Pope Benedict XVI

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Sunday, 13 September 2026 : Twenty-Fourth 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 as Christians, each and every one of us are called to be full of love, care and compassion for each other, to be forgiving and merciful just as our Lord Himself has been loving, caring and merciful towards us. Each one of us should be filled with God’s ever generous mercy and love, in our every actions, words and deeds, so that in all the things we say and do, we will always radiate God’s love and compassion, and be ever ready to forgive one another our faults and mistakes, which is what our Christian faith and calling are all about. Just as the Lord Himself has shown us all the love and compassionate mercy, thus we too, as His disciples and followers, should always be filled with the same love and kindness to one another.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Sirach, we heard of the words of the prophet Sirach in which we are all reminded that as God’s faithful people and believers, each and every one of us should always be filled with love and forgiveness, patience and humility. All these virtues and values are very important for all of us, as these are what the Lord Himself has shown us, all these while, in His ever patient love for all of us, His most generous and tender mercy, all the compassion He has shown us despite our frequent and constant rebellions, disobedience and wickedness in our lives. If God Himself has not despised or hated us for all of these, and still continued to love us all regardless, then why can’t we do the same as well, brothers and sisters?

The prophet Sirach also mentioned how we have to learn to forgive one another first and to show mercy on others around us, before we can even expect to be forgiven our own sins and mistakes by God. That corresponds very well with what we all know in the Lord’s Prayer, in the phrase, ‘Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us’. And as we have seen from that example of the Lord’s Prayer, which we all should know very well, forgiveness and compassion, love for one another is at the very centre and heart of our Christian existence and lives. We cannot  claim to be true and genuine Christians unless our lives, our every words, actions and interactions with one another show the kind of love, compassion and mercy that God Himself has shown us ever so generously all these while.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the famous parable of the unforgiving and ungrateful servant, in which we are reminded yet again that unless we show the same kind of love and mercy that God has shown us, then no love and mercy will truly be shown and given to us. We must always be ready to forgive one another, to be charitable and compassionate, and to be patient with each other, as after all, just as others had wronged us, or made us angry and unhappy, there are likely moments and times when we ourselves have made others to be angry with us, or when our own words and actions had caused hurt or hardships to others. That is why, we should forgive each other our faults and mistakes to each other, and not to hold grudge or hatred against anyone else, reminding ourselves that God had forgiven us far greater sins that we have committed against Him.

In that parable, the king, who represents our Lord and God, had forgiven a servant who owed him a huge sum of ten thousand pieces of gold, a truly phenomenal amount, when that servant begged the king to give him more time to settle the account, and not to punish him and his family for the debt. The king was so generous that he did not just do that, but proceeded to cancel the whole entire debt, representing just how wonderful is God’s love and mercy to us, that despite our innumerable sins, He still graciously and willingly forgave us when we came to Him, seeking His forgiveness and mercy. Yet, that same servant then went on to threaten and force another servant who owed him merely just a hundred pieces of silver, which while it may seem to be a significant sum of money, but it paled in comparison to ten thousand pieces of gold that he had been forgiven from by the king.

We heard how that servant refused to budge or forgive his fellow servant the much smaller debt that he was owed, and how his uncharitable and wicked actions came to be known by the king, who then ordered the ungrateful servant not only to pay his debts in full again, but to face the full severity of his punishments, for his lack of charity towards his fellow servants and brethren, and for lacking in gratitude and appreciation for the mercy and love that he had been shown. This is therefore a very important reminder to each and every one of us that we must always show kindness, compassion and mercy to each other, and to be ready to forgive and to let go of our hatred and anger, with our fellow brothers and sisters. This is of course easier said than done, but unless we keep our focus and thoughts on the right things in life, that is on God and His Law and precepts, then with time and effort, we should be able to do what we have been expected to do.

Often times, the main obstacle to our ability to forgive others and to love one another as we should, is our own pride and desire. Our pride and ego often became stumbling block in our path because we end up being so focused on our wants and desires, our ambitions and pursuits that turn us inwards and behaving exactly like that ungrateful and wicked servant, whose self-interest and selfish wants and pursuits ended him in great trouble, because he could not look past his own desires and the ego he had. In his attempts to gain things for himself, therefore, he faltered and fell into disobedience against his master’s will, who definitely wanted all of his servants to follow what he had done, in forgiving and being generous to one another.

This is also what St. Paul briefly mentioned in our second reading passage today from his Epistle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, in which he mentioned how everyone lived and ought to live for the sake of the Lord, and that when they die, they ought to die in the Lord, reminding all of them how Christ, their Lord and Saviour had suffered and died for them, through His Cross, by which He saved all of us from the darkness of evil, sin and death, and brought us all to the assurance and hope of eternal life and the light of His grace and salvation. It reminds us all that our lives should not be centred on ourselves and our own ambitions, but rather, be centred on God. As Christians, we should always have the love first and foremost for God, and then, to love our brethren, our fellow men and women, in the same manner.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have been reminded of these passages from the Scriptures, let us all therefore strive from now on, to be ever more loving and forgiving to our brothers and sisters around us, to be merciful and compassionate, following the examples set by the Lord Himself. He has kept on loving us and caring for us despite our constant disobedience and rebelliousness, and He has always patiently reached out to us with ever generous love. He has forgiven us despite our repeated wayward actions and betrayals. Like the king in the parable who had forgiven that servant who owed him a lot, the Lord has forgiven us our innumerable sins and wickedness.

Therefore, are we able to follow His path and examples, and love ever more generously, be more forgiving in our every actions, ways and interactions? Can we purge from our hearts and minds the poison of hatred, anger, envy, jealousy and all the things which may end up causing us to hate one another and cause hurt to each other. Let us all instead cultivate the culture of forgiveness, compassion and selfless love, in all of our actions and dealings. May the Lord be with us always in our journey, and may He continue to bless us all in our every efforts and endeavours, for His greater glory, now and always. Amen.

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Sunday, 13 September 2026 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 18 : 21-35

At that time, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times must I forgive the offences of my brother or sister? Seven times?” Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

“This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven : A king decided to settle accounts with his servants. Among the first of them was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment.”

“The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, ‘Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.’ The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even cancelled his debt. When this servant left the king’s presence, he met one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the throat and almost choked him, shouting, ‘Pay me what you owe!'”

“His fellow servant threw himself at his feet and begged him, ‘Give me time, and I will pay everything.’ But the other did not agree, and sent him to prison until he has paid all his debt. Now the servants of the king saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord.”

“Then the lord summoned his servant and said, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed me when you begged me to do so. Were you not bound to have pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ The lord was now angry. He handed the wicked servant over to be punished, until he had paid the whole debt.”

Jesus added, “So will My heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters.”

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Sunday, 13 September 2026 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Romans 14 : 7-9

In fact, none of us lives for himself, nor dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Either in life or in death, we belong to the Lord; It was for this purpose that Christ both died and came to life again, to be Lord, both of the living and of the dead.

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Sunday, 13 September 2026 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12

Praise YHVH, my soul; all my being, praise His holy Name! Praise YHVH, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

He will not always scold nor will He be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His love for those fearing Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove from us our sins.

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Sunday, 13 September 2026 : Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sirach 27 : 30 – Sirach 28 : 7

Grudge and wrath, these also are abominations in which sinful people excel. He who demands revenge will suffer the vengeance of the Lord Who keeps a strict account of his sins. Forgive the mistakes of your neighbour and you may ask that your sins be forgiven.

If a man bears resentment against another, how can he ask God for healing? If he has no compassion on others, how can he pray for forgiveness for his sins? As long as he, mere flesh, is resentful, who will obtain his pardon? Remember your end and give up hatred; keep in mind your final corruption in the grave and keep the commandments.

Remember the commandments and do not bear grudges against your neighbour. Remember the Covenant with the Most High and overlook the offence.

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Saturday, 12 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, in which we honour Mary and her most holy name, which like that of her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is feared by the devil, our great enemy, who has always despised her for having taken so many away from his clutches, because of all of her efforts in reaching out to us, all these time, in trying to bring us back once again towards the Lord, our Saviour, her Son. Mary has always cared for all of us, whom her Son had entrusted to us to be her own, and hence, we have her as our own beloved mother. Through her many efforts and outreach towards us, Mary had brought so many among us and our predecessors out of the darkness of sin and evil, and back into the path towards the salvation and eternal life in her Son.

In our first reading today, we heard several possible readings for today, the Epistles written by St. Paul the Apostle, either from the Scriptures or the day or the readings for this Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, and in them we heard reminders for all of us that ultimately, it was by the coming of the salvation of God through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Our Lord, that we have been saved and guaranteed the assurance of heavenly glory, if we continue to be faithful to Him, and if we kept on obeying His Law and commandments, and walk faithfully in His path, then we shall truly be blessed and empowered by Him, to be His disciples and to be the shining beacons and examples of His love and truth in this world.

It is a reminder for all of us today that God is and should be our focus and emphasis in life, and it was through His Son that God has rescued us from our fated destruction and damnation, because His coming into this world opened up for us all the path of liberation and freedom, the light that pierced through the darkness that surrounded all of us. And what about Mary and the role that she plays in all of this? Mary is the one through whom we have the surest and most direct path towards the salvation in her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and that is why, we have the famous phrase, ‘Ad Jesum per Mariam’ or ‘To Jesus through Mary’, which highlights to us the very important role that Mary has in helping all of us, her beloved adopted children, in our path towards redemption.

We must all understand clearly that Mary did not save us all by herself, or that her Most Holy Name is holy and sacred by her own right and volition. Instead, Mary is indeed Holy, her Name truly Holy and wonderful, and feared by the devil and all of his wicked forces, because of her faith in God, her righteous and most exemplary actions and life, and her connection and love that she has for her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, as the Mother of God, and also for all of us, her beloved children, through which not only that the devil is constantly reminded of the final defeat that he will face in the end, but also how often he had been thwarted in his efforts to condemn souls into hell, and to corrupt the children of mankind because of the great efforts of Mary, the Mother of God, and our mother.

And since Mary is the Mother of God, and the mother of a King is truly honoured in the kingdom in the past, Mary is truly a mighty Queen by association with her Son, Our Lord and King, and we ought to honour her and to treat her and her Name with utmost deference and respect. That is why, just like the Most Holy Name of her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, we must also honour the Most Holy Name of Mary, as a name that is truly powerful and effective against the attacks and depredations by the forces of evil, invoking our loving Mother’s protection and intercession on our behalf, that God will be moved to protect us from the attacks and the oppressions by the forces of evil being present all around each and every one of us.

But even more so than her connection to her Son, as the Mother of God and of our Lord and Saviour, we honour Mary because of her virtues and righteousness. It was her total obedience to God that allowed her to play such an important part in the history of our salvation. Her ‘yes’ to the Archangel Gabriel and her commitment to the missions entrusted to her showed unto us the perfect role model and inspiration for all of us to follow in how we ourselves should be living our lives, that is with faith and commitment to God. Mary’s faith and commitment should be the strong inspiration that encourage us all to be following God wholeheartedly in the same way as well, and this is yet another reason why the devil fears her so much, because there is nothing in her that he can find any blame with. Sin has no power over her, and hence neither did the devil ever have any dominion over her.

And through her works, even now from her heavenly throne, beside that of her Son, Mary continues to help bring many more of us to the salvation and eternal life assured to us by her Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Mary has never ceased to intercede for all of us sinners, having always shown her love and care for us, just as her numerous apparitions and miraculous presence have shown us, how she truly wants all of us to come ever closer to the throne of her Son’s mercy, to be forgiven our many sins and wickedness, so that we may once again be worthy of God, and be no longer distant or separated away from Him, entering into renewed relationship with Him, one that is founded upon the strong and enduring love that we ought to have in Him, and that our faith in Him will always be strong.

Today, let us all ask our blessed and loving Mother Mary, whose Most Holy Name we honour and glorify, to pray for us always, to intercede for us sinners, that we may be forgiven our many sins, and be reconciled with her Son, Our most loving Saviour, our God and Creator. May Mary, Holy Queen and Mother, continue to guide and help us all in our journey of faith and life, that we may always come ever closer to the glory and joy of Heaven, and distance ourselves from the wickedness and evils of sin. May God be with us too, and may He empower us all to follow Him ever more faithfully, at all times. Amen.

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Saturday, 12 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Luke 6 : 43-49

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “No healthy tree bears bad fruit, no poor tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it bears : you do not gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles. Similarly, the good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart. For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart.”

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what the one is like, who comes to Me, and listens to My words, and acts accordingly. That person is like the builder who dug deep, and laid the foundations of his house on rock. The river overflowed, and the stream dashed against the house, but could not carry it off because the house had been well built.”

“But the one who listens and does not act, is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation. The flood burst against it, and the house fell at once : and what a terrible disaster that was!”

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Luke 1 : 39-47

Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!”

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Saturday, 12 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 17-18

How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.

I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of YHVH. I will carry out my vows to YHVH in the presence of His people.

Alternative Psalm (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

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Saturday, 12 September 2026 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Most Holy Name of Mary or Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

1 Corinthians 10 : 14-22

Therefore, dear friends, shun the cult of idols. I address you as intelligent persons; judge what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion with the Blood of Christ? And the bread that we break, is it not a communion with the Body of Christ?

The bread is one, and so we, though many, form one body, sharing the one bread. Consider the Israelites. For them, to eat of the victim is to come into communion with its altar. What does all that mean? That the meat is really consecrated to the idol, or that the idol is a being.

However, when the pagans offer a sacrifice, the sacrifice goes to the demons, not to God. I do not want you to come into fellowship with demons. You cannot drink, at the same time, from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons. You cannot share in the table of the Lord and in the table of the demons. Do we want, perhaps, to provoke the jealousy of the Lord? Could we be stronger than He?

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Galatians 4 : 4-7

But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son. He came born of woman and subject to the Law, in order to redeem the subjects of the Law, that we might receive adoption as children of God.

And because you are children, God has sent into your hearts the Spirit of His Son which cries out : Abba! That is, Father! You yourself are no longer a slave but a son or daughter, and yours is the inheritance by God’s grace.

Alternative reading (Mass of the Most Holy Name of Mary)

Ephesians 1 : 3-6

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our Lord, Who, in Christ, has blessed us from heaven, with every spiritual blessing. God chose us, in Christ, before the creation of the world, to be holy, and without sin in His presence.

From eternity He destined us, in love, to be His adopted sons and daughters, through Christ Jesus, thus fulfilling His free and generous will. This goal suited Him : that His loving-kindness, which He granted us His beloved might finally receive all glory and praise.

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Friday, 11 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 presented with the reminder that as Christians we should not live our lives with arrogance, pride and ambition in our minds and hearts, and we should instead constantly place the Lord and His truth as the centre and focus of our lives, our works and our every efforts. We should allow the Lord to guide us in our works and journey, while at the same time we should also be fully attuned with Him and recognising our own frailty and vulnerability, our sinful and wicked state which had separated us from the fullness of God’s love and grace. It is when we allow ourselves to be swayed by our pride, hubris, ego and ambition that we will end up falling away ever further from the path of the Lord.

In our first reading today, we continue to hear from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Church and the faithful in Corinth, in which the Apostle spoke regarding the importance of serving God faithfully and putting Him above all of our own personal agendas and desires, that we may always prioritise Him above all else. All of us should do what we can to make good use of our talents, abilities and gifts in order to glorify God, and we ought to do so because we are inspired to live lives that are worthy of God and are full of commitment and love for Him, so that in everything we say and do, we will always prioritise Him, and be good role models and examples for others to witness so that they may also come to believe in God through us and our examples.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Lord Jesus speaking to the people and to His disciples regarding the faith of those who were hypocrites, using the parable of the splinter and the plank, in which the Lord criticised those hypocrites who liked to condemn others and present themselves as better and more righteous than everyone else. The Lord condemned them for their attitude and haughtiness, their pride and arrogance, all of which had led and contributed to the scandal among the people, as those same people who claimed themselves to be righteous and good, and oppressed others for their beliefs and ways, were themselves flawed and wicked in other ways.

At that time, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law in particular were among the religious and intellectual elites in the community of the people of God, where they were entrusted with the preservation of the Law of God as revealed to the people through Moses and passed down through the generations. Many of those Pharisees and teachers of the Law often acted haughtily and arrogantly because they thought that they knew it better due to their knowledge of the Law and that they were the ones entrusted with the Law’s guardianship and custody, which likely led them to think that others around them needed their guidance and that their knowledge and understanding of the Law is always right.

The problem is that those people did not realise that they themselves were flawed or wrong, and they thought that they were better than others, and that others deserved to be corrected and it was rightful for them to correct others for their supposed errors without realising and understanding that they themselves were in need of correction as well. They prided themselves in their ways and their misguided observances of the Law of God, and all these had clouded their judgment and blinded them, preventing them from being able to see the truth. They were misguided by their pride and ego, their ambitions and desires, and by the worldly praise and glory.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, all of these serve to remind us that we should not let pride, ambition, worldly glory, fame, our many desires and greed, all these from distracting us off the path towards God and His righteousness. Each one of us should do our best to prioritise God and His ways above all else, and learn to recognise our own shortcomings and what we need in order to come closer to the Lord. All of us are reminded to distance from evil and wicked ways, and to turn away from those things that can mislead us down the wrong path towards disobedience against God, the wrong path of selfishness and manipulation of others for our own self-benefits and more. Instead, we should do our best to follow the Lord in each and every moments of our lives by following our holy predecessors’ examples.

This is what we are all called to do as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own people, as those to whom He has revealed the fullness of His grace, truth and love. Meanwhile, the negative examples and things shown by those Pharisees and leaders of the people are reminders for all of us that we should not live our lives and act in the manner of those people who prioritised themselves, their ambitions and their own selfishness first above the plight of others around them. We must not think that we are better and superior than others, but instead be humbler before God and men alike, knowing our own shortcomings, faults and weaknesses.

Let us all work together therefore, as God’s beloved people, as the members of His Church, that in each and every things we do, we will always strive to bring harmony and peace to all, and be good examples, role models and inspirations for each other in our commitment and dedication to live lives that are truly worthy of God, in showing genuine faith and trust in the Lord, in all the things we do and in all circumstances. Let us all continue going forward with the conviction to be true disciples of the Lord, in truly loving Him and in loving those whom He has entrusted to our care, now and always. Amen.