Friday

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Friday, 3 April 2026 : Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Psalm 30 : 2 and 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17 and 25

In You, o Lord, I take refuge, may I never be disgraced; deliver Me in Your justice. Into Your hands I commend My Spirit; You have redeemed Me, o Lord, faithful God.

I have become an object of reproach for My foes, a horror for My neighbours, a fear to My friends. Those who see Me in the streets flee from Me. I am like the dead, unremembered; I have become like a broken pot, thrown away, discarded.

But I put My trust in You, o Lord, I said : “You are My God;” My days are in Your hand. Deliver Me from the hand of My enemies, from those after My skin.

Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save Me in Your love. Be strong and take courage, all you who hope in the Lord.

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Friday, 3 April 2026 : Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Isaiah 52 : 13 – Isaiah 53 : 12

It is now when My Servant will succeed; He will be exalted and highly praised. Just as many have been horrified at His disfigured appearance : “Is this a Man? He does not look like One.” So will nations be astounded, kings will stand speechless, for they will see something never told, they will witness something never heard of.

Who could believe what we have heard, and to whom has YHVH revealed His feat? Like a root out of dry ground, like a sapling He grew up before us, with nothing attractive in His appearance, no beauty, no majesty. He was despised and rejected, a Man of sorrows familiar with grief, a Man from Whom people hide their face, spurned and considered of no account.

Yet ours were the sorrows He bore, ours were the suffering He endured, although we considered Him as One punished by God, stricken and brought low. Destroyed because of our sins, He was crushed for our wickedness. Through His punishment we are made whole; by His wounds we are healed. Like sheep we had all gone astray, each following His own way; but YHVH laid upon Him all our guilt.

He was harshly treated, but unresisting and silent, He humbly submitted. Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearer He did not open His mouth. He was taken away to detention and judgment – what an unthinkable fate! He was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for His people’s sins. They made His tomb with the wicked, they put Him in the graveyard of the oppressors, though He had done no violence nor spoken in deceit.

Yet it was the will of YHVH to crush Him with grief. When He makes Himself an offering for sin, He will have a long life and see His descendants. Through Him the will of YHVH is done. For the anguish He suffered, He will see the light and obtain perfect knowledge. My just Servant will justify the multitude; He will bear and take away their guilt.

Therefore I will give Him His portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong. For He surrendered Himself to death and was even counted among the wicked, bearing the sins of the multitude and interceding for sinners.

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Friday, 27 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, we are reminded that God is always by our side, and no matter how difficult our situation may seem to be, we should not be easy to give up the struggle and the efforts to continue walking faithfully in the path that the Lord Himself has set before us. We must continue to hold on to hope in the Lord, believing and trusting that God will always provide for us, and we ought to continue moving forward with faith, as the Lord will support us and empower us, all throughout the hardships and trials we face. We should keep this in mind and be good examples of perseverance, faith and endurance to everyone around us, by putting our faith and trust in God.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, we heard of the words of Jeremiah to the Lord, as he praised Him even amidst all the challenges and trials that he was facing from all those people who opposed him and made his life and ministry very difficult because they were strongly opposed to what he had been doing, despite Jeremiah being sent by God to warn and remind the people of the kingdom of Judah against their sinfulness and wickedness. The people of God hardened their hearts and minds, refusing to listen to the words of the Lord that He had sent to them through His prophets, persecuting them and even killing them, and a similar fate was faced by Jeremiah, who had to endure prison and even almost lost his life.

And yet, Jeremiah, like the many prophets and servants of God that had been sent before Him, he trusted in the Lord and His providence, in all that God would do for the sake of those who are faithful to Him. He did not give in to fear and uncertainties, despite facing trials, challenges and hardships all around him. He allowed the Lord to perform His wonderful works through him even through those most difficult moments, and he still believed nonetheless in what God would do for His people, living through the darkest moments of his ministry and life. Through the encouragement and guidance from God, Jeremiah managed to pull through and escape the worst of fates, and he still continued to carry out his mission as best as he could, proclaiming the word of God to His wayward people.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the continuation of the debate and disagreements between the Jewish people and the Lord Jesus, with the former likely referring to the members of the people of God who follow the way of the Pharisees in their strict and rigid interpretation and application of the Law of Moses. They took offense at what the Lord had done and taught to the people, and in the words He had said to them, claiming to be the Son of God and having the power to forgive sins. Those like the Pharisees considered this to be an act of blasphemy against God and hence, considered the Lord Jesus as a sinner and their enemy to be overcome and destroyed.

Not only that, but they also feared that the Lord’s popularity and His ability to draw a large crowd to turn the people’s heart and mind away from them and making them to lose their prestige and privileged position within the community of God’s people. They also refused to believe in the Lord’s revelation of His relationship with God, Whom Jesus called as Father or Heavenly Father, and by extension, God is also therefore the Father of all mankind. Why is that so? That is because they believed that the Lord is transcendent, so Almighty and great beyond compare, that mankind are mere creatures to Him, and that they were akin to servants and slaves more than the relationship between a father and his children. However, this notion was challenged fervently and firmly by the Lord Who spoke the truth about God Who is truly our loving Father.

Through the incarnation of the Son of God, the Divine Word of God made flesh, God Himself has become tangible, approachable and real before us all, and by sharing in our human nature, becoming fully and truly Man just as He is fully and truly God, having two natures, Divine and Human while distinct but united perfectly and indivisibly in the one Person of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Hence, through His humanity we all share through Christ the relationship we have with God our Father, the One Who has always loved us so wonderfully and patiently all these while. That is why all of us can call God as our Father, and we should also appreciate this loving relationship which all of us have with Him. And as His children, we should also reflect the love of God our Father in all aspects of our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore keep in mind just how fortunate all of us are that God Himself calls us all His beloved children and that He is our Father, Who is always loving, patient, kind and generous towards each and every one of us. This is why we are reminded that no matter how tough our lives’ situation may be, we will always be supported by the Lord and He will always provide for us all what we need. God will never abandon us especially in our darkest and most difficult moments, but we need to learn to trust in Him and put our faith in Him especially when we may find it hard to keep on going and trusting Him when things are so hard and difficult for us, with all the challenges and trials surrounding us and barraging us from all sides.

May the Lord our most loving God and Father, our most compassionate and merciful Creator and Master continue to bless us all and guide us in our journey of faith and life especially during this time of Lent so that we may indeed remember His love and generosity towards us, knowing that He will never abandon us or leave us to be alone in our struggles and difficulties. May God continue to provide for us all and strengthen us in our respective journeys, now and always, and bless us in our every good efforts and works. Amen.

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Friday, 27 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 10 : 31-42

At that time, the Jews then picked up stones to throw at Jesus; so He said, “I have openly done many good works among you, which the Father gave Me to do. For which of these do you stone Me?”

The Jews answered, “We are not stoning You for doing a good work, but for insulting God; You are only a Man, and You make Yourself God.” Then Jesus replied, “Is this not written in your law : I said, you are gods? So those who received this word of God were called gods, and the Scripture is always true.”

“What then should be said of the One anointed, and sent into the world, by the Father? Am I insulting God when I say, ‘I am the Son of God?’ If I am not doing the works of My Father, do not believe Me. But if I do them, even if you have no faith in Me, believe because of the works I do; and know that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

Again they tried to arrest Him, but Jesus escaped from their hands. He went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptised, and there He stayed. Many people came to Jesus, and said, “John worked no miracles, but he spoke about You, and everything he said was true.” And many became believers in that place.

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Friday, 27 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 17 : 2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7

I love You, o Lord, my Strength, the Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer and my God.

He is the Rock in Whom I take refuge. He is my Shield, my powerful Saviour, my Stronghold. I call on the Lord, Who is worthy of praise : He saves me from my enemies!

A deadly flood surrounded me, devillish torrents rushed at me; caught by the cords of the grave, I was brought to the snares of death.

But I called upon the Lord in my distress, I cried to my God for help; and from His Temple He heard my voice, my cry of grief reached His ears.

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Friday, 27 March 2026 : 5th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 20 : 10-13

I hear many people whispering, “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Yes, denounce him!” All my friends watch me to see if I will slip : “Perhaps he can be deceived,” they say; “then we can get the better of him and have our revenge.”

But YHVH, a mighty Warrior, is with me. My persecutors will stumble and not prevail; that failure will be their shame and their disgrace will never be forgotten. YHVH, God of Hosts, You test the just and probe the heart and mind. Let me see Your revenge on them, for to You I have entrusted my cause.

Sing to YHVH! Praise YHVH and say : He has rescued the poor from the clutches of the wicked!

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Friday, 20 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in today’s Scripture readings, we are reminded that as we progress through this time and season of Lent, each and every one of us as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen may have to encounter difficult trials, oppositions and challenges in our paths and in our ways, but we must not give up hope and we must not be afraid or fearful because ultimately, God is always with us and He will always guide us and provide for us everything that we need in our paths and journeys, in doing whatever it is that He has entrusted to us to do. Let us all remember that whatever hardships and difficulties we have to endure, the Lord Himself has also experienced it as well, in His loving sacrifice through His Son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Wisdom, we heard of the account of the persecution of God’s prophets and servants by the people to whom they had been sent to minister to, highlighting just how stubborn and unreasonable the people had often been in their refusal to obey the words of the Lord, despite all that the Lord Himself had done for them, and everything that He has told them and given to them in reassurance of His constant love and care. Instead of appreciating the works of the Lord made through His prophets, they hardened their hearts and minds against those words and reminders, plotting the suffering and destruction of those prophets and messengers of God that had been sent for their own good.

This passage from the Book of Wisdom was also in fact also a prophecy about the Lord’s salvation itself, as it spoke clearly about the coming of the One Whom God would send into this world and Who would claim to be the Son of God, having God Himself as His Father in Heaven. All these were indeed what the Lord Jesus Himself had done, everything that the author of the Book of Wisdom had said and recorded, as reminders for all of us that everything which God had promised to us He would do, He would indeed accomplish and fulfil perfectly without exception. That is why we are reminded of God’s Providence and Love, and how He had shown this Love so perfectly and wonderfully to us through His Son, Who manifested to us the perfect Love of God.

And as we heard in how those people were to treat this same manifestation of God’s Perfect Love, by plotting against Him, persecuting and rejecting Him as they had done to the prophets in the past, and eventually as it would all be accomplished through Christ, that He would suffer and die the worst of sufferings, humiliations and punishments, all of which He did willingly and lovingly as He took up and bore His Cross, upon His own bleeding shoulders, so that by His wounds and hurts, His outpoured Blood and broken Body, He might show unto us all the perfect fulfilment of God’s promises and assurances to us, in His consistent and ever enduring Love, one which He bore even unto the Cross and unto His death at Calvary.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the confrontation between the Lord and His opponents, some of the Jewish people in Jerusalem, where the latter wanted to see the Lord arrested, silenced and destroyed. The Lord pointed out against the complaints and doubts which those who opposed Him had in Him, how they thought they knew where He came from and therefore judged and being biased against Him prematurely, telling them all that they all thought they knew it better and that they knew Him, as a mere carpenter’s Son from a small and unassuming town in Galilee, from where no prophet or Saviour was predicted or prophesied to come from.

And yet, God’s truth was hidden from them, and even if any of them did know the truth, their pride and ego, their hubris and ambition became their undoing as all those things prevented them from truly embracing God’s truth and Good News, and accepting His fully free and generous gift of Love through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Despite everything that the Lord Himself had done, all the miracles and wonders that He had performed before the people and before even those naysayers and opponents of His, they still refused to believe nonetheless, no matter how many amazing things and great Wisdom they themselves had heard. Some of them even accused the Lord of colluding with the forces of evil and the prince of demons.

That was why, as we come ever closer to the celebration and commemoration of the events of the Holy Week in just over a week’s time, we are reminded of the events that would transpire in Jerusalem regarding the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the sufferings and hardships that He would undergo for the salvation of the whole world. We are reminded of how God’s love has been manifested so wonderfully and perfectly for us all, and that is why we are called to reflect upon all the love and grace that the Lord our God has shown us so patiently and willingly for our salvation, and this Lent, let us all see in what way and manner that we can live our lives better and more devotedly as Christians, in our attitudes in our respective communities and in our various areas in life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to do our best in glorifying God at all times. Let us all be the good role models, inspirations and examples for everyone around us in how we continue to put our trust and faith in God despite the challenges and trials that we may have to face in life. Each and every one of us are the bearers of God’s Light, His truth, Good News and Love to our world today. Let us hence this Lent make the effort to be ever more loving in our every actions, in loving both God and our neighbours, and showing genuine care and kindness to everyone whom we encounter in life, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 20 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

John 7 : 1-2, 10, 25-30

At that time, Jesus went around Galilee; He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews wanted to kill Him. Now the Jewish feast of the Tents was at hand.

But after His brothers had gone to the festival, He also went up, not publicly but in secret. Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is this not the Man they want to kill? And here He is speaking freely, and they do not say a word to Him? Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ? Yet we know where this Man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where He comes from.”

So Jesus announced in a loud voice in the Temple court where He was teaching, “You say that you know Me and know where I come from! I have not come of Myself; I was sent by the One Who is true, and you do not know Him. I know Him for I come from Him and He sent Me.”

They would have arrested Him, but no one laid hands on Him because His time had not yet come.

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Friday, 20 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 33 : 17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23

But the Lord’s face is set against the wicked to destroy their memory from the earth. The Lord hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught. Many are the troubles of the just, but the Lord delivers them from all.

He keeps all their bones intact, and none of them will be broken. But the Lord will redeem the life of His servants; none of those who trust in Him will be doomed.

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Friday, 20 March 2026 : 4th Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Wisdom 2 : 1a, 12-22

Led by mistaken reasons they think, “Let us set a trap for the Righteous, for He annoys us and opposes our way of life; He reproaches us for our breaches of the Law and accuses us of being false to our upbringing. He claims knowledge of God and calls Himself Son of the Lord. He has become a reproach to our way of thinking; even to meet Him is burdensome to us. He does not live like others and behaves strangely.”

“According to Him we have low standards, so He keeps aloof from us as if we were unclean. He emphasises the happy end of the righteous and boasts of having God as Father. Let us see the truth of what He says and find out what His end will be. If the Righteous is a Son of God, God will defend Him and deliver Him from His adversaries.”

“Let us humble and torture Him to prove His self-control and test His patience. When we have condemned Him to a shameful death, we may test His words.” This is the way they reason, but they are mistaken, blinded by their malice. They do not know the mysteries of God nor do they hope for the reward of a holy life; they do not believe that the blameless will be recompensed.