as the Lord said it, no father especially fathers who live their children, would ever treat their children with disdain and ignoring their needs and pleas. No father would also harm his children, and hence, everything that God, our most loving, generous and compassionate Father and Master has done for us, all were meant for the good and the benefit of each one of us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore, as we all realise just how powerful God’s love and guidance have been for us, His constant presence and care for each one of us, which we should appreciate. As we continue to progress and journey through this time and season of Lent, let us all therefore continue to grow in faith in the Lord, and do our very best to proclaim Him faithfully through our own love for Him and from our exemplary living, actions and every deeds we carry out in each and every moments of our lives, obeying all that He has shown and taught us all to do. Let us seek Him wholeheartedly and entrust ourselves to Him just as Queen Esther had done, and just as how the Lord has reminded us of God’s ever present love. Amen.

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Thursday, 26 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 7 : 7-12

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who knocks.”

“Would any of you give a stone to your son, when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?”

“So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you : there you have the Law and the Prophets.”