Weeks of Ordinary Time

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Tuesday, 23 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Ezra 6 : 7-8, 12b, 14-20

Let the governor of the Jews together with their leaders build the House of God on its former site. This is the command I give as to what you should do to help those Jewish leaders rebuild the House of God : pay the expenses in full and without delay, with the income from taxes of the province at the other side of the River which is allotted to the king. I, Darius, give this command. Let it be carried out at once.

And the leaders of the Jews continued to make progress in building, encouraged by what Haggai, the prophet, and Zechariah, the son of Iddo, had said; and they finished the work according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus and Darius. The House was finished on the third day of the month of Adar in the sixth year of the reign of Darius.

The children of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of those who had returned from exile celebrated the consecration of this House of God with rejoicing, offering on this solemnity one hundred young bulls, two hundred rams and four hundred lambs; and twelve he-goats as a sin-offering for all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.

Then they installed the priests according to their ranks, and the Levites according to their classes, for the service of the House of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses. Those who had returned from exile celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, for the priests and the Levites had purified themselves together, and all of them were clean. So, they slaughtered the Passover lamb for all who had returned from exile, for their fellow-priests and for themselves.

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Monday, 22 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today all of us are reminded by the message contained within the Sacred Scriptures which we have heard of the message of hope from God for all of His people. The Lord wants to remind us all through these readings of the Scriptures that if we continue to put our faith and trust in Him, and do our very best to live our lives with genuine faith and understanding of His ways and love, then we shall be provided for and protected by God, and God will always guide us all, and show us the way. And then, God also wants us all to make good use of whatever it is that He has given and blessed us all with, all the blessings, graces and opportunities that He has provided to us, so that we may use them well for the benefit of everyone.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Ezra, we heard of the moment when the Israelites living in exile in Babylon finally had their moment of freedom and emancipation after living in exile for many years. While traditionally it was numbered as seventy years or seven decades, the reality was such that some of those Israelites spent more years in exile while others spent less years in exile in Babylon, and for those people living in the northern kingdom of Israel, which was destroyed by the Assyrians almost two centuries earlier, some of them might have also returned to their ancestral lands as well, and it had been a long wait for all of them regardless. Contextually, the Israelites, the people of God had faced all these trials and challenges, all because their own disobedience against God.

They chose to follow the gods of their neighbours, abandoning the Law and commandments of God, persecuting the prophets and messengers sent into their midst to remind and call them to return to the Lord their God. They chose to embrace their worldly desires and ambitions instead of following the Lord and doing what He has taught and shown them to do, and as a result, they veered further and further away from the path that God has led them to, and as such, they fell from grace and lost the favour which God had once bestowed on them. They became divided and weakened, and they fell into disarray, becoming the object of derision and scorn from their neighbours, and were oppressed, conquered and subjugated by their enemies. Both Israel and Judah, Samaria and Jerusalem were destroyed and many of the people of God were carried into exile.

But the Lord did not forget them and still showed them all His wonderful and patient love as always. He reminded them of this love through His prophets and messengers that He sent to them, promising restoration and reconciliation for them, if they were to embrace Him once again with love and devotion, and with sincere and genuine repentance from their many sins and disobedience. That was what happened then, as God sent them deliverance through the King of Persia, Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon and emancipated those people of God who had been living in exile for many decades. He allowed the people of Israel to return to their homeland and to rebuild their lives there, and giving them the freedom once again to worship their God.

In our Gospel passage today, we then heard of the words of the Lord to His disciples in which He told them all with a parable using the example of lamp placed on a lamp-stand for everyone to see to highlight the need for their faith, for the faith that all of us have in the Lord to be lived genuinely in our own respective lives in each and every moments. This means that whatever God has given to us and blessed us with we should not ignore or neglect, or use them for the purposes that are not meant to glorify God. God has given us all various gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities which we should actively use and engage in our daily lives and in everything that we say and do so that in even the smallest things that we do, we will always do the Lord’s good works and proclaim His Good News to all.

The Lord also mentioned that whoever produces more, shall be given more while those who have not produced, even what they had will be taken away from them. This is the same reminder of how each and every one of us need to be active in living our faith, not through grand gestures or amazing achievements, but rather through daily actions and words which truly show that we are indeed God’s holy and beloved people. As Christians, it is imperative that we have to be full of God’s love as always, to love God wholeheartedly as we should, and not like the people of Israel in the past that had been unfaithful to Him. At the same time, we must also love all those around us, and especially those who are truly dearly beloved to us, and we should not neglect them or ignore their needs.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, each and every one of us have been given various responsibilities in our own areas of life, and we are all called to be active and faithful disciples of God, ever mindful of the impact that our words and actions have on everyone around us. Consequently, we should always strive to live our lives ever more faithfully in all things, by becoming closer to God and also to all those whom we love, practicing our genuine faith by showing love and care for everyone, including even to those who have hurt and disappointed us. It is by these actions of love that we are indeed showing tangible signs and evidence that we are God’s beloved people, and it is by those real and tangible actions and works that we can touch the lives of others and help them to come closer to God.

May the Lord our most loving God continue to be with us and guide us all in our respective journeys in life. May He continue to strengthen each and every one of us to carry out our daily activities showing ever greater faith and commitment to Him, so that we may touch the lives of many others around us, and thus helping many to find their way to the Lord as well, through inspiration of our own good and worthy lives filled with God’s grace and love. May God bless our every efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Monday, 22 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 8 : 16-18

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “No one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a bowl or puts it under the bed; rather, he puts it on a lamp stand, so that people coming in may see the light.”

“In the same way, there is nothing hidden that shall not be uncovered; nothing kept secret, that shall not be known clearly. Now, pay attention and listen well, for whoever produces, will be given more; but from those who do not produce, even what they seem to have will be taken away from them.”

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Monday, 22 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 125 : 1-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

When YHVH brought the exiles back to Zion, we were like those moving in a dream. Then, our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with songs of joy.

Among the nations it was said, “YHVH has done great things for them.” YHVH has done great things for us, and we were glad indeed.

Bring back our exiles, o YHVH, like fresh streams in the desert. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs and shouts of joy.

They went forth weeping, bearing the seeds for sowing, they will come home with joyful shouts, bringing their harvested sheaves.

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Monday, 22 September 2025 : 25th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Ezra 1 : 1-6

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, YHVH willed to fulfil the word He had said through the prophet Jeremiah. So He moved the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, to issue the following command and send it out in writing to be read aloud everywhere in his kingdom : “Thus speaks Cyrus, king of Persia : YHVH, the God of heavens, Who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has ordered me to build Him a Temple in Jerusalem, in the land of Judah.”

“To everyone belonging to His people, may his God be with him! Let them go up to Jerusalem with the help of their God and, there, build the House of YHVH, the God of Israel; the God Who is in Jerusalem. In every place where the rest of the people of YHVH live, let the people of those places help them for their journey with silver, gold and all kinds of goods and livestock. Let them also give them voluntary offerings for the House of YHVH which is in Jerusalem.”

Then they rose up – the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and the Levites, and all those whose spirit God had stirred up – and they decided to go and build the House of YHVH. And all their neighbours gave them all kinds of help : gold, silver, livestock and precious objects in great quantity, besides every kind of voluntary offering.

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Sunday, 21 September 2025 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this Sunday as we all gather together to praise the Lord, all of us are reminded by the words from the Sacred Scriptures we have heard that we must seek not the desires and ambitions of the world, the temptations of worldly goods, matter, money and all the things which can distract us from our path in life towards God, in the need for us to obey the Lord and His teachings. Each and every one of us should always remind one another that our lives should always be anchored in our faith in Christ our Lord, doing our best to live in a righteous manner according to the path that God has shown us. It is by doing this faithfully even in the smallest things that we do, that we become truly worthy as those whom the Lord had called and chosen.

In our first reading this Sunday, taken from the Book of the prophet Amos, we heard of the words of the Lord which He delivered through Amos to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel although he originated from the southern kingdom of Judah. The Lord sent words of rebuke and warning against all those wicked people who had not been truly faithful to Him, and worse still, as they even exploited the weak and the needy for their own benefits and profits, as mentioned in how they tampered with the scales and cheated the honest people who had come to them seeking for their services. And for all these dishonesty, wickedness and all the other evils that they had done, the Lord would punish them all and crush them all, as they rightfully deserved.

God wants all of His people to follow His path, everything that He has taught and shown them all. He does not want them to veer off into paths of evil and wickedness, through which they could end up in their downfall. The Lord therefore sent them many reminders and helpers to assist them, showing them the path to follow so that they may end up in the right path. These helpers and messengers were none other than the prophets and messengers of God, all sharing the same message which were meant for the people, ever reminding and calling on them to obey the Lord their God, and to follow His Law and commandments. And yet, the people still rebelled against the Lord and refused to obey or listen to the prophets, and in fact even persecuting and murdering those servants of God.

And many of these came about especially because of pride that afflicted many among them. Pride is truly indeed a great obstacle in our path as Christians, in being truly faithful to God amidst all the temptations of the world. And for the Israelites, their pride in thinking that their way of life could not be wrong or mistaken, or that they did not do anything wrong, was one of the main reasons why they persisted in their rebellion and disobedience against God. Then, their desires and attachments for worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions, all of these have also led them further astray as they sought for all the things and pleasures in the world which then misled and distracted them from the path towards the Lord their God, and closed their hearts and minds against the words of the prophets and messengers sent to remind them.

Then, from our second reading this Sunday, we heard from the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to his protege, St. Timothy, in which the Apostle spoke of the faith that all the Christian believers ought to have in their one Lord and Master, as St. Paul reminded to St. Timothy that there is indeed only one Lord and Mediator of all things, the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and His people, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who had been crucified, suffered and died for all of our sakes. And St. Paul made it clear that it is this One Mediator and Lord that he, St. Timothy and all the other missionaries had been working hard to proclaim and speak about in many places and even in distant lands, and therefore he encouraged them all to continue to work hard in praying and asking for God to help and guide His people in all things.

Finally, from our Gospel passage this Sunday, taken from the Gospel according to St. Luke the Evangelist, we heard of the parable which the Lord Jesus used to teach the disciples about the importance of putting their faith and trust in Him, and not to be easily tempted and distracted by worldly ambitions and desires, echoing what we have heard from the earlier Scripture readings as well. In that parable of the dishonest steward, we heard the story of a steward who had been accused of dishonesty and misdeeds in his work, and was therefore to be fired from his position, and we heard then how the dishonest steward then used his ideas and astuteness to try to secure for himself a living by modifying the contracts and debts of those who have owed money or things to his own master.

In doing that, the dishonest steward was trying to gain favour with those who had been indebted to his master, with the hope that when he was out of his job, there would be those who would take care of him. But if we look deeper, we can see how all these things ultimately came about and happened because of the steward’s own actions, his own greed, ambitions and desires that led him to be dishonest in his actions, which he then doubled down during the time when he was trying to secure a living for himself. While the master did praise the steward’s astuteness, this should not be considered as an endorsement or approval of what the steward had done. Rather, what the master highlighted and wanted us all to know is that, it is necessary for us to act in the way that the steward had done, in preparing for eventuality to come.

And for us all this eventuality is about the coming of the time when we all have to reckon and account for our lives before the Lord at the end and time of judgment. And since we know that this is coming up for all of us, then what is our choice of actions in our lives? Are we going to follow the way of the dishonest steward in indulging ourselves in worldliness or are we going to do what the Lord Himself has told us all to do? The choice is ours to make, and we should live our lives to the best of our abilities such that in everything that we say and do, we will always do what is right and just according to what the Lord Himself has shown and taught us, and this is what the Lord wants us all to do in our lives so that we may make best use of everything that He has provided to us to serve and glorify Him, at all times.

May the Lord continue to bless each and every one of us in our good works and endeavours, and help us all such that we can resist the temptations of worldly glory, pleasures and ambitions, and seek instead to follow the path that the Lord has shown us. Let us all be exemplary and be good role models in how we live our lives each day, in obeying God and His Law and commandments, and in showing genuine love and care to everyone around us, particularly to those whom we love and care for, while not neglecting those around us who need our help and generosity as well. May God be with us always in all things, now and forevermore. Amen.

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Sunday, 21 September 2025 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 16 : 1-13

At that time, Jesus told His disciples, “There was a rich man, whose steward was reported to him because of fraudulent service. He summoned the steward and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? I want you to render an account of your service, for it is about to be terminated.'”

“The steward thought to himself, ‘What am I to do now? My master will surely dismiss me. I am not strong enough to do hard work, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do : I must make sure that when I am dismissed, there will be people will welcome me into their homes.'”

“So he called his master’s debtors, one by one. He asked the first debtor, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ The reply was, ‘A hundred jars of oil.’ The steward said, ‘Here is your bill. Sit down quickly and write fifty.’ To the second debtor he put the same question, ‘How much do you owe?’ The answer was, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ Then the steward said, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.'”

“The master commended the dishonest steward for his astuteness : for the people of this world are more astute, in dealing with their own kind, than are the people of light. And so I tell you : use filthy money to make friends for yourselves, so that, when it fails, these people may welcome you into the eternal homes. Whoever can be trusted in little things can also be trusted in great ones; whoever is dishonest in slight matters will also be dishonest in greater ones.”

“So if you have been dishonest in handling filthy money, who would entrust you with true wealth? And if you have been dishonest with things that are not really yours, who will give you that wealth which is truly your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he does not like the one and is fond of the other, or he regards one highly and the other with contempt. You cannot give yourself both to God and to Money.”

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Sunday, 21 September 2025 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Timothy 2 : 1-8

First of all, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for rulers of states, and all in authority, that we may enjoy a quiet and peaceful life, in godliness and respect. This is good and pleases God. For He wants all to be saved, and come to the knowledge of truth.

As there is one God, there is one Mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, Himself human, Who gave His life for the redemption of all. This is the testimony, given in its proper time, and of this, God has made me Apostle and herald. I am not lying, I am telling the truth : He made me teacher of the nations regarding faith and truth.

I want men, in every place, to lift pure hands, in prayer, to heaven, without anger and dissension.

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Sunday, 21 September 2025 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 112 : 1-2, 4-6, 7-8

Alleluia! Praise, o servants of YHVH, praise the Name of YHVH! Blessed be the Name of YHVH now and forever!

YHVH is exalted over the nations; His glory above the heavens. Who is like YHVH our God, Who sits enthroned on high, but also bends down to see on earth as in heaven?

He lifts up the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap. He makes them sit with princes, with rulers of His people.

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Sunday, 21 September 2025 : Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Amos 8 : 4-7

Hear this, you, who trample on the needy, to do away with the weak of the land. You who say, “When will the new moon or the Sabbath feast be over that we may open the store and sell our grain? Let us lower the measure and raise the price; let us cheat and tamper with the scaled, and even sell the refuse with the whole grain. We will buy up the poor for money and the needy for a pair of sandals.”

YHVH, the Pride of Jacob, has sworn by Himself, “I shall never forget their deeds.”