Monday

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Monday, 7 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all reminded to get rid from ourselves all the taints of evil and sin, all the corruptions that came together with the actions and immorality of this world. All of us should not allow those things to distract us from the Lord and our focus on Him. We must resist the temptations of pride and ego and be more humble in our way of life and actions so that we may listen to the Lord and follow Him rather to insist on our own way. We should not harden our hearts and minds but instead be more willing to listen to the Lord and to allow Him to lead us and guide us to the path of truth and grace. It is our stubbornness and hardened hearts which had more often than not, led us away from God.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Corinth speaking to us regarding the matter of the attitudes of the faithful people of God, which ought to be free from the evil ways and sins, and how Christians everywhere are called to be holy just as the Lord is holy. We are all called to get rid from ourselves the ‘leaven’ of sin, and purify ourselves in the way of the Lord, dedicating our lives anew in the manner that we have been taught to do through God’s Church. We live in a world that is full of temptations and persuasions, coercions and pressures to acquiesce to the worldly matters and ways just as it was during the time of the Lord and His Apostles. That is why we are reminded that we should always anchor ourselves strongly in the Lord at all times.

At that time, St. Paul was exhorting the Church and the faithful in the city of Corinth after having heard of the troubles that they were facing, the divisions that they encountered and experienced, the immorality and wickedness that they had indulged in which were scandalous in nature and unbecoming of them as Christians, as those who believe in the Lord and as those who called themselves as His disciples and followers. St. Paul reminded them all to turn away from that path of sin and immorality, and instead embrace the path of God’s truth and love, and His righteousness and grace. He reminded the faithful that they should not allow themselves to be swayed by those worldly temptations, of glory, power and ambition, which could lead them all astray and cause severe divisions and harm within the Church.

There had been lots of bickering, divisions and disagreements even within the early Christian communities, pitting even the missionaries and their supporters and followers against each other. Even St. Paul himself had faced part of these divisions and intrigue within the early Christian communities, with some siding with another charismatic and famous preacher named Apollos against him and those who sided with him. St. Paul reminded the faithful therefore, not just in Corinth but elsewhere against all these divisions sowed by the evil one, trying to undo the good works which the Lord had performed through His servants and the people of God in the Church by sowing divisions and discord among them.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord speaking to the people who were listening to Him teaching in the synagogue and also to those Pharisees who were opposed to Him and who were hounding Him, attempting to discredit and to persecute Him for His constant works and efforts during the Sabbath to perform healing miracles and other deeds. The Lord criticised the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who refused to believe in Him, who hardened their hearts against His teachings and words simply because they were dead set on their beliefs and prejudices, and not only that, but they even plotted against Him and did whatever they could to undermine His efforts and works.

That was what made the Lord pointed out the folly of their argument and preferences, their way of observing the Law, and reminded them all that the Law of the Sabbath that God had revealed to His people through Moses was not meant to restrain mankind and not to be understood merely in the letter, but it has to be appreciated and understood wholly in its spirit, which is meant to lead mankind back towards the Lord, that they may all find their way to Him, and be reconciled with Him. Instead, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law indulged in their own preoccupations and prejudices regarding the Law, and made use of them to advance their own interests and wants, their ambitions and desires.

They made it difficult for the people to come towards the Lord and made it seem that following the Lord was something that was hard and impossible. They had forgotten that their role as the shepherds and guides of the people of God was to bring God closer to His people and the people closer to Him, which was exactly what the Lord had done, in reaching out for the suffering and the marginalised, and in putting others’ needs ahead of oneself, rather than what the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves often did, in promoting themselves and their positions, their achievements and glory ahead of their responsibilities in leading the people of God towards Him.

That is why we are reminded through these readings of the Scriptures today, that we should remain firmly anchored in God in our faith and way of life, in everything that we say and do, so that in all things we will always be firmly grounded in Him and not be easily swayed by the different temptations and pressures present all around us. We are all called to be the ones to lead the way forward and to inspire one another in how we live our lives most worthily, in the manner that we have been shown and taught by the Lord Himself, so that in everything we say and do, we may truly be the worthy beacons of God’s light, and the faithful and authentic bearers of His Good News, revealing His love to all those around us, showing to all what it truly means to be Christians, to be centred on God and not on our own selfish ambitions and pride.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God, our wonderful Guide and Help, continue to provide for us all in each and every moments of our lives, and may He empower all of us to live ever more courageously in His Presence at all times, giving our very best to proclaim His Name in all the circumstances and opportunities in our lives that He has given us, all united in our efforts to glorify God instead of being divided and being prejudiced against one another. May God bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 7 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 6-11

At that time, on another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and began teaching. There was a man with a paralysed right hand, and the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees watched Him : Would Jesus heal the man on the Sabbath? If He did, they could accuse Him.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to the man, “Get up, and stand in the middle.” Then He spoke to them, “I want to ask you : what is allowed by the Law on the Sabbath? To do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And Jesus looked around at them all.

Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored, becoming as healthy as the other. But they were furious, and began to discuss with one another how they could deal with Jesus.

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Monday, 7 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 5 : 5-6, 7, 12

You are not a God Who delights in wickedness; evil has no place in You. The arrogant cannot stand before You. You hate all who do evil.

You destroy all who speak falsehood, who thirst for blood and live on lies; all of them YHVH detests.

But for those who take refuge in You, let them ever sing and rejoice. Let Your deliverance shield them, that they may praise You in gladness – those who love Your Name, o YHVH.

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Monday, 7 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 5 : 1-8

You have become news, with a case of immorality, and such a case, that is not even found among pagans. Yes, one of you has taken, as wife, his own stepmother. And you feel proud! Should you not be in mourning, instead, and expel the one who did such a thing?

For my part, although I am physically absent, my spirit is with you and, as if present, I have already passed sentence on the man who committed such a sin. Let us meet together, you and my spirit, and in the Name of Our Lord Jesus, and with His power, you shall deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit be saved in the day of Judgment.

This is not the time to praise yourselves. Do you not know that a little yeast makes the whole mass of dough rise? Throw out, then, the old yeast and be new dough. If Christ became our Passover, you should be unleavened bread. Let us celebrate, therefore, the Passover, no longer with old yeast, which is sin and perversity; let us have unleavened bread, that is purity and sincerity.

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Monday, 31 August 2026 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us heard the unfortunate story of how the Lord Jesus was rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth in Galilee, by His own townspeople, not long after He began His ministry. He proclaimed the truth of God as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah and proclaimed how the Lord’s salvation has finally arrived, in Him. But the people of Nazareth were bewildered, and all of them who heard Him in the synagogue was initially amazed and then later on confused and found it hard to believe that Jesus was referring to Himself as He read from the text of the prophet Isaiah. After all, they were His neighbours and fellow townspeople, many of whom had seen Him from when He was still very young, and saw Him as He grew up.

And He was merely the Son of the village carpenter, St. Joseph, who although an upright and likely well-respected man, but was poor and worked in a profession that was usually looked down upon. What went through the minds of the people then must have been things like, ‘How did this Jesus gain such wisdom and knowledge? He was just the poor carpenter’s Son!’ or ‘Preposterous! How can He claim Himself as the Messiah? We were just a mere tiny and poor village in Galilee!’ This referred to how that area was among the poorest in the region of Galilee, a small village and not noteworthy at all. Galilee itself was always seen as a backwater region, at the periphery of the Jewish world, then centred in Judea and Jerusalem. Galilee was where the Jewish settlers often lived alongside significant populations of Samaritans, local Canaanites and Syro-Phoenicians.

Thus, to the understanding of the people, it was impossible for someone from Galilee to have been the Messiah, and even less still, the Son of a poor carpenter hailing from the small and poor village in Galilee, the village of Nazareth. And we must also not forget that there must have been tinge of jealousy as the people complained against the Lord more because He tried to show them that in truth, He was not just a mere village carpenter’s Son. This unfortunate incident, and how the Lord was cast out of His own hometown was exactly what St. Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Corinthians, in our first reading today. He said that ‘your faith might be a matter not of human wisdom, but of God’s power.’

Those people of Nazareth thought that they knew it better and doubled down on their prejudices and biases, not willing to listen to the truth which the Lord Himself had brought into their midst. They, especially the religious and intellectual elites among them, the members and followers of the Pharisees and the priestly caste, among others, looked down on those deemed less than worthy, those of base and humble origins like the carpenters and others who were seen as uncouth, uneducated and uncivilised. That was why they hardened their hearts and minds against God’s truth and wisdom, even as these truths had been presented by the Lord Himself before their very own eyes, and even when they likely had heard of all the miracles and wonders which He had performed in the surrounding regions of Galilee.

And this is a reminder that we must not use our own human intellect, wisdom and understanding to judge the truth of God. And St. Paul also said earlier how as he came to the people preaching the truth about Christ, he did so with humility and open heart and mind, and thus, sought his listeners to do the same as well. It is an important reminder that we must not let the same sense of superiority and pride, our ego and all the other obstacles we heard to be barriers for us to truly be able to follow the Lord and obey Him. When we allow ourselves to be more humble, to learn to accept the limitations of our own human existence and wisdom, and realise that there is so much more that the Lord wants us to embrace and receive from Him, then that is when we truly can embark faithfully on the path that He is leading all of us towards.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we reflect on these passages of the Scriptures we are reminded how every one of us have to open our minds and hearts, and allow God’s words and truth to enter into us. We must not be prejudiced in any way to others, just as the people of Nazareth were prejudiced against the Lord. As long as we have prejudice, bias and all these, it will be difficult for us to accept God’s truth and have genuine faith. And this applies in our own world as well. Why is that so? That is because if we are biased, prejudiced, then we are filling ourselves up with ego and pride, and there will be no place either for God or for our fellow brothers and sisters in our hearts and minds. And the word of God and His truth will remain elusive for us. Instead, we have to heed the words of St. Paul, reminding us to be humble before God, to accept His truth and not to allow our judgment be clouded by our prejudices and biases, our worldly perceptions and thoughts.

Let us all seek the Lord with all of our hearts, with all sincerity and faith, and let us devote our time and effort to be faithful witnesses of His truth, proclaiming that the Lord Jesus is indeed the Messiah of God, Who brought with Him and with His sacrifice on the Cross, the promise of eternal life and salvation and liberation from sin and death. Let us rejoice knowing that God has come to us, to be with us, and be thankful for His love, and no longer be stubborn or harden our hearts as His own townspeople and many of the Jewish leaders had done. The greater we are, truly the humbler and more kind and compassionate we should become instead of us becoming more ambitious and prejudiced in our ways and actions in life.

May the Lord be with us always, and may He strengthen in us our faith, and our love for Him, as well as for our fellow brothers and sisters. May the Lord bless us and all of our works, and may He grant us the courage to persevere in life with faith, in all of our works and actions, becoming ever greater inspiration and strength for one another, for our fellow brothers and sisters all around us, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 31 August 2026 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 4 : 16-30

At that time, when Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, as He usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed Him the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Jesus then unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He has anointed Me, to bring good news to the poor; to proclaim liberty to captives; and new sight to the blind; to free the oppressed; and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

Jesus then rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He said to them, “Today, these prophetic words come true, even as you listen.” All agreed with Him, and were lost in wonder, while He spoke of the grace of God. Nevertheless they asked, “Who is this but Joseph’s Son?”

So He said, “Doubtless you will quote Me the saying : Doctor, heal yourself! Do here, in Your town, what they say You did in Capernaum.” Jesus added, “No prophet is honoured in his own country.” Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land.”

“Yet, Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet; and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”

On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought Him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw Him down the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went His way.

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Monday, 31 August 2026 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 118 : 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102

How I love Your law, meditating on it all day!

Your command – mine – forever – has made me wiser than my enemy.

I have more insight than my teachers, for I meditate on Your decrees,

I have more understanding than the elders, for I abide by Your precepts.

I turn my feet from evil paths, that I may keep step with Your word.

I have not departed from Your decrees, for You, Yourself, have instructed me.

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Monday, 31 August 2026 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Corinthians 2 : 1-5

When I came to reveal to you the mystery of God’s plan I did not count on eloquence or on a show of learning. I was determined not to know anything among you but Jesus, the Messiah, and a crucified Messiah. I myself came weak, fearful and trembling; my words and preaching were not brilliant or clever to win listeners.

It was, rather, a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might be a matter not of human wisdom, but of God’s power.

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Monday, 24 August 2026 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle, one of the Twelve Apostles of the Lord, and therefore one of the great pillars of the Church. St. Bartholomew was also likely known as Nathanael as according to today’s Gospel passage, one of the Lord’s Twelve Apostles was one named Nathanael, whom the Lord called in an amazing way, and known for his great intellect and wisdom. There was no one else among the known Twelve Apostles who can fit the description of Nathanael except for St. Bartholomew the Apostle. There was scant reference to him otherwise in the Scriptures, but Church and Apostolic traditions and histories had extensive details about the efforts and works of St. Bartholomew, including that of his ministry and his martyrdom, how he died in the face of opposition and persecution against Christians.

St. Bartholomew was likely named as such because he was the son of a man named Talmai or Ptolemy, with the ‘bar’ in Hebrew meaning ‘son of’. As Ptolemy or Ptolemeus at that time was a Greek name, it was likely that he was a Hellenised Jew, with the given name of Nathanael. He was a wise and learned man, who knew the Law and the Prophets well, just as we heard in our Gospel passage today. In what he said upon knowing that the Lord Jesus had come from the region of Nazareth in Galilee, with the words, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’, it indicated to us his familiarity with the prophets and their prophecies about the coming of the Messiah or the Saviour of Israel. But the Lord convinced Nathanael and showed Him His power, wisdom and truth, as He told him that He saw him below the fig tree, revealing His ability to know the thoughts and the location of Nathanael, showing that He was truly the Messiah of God promised to the people that He loved. Thus, Nathanael or St. Bartholomew recognised the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel, the Holy One of God.

Later on, after everything that happened with the Lord and His Passion, His suffering and death on the Cross, and the events surrounding His Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit, it was told according to the Apostolic traditions that St. Bartholomew went on missions to spread the Good News and truth of God to many distant places including India and Armenia among other places. In India, it was told that St. Bartholomew went to the ancient city of Kalyan and other places, spreading the word of God and His truth, complementing the works of St. Thomas who also went to that land. He also went to Armenia as mentioned, together with another Apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus, in proclaiming the Good News and in calling more and more people to come to know their Lord and Saviour. In his travels and works throughout that region, St. Bartholomew managed to gain converts to the true Faith, while facing opposition and hardships in the midst of his missions.

In Armenia, it was told that St. Bartholomew managed to convert the ruler or king of Armenia named Polymius, who embraced the Christian faith because of the preaching and the works of St. Bartholomew. This brought about a resistance from the pagans and the powerful nobles, led by the king’s brother, Astyages, who therefore ordered the arrest and then torture of St. Bartholomew. In what would become truly renowned about St. Bartholomew, the Apostle was flayed or skinned alive and then beheaded. Thus, that is why many of the portrayals of St. Bartholomew showed the Apostle holding onto his own flayed skin. Another tradition stated that St. Bartholomew was crucified upside-down in the manner just like another Apostle, St. Peter. In the end, regardless in what way St. Bartholomew was martyred, what matters is that he died defending his faith, and suffered just as the Lord Himself had suffered, for the glory of God and for the good of His people.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Apostle, St. Bartholomew, on this day, let us all therefore reflect upon the actions and dedication which St. Bartholomew had shown the Lord and all of us, in everything he had done, in all the works and missions he had gone to, in proclaiming the Good News of God courageously and fearlessly, and in living his life with great virtues and examples, that many were convinced by his words and actions, in accepting and embracing the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Master, and as their Saviour and King. For all that he had done, in doing God’s will to the very end, St. Bartholomew has been glorified and raised to the bliss and joy of Heaven, as the Lord had promised to all those who have been faithful to Him. As we heard in our first reading today, from the Revelation or Apocalypse of St. John, we heard how St. John saw the vision of the New Jerusalem, with the names of the Apostles inscribed upon its gates.

Thus, that is how the Lord will also treat all those who have been faithful and true to Him, all those who have given their lives to His cause, like all the Apostles and the holy saints and martyrs, and the innumerable other holy men and women, who have gone before us, and whose lives shone forth with great virtue and faith. Their works and examples should serve inspiration to all of us as Christians, God’s beloved people and disciples, on how each and every one of us should be living our own lives with faith. We should be inspired and strengthened by their examples, particularly that of St. Bartholomew, in how we should act and do our best to love one another, and to proclaim God’s truth and Good News by our faithful lives. This is our calling as Christians, and what each and every one of us should do, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore all of us are reminded today that we cannot be idle in the living of our faith in life. Each one of us have been blessed and given the grace of God’s love and kindness, His gifts, talents, abilities and the various opportunities that have been presented to us. If the Apostles and the other holy saints and martyrs had not done what they did for the sake of the Lord, in doing what the Lord had called and told them to do, in making the effort and in sacrificing time and their comfort for the spread of the Good News and the Light of God’s truth, in sharing His love and compassionate mercy, many souls including ours would have been doomed to damnation, and we might not have received His love and kindness, His truth and Good News, His salvation and grace. We are all called and inspired to do our best that our lives may truly reflect our Christian faith and all that the Lord had taught us to do, just as St. Bartholomew had done with his life.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen all of us, in our every works and actions, in every moments of our lives. May He inspire and empower all of us so that we may serve Him ever more faithfully and with greater courage, in the manner that St. Bartholomew, and the other Holy Apostles, saints and martyrs had done. All of us are part of the Lord’s Church and each one of us are integral part of the missions which God has entrusted to us. Let us all strive to commit our every time and effort to glorify God and to seek the betterment of all mankind. May God bless us all and bless our every works, and may He remain with us always, and strengthen us in all of our endeavours. St. Bartholomew, Holy Apostle of the Lord, pray for us all sinners. Amen.

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Monday, 24 August 2026 : Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 1 : 45-51

At that time, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets : He is Jesus, Son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, He said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked Him, “How do You know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.”

Nathanael answered, “Master, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”