Sundays after Epiphany

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Thursday, 10 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Genesis 44 : 18-21, 23b-29 and Genesis 45 : 1-5

Judah then went forward and said, “My lord, allow your servant to speak. Do not be angry with your servant, although you are equal to Pharaoh himself. The last time you questioned your servants saying : ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ We said to my lord : ‘We have an aged father who had a child in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only one left of his mother’s children. And his father loves him.'”

“Then you said to us : ‘Bring him down so that I can see him for myself, if your youngest brother did not come with you, you would not be admitted to my presence.’ All this we said to our father on returning there. So when he told us to come back and buy a little food, we said : ‘We cannot go down again unless our youngest brother is with us. We shall not be admitted to the lord’s presence unless our brother is with us.'”

“Then my father said : ‘You know that my wife had two children. One went away from me and has surely been torn to pieces since I have not seen him anymore. If you take this one from me and something happens to him you will bring my gray hair in sorrow to the grave.'”

Now Joseph could no longer control his feelings in the presence of all those standing by and he called out, “Leave my presence, everyone!” And only his brothers were with him when Joseph made himself known to them. He wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard and the news spread through Pharaoh’s house.

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” And his brothers could not answer because they were terrified at seeing him. Joseph said, “Come closer,” and they drew nearer. “I am Joseph your brother, yes, it is me, the one you sold to the Egyptians. Now do not grieve or reproach yourselves for selling me, because God has sent me before you to save your lives.”

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Wednesday, 9 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded of the missions which the Lord had put into our paths and entrusted to each and every one of us, His disciples and followers. Each and every one of us have been put in certain places and given certain opportunities, talents or gifts in order to make good use of them in making it all a blessing for everyone, a grace for all those whom we encounter in life. All of us have been blessed with such great love by the Lord and hence, we should remember to love Him in the same way as well, and love all those who are around us, those who have been entrusted to us, and all those whom we encounter daily.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis in which the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel, and his brothers were told to us. For the context of the story, in case we forget what happened earlier on before the events depicted in today’s passage, Joseph, one of the youngest sons of Jacob, born from his beloved wife Rachel, was one of his favourite, and was showered with lots of favour from Jacob, to the point that the elder brothers of Joseph became envious of him. There were also occasions when Joseph received dreams from the Lord where in that dream he was given respect and obeisance from his brothers and even his parents. No one knew it then, even Joseph himself, that this was in fact a premonition of things to come, many years and decades later, when everything actually came to happen just as Joseph dreamt of it.

Joseph’s brothers actually plotted to kill him out of jealousy, and they were only prevented from doing so by the eldest brother, Reuben, who wanted to protect Joseph. In the end, they all trapped Joseph and then sold him to a Midianite slaver who brought Joseph to the land of Egypt, where he first ended up as a slave and was even imprisoned, but by God’s grace and help, as He had planned it all from the very beginning, Joseph was rescued from the prison after he helped to interpret the dream of the Pharaoh of Egypt, and made to be the powerful Regent of Egypt, no less than the second most powerful person in the whole kingdom after the Pharaoh himself. And it was this powerful Regent that the brothers of Joseph met him, at that time, when the world was gripped in great famine and sufferings.

It was in fact part of God’s plan for His beloved ones, as through this action and turn of events, which was surely most unexpected for everyone, not only that God turned sufferings into greatness, but in His perfect timing and divine plan, He made everything to be wonderful, reuniting Joseph with his brothers and family in the end, and at the same time, his careful stewardship of Egypt’s resources and food allowed him to help countless people in Egypt and many other places to survive through the great seven years of famine. We can see how God made even wicked things that the brothers of Joseph had done to Joseph into great and wonderful things for so many, all the works of His hands, His wonderful and most loving deeds for us.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus calling and dedicating His most important and closest collaborators, the disciples known as the Twelve, the members of His innermost circle of disciples. And we heard the Twelve being named for us, including the one that would betray Him in the end, Judas Iscariot. These people had been chosen and called by the Lord, from among those whom He had encountered and called, from different and diverse origins, and to them all He entrusted the power and authority to perform miracles and wonders, and to reach out to more and more of the people that He Himself would minister to, so that many more would come to know the Lord and His salvation, His Good News and love.

This is a reminder for all of us that as Christians, all of us have also been called like the Apostles and the other disciples of the Lord, and we have been given the unique and diverse gifts and opportunities which God had provided to each one of us so that we may make good use of them in whatever it is that He wants us to do in our respective lives, in our respective capacities in whatever we have encountered daily in life, in all those whom we have met, interacted with and spent time with. All of us ought to bear with us all the courageous and genuine witnessing of our Christian faith in all that we say and do, in our every interactions with one another, in our love that we show to those who are dear to us, and in our care for our fellow brothers and sisters, our neighbours around us.

Today, the Church also celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions in martyrdom, the Holy Martyrs of China, commemorating all those faithful holy men and women who had courageously stood up for their faith and defended their commitment to God without fear and willing to suffer and die as faithful disciples and followers of Christ, particularly against terrible and harsh repressions and persecutions against them and the Church. St. Augustine Zhao Rong himself was born during the middle of the eighteenth century in China, and was one of the Christian converts during a time when the Imperial Chinese government and state was highly suspicious of Christians and the missionaries, and which carried out sporadic persecutions against them and the faithful.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong wanted to become a priest and he received training to be such, and in such extraordinary circumstances, only five years after his baptism, he was ordained as a priest, becoming one of the first local Chinese to be ordained a priest, and he spent many years in service to the people of God and to the works of mission of the Church in various places. Then, according to the historic tradition, under the Emperor Jiaqing in the early nineteenth century, more persecutions were carried out against Christians, and St. Augustine Zhao Rong was one of those who were arrested, and then tortured and eventually martyred for their faith. There were many other Christian faithful, both the missionaries and the converts who gave up their lives in their faithful commitment and obedience to God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore be renewed and strengthened in faith, and let us all continue to do our best to live our lives each day with the strong desire to glorify God by our lives, knowing that God is always with us, providing for us at every steps of our journey in life. And through the inspiration provided to us by the courage and faith of St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his fellow companions in martyrdom, let us all continue to be faithful in all things and at all times. Amen.

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Wednesday, 9 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Matthew 10 : 1-7

At that time, Jesus called His Twelve disciples to Him, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to heal every disease and sickness.

These are the names of the Twelve Apostles : first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray Him.

Jesus sent these Twelve on mission, with the instruction : “Do not visit pagan territory and do not enter a Samaritan town. Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. Go, and proclaim this message : The kingdom of Heaven is near.”

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Wednesday, 9 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Psalm 32 : 2-3, 10-11, 18-19

Give thanks to YHVH on the harp and lyre, making melody and chanting praises. Amid loud shouts of joy, sing to Him a new song and play the ten-stringed harp.

YHVH frustrates the plans of the nations and brings to nothing the peoples’ designs. But His plan stands forever, and His heart’s design, through all generations.

But YHVH’s eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving kindness; to deliver them from death and preserve them from famine.

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Wednesday, 9 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or Red (Martyrs)

Genesis 41 : 55-57 and Genesis 42 : 5-7a, 17-24a

When the land of Egypt began to suffer from the famine, the people came to Pharaoh for bread. But Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do as he tells you.” When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians for the famine was indeed severe over the land.

As the famine had worsened throughout the whole world, people came from other countries to buy grain from Joseph. So the sons of Israel were among those going to buy grain, for there was famine in Canaan. It was Joseph, as governor of the land, who sold the grain to all the people. When his brothers arrived they bowed before him, with their faces to the ground.

Joseph recognised his brothers but did not make himself known and so he put them in prison for three days. On the third day Joseph said to them, “I will help you save yourselves, for I am a man who fears God. If you are sincere, let one of your brothers remain prisoner in the house of the guard where you now are, and the rest of you take the grain to save your families from famine. Then you will bring back your youngest brother; so the truth of what you say will be proved and your lives spared.”

They did as they were ordered and said among themselves, “Alas! We are guilty because of the way we treated our brother when he pleaded with us for mercy, but we did not listen. That is why this trouble has come upon us.” Reuben answered them, “Did I tell you not to sin against the boy. But you did not listen and now we are brought to account for his blood.”

Now they did not know that Joseph understood them as there was an interpreter between them. As for Joseph, he withdrew and wept.

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Tuesday, 8 July 2025 : 14th 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 os the Scriptures, we are reminded that God will always be with us, providing for us for what we need and in all of our circumstances. God will never abandon us or leave us alone in suffering, but He is always present with us and guiding us throughout our journey, and we have to trust in Him and His guidance so that we will not be tempted by worldly desires and ambitions which may lead us astray in our journey towards the Lord. And unless we adhere firmly and faithfully to God’s path, it is easy for us to falter and fail in this journey that He has been calling us all into.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of Genesis relating to us the moment from the time when Jacob together with his whole family, with his two wives, Rachel and Leah, came back to the land of Canaan after spending at least fourteen years or so in the land of Haran, at his uncle’s place, after fleeing there in the aftermath of him taking away Esau’s inheritance and blessings from his father by trickery. Esau, Jacob’s elder brother was furious, and understandably Jacob fled to protect himself, and as he was returning to the home of his father, he was still worried of how Esau would react to him and whether he was still angry and furious at him.

And it was at that very occasion that God appeared to Jacob, who was at that time was filled with fear and uncertainty, probably thinking of how he could persuade his brother by his own designs and plans. God, disguised as a Man, wrestled with Jacob all night long, and hit the latter on his hip, and it was there, at that very time and place that God gave Jacob a new name, Israel, which means ‘one who had struggled with God’, as first a reminder of his renewed calling and Covenant as God’s servant and follower, in doing His will and in trusting in Him rather than in depending on his own mechanisms and designs, plans and other methods.

This change of name was also significant, as his own grandfather, Abraham, was also known by the name Abram prior to the Covenant that God made with him. And in other occasions in the Scriptures, there were also several others who had changed their names and identities, marking a dramatic change and moment of conversion in their lives, and for Jacob, this change symbolises him putting his trust in God completely and the restoration of his family ties, which had once been broken and frayed because of the rivalries and competitions, as one that he had with Esau, his elder brother, as well as a clear sign of God’s favour and Providence.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord healed two blind men who were brought to Him, and then another man who had been struck dumb because of possession by evil spirits, and the Lord Jesus continued to show His power and authority, commanding that evil spirit to leave behind the man, and he was therefore cured from his afflictions. But as we also heard, the Pharisees who were there, likely jealous from the Lord’s great popularity and from their hardened hearts due to their conflicting ideals, criticised the Lord harshly. They accused Him of performing His miracles, casting out demons with the help of the prince of demons.

Such was the conflict and disagreements between the Pharisees and the Lord that they made such a heinous accusation against the Lord, but the Lord continued to carry out His good works and ministry nonetheless among the people of God, sending out His disciples to carry out many more good works in those places that He was to visit Himself, and He was telling the disciples that the works of the Lord and the harvest was indeed plentiful, but there were few workers to work in the field of the Lord that is this world. Thus, the Lord asked them all to pray so that God would send more labourers, for more to be called to work in His field that is the world.

We are all reminded therefore that each and every one of us as Christians must not harden our hearts and minds like how those Pharisees had hardened theirs and refused to listen to the Lord. They also depended on their own power, intellect and wisdom rather than trusting in the Lord and allowing Him to speak to them, as the Lord Jesus Himself had done, and hence, that was why they continued to walk down the path of disobedience and rebellion against the Lord. But as Christians, we should be humble and committed to the Lord, ever aligned and attuned to His will through constant prayerful life and listening to Him in whatever He has called and told us all to do.

May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, giving us the strength and courage, the perseverance and power to go on serving Him faithfully in life, to the best of our abilities, following God and doing His will, entrusting ourselves to Him and following Him in His path. Let us all also trust in His wisdom and providence rather than depending solely on our own power, intellect, plans and designs, and instead, walk together with Him in our paths of life going forward. May God bless us all in our every good works and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 8 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Matthew 9 : 32-38

At that time, as the two blind men were going away, some people brought to Jesus a man who was dumb, because he was possessed by a demon. When the demon was driven out, the dumb man began to speak. The crowds were astonished and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

But the Pharisees said, “He drives away demons with the help of the prince of demons.”

Jesus went around all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom; and He cured every sickness and disease. When He saw the crowds, He was moved with pity; for they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are only few. Ask the Master of the harvest to send workers to gather His harvest.”

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Tuesday, 8 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 16 : 1, 2-3, 6-7, 8 and 15

Hear a just cause, o YHVH, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer, for there is no deceit on my lips.

Let my defence come forth from You; Your eyes see what is right. You have probed my heart, searched me at night, tested me by fire, and You have seen no wickedness in me.

I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word. For You do wonders for Your faithful, You save those fleeing from the enemy as they seek refuge at Your right hand.

Keep me as the apple of Your eye; under the shadow of Your wings hide me. As for me, righteous in Your sight, I shall see Your face and, awakening, gaze my fill on Your likeness.

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Tuesday, 8 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Genesis 32 : 23-33

Jacob took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons, and sent them across the stream and likewise everything he had. And Jacob was left alone. Then a Man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the Man saw that He could not get the better of Jacob, He struck him in the socket of his hip and dislocated it as He wrestled with him.

The Man said, “Let Me go, for day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let You go until you have given me Your blessing.” The Man then said, “What is your name?” “Jacob” was the reply. He answered, “You will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have been strong-with-God as you have been with men and have prevailed.”

Then Jacob asked Him, “What is Your Name?” He answered, “Why do you ask My Name?” And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Penuel, saying, “I have seen God face to face and survived.” The sun rose as he passed through Penuel, limping because of his hip. That is why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sciatic nerve which is in the hip socket because the sciatic nerve in Jacob’s hip had been touched.

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Monday, 7 July 2025 : 14th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, through the Scripture readings that we have received and listened to today, all of us are reminded and reassured by the Lord of the hope and salvation which all of us will enjoy, the true joy and happiness, and the consolation, all the help that we can find through Him, and Him alone. We must always have strong hope in the Lord and we should not give up hope in Him because He can do all things for us and there is nothing that is impossible for Him to do. Whatever it is that is He has willed for us and desired for us, all will happen without fail in due time, and this is why we ought to trust in God at all times, even when we may be facing a lot of hardships and challenges in life.

In our first reading today, we heard of the story from the Book of Genesis, where God appeared and spoke to Jacob who at that time had just fled from his home after he had obtained the blessings of his father Isaac, to the fury and anger of his elder brother Esau, who must have been very angry after he had his blessings and birthright taken from him by his manipulative and trickster younger brother. But the Lord was with Jacob, and I mentioned this in the last week reflections, as although Esau was the elder son, and the customs and practices at that time dictating that the elder son should receive the inheritance, but Jacob was the one who had God’s favour, and Esau was according to Scriptural details and traditions of the Israelites, was not virtuous in his way of life. Nonetheless, Jacob had to bear the brunt of his brother’s anger, and had to flee therefore to his mother’s household in Haran in Mesopotamia.

It was in that occasion that the Lord appeared to Jacob to strengthen and to reassure him, renewing the same promises which He had spoken to Abraham and Isaac both, that He would make all of them to be the father of many nations, and He reassured Jacob that He would be with him in every step of his path, even when it seems to be unsure and full of challenges ahead. At that place, Jacob had a dream in which he saw the greatness of God, a stairs or ladder that extended all the way to Heaven, with the Angels of God ascending nad descending through that ladder to the earth. It was the reason why the place was named by Jacob as Bethel, because it was there that he saw the very House of God, the Gate to Heaven itself.

And Jacob was strengthened through that experience, so much so that he was able to persevere for many years during his time in exile from his home, at the household of Laban, his uncle, and was patient and strong in his labours and works, while fulfilling everything that God had promised him earlier on. Through his wives, especially Rachel, the one whom he loved very much, he became the father of twelve sons and at least one daughter, and from them indeed would come forth the great nation of Israel, all their twelve tribes having come from the sons of Jacob, who later on would be known as Israel, the one whom God had called and chosen, to be His own first called and chosen people, and God would be with them, guiding, loving and providing for them just as He has promised.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the two great miracles that the Lord Jesus performed before the people, one that happened with a woman who had been suffering from a bleeding or haemorrhage problem, while the other was the sick and eventually dead daughter of a synagogue official. In the first case, the woman was trying to hide her condition and was discreetly seeking the Lord because her condition was deemed to be unclean, and she certainly did not want anyone to know of her conditions, and her faith in the Lord and in His ability to heal her eventually cured her of her condition. And as we heard, the Lord was aware of her faith and what she had done, and He presented her faith before all, telling everyone what kind of faith she had in Him and how she was therefore cured.

This was followed by the healing and the miraculous resurrection of the official’s daughter which happened because of the faith of those who have believed in Him, and despite the others who were there laughing when the Lord told them all that the girl was just sleeping. Through that great miracle of the resurrection and the healing of the woman suffering from the haemorrhage problem, the Lord showed everyone that He was indeed the true and perfect fulfilment of everything that the Lord God has promised to His people, the salvation and liberation which He has promised to them and their ancestors, of the One Whom He would send into their midst to save them, in that Person of none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, now as we reflected upon these readings from the Sacred Scriptures, let us all therefore continue to trust in the Lord and be faithful to Him in all things, knowing that it is with Him alone that we shall truly have joy and peace, true happiness and satisfaction in life. Let us all not worry about what tomorrow may bring, as truly there is no certainty of what may happen to us, be it whether we are now in good or bad times. Instead, we should continue to be faithful and trusting in God, knowing that with Him we will not falter and fail in this life. He will always provide us all that we need, and we need to just trust in Him in all things, and not be worried because with the Lord we will truly be triumphant in the end, over all kinds of trials and sufferings we may be suffering from.

May the Lord continue to bless us all in each and every moments of our lives, and may He continue to encourage us in everything that we do, in our missions and callings in life, in all of our actions, works and good efforts for the sake of God and His Church, for the good of everyone around us. May He bless our very good works and endeavours, and help us to continue to be faithful and committed to Him in whatever areas of life and responsibilities that we are in, becoming good examples and inspiration, worthy beacons of God’s hope and light to all. Amen.