Reflection of the Bible

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Sunday, 19 October 2025 : Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday we are all presented with the important reminder that God is always ever present in our midst and He has always cared about us, never abandoning us in our time and hour of need. And even when we may be encountering challenges, trials and difficulties in life, we are never alone because God Himself is always by our side, supporting and strengthening us even through those most difficult obstacles and struggles. That is why today we are all reminded that we should not easily give up and continue to have firm, enduring and genuine faith in the Lord, even through the most difficult moments in our lives. We should remember that no matter how dark the situation and outlook may be for us now, but nothing can overcome the light and hope we have in the Lord.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of Exodus, we heard of the account of the moment when a great battle broke out between the people of God, the Israelites and their bitter enemy, the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a race of migratory tribespeople who wandered around the region, and they likely viewed the Israelites as both lucrative targets for raids and also rivals for resources in the region. According to historical evidence and practices, it was likely that the Amalekites attempted to raid the Israelites as they did to the other people of the region to get captives that they could sell as slaves to the slave traders, and slavery was rampant at that time. Thus, the Israelites went to battle against those Amalekites, and God was with them.

We heard how God instructed Moses to go up a high place from where those who were involved in the battle could see him, and he was to raise his hands bearing his staff, and as we heard, as long as Moses raised his hands, the Israelites were winning against the Amalekites while the moment he lowered them, the Amalekites gained the upper hand against the Israelites. We heard then how both Aaron, Moses’ brother and Hur supported Moses’ hands until the Israelites completely defeated the Amalekites. And as we heard these things, we are in fact reminded of how God was always with His people, and when those who were fighting against the Amalekites saw Moses and his raised hands, they certainly have in them the hope that the Lord was with them and fighting their battles with them.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy, we heard of the words of the Apostle encouraging his protege to continue the good works which he had been doing in being ministers and servants of the Lord in proclaiming the Good News of the Lord to everyone whom they have encountered. St. Paul reassured St. Timothy that they all should continue to proclaim the Gospels joyfully and courageously, following the guidance which God Himself would provide them through His Holy Spirit, because every steps and journey they take, all of those shall be provided for by the Lord, and they would bring great benefits for the salvation of many souls, the souls of those whom they have encountered and touched by their good works.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus speaking and teaching using a parable to teach all the people assembled to listen to Him, with regards of the matter of putting our faith and trust in God, and the value of asking God constantly and persistently of what we seek for. The Lord used the parable of the evil judge and the persistent old woman in order to illustrate and highlight His points, which is indeed very obvious and easily understandable by the people including all of us who have listened to it as well. It is a kind reminder for all of us that persistent effort made with genuine desire and concern, with just reason and  purpose will eventually bear fruits in the end.

Not only that, but by comparing the attitude of the evil judge who feared no one and was the least likely person to listen to the pleas of the old widow to that of the Lord Himself, our most loving God and Father, we can see how if the evil judge eventually chose to listen to the old widow out of his own selfish desire not to be disturbed any further by the widow’s incessant cries and demands for help, then all the more that God, our most loving and compassionate Father will provide for us what we need, when we continue to patiently ask for Him with sincere hearts and minds. This is also in tandem with what the Lord Jesus Himself said in another occasion, when He told His disciples that ‘ask and it shall be given to you, seek, and you shall find, and knock, and the door will be opened for you’, all of which highlighting the ever generous nature of God’s love.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, that is why this Sunday we are being reminded by these Scripture readings of the need for each and every one of us to trust in the Lord and to continue to do our best to live our lives in the manner that the Lord has shown us, and to continue to hope in Him particularly as this year we also continue to celebrate this Holy Year, this Ordinary Jubilee Year of Hope. Throughout this Holy Year we have been constantly reminded of the Lord’s Presence in our lives, in how He has ceaselessly shown us this enduring and patient love, and that we can always hope in Him even through the most difficult and challenging moments of our lives. If we trust in God and put our faith in Him, we will surely never regret having done so, for it is in Him alone we can never be disappointed.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us all with the light of His hope, a Hope that never fades, a Hope that never disappoints, remembering how He has always been there for us throughout our journeys in life, throughout all the darkest and the most difficult moments when we may feel so lonely amidst all the struggles that we have to face and endure. God is always with us through it all, much as He has been with His people Israel against their enemy, the Amalekites and against all the other forces arrayed against them. Let us all therefore put our faith and trust always in the Lord, and in our every words, actions and deeds may all of us continue to inspire everyone around us, so that many more people may come to be stronger in their own faith and hope in God’s Providence and love, now and always. Amen.

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Saturday, 18 October 2025 : Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, one of the Four Evangelists who wrote the four Canonical Gospels together with St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. John. These four Canonical Gospels had been examined thoroughly by the early Church fathers and by the Church authorities in tandem with the traditions of the Church handed from the Apostles themselves, and they were found to be free from major errors and mistakes that characterised the other Gospels that might also have not been really authentic accounts of the Lord’s life and ministry. Through the authority of the Church and by the courageous works of St. Luke the Evangelist, who was rather detailed in his depiction of the life and works of Jesus, all of us Christians come to know our Lord in much greater detail.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to St. Timothy, one of his protege and one of the successors of the Apostles, regarding what had happened during his years of ministry and times of difficulties and challenges, as he was abandoned by some of his fellow co-workers of the Lord, and how some of them ended up in discord with each other. And in that particular passage, we heard how St. Luke the Evangelist himself was one of the companions of St. Paul during his many missionary journeys and works around the Mediterranean region, and that he was the only one who stayed by with St. Paul in this particular occasions despite the others having left and abandoned him during those time in ministry and journey.

St. Luke was indeed closely involved in the works of the Apostles in the early Church, having spent significant amount of time with the Apostles, particularly with that of St. Paul. That is why he is widely credited and acknowledged as the author of the important Acts of the Apostles, one of the major parts of the New Testament, becoming an important source of the works of the Apostles particularly that of St. Paul and his many major missionary journeys to the different parts of the Mediterranean and the known world at the time. The similarities between the styles of the writing and the fact that St. Luke himself followed St. Paul on his many ministries made it quite a clear conclusion of his authorship of both the Gospel of St. Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, in which the Lord Jesus sent out His disciples to go before Him on missions to the various places that He Himself was to visit as well, both to prepare His works and to extend His ministry and reach to more people that He could not directly meet and reach in person immediately. He instructed them all on what they ought to do, saying first that while the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers for the Lord’s harvest is few, highlighting how there are indeed a lot of opportunities for the Word of God and the Good News of His salvation to be spread to many more people, but the lack of faithful and courageous missionaries was preventing this from achieving its full potential.

The work of the Lord’s missionaries as He told them all frankly was to be rather challenging and difficult, much as what St. Paul, St. Luke and the other missionaries and disciples of the Lord would encounter later on during their journeys of mission and evangelisation far beyond the scope and boundary of what the Lord sent His original seventy-two disciples in the Gospel. But He encouraged them, telling them all that He would always be with them and that they would never be alone because God Himself would guide them all through His Holy Spirit, and also the reality that they would not always encounter success but also failures and rejections. There would be those who refused to believe in the Lord and in the message which the missionaries had brought, despite their efforts and works.

But the Lord told them all to remain strong and courageous, and to trust in Him wholly in their efforts and missions, and not to put their trust in their own strength and might. That was why the Lord told His disciples and those whom He sent out that they should not be bringing with them beyond what was absolutely necessary, with them having to depend on those to whom they had been sent with. This was meant to prevent those disciples from thinking that they had their successes due to their own might and power, instead of by the grace and guidance from God. And when they gave in to their temptations of pride and glory, and think that they gained their successes through their own power, that would be when the essence of the mission would be lost, and people end up seeking their own personal ambitions rather than truly serving God’s cause.

St. Paul and St. Luke among the many other missionaries took these instructions of the Lord to heart, and throughout their missions, they carried them out humbly and faithfully before God, doing whatever they could to proclaim the truth of God, His Good News and salvation, showing His love and grace to many people to whom they had gone to, establishing the Church and its many good works in various places, while enduring many difficulties, trials and challenges, opposition from the many people who refused to accept the Lord’s truth and Good News, which they carried and endured gracefully with God’s Providence and strength. They kept on going forward nonetheless, as with the many failures and hardships they encountered, there were also many successes and great things that they had accomplished for the sake of the Lord and the salvation of souls.

Now, let us spend some time reflecting on the life of St. Luke the Evangelist himself. St. Luke was a physician and a disciple and follower of St. Paul the Apostle as mentioned earlier, and St. Luke was likely born of a Greek family in the then Hellenistic city of Antioch in Syria, where he encountered early Christians and became a convert to the Faith. Some tradition held that he was a local Syrian or a Hellenised Jew living in Antioch, but regardless of his origins and background, St. Luke was notable for his educated background and capabilities, and often followed St. Paul in his travels, as well as keeping track of the works and actions of the other Apostles, which allowed him therefore to write the accounts on the works and actions of the Apostles and their companions as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

St. Luke was also a close collaborator of the faith, and was sometimes even included among the Apostles as he was considered by some Church fathers to have been part and member of the seventy or seventy-two disciples or Apostles highlighted in the Gospel passage today, those whom the Lord had chosen in the Gospels to be the ones that He sent out before Him to carry out His missions and works. He followed some of the other disciples and Apostles in their ministry, particularly that of St. Paul, whom he accompanied even in Rome, as St. Paul himself said that he was only accompanied by St. Luke in his time there. St. Luke therefore had in depth knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the works of the Lord’s disciples and the Church, as well as the events that happened back then, and his prodigious writing skills and talents contributed greatly to the Church.

According to the Church traditions and well-attested history, St. Luke continued to minister to the faithful in various ways, and went all around various places in supporting the works of the Church, as a missionary as well as a physician, caring for the spiritual and physical needs of God’s people. Eventually, he would live on to an old age of approximately eighty-four years old and passed away in Boeotia in what is parts of Central Greece today. Despite his passing, his enormous contributions in various areas, especially his detailed recollection and record of the Lord’s ministry in his Gospel, and also those of the Apostles in the Acts of the Apostles and other works influenced many others immensely, right up to our own time.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be inspired by the faith and good examples set by St. Luke the Evangelist and the other courageous missionaries of the Lord. Let us all be ever active in living our lives faithfully according to the words and teachings of the Lord contained in the Holy Gospels, and in the other parts of the Scriptures, in the teachings of the Church magisterium and the sacred traditions from the days of the Apostles themselves. Let us all continue to inspire one another as Christians so that our lives and works, our efforts and examples may touch and inspire the lives of so many others around us. May God be with us always, and may He continue to empower each and every one of us in how we live our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 17 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Red

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, we are reminded that all of us are truly dear and beloved to God, and by the account of our faith, trust and hope in Him we have been assured of the Lord’s favour and providence, and if we continue to live our lives ever more faithfully, making our faith truly alive and truly growing in us, and not merely an outward expression or focusing on appearances, then the Lord Who sees all and knows all will indeed bless and provide us with everything that we need, and we will not lack anything because all things we need will be available for us, in God’s providence and care. Instead of worrying about how we are to live and what we will have, we should focus on trusting in the Lord and just do our best in each and every moments of our lives.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, continuing from what we have heard in the past few days, of him exhorting the faithful there to continue to put their trust in God and to believe in Him regardless, and to be united as one Church of God despite all the forces that may seek to divide them all, to overcome the divisions due to their various backgrounds, with some among them coming from among the Jewish diaspora population in Rome, while others were converts from the non-Jewish or Gentile population in Rome, from the Romans themselves, Greeks and many others. Definitely there were some frictions and disagreements between them, but St. Paul told them all to overcome those differences and to remain truly faithful and centred on God.

And in today’s passage, we heard of the mention of how those who have obeyed and trusted the Lord, would be blessed by God and made worthy. The examples of Abraham and David were mentioned to us, particularly that of Abraham. Both were very revered figures in the history of the Israelites, as those who have had great faith in the Lord, and which St. Paul likely quoted to highlight his point on the importance of faith in one’s life as a Christian. Abraham trusted faithfully in God and followed Him even when he was not yet able to see the things that God had promised and reassured him with, and eventually by his faith and by the good actions and works that emanated from that faith, he received everything that he had been promised, even long after his passing.

Meanwhile, David also put his faith in God even through the most difficult moments in his life. When he faced the giant Philistine champion Goliath, he trusted in the Lord and not in the might of his own arms and armour. By God’s grace and guidance he managed to triumph against his enemy, and this happened again many more times throughout the entirety of his life, from being a young shepherd boy, to the slayer of Goliath, then to a fugitive from the court of Saul, King of Israel, and finally as King of Israel himself. David kept on believing in God and never lost faith in Him even through the most difficult times, and it is this faith which we ourselves ought to have in God as well, and we should inspire others around us to remain strong in their own faith as well.

Then, from the Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the Lord concluding His rebuke and criticism of the Pharisees, of the manner of how they had not been truly obedient to the Lord and how they had been wayward in their observation and their manner of practicing and enforcing the Law of God, which had been passed down to them and entrusted to them to teach and show the people on how they can live their lives more faithfully in God’s ways. Instead, the Pharisees had been hypocrites in their faith, placing heavy burdens on the people and on their condemnations of those whom they deemed to be inferior to them and to be unforgiveable sinners. And yet, God’s mercy and forgiveness were truly great and boundless, extended to everyone who seek for them.

God reassures His people through His Son, that His mercy, love and compassion are extended to all of them without exception, and He does not want any one of us to be lost to Him, as He has always been ever patient in caring for us and providing for us. Hence, we should always grow ever stronger in faith in Him and in our trust in the Lord’s Providence, knowing that we are more precious than anything else, and God will not purposefully abandon us to destruction and darkness. He has given us all the best benefits and the perfect gift through His own Son, and we should indeed appreciate everything that He had done for us, all the kindness and patience that He has shown us without exception, all the patient and generous love that He has always had for us, and this is what we are reminded of, that we should always be faithful to Him at all times.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest Church fathers and leaders of the Church, whose faith and dedication to the Lord was truly exemplary and great, and whose commitment and obedience, focus and emphasis on the Lord remains strong and firm despite his important position in the Church, as he led the flock entrusted to him with great zeal, courage and faith at all times. St. Ignatius of Antioch was one of the earliest Bishops of Antioch, as the successor of the Apostles, in being a disciple and follower of St. John the Apostle according to the Apostolic and Chruch traditions. He was also known as Theophorus, or God-Bearer, as according to some traditions, he was one of the children who had been brought to the Lord and blessed by Him.

St. Ignatius of Antioch dedicated himself to the well-being of his people, in spreading the Good News of God and the truth, love and hope that the Lord has revealed to His Apostles and disciples. Antioch was then one of the early and major centres of the Christian faith, and many people each day converted to the faith thanks to the efforts of the Apostles and their successors, including that of St. Ignatius of Antioch himself. St. Ignatius of Antioch courageously carried out his duties with great humility, and with great commitment and devotion, to be the Good Shepherd in managing the people of God and leading them to the right path. He was martyred during one of the persecutions of Christians running rampant at that time, but until the very end, St. Ignatius of Antioch has always remained firm in his conviction and faith in God, in serving Him all the time, throughout his life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore remind each other of the great love of God for us, and how fortunate we have been to receive the great graces and blessings from Him. And we should not therefore not taken Him and His patient love for granted. Let us all continue to lead lives that are righteous and worthy of Him at all times, doing our best to lead more and more people towards Him, now and always, through our own exemplary lives and actions. Amen.

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Thursday, 16 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hedwig, Religious, and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Religious or Holy Virgins)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that through our faith in God and by His great generosity in compassion and forgiveness, each and every one of us have received the grace of mercy and salvation from the Lord, our Saviour Himself, and each and every one of us are equally beloved, precious and dear to the Lord, and none of us should think that we are better or more deserving of God’s grace and mercy, and that others are more likely to fall into sin and damnation than us. Instead of us being biased and judgmental against each other like how the religious and intellectual elites, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law often considered themselves as superior and better than everyone else.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the faithful and the Church in Rome, we heard the words of the Apostle exhorting the believers of Christ from both Jewish and Gentile or non-Jewish origins that God had indeed intended His salvation and grace for everyone, for all of His beloved children without exception. God does not discriminate or differentiate between any of His children, and He loves all of them, all of us regardless of our backgrounds and origins, and He has made us all righteous and worthy through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, through Whom alone the salvation of all mankind and the assurance of eternal life have been given and shown to us. This comment was made by St. Paul in particular against the attitudes of the Pharisees in the Jewish community, to which St. Paul himself used to belong to.

The Pharisees particularly among the Jewish people saw themselves of being righteous and just, worthy and deserving of God’s grace and blessings, while the non-Jewish people would all be condemned to oblivion and destruction, despite them in fact also belonging to the same race of mankind, the same children of Adam, and whose lack of faith in God was not necessarily by their own fault, as they had no one to tell them about the truth of God. God therefore had revealed through Christ, His own Beloved Son, Whom He had sent into the world, that He loves everyone and wants all to be saved without exception and without discrimination. What truly matters is one’s faith and trust in God, and in how one truly applies what he or she believes in, that they are true and genuine people of God in all things, and not merely externally as what many of the Pharisees had done.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist in which the Lord Jesus continued with His rebuke of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who had often acted in the manners that were in opposition of God’s good works and in their constant struggles, criticisms and attacks against Him, all of which prevented the Lord and His disciples from doing many good things for the people who needed them. The Lord was particularly critical against all those people who claimed to be righteous and good, and yet, continued to resist the good works of God, and like their ancestors before them, persecuting all those disagreed with them and who did not follow the way that they had believed.

The Lord rebuked those self-righteous, proud and arrogant people who sought mostly for their own self-glorification and benefits over the hardships and sufferings of others around them. This is therefore also a reminder for all of us that we should not give in to the same temptations that those whom the Lord had rebuked, had given in to. Each and every one of us as Christians, all equally beloved children, sons and daughters of our Lord, all share this same grace from God and also therefore the shared responsibility to proclaim the truth and Good News of the Lord and His salvation to our world today. And this means our behaviours, attitudes and actions should all be aligned to God’s ways and will, and we should always strive to live worthily at all times, in the best way we can, in our every good efforts and works.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of two holy and great women, whose lives and great examples in faith and in their way of life should inspire each and every one of us in how we should be living our lives, and in how we can be good and devout Christians in all things, in putting our faith and trust in God, rather than in worldly matters and temptations. St. Hedwig, also known as St. Hedwig of Silesia was the Duchess of Silesia as the consort of the Silesian Duke, and was renowned for her great piety and dedication to God, while St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French religious nun, who was also renowned for her faith in God, as well as for having received visions and revelation from the Lord, which has shown His Most Sacred Heart to her.

St. Hedwig of Silesia was married to the heir of the Duke of Silesia when she was barely just twelve years old, and she was involved for many years in the great intrigue and court politics involving her husband, who struggled to maintain the ducal authority while at the same time expanding his rule and influence, against rival duchies and other rulers. In one occasion, St. Hedwig interceded on behalf of her husband, when the latter was in captivity, and her husband was released by her efforts. The virtues and good actions of St. Hedwig helped her husband in his rule, and also became great inspiration for many people of her time, and both St. Hedwig and her husband, Duke Henry of Silesia, were very pious and faithful to God. And when she was widowed after many decades of marriage, she moved into a monastery and dedicated the rest of her life in commitment to God.

Meanwhile, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was a very devout servant of God who had great and intense love for the Lord even from her early childhood. She dedicated herself to the Blessed Sacrament and the Lord, as well as to His Blessed Mother Mary, since early on, especially after recovering from a bout of serious illness, and eventually became a religious nun after having received a vision of Christ, reminding her of her love for Him. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received several private revelations on the Sacred Heart of Jesus over a period of eighteen months, in which the Lord Jesus revealed to her the intense love that God has for each and every one of us, as manifested through His Most Sacred Heart, injured and wounded because of our many sins and transgressions.

Eventually, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque revealed her visions to her superior, after a period of struggle and discernment, and the messages she received from the Lord were made known, writing testaments and other works to make the Lord’s intentions known better, for the state, the society and all the people of God. Ever since then, and after having her visions and revelations certified as genuine, the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which had actually begun centuries earlier, came to take form in the manner that we are familiar with today, and became widespread among the people throughout Christendom, which continues to this very day, all thanks to the faith, devotion and commitment shown by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the life and works of St. Hedwig and also St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and as we have discussed and reflected from our Scripture readings today, let us all therefore strive to do our best to be truly faithful to God and not merely putting up appearances and making our faith into merely a formality. Instead, we should always strive to live our lives ever more courageously in faith, doing our best in each and every moments so that by our examples in faith and life, we may indeed inspire many more people to come to believe in the Lord. May all of us continue to be faithful and committed in our everyday living, doing our very best to glorify God at all times. May He continue to strengthen us in faith each day, and bless our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Wednesday, 15 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that God will reward those who are faithful to Him, and He will punish all those who are wicked and who oppress and manipulate those who are around them. The Lord is never blind or ignorant of everything that we have done, or have not done, and He always knows our hearts, our minds and thoughts, everything that we say and do and how we interact with each other. God knows everything about us and He wants to lead all of us to Himself, showing us how we can be truly holy and worthy of Him, through what He has taught us and through the good inspirations that His saints, our holy predecessors that had shown us the way to be truly devoted and faithful to God in our lives.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful people of God in Rome, in which the Apostle continued to speak about how one ought to live his or her life as a Christian, that is as a disciple of Christ, the Saviour of all, Whom St. Paul had reminded the faithful in Rome as being sent for all mankind, regardless whether one was a Jew or whether one was a Gentile or a non-Jew. All of them are equally beloved by God and all have the same chance at salvation and eternal life, because all of us are created by God out of love, and He loves all of us without exception, even to the greatest of sinners. He has given us all many opportunities to return to Him and to be reconciled with Him, ever ready to forgive us our sins.

It is also an important reminder for each one of us as St. Paul mentioned it in that same passage we heard today, that we do not judge and condemn others especially because we think that we are better or more deserving of God’s grace and blessings than those whom we are judgmental, biased and opposed against. All of us are sinners and we all have disobeyed God in some way or form or another, and we must be humble and willing to be open-minded and to listen to others speaking to us, lest we think that we can do no wrong or that we are in any way better or more deserving than the others. It is this attitude among other things which had caused so many divisions and problems in the Church even up to this day, pushing people away from the Lord and His Church instead of towards Him.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the continuation of the rebukes and woes which the Lord Jesus pronounced against the Pharisees, who were back then one of the very influential groups within the community of the people of God, the Jewish people, together with the Sadducees. The Pharisees were the intellectual and religious elites of the community, where they took great pride in their supposed superiority in piety and way of living their faith and lives, in the manner how they observed the Law and commandments of God. The Lord Himself rebuked the Pharisees for their great pride, ego and superficial faith, as well as their desire and craving for power and worldly glory.

Not only that but through their actions and attitudes, many among those Pharisees had also pushed people away from God, just as we have discussed earlier from our first reading passage today. They made it more difficult for those that they discriminated and were biased against to come towards the Lord, and they made it more difficult for many others as well for them to come towards God because of the excessive requirements and their very stringent and rigid application and interpretation of God’s Law and rules, the regulations and other things that made it hard for many people to be faithful to God. And in doing so, they have also forgotten and overlooked the fact that God gave His Law to His people to show them how they ought to love Him and to make it easier for them to come towards Him.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Teresa of Jesus, also better known by her other appelation of St. Teresa of Avila, named after her birthplace in Avila in Spain today. Her life may indeed be good source of inspirations and hope, strength and encouragement for all of us in how each and every one of us ought to be living up our lives. All of us are reminded that we are all called to follow the good examples of the saints, like that of St. Teresa of Jesus, who was the founder of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites. Together with St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Jesus was credited with the very important reform within the Carmelite Order, seeking to lead a more committed and virtuous religious life and observance, as compared to the then increasingly lax standards of the Carmelites.

St. Teresa of Jesus sought to reform the Carmelite order, and was also involved in the arbitration of certain other issues facing both her order and the wider Christian communities around her convent. St. Teresa of Jesus together with her companion, St. John of the Cross, continued to labour hard and well for the sake of the glory of God and the salvation and well-being of God’s people. They faced a lot of opposition from both within the Carmelite Order itself and from the community, but they pressed on with the reforms, and their hard works and efforts eventually bore fruit, for the benefit of both the religious order and the general Christian community.

St. Teresa also wrote very extensively on many articles on the faith, and all those writings and publications, books and works were what eventually led to her canonisation, and also the declaration that she was to be made one of the Doctors of the Church. Her many contributions and good works should serve as source of inspiration for all of us, in how each and every one of us should behave in our lives, and in what we should do as Christians, in doing the will of God and in putting our efforts in every moments of our lives to glorify God by our actions, words and deeds. This is what we have been called to do, brothers and sisters in Christ, to be 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect on what we have just discussed from both the life and works of St. Teresa of Jesus and also from our Scripture passages today, particularly with regard to how we ought to live our lives faithfully and genuinely as Christians. Let our actions, words and deeds at all opportunities and circumstances truly show that we are indeed Christians, the ones whom God had called and chosen to be His own, that through us many more people may come to believe in God as well. May the Lord bless our every efforts, good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 14 October 2025 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures presented to us, we are reminded of the need for all of us as Christians, as those whom God had called and chosen to be His own, to be truly faithful to Him in all things. We should be filled with genuine understanding of the faith and the appreciation of everything that God had shown and presented to us, all the love that He has bestowed on us, lavished on us and given to us time and again. We should not take for granted what God has given to us and we should also not allow any divisions and disagreements to tear us apart, to threaten the unity of the Church, the Body of Christ to which we all belonged to.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire then, where the Apostle spoke to the faithful there that came from diverse origins, from among both the Jewish diaspora in Rome and from among the Gentiles or the non-Jewish people. St. Paul reminded all the faithful there that regardless of their origins, differences and whatever backgrounds they had, God had revealed Himself to all of them and called them all to do their will, to follow the path that He had shown to them, and not to fall into the temptations and the folly of those who have given themselves to the pagan worship of the idols that were commonplace at that time.

Essentially, St. Paul highlighted the foolishness of man in worshipping the created things like the Sun, Moon, the stars, the elements and other aspects of nature, which were the origins of many of the pagan idols and gods that they worshipped in their pagan temples. Instead, having learnt and realised the truth behind all things, St. Paul encouraged the faithful in Rome to continue to walk the path of faith, believing in the One and only True God that they ought to worship and believe in, the One Who has created this world and all things, instead of settling for the worship of worldly matters and created beings. It is a reminder for all of us as well as Christians that we need to be firm in our faith and continue to be good inspiration in our faith in God in all things.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, where the Lord Jesus was presented with a query from a Pharisee who had a meal with Him where He was questioned why He did not wash His hands according to the rules that were prescribed among the Jews, especially the particularly rigid and unbending version championed and promoted by the Pharisees. According to this application and observance of the Law of Moses, the Jews ought to observe many rituals and many practices that were superfluous and superficial in nature, and the Pharisees among all were the ones most absorbed into this way of practicing the faith. These rules and rituals developed from the manner how the Lord had prescribed to them through Moses while they were in their Exodus from Egypt towards the Promised Land.

There were indeed reason and importance behind such rules, and in this regard, the rule regarding the need to wash one’s hands before a meal was rooted in the importance of hygiene and in preventing the outbreak of epidemics and diseases that could easily happen during the period of Exodus in close quarters within the tents of the Israelites. However, by the time the Pharisees practiced these rituals and ways, they had made them so extensive and difficult to observe and follow that they also ended up focusing so much on the details, such as having to wash the hands and arms up to the elbows or else the Law would not have been observed properly, to the point that they forgot and overlooked why the Law was given by God to His people in the first place.

The Lord therefore rebuked the Pharisee and the others for their overly obsessed attitude in their way of believing and practicing their faith, how they valued appearances and external piety over true understanding of what the Lord had truly taught them and wanted them all to do in their lives. He does not want any of us, His faithful flock and people to follow in the same misguided and deluded way, to practice our faith in such a superficial way and focusing only on the externals. Instead, the people of God, that is all of us should have a strong, genuine, organic and living faith, one that is based on true appreciation of what the Lord has taught and revealed to us. Each and every one of us ought to be genuine and committed disciples of the Lord, not merely in appearances only, but also in every moments of our lives.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of one of the holy saints, whose faith and devotion to God, and whose commitment and actions should inspire us all in our own lives, in how we ourselves can become good and committed disciples of the Lord, in all of our actions and works. Pope St. Callistus I was the Pope and leader of the Universal Church, as the Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Christ, successor of St. ‘Peter the Apostle, during a difficult time in the Church’s history, as at that time, persecutions were rampant against the Church and Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Oppression and sufferings were often part of life for many of the Lord’s faithful people, who had to endure those sufferings simply because of their faith in God.

Amidst all of these, Pope St. Callistus I, who was a deacon and assistant to the Pope St. Zephyrinus, in managing the catacombs of the city of Rome, serving the needs of the people of God in the Diocese of Rome, and then eventually becoming the successor of the same Pope St. Zephyrinus, he had involved himself with many of the works and the service for the sake of God’s people, caring for both of their physical and spiritual needs. The Lord has called Pope St. Callistus I to be His Vicar, and he carried out his duties most diligently, in embracing all of the people of God, including those who have lapsed from the faith and fallen into sin. At that time, this matter of welcoming and allowing lapsed Christians who have given in to the pressure to worship pagan gods and idols, either by choice or not, had caused great divisions and disagreements in the Church.

This division and disagreement had led to one of the first schisms in the Church, as St. Hippolytus, a popular priest and preacher who disagreed with the practice of readmitting lapsed Christians without proper penance and consequences, was elected as a rival Pope to Pope St. Callistus I, becoming the first antipope. Pope St. Callistus I was determined to bridge the differences and worked hard to lead the people of God amidst the turbulent times, beset from all directions, both from outside and within, in the many persecutions and challenges that the faithful people of God were facing daily, and in the disagreements that turned fellow Christians against each other. Pope St. Callistus I patiently led the Church throughout all of that, and remained firm in his faith and conviction in dedicating himself and the Church to God. In the end, he was martyred for his faith, during one of those persecutions, but his efforts helped the Church to remain strong throughout the challenging years.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have heard from the great examples of the faith shown by Pope St. Callistus I, a holy man of God and martyr of the Faith, most courageous in his desire to bring unity and reconciliation to the feuding factions of the Church, and which is our good role model and inspiration in how we should lead lives that are truly attuned to the Lord as well. Each and every one of us are reminded to walk faithfully in God’s Presence as Pope St. Callistus I and the many other saints and martyrs had done, and may we continue to glorify the Lord by each and every actions we carry out in life, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 13 October 2025 : 28th 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 Lord, we are reminded that all of us need to have true and genuine faith in God, believing wholeheartedly in everything which He Himself has presented to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who has come into this world to bring salvation upon each and every one of us. We are all reminded that we should not harden our hearts or be stubborn anymore in refusing to listen to the Lord or to obey His will, because we think that we know it better than others and thinking that we are superior in all things compared to those who are around us. Instead, we should grow more humble, even the greater we are and our achievements in life. As Christians, this is what we have been reminded to do.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Rome, we are reminded by the Apostle’s words that each and every one of us as Christian believers, all of us have received the truth and Good News about the salvation which God has promised and reassured us all through Christ His Son, by Whom He has restored us all to grace and brought all of us to redemption. And therefore, as St. Paul himself mentioned, that he and the other missionaries had been entrusted with the testimonies and the other works meant to spread the words of God’s truth to many more people, and therefore, they ought to continue to do great works for the greater glory of God and especially not for their own glory.

That was why St. Paul presented this clearly to the faithful in Rome and also to the other missionaries, reminding them all that they were all truly the servants of God Most High, the ones whom the Lord had entrusted with the mission to reach out to those whom He had been willing to reveal Himself and His truth to, and in all of their actions and works therefore, they ought to keep in mind that they did not do all these things for their own glory and pursuits of worldly power and fame, but instead, as what we all should do ourselves, in our own lives and actions, we should always put God at the heart and centre of everything that we say and do, and we should always walk in the path that He has shown us instead of allowing ourselves to be misled by greed and pride.

Then, in our Gospel passage today, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus directed to all those who questioned Him and kept on asking Him to perform signs, miracles and wonders before them. Those people had in fact witnessed everything which the Lord had performed, all His miracles, signs and wonders, in all the parts of Galilee where the Lord had often worked and taught to those assembled to listen to Him. But despite having seen and heard everything, and having experienced what the Lord had done and brought to them, they continued to doubt and refuse to accept the truth that had been presented. It was likely that some of those people either belonged to the group of the Pharisees or might have been their supporters.

Why was that so? That is because the Pharisees were back then the religious and intellectual elites of the community of the Jewish people, and they were very rigid and particular in their understanding and application of the Law of Moses and the Jewish customs at that time. They also had a rather elitist and attitude thinking that they were better and morally superior compared to those around them, and that was why they, in their pride and ego, refused to accept that they could be wrong or flawed in their ways, or that anyone else could have known better than them in the matter of the faith and the Law of God. That was why despite having seen so many evidence and signs presented before them, they still doubted and refused to believe the clear truth from God Himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to these readings from the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that we should always strive to do our best in all things to be faithful to God, to trust in Him and to believe in Him beyond the superficials like how those Pharisees and those who doubted the Lord behaved. We should believe in the Lord even when we cannot see His works and miracles, wonders and power directly in our lives, as many of God’s works may be very subtle for us to see and realise. And yet, we must continue to be assured that God has always been by our side, journeying with us and supporting us throughout the way. God will always be there for us as He truly loves each one of us, and He wants us all to know that if we remain faithful in Him, our faith in Him will not disappoint us.

As Christians, each and every one of us are called to be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, to be the ones to transmit the faith that we have in Him, true faith that is truly innate within us and faith that is not merely based on external appearances or affirmation from those around us. Instead, we should have faith that truly endures and is truly organic and living, through our faithful and dedicated commitment to God in all things, in how we practice our faith even in the smallest things that we say and do, in loving Him wholeheartedly and also even more importantly, in how we love those whom we love around us and also those whom we encounter each day in our lives. How we carry out our lives reflect on our true nature as Christians and as those whom God had called and chosen.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen each and every one of us in our paths, in all the things we carry out in life, in our every actions, words and deeds so that in all things we may always be good examples and inspirations for everyone around us, to all those whom we encounter each day. May He continue to provide us with the strength and blessings necessary that we may continue to persevere in glorifying Him at all times through our good works and efforts. Amen.

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Sunday, 12 October 2025 : Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to listen to the words of the Sacred Scripture, we are reminded that each and every one of us have been given such great gifts and opportunities by the Lord, Who has always been very compassionate, patient and kind towards us, in showing us ever more loving concern and in His desire to heal us all from our troubles and faults. That is why we should really appreciate that the Lord has done for us with such great love, persistence and patience, and not take all these for granted because if we allow ourselves to remain distant and separated from Him, then in the end, it is only us that will regret having disobeyed Him and refusing to listen to all the things that He has constantly tried to show us.

In our first reading this Sunday, we heard from the Second Book of Kings of Israel and Judah in which the story of Naaman the Syrian and the prophet Elisha was told to us, where this Naaman was the famous general of the Aramaeans, a Syrian kingdom that was bordering the kingdom of Israel. He came to the land of Israel when he heard of the famous deeds of the prophet Elisha and his miracles, through which he hoped to be healed from his problem of leprosy. Naaman went to seek Elisha and eventually found him, and before what was depicted in today’s passage, the prophet Elisha told Naaman to go and immerse himself seven times in the River Jordan, and initially Naaman felt insulted at being asked to do such a trivial task.

He further argued and tried to justify himself by saying that there were better and superior rivers in his own homeland in Aram and Damascus, as compared to the River Jordan in Israel. But his servant was quick to remind him that he should just obey and listen to the words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Elisha if he wanted to be cured of his condition. It was Naaman’s pride and ego which initially prevented him from doing what was necessary in order to find healing and while he wanted to be healed, he initially could not do so because he kept on refusing to follow the Lord and His commands. But eventually he relented and humbled himself, doing exactly as what he had been asked to do, and as a result, he was healed from his leprosy.

We heard how Naaman thanked the prophet Elisha greatly and appreciated everything that God had done to him through the prophet. However, when the prophet Elisha was offered with generous gifts from Naaman, who was full of praise and thanksgiving to God, the former refused to accept those gifts, as the prophet humbly highlighted that he was merely following God’s will and not doing all the things for his own personal gain and benefit. And again we can see here the importance of humility and obedience in our faith, and hence, we need to reflect upon what we have heard today from this passage from the Book of Kings, reminding us that at all times we should always be ready to listen to God speaking to us in various ways, even through those who disagreed with us.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy in which the Apostle spoke of the matter of what the true Christian faith is all about, and how everything that St. Paul himself had endured and encountered throughout his ministry and works, all of them were done for the greater glory of God, and in full trust of everything that God had called on him and the other disciples and missionaries of Christ to do. Therefore, St. Paul wanted to remind and strengthen his protege, St. Timothy and the other early Christians, that they should not be afraid to continue to do their best for the greater glory of God. They should remember that even as they suffer, they were suffering for the sake of the Lord, and they were never truly alone in their journey and in their struggles.

Lastly, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus encountered ten lepers who were cast out from their community, being forced to wander off in the wilderness as prescribed by the Law of Moses. According to that Law, the lepers were unclean and they could not return to the community until their leprosy had been cured. This definition of leprosy first of all may differ from what we commonly know as leprosy today, as it covered a rather broad variety of skin diseases and infections. But at that time, as we heard, when the ten lepers came to seek the Lord and sought His miraculous healing even from a distance, knowing that if they came to Him they would make Him and His disciples unclean, He did not keep Himself away from them, but approached them and showed them His mercy and love.

He told them all to go and see a priest as prescribed by the Law, even though they had not by then been physically healed from their leprosy. Yet, they chose to have faith in the Lord and trusted in Him, even when He did not perform grand gestures and miraculous powers before them, choosing to trust in God and go forth on their journey back to the priest as asked. They showed obedience and faith, and as a result, as we heard, they were all healed from their leprosy, and they realised it afterwards that they had been made whole again. Yet, none of them except for one among them, a Samaritan, who then went back all the way to the Lord again to thank Him for everything that He had done for their sake. This showed the Samaritan’s great character and virtue, not only that he had obedience and faith in him, but he was also grateful for the Lord’s goodness.

This leprosy is also a representation of an even greater ‘leprosy’ that often afflicts us, which is something that no earthly doctors and means can cure. This leprosy refers to sin, which is often likened to the leprosy that affects us even to the depths of our souls, corrupting and affecting our whole and entire beings. But with God’s help, and if we put our faith and trust in Him, then by His power, grace and forgiveness, we can indeed be healed and made whole again after the struggles that we have with sin. While sin and the temptations to sin against God are always ever around us, but we must put our faith and trust in God, knowing that it is in Him alone that we will be able to overcome the domination of sin and evil, and their hold on us.

Through what we have heard in this Gospel passage this Sunday, and from the other readings that we have discussed and reflected about, we are reminded that each and every one of us as Christians need to have a greater trust and faith in the Lord, and strive our best to do our part, in each and every moments of our lives such that we may indeed truly be obedient in all things to the Lord, ever righteous and virtuous in all that we say and do. Let us all be like the Samaritan leper, who obeyed the Lord and was faithful to Him, and yet at the same time, also know when to give thanks and praise to God when it is due. Let us all be good role models and examples for one another, and strive to be freed from the leprosy of our souls, that is our sins. May God be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Saturday, 11 October 2025 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Pope St. John XXIII, Pope (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Popes)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to follow the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly, resisting the temptations to follow all the wickedness and the vile things in this world, all of which we are surrounded by, which may prevent us from truly being able to serve God faithfully as we all should have. As Christians, those whom God has called and considered to be His own beloved people, His chosen ones, each one of us ought to be good role models and examples for everyone whom we encounter in life such that we may help lead each one of them ever closer to God as we should have done. This is what we are all called to do as Christians, to embrace our calling to be good inspirations in faith to all around us.

In our first reading today, taken from the continuation of the Book of the prophet Joel, we heard of the words of the Lord presented to His people in the kingdom of Judah, to whom the prophet Joel had been sent to, calling on all of them to repent and turn away from their sins, which is much of what the prophet Joel had been sent for. Back then, the people of the kingdom of Judah had long erred in their ways and in disobeying God to the point that they had forgotten and ignored God’s Law and commandments, much like their neighbours in the northern kingdom of Israel. As a result, they faced a lot of hardships and troubles, having to endure defeats, conquests and humiliations, and Judah and Jerusalem themselves would be destroyed in the end. Another tradition and consensus placed Joel’s ministry after the destruction of Judah and the return of the people back to their homeland.

Nonetheless, the essence of what Joel presented to the people of God remained true after all, that they all ought to keep themselves away from their wicked ways and the temptations of the evils and desires of this world. The Lord is indeed so kind, loving and merciful, that in His great compassion He still cared for all those people who had sinned against Him and hardened their hearts against  Him that He still reassured them of His love and providence, and how He would once again bless them all, allowing them to rebuild and reestablish their lives and livelihood again. Indeed, if Joel’s ministry took place during the years after the Babylonian exile period, it would serve as a confirmation of everything which God has spoken repeatedly and promised through His many earlier prophets.

Then, from our relatively short Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we are reminded that obeying God, doing His will and walking in the path of His Law and commandments is what we have been called to do as those who believe in Him. This is an important reminder for all of us that amidst our very busy daily schedules, works and everything that we are often preoccupied with, we must never forget to anchor ourselves in the Lord and to remain firmly trusting in Him, putting God ever at the centre of our lives and in everything we do. This is what we are reminded of today, along with what we have heard earlier from the prophet Joel, of the need for all of us to continue to live our lives each day ever centred on God in all of our actions and activities.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Pope St. John XXIII, one of the more recent Popes who have lived and reigned as the Pope, Supreme Pontiff and Vicar of Christ in the middle of the twentieth century, leading the Church through rapidly changing and turbulent times, and was especially well-known for his contributions in convoking the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as the Vatican II Council. Through his examples, Pope St. John XXIII should indeed be a great role model and inspiration for all of us in how we all should live our lives as true and genuine Christians, in all the things that we say and do in life. He was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in a poor family of Bergamo in northern part of Italy today. Despite having been born into a poor family, the young Angelo Roncalli was brought up well in the faith by his devout parents.

Eventually the young future Pope St. John XXIII entered the seminary and after a period in formation, was ordained as a priest, in which he then experienced firsthand the challenges of the people and the workers then, under the tutelage of his mentor, Bishop Giocomo Radini-Tedeschi, the then Bishop of Bergamo, who was a champion of the rights of the workers at the time, and impacted the young Angelo Roncalli greatly, as he was Bishop Radini-Tedeschi’s secretary then, until the latter passed away. Then, the young priest experienced the ministry among the trenches and warfare during the First World War before being appointed as the Apostolic Delegate and representative of the Pope to Bulgaria, and ordained as a bishop in the years following the war.

The experiences of the earlier days Pope St. John XXIII in his years as Apostolic Nuncio to Bulgaria, and then Greece and Turkey, and finally Apostolic Nuncio to France greatly expanded his horizons and views of the world, its divergent and great variety of peoples and groups, and in his ability to negotiate and work with various parties and collaborators of the works of faith. In Bulgaria, he was instrumental in making bridges and connections with the separated brethren from the Orthodox Church, while during his tenure in France, he helped to repair the often tense relationship between the Church and the state. As Patriarch of Venice for several years, he would continue to do what he has always passionately and courageously done since his youth and earlier days as a priest, that is dedicating himself to his flock and all those who had been entrusted to him.

As Pope, Pope St. John XXIII devoted himself to many great works and efforts, in leading a reform to the Church, by convoking and announcing the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican as mentioned, helping to bring the Church, its practices and beliefs more up-to-date in responding to the challenges and the difficulties faced by the faithful due to the rapidly changing world and conditions. He was also instrumental in his efforts to bring about peace between the feuding superpowers in the Cold War, namely the United States of America and the Soviet Union, particularly during the intense crisis in Cuba that almost led the world to nuclear war and total destruction, publishing his Papal Encyclical, Pacem in Terris or ‘Peace on Earth’, calling upon peace between peoples and nations. To the very end of his life, Pope St. John XXIII continued to labour greatly for the Lord’s sake.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we have discussed earlier in the words of the Scriptures, and in the reminders we have received where we need to put our faith and trust in the Lord, and obey His will, and as we have reflected upon the good examples and inspirations which Pope St. John XXIII had done in his life and ministry, let us all therefore be inspired to follow the good examples of this holy man of God, and strive to do our best to be the shining beacons of God’s Light in our own community, among our fellow family members, friends and circles, and even to all those whom we encounter in each and every moments of our lives, in even the smallest things we say and do, and in our every interactions with those whom we meet in life.

May God be with us always, and may He continue to strengthen each and every one of us as Christians, to be ever committed and obedient to God’s will, striving to make best use of everything which God has entrusted to us, to be His instruments that can make this whole world a better place once again, in God’s grace. May God bless our every good efforts, works and endeavours, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Friday, 10 October 2025 : 27th 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 that each and every one of us should not be divided against each other, be in strife against our fellow brothers and sisters because of our pride and ego, which can prevent us from truly working with each other in the manner that God has wanted us to do. Each and every one of us as Christians need to put our faith and trust in the Lord at all times, and remind ourselves to be ever willing to listen to the words of those whom God may have sent into our path to remind and strengthen us in faith. We must always be humble in all things and we should not allow ego and pride to prevent us from listening to the Lord speaking to us especially through those who are around us.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Joel, we heard of the words of the Lord to His people, the people of Israel and their descendants in the land of Judah and beyond. According to Scriptural evidence and other historical perspectives, the prophet Joel had been sent to the people of Judah and the descendants of the Israelites either before the years of their exile in Babylon, or a century or so afterwards. Regardless of the exact timing of the prophet Joel’s ministry, what is truly important is that through the prophet Joel, the Lord reminded His people of the need for them to turn once again towards Him with faith and to repent from their many sins, and also His reassurances to them that He would always be with them, and He would bless them again generously as He had always done.

Through what we have heard from the Book of the prophet Joel today, we heard the moment when Israel was restored once again to grace, after they had faced all the humiliations of their years in exile and in dishonour, losing their own homeland and having their cities and the Temple that King Solomon had once built for the Lord. A new Temple was indeed established and rebuilt, and everything were restored once again to good order just as before. The Lord had promised His people that He would always be with them even through their hardest and darkest moments, and He did just that, fulfilling everything that He had promised to them. And it is in all of these that we should continue to trust in the Lord and to put our faith and hope in Him, even through our most difficult and challenging moments in life.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the accusation that some among the people, made against Jesus, which according to historical evidence and Scriptural context, likely originated from among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, many of whom often followed the Lord and made critical comments against Him throughout those works and ministries. And in this particular occasion, the Lord was accused by those people of having colluded with the prince of demons named Beelzebul in His performance of exorcism among the people that brought those who had been possessed by evil spirits. The Lord showed His power and authority, casting out all those evil and wicked spirits, truly the clear sign that He was indeed the promised Messiah or Saviour from God.

However, the religious and intellectual elites of the community of the people of God, especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law among them had a rather rigid and elitist attitudes pertaining to this matter, and they often disagreed and even quarrelled with the Lord, debating with Him on His different way of practicing the faith, and in their disagreements, this often led to the rather bitter debates between them and the Lord, and culminating in this kind of very unkind accusation that they had made against the Lord, alleging falsely before the others that the Lord had colluded with the prince of demons in doing His miracles and signs, whereas the evidences clearly pointed out that the Lord had done it by His own power, the power of God Himself manifested in His Incarnate Son, and which the prophets themselves had spoken about.

The irony is such that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law were the ones who should be more knowledgeable about the Lord’s coming, of the miracles and signs that He would be performing before the people. Yet, it was their own pride and ego that became their own undoing, as their ego made them to harden their hearts and minds against the Lord, Who had always patiently tried to reach out to them, to dialogue with them and to reveal to them the same truth that He has delivered to His people. They thought that they were superior to others around them, better and more worthy of God’s grace and salvation, even to the point of looking down on and despising those whom they deemed to be sinners and unworthy of God, like the tax collectors and prostitutes.

And before we are quick to point the fingers to blame the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law for being such stubborn and troublesome obstacles in the Lord’s works and ministry, let us all examine our own attitudes and way of life ourselves first, and let us all see if our own words, actions and deeds have also been just like those Pharisees and any others who have hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord. Have we allowed our pride and ego, our hubris and sense of self-importance to close the doors of our hearts and minds against God, and against all those through whom God is trying to speak to us and reach out to us? This is something that we ought to carefully reflect and consider so that we do not end up doing actions that cause harm to the unity of the Church and also to the salvation of souls.

Throughout history, there had been lots of instances where people ended up losing their faith in God and leaving the Church altogether because of the unbecoming and irresponsible attitudes and actions of those within the Church. And this happened even to those who are closest to us, those whom we thought would have kept us strong in the faith, and yet, because of pride and ego, disagreements and stubbornness, we ended up causing rifts and divisions to exist within the Church and among the faithful people of God. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all do our best to overcome our differences and learn to work together, being ever reminded that none of us are perfect or more worthy than others. May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us in our mission so that we may continue to journey faithfully and courageously towards Him in each and every moments in our lives. Amen.