23rd Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 09-09-2026

1 Cor 7:25-31 / Luke 6:20-26

This world, undeniably, has its attractions and delights.

For those who seek it, and can afford it, the desire for pleasure and luxury has almost no limits.

We would have loved to enjoy all the good things of this world and not think too much about the future.

And then in the first reading, St. Paul tells us of this grim reminder.

He says, “Our time is growing short. I say this because the world as we know it is passing away.”

He said that for his time, but it is a fact for every age in history, and it is a fact for us in this modern age.

We can become too engrossed with the attractions, delights and pleasures of this world that we forget what is temporal and what is eternal.

In the gospel, Jesus gave a teaching that makes us stop and think deeper about life.

We want to be happy in life but Jesus gives us a glimpse of eternal happiness which goes against the world’s view of happiness.

Those who are poor will be blessed, those who hungry will be satisfied and those who weep will rejoice.

Those are eternal blessings. 

It is only when we look away from the attractions, the delights and the pleasures of this world, that we will understand and inherit the eternal blessings that God wants to give us.

The Nativity of the BVM, Tuesday, 08-09-2026

Micah 5:1-4 or Romans 8:28-30 /  Matthew 1-16, 18-23

The Church celebrates the birth (or the nativity) of three persons in the liturgy: Jesus, John the Baptist and Mary.

John the Baptist pointed out Christ as the Lamb of God and prepared the way for Him.

Mary conceived Christ, the Son of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit and she brought Christ into the world in the wonderful mystery of the Incarnation (God became man).

Sources other than the Bible gave the names of Mary's parents as Joachim and Anna and the Church celebrates their feastday on the 26th July.

Also Mary's birth was termed as miraculous because her parents were childless and they prayed for a child and it was God who answered their prayers, and in a way that is more than they can expect.

Because God has a special mission for Mary in His wonderful plan of salvation. With her birth, the plan of salvation took on concrete shape towards its fulfillment.

Jesus is the Saviour, and Mary is the one who mothered the Saviour; Jesus is the fullness of the expression of God's love and in Mary, that love was made flesh.

We rejoice with Mary as the Church celebrates her birth. And yet Mary would also want us to join her to give thanks and pray for the salvation of the world.

Just as she gave birth to Jesus our Saviour, every birth of a child is God's love made flesh and the promise of salvation is renewed.

And as Mary's children, let us join her to pray for the world's conversion and salvation.

23rd Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 07-09-2026

1 Cor 5:1-8 / Luke 6:6-11    

Small amounts or small numbers are usually deemed as negligible.

After all they don’t usually have much effect because of the small quantity.

But of course, it depends on what is the matter at hand.

Because in the case of salt, a small amount of it put into the food will change the taste.

Or in the case of yeast, a small amount of it will make the dough rise.

In the first reading, St Paul used the image of the yeast in the dough to talk about the spiritual life.

A small sin may not seem to be dangerous, but that does not mean that it is negligeable to the spiritual life.

Because when small sins are left unchecked, it could be like the yeast in the dough.

Small sins could slowly multiply and soon will manifest into big grave sins.

As in the case of the man in the withered hand in the gospel, the spiritual life can slowly wither away with small sins.

As we examine our conscience, let us take note of the small or minor sins that we commit.

Let us ask Jesus to forgive and cleanse us so that we can offer to Him a pure heart to be filled with His love.

23rd Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 06.09.2026

Ezekiel 33:7-9 / Romans 13:8-10 / Matthew 18:15-20      

God created this world and it is a beautiful creation.

This world is beautiful because God created it with His love.

And God's best and most beautiful creation is human beings.

God created human beings with the best and in the best of His love, because God created human beings in His image.

So, the world and all creation point to the creative power of God who makes all things beautiful.

But it is in human beings that God's image is reflected.

And that image is expressed in love, holiness, kindness, goodness, gentleness, compassion, forgiveness, peace, wisdom, and truth.

In other words, that image expresses all the attributes of God.

And because human beings are created in the image of God, each person has a dignity that is to be respected.

A person's dignity cannot be taken away by others because it is a God-given dignity.

But the surprising thing is that a person can disrespect and disregard his own dignity.

He does that when he commits wrongdoing and sinful acts against others.

In doing so, he also disregards and disrespects the dignity of others.

In the Gospel, Jesus said, "If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves."

Jesus continues, "If he listens to you, you have won back your brother."

The purpose of addressing the wrongdoing is to win back the other person.

It is to win him back to God so that he could see himself as being made in the image of God.

But we also have to be aware that our human nature has been disfigured and distorted by sin.

And this is where “having it out” or addressing the wrongdoing may end in accusation and confrontation.

And here is where we have to pay attention to what Jesus says at the end of the gospel passage. 

Jesus said, "I tell you solemnly, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For when two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them." 

That is a solemn promise of Jesus to us, and that promise is fulfilled when we gather in prayer. 

In prayer, God renews His image in us, the image of love, holiness, kindness, gentleness, goodness, forgiveness, compassion, patience, wisdom, and truth. 

In prayer, our human nature is recreated into the image of God, so that we can listen to the voice of God and know what His will is. 

And when we agree to ask for anything in prayer, it is not about what we want, but about what the Lord our God wants. 

Because the word "agree" in the original language has the meaning of symphony and harmony. 

So, it is not that two or three people happen to pray for the same thing. 

It is about being gathered in Christ to understand His will, and to be united in prayer so as to carry out God's will. 

In other words, we pray so that we will know what to do and to do it in God's way. 

When we address a wrongdoing in God's way, there will be love, there will be peace, there will be reconciliation. 

So, where two or three meet, Jesus will be there, and their prayer will be heard and answered. 

It is not about the power of numbers, but the power of the presence of Jesus. 

A pilgrim shared a beautiful example of this at the World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023.

About 1.5 million young people gathered for the final celebration. 

Imagine the noise! Young people were singing, talking, eating, laughing and walking around.

The scene as chaotic and full of activity.

And then the Blessed Sacrament was exposed.

And something extraordinary happened.

1.5 million young people became silent.

The enormous crowd became calm. Many knelt down in adoration. Why?

Because they knew that the One who was in their midst was more important than the one million people around them.

They had not gathered just to see the Pope.

They had not gathered just to meet other young Catholics.

They had gathered for Christ.

And when Christ became the focus, the crowd became a community of worship.

That is the power of gathering in the name Jesus.

But whether it is 1.5 million people, or 15 people, or 5 people or less, let us remember what Jesus promised.

Jesus promised that where two or three are gathered in His name in prayer, He will be there.

And when the Church, the Body of Christ, is united in prayer, then beautiful things will happen. 

Because united in prayer in the presence of Christ, there will be conversion and repentance, there will be forgiveness and healing.

And the world will be beautiful, and humanity (people) will also be beautiful.

So, let us be united in prayer, and Jesus will show us how beautiful and how powerful prayer can be.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Saturday, 05-09-2026

1 Corinthians 4:6-15 / Luke 6:1-5 

A maxim is a written set of principles or rules of conduct.

In the 1st reading, St. Paul stated a simple principle or rule and that is "Keep to what is written".

Most probably he was referring to the Scriptures and to the written set of teachings that were handed to the Christian community at Corinth.

He made recourse to that maxim because the Christians at Corinth were beginning to interpret the teachings to their own convenience and advantage.

What was too demanding and affected them personally they would give leeway for themselves and go with the broadest possible options.

St. Paul wanted to bring them to their senses and to help them see the truth and the reality of their spiritual deterioration.

Yet in the gospel, it was the Pharisees who were harping on keeping to the Law of the Sabbath.

But their intention was to reinforce and propagate their religious fundamentalist ideas.

But it is not a question of rigidity or laxity when it comes to religious teachings.

Jesus came to teach us the Truth so that we will have freedom when we keep to His teachings.

In Jesus, we have the Truth who will lead us to the Way of Life.

Let that be our spiritual maxim.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 04-09-2026

1 Cor 4:1-5 / Luke 5:33-39    

Our actions are carried out with intentions.

Our actions are visible and others can have opinions and even make judgements about it.

But our intentions are not visible to others and only we ourselves know the motives of our intentions.

We may be seen as doing a noble act or a charitable deed, but our real intentions may have vested self-interests.

In the first reading, St. Paul reminds us that people must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God.

So what is expected of us as stewards is that we should be found worthy of what is entrusted to us by God.

It means that what we do must be done with pure intentions and what we say must be the truth.

But temptations are always lurking around and in our weakness our intentions can be flawed with hidden ulterior motives.

The first reading also tells us that God will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of our hearts.

When we let the light of God scatter the darkness of our hearts, then we will be the clean new cloak and the new wine in the gospel parables.

And with the light of God in us, then others will know what are the intentions of our words and deeds.

22nd Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 03-09-2026

1 Cor 3:18-23 / Luke 5:1-11

Between professionals and amateurs, it is obvious who will do a better job.

Professionals are paid to do the job, they are trained, they have the knowledge, the skills and the tools.

On the other hand, amateurs may have some knowledge and skills, but they do things as a hobby and not as a professional job.

In the gospel, Simon Peter and his companions were fisherman, and they make a living out of it.

But on that occasion, they worked hard all night and caught nothing.

Jesus was preaching to the crowds, and then He got into Simon Peter’s boat and continued to preach from there.

When He had finished, Jesus told Simon Peter to put out into deep water for a catch.

Peter may know that Jesus was not a fisherman, and he could have ignored what Jesus said, but for whatever reason, he decided to do as Jesus says.

That miraculous catch of fish made Peter realise that there are some things that are beyond his understanding or his expertise, and he was humbled by it.

And he also came to see that Jesus has more to reveal to him, and so he decided to follow Jesus.

As the first reading tells us, there is nothing to boast about in anything human, be it knowledge, or wisdom, or expertise, or professionalism.

When we realise how limited, or even foolish, human knowledge or wisdom can be, then let us be humble and follow the ways of God.

With humility and trust, God will show us how wonderful and fruitful it can be in following His ways.