Tuesday

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all presented with the reminders for each and every one of us to be firmly faithful to God and to believe in Him wholeheartedly, that we do not just pay a lip service to Him or observe the commandments and laws of God for the sake of doing them, or if we do them for the sake of being popular or to get fame and attention to ourselves. That is not how we should be living our faith, and that is not what Christians like us should be doing, or else, we are no better than hypocrites and unbelievers who have no true faith in God. We are reminded yet again that we need to be truly faithful and committed to God in words, in actions and in deeds alike.

In our first reading today, we heard from the continuation of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Galatia. In that passage, St. Paul reminded the faithful in Galatia, many of whom were Jewish converts to the Christian faith, and there were also being a rather sizeable Jewish diaspora there, to no longer be ‘enslaved’ to the old Law, which was not actually really referring to the Law of God, but rather to the customs, traditions, practices and all those which the people of God in the past had gradually grown to ingrain themselves into, and not only that, but even becoming more and more obsessed on, as they became too engrossed and focused on obeying even the smallest details of those rules and regulations.

The Law of God historically and traditionally was revealed by God Himself to His servant, Moses, in the desert, during the time when the people of Israel had just been liberated from their enslavement by the Egyptians. The Lord Who brought them all out of the land of Egypt also showed them His guidance and wisdom, and especially after they had repeatedly shown their stubborn attitudes and disobedience, such as their building of the golden calf idol and its worship, their constant complaints regarding the matter of food and convenience as they journeyed through the desert, all of these led to them going wayward and out of their paths in following God. That was why God, out of His continued and constant love for His people, showed them His Law and commandments to guide and help them.

However, in time, those laws and commandments which had been modified and altered throughout the many centuries of them being passed from generations to generations, led to them being misunderstood and misused by those who failed to truly understand their meaning, purpose and significance. That was what we have also heard throughout the other parts of the New Testament and the Gospels, where there were frequent disagreements and clashes between the Lord Himself and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law as the two latter groups were adamant on keeping, preserving and enforcing their way of obeying and observing the Law of God. As a matter of fact, after many centuries since the Law of God was passed down to the people through Moses, it had gone through very extensive changes and additions, such that the Law as was known and observed by those same Pharisees and teachers of the Law had become very cumbersome and oppressive.

Not only that, but those rules, regulations, practices and customs had become something that made it really difficult for many people to follow and to observe, and in fact became a distraction and barrier for many in their journey towards God. For the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves, the Law became a tool for them to achieve fame and glory. Many of them became trapped in the desire to achieve greatness and praise through those laws, by showing off their piety and activities, and in the end, causing them to be focusing upon themselves and their ego rather than on God. While for others, the Law made it difficult for many to approach God, and made them to shun Him and turn away from Him instead.

That is why St. Paul exhorted and reminded the faithful in Galatia not to continue in the way and the path that their ancestors and predecessors had kept, which was erroneous and the Lord Himself had pointed out as He came to reveal the truth about the Law of God and all that He had told us all about Himself and how each one of us ought to live our lives in accordance with God’s will. Those who believe in the Lord and follow Him should heed the words that He has spoken and which He then reminded us again through His Apostles like St. Paul. They are all exhorted and reminded to embrace the path of God’s love, in loving God and one another, and in focusing their lives on Him and following His commandments in its true meaning and purpose. We should not be selfish or self-centred in our ways and actions, unlike those among the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who were openly prejudiced against those whom they disliked and condemned.

It is also a very important reminder that as Christians, all of us must not allow ourselves to be  swayed by ambition, selfish desires and all the things that can distract us from our paths towards God. As those among the Pharisees and the elders have shown us, that whenever we deem and think of ourselves as superior than others, we end up causing hurt, discrimination, injustice and all sorts of irresponsible behaviours that are not in accordance to God’s teachings and truths. It is easy for us to fall prey to these temptations especially if we are not truly firmly rooted in our faith in God and in our understanding of what we truly profess to believe. And we are also called to live with the ultimate focus in the Lord, and not on ourselves.

May the Lord, our ever loving and compassionate God continue to shower us all with His love, show us His wisdom and guidance, through the examples which He Himself has shown us, the example of pure love and compassion towards the marginalised and those who were oppressed and hated. May through His inspiration and love, all of us as God’s beloved people be the beacons of His light and hope, and the bearers of His great love and grace in our world today, inspiring many more to follow Him wholeheartedly rather than merely paying lip service or understanding His Law and commandments superficially as some of our predecessors had done. May God bless our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 11 : 37-41

At that time, as Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to have a meal with him. So He went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not wash His hands before the dinner.

But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He Who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.”

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 118 : 41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48

Give me Your unfailing love, o YHVH; Your salvation, as You have promised.

Take not the word of truth from my mouth, for I would also lose my hope in Your word.

May I always keep Your word, for ever and ever.

I shall walk in freedom, having sought out Your laws.

For I delight in Your word, which I fear.

I will lift up my hands to You, and meditate on Your commandments.

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Tuesday, 13 October 2026 : 28th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Galatians 5 : 1-6

Christ freed us, to make us really free. So remain firm, and do not submit, again, to the yoke of slavery. I, Paul, say this to you : if you receive circumcision, Christ can no longer help you. Once more, I say, to whoever receives circumcision : you are now bound to keep the whole Law. All you, who pretend to become righteous through the observance of the Law, have separated yourselves from Christ, and have fallen away from grace.

As for us, through the Spirit and faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. In Christ Jesus, it is irrelevant, whether we be circumcised or not; what matters is, faith, working through love.

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Tuesday, 6 October 2026 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Scriptures, we are all presented with the reminder that each one of us are called to change our ways of life, and to embrace God and His path once again if we have once erred and not adhering to the way of the Lord. Each one of us are reminded that God has kindly reached out to us, calling on us all to embrace His love and mercy, and for us to walk once again in His path. As long as we are willing to listen to the Lord calling on us, then we are likely to be on the right path, and as long as we are willing to open our hearts and minds to welcome Him, we are likely going to find the Lord in the end, waiting for us to return to Him.

In our first reading today we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Church and the faithful in Galatia in which the Apostle spoke about his experiences and conversion from being one of the greatest enemies of the Lord, His Church and the faithful people of God, the great scourge of Christians, to be one of the Lord’s and His Church’s greatest champions and defenders, in his amazing conversion experience and in being called and chosen by God. God Himself had called St. Paul on his way to Damascus, supposedly to crush the Church and persecute the Christians there, but he himself emerged as a Christian in the aftermath, and from then henceforth, this renewed man of God embarked on a faithful mission in obedience to God’s will.

What we have heard in our first reading today through the experiences which St. Paul shared with all of us, we are all reminded that God is calling on us all to follow Him, and He is the One Who is making us worthy and changed us, led us and guided us to the right path. We are reminded that there is hope for everyone, even for the worst sinners and the greatest offenders as long as they are willing to allow God to lead them once again down the right path. Just as St. Paul has shown us, that he listened to the Lord’s call and embraced Him wholeheartedly, learning about the errors of his past ways, and then henceforth, labouring for the glory of God ever after, glorifying God by all of his every efforts and deeds in various places and communities.

In our Gospel passage today, we heard of the exchanges between the Lord Jesus and His friends, the sisters Mary and Martha, both of whom welcomed Him as He came to visit their house. Martha was busy preparing for the welcome, presumably preparing the meals and other things to properly and hospitably welcome Him. Meanwhile Mary was focused wholly on listening to the Lord as He spoke and taught her of His truth. We know of this story surely where Martha told the Lord to ask her sister to help her out, as she was busy preparing everything by herself, only for the Lord to remind her that what her sister was doing, was right, because she welcomed Him into her heart, and did what she could to welcome Him by focusing her attention on Him and not otherwise.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we heard of the story of Martha and Mary, we are all reminded of the need for all of us to return our focus onto the Lord our God, and for us to refocus our lives upon Him. Each one of us are reminded that we should not end up being so preoccupied and even distracted by our many attachments and by the many temptations all around us that we fail to focus our attention on the Lord, and instead, we may end up intentionally or unintentionally getting further and further, and more distant from the Lord and His path. Martha for example had good intentions, but unfortunately in her desire to satisfy her own desire in serving the Lord, she got lost into it so much that she forgot to welcome the Lord into her own heart as she was distracted by all those things.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bruno, a holy man of God, whose life and actions can serve as a great example and inspiration for each and every one of us, in how we can and should live up to our faith in the Lord. St. Bruno, also known as St. Bruno of Cologne, was the founder of the Carthusian Order, and was a dedicated servant of God, in his many missions and contributions to the Church and the Christian community, in all of his works, as a great teacher of the faith and as a guide for many younger men and women of God, some of whom later on became great disciples of the Lord in their own way. He carried out many good works, and in his humility, he refused to become a bishop when he was about to be made one, as he renounced all the glory of the world, and all secular concerns and worldly attachments.

Instead, he continued to devote himself to his missions and works, and eventually gathering many followers who would become the foundation of the Carthusians, a group of faithful Christians and servants of God, dedicated to the life in service of God, in prayer and ministry among the people of God, living a worthy and good life, in accordance with God’s Law and commandments. The Lord has inspired many to follow in the footsteps of St. Bruno, and many were touched by the faith and commitment that this holy man of God had done. All of us should also therefore commit ourselves in the same way as St. Bruno had done, and do our part, in ensuring that our own actions and deeds may become truly worthy of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all be committed anew to the Lord, living our lives ever more worthily in each and every moments, and let us all be exemplary in our whole actions, words and deeds, so that we may indeed be the good role models and examples for one another. May the Lord continue to guide each and every one of us, and may He empower all of us so that we may be the shining examples and role models for our fellow brothers and sisters, our fellow men and women, all around us, just as St. Bruno and other innumerable saints, like St. Paul the Apostle in all of his dedication and efforts, all the holy men and women of God, had inspired us by their lives. Amen.

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Tuesday, 6 October 2026 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Luke 10 : 38-42

At that time, as Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He entered a village, and a woman called Martha welcomed Him to her house. She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet to listen to His words. Martha, meanwhile, was busy with all the serving, and finally she said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work? Tell her to help me!”

But the Lord answered, “Martha, Martha, you worry and are troubled about many things, whereas only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”

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Tuesday, 6 October 2026 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Psalm 138 : 1-3, 13-14, 15

O YHVH, You know me : You have scrutinised me. You know when I sit and when I rise; beforehand, You discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; You are familiar with all my ways.

It was You Who formed my inmost part and knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank You for these wonders You have done, and my heart praises You, for Your marvellous deeds.

Even my bones were known to You when I was being formed in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth.

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Tuesday, 6 October 2026 : 27th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Bruno, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Priests)

Galatians 1 : 13-24

You have heard of my previous activity in the Jewish community; I furiously persecuted the Church of God and tried to destroy it. For I was more devoted to the Jewish religion than many fellow Jews of my age, and I defended the traditions of my ancestors more fanatically.

But one day, God called me, out of His great love, He, Who had chosen me from my mother’s womb; and He was pleased to reveal, in me, His son, that I might make Him known among the pagan nations. Then, I did not seek human advice nor did I go up to Jerusalem, to those who were Apostles before me. I immediately went to Arabia, and from there, I returned, again, to Damascus.

Later, after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to meet Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. But I did not see any other Apostle except James, the Lord’s brother. On writing this to you, I affirm before God that I am not lying. After that, I went to Syria and Cilicia. The churches of Christ in Judea did not know me personally; they had only heard of me : “He, who once persecuted us, is now preaching the faith he tried to uproot.” And they praised God because of me.

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Tuesday, 29 September 2026 : Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the great occasion of the Feast of the Holy Archangels, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel the Archangel and St. Raphael the Archangel, three of the seven Archangels that serve the Lord by His Throne, as the leaders and most prominent ones among the Angelic Host, and the three whose names are known to us from the Scriptures. Originally this day in the past was a celebration dedicated only to St. Michael the Archangel, the Prince of the Heavenly Host, leader of all the Angels of God in the struggle and war against the forces of the wicked fallen angels, the rebels led by Lucifer, now known as Satan, the great enemy and the deceiver, who had fallen from grace, and has swept a third of the Heavenly Host with his rebellion.

St. Michael the Archangel is indeed probably the most well-known among the Archangels, and we know him for being the one who leads God’s mighty Heavenly Host, the force of Angels in their constant and daily struggles against the forces of the evil and wicked spirits, the demons, fallen angels and all those who have been arrayed against us, in the spiritual warfare ever raging all around us. St. Michael according to tradition was not the strongest and mightiest among the Angels of God, as back then the most brilliant and mightiest among the Angels created by God was one named Lucifer, or the lightbringer, who became enamoured and arrogant because of his own brilliance, and in whose vanity and pride, ended up rebelling against God.

As recorded in the Scriptures and according to Church traditions, it was told that Lucifer aspired to be greater than God and to put himself above all the Angels of God and creation, so swayed he was by his pride and vanity, his greatest sin, and hence, in one tradition, took his seat upon God’s Throne when God was away for a moment. St. Michael was the one who rebuked Lucifer and told him that he was not worthy to aspire to such a height. And with his own name, Michael as battlecry, ‘Who is like God?’, St. Michael the Archangel led the forces of Angels that remained faithful to God, against Lucifer and those who sided with him, just as we heard in one of our Scripture readings today, as the War in Heaven. Lucifer was defeated and cast down from Heaven, where henceforth he is known as Satan, the devil, the great enemy.

St. Michael is especially honoured for his role in leading the forces of the faithful Angels in the struggles that happened then, and ever since, and also for his great faith and commitment to God. It was told that St. Michael always trembled whenever he is in the presence of God, as he, a mighty Archangel he may be, but he is still nothing compared to the Almighty God, Whom he served with complete commitment. However, before the forces of the evil, St. Michael the Archangel stands strong at the head of God’s mighty Angelic Host, ever ready to smite those who would harm the people of God, those who have been placed under the care of St. Michael and the other Angels, our Guardian Angels and more.

Meanwhile, St. Gabriel the Archangel was known to be the one who brought the Good News and revelation to Mary, the Mother of God, at the moment of the Annunciation, in which her role as the one to bear the Saviour of the world was revealed to her. According to tradition of the Church, St. Gabriel the Archangel was also the one who brought the news of the conception of St. John the Baptist to his father, Zechariah the priest at the Temple. Gabriel means the ‘Strength of God’, and through his role in delivering the words of God’s help and deliverance for His people, he reminded them all of the Lord’s guidance and providence, and how each and every one of us should remain firm in our trust and faith in God, and depend on His strength amidst the challenges and trials that may be facing us.

Then, St. Raphael the Archangel was known in the Book of Tobit as he took the disguise of a young man named Azariah, so that he could bring God’s help and intervention in the case of Tobit himself, the protagonist of the Book of Tobit, and Sara, the daughter of Ragouel, who would become Tobit’s daughter-in-law. Both of them had been beset by troubles, and prayed to God for help and deliverance, for strength and guidance, and it was there and then that God, having heard their prayers and willed to help them, sent His Archangel, St. Raphael, to go upon each of them, to help them and to show them His love and compassionate mercy. Raphael’s name, which means ‘Healing of God’ was indeed apt, as he helped to bring God’s healing to both Tobit and Sara, who were therefore freed from their problems.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we recall the deeds and the works of these mighty Archangels of God, Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, let us all ask them for their continued intercession and protection, especially in the midst of the constant spiritual warfare that have always raged around us. Let us ask them to guide and help us in our journey of faith and life, so that in everything that we say and do, we will always do what we can in order to glorify the Lord by our lives and works, and to do His will at all times. The Lord has always shown us His love and constant companionship, and in His great Archangels, we are shown that we are always protected and provided for by these great and mighty Princes of the Heavenly Host, guiding and leading us all in battle against the evil ones.

Let us all be thankful of all that the Angels of God had done for us, and those three Holy Archangels whom we honour today. May God be with us all, and may His Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael continue to help and guide us along our journey towards righteousness and grace in God. Amen.

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Tuesday, 29 September 2026 : Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 1 : 47-51

At that time, when Jesus saw Nathanael coming, He said to him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.” Nathanael asked Him, “How do You know me?”

And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.” Nathanael answered, “Master, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that.”

“Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”