Liturgical Colour : White
Psalm 116 : 1-2
Alleluia! Praise the Lord, all you nations; all you peoples, praise Him.
How great is His love for us! His faithfulness lasts forever.
Wednesday
Wednesday, 3 December 2025 : Feast of St. Francis Xavier, Priest, Patron of Missions and Missionaries (First Reading)
Liturgical Colour : White
1 Corinthians 9 : 16-19, 22-23
Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel : I am bound to do it. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the Gospel.
So, feeling free with everybody, I have become everybody’s slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.
Wednesday, 26 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 are reminded that it is important for us to take note of what we have heard in the reminders we received of how we need to trust in the Lord and in His Wisdom and guidance. We do not need to worry or fear even when we may be facing lots of tribulations, challenges and trials because we must not forget that the Lord is always by our side, providing for us and strengthening us in our respective journeys in life. God will never abandon us even in the darkest and most difficult moments in our lives, and in fact, when we are encountering troubles and challenges, God is always there by our side, journeying with us, supporting us and ensuring that we are able to persist with faith and dedication, at all times.
In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Daniel in which king Belshazzar of Babylon celebrated a great feast and banquet in his capital in the presence of his nobles and the important people of his kingdom. Contextually, he was the last king to rule over the Neo-Babylonian Empire before it was toppled and conquered by the Persians under Cyrus the Great. And what we heard in today’s passage detailed the last moments of its existence, when the proud Belshazzar used the holy vessels from the Temple of God in Jerusalem that his predecessor had ransacked and carried to Babylon as vessels for drinking and merrymaking by himself and his nobles. For this act of great blasphemy and blatant arrogance, God’s retribution was swift, which He revealed through miraculous sign of the hands that wrote the three letters ‘Mene, Tekel and Pharsin’.
Through those words, which the Lord used to reveal His intent to Belshazzar and his wicked courtiers, having displeased the Lord by their wickedness, we are shown that those who mocked the Lord, those who persecuted His faithful ones and oppressed the righteous, and those whom God has loved and cared for will not escape unpunished. And as it happened, the forces of the Persians under King Cyrus the Great came suddenly and as attested by historical evidence and records, they overthrew the rule of the Babylonians and conquered their Empire, uniting the whole land under the rule of the Persian Empire. And more significantly, as attested in other parts of the Scripture, this same King Cyrus also emancipated the Israelites and their descendants who had been suffering in exile in Babylon and elsewhere away from their homeland.
Then, from our Gospel passage today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus told His disciples the harsh and difficult reality of what it truly means to become His disciples and followers, and if they are to faithfully obey Him and His commandments, and carry out the missions which He would entrust to each and every one of them. They would likely face challenges, trials and difficulties amidst them carrying out their missions and works. But if they remained firmly faithful and committed to what the Lord has entrusted to them, then, certainly the Lord will strengthen and bless them all, and He will not abandon them when things are challenging and tough. God is always present in our midst, and He will help us carry out this burden that we have been carrying with us.
The Lord Himself will give us all that we need to persevere and to be strong in facing all those challenges and trials. We must also have faith and trust in the Lord, believing that through His Wisdom and guidance, through the Holy Spirit that He has sent our way to strengthen, empower and encourage all of us, we will be inspired and strengthened, so that even we face the worst and toughest of obstacles, we will be able to endure all those things that come our way, and we can also even inspire all those around us who have seen and witnessed our faith, commitment and dedication in serving the Lord and in living our lives to the best of our abilities. We must not forget that each and every one of us as God’s disciples and followers are the ones to bear witness to His truth and Good News in our world today, even amidst all the darkness and persecution which we may have to face.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, after we have heard from the readings from the Scriptures, discussed and discerned about it, we can clearly see how God is always there for us, providing for us in our own respective journeys, missions and callings in life. He will not give us something that we cannot endure, persevere and overcome. With Him, everything is indeed possible, and no obstacle or hardship will be great enough to make us stumble and fall, or make us give up if we truly have faith in the Lord and trust in Him wholeheartedly. As many of our own holy predecessors, the innumerable saints and martyrs of the Church from the very beginning of the Church history until now can testify to us, we are reminded of their good examples and lives that if we truly trust in the Lord and put our faith in Him, then we too shall share in their joy and glory in the end.
Let us all therefore seek to glorify the Lord by our own lives and examples, which we should carry out faithfully and courageously despite the challenges, trials and difficulties that we may face and encounter, and despite all the temptations and pressures from all around us to give up the fight and struggle for our faith and for the journey towards the Lord and His salvation. Let us all support one another even through the difficult moments and times, and strive our best to be present in supporting everyone around us who need our help and support, in whatever way and manner it may be. We should continue to be the shining beacons of God’s light, be the source of His hope and encouragement to everyone around us, so that more may continue to persevere despite the hardships and struggles they face.
May the Lord continue to bless and guide us all in our every efforts and endeavours, and may He continue to guide us through His Wisdom and the Holy Spirit so that we may continue to bring glory to Him by each and every one of our works, our endeavours and good contributions, all done for His honour and glory. May God bless us all and empower us all to be His shining examples and role models, now and always. Amen.
Wednesday, 26 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 21 : 12-19
At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Before all these things happen, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the synagogues and put in prison, and for My sake you will be brought before kings and governors. This will be your opportunity to bear witness.”
“So keep this in mind : do not worry in advance about what to say, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though, because of My Name, you will be hated by everyone, not a hair of your head will perish. By your patient endurance you will save your souls.”
Wednesday, 26 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 3 : 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67
Sun and moon, praise and exalt Him forever.
Stars of heaven, praise and exalt Him forever.
Rain and dew, praise and exalt Him forever.
All winds, praise and exalt Him forever.
Fire and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.
Cold and heat, praise and exalt Him forever.
Wednesday, 26 November 2025 : 34th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)
Liturgical Colour : Green
Daniel 5 : 1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for his nobles; a thousand of them attended; and he drank wine with them. Under the influence of wine, he ordered that the gold and silver vessels his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought in, so that he and his nobles, his wives and concubines might drink from them.
The gold and silver vessels taken from God’s Temple were brought in; and the king and his nobles, his wives and concubines drank from them. While they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze and iron, of wood and stone. Suddenly a man’s fingers appeared opposite the lamp stand and wrote on the plastered wall of the king’s palace.
Watching the hand as it wrote, the king turned pale. So terrified was he that his knees knocked and his legs gave way. Daniel was brought in and questioned by the king, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father brought from Judah? I have heard that you have the spirit of the gods, that you have insight and extraordinary wisdom. I have heard that you can interpret dreams and solve problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple, wear a gold chain around your neck, and be appointed third in rank in my kingdom.”
Daniel replied, “You may keep your gifts or give them to someone else. Just the same, I will read and interpret the writing for you. You have defied the Lord of heaven. You had the vessels from His Temple brought to you, and, together with your nobles, your wives and concubines, you drank wine from them. You praised the idols made of silver and gold, of bronze, iron and stones, which neither see, nor hear, nor understand; but you never glorified God Who has power over your life and all your fortunes.”
“So He sent the hand that wrote the inscription which read MENE, TEKEL, PHARSIN. And these words mean : MENE, God has numbered the days of your reign and put an end to it; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; PHARSIN, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.”
Wednesday, 19 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)
Liturgical Colour : Green
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we are reminded through the words of the Sacred Scriptures of the need for us to persevere and be strong in our faith, to be active in the living of our faith and belief in the Lord by doing our best in each and every moments of our lives, to glorify the Lord by everything that we say and do, to be genuine and truly faithful Christians in all things. We should not allow ourselves be swayed by the many pressures and temptations being present all around us, but instead allow the Lord our God to continue to lead us down the path of righteousness in the unique paths and vocations which He has given to each and every one of us, which can truly be so unique that it is something that He has indeed entrusted to us.
In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the Maccabees, we heard of the terrible persecution of the Jewish people in Judea and Galilee by the ruler of the Seleucid Empire, King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who at that time wanted to impose uniformity to the practices, customs and beliefs of all of his subjects, which were made up very diverse groups of people, with very diverse practices, customs and beliefs including that of the Jewish people and their beliefs in YHVH, their Lord and God. The Greek king ordered that all of his subjects including the Jews must adopt the ways of the Greeks, including their practices and beliefs. Great resistance sprung up from many of those who refused to abandon their faith in God, including those whom we heard about today.
The seven brothers and their mother were persecuted because they refused to obey the king’s commands, particularly the one involving eating the meat of the animal deemed unclean by the Law which was prevailing at that time, the Law of Moses. Thus, we heard of the way how the king tortured the seven brothers one by one because they refused to obey the king, and one by one they perished while courageously defending their faith in God and staunchly refusing to obey the king’s commands, ending with their mother herself, who was the last one to die faithfully after having encouraged all of her sons and saw all of them perishing before her own eyes.
This story of the heartbreaking and painful persecution is a reminder for all of us the stark and sometimes harsh reality for us all as Christians, that to be truly faithful to God, sometimes if not often times, we may have to encounter challenges, trials and even persecutions, like what those seven brothers and their mother had encountered. It is not necessary that we will have to encounter martyrdom as each one of us will likely face different challenges in life, but at some point, it is likely that we may have to make difficult choices pertaining to remaining faithful to God or to conform to the ways of the world just as those seven brothers and their mother had encountered. The question is, will we choose the path of God then?
Then, in our Gospel reading today, we heard from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus told His disciples using the parable of the silver talents or silver pounds to highlight the importance of why we need to be truly active and involved in making good use of our talents, abilities and opportunities which God has provided to us all, each one of us with our own diverse sets of gifts, talents and opportunities. God has provided us with these so that we may make use of them for the greater glory of God just as highlighted in that parable. The parable showed that those who refuse to make good use of what has been entrusted to them, like the lazy servant, would be punished, while those who have used them well, will be praised and rewarded.
Therefore, it is the same expectations that all of us as Christians are expected to have as well in our own actions in life. Each and every one of us are reminded that we should always use well what the Lord has given us and blessed us with, whether big or small, significant or insignificant, in whatever manner they may be. As the parable further highlighted, that those who have been entrusted with more, will have more expected of them, while those who have been entrusted with less, will be expected with less. This means that all of us should just do our best to make use of everything that God has entrusted to us and not to fuss or worry instead whether we have done enough to serve the Lord through our actions in life.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christians, that is as those whom the Lord had called and chosen, and as we have decided to answer His call to come to Him, each and every one of us are reminded that we should always be good role models in our every actions, words and deeds throughout our lives, in all the things that we say and do so that we may always benefit all those whom we encounter in life, showing to one another the true nature of God, His truth, love and compassion among many other things. And that is why we should always strive to live up to our Christian faith and all the Lord’s ways and teachings in every moments and in every parts of our lives and actions, as we should always do.
May the Lord continue to strengthen and empower us all to walk ever more faithfully in our daily living, in how we carry out our lives and way of acting and interacting with one another, those whom the Lord had placed in our lives for us to make good use of what He has provided and entrusted to us. We should also not be afraid of persecutions and hardships, as that is indeed part and parcel of what it means to be true disciples and followers of the Lord. May He continue to bless our good works and efforts, our actions and endeavours, and strengthen us all in faith at all times. Let us all be ever more courageous in following our Lord’s path and examples, now and always. Amen.
Wednesday, 19 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)
Liturgical Colour : Green
Luke 19 : 11-28
At that time, Jesus was now near Jerusalem, and the people with Him thought that God’s reign was about to appear. So as they were listening to Him, Jesus went on to tell them a parable. He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country in order to be crowned king, after which he planned to return home. Before he left, he summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds of silver.”
“He said, ‘Put this money to work until I get back.’ But his compatriots, who disliked him, sent a delegation after him with this message, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ He returned, however, appointed as king. At once he sent for the servants, to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made. The first came in, and reported, ‘Sir, your pound of silver has earned ten more pounds of silver.'”
“The master replied, ‘Well done, my good servant! Since you have proved yourself faithful in a small matter, I can trust you to take charge of ten cities.’ The second reported, ‘Sir, your pound of silver earned five more pounds of silver.’ The master replied, ‘And you, take charge of five cities!'”
“The third came in, and said, ‘Sir, here is your money, which I hid for safekeeping. I was afraid of you, for you are an exacting person : you take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.’ The master replied, ‘You worthless servant, I will judge you by your own words! So you knew I was an exacting person, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? Why, then, did you not put my money on loan, so that, when I got back, I could have collected it with interest?'”
“Then the master said to those standing by, ‘Take from him that pound, and give it to the one with ten pounds.’ But they objected, ‘Sir, he already has ten pounds!’ The master replied, ‘I tell you, everyone who has will be given more; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for my enemies who did not want me to be their king, bring them in, and execute them right here in front of me!'”
So Jesus spoke, and then He passed on ahead of them, on His way to Jerusalem.
Wednesday, 19 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)
Liturgical Colour : Green
Psalm 16 : 1, 5-6, 8 and 15
Hear a just cause, o YHVH, listen to my complaint. Give heed to my prayer, for there is no deceit on my lips.
Hold firm my steps upon Your path, that my feet may not stumble. I call on You, You will answer me, o God; incline Your ear and hear my word.
Keep me as the apple of Your eye; under the shadow of Your wings hide me. As for me, righteous in Your sight, I shall see Your face and, awakening, gaze my fill on Your likeness.
Wednesday, 19 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)
Liturgical Colour : Green
2 Maccabees 7 : 1, 20-31
It happened also that seven brothers were arrested with their mother. The king had them scourged and flogged to force them to eat the flesh of a pig which was prohibited by the Law.
More than all of them, their mother ought to be admired and remembered. She saw her seven sons die in a single day. But she endured it even with joy for she had put her hope in the Lord. Full of a noble sense of honour, she encouraged each one of them in the language of their ancestors. Her woman’s heart was moved by manly courage, so she told them :
“I wonder how you were born of me; it was not I who gave you breath and life, nor I who ordered the matter of your body. The Creator of the world Who formed man in the beginning and ordered the unfolding of all creation shall in His mercy, give you back breath and life, since you now despise them for the love of His laws.”
Antiochus thought she was making fun of him and suspected that she had insulted him. As the youngest was still alive, the king tried to win him over not only with his words, but even promised to make him rich and happy, if he would abandon the traditions of his ancestors. He would make him his Friend and appoint him to a high position in the kingdom.
But as the young man did not pay him any attention, the king ordered the mother to be brought in. He urged her to advise her son in order to save his life. After being asked twice by the king, she agreed to persuade her son. She bent over him and fooled the cruel tyrant by saying in her ancestral language : “My son, have pity on me. For nine months I carried you in my womb and suckled you for three years; I raised you up and educated you until this day.”
“I ask you now, my son, that when you see the heavens, the earth and all that is in it, you know that God made all this from nothing, and the human race as well. Do not fear these executioners, but make yourself worthy of your brothers – accept death that you may again meet your brothers in the time of mercy.”
When she finished speaking, the young man said, “What are you waiting for? I do not obey the king’s order but the precepts of the Law given by Moses to our ancestors. And you who have devised such tortures against the Hebrews, shall not escape the hands of God.”
petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang 