great solemnity

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Sunday, 28 June 2026 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded that each one of us as Christians are God’s beloved people, those whom He has called and chosen to be His own, and how we are also called to love Him just as He has loved us so dearly. All of us are reminded that whatever we have done for the love of God will never be forgotten, and will be known and remembered by God. For God knows everything and sees everything, and if we are ever always faithful to Him, and be committed in our part of the Covenant with Him, then we shall be blessed and guarded by God in all of our things in life. All those who have given themselves to the service of God will be in God’s grace and love, and they shall never be disappointed.

In our first reading today, we heard from the second Book of Kings of the story of the prophet Elisha and his servant Gehazi, with a wealthy woman who hosted and provided for them, and who convinced her husband to take good care of the servant of God, establishing a room and provisions for him, and all these showed not just her faith in God, but also her kind and compassionate nature, and the Lord remembered everything that the woman had done. The prophet Elisha therefore as we heard from the passage, proclaimed God’s blessings and guidance upon the wealthy woman and her husband. Both of them had no child at all although they were both already old, and God blessed them for their loving and compassionate ways, with the promise of a child.

Then, in our second reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which the Apostle spoke of how all of us mankind, all beloved and cared for by God, have received the greatest gift of love from God Himself, by His gift upon us of His own most beloved Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Whom God had sent into this world, to dwell in our midst in the flesh, so that by His coming and by His actions, everything that He had done for us, in His suffering and all the pain and trials He had to endure, the Lord has shown us the path of freedom and the way to deliverance and eternal life, by reconciling us to Himself, opening the gates of Heaven itself to all of us.

And the Lord did all these things by coming into our midst, and bearing the heavy burdens of our sins and wickedness, our punishments and all the consequences due to our every faults. He has willingly walked the path of His Passion, His suffering, embracing all of us with His ever gracious and enduring love. He has been persecuted, wounded and hurt for us and our well-being, and He has died on His Cross to show us the path out of the darkness of sin, that by dying to our own sins, through His grace and love, His most loving sacrifice, suffering and death, all of us may be united to Him in love, and by the baptism which we have received, all of us will leave behind our mortal and wicked past lives, and enter into new lives blessed by God.

The Lord has done so much for each one of us, as we have heard from those Scripture passages, and the Gospel today reminded us all that we should continue to commit ourselves to God and to His path. The Lord Himself reminded His disciples and thus all of us that whatever each and every one of us have done for His sake, will always be remembered and known by God, and we shall be blessed and rewarded for everything that we have done, even in the smallest things. The Lord will always be by our side, providing for us, caring for us and giving us the guidance that we need, no matter what. And for our faith in the Lord, we shall always be blessed and protected, and we will not have to worry about anything.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why this Sunday, as we reflect upon these words from the Sacred Scriptures, all of us are reminded that the Lord has always been with us, guiding us and protecting us. Each one of us have been called by the Lord to be His disciples and missionaries, and to us, each one of us, have been entrusted with the many gifts and blessings of God, the various talents and abilities, the opportunities and the avenues for us to do our part and to follow the way that the Lord has revealed and taught to us. Each one of us have been called and entrusted with the missions, the actions and the works that the Lord has entrusted to His Church, from the very beginning. What He has told and sent out His disciples to do, we have to continue to do and carry out in our world today.

Now we should discern and ask ourselves, if we have lived our lives in the manner that the Lord has told us to do. Have we obeyed the Law and the commandments of God, in the rules and guidance that the Church has taught and shown us? All of us should always be active and committed in the living of our faith, dedicating our every moments, our time, efforts and our every actions and deeds, to the service of God and to do His will. We should be great examples and inspiration for one another, in our faith and way of life, in our commitment and dedication to God, and in everything we say and do, our every interactions and our way of life. All of us should be filled with the love of God, the light of His truth and love. Through this, all of us will become the examples for each other and the beacons of light guiding many others towards God and His salvation.

Let us all therefore do our part, in doing God’s will and in fulfilling our part of the Covenant which God has made with us. All of us should dedicate our every time and abilities, our every actions and works, to glorify the Lord at all times and to support one another in our works and actions. All of us should be full of faith and zeal, in living our daily actions, so that many will be inspired to live a truly worthy life for the Lord. May the Lord, our most loving, compassionate, and all-knowing God, He Who knows all of our thoughts, hearts and deeds, continue to bless us all and empower each one of us to be great and committed servants of His cause, now and always. May He lead us all to the right path and help us to do His will, in our every efforts and endeavours, so that we will always be His worthy and true disciples, and be worthy of His everlasting glory and joy. Amen.

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Sunday, 28 June 2026 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 10 : 37-42

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life, for My sake, will find it.”

“Whoever welcomes you, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes Him Who sent Me. The one who welcomes a prophet, as a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is My disciple, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.”

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Sunday, 28 June 2026 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 6 : 3-4, 8-11

Do you not know, that in baptism, which unites us to Christ, we are all baptised and plunged into His death? By this baptism in His death, we were buried with Christ and, as Christ was raised from among the dead by the glory of the Father, we begin walking in a new life.

But, if we have died with Christ, we believe we will also live with Him. We know, that Christ, once risen from the dead, will not die again, and death has no more dominion over Him. For, by dying, He is dead to sin, once and for all, and, now, the life that He lives, is life with God.

So you, too, must consider yourselves dead to sin, and alive to God, in Christ Jesus.

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Sunday, 28 June 2026 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 88 : 2-3, 16-17, 18-19

I will sing forever, o YHVH, of Your love, and proclaim Your faithfulness from age to age. I will declare how steadfast is Your love, how firm Your faithfulness.

Blessed is the people who know Your praise. They walk in the light of Your face. They celebrate all day, Your Name and Your protection lifts them up.

You give us glory and power; and Your favour gives us victory. Our king is in the hands of YHVH; the God of Israel is our Shield.

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Sunday, 28 June 2026 : Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

2 Kings 4 : 8-11, 14-16a

One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a rich woman invited him to eat. Afterward, whenever he went to that town, he would go to her house to eat. The woman said to her husband, “See, this man who constantly passes by our house is a holy man of God. If you want, we can make a small upper room for him, and place a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp in it. So when he comes, he may stay and rest.”

One day when Elisha came, he went to the upper room and lay down. So Elisha said to Gehazi, “What can we do for her?” The young man answered, “She has no children and her husband is now old.” And so Elisha said to him, “Call her.” The young man called her; and as the woman stood by the door, Elisha said, “By this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.”

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Wednesday, 24 June 2026 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Saturday all of us come together to celebrate the occasion of the great Solemnity in honour of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the one whom the Lord had sent to be His own Herald, in proclaiming His coming into this world, and to prepare the path and everything for His entry and appearance in our midst. On this day, we truly give thanks to God for His gift of St. John the Baptist, the holy servant whom He had sent to be in our midst, to call us from our slumber in the darkness so that by his efforts and works, many would be stirred and come to seek the Lord and His forgiveness, that more and more might be saved, and be prepared to welcome the Lord Himself, coming into our midst.

St. John the Baptist was born not long before the Lord Himself, as there was a short period of time when both him and our Lord and Saviour were both in their mothers’ wombs. At the time when Mary, the Mother of God visited Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Baptist, not long before the latter’s birth, both of them were still in the womb, and it was then that St. John the Baptist recognised the coming of his Lord and Master, Who was in the womb of Mary, Elizabeth’s own relative and cousin. And like that of our Lord Himself, the pregnancy that gave rise to the birth and coming of St. John the Baptist was also miraculous, in that his mother Elizabeth was already very old and way past child-bearing age.

Yet, the Lord chose Elizabeth to bear the child who would become the Herald of the Messiah, revealing the news to Zechariah, his father, at the Temple through His Archangel, which according to the Church and Apostolic traditions, was the Archangel Gabriel, the same one who would then go on to visit Mary to tell her of the even greater Good News of the coming of the Saviour of the world. Through these two good news delivered by the Archangel to both Elizabeth and Mary therefore, the world has finally come to see the Light of God’s salvation, which He has long promised to us all, to His beloved ones, who have long been suffering under the dominion and the tyranny of sin.

St. John the Baptist was born into his family and into this world as an occasion of great joy, both for his family who had not been able to have any children at all, and then for the world because through St. John the Baptist, the Lord would finally reveal the last parts of His long prepared plan of salvation for each and every one of us. St. John the Baptist, as we all should know, would go on to do great deeds among God’s people, becoming known as the Baptist or the Baptiser because he called a great throng of countless thousands or more, to come to the Lord and to commit themselves once again to His cause, with the baptism at the River Jordan as the symbolic and tangible commitment of the people’s desire to return to God with repentance.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, what is the significance of this Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is to us? This Solemnity is a reminder for all of us of everything that God had done for us, and in how He has always fulfilled everything that he has promised us, in showing us His ever tender mercy, love and compassion. That He sent us all His servants, repeatedly from time to time, and gave us guidance through His messengers and through His Church, and by giving us all His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Divine Word Incarnate and Son of God, to be our Saviour, by suffering and dying for our sake, God wants us all to know that He truly loves us all, and He wants us to embrace the salvation that He has so freely offered to us.

In our first reading this day, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which God revealed to His people, to all of us through Isaiah, of everything that He had done for us, in sending us His servants, whom He had called and chosen, like Isaiah himself, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, Elisha, and earlier on still, Moses, and other leaders and elders of the people, and like St. John the Baptist himself, all of whom had been entrusted with the particular missions and vocations, with purpose and commitments for them to help lead the people of God, us mankind, back to the Lord, our most loving God and Saviour. The Lord had prepared St. John the Baptist to be His servant, from before he was even born, telling that to his parents, revealing to them just how important his role would be. That is what we have also heard in our Gospel passage today, as God foretold the great deeds that St. John the Baptist would do.

As Christians, all of us should be inspired by the great examples set by St. John the Baptist, whose contributions are not limited only just by what he had done in baptising the countless thousands and more at the River Jordan. It was his faithfulness and his dedication to the Lord which should inspire us all to follow his good examples and faith as well. Not only that, but St. John the Baptist also showed us great courage and steadfastness in faith, in courageously opposing even the powerful ones at his time, the teachers of the Law and the chief priests, whom he scolded and criticised as the band of vipers for their lack of faith, hypocrisy and mismanagement of the people, and also King Herod, whom St. John the Baptist criticised for his immoral and adulterous behaviour with his brother’s wife, Herodias.

St. John the Baptist, who did not fear persecution and oppression, and who gave his whole life and efforts to the service of God, is a paragon of virtue and Christian discipleship, and all of us as Christians should be inspired to walk in the same path that St. John the Baptist had traversed, and be inspired by his great courage and commitment to God. He is a great role model for us all, in how each and every one of us should be living our lives as well, with great virtue and commitment to God, and in doing whatever it is that we have been entrusted by God to do with our lives, in our respective areas of responsibilities, and in our various vocations in the Church and in this world, in doing our best to glorify God by our lives.

In addition, there is also one more great virtue that St. John the Baptist had, which all of us should very well emulate as well in our own lives, and that is one of obedience and humility. In his commitment to God, St. John the Baptist was thoroughly committed to his mission and he did not do anything for himself or for his own selfish purposes and desires. Like what St. Paul said in the second reading today in his Epistle, in which the Apostle directly quoted St. John the Baptist himself saying that he himself was not the Messiah, and he was not even worthy to untie the straps of His sandals. This was the response that St. John the Baptist gave to all those who asked him and wondered if he was the Messiah long awaited by the people of God. Given how popular St. John the Baptist had been, he could have claimed that he was the Messiah that the people awaited for, but he did not do that, and he was even also glad when he heard that the Lord was gaining more and more followers, saying that it was just right that while He increased, that he decreased. Such was the virtue and the humility that St. John the Baptist has shown, and which we all should emulate in our own lives.

May St. John the Baptist, Holy Herald of the Lord and His faithful servant, continue to pray and intercede for us all, that God may continue to guide and strengthen each and every one of us in our lives and in our works, so that we may truly be worthy of Him, and be committed in living our lives most worthily and faithfully in all things, in our every words, actions and deeds, at all times. May God bless us all, in our every efforts and endeavours, now and always, forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 24 June 2026 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 57-66, 80

When the time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the merciful Lord had done a wonderful thing for her, and they rejoiced with her. When, on the eighth day, they came to attend the circumcision of the child, they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.

But his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.” They said to her, “But no one in your family has that name!” and they made signs to his father for the name he wanted to give him. Zechariah asked for a writing tablet, and wrote on it, “His name is John;” and they were very surprised. Immediately, Zechariah could speak again, and his first words were in praise of God.

A holy fear came on all in the neighbourhood, and throughout the hill country of Judea and the people talked about these events. All who heard of it, pondered in their minds, and wondered, “What will this child be?” For they understood that the hand of the Lord was with him.

As the child grew up, he was seen to be strong in the Spirit; and he lived in the desert, until the day when he appeared openly in Israel.

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Wednesday, 24 June 2026 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 22-26

After that time, God removed Saul and raised up David as king, to whom He bore witness saying : I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all I want him to do.

It is from the descendants of David that God has now raised up the promised Saviour of Israel, Jesus. Before He appeared, John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel. As John was ending his life’s work, he said : ‘I am not what you think I am, for, after me, another One is coming, Whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’

Brothers, children and descendants of Abraham, and you, also, who fear God, it is to you that this message of salvation has been sent.

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Wednesday, 24 June 2026 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 13-14ab, 14c-15

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

It was You Who formed my inmost part and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You for these wonders You have done, and my heart praises You.

For Your marvellous deeds. Even my bones were known to You when I was being formed in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth.

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Wednesday, 24 June 2026 : Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Listen to me, o islands, pay attention, peoples from distant lands. YHVH called me from my mother’s womb; He pronounced my name before I was born. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword. He hid me in the shadow of His hand. He made me into a polished arrow set apart in His quiver.

He said to me, “You are Israel, my servant, through you I will be known.” “I have laboured in vain,” I thought, “and spent my strength for nothing.” Yet what is due me was in the hand of YHVH, and my reward was with my God. I am important in the sight of YHVH, and my God is my Strength.

And now YHVH has spoken, He Who formed me in the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, to gather Israel to Him. He said : “It is not enough that you be My servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob, to bring back the remnant of Israel. I will make you the light of the nations, that My salvation will reach to the ends of the earth.”