Sts. Timothy and Titus (Memorial), Monday, 26-01-2026

2 Timothy 1 : 1-8 or Titus 1:1-5 / Luke 10 : 1-9  

One of the ways to motivate people to take on higher responsibilities is to recognize the contributions they are already making and the potential they have.

They need to be affirmed of whatever gifts that God has bestowed upon them so that what they have and what they are doing with it can be reinforced.

When St. Paul chose Timothy and Titus to be bishops of their respective churches, he was not looking merely at their gifts or abilities.

In fact, Timothy and Titus were rather young to be the bishops of the churches.

But, St. Paul recognized the potential of the faith that they had.

And especially for Timothy, St. Paul reminded him of the sincere faith which was handed down from his grandmother and his mother.

St. Paul affirmed Timothy that he saw this faith in him, and that was sufficient for him to lead the church that was entrusted to him.

Here, it is good to remember that faith, is not so much taught as it is caught.

The faith that we have is "caught" from others - our parents, our teachers, our friends, etc.

Hence we have a faith to share, a faith that others are waiting to catch, so that they too will come to know God and believe in Him.

It may be simple faith, but when we nourish that faith with prayer and good works, then it will grow and bear fruit for the glory of God and for the good of others.

3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 25.01.2025

Isaiah 8:23 -9:3 / 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 / Matthew 4:12-23  

It can be rather difficult to describe what light is. 

It would be easier to say what light is not. 

So, light is not a substance, nor is it an element. 

We can see it, and we may even be able to feel the effects of it, like as in the warmth of the sunshine. 

And yet, light has no weight, it has no shape, no form, no odour, and no sound. 

But strangely, it can be measured, and the unit of measurement is lumens. 

So, the higher the lumens, the brighter is the light. 

Another interesting aspect of light is that it travels at the constant high speed, which is about 300 million metres per second. 

So, if they say that a planet is 10 light years away, and if we bother to do some calculation, we will come up with an incredible amount of time to reach that planet. 

So far, we have looked at light in the scientific and practical terms. 

But light also has a spiritual side to it. And in the spiritual world, there is this constant battle between light and darkness. 

In the gospel, when Jesus heard that John has been arrested, He went back to Galilee and settled in Capernaum. 

The arrest of John had cast a shadow, but the gospel also quoted a prophecy from Isaiah:

The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light. On those who dwell in the land and shadow of death, a light has dawned. 

In the spiritual sense, Jesus is the light, the divine light. 

He is the light that shines into the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. 

And with the light comes the message of repentance: Repent, the Kingdom of God is close at hand. 

We may think that we long for the light, but we must also remember that where the light is brightest, the shadows are darkest. 

It can be understandable that a child is afraid of the dark. 

But the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. 

Although it may sound strange that we are afraid of the light, but that is because the light reveals our shadows. 

And there is a wise saying that goes like this: The moment you are disturbed by insult, or pleased by praise, you are still a slave of the darkness. 

Yes, our pride and ego cast long shadows of darkness in the presence of the divine light. 

And also, to move around in the dark is like asking for trouble. 

We will surely knock into things and break them, and we will also get hurt. 

The reality of this world is that there are shadows of darkness. 

In this darkness, people knock into each other and are left broken and hurting. 

But this is where the Good News of salvation comes as the light of repentance. 

With the light of repentance, we see the broken pieces of our lives, and also the broken pieces of the lives of others. 

With the light of repentance, we pick up these broken pieces and present them to Jesus. 

Jesus the light called His disciples to follow Him and to be fishers of men. 

The Word of God Sunday reminds us that Jesus, the Word of life, is calling us to follow Him, and to be echoes of His Word.

We are to be echoes of God’s Word to bring about healing to broken lives and to be sparks of light in the world that is darkened by shadows. 

Let us be echoes of God’s Word that will scatter the darkness, and let us, with the Word of God, prepare for the Lord the road of salvation for others.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 24-01-2026

2 Samuel 1:1-4, 11-12, 17, 19, 23-27 / Mark 3:20-21  

We are called Christians. There are many words that can be used to describe who we are and what we do as Christians.

For e.g. we are to be loving and forgiving, generous and kind, merciful and compassionate, etc.

One simple expression could be to say that we are "big-hearted" people.

Big-hearted people also express love in a big-hearted way.

We not only love our friends and those who are good to us.

We also must rise above our selfishness that tends to make us hate those who hate us and to ignore those who ignore us.

In the 1st reading we could see how David showed he was such a big-hearted person.

He forgave Saul who had persecuted him for so many years.

Not only did he lamented in grief over the death of Saul, he also remembered Saul's good qualities and he also remembered the goodness and love that Johnathan had for him.

Jesus Himself preached and showed the bigness and greatness of love.

But such bigness and greatness of love is not easily understood and accepted by others because they may have become numbed to the selfishness and evil they see so often around them.

Even the relatives of Jesus thought He was out of His mind.

But what is foolishness and madness for the world is indeed the bigness and the greatness of love.

That bigness and greatness is shown on the Cross. It is in the Cross we encounter the unfathomable bigness and greatness of God's love.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 23-01-2026

1 Samuel 24:3-21 / Mark 3:13-19   

In life there are two values that point to who we are and who others are to us.

These two values are dignity and respect.

When we are aware of our own dignity, we will respect ourselves.

And we will respect the dignity of others.

And we will also respect all the principles that govern the dignity of others.

In the 1st reading, David had the opportunity to kill Saul for unjustly persecuting him.

But David only cut off the border of the cloak of Saul and went off.

David cut off the border of Saul’s robe to serve as undeniable proof that he had the opportunity to kill Saul but chose not to.

In doing so, David proved his innocence, respect for God's anointed leader, and refusal to take the throne by force. 

This act highlighted his submission to God’s timing rather than his own.

In the gospel, Jesus appointed His twelve Apostles.

In doing so, Jesus respected their dignity, and they were to be His companions.

He would teach them about the dignity of every human person.

He would send them out to preach, and with power to restore the dignity of those who suffer injustice and persecution.

May we also recognize our own dignity as children of God.

May we also respect the dignity of others by letting them know they too are loved by God.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 22-01-2026

1 Samuel 18:6-9,; 19:1-7 / Mark 3:7-12   

Power and strength are often exhibited by the exertion of speed and force.

So how a task is accomplished is often measured by how fast it is done and how much power is used to do it.

Power and strength, as well as speed, are impressive as well as attractive to those who desire for it.

In the 1st reading, that was a great admiration for David for leading the Israelites into victory over the Philistines.

That made Saul jealous. He was jealous because he thought that he had the power and might to lead the Israelites in victory over the enemy.

Instead it was a young man with no military experience who defeated the enemy and won the admiration.

So Saul wanted to use his power and might to kill David.

That is the madness and the insanity of jealousy.

In the gospel, Jesus used His power to cure the sick and to cast out evil spirits from those who were possessed.

True power is in the curing and healing of those who are sick and suffering.

May we understand that true power and strength lies in gentleness and kindness, compassion and patience.

That is what the world wants to see in us who call ourselves Christians.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 221-01-2026

1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 / Mark 3:3:1-6   

It is always a good practice to be prepared for the unexpected.

And it is even necessary to be prepared for emergencies.

Because what can go wrong can go wrong, or even will go wrong.

We may say that we have faith in God, but God also wants us to use our intelligence and our sense of the situation to be prepared.

In the 1st reading, David offered to go and fight the giant Goliath.

Saul was against it but David said that God will rescue him from the power of that Philistine Goliath, and so Saul agreed and gave him God’s blessings.

David took his staff in his hand, picked up five smooth stones, and with his sling in his hand, went to meet Goliath.

David believed that just with one stone, God will help him defeat Goliath.

But David was also prepared for unexpected and unforeseen dangers.

Also the number “5” in the Bible stands for divine grace, goodness, and favour.

And with sling in hand, David killed Goliath with just one stone, and showed the awesome power of God.

In the gospel, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand.

That also tells us that by the work of our hands, we give glory to God.

Let us also carefully discern what tasks we want to pick up with our hands.

May what we do give glory to God, and may what we do also be for the good of others.

2nd Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 20-01-2-26

1 Samuel 16:1-13 / Mark 2:23-28   

In the animal world, there is a head or the leader of the herd or the troop.

There is one primary requisite to be in that prime position.

And that is size, and with it comes strength. 

So the head or leader of the herd or troop is usually the biggest and strongest male.

In the human family structure, the first-born male has a prime status and a privilege.

In the 1st reading, the God sent the prophet Samuel to Jesse’s home.

From among Jesse’s sons, God had chosen for Himself a king.

Samuel had thought that it was the eldest son or even the tallest and best-looking son.

But in the end, it was the youngest son, David that God has chosen to be the next king.

And from what God said to Samuel, we learn this important spiritual truth:

God does not see as man sees. Man looks at appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Yes, the Lord looks at our hearts and He knows our thoughts.

Let us keep our hearts clean and we will see what God wants us to see, and also to know the thoughts of God.