Tuesday

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Tuesday, 3 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures and as we all ponder upon their message and importance in our lives, particularly as we progress through this time and season of Lent, let us all continue to reflect carefully on how each of these words can impact us in our lives and in how we live our lives. We must be mindful that our every words, actions and deeds reflect our identity as Christians and our part in the works of the Lord through His Church in this world. If our actions, words and deeds are contrary to what He has shown us all in love and compassion, then in the end, we may end up bringing about scandals that can hurt the whole Church and the efforts of evangelisation.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the Lord’s call to His people, the people of Israel while referring to the historical ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, calling on all of them to repent from their many sins and faults, from their wickedness and disobedience, their refusal to obey the Law of God and their persistent rebellion against the commandments of the Lord and the path that God has set before them. The reference to Sodom and Gomorrah was a reference to the destruction which God had wrought against those two cities that had been committing great sins against God and others alike.

However, lest we may end up misunderstanding the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, unlike the prejudices that had happened in the past history of the Church, it has been long misinterpreted that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah referred to certain kind of sexual sin and perversion. Instead, the actual sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was in fact one of the lack of hospitality shown to guests and strangers in one’s midst, their lack of social justice and care for the needy and the poor, as well as morally corrupt actions which in no way prejudiced or make wrong any particular sexual preference or identity, as what was commonly misinterpreted by many throughout history.

And that was why God punished Sodom and Gomorrah, as they showed severe lack of hospitality against Lot and his family, whom they saw as strangers and foreigners that did not belong in their community, and their attempted assault on the two guests, the disguised Angels of God, more as a way to discredit and as contempt against Lot and his family, whom they had never welcomed into their midst. It was this same attitude which the Israelites had also exhibited during the time of the ministry of the prophet Isaiah. They persecuted the prophets and messengers of God sent into their midst in order to remind and guide them in their paths, and treated them as strangers and foreigners in their own land, much like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

But God was kind and loving to His people nonetheless, and He kept on offering them path to redemption, opening the floodgates of His ever generous mercy and compassion to all. He sent His prophets again and again, like Isaiah and his many predecessors and successors to help lead and guide those wayward yet beloved people of His back to His loving Presence. This kind of patient love is the Lord has always offered His people, and as long as they wanted to come back to Him, He will always welcome them, care for them and nurture them. However, if they so choose to completely reject Him and abandon Him, then in the end, it will be their own stubbornness and rejection which will be the reason judging against them.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus telling His disciples and followers that all of them should not practice their faith in the manner that the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had practiced theirs, in their hypocrisy and attitudes which were self-centred and selfish, focusing on their own status, privileges and special position in the community of the people of God, seeking attention and praise from everyone around them. It is this attitude which prevented them from truly being able to follow the Law and commandments of the Lord in the manner that is truly worthy and suitable of the Lord.

What the Lord told the disciples were often mistaken and misunderstood in the context of the Church, as some people criticised the Church for having titles like Pope, Cardinal, Bishop and Father, in referring to the priests of different ranks in the hierarchy of the Church. What the Lord meant was not that He was against all those titles, which were indeed necessary in the scheme of things, but rather, He does not want us to become so preoccupied by those titles and privileges, as the Pharisees had done at that time, that we become proud and self-centred, forgetting that our faith and what we believe in, and whatever we do and carry out in that faith are all not about ourselves, but about how we manage our relationship with God and with one another.

That is why, brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, as we continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, it is very important that all of us continue to live faithfully in the path the Lord has prepared for us, and loving generously in the manner that He has loved us all first. Let us all be grateful in whatever way He has created us all to be, in whatever He has called us all to do, in loving Him and in loving one another, especially to those whom He has entrusted to us all to love, so that by our every actions, words and deeds, people may indeed come to know that we truly belong to the Lord, and that we truly genuinely believe in whatever we profess to have faith in. May God bless us always, and may He strengthen us all in each and every moments of our lives, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Tuesday, 3 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 23 : 1-12

At that time, then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples, “The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees have sat down on the chair of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them.”

“They do everything in order to be seen by people : they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first places at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and they like being greeted in the marketplace, and being called ‘Master’ by the people.”

“But you, do not let yourselves be called Master, because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father because you have only one Father, He Who is in heaven. Nor should you be called Leader, because Christ is the only Leader for you.”

“Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.”

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Tuesday, 3 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 49 : 8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

Not for your sacrifices do I reprove you, for your burnt offerings are ever before Me. I need no bull from your stalls, nor he-goat from your pens.

What right have you to mouth My laws, or to talk about My covenant? You hate My commands and cast My words behind you.

Because I was silent while you did these things, you thought I was like you. But now I rebuke you and make this charge against you. Those who give with thanks offerings honour Me, but the one who walks blamelessly, I will show him the salvation of God.

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Tuesday, 3 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 1 : 10, 16-20

Hear the warning of YHVH, rulers of Sodom. Listen to the word of God, people of Gomorrah. Wash and make yourselves clean. Remove from My sight the evil of your deeds. Put an end to your wickedness and learn to do good.

Seek justice and keep in line the abusers; give the fatherless their rights and defend the widow. “Come,” says the Lord, “let us reason together. Though your sins be like scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they be as crimson red, they will be white as wool.”

“If you will obey Me, you will eat the goods of the earth; but if you resist and rebel, the sword will eat you instead.” Truly the Lord has spoken.

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that all of us should always have a good prayer life and also good relationship with God, our loving Father, Master and Creator. Each and every one of us should always spend time to pray to the Lord God, our Heavenly Father, not so much that we can get what we want through prayer, but rather so that we may come to know His will more closely, listening to His words being spoken in our hearts and minds. And this time and season of Lent is the perfect time for all of us to realign ourselves and our lives so that we may come to be ever closer and ever more committed to God, if we have not done so yet.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, we heard of the short passage taken from Isaiah’s words to the people of God, of the Lord reassuring them all of His promises and Presence among them, and how He would indeed send His deliverance to them through the Saviour He has promised them. He also revealed through what we have heard today, of the truth behind this same Saviour Whom He would send, that is none other than His own Word, the Word of God made Incarnate and tangible in our midst, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour. And the prophet Isaiah spoke of how the Word of God will accomplish God’s will, and that was what the Lord Jesus Himself had done perfectly, in His perfect obedience to the will of the Father.

For indeed, God has sent His Son into this world to accomplish everything which He has planned for us from the very beginning of time, to gather all of us back to Himself, all of His scattered children all throughout the world. He has sent His Son to us to be our Good Shepherd, gathering all the flock of the Lord’s scattered sheep, the lost sheep of His flock, that all of us may once again enjoy the fullness of His love and grace, and be saved through all that Christ Himself has done, in perfect obedience to His Father’s will, through all the ministry He had done, in revealing unto us the perfect manifestation of God’s love made tangible, and ultimately through the offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, offered at the Altar of the Cross at Calvary for our sake.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus, the Divine Word of God and Son of God Incarnate, the fulfilment of what the prophet Isaiah had spoken earlier on in our first reading today. We heard how the Lord Jesus taught His disciples on how they ought to pray to the Lord God with the prayer that we now commonly call the Lord’s Prayer, or Pater Noster, or Our Father, because it truly began with petition and exhortation from us to Our Father in Heaven, God Himself Who has loved each and every one of us, those whom He has called to be His beloved and precious children, and Jesus our Lord, the Son of God and Son of Man both, has shown us this wonderful truth and love.

Through what He Himself had done, the Lord reminded us that we have to spend time in prayer to the Lord and pray in the right manner, and with the right disposition in our heart and mind. First of all, prayer must first be about giving thanks to God, thanking Him for all the wonderful things that we have received, no matter how all they might have been. And least of all, we have to give Him thanks for the continued gift of life that He has blessed us with. We have to thank Him for all the opportunities that He had provided us with, all the people whom He had blessed us with, our families, friends and other loved ones. We have to thank Him for everything He blessed us with despite us having often betrayed Him for false idols in life.

Then, prayer is also about listening to God and not just wanting or even demanding God to listen to us. It is about opening our hearts, minds and our senses to allow for genuine communication between us and God. If we only want God to listen to us and we are not willing to listen to Him, then it is not a communication at all. Our prayer has instead become a litany of demands that we make to the Lord and we are forcing our will on God. How can this be, as we are only a mere creation, daring to make demands on our Lord, Master and Creator? That is why when we pray we should not be quick to speak and to dominate the conversation, but instead, we should strive to have that good, quiet and contemplative time with God, to listen to Him just as He is listening to us.

And then, prayer is also the means by which we also seek the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy, as we ask Him to forgive us the multitudes of our sins. It is by God’s grace alone that we can be forgiven, and we who are sinners are in need of God’s forgiveness, that we may be reconciled to Him. The Lord will forgive us our sins, as long as we have ourselves learnt to forgive each others’ sins and faults to one another, just as mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer. We humble ourselves as sinners, all needing that much needed reconciliation with God. It is only through God’s grace and mercy, and our own merciful and forgiving attitude that we can truly be free from the guilt of our sinfulness and wickedness.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore strive to be committed and faithful children of God, following the example of Christ our Lord Himself Who has always shown unto us the perfect example of obedience and faith in God, our Heavenly Father, through our common humanity with His Human nature. And by teaching us all how we ought to pray, Christ has reminded us all that we need to spend that good quality time with God our loving Father so that He may show us the way to Himself, to His most wonderful love and grace. Amen.

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 6 : 7-15

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do; for they believe that, the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask Him.”

“This, then, is how you should pray : Our Father in heaven, holy be Your Name, Your kingdom, come, Your will, be done on earth, as in heaven. Give us today, our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive those who are in debt to us.”

“Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one. If you forgive others their wrongdoings, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.”

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 33 : 4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19

Oh, let us magnify YHVH; together, let us glorify His Name! I sought YHVH, and He answered me; from all my fears He delivered me.

They who look to Him are radiant with joy, their faces never clouded with shame. When the poor cry out, YHVH hears and saves them from distress.

The eyes of YHVH are fixed on the righteous; His ears are inclined to their cries. But His face is set against the wicked, to destroy their memory from the earth.

YHVH hears the cry of the righteous and rescues them from all their troubles. YHVH is close to the brokenhearted and saves the distraught.

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Tuesday, 24 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Isaiah 55 : 10-11

As the rain and snow come down from the heavens and do not return till they have watered the earth, making it yield seed for the sower and food for others to eat, so is My Word that goes forth out of My mouth : It will not return to Me idle, but It shall accomplish My will, the purpose for which It has been sent.

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Tuesday, 17 February 2026 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, isters in Christ, all of us are reminded today as we are about to enter the time and season of Lent tomorrow, that each and every one of us should always be vigilant, prepared and ever ready to resist the temptations of sin and other worldly desires and ambitions, all of which can be the reason for our downfall and destruction. We should always put our trust and faith instead in the Lord, and do our best as Christians to live righteously and worthily in accordance to the ways and paths that the Lord Himself has taught and shown us, through His Church and all that He has revealed to us through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

In our first reading today, taken from the Epistle of St. James, we heard the words of the author highlighting about how sins and wickedness came about because of our own inability to resist the temptations to commit such sins, and not because God gave us the temptations. It is a reminder for each and every one of us not to allow ourselves to be easily swayed and tempted by the allures of sin and evil all around us, all of which can easily turn us away from the path of God and His righteousness into the path of downfall and damnation. Each and every one of us are called as Christians to be good role models and inspirations to one another in following God’s will and doing our best to live virtuously in accordance to what the Lord has told and shown us to do.

And we should not do it by our own strength alone, as it is often that we fall into temptation and fail to resist its allures whenever we depend only on our own strength and power. With God however, we can have the strength, courage and fortitude to resist the temptations and we can therefore walk ever more courageously in the path that He has called us to follow and which He has set our feet upon. If we put our faith and trust in the Lord, therefore, we shall we guarded and given the strength to persevere the journey of faith and life. The question is then, do we trust the Lord enough and do we put our faith in Him in all of these? Do we listen to Him and allow Him to guide us carefully in our paths in life?

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples after He has performed miracle of the multiplication of the loaves of bread, showing the power of God and the love which the Lord has always had for those whom He has loved and were precious to Him. He warned them all about the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod, that they do not end up falling into the same trap, using yeast as a metaphor to represent the sins and faults of those Pharisees and those in the court of Herod and the king himself, each of whom had been harbouring in them sins and faults that prevented them from truly believing in the Lord.

This metaphor of yeast is used in the context of how unleavened bread were used for the celebration of the Passover, and that was because back at the time of their Exodus from Egypt, there was no time for them to let the dough to ferment and grow into the bread through the agent of yeast, which took some time and place. Thereafter, yeast was used in some of the symbolisms to represent the impurities and corruptions of the world which had corrupted the purity of mankind, that is none other than sin. And with regards to the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod, these yeasts represent the sin of pride, ego and arrogance for the former, and the sin of lust and greed for the latter.

The Pharisees were those religious and intellectual elites of the community of the Jewish people at that time, and composed one of the major factions within the Jewish High Council or the Sanhedrin. They took great pride in their status and achievements, and it was likely their ego and arrogance which prevented them from listening to reason or accepting the Wisdom of God. Meanwhile, Herod was the king that ruled Galilee at that time, the son of Herod the Great, who lived in an immoral way, living in adultery with his brother’s wife, Herodias, and living in a court filled with greed and lust, among other sins. That was why the Lord warned His disciples, followers and the people listening to Him of these ‘yeasts’ of the Pharisees and Herod.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us should follow the good examples set by our holy predecessors as we celebrate their feast day today, namely the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. These seven holy men of God, known by their names of Bonfilius, Alexis, Manettus, Amideus, Hugh, Sostene and Buonagiunta of Florence. All of them found each other in a bond of spiritual friendship which then grew on and having received a vision from the Blessed Mother of God, they were resolved to leave behind everything and followed God, marking the foundation of the Servite Order.

The seven holy founders worked hard and dedicatedly through the Order of the Servites, caring for the poor and the needy, those who were abandoned and without any proper attention and care. They all were dedicated with the care for the physical and material needs of those people, of whom the Lord Himself had said to us, that we have to show love and care for the least of our brethren, to the poor and those who had no one to love them and care for them. The seven holy founders of the Servites did their best within their capacity to care for these people. They are indeed good examples and inspirations for all of us to follow in how we should live our own lives with virtue and faith in God.

May the Lord continue to bless us and guide us all in our journey and life, so that in everything that we say and do, we will continue to walk ever more faithfully in the path that God Himself has called us to walk through. May God bless our every good works and endeavours, and help us to be the shining beacon of His truth and wisdom in our world today. May all of us ever be more courageous to live our lives well as Christians, now and always. Amen.

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Tuesday, 17 February 2026 : 6th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saints)

Mark 8 : 14-21

At that time, the disciples had forgotten to bring more bread, and had only one loaf with the in the boat. Then Jesus warned them, “Keep your eyes open, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” And they said of one another, “He saw that we have no bread.”

Aware of this, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about the loaves you are short of? Do you not see or understand? Are your minds closed? Have your eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear? And do you not remember when I broke the five loaves among five thousand? How many baskets full of letfovers did you collect?”

They answered, “Twelve.” “And having distributed seven loaves to the four thousand, how many wicker baskets of leftovers did you collect?” They answered, “Seven.” Then Jesus said to them, “Do you still not understand?”