Sundays of Ordinary Time

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, and as we all heard them we are reminded that we should always learn to trust in the Lord, put our faith ever more in Him and do our very best so that by our every actions, words and deeds, God may always be glorified, and that we should not lose our hope in Him no matter how tough or difficult the situation may be because we have to remember and realise that God is always with us, for us and there for us by our side, even in our most troubled moments. We have to remember this when we encounter lots of obstacles and difficulties in our paths, when we are facing things that may seem impossible and utterly hard for us. That is because God has the power to overcome whatever seems impossible for us, and He has the power and authority over all things.

In our first reading today, we heard of the continuation of the story of the birth and arrival of the prophet and Judge of Israel, the famous Samuel who would go on to anoint both Saul and David as Kings of Israel, and was the last of the line of Judges that God had appointed over His people. At that time, Samuel’s father, Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah although the latter had more children, and we heard how out of jealousy, Peninnah treated Hannah badly and often mocked her for her barrenness and childlessness. For the context, in the ancient Israelite community, being barren and unable to conceive a child was considered as a bad omen and even sign of Divine displeasure and sin. That was why Hannah was so distraught at this treatment, and she went to seek the help from the Lord.

That was when we heard in our passage today about Hannah baring her heart and soul out before the Lord in His Presence in Shiloh, where the Ark of God and the Judge of Israel, Eli, resided. There Hannah made a truly heartfelt plea and prayer to God, asking Him to help her and promised that if He were to fulfil her wishes and prayers for a child and son, she would dedicate that son to the service of God. We then heard of the exchange between Eli and Hannah, and how eventually Eli prayed for Hannah and interceded for her, asking that God might answer her prayers. And we heard how Hannah was transformed by that experience and time, and by the grace of God, she eventually became pregnant and had the child, the prophet Samuel himself, even after a long time being unsuccessful in having a child.

Then from our Gospel passage today, we heard of the occasion of the miraculous healing of a man who had been possessed by evil spirits who came to the Lord Jesus as He was teaching in a synagogue. The evil spirits possessing the man tried to expose the Lord’s identity and said before everyone assembled that He was indeed the Holy One of God, the Son of God, while also acknowledging that He has the power and authority to destroy them, something that no one else but God could have done. In doing so, those evil spirits in fact tried to disturb and prevent the Lord from carrying out His mission and ministry smoothly. This was because of the opposition that the Lord had been facing from the chief priests and the Pharisees that put obstacles in His path wherever He and His disciples went.

Hence, should the evil spirits proclaimed loudly before everyone that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the long awaited Saviour, and that He was none other than God Himself, manifested through His Son in the flesh, this would have led to great consternation and chaos among the people, who were divided among those who fervently believed in the Lord and His miracles and against those who were adamantly hardened in hearts and minds, refusing to believe in Him even despite all the signs, miracles and wonders that He had performed before their own eyes and despite all the wisdom and teachings which He had delivered to them with such great authority. The irony is indeed that it was the evil spirits that readily recognised the Lord for Who He is, while many among the leaders of the people and the religious elites failed to do so.

And then, more importantly, the Lord also told those evil spirits to be silent and to get out of those men, a feat that no one else but God and those whom He gave the power and authority to, could have done. Just like the case with Hannah, the Lord showed His power of resolving whatever seem to be impossible, and reminding us all that if we continue to have faith and trust in Him, eventually our faith and belief in Him will bear rich fruits in due time, in God’s good time. What we need to do is indeed to learn to be patient and continue to trust in the Lord and in His Providence, and let God do the rest for us. Truly, those who hope in God and trust in Him will never be disappointed for it is in God alone we can find true Hope that is always true and will never disappoint us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, just as we heard about how the Lord provided for His faithful and beloved ones, today all of us also ought to look upon the good examples and inspirations set by St. Hilary, one of the great Church fathers, also known as St. Hilary of Poitiers, whose love and devotion to God, zeal and faith by which he had lived his life and ministry, can be great source of inspiration for all of us in how we live our own Christian living and faith. St. Hilary of Poitiers was the Bishop of Poitiers who was renowned for his great dedication to his flock and for his opposition to the heretics and all those who had perverted and misused the truth of God for their own selfish purposes. He was particularly energetic and passionate in opposing the then greatly influential Arian beliefs that distorted the truth about Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of all.

St. Hilary spent a lot of time and effort in reaching out to his flock and opposing those who sought to divide the Church and snatch the faithful from the hands of the Lord’s shepherds, having to endure persecutions and even exile for his courageous struggles for the truth, for the Lord and for the Lord’s beloved flock. He wrote extensively on many aspects of the faith, against the heretical teachings and ideas, which eventually made him proclaimed as one of the great Doctors of the Church for his immense contributions, long after he has passed on from this world. The faith and dedication which St. Hilary has shown us should serve as a good example for us to follow, so that each and every one of us may also follow him in his devotion and efforts in serving and glorifying God, in our own respective lives and actions.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore do our very best in each and every moments of our lives so that we may continue to be good examples of persevering hope and faith in God even amidst great challenges and even impossible odds. Let us share our faith and hope in the Lord to everyone around us, so that we may inspire and inflame in each one of them the ever stronger and burning flame of hope that should continue to be in us, in our constant faith and trust in God, at all times. May God bless us all and our every endeavours and efforts, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

Mark 1 : 21b-28

At that time, Jesus taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. The people were astonished at the way He taught, for He spoke as One having authority, and not like the teachers of the Law. It happened that, a man with an evil spirit was in their synagogue, and he shouted, “What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are : You are the Holy One of God.”

Then Jesus faced him and said with authority, “Be silent, and come out of this man!” The evil spirit shook the man violently and, with a loud shriek, came out of him. All the people were astonished, and they wondered, “What is this? With what authority He preaches! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him!”

And Jesus’ fame spread throughout all the country of Galilee.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.

The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the proud mother is left alone.

YHVH is Lord of life and death. He brings down to the grave and raises up. YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and He exalts.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour.

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Bishops)

1 Samuel 1 : 9-20

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah stood up not far from Eli, the priest whose seat was beside the doorpost of YHVH’s House. Deeply distressed she wept and prayed to YHVH and made this vow : “O YHVH of Hosts, if You will have compassion on Your maidservant and give me a son, I will put him in Your service for as long as he lives and no razor shall touch his head.”

As she prayed before YHVH, Eli observed the movement of her lips. Hannah was praying silently; she moved her lips but uttered no sound and Eli thought Hannah was drunk. He, therefore, said to her : “For how long will you be drunk? Let your drunkenness pass.”

But Hannah answered : “No, my lord, I am a woman in great distress, not drunk. I have not drunk wine or strong drink, but I am pouring out my soul before YHVH. Do not take me for a bad woman. I was so afflicted that my prayer flowed continuously.”

Then Eli said, “Go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you asked for.” Hannah answered, “Let Your maidservant deserve Your kindness.” Then she left the Temple; and when she was at table she seemed a different woman. Elkanah rose early in the morning and worshipped before YHVH with his wives. Then they went back home to Ramah.

When Elkanah slept with his wife, Hannah, YHVH took compassion on her, and she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel because she said : “I have asked YHVH to give him to me.”

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Monday, 12 January 2026 : 1st 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 have this wonderful God Who is our Lord and Master, as someone Who has truly loved us wholeheartedly and as One Who has always provided us with what we need and Who has always cared for us all whenever it is, even when we do not realise just how much He had done for us and when we have forgotten about Him and refused to acknowledge His kindness, always taking for granted His ever patient and rich love. But we are reminded today through these passages from the Sacred Scriptures that we should embrace God’s love, care and providence, not taking Him for granted anymore. Whatever it is that we believe in Him, He will provide for us if we trust in Him.

In our first reading today, we heard from the beginning of the Book of the prophet Samuel in which the story of how Samuel himself was conceived and born was told to us, with the background of his family, consisting of his father Elkanah, his mother Hannah and Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah highlighted. Elkanah loved Hannah more than Peninnah although the latter had more children, and we heard how out of jealousy, Peninnah treated Hannah badly and often mocked her for her barrenness and childlessness. For the context, in the ancient Israelite community, being barren and unable to conceive a child was considered as a bad omen and even sign of Divine displeasure and sin. That was why Hannah was so distraught at this treatment, and she went to seek the help from the Lord.

We heard how Elkanah tried to comfort Hannah and told her that what mattered was that he loved her more than anything else, even more than all those children that Peninnah had borne to him. And yet, this did not change the fact that Hannah still wanted to bear Elkanah a son, and the constant harassment from Peninnah certainly did not help the situation. It was all of these issues and troubles that eventually led to Hannah choosing to seek the Lord for help, and as she went to pray in the Presence of the Lord that the then Judge of Israel came to her and prayed over her, eventually leading to God answering her prayers and gave her a son, that is Samuel the great prophet, and other sons and children that wiped away the stain of her barrenness. All these are proofs that God truly provides for each one of His people, and that He truly loves us all.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the account of the Lord Jesus, Our Saviour, as He went about carrying out His missions and works, at the beginning of His earthly ministry, when He called upon His very first disciples at the Lake of Galilee. It was there that He encountered the future disciples Simon and Andrew, sons of John, as well as James and John, sons of Zebedee. All four of them were ordinary fishermen working at the place, a truly unassuming and ordinary profession, but God called each one of them to a greater purpose in life. And the Lord called them to become fishers of men, followed by each one of them leaving their boats and works, and dedicated their lives to the Lord henceforth.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must not misunderstand the purpose and intent of this passage from the Gospel of St. Mark the Evangelist, lest we may think that God is asking us to abandon everything that we do in our lives and follow the Lord in the manner that the Apostles that He chose had done. Yes, there will indeed be those whom God called for that purpose just as He had done for those whom He called, but He did not intend for everyone to do the same. In fact, those whom He called, principally the Twelve, and also some others, were those who were meant to help Him out in His ministry and mission to the people, in serving them and in preparing His way, and such a calling require a full-time commitment that they could not possibly continue to do whatever work and responsibilities that they had previously.

The vast majority of people that followed the Lord in fact still continued on with their daily lives, work and responsibilities. They just followed the Lord on occasions and when He came around, with different people having different levels of commitments. It would indeed be chaotic should everyone decided to abandon everything behind, their livelihood and responsibilities, and even the early Church Christians, the Apostles and the Christian communities realised that it is not feasible for them to live in the very idealistic manner that some of them might have thought of, or attempted in the very earliest days of the Church. This is why we have to understand that what the Lord intended for us to know through this Gospel passage is for us to trust in the Lord and to allow Him to lead and guide us in what He wants us to do in our lives.

Each and every one of us have different callings in life, just as diverse as the many and varied gifts, blessings, talents, abilities and opportunities that He has provided and blessed each one of us with. And what we need to do is indeed for us to embrace the Lord and to know His will for each one of us. He has provided us all with the various opportunities and good things for us to contribute in our own unique way to the good works and missions of the Church, in being responsible, accountable and consistent in everything that we do in life, in all that we have been entrusted with by God in our own unique vocations and ministries. All of us indeed should strive to live our lives worthily in this manner and be the good examples and inspirations for all others to follow.

May the Lord, our most loving and compassionate God continue to provide for us and strengthen us all in everything that we do, so that we may always be full of faith and trust in Him, loving Him wholeheartedly just as He has done to us. May He continue to show us His kindness and patient love as He has done all these while, so that we may continue to be inspired to show that same love in our own daily lives and actions. May God bless us always in everything that we do, in our every good efforts and endeavours. Amen.

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Monday, 12 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Mark 1 : 14-20

At that time, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”

As Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fish for people.” At once, they abandoned their nets and followed Him.

Jesus went a little farther on, and saw James and John, the sons of Zebedee; they were in their boat mending their nets. Immediately, Jesus called them and they followed Him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men.

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Monday, 12 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 115 : 12-13, 14 and 17, 18-19

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

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people. It is painful to the Lord to see the death of His faithful.

O Lord, I am Your servant, truly Your servant, Your handmaid’s son. You have freed me from my bonds. I will offer You a thanksgiving sacrifice; I will call on the Name of the Lord.

I will carry out my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, o Jerusalem.

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Monday, 12 January 2026 : 1st Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Samuel 1 : 1-8

There was a man from Ramathaim, in the hills of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was the son of Tohu, son of Jeroham, of the clan of Zuph. He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children but Hannah had none.

Every year Elkanah went to worship and to sacrifice to YHVH of Hosts at Shiloh. The priests there were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas. Whenever Elkanah offered sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife, Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. To Hannah, however, he gave the more delightful portion because he loved her more, although she had no child. Yet Hannah’s rival used to tease her for being barren.

So it happened every year when they went to YHVH’s House, Peninnah irritated Hannah and she would weep and refuse to eat. Once Elkanah, her husband, asked her, “Hannah, why do you weep instead of eating? Why are you sad? Are you not better off with me than with many sons?”

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Saturday, 29 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today on this last day of the liturgical year, we are still yet again reminded by the readings from the Sacred Scriptures with its eschatological or end-of-the-world as we know it in nature, where we are being reminded that as we are going to enter into the new liturgical year with the start of the Advent Season tomorrow on the First Sunday of Advent, we do not enter into this new time, season and liturgical year with still the same wrong mindset that many of us may be having in our own lives, as some of us may still continue to live our lives in the manner that is truly ignorant and unbecoming of our identity and nature as Christians. We should make good use of whatever opportunities and chances that God has provided to us, in each and every moments that we have been given.

In our first reading today, we heard the continuation of the story of the apocalyptic visions of the prophet Daniel, which he received when he was in the land of Babylon, where the Lord explained to him the visions that he has received about the future, about the coming time of dominion and power of the evil ones dominating this world, and by which they would persecute those who remained faithful to the Lord, of both things that had happened by now in our present day as well as those things that had not happened yet. The Lord revealed to Daniel that those four beasts that he had seen in the vision represented the upcoming kingdoms and powers of the world, the haughty and arrogant rulers and tyrants that would dominate the others and brought about great sorrows for the faithful people of God, and yet, as the visions have shown him, in the end, none of those would last.

Ultimately, in the end, the Lord will be triumphant and His dominion and kingdom will last forever, and He will reign over all of us, His faithful and beloved ones, in an eternity of true happiness and joy. This is something the Lord has reassured us with and which He will not deny to us because He is always ever faithful to the promises that He has made to us. God does not abandon us and He has always been with us, even through the most challenging and difficult moments in our lives, and He has always consistently provided us all with everything that is necessary to allow us to persevere through even the greatest of challenges and trials in life. If we continue to trust and have faith in the Lord, eventually we will be vindicated and share in His glorious triumph, and no more sufferings and sorrows will come our way in the life that is to come for us with God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Himself, Who reminded all of His disciples and followers that they should not give in to the temptations of worldly pleasures, ambitions and desires, all of which can become serious obstacles in our journey towards the Lord and His salvation. And if we are truly serious in seeking to follow the Lord faithfully in all things, then we should also make the conscious efforts, works and endeavours to live our lives worthily in accordance to what He has taught and shown us to do in our own respective lives. We should not be ignorant of the things that the Lord has provided to us in our journey, all the guidance, wisdom and all the help that He has provided to us.

As Christians, each and every one of us are reminded that all of us are the bearers and witnesses of the Lord’s truth and Good News in our respective communities and societies, amongst our family members, relatives and our circle of friends. All of us should always be good examples and inspirations of our faith in everything that we say and do, and we should not instead be the source of scandal and dissension, division and impropriety in the manner and way that we live our lives. Unfortunately, the reality is such that, more often than not, as many of us might have experienced in our own respective lives, it is our fellow Christians that might have caused us the most difficulties, heart pains and dilemma because of the manner and way how they behave, which were unbecoming of Christians.

Let us also look upon our own actions, words and deeds, in how we interact with one another, lest we ourselves also behave in the manner that is unworthy, scandalous and unbecoming of being Christians. All of us are reminded that our actions and contributions can be both positive and negative, and depending on how we behave and how we carry out our lives, we can both inspire others to come closer to the Lord and on the other hand, we can also cause others to be scandalised and to be more distanced away from God. And in the end, we will be held accountable and have to be responsible for each and every one of those actions and choices on how we have behaved, and if we have behaved in the manner that is unbecoming of Christians, then we will have to account for them.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all reflect upon everything that we have heard and discussed from the readings of the Sacred Scriptures, and let us see in what way how we can be better disciples and followers of the Lord, even amidst the many challenges and trials that we may be facing in our lives. Let us all not be hypocrites and merely paying lip-service in our faith but truly show our genuine faith through real actions, words and deeds, in everything that we said and did at all opportunities and circumstances. Let us remember that as Christians, we are all called to be faithful and committed disciples of Our Lord, to be His authentic witnesses and as the ones to proclaim His truth, love and Good News to everyone that we encounter in each and every moments of our lives.

May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us in our respective journeys and paths in life, and may He continue to encourage us to persevere through the many life’s challenges and trials. May He continue to empower us all so that our every lives and actions truly embody our Christian faith, and that we may continue to inspire many others we encounter in our lives and paths, leading all towards God and His salvation, now and always. And as we enter into this new season and liturgical year, let us all strive to be ever more committed and dedicated in living our lives in accordance to our Christian faith. Amen.

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Saturday, 29 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of Our Lady)

Luke 21 : 34-36

At that time, Jesus said to the people, “Be on your guard : do not immerse yourselves in a life of pleasure, drunkenness and worldly cares, lest that day catch you unaware, like a trap! For, like a snare, will that day come upon all the inhabitants of the earth. But watch at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all that is going to happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”