Wednesday

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Wednesday, 11 March 2026 : 3rd Week of Lent (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures, we are all reminded that each and every one of us as God’s beloved people are all expected to follow His Law and commandments in the manner that is truly good and worthy of Him, with true understanding and appreciation of what the Law is all about, which is the guidance and inspiration that God has placed in our hearts and minds to help us in our paths, that we may truly learn and know of God’s ever enduring love for all of us, and not only that, but each and every one of us are also reminded to show that same love in all of our every actions, in our every dealings with everyone around us, to those whom God has entrusted to us to love.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard of the words of Moses, the leader whom God placed to lead the people of Israel, reminding them of all the Law and commandments which He has placed before them, revealed to them and taught to them, from the time when God first gave it to them at Mount Sinai, until the time when Moses told them and reminded them all these towards the end of his ministry, many years after the Israelites were forced to wander off in the desert after they have repeatedly disobeyed the Lord and refused to believe in Him, doubting His providence and reassurances even when He has constantly reminded them of all those. They still feared, doubted and complained against Him many times even after seeing His great signs and wonders.

And that was why they had to endure the consequences of their lack of faith and disobedience. It was not that God no longer loved them or cared about them, but rather, what we all must understand is that, with every actions come the need for us to be accountable for our actions, in each and every one of them. That was why the Lord was, as the loving Father and Master of His people, chastising them for their lack of faith and trust in Him, for their wayward actions, with the intention and purpose to lead them all ever closer to Himself, rather than doing so because He despised or hated them. God never hated or despised His beloved ones, and instead, He has always patiently reached out even to the most stubborn of His people, to call them to return to His loving care and embrace.

Then, from our relatively short Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, we heard of the Lord Jesus and His words to His disciples speaking to them regarding the matter of what He would do to the Law which God has revealed to His people through Moses, and which has been passed down throughout the generations to the people then living at the time of the Lord’s ministry. Based on what the disciples had experienced with the Lord, in how He disagreed with the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, it might seem that the Lord wanted to abolish the old Law of Moses and replacing it with a new Law, but the Lord told them all that this was not true at all.

The reality was rather that God wanted to reveal the truth and the full intention behind what He has given to them through the Law and the commandments, and He showed them all these through His Son, Whom He has sent into this world to teach all of His people about why He gave them all His Law and commandments in the first place. Those Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had inherited a Law that had become bloated over the years, decades and centuries with details and modifications that made its true intention, meaning and purpose concealed, to the point that some of those people were obeying the Law for the sake of obedience, or out of blind faith and adherence without truly understanding God’s intent.

Like for example, those Pharisees and teachers of the Law obeyed and enforced very strictly and rigidly the ‘letter’ of the Law of God but failing to understand its ‘spirit’. They spent so much time and effort to focus on the external aspects of the Law, their implementation, the rituals and detailed steps and practices surrounding the various aspects and rules of the Law, the way how they adapted them to suit their own needs and preferences, which led to them failing to appreciate and understand why God had placed those Law and commandments in the first place. That was why the Lord came into this world to straighten up things and to reveal through His Wisdom and guidance, through the Holy Spirit that He has bestowed upon this world and all of us, His beloved people.

And that was how the Lord wanted to remind each and every one of us that we should not just know and understand the ‘letter’ of the Law, but even more importantly, we must also appreciate, understand and follow the ‘spirit’ of the Law, knowing what it is that the Lord has intended for us all. He does not want us to follow the Law blindly, or worse still, obeying them for the sake of obedience without truly appreciating and growing in His love and grace. It is indeed possible for people to just go through the motion in following the Law and commandments of God, but we are all challenged to practice them all and follow them because we truly love the Lord our God, and that we also love all those whom He has placed all around us.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore continue to progress through this time and season of Lent with the strong determination to walk down the path of faith with the Lord, renewing our conviction and desire to live our lives ever more faithfully and full of God’s love, in first, loving God above all else, and then showing that same love equally to everyone around us, particularly more so to those whom we love and those who are precious to us. Let us all continue to live up to our calling as Christians, to be loving and good examples of our Christian faith at all times, in all circumstances, and to everyone whom we encounter in life, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 11 March 2026 : 3rd Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 5 : 17-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not think that I have come to annul the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to annul them but to fulfil them. I tell you this : as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the Law will change until all is fulfilled.”

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Wednesday, 11 March 2026 : 3rd Week of Lent (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 147 : 12-13, 15-16, 19-20

Exalt the Lord, o Jerusalem; praise your God, o Zion! For He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your children within you.

He sends His command to the earth and swiftly runs His word. He spreads snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes.

It is He Who tells Jacob His words, His laws and decrees to Israel. This He has not done for other nations, so His laws remain unknown to them. Alleluia!

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Wednesday, 11 March 2026 : 3rd Week of Lent (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Deuteronomy 4 : 1, 5-9

And now, Israel, listen to the norms and laws which I teach that you may put them into practice. And you will live and enter and take possession of the land which YHVH, the God of your fathers, gives you.

See, as YHVH, my God, ordered me, I am teaching you the norms and the laws that you may put them into practice in the land you are going to enter and have as your own. If you observe and practice them, other peoples will regard you as wise and intelligent. When they come to know of all these laws, they will say, ‘There is no people as wise and as intelligent as this great nation.’

For in truth, is there a nation as great as ours, whose gods are as near to it as YHVH, our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him? And is there a nation as great as ours whose norms and laws are as just as this Law which I give you today?

But be careful and be on your guard. Do not forget these things which your own eyes have seen or let them depart from your heart as long as you live. But on the contrary, teach them to your children and to your children’s children.

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (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, each and every one of us are reminded that as Christians, that is as those who follow and commit ourselves to walk in the path of the Lord, it is inevitable that somewhere along our paths and journeys in following God, that we will encounter difficulties and challenges, hardships and trials, and yet, we should never lose faith in the Lord. Instead, we should be ever more steady and strong in our commitment and dedication, in everything that we say and do, in each and every moments of our lives. We must always trust that the Lord will guide and provide us in all things.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah, we heard of the account of the plots and the attempts against the life of Jeremiah, the prophet whom the Lord sent as the last prophet to guide the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, and how Jeremiah truly suffered greatly in many occasions because of those plots and attempts, from all those who were opposed to hios ministry and works among the people of God. He was falsely accuswed of treason and being disobedient against the King, betraying the people and the country. But God was always with Jeremiah and did not leave or abandon him especially during the times of his greatest trials and difficulties.

God was with Jeremiah when he stood up against the false prophets and messengers, all those who plotted against him, speaking lies and untruths before the king and the people. Jeremiah brought God’s words to His people, words of warning and reminders for them all that their cities and the Temple of God in Jerusalem would be destroyed, and their kingdom crushed and conquered by the Babylonians for the many sins and wickedness which they had committed against the Lord. For this courageous deliverance of the truth of God and for revealing what the people would face and endure, Jeremiah was persecuted and had to face a lot of struggles, and if not God’s providence and intervention, he would have perished.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist, where we heard the account of the moment when the two disciples, members of the Twelve, St. James and St. John, who came with their mother to the Lord and asked Him for positions of special favour, to sit by His left and right when He comes into His Kingdom, and reestablish the Kingdom of Israel, as was commonly believed at that time. The significance of such a request is that they expected to be made very important individuals in the Lord’s Kingdom, thinking that the Lord came to restore the Kingdom of Israel in the literal sense, such as how it was during the days and time of David and Solomon. Therefore, it was at least part of their expectation to receive wealth, glory, prestige and power.

But they did not realise that the Kingdom of Christ, the Kingdom of God is not like that of this world, and is not the same as how the world operates. To follow Christ is not about gaining glory, majesty, power or fame, wealth or satisfaction of the world. Following Christ is about doing what He has entrusted to us to do, to walk in His path despite the opposition and challenges from the world, and often we may have to face rejection and stubborn refusals from those around us, and sometimes even those who are near us and closest to us just like how the Lord Himself was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of His own closest inner circle member. Yet, we must not lose faith and we must not be disillusioned or disheartened by all these challenges and difficulties because God is and will always be with us.

It is an important reminder for all of us that becoming disciples and followers of the Lord require from us a commitment and dedication that is not easily maintained if we lack the determination and faith in God. To be disciples and followers of Christ truly does not mean that we will gain material or joyful benefits from it, although this may indeed be part of our journey. Our primary focus and intention should be directed towards the Lord our God, our Heavenly Father Who has always blessed us wonderfully, in each and every moments of our lives. We must not be easily distracted by the temptations of worldly glory, fame and ambitions, which had led so many astray in their paths towards the Lord. Instead, we should show good example by our faithful commitment to the Lord, in following Him despite the challenges we may have to encounter in our respective paths in life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we continue to progress through this season of Lent, let us all continue to discern our way of life and see in what way we can be better and more committed disciples and followers of His, and we can do this by following the good examples set by our holy predecessors, one of which, whose feast we are celebrating today, is St. Casimir of Poland. St. Casimir was a Royal Prince of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, who was known for his great piety and devotion to God, as well as charity and care for the needy and the poor in the kingdom from his early age. He was remembered for his exemplary faith and actions, his chaste and holy lifestyle at a time when it was common for someone in his status to embrace a debauched and hedonistic way of life. St. Casimir dedicated his life to the end to the glory of God, and despite dying in a relatively early age due to tuberculosis, the example of his holiness and dedication to God continue to inspire many people right up to this day.

Therefore, brothers and sisters in Christ, can we follow the good examples of St. Casimir and many other of our holy predecessors in how we ought to live our lives? In this season and time of Lent, let us all reorientate our lives and redirect our focus in life back towards the Lord, Whom we should put right at the very centre of our lives. Let us all turn towards Him with faith, and do whatever we can to serve Him faithfully each day and at every moments given to us. May the Lord continue to guide and strengthen us all and may He empower each and every one of us to be ever better and stronger in our desire to serve Him, and to do His will, at all times. May God bless us always, in our every actions, deeds and efforts, to glorify Him by our lives, now and always. Amen.

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Matthew 20 : 17-28

At that time, when Jesus was going to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples and said to them, “See, we are going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, who will condemn Him to death. They will hand Him over to the foreigners, who will mock Him, scourge Him and crucify Him. But He will be raised to life on the third day.”

Then the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down, to ask a favour. Jesus said to her, “What do you want?” And she answered, “Here You have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, when You are in Your kingdom.”

Jesus said to the brothers, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They answered, “We can.” Jesus replied, “You will indeed drink My cup, but to sit at My right or at My left is not for Me to grant. That will be for those, for whom My Father has prepared it.”

The other ten heard all this, and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants over them, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you : whoever wants to be more important in your community shall make himself your servant.”

“And if you want to be the first of all, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man Who has come, not to be served but to serve, and to give His life to redeem many.”

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Psalm 30 : 5-6, 14, 15-16

Free me from the snare that they have set for me. Indeed You are my Protector. Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed Me, o Lord, faithful God.

I hear whispering among the crowd, rumours that frighten me from every side – their conspiracies, their schemes, their plot to take my life.

But I put my trust in You, o Lord, I said : “You are my God;” my days are in Your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin.

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Wednesday, 4 March 2026 : 2nd Week of Lent, Memorial of St. Casimir (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Jeremiah 18 : 18-20

Then, they said, “Come, let us plot against Jeremiah, for even without him, there will be priests to interpret the Teachings of the Law; there will always be wisemen to impart counsel and prophets to proclaim the word. Come, let us accuse him and strike him down instead of listening to what he says.”

Hear me, o YHVH! Listen to what my accusers say. Is evil the reward for good? Why do they dig a grave for me? Remember how I stood before You to speak well on their behalf so that Your anger might subside.

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Wednesday, 25 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 reminded of the power of God’s love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness on all of us, His beloved people. God has always loved us all most generously, and He has never abandoned any one of us, no matter what, and He has always shown His generous love poured down abundantly upon us, blessings everyone wonderfully, making His rain and Sun to go on the righteous and wicked alike. That is just how wonderful God’s love for us is, and how generous He has been in extending His mercy and compassion upon us all even when we have consistently and frequently taken Him for granted, not appreciating all these love and kindness we have been shown.

In our first reading passage today, taken from the Book of the prophet Jonah, we heard about how the Lord God sent Jonah, one of His servants and prophets to go to the people of Nineveh, which was then a truly great and magnificent city, the capital of the very powerful and much-feared Assyrian Empire, which was the regional superpower of the time. Contextually and historically, the Assyrians were well-known for their great brutality and thirst for battle, for lots of raiding and destruction, as they went to conquer many states and cities, overthrowing their rulers and dominating the region, for their own wealth and glory, not fearing anything at all. And it is all those wickedness and sins they committed which had made the city of Nineveh to deserve destruction and damnation.

And God called Jonah to tell His judgment to those people in Nineveh, which the prophet initially refused to do, as he tried to flee from the Lord, going on a journey on a ship to distant lands. And for those of us familiar with his story, we heard how Jonah was thrown overboard from the ship in a great storm, and a great whale or fish swallowed Jonah and kept him alive for three days, after which, we heard the continuation of the story in what we heard earlier today, as Jonah finally agreed to embark on what the Lord had called him to do, to be the doom-bringer to the people of the city of Nineveh, to tell them of God’s terrible retribution and the punishments that they would have to endure for their wicked actions.

Yet, as we heard from the same passage, upon hearing what the Lord announced to them that He would do, in bringing destruction upon the city of Nineveh and its people, the whole city in unison, from the king to the nobles, and right down to the humblest and lowliest member of the community there, all were united in their attempt to appease the Lord and sorrowfully regretted their many sins and wickedness, and as we heard, they were all both genuine and wholehearted in their efforts to atone for their mistakes and sins, showing profound mourning and regret for their wicked actions, and the whole entire city, as we have heard, all donned mourning garments and sackcloth as public sign of their repentance, and God therefore spared the city of its fated destruction.

Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself as He spoke to the people, many of whom were asking Him for signs and wonders, despite the fact that He had actually done so many of these signs and wonders before them, in many occasions. And contextually, it was likely that many of these people were actually the Pharisees and their supporters, who often found fault and issue with the Lord and His ministry, as they kept on insisting upon that their version of practicing and applying the Law of God was the right one, and that no one else could interpret or practice the Law in the manner more appropriate and better than them.

Hence, it was all those pride and ego which had prevented them all from truly being able to believe in God and His truth, in all the signs, wonders and all the works that He had done. That was why no matter what the Lord had done before them, all the wonders and wisdom, none of those things could convince them. Then we should also contrast this attitude of the people at the time of the Lord Jesus with the way how the people of Nineveh responded to the words of the prophet Jonah to them as we have heard and discussed from our first reading today. While the former kept on doubting and demanding for more signs from the Lord, the latter believed and repented even when they did not see any signs from Jonah, believing even if it was only on the weight of his words and prophecy alone.

This is why we are reminded that we should not allow ourselves to be easily swayed by the temptations of sin and evil, of all the worldly ambitions, glory and power, all of which can lead us astray easily away from the path towards righteousness and grace in God’s Presence. We should not harden our hearts and minds as the people listening to Jesus and witnessing His works had done. Instead, we should allow the Lord to come into our hearts, opening wide the doors of our hearts and minds to welcome Him and to be humble like the people of Nineveh, in recognising our own sinfulness, faults and shortcomings, so that we may come to realise how fortunate we are to have been so loved by God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all continue to reflect upon these words and reminders from the Lord, let us all therefore continue to live our lives with great faith and trust in the Lord, knowing that through His most generous love, mercy and compassion, all of us will truly receive the assurance of His love and compassionate kindness, His promises and everything that He has meant for us all, His beloved children and people. And as we all continue to progress through this time and season of Lent, let us all hence continue to do our best to live worthily and courageously in the path that the Lord has shown us all. May God bless us always, in our every good efforts and endeavours to glorify Him, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Wednesday, 25 February 2026 : 1st Week of Lent (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet

Luke 11 : 29-32

At that time, as the crowd increased, Jesus spoke the following words : “People of the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this generation.”

“The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here, there is greater than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah’s preaching made them turn from their sins, and here, there is greater than Jonah.”