Friday

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Friday, 20 June 2025 : 11th 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 of the need for all of us to seek the true treasure that can be found in the Lord alone, and strive our best to live our lives with God’s guidance and help, as with the Lord we can truly do wonderful things far beyond what we can do in Him alone. The Lord our God has given us the strength and wisdom through His guidance, help and encouragement, allowing us to endure all the challenges and hardships in this life and world, so that we can find our path to Him, and as long as we remain truly faithful in Him, trusting wholeheartedly in Him and His providence, we will truly be able to find our true happiness and treasure in God.

In our first reading today, we heard of how St. Paul aired his frustrations to the faithful people of God in Corinth, the ones whom he had been ministering to, as some of those whom St. Paul encountered during his ministry likely compared him with the other Apostles, especially those of the Twelve, or with other famous and charismatic preachers, such as one Apollos who was very charismatic among others. And as inspired and strengthened he was by the Holy Spirit and by God’s guidance, he could certainly still face temptations and difficulties in the exercise of his ministry, and he was still facing emotions and other things that we mankind also face daily in our lives, as he was just as human and as ordinary servants of God as we all are.

But St. Paul turned all these weaknesses into praise of the Lord and everything that he had done in glorifying God through all these weakness and vulnerabilities, and making a testimony of his great and enduring faith in God, Who has strengthened and empowered him to carry out his ministry and good works with the constant protection and providence from God, Who has always been with him, guiding him at every steps of his journey, even when he was facing a lot of hardships and difficulties in his ministry and journey. St. Paul detailed to the faithful in Corinth all the obstacles, hardships and plenty of harm that he had faced in the midst of carrying out his works, how he faced physical assaults, hard labours, prison and many other trials, and yet, he was able to overcome all these because of the Lord.

When St. Paul mentioned all these to the people of God in Corinth, he was not boasting about his own greatness and power, as he was in fact telling all of them that if not for God and His providence, in having done so many great wonders each day through him, he would not have been able to do all those great things despite the many persecutions he faced. In his testimony of faith, St. Paul wanted to encourage the faithful in Corinth to continue to trust in the Lord, and to encourage them all to continue the good works of mission and testifying of the Lord’s goodness, because it is through God alone that they all can truly persevere and be truly successful in their works and good efforts, and not by their work and efforts, or by their power and greatness alone.

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 followers that they all should not store up for themselves the treasures of the world that do not last forever, all those things which we mankind often crave for and desire, and yet do not provide us with true and lasting happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment. This reminder from the Lord is a timely one to call us to turn away from all sorts of worldly pursuits and ambitions, all the attachments and preoccupations with all kinds of material possessions and desires that can distract us from truly being able to follow the Lord our God most wholeheartedly and worthily.

That is why we are all being reminded that we should not be distracted by all those things, and we should be the ones leading by our own good examples and efforts in living a life that is truly blessed and in attunement to God’s will. And this requires us all to be willing to listen to the Lord guiding and leading us all in our lives, in our every paths and journeys, in each and every moments when He speaks to us, calling on all of us to walk in the path that He has put us into. Each and every one of us are called and reminded that we all should always be faithful to the path that He has led us through, to be committed and true to what He has entrusted to us, living our lives courageously in the manner that He has shown us.

And this should be done by our love for God in all the things that we do in our daily living, and at the same time, we should also show love to all those whom the Lord has entrusted to us, to show our genuine and wholehearted attention to, in being as loving as the Lord has been towards us all. By following the example and inspiration of God’s love, hopefully each one of us may truly be generous in loving one another and be true disciples and followers of Christ in all things. This is what we are all called to do as Christians, in putting our love for God and for one another above our own selfish desires, ambitions and pursuits, in realising that our true treasures and happiness are not in what we gain from this world, but in being faithful to God and truly loving to each other.

May the Lord continue to strengthen each and every one of us, in our resolve and determination to live our lives, in each and every moments to be truly faithful in all things, in our every interactions and good works with one another. May He continue to empower each and every one of us with the strength and courage to live our every moments with grace and faith, and allow us all to be good role models and inspirations to our brethren all around us. May He bless all of our actions and good works, now and always, evermore. Amen.

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Friday, 20 June 2025 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 6 : 19-23

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Do not store up treasures for yourself here, on earth, where moth and rust destroy it; and where thieves can steal it. Store up treasures for yourself with God, where no moth or rust can destroy it, nor thief come and steal it.

For where your treasures are, there, also, will your heart be. The lamp of the body is the eye; if your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full of light. If your eyes are diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, then, the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

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Friday, 20 June 2025 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 33 : 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

I will bless the Lord all my days; His praise will be ever on my lips. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the lowly hear and rejoice.

Oh, let us magnify the Lord, together let us glorify His Name! I sought the Lord, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress.

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Friday, 20 June 2025 : 11th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Corinthians 11 : 18, 21b-30

As some people boast of human advantages, I will do the same. But if others are so bold, I shall also dare, although I may speak like a fool. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I begin to talk like a madman) I am better than they.

Better than they, with my numerous labours. Better than they, with the time spent in prison. The beatings I received are beyond comparison. How many times have I found myself in danger of death! Five times, the Jews sentenced me to thirty-nine lashes. Three times, I was beaten with a rod. Once I was stoned. Three times, I was shipwrecked; and once, I spent a night and a day, adrift on the high seas.

I have been continually in hazards of travelling; because of rivers, because of bandits, because of my fellow Jews, or because of the pagans; in danger, in the city, in the open country, at sea; in danger from false brothers. I have worked, and often laboured without sleep, I have been hungry and thirsty and starving, cold, and without shelter. Besides these, and other things, there was my daily concern for all the churches. Who is weak, that I do not feel weak as well? Whoever stumbles, am I not on hot bricks?

If it is necessary to boast, let me proclaim the occasions on which I was found weak.

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all called to reflect upon what we have just heard from the Lord speaking to us through His Word, reminding each and every one of us that as Christians, we are all called to be truly genuine in loving the Lord and His people, our fellow brothers and sisters in the same Lord, to be truly compassionate and kind, full of grace and love of God manifested in us and our actions in daily life. All of us should truly embody what we believe in, and we should not merely just believing outwardly and externally only. Instead, we should be truly genuine in our faith, commitment and dedication to God, and we should be the great examples of how beautiful our Christian faith is in all the things we do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Corinth, we heard of the reminder from the Apostle to us all that we should not be disheartened should difficulties and challenges come to us and become barriers in our path. Instead, we should continue to trust in the Lord and in His Providence, entrusting ourselves to His loving care and compassion. God has given us all His assurances that we will always be taken care of and that we will never be alone. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to help and guide us all in our journey throughout life. And therefore it is indeed important that we should make good use of what God has granted to us at all times, by using them for good purposes.

Then, from the Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord’s reminders for His disciples and followers, and all of those who were listening to Him, and hence all of us of the dangers of sin and why we must therefore strive to keep ourselves from sin and from the corruptions of this world. In the language that the Lord used in delivering His ideas and teachings, it may indeed bring about discomfort for some of us as He used a rather blatant and direct language, telling all of them that if any parts of their bodies should lead them to sin, then they should discard and cut them off from their bodies. This is actually one very good example why we should not take every words of the Lord and the Scriptures literally without understanding the context behind them.

What the Lord wanted to highlight in using such a language and terms is that sin is something serious and harmful to us, and sin separates us from God and His love, His grace and compassion. Yet at the same time, the mercy of God is so great and boundless, that He is capable of healing us of all those troubles. At the same time, those limbs and parts of our bodies themselves are not to blame for our sins. Rather, it is our desires that had led us to disobey the Lord and therefore leading us into sin and evil. In fact, what God has given to us, our body and all are capable of many great and wonderful things just as they are capable of evil and sin. That is why what we need to do is rather to focus on using them for good things instead of evil.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, a renowned saint and dedicated servant of God who had been born into a wealthy noble family in Portugal, and he was eventually joining the Order of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross and was ordained a priest at a rather young age, which then led him on a journey of encounter with several Franciscan friars that inspired him to join their order. St. Anthony of Padua adopted his well-known name from the name of the patron saint of the friary, St. Anthony the Great. He went to various places like Morocco and then Italy in pursuit of his vocation and mission, and in Italy, in one well known occasion, when the Dominicans and the Franciscans in the town of Forli could not agree on who to preach in an ordination ceremony, it fell onto St. Anthony of Padua, whose homily moved the heart of the entire audience with his wisdom and eloquence.

St. Anthony worked together with the founder of the Franciscan order, St. Francis of Assisi himself, convincing the latter of the importance of theological and spiritual preparation, studies and all related matters for the Franciscan friars, and he was tasked to take care of this matter henceforth for the friars. And in what happened in Bologna would later inspire the popular tradition and devotion that St. Anthony of Padua is often invoked for his intercession in finding lost items as it was told that a Franciscan novice stole the psalter that belonged to St. Anthony of Padua, and the latter prayed that the book be returned to him, and indeed it happened, as not only that the thief returned the book but he also returned to the order as well.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon the words of the Sacred Scriptures and look upon the inspiring life and examples of St. Anthony of Padua, remembering how he dedicated his life in service to the Lord and in his commitment for the betterment of the lives of those who were around him. As Christians, let us all always be full of faith in the Lord, full of hope and trust in Him, and then also full of love firstly of the Lord but also full of the same love for our fellow brothers and sisters as well. Our love and care for one another, just as our strong and enduring faith in the Lord are hallmarks of our Christian faith, and it is what we are all challenged to do in each and every moments of our lives.

May the Lord continue to strengthen our faith in Him, giving us the courage and inspiration to remain firm in our path as we walk and journey together towards Him, and to remain holy and worthy of Him at all times, distancing ourselves from sin. Let us all continue to encourage one another that we may always strengthen each other and support our fellow brethren around us as much as we are able to, that all of us may find the path towards the Lord and remain fully committed to Him at all times despite the many challenges in life. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 5 : 27-32

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said : Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this : anyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

“So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body, than to have your whole body thrown into hell.”

“It was also said : Anyone who divorces his wife, must give her a written notice of divorce. But what I tell you is this : if a man divorces his wife, except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 115 : 10-11, 15-16, 17-18

You, family of Aaron, trust in YHVH; He is your help and your shield! You who fear YHVH, trust in Him; He is your help and your shield!

May you be blessed by YHVH. Maker of heaven and earth. Heaven belongs to YHVH, but the earth He has given to humans.

It is not the dead who praise YHVH, for they have gone down to silence; but it is we, the living who praise YHVH, from now on and forever.

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Friday, 13 June 2025 : 10th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

2 Corinthians 4 : 7-15

However, we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, so that this all-surpassing power may not be seen as ours, but as God’s. Trials of every sort come to us, but we are not discouraged. We are left without answer, but do not despair; persecuted but not abandoned, knocked down but not crushed.

At any moment, we carry, in our person, the death of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may also be manifested in us. For we, the living, are given up continually to death, for the sake of Jesus, so, that, the life of Jesus may appear in our mortal existence. And as death is at work in us, life comes to you.

We have received the same Spirit of faith referred to in Scripture, that says : I believed and so I spoke. We also believe, and so we speak. We know that He, Who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us, with Jesus, and bring us, with you, into His presence. Finally, everything is for your good, so that grace will come more abundantly upon you, and great will be the thanksgiving for the glory of God.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded of the mission for all of us as Christians to do our part in proclaiming the Good News and the Gospel of the Lord at all times. All of us as Christians have been entrusted with the responsibility to proclaim the Lord in all of our various places and communities, in the many opportunities that we have been given by the Lord all these while. The Lord has provided us with the means to carry out His many good works, all the things that we can do for our fellow brethren, in showing them all the love of God manifested through us and our actions in our daily living. Therefore we should always be courageous in loving Him and in doing our best to follow Him in proclaiming His truth and Good News to all the people of all the nations.

In our first reading today we heard from the Acts of the Apostles of what happened in Jerusalem in the aftermath of the hearing and judgment session by the Sanhedrin against St. Paul, which ended up in great division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees among the members of the Sanhedrin. This led to a significant limbo and delay in the case which St. Paul stood as a defendant against the accusations which were placed against him by the Sanhedrin. We heard how his case was stalled between two governors, Felix and then Festus who took over his case, and we heard how Festus discussed with King Agrippa also known as Agrippa II, the last Herodian ruler of the lands of Israel, with his sister Berenice regarding St. Paul.

And we heard how St. Paul chose to be judged and to stand before the presence of the Emperor himself instead of allowing himself to be judged and put to task by the local authorities. In this manner therefore, the Lord led St. Paul to the path towards his martyrdom, by which he would help to establish the firm foundation for the Church in Rome and elsewhere along his path. St. Paul trusted in the Lord’s providence and guidance, and he allowed the Lord to lead him to wherever He would lead him to. St. Paul did not fear the persecutions and hardships that he might have to face because he knew that the Lord would always be by his side, and all his enemies and those who persecute him cannot harm him beyond his physical body, and his soul will always be with God and safe with Him.

This is why we are reminded today of the great courage of the Apostle St. Paul and are reminded of how the Lord has always provided for us and our needs, and as long as we put our trust and faith in Him, we truly have no need to be afraid or fearful, as the Lord Himself will always be by our side, guarding and providing for us, strengthening us in our journey and in our every actions. As Christians we must always remember that the Lord is our Shepherd and Master, and with Him ever providing for us, we shall never face ultimate defeat and destruction. We must not fear what can only harm and destroy our bodies but not our eternal souls. That is why we have to be strong in our faith and courage, to embrace the various missions and opportunities that God had provided to us so that we may truly be evangelising and missionary disciples of Our Lord at all times.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the time when the Risen Lord, soon after His Resurrection, appeared to the disciples in Galilee, and after having shown Himself to them and had meal with them, He had a private time with St. Peter, the leader of the Twelve Apostles, and in a very symbolic moment as we heard in today’s Gospel, He asked St. Peter not just once but three times, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’. For those who did not see the link with what happened earlier on, then they may miss the significance of these three repeated questions, which was in fact the Lord showing St. Peter that He has always loved him and had forgiven him for his earlier triple denial of Him.

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, at the time of the Lord’s Passion, when He faced His great sufferings and persecutions, being betrayed by one of His own closest disciples, Judas Iscariot, another member of the Twelve, He was also denied not just once but three times by St. Peter himself, who was likely afraid of being found out that he was a disciple of the Lord, at the time when all the disciples were scattered and alone by themselves. And this was despite St. Peter himself having made promises and proclamations that he would even die for the sake of the Lord, previously at the time of the Last Supper and earlier on. And despite having been abandoned by St. Peter and the other disciples, the Lord still loved them and cared for them, and He reached out to them, and especially to St. Peter, knowing that despite his denial, ultimately, his faith and love for Him were really genuine and true.

That is why all of us as Christians have to remember this great love of God, the call that He has in calling us all to love Him wholeheartedly and to follow Him, as St. Peter had done. We are all sinners, but God has called us all and gathered us all from being scattered all over the world, from the darkness, bringing us back to His light and grace. Hence, we need to continue to remind ourselves this calling to love the Lord and to focus our lives and attentions, our efforts and works on the Lord, glorifying Him by everything that we do, carry out and perform in each and every moments of our lives. We should always strive to inspire one another in faith, through our exemplary living and our commitment to follow the teachings of the Lord in the Gospels and His Church, to be missionary and evangelising at all times.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Norbert, also known as St. Norbert of Xanten, a great and holy man of God who had lived in a state of worldliness and pursuit of worldly desires early in his life, and then went through a conversion experience in which he encountered a life-changing experience that led him to lead a more devout life. St. Norbert henceforth devoted his time and efforts to the poor, caring for the needy, and upon the request of the Pope himself, St. Norbert established a community of religious order in the Diocese of Laon in France where he ministered to the people, becoming known as the Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as the Premonstratensians. Later on, through the rapid expansion of this order and his role as the Archbishop of Magdeburg in northern Germany, St. Norbert continued to lead a life of great evangelising and missionary zeal, proclaiming the Good News of God to many more people that he encountered through his life and mission, which he faithfully carried out to the end of his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the great courage, faith and examples of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Holy Apostles in seeking the Lord and dedicating themselves and their efforts to serve Him faithfully, and also from St. Norbert, the great and holy servant of God, and our many other holy predecessors, so that in everything that we do in our own respective lives may truly be holy and dedicated to God, that we may be truly missionary and evangelising, in our own exemplary faith and actions, in everything that we say and do, in our every interactions with each other. May the Lord be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen us in each and every moments of our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 6 June 2025 : 7th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Norbert, Bishop (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 21 : 15-19

At that time, after Jesus and His disciples had finished breakfast, He said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” And Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.”

A second time Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Look after My sheep.” And a third time He said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Jesus then said, “Feed My sheep! Truly, I say to you, when you were young, you put on your belt and walked where you liked. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will put a belt around you, and lead you where you do not wish to go.”

Jesus said this to make known the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. And He added, “Follow Me.”