Thursday

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded through the words of the Lord as we continue to progress through this season of Advent, the time of spiritual renewal and preparation for the upcoming joyous celebration that we usually have in the upcoming Christmas time and season, that each and every one of us may be truly ready to celebrate it worthily and properly in the manner that we should do it. We should always strive to centre our lives on the Lord, on His truth and love, doing our very best to embody our faith in everything that we say and do. Let this time of Advent be a truly fruitful one, filled with moments that we spend preparing ourselves well in all aspects so that we can indeed celebrate Christmas with the right spirit and joy.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Isaiah in which the Lord continued to reassure His beloved people, the Israelites in the southern kingdom of Judah where Isaiah had been sent to minister in, who had been beset by many troubles and challenges, and yet, the Lord would be with them always, and they would not be abandoned even when the people themselves had often abandoned and ignored God and His constant reminders of love and compassion for all of His people. The Lord has always been a source of hope and recourse for the people whenever they faced challenges and trials, and He has sent them help and guidance repeatedly over many years and circumstances. And the Lord reassured His people that He would stand with them even through the most difficult moments.

This would come true very soon indeed in the perspective of the sequence of events that were depicted in the Book of the prophet Isaiah, as a few chapters after what we heard in today’s first reading, where the story of the events surrounding the invasion of Judah by the forces of King Sennacherib of Assyria were recorded, detailing how the Assyrians led by their king came in vast numbers, over a hundred thousand strong to raze and conquer the whole of Judah and besieging its capital city Jerusalem. And if we recall what we have just heard in our first reading today, that was precisely what the Lord had told His people through the prophet Isaiah, and just as He has reassured them, that He would protect them and laid low those who were haughty and proud, the Lord smote down the Assyrians and their king, the latter which had in his great pride and hubris claiming that he would conquer Jerusalem and not even God could stop him.

God sent His mighty Angels to strike upon the armies of the Assyrians, killing most of them through unknown means, but leaving the Assyrian king completely humiliated and shattered, and he had to flee back to his homeland in great shame. Meanwhile, Judah and Jerusalem were rescued and restored, and peace returned to the people of God and their homeland. Hence, we can see clearly here how God had intervened for the sake of those who had been faithful to Him, and that those who have been faithful and committed to God, putting their trust and hope in Him will be vindicated in the end, and no hope in the Lord will come to disappointment, as God is always ever faithful to His Covenant and everything that He has promised to us and reassured us with. This is why we are reminded of this during this time of Advent so that we can continue to grow in faith in the Lord.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus Himself using a parable to highlight to His disciples what it truly means to be HIs disciples and followers, and that is to put themselves in the firm foundation of faith in God and not in all sorts of worldly means and powers, by which many often put their foundations on. He used the comparison between the strong foundation of solid rock upon which if a house were to be built, it can withstand all kind of storms and waves battering it, while those who built up upon the weak foundation of sand would easily have their houses being destroyed and torn down by the forces of nature assailing it because of the lack of that solid foundation.

In the same way therefore, if we all put our trust in our worldly means, matters and our plans and machinations, more than we put our trust and faith in God, then sooner or later we will find ourselves utterly disappointed because in the end, no matter how firm or secure they may be, none of them can truly satisfy us or support us in the manner that God can. Even if we are to face challenges and trials, but with the Lord by our side, even the greatest and hardest challenges can be overcome if we continue to hold strongly and firmly upon the faith that we have in Him. This of course does not mean that we do not do anything and solely trust in God only, but instead, in all that we do, in our every actions, words and deeds, in every moments, everything that we do must always be firmly anchored in our faith and hope in the Lord.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John Damascene, also known as St. John of Damascus, a renowned monk, priest and theologian, who is honoured as one of the esteemed Doctors of the Church for his may works and contributions. St. John of Damascus was born in a prominent Christian Arab family in part of what is Syria today, which then was under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate. As he came from a family of officials who were involved in the earlier Byzantine bureaucracy, and then later on the Arabic Umayyad government, St. John was raised up and educated well, and became a well-educated man, serving in the court of the Umayyad Caliph before he became a priest and monk.

St. John of Damascus dedicated his life thereafter to the study of the Christian faith, its theology and mysteries, which he discussed and touched upon in his many writings and works. St. John was also notedly involved in the controversies surrounding the matter of iconoclasm that was then widespread through the Byzantine or the Eastern Roman Empire and the other parts of Christendom. At that time, there were parties and members of the Church and the clergy, with support even from some of the Emperors, who wished to ban the veneration of icons and images, considering them to be un-Christian in nature. This iconoclastic practices were opposed by the Pope and many other members of the clergy and the Church, including that of St. John of Damascus.

St. John of Damascus worked hard against all those who took part and sided in the iconoclastic heresy, and he had to face a lot of hardships in doing so, even to the point of being persecuted, falsely implicated in crimes and suffering from plots against him, that he even had his hand cut off. Miraculously, before the icon of the Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God through his fervent prayers, his hand was restored. St. John remained firm and courageous in his defence of the true faith, despite the trials and challenges against him, and he persevered throughout his life, finally being vindicated and exonerated from all the false accusations against him when the iconoclast heresy was finally overthrown and defeated.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore reflect upon what we have just discussed from the messages of the Sacred Scriptures and also from the life and experiences of St. John of Damascus. Let us all see in what way that we can continue to move forward in life with strong and genuine faith which we all ought to have, doing our very best to care for those whom the Lord has entrusted to us, our beloved and precious ones and all those whom we encounter in our daily and every moments in life. May God be with us always and may He continue to strengthen our faith during this journey throughout this Advent season, that we may continue to grow ever closer to Him, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Matthew 7 : 21, 24-27

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My heavenly Father. Therefore, anyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.”

“But anyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Psalm 117 : 1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a

Alleluia! Give thanks to YHVH, for He is good, His loving kindness endures forever. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in the help of humans. It is better to take refuge in YHVH than to trust in the might of princes.

Open to me the gates of the Just, and let me enter to give thanks. This is YHVH’s gate, through which the upright enter. I thank You for having answered me, for having rescued me.

Save us, o YHVH, deliver us, o YHVH! Blessed is He Who comes in YHVH’s Name! We praise You from the house of YHVH. YHVH is God; may His light shine upon us.

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Thursday, 4 December 2025 : 1st Week of Advent, St. John Damascene, Priest and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Priests)

Isaiah 26 : 1-6

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah : We have a strong city, He Himself has set up walls and fortifications to protect us. Open the gates! Let the righteous nation enter, she who is firm in faithfulness. You keep in perfect place the one of steadfast mind, the one who trusts in You.

Trust in YHVH forever, for YHVH is an everlasting Rock. He brought down those who dwell on high, He laid low the lofty city, He razed it to the ground, levelled it to the dust. Now it is trampled, the poor and the lowly tread upon it.

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Thursday, 27 November 2025 : 34th 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 continue to be reminded yet again of the challenges, trials and difficulties which we may have to face as those who have been faithful to the Lord and His commandments. Each and every one of us as Christians are reminded of the important obligations and responsibilities which we have been entrusted with, and for which we should always be ready to do our best to proclaim the Lord, His truth and His Good News in our communities and societies today, among our family members and circles of friends both. We are all called in our own unique ways to give our best for the greater glory of God, in everything that we say and do.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the continuation of the Book of the prophet Daniel, we heard of the story of the moment when Daniel, the wise man and servant in the household of the King of Media and Persia, Darius, the one who had overcome and conquered the Babylonians, faced a new trouble in the form of the opposition from the other courtiers and members of the king’s household, those who were jealous of Daniel and his greatness and wisdom. They plotted against Daniel and pressured the king to act against Daniel, by alleging that he was disrespecting the customs and practices of the Persians and the Medians by his faith in God and the differences of his actions and way of life compared to theirs.

That was how eventually Daniel was sent to the lion’s den, where his enemies hope that he would be destroyed and that they would lose their great obstacle and enemy. But Daniel trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly and he did not allow fear and despair to overcome him, and he prayed to God to deliver him from his troubles and his enemies, and indeed, his prayers were heard, and everyone from the king and all of his enemies witnessed how God kept Daniel safe amidst the hungry lions and kept him from being harmed. Meanwhile, his enemies were immediately devoured and destroyed when the king threw them into that same den after he had rescued and brought Daniel out of the den. This is indeed the proof of God’s providence and help for all those who have always trusted in Him and have faith in Him.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we continue to hear as we approach the end of our current liturgical year the eschatological nature of our readings and words of God, reminding us of the coming of tribulations, trials and challenges that will accompany us and our faith in the Lord. Those who continue to be faithful to the Lord will be facing those persecutions and obstacles, and we are reminded henceforth that we should not easily give up the struggle simply because we face those challenges, trials and difficulties, and we should not give in to the temptations of the world, and all the pressures for us to conform to the worldly ways and manners.

The Lord also foretold of everything that would come to happen in the ruin and destruction of Jerusalem, to show that indeed everything that He said would come true, and while the parousia or His Second Coming will still be distant in the future, as it has not even happened today yet, but just as He had predicted the destruction and ruin of Jerusalem and its Temple, therefore, everything will be fulfilled in God’s good time, and He will fulfil all that He has promised to all of us. Each and every one of us are reminded that we should continue to have faith and trust in the Lord despite all the struggles, hardships, all the darkness and trials that we may have to face in our path. God has never abandoned us and He will always provide us for all that we need.

As once Daniel was rescued from the lion’s den and from the hands of his enemies, vindicated and liberated, and as how our many holy and courageous predecessors had been guided by God, even through their great sufferings, that they became great examples and inspiration for everyone around them, and even long after their passing. Many martyrs and holy servants of God have become great role models in inspiring many who came after them, and their examples and courage still echo even to this very day. Can we be those same examples and inspirations to everyone around us, to our family members, friends and all those whom we encounter in each and every moments in our lives? That is what we are being called to do as Christians, brothers and sisters.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to trust in the Lord and in His Providence, never giving up on Him just as He Himself has always been patient in guiding us and strengthening us all throughout our way despite us having been very stubborn at times and despite us having frequently disobeyed and abandoned Him especially when things are good for us, whenever we forget about Him and focusing rather on our worldly desires and ambitions. That is why we have been reminded today through these readings from the Sacred Scriptures such that we may indeed realise just how fortunate we are to have been loved so wonderfully by God and how we should never take this for granted. Instead, we should continue to be faithful to Him and do our best in our lives to glorify Him at all times.

May the Lord continue to strengthen us in our faith and in our resolve to live our lives faithfully according to His ways and teachings. May He continue to guide us all in our journey so that each and every one of us may be ever stronger in our commitment to bring glory to His Name, that in our every actions, efforts, good works and endeavours, we will continue to be good and worthy role models in all things, in all that we say and do. May God bless our every good works and inspire us all with His Wisdom and strength that we may always be faithful to Him, and put our trust in Him, now and always. Amen.

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Thursday, 27 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 21 : 20-28

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that the time has come when it will be reduced to a wasteland. If you are in Judea, flee to the mountains! If you are in Jerusalem, leave! If you are outside the city, do not enter it!”

“For these will be the days of its punishment, and all that was announced in the Scriptures will be fulfilled. How hard will it be for pregnant women, and for mothers with babies at the breast! For a great calamity will come upon the land, and wrath upon this people. They will be put to death by the sword, or taken as slaves to other nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled upon by the pagans, until the time of the pagans is fulfilled.”

“Then there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations, perplexed when they hear the roaring of the sea and its waves. People will faint with fear at the mere thought of what is to come upon the world, for the forces of the universe will be shaken. Then, at that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

“So, when you see things begin to happen, stand erect and lift up your heads, for your deliverance is drawing near.”

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Thursday, 27 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 3 : 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74

Dew and frost, praise and exalt Him forever.

Ice and cold, praise and exalt Him forever.

Frost and snow, praise and exalt Him forever.

Days and nights, praise and exalt Him forever.

Light and darkness, praise and exalt Him forever.

Lightning and clouds, praise and exalt Him forever.

Earth, praise and exalt Him forever.

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Thursday, 27 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Daniel 6 : 12-28

So the administrators and satraps went to the king and reminded him about the prohibition, “O king, did you not publish a decree that anyone who prays or makes petition to any god or man except to you would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “Yes, and the decree stands, in accordance with Medo-Persian laws which cannot be altered or annulled.” Then they said, “But the Jewish exile Daniel pays no attention to you and to your decree. Three times a day he still prays to some God other than you.”

Greatly aggrieved at what he heard, the king decided to help Daniel. He made every effort till sundown to save him. But the men kept coming to him and insisting, “Remember, o king, that under the Medo-Persian laws every decree or prohibition issued by the king is irrevocable.” The king, therefore, could not help giving the order that Daniel be brought and thrown into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, Whom you serve faithfully, save you.”

A stone was placed at the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with that of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might remain unchanged. Then the king returned to his palace and spent a sleepless night, refusing food and entertainment. Very early next morning, he rose and hurried to the lions’ den. As he came near, he called in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the Living God, did your God, Whom you serve faithfully, save you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “Live forever, o king! My God sent His Angel, who closed the lions’ mouths, so that they did not hurt me. God did that because I am innocent in His sight. Neither have I wronged you, o king.”

The king felt very glad and ordered Daniel released from the lions’ den. No wound was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. At the king’s order, the men who had accused Daniel were thrown into the lions’ den, together with their wives and children. No sooner had they reached the floor of the den than the lions lunged at them and tore them to pieces.

King Darius wrote to the nations, to peoples of every language, “Peace to you all! I decree that throughout my kingdom people should reverence and fear the God of Daniel. For He is the Living God, and forever He endures; His Kingdom will not be crushed, His dominion will never cease. He rescues and He delivers; He performs signs and wonders both in heaven and on earth. And He came to Daniel’s rescue saving him from the lions’ tooth and claw.”

Daniel greatly prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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Thursday, 20 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are reminded that all of us as Christians, as God’s people, we must be ready to face difficulties, challenges and persecutions in life, as our ways of life and in how we believe in the Lord, we may not be in accordance with the beliefs and ways of the world around us. And that is why throughout the history of the Church, Christians of all walks of life have endured great sufferings and persecutions, challenges and trials amidst the varying levels of persecutions against the Church and the faithful. At the same time, we are reminded to stay strong in our faith and not easily give up the struggles and efforts because ultimately, the Lord is always with us and He will always be by our side providing for us for all that we need.

In our first reading today, we heard of the passage from the Book of the Maccabees in which the moment when the Maccabean Rebellion began in a town known as Modein in Judea where a priest known as Mattathias and his sons, later known as the Maccabees, lived in. And as we heard, the representative of the Greek Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes went there as the same thing had happened everywhere else in that king’s dominion, enforcing the king’s harsh demands that they all should abandon their own faith and beliefs, and offer instead sacrifices and worship the pagan gods and deities of the Greeks. It was there and then at Modein that those who wanted to remain faithful to the Lord and those who were willing to bend to the wishes of the king came to struggle for the first time.

And as we heard, Mattathias refused the generous offers of the king for him and his household, despite offering them all very great riches and wealth, prestige and power as the friends of the king, a truly powerful position at that time. But he would not be deterred or dissuaded by the offers, persuasions or coercions from the king’s representative. His courage and zeal which he showed afterwards are reminders for us all that we should also show the same kind of faith and commitment to God in the face of challenges and adversities just as Mattathias and many others of our predecessors had shown us all throughout the Scriptures. Each and every one of us as Christians should always be good role models, examples and inspirations ourselves in all the things that we say and do, in leading lives truly worthy of God.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the lamentations of the Lord Jesus Himself as He lamented over Jerusalem, representing all the lack of appreciation and gratefulness for all that God had done for His beloved people, as those same people persecuted the ones that He has sent to them to remind them and to gather them all once again to His loving Presence. He has sent His many prophets and messengers to remind His people of their wrongdoings and misdeeds, but instead of appreciating what the Lord had done for them, they hardened their hearts and minds, persecuting and even murdering those who had been sent to remind and help them all. That was why they had to endure sufferings and hardships later on, them and their descendants.

This reminds us all, as God’s beloved and chosen people, we must always strive to be good and worthy examples of what the Lord had taught us to do, in even the smallest and seemingly least significant of things in our lives. That is how we can be good examples and role models for everyone around us, to our family members and friends, to everyone whom we encounter in life, even to strangers that we may have met in our journey. We should always remind ourselves to be steady in following the path which the Lord has set for us, showing our light in everything that we say and do, at all times. We must never think that we cannot do great things for the Lord, as even things we may think to be small or insignificant may in fact unexpectedly impact greatly on others all around us.

The problem is that many among us as Christians have not lived our lives in the manner that the Lord has taught and shown us, with many of us professing to believe in one way and yet acting in a completely different manner, refusing to be accountable for our own actions and words. Some of us even caused hurt on others around us in our pursuit of selfish desires and ambitions, and unfortunately, some of these actions, desires and ambitions they are themselves part of our role and ministry in the Church. And many around us can perhaps testify to this unfortunate and sad reality which have caused so many people to be scandalised and turned off by our lack of accountability and genuine faith in our actions, and how we tend to contradict our own words and beliefs. This is not what we should be doing in our lives, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today let us all therefore reflect carefully on what we have heard in the message of the Sacred Scriptures and all that we have just discussed about those readings. All of us should always remember that as those whom God has called and chosen to be His own, our responsibilities and callings are even greater because it is to all of us that He has revealed Himself, His truth and everything that He has taught and shown us through His Church. And it is important that we should strive to embody our faith in our daily actions, words and deeds or else if we do not do so, then we will end up even causing scandal or problem to our Church and faith in God. We have indeed the capacity to show God’s love manifested in us and our actions, or to be like those who are no more than hypocrites in their faith, and the choice is ours to make to choose our path in life.

May the Lord our most loving God and Father continue to provide us with everything that we need, in remaining strong, courageous and resolute in living our lives full of faith and love for the Lord. May He continue to empower each and every one of us so that by our constant and persistent dedication, our ever stronger commitment to glorify Him by our lives, we will be good role models, examples and inspirations for everyone around us. May God bless us all and our every endeavours, our good efforts and works at all times, and may He strengthen us in our every moments in life. Amen.

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Thursday, 20 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 19 : 41-44

At that time, when Jesus had come in sight of the city, He wept over it, and said, “If only today you knew the ways of peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Yet days will come upon you, when your enemies will surround you with barricades, and shut you in, and press on you from every side.”

“And they will dash you to the ground and your children with you, and not leave stone upon stone within you, for you did not recognise the time and the visitation of your God.”