Ordinary season

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Tuesday, 25 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 9 : 30-37

At that time, after leaving the place where He cast out evil spirit from a deaf and dumb boy, Jesus and His disciples made their way through Galilee, but He did not want people to know where He was because He was teaching His disciples. And He told them, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, but three days after He has been killed, He will rise.”

The disciples, however, did not understand these words and they were afraid to ask Him what He meant. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, Jesus asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they did not answer, because they had been arguing about who was the greatest.

Then He sat down, called the Twelve and said to them, “If someone wants to be first, let him be last of all and servant of all.” Then He took a little child, placed him in their midst, and putting His arms around him, He said to them, “Whoever welcomes a child such as this in My Name, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes not Me but the One Who sent Me.”

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Tuesday, 25 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 36 : 3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and live on it. Make the Lord your delight, and He will grant your heart’s desire.

The Lord watches over the lives of the upright; forever will their inheritance abide. They are not crushed in times of calamity; when famine strikes, they still are satisfied.

Do good and shun evil, so that you will live secure forever. For the Lord loves justice and right, and never forsakes His faithful ones. The wicked instead will perish and their breed will be cut off.

The Lord is the salvation of the righteous; in time of distress, He is their refuge. The Lord helps them, and rescues them from the oppressor; He saves them for they sought shelter in Him.

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Tuesday, 25 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 2 : 1-11

My son, if you have decided to serve the Lord, prepare yourselves for trials. Keep your heart upright and remain resolute; do not be upset in the time of adversity. Hold fast to the Lord, do not separate yourself from Him so that you may be successful to the end of your days.

Accept all that happens to you, be patient when you are humbled, for as gold is tested in the fire, so those acceptable to God are tested in the crucible of humiliation. Have confidence in Him and He will take care of you; follow the right path and hope in Him.

You who fear the Lord, wait for His mercy and do not turn away lest you fall. You who fear the Lord, trust Him and you will not lose your reward. You who fear the Lord, hope for all good things; hope for eternal joy and mercy. Remember what happened to your ancestors. Who has ever trusted in the Lord and been confounded? Who has persevered in fear of the Lord and been abandoned? Who has called upon Him and not been heard?

For the Lord is compassion and loving kindness; He forgives our sins and saves us in time of distress.

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th 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 us all to put our trust and faith in God and His Wisdom, His guidance and help. We cannot think that we alone has the power to make all things work for us, as it is by God’s grace, help and guidance that we have become successful in this life. Through the Wisdom that He has imparted to us all, God has revealed the path for all of us to follow in life so that we may come to the path of righteousness and remain firm in the conviction to follow Him in each and every moments of our lives. The Wisdom of God has been manifested to us through His Son, Who revealed to us the truth about God’s love, and He has also imparted this same Wisdom to us through His Holy Spirit that He sent into this world.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard the prophet speaking about the Lord and the Wisdom that has come from Him, and which had been imparted on us mankind in order to make us understand and appreciate parts of the mystery of Creation, of all things that we have experienced around us, in our perception of the world and all that is in it. And the prophet Sirach also mentioned how God is the source of all Wisdom, of all truth and revelations, and He generously offers His Wisdom and truth to all of His beloved ones, wanting all of us to share in His love and truth, so that we may know how much we have been loved by Him, and how precious all of us truly are in His Presence.

However, how come is then that we mankind cannot perceive this Wisdom, even though the Lord has been so generous in giving unto us this great grace of the Wisdom He has imparted to us? That is because we have likely allowed the veil of ignorance and the corruption of sin to prevent them from accessing the great riches of the Wisdom which they had been blessed with, and therefore we continue to live our lives with ignorance of the truth and Wisdom of God, which we could have easily accessed should we embrace God and His truth willingly and commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His cause. We should allow God’s Wisdom to endow us with the understanding and appreciation of the truth, and for Him to lead us all down the right path in life. This is why we cannot let our pride and ego, our greed and ambitions to lead us astray and to move away from the path towards God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord speaking to His disciples who were arguing with some of the teachers of the Law because they were unable to cast out evil spirits that were afflicting a boy who was deaf and mute. The Lord told the boy’s father that everything is truly possible if one has faith in God and trust in Him. And the Lord proved this by showing His power, casting out the evil spirit that was afflicting the boy, and made him to be whole and healthy again. The evil spirit went out shrieking from the boy, having to obey the command from the Lord, revealing that not even the power of the evil spirits can prevail against that of the power and wisdom of God. God’s Wisdom and power far surpass that of man’s, and as long as we put our faith and trust in God, then we will be fine.

The Lord also told His disciples that they were unable to cast out the demons from within the boy because only prayer can drive out that kind of demon, and nothing else, a reminder that without prayer, that is connection to God, and the power from the Lord, whatever things we do, all of them may not avail against the forces of the diabolical, the wicked forces of evil that cannot be countered by physical or worldly means. While the details were not listed in the Gospel passage today, but it can be inferred that the disciples did not have enough faith in the Lord and did not put their trust fully in God through prayer, or that they were too confident with themselves, thinking with pride that since the Lord had granted them with the power and authority over the evil spirits then they could easily cast out those demons and spirits with ease.

That was why they probably began to act in manner that were not truly attuned with the Lord, thinking that it was by their own greatness and power that they had performed those miracles and signs. And amidst this wavering faith and connection to God, those evil spirits could challenge them and refuse to obey them. This is hence a reminder for all of us not to be easily swayed by the evil one, and all of his wicked forces, but to remain firm in our conviction to follow the Lord ever more faithfully and to attune ourselves well to His will, strengthening our connection to Him through regular and constant prayerful lives, devoting good quality time with our loving God and Father as we all should have done in each and every days of our lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect carefully upon what we have just listened to from our Scripture passages today, especially with regards to how each and every one of us as Christians, as God’s people should always strive to draw our inspiration in life from God and focus our whole effort and attention on Him. All of us should not seek the glory of the world and all of its temptations and pleasures, resisting the many pressures, coercion and all the other things that often become obstacles in our path towards God and His salvation. Each and every one of us as Christians need to show the path forward towards the Lord, becoming the beacons of God’s light and truth to all the whole world, to everyone whom we encounter in our journey of life.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God, Who has given us all His most wonderful and impressive Wisdom to help and guide us in our journey throughout life continue to bring us all ever closer to His Holy Presence. And may by the power and guidance of His Wisdom, ever present in our midst, in our hearts and minds, we will grow to be ever more faithful disciples and followers of God, becoming good role models and inspirations for everyone else to follow. May God be with us in our every good works and endeavours, and may He bless our every good efforts made in His Name, all for His greater glory. Amen.

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 9 : 14-29

At that time, when Jesus and His disciples, Peter, James and John came to the place where they had left the disciples, they saw many people around them and some teachers of the Law arguing with them. When the people saw Jesus, they were astonished and ran to greet Him.

He asked, “What are you arguing about with them?” A man answered Him from the crowd, “Master, I brought my son to You, for he has a spirit, deaf and mute. Whenever the spirit seizes him, it throws him down and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth and becomes stiff all over. I asked Your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not.”

Jesus replied, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” And the brought the boy to Him. As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it shook and convulsed the boy, who fell on the ground, and began rolling about, foaming at the mouth.

Then Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. If You can do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “Why do you say, ‘If You can?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe, but help the little faith I have.” Jesus saw that the crowd was increasing rapidly, so He ordered the evil spirit, “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you : Leave the boy and never enter him again.”

The evil spirit shook and convulsed the boy and with a terrible shriek came out. The boy lay like a corpse and people said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him and the boy stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not drive out the spirit?”

And He answered, “Only prayer can drive out this kind, nothing else.”

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 92 : 1ab, 1c-2, 5

The Lord reigns, robed in majesty; the Lord is girded with strength.

The world now is firm, it cannot be moved. Your throne stands from long ago, o Lord, from all eternity You are.

Your decrees can be trusted; holiness dwells in Your house day after day without end, o Lord.

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Monday, 24 February 2025 : 7th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 1 : 1-10

All wisdom comes from the Lord and endures with Him forever. The grains of sand, the drops of rain and the days of eternity, who can count them? The height of heaven, the extent of the earth and the depths of the abyss, who can measure them?

Wisdom was created before all things and the prudent intellect before the beginning of time. To whom was the source of Wisdom revealed? Who has known her secret designs? One alone is wise and greatly to be feared. The One Who is seated upon His throne.

The Lord Himself created Wisdom. He looked on her and knew her value. He poured her out over all His works; upon all mortal beings, in accordance with His goodness. He lavished her on those who love Him.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to embody in ourselves the most important virtue of love, one that denotes our Christian identity, because God Himself is Love, and as His people and children, it is imperative therefore that we have love in us, love that is truly genuine, generous and overflowing, just as God’s Love has always been shown towards us, without cease and without prejudice. God Himself has also shown us His love manifested perfectly in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and everything that we have heard in our Scripture passages this Sunday, we are all reminded to be generous in our love, first of all for the Lord, and then for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the First Book of the prophet Samuel in which the moment when David, the chosen King of Israel, who was on the run from the efforts of Saul, his predecessor as King of Israel, had a great and perfect chance to destroy the latter and seize the kingship for himself. As we heard in that passage, David and Abishai, his commander encountered Saul and his entourage in his camp in deep sleep, and David could indeed have struck Saul down there and then, and then easily seize the kingship over all of Israel which God had promised to him as the chosen new King to replace Saul. But David refused to do such a thing, and he resisted the temptations and the pressure from his commander Abishai, who encouraged him to strike Saul down. David showed mercy and love towards Saul, and let him to go unharmed, and told Saul that he would not strike at him, even when Saul had repeatedly sought his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this example of love which King David showed to all of us is one of selfless love and love that endures even through difficulties, challenges and temptations. David chose to love even his enemies, those who have made his life difficult, persecuting him and chasing him away from the comfort of his life in Israel, where he had to wander off in the wilderness as an outlaw with his supporters. And yet, David remained full of love, compassion and mercy to those who have wronged him and attacked him. And this is the exact same kind of love that Christ Himself has also shown us, which He alluded in our Gospel passage this Sunday, as He spoke of how all of us as Christians ought to show love to everyone and not just to those who have loved us back. Our love should be truly unconditional and generous, and be shown to everyone we encounter in our lives.

This is of course much easier said than done, and it is indeed difficult for us to love those who have made our lives difficult, those who despised us and hated us. But if we do not show the first step to love them, and grew to hate and despise them instead, then there will be no end to this cycle of hatred and evil, as our hatred will only lead to even more hatred and negativities, which then lead to even more hatred and so on. As Christians, we are all challenged to be loving, compassionate and caring even to those who ignored us, those who refused our love and hated us, those who considered us to be their enemies and those who did not see eye to eye with us. As the Lord Himself had said, that if we only love those who love us back, then what difference that would make us as compared to those unbelievers, and even those who are evil and wicked in their ways, as they also do the same as well in their own lives.

Instead, as Christians, we are all challenged to show selfless and universal love, to everyone around us without any exception, much as the Lord Himself had done in His own life and ministry. Christ Himself has shown love and mercy to all, forgiving those who have rejected and hurt Him, those who have persecuted and oppressed Him. Despite having been betrayed and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to save, He still carried the Cross willingly for their sake, and when He suffered and died on that same Cross at Calvary, He died to save everyone, including those who have wronged Him and punished Him. He did not mean for His salvation to be kept only for those who are on His side or those who have favoured Him back, but to everyone, especially the last, the lost and the least, and this included those who have made Him to suffer as well.

And through this most loving and selfless sacrifice, our Lord has become the perfect offering for the atonement of our sins, and just as St. Paul in our second reading this Sunday, from the Epistle that he wrote to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, Christ has become the New Adam that negated the old sins of the old Adam, the disobedience and sins that have corrupted our human nature and existence. By His own perfect obedience and perfect love, the most generous, selfless and exemplary love that He has shown especially through His sacrifice and offering on the Cross, by bearing all of our sins and their consequences upon Himself, shouldering the burden and punishments that should have been ours to suffer, so that by His suffering and death all of us may be assured of the eternal life and salvation that God has promised to us from the very beginning.

The devil wants us to hate one another and to be angry at our fellow brethren, because if we are divided amongst ourselves due to this, it will be easy for him to strike at us and to drag us down into the path towards damnation. He does not want us to be filled with love, because love will lead us away from this path of darkness, and instead, the evil one is always ever busy in trying to tempt us with all sorts of temptations of the world, with the greed, ego and pride, all of which are the very reasons why we tend to be angry and be at conflict with each other, due to our conflicting wants and desires, and if we do not manage this carefully, we may end up losing our struggle against evil and sin, and fall into the path towards damnation and destruction, away from God, His love and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be good and loving Christians at all times, to be filled with great love and kindness, compassion and mercy towards our fellow brothers and sisters, much as the Lord Himself, King David and many others among our holy predecessors, the holy saints and martyrs had done in their own lives and examples. We too should be truly filled with love in all things, and be generous in sharing our blessings with each other. We should strive to love everyone around us, all whom we encounter in life in each and every moments so that truly by our love and examples, more will come to know the Lord, and also know that we are indeed Christians, by our deeds and actions filled with this same love that God has shown us all. Let us all as His beloved people, continue to love most generously, showing one another how we can be better disciples and followers of God, Who is Love.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator, our most loving and generous Father and Lord, continue to bless us all and remain with us, guiding us in our every journey and in our every steps. May He continue to empower and support us all so that we may be ever stronger in our faith in Him and that we will grow ever more worthy in our lives and actions, to be His holy and beloved people, to be those whom He has called and chosen to be His own. May God be with us always, and may He bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and fill them with His most wonderful love, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday all of us are reminded of the need for all of us to embody in ourselves the most important virtue of love, one that denotes our Christian identity, because God Himself is Love, and as His people and children, it is imperative therefore that we have love in us, love that is truly genuine, generous and overflowing, just as God’s Love has always been shown towards us, without cease and without prejudice. God Himself has also shown us His love manifested perfectly in the flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son, Our Lord and Saviour. Through Him and everything that we have heard in our Scripture passages this Sunday, we are all reminded to be generous in our love, first of all for the Lord, and then for our fellow brothers and sisters around us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the First Book of the prophet Samuel in which the moment when David, the chosen King of Israel, who was on the run from the efforts of Saul, his predecessor as King of Israel, had a great and perfect chance to destroy the latter and seize the kingship for himself. As we heard in that passage, David and Abishai, his commander encountered Saul and his entourage in his camp in deep sleep, and David could indeed have struck Saul down there and then, and then easily seize the kingship over all of Israel which God had promised to him as the chosen new King to replace Saul. But David refused to do such a thing, and he resisted the temptations and the pressure from his commander Abishai, who encouraged him to strike Saul down. David showed mercy and love towards Saul, and let him to go unharmed, and told Saul that he would not strike at him, even when Saul had repeatedly sought his death.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, this example of love which King David showed to all of us is one of selfless love and love that endures even through difficulties, challenges and temptations. David chose to love even his enemies, those who have made his life difficult, persecuting him and chasing him away from the comfort of his life in Israel, where he had to wander off in the wilderness as an outlaw with his supporters. And yet, David remained full of love, compassion and mercy to those who have wronged him and attacked him. And this is the exact same kind of love that Christ Himself has also shown us, which He alluded in our Gospel passage this Sunday, as He spoke of how all of us as Christians ought to show love to everyone and not just to those who have loved us back. Our love should be truly unconditional and generous, and be shown to everyone we encounter in our lives.

This is of course much easier said than done, and it is indeed difficult for us to love those who have made our lives difficult, those who despised us and hated us. But if we do not show the first step to love them, and grew to hate and despise them instead, then there will be no end to this cycle of hatred and evil, as our hatred will only lead to even more hatred and negativities, which then lead to even more hatred and so on. As Christians, we are all challenged to be loving, compassionate and caring even to those who ignored us, those who refused our love and hated us, those who considered us to be their enemies and those who did not see eye to eye with us. As the Lord Himself had said, that if we only love those who love us back, then what difference that would make us as compared to those unbelievers, and even those who are evil and wicked in their ways, as they also do the same as well in their own lives.

Instead, as Christians, we are all challenged to show selfless and universal love, to everyone around us without any exception, much as the Lord Himself had done in His own life and ministry. Christ Himself has shown love and mercy to all, forgiving those who have rejected and hurt Him, those who have persecuted and oppressed Him. Despite having been betrayed and rejected by the very people to whom He had been sent to save, He still carried the Cross willingly for their sake, and when He suffered and died on that same Cross at Calvary, He died to save everyone, including those who have wronged Him and punished Him. He did not mean for His salvation to be kept only for those who are on His side or those who have favoured Him back, but to everyone, especially the last, the lost and the least, and this included those who have made Him to suffer as well.

And through this most loving and selfless sacrifice, our Lord has become the perfect offering for the atonement of our sins, and just as St. Paul in our second reading this Sunday, from the Epistle that he wrote to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, Christ has become the New Adam that negated the old sins of the old Adam, the disobedience and sins that have corrupted our human nature and existence. By His own perfect obedience and perfect love, the most generous, selfless and exemplary love that He has shown especially through His sacrifice and offering on the Cross, by bearing all of our sins and their consequences upon Himself, shouldering the burden and punishments that should have been ours to suffer, so that by His suffering and death all of us may be assured of the eternal life and salvation that God has promised to us from the very beginning.

The devil wants us to hate one another and to be angry at our fellow brethren, because if we are divided amongst ourselves due to this, it will be easy for him to strike at us and to drag us down into the path towards damnation. He does not want us to be filled with love, because love will lead us away from this path of darkness, and instead, the evil one is always ever busy in trying to tempt us with all sorts of temptations of the world, with the greed, ego and pride, all of which are the very reasons why we tend to be angry and be at conflict with each other, due to our conflicting wants and desires, and if we do not manage this carefully, we may end up losing our struggle against evil and sin, and fall into the path towards damnation and destruction, away from God, His love and salvation.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be good and loving Christians at all times, to be filled with great love and kindness, compassion and mercy towards our fellow brothers and sisters, much as the Lord Himself, King David and many others among our holy predecessors, the holy saints and martyrs had done in their own lives and examples. We too should be truly filled with love in all things, and be generous in sharing our blessings with each other. We should strive to love everyone around us, all whom we encounter in life in each and every moments so that truly by our love and examples, more will come to know the Lord, and also know that we are indeed Christians, by our deeds and actions filled with this same love that God has shown us all. Let us all as His beloved people, continue to love most generously, showing one another how we can be better disciples and followers of God, Who is Love.

May the Lord, our most loving God and Creator, our most loving and generous Father and Lord, continue to bless us all and remain with us, guiding us in our every journey and in our every steps. May He continue to empower and support us all so that we may be ever stronger in our faith in Him and that we will grow ever more worthy in our lives and actions, to be His holy and beloved people, to be those whom He has called and chosen to be His own. May God be with us always, and may He bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, and fill them with His most wonderful love, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 23 February 2025 : Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 6 : 27-38

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “But I say to you who hear Me : Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who treat you badly. To the one who strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek; from the one who takes your coat, do not keep back your shirt. Give to the one who asks, and if anyone has taken something from you, do not demand it back.”

“Do to others as you would have others do to you. If you love only those who love you, what kind of grace is yours? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do favours to those who are good to you, what kind of grace is yours? Even sinners do the same. If you lend only when you expect to receive, what kind of grace is yours? For sinners also lend to sinners, expecting to receive something in return.

But love your enemies and do good to them, and lend when there is nothing to expect in return. Then will your reward be great, and you will be sons and daughters of the Most High. For He is kind toward the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

“Do not be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back.”